Page 59 - HaMizrachi Chanukah 2021 - USA

Salazar regained consciousness in During his season managing in chief importance of the ner, the candle,
the hospital that night. He says he Lynchburg, Salazar often spent is to illuminate the ish and the beito,
saw a white light - "very bright, so the duration of bus trips returning the people and the household who sur-
bright" - and fell back asleep. He voicemails from friends. "In a way, round us - to remember how fortunate
woke up the next day after surgery, I see more now than I did with we are to be in this moment together
the first of three. "What happened?" two eyes," he said. "I see friends, with those we love.
he asked his wife. She told him. He teammates I haven't spoken to in
nodded. He went to the bathroom 25 years. I notice more around the Louis Salazar sees more with one eye
than he ever saw with two. When we
and caught a glimpse of himself in ballpark. It's maybe crazy to say, but
the mirror. Then the gravity set in. in some ways, it's been a blessing." light that menorah, we too must see
beyond what our eyes perceive and
"It's scary when you don't recognize
We take it as a given that we light the appreciate the blessings and the mir-
yourself," he said. "That's when I
Chanukah candles to see the flames. acles that surround us.
knew how bad it was."
We tend to assume that the pirsumei
Doctors first told him the good nissa, the publicizing of the miracle, is
news. He was alive. And, blessedly, achieved by lighting oil and commem-
he'd suffered no brain injury. Then, orating a miracle from many years ago.
a few days later, the bad news: his
Rabbi Efrem Goldberg is the Senior Rabbi of
left eye was so damaged it would
the Boca Raton synagogue (BRS), a rapidly-
need to be removed.
growing congregation of over 850 families
Six days after he was hit, Salazar's and over 1,000 children in Boca Raton, Florida.
left eye was surgically removed, Somehow, after thousands
his socket suddenly resembling a of years of persecution and
garage without a car. He conceded systematic attempts to destroy,
that was "a tough day," but he was the Jewish people are still
more focused on thanking God
here. We are the miracle!
that he had come out of the ordeal
relatively unscathed. The doctor
But perhaps we are missing the point.
told him that losing the eye meant
Maybe the real purpose is not to see
only that he couldn't be a fighter
the flame itself but to allow the flame
pilot. Otherwise, there would be
no restrictions. He put a bandage to illuminate the darkness and reveal
what is all around us.
over the eye - beating others to it by
making the obligatory Pittsburgh Perhaps publicizing the miracle is not
Pirates joke - and went about his accomplished through the candle, but
business. rather by taking a moment to consider
the trials and tribulations we have been
When Salazar was finally released
through and then allowing the light to
from the hospital, he drove the three
illuminate how fortunate and blessed
hours from Orlando to Boca Raton.
we are nonetheless.
"I needed to do that for myself,"
he said. On April 15, he made his Somehow, after thousands of years of
managerial debut in Lynchburg. By persecution and systematic attempts
this point, his story had generated to destroy, the Jewish people are still
some media attention - particularly here. We are the miracle!
among Braves fans - and a capac-
Individually, each of us has struggled in
ity crowd turned out to welcome
our own way. Even for the most fortu-
the new manager. Graciela was in
nate among us, life is not easy. And yet
the stands as well. "Just putting on
we are still here, and we are grateful.
the uniform, going to home plate
and handing the lineup card to the On Chanukah, the rabbis commanded
umpire," he said. "That was the best us to light one candle per household,
moment of my baseball career." ner ish ubeito. Homiletically, perhaps the

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