Find Me a Find, Catch Me a Catch

Chapter 8 - They Call Me Bell, They Call Me Stacey

Special thanks to Hadaregaming for making sure my Chanukkah information was both accurate and respectful.

In the early part of December, L-Corp hosted an annual thank you party for their investors. Dozens of millionaires would gather to hobnob with the company's board and c-suite and also meet some of the brightest minds the company employed. It was commonplace for an unveiling of a new piece of tech to take place, and thus, the press appeared in droves if they were lucky enough to be on the invite list for this prestigious and select event.

There was a large and impressive Christmas tree with presents for all in attendance underneath. It stood over twenty feet high and was lit with only white LED lights. The ornaments were varied from some high-end silver and gold pieces actually made with silver and gold to other pieces handmade by children at the Luthor Children's Hospital and Luthor Home For Children. It was both classy and welcoming, and in every way said, 'Lena Luthor'.

On a table was set a manger that stood about two feet tall and just under four feet long. The only light was the one that represented the star on top. The pieces for the manager, like the manager itself, were all wooden. There were barn animals, wise men, angels, Joseph, Mary, and an empty cradle, but no baby Jesus. As was a Luthor family tradition, he wouldn't be placed until after midnight on the 25th of December, Christmas morning. Compared to the tree, this piece was entirely understated. It looked much like the manger that Lena had inherited from the Luthors but had left packed away for the last few years.

A small group of people was gathering around one last item. It was a menorah, maybe two feet high. It had nine candles on it as it was the eighth day of Chanukkah. One blue one, the shamash, sat in the middle slightly higher than the rest above a Star of David. From left to right the candles were blue, white, blue, white, etc.

"You have a menorah," Kate said matter-of-factly.

Lena nodded. "We have Jewish employees and guests. Tonight is the last night of Chanukkah. If you'll excuse me for a moment, I have to attend to the ceremony. I don't really do anything. I'm just present. I'll be—" Kate's hand on Lena's arm stopped her. "Ah, right. You're my bodyguard. Well, come along. You can bodyguard me over there then. Just stand next to me for a few moments and be quiet and respectful, all right?"

"Quiet and respectful?" Kate asked.

Lena nodded. "People will be praying while they light candles."

"Berakhot."

"What?"

"Berakhot," Kate repeated. "They're the blessings. On every night after the first night, we say two prayers, l'hadlik neir, a general prayer over the candles, and she-asah nisim, a prayer thanking God for performing miracles for our ancestors at this time."

"You're Jewish," Lena said with a single nod. "I apologize for making an assumption. Perhaps then you'd be willing to educate me so I can do more than stand around and smile like a rich ass annually...though I am quite good at it."

Smiling, Kate put her hand on Lena's back and began to steer her toward the group of people by the menorah. "Come with me, goy."

"Goy?" Lena furrowed her brows at the other woman. "Should I be insulted?"

Kate continued to smile. "Not at all. I just called you a gentile. So, the candle in the middle is the shammus. We use it to light the others from left to right because you pay honor to the newer things first."

"Candles are added the opposite way though," Lena commented.

"Correct," Kate replied. "Right to left just like the Hebrew language. On the first day, one candle is lit and after that one more each day because we increase in sanctity. Now, quick history lesson. When Alexander the Great conquered Palestine, Egypt, and Syria he was relatively benevolent and left people to fairly autonomous rule with their own religions intact. About a century later, Antiochus IV took control, and his rule was oppressive. He placed a Hellenistic priest in the temple, massacred the Jews, prohibited practicing our religion, and required those who took over the temple to sacrifice pigs on the altar thereby desecrating the temple. A revolt was led that retook the temple and led to its rededication. Got it?"