Chanukah Heroes
Activity: "Blessed Is the Match"
This touching and inspirational song was the last Hannah Senesh ever wrote. She had already been daringly parachuted into a partisan camp in Yugoslavia when she composed it.
Musical score, Hebrew, and English available here.
Read the text and discuss the questions that follow:
"Blessed is the Match," by Hannah Senesh, 1944
Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame.
Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart.
Blessed is the heart with strength to stop its beating for honor's sake.
Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame.
- What does the concept of a burning match mean to you?
- What is the message? How does this message relate to an understanding of Israel and the spirit of the Jewish people?
- What emotions do you feel when reading this poem? How can you relate to it on a personal level?
