Much has happened this month for Daniel and I, now celebrating 8 months of married bliss. Between us, we have managed to break two bones and buy two houses (well, one large house and one apartment underneath it). Two is not the interesting number here though; 8 is. After 8 months of marriage, I was hoping that I would be able to “kick Daniel’s ass” (or at least vaguely compete) at his favorite pool game (8-ball). Since our place is not large enough to play pool comfortably, I will have to wait another 8 months until we move into our house to start shooting competitively.

Being full on 8
On a more serious note, the Hebrew word for 8 is shmoneh which has the root shin, mem, nun. One word that comes from this is shamen, meaning fat. In Judaism, we refer to shamen when we think of abundance, health, full. Marriage has thus far filled us with abundant good.

Gaining oil from 8
There is another – in my mind, even more significant – way of looking at the Hebrew number 8 root. The shin, mem, nun can be read as shemen, meaning oil. During this month, Chanukah begins – a festival in which shemen is the key player, miraculously lighting up the Temple for 8 days. Daniel and I have enlightened each other (in a variety of interesting ways) and since my Hebrew name Meira has at its root, or meaning light, the significance continues.

The miracle of us – through 8
We knew each other for 8 months before getting married (2 ½ months dating, 5 ½ months engaged – 8 months filled with abundance and complete joy). It’s all been a miracle; a miracle at I wonder at; there really is no other word for it. It’s miraculous we met; incredulous our dating was so blissful and quite an act of G-d that we got to the chupah and married in front of our friends and family. That it only got better each day was not a miracle, but a gift. It was a wondrous time and still even more wondrous each day that goes by; how two people – coming from completely different worlds – can join hands and make a life together. I am shocked each day at how different we are, but while struck, I’m intrigued and fascinated. The differences are to be embraced, not feared. Without them, there is no possibility of reaching and achieving the wonderful abundance of 8 – only perhaps nearing something far less abundant. A miracle is, by definition, something one cannot achieve alone – it needs Hashem’s input – and it was indeed only through His will our differences merged and a union formed.

The wholeness of 8 – to complete circles
Ultimately, what do we get from the number 8? Two abundant wholes (shamen) coming together to form a perfect 8 shape; the glue/oil (shemen) sitting in the middle of the two, creating the union. Both are significant, but perhaps the shemen has a greater part for us, since it is no coincidence that it was in the Chanukah oil – 8 months after we pledged our eternal allegiance to each other in front of our Creator – that we sealed our future in the home of our Creator, buying a house in Zayit (olive), Efrat, home of abundance and overflowing (shamen).

Emma