BHS Chorus How Like a Winter

"Shakespeare’s famous line from Sonnet 18:

"Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade…"

Earlier in the same sonnet, he asks:

"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?" — and in contrast, winter in Shakespeare often symbolizes barrenness, aging, or hardship.

If you mean “How like a winter hath my absence been”, that’s actually from Sonnet 97, where Shakespeare writes:

"How like a winter hath my absence been
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!"

Here, he’s saying that being apart from the person he loves feels as bleak, empty, and lifeless as winter, even if the actual season is summer or autumn. It’s about the emotional “winter” inside him." - Chat GPT

Illumina Oculos Meos

"Latin (Psalm 12:4 in the Vulgate / Psalm 13:3 in many English Bibles)

Respice, et exaudi me, Domine Deus meus; illumina oculos meos, ne unquam obdormiam in morte.

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Literal English Translation

Look upon me and hear me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I ever sleep in death.

"Illumina oculos meos" is Latin for "Enlighten my eyes" or "Light up my eyes".

It’s a phrase that appears in the Vulgate (Latin Bible), specifically in Psalm 12:4 (which corresponds to Psalm 13:3 in many English versions):

Illumina oculos meos, ne umquam obdormiam in morte.
“Enlighten my eyes, lest I ever sleep in death.”

Here, “illumina” comes from illuminare — “to illuminate, to light up, to make bright.” It’s metaphorical for granting understanding, hope, or vitality.

In this psalm, the speaker feels abandoned by God and is crying out for help. The request to “enlighten my eyes” carries multiple layers:

1. Physical Restoration – In the ancient Hebrew sense, “eyes” are tied to vitality. Dim or closing eyes symbolized life fading away. Asking for them to be “enlightened” is a plea for renewed strength.

2. Spiritual Illumination – It’s also about insight and clarity. To “light up” one’s eyes means to receive divine understanding — to see truth instead of stumbling in darkness.

3. Emotional Reviving – On a poetic level, the line is a cry for hope. Darkness in the eyes reflects despair; light represents joy and renewed purpose.

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Poetic Parallels

Shakespeare often used similar imagery — the eyes as windows to the soul, reflecting life or love.
For example, in Sonnet 43:

“When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see…”

In both the psalm and Shakespeare’s sonnets, the eyes are not just organs of sight — they’re mirrors of the heart, indicators of inner light or darkness." - Chat GPT

Hanerot Halalu

""Hanerot Halalu" (הנרות הללו) is Hebrew for "These candles" (or more precisely, "These lights").

It’s the name of a short prayer/song traditionally recited right after lighting the Hanukkah candles.

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Text (in Hebrew & Transliteration)

הנרות הללו אנו מדליקין על הנסים ועל הנפלאות ועל התשועות ועל המלחמות שעשית לאבותינו בימים ההם בזמן הזה...

Hanerot halalu anu madlikin al hanisim ve’al hanifla’ot ve’al hateshu’ot ve’al hamilchamot she’asita la’avoteinu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh…

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English Translation (opening lines)

These lights we kindle for the miracles, for the wonders, for the salvations, and for the battles that You performed for our ancestors in those days, at this season…

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Purpose & Meaning

• It’s a declaration of why we light the Hanukkah candles — not for personal use, but to publicize the miracle of the Maccabean victory and the oil that lasted eight days.

• It emphasizes gratitude and remembrance of God’s interventions “then” and “now.”

• Traditionally sung or recited after the blessings over the candles, while watching the lights burn." - Chat GPT