It is Almost Time to Light it Up! - Hanukkah!!!
The Festival of Lights
recalls the victory—more than 2100 years ago—of a militarily but who were
a spiritually strong group of Jewish people over the mighty forces of a
ruthless enemy that had overrun the Holy Land and engulf the land and its
people in darkness.
The miraculous
victory—culminating with the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem and
the rekindling of the Menorah which had been desecrated and
extinguished by the enemy—has been celebrated annually ever since, during these
eight days of Hanukkah. This is particularly visible when we light the
Hanukkah Menorah, a symbol and message of the triumph of freedom over
oppression, of spirit over matter, of light over darkness.
Hanukkah is truly a
beautiful time of year. It contains a message so important for us... as Jews...
as people in this world. Chazal (our sages of blessed
memory) taught us, “A little light expels a lot of darkness.” The story of
Hanukkah screams out this message. We relive this today as we light the
Hanukkah lights in our homes. We relive it, in fact, in many ways, in our
lives.
The world around us can
be dark. But we know the sages were right: a large room full of darkness is
easily defeated by the smallest flame. And what is that light in the often dark
world? It is us. It is our thoughts, our words, and our actions.
King Solomon said “the soul of man is the lamp of God” (Proverbs
20:27).
There have been many
beautiful interpretations of this verse over the centuries. One of these points
to the fact that we each have a godly spark within us. This reminds us that we
are each always connected to Hashem... and to each other. But beyond this, it
is proof that there is light within all of us. We are and have the means to
light up the world through all that we think and say and do.
But many of us do not
believe this. Some of us do not give enough credit to the impact we have in the
world; we may therefore downplay our potential. We may believe that it is
irrelevant to do acts of justice and kindness in a world filled with what seems
to be increasing hatred and injustice.
We may ask: Why should Ido
the right thing when those around me do not? Why should I give
more charity while others around me who don’t amass more wealth? What
difference will my 5 dollars make for that homeless person anyways?
Why should I let
that person in front of me in traffic when it was so difficult for me to get
in? And perhaps, we may also ask: Why should I light those
Shabbat candles? Does God really even care?
The Torah is quite
clear: God cares. The world cares. Make no mistake: You do make
a difference.
The kabbalists, among
others, have taught us for millennia that all of these things do, in fact, have
a real impact on the world, whether it be material or spiritual; and indeed
well beyond what we might think. With each Hanukkah candle, we are lighting up
more than the room in which the Menorah is set. With each smile we give to
others, we are in fact shining light, spreading good feelings, in many
directions.
A helpful gesture to a stranger, a kind word,
and even a kind thought, can change other people’s days, and perhaps even their
lives. When we do the mitzvot from our Torah, whether it is
the kindness just mentioned, lighting our candles, giving tzedaka,
celebrating our holidays or even just learning more about who we are and where
we come from, that sages throughout the ages have taught us that we are
contributing beyond what our eyes might be able to see. These irreplaceable
acts add brightness on a spiritual plane that we may tend not to think about
often.
Moreover, they are all
part of the bigger picture of Tikkun Olam – Repairing the
World – and making our world a better place. Indeed, Judaism teaches that
sharing this light that is within us all is a large part of why we are here. To
paraphrase a famous teaching of our sages: ‘One moment of
good deeds in this world is worth more thanall the life of the
World-to-Come’.
What does this mean? It
is more powerful than it seems. Although a subject to be discussed on its own:
As Jews, we are taught that this life, with our souls in these bodies in Olam
Ha’ze, this world, is just a corridor or a waiting area before the
banquet hall known as Olam Ha’ba, the World to Come.
Perhaps diifcult to
define or explain, suffice to say that it may be viewed, among other things, as
a time and a place when we shall all be with Hashem in a world beyond the one
we now see or what we might understand. Our Talmud teaches of many of the
beautiful things of Olam Ha’ba and of the impact of what we do
in this life on our time there.
Nonetheless, a
beautiful Jewish teaching is that only in this world are we
afforded the opportunity to do so many of the beautiful mitzvot that
our Torah commands us to do as a way to connect with Hashem and with each
other... As a way to Tikkun Olam.
Only in this world
can we choose whether or not to give tzedaka, to be respectful of
others or help them in their time of need, to be more caring, loving, patient,
kind and compassionate. Only in this world can we choose
whether or not to light the Shabbat or Hanukkah candles. In sum, only in this world
can we share the light within us with the world around us.
Although there are (relatively)
fewer Halachot, laws, for this holiday then for others, some laws
relating to lighting the Menorah give further proof to the importance of this
important role of ours in this world. Of course, given we light the Menorahs
with our families in our homes, this reminds us that illumination begins at
home, within oneself and with one’s family.
In fact, Hanukkah
reminds us of our obligation to educate our children. While the word
"Hanukkah" means "dedication", it is also linked to the
word for education: Chinuch. This reminds us of the responsibility
incumbent upon every father and mother to provide Jewish education for their
children.
But Hanukkah reminds us
that Jewish parents are called upon not only to teach their children
life-enhancing skills, but also to teach those values and ideals that will
bring meaning to their children’s lives. To teach their children the meaning of
what it is to be a Jew and the beauty of Torah andmitzvot. In this way,
they will (B’ezrat Hashem) add to the light we ourselves are spreading.
Though it begins at
home, this process does not stop there. The Halachah is clear:
we must light our Hanukkah candles in such as way that the lights are visible
to the outside world. The lights are expressly meant to illuminate the
“outside,” symbolically alluding to the duty to bring light to the world around
us.
Of course, we often
hear that Hanukkah is such a nice warm little holiday, a nice alternative to
all the commercialized glitz out there at that time of year. We can celebrate
at home, share latkes and jelly donuts, play a few rounds of dreidel and
sing Al HaNissim and Maoz Tzur. So why all the
publicity? Why does Jewish law stipulate that we must light the Menorah by
either the window or the door, at a time of night when passersby are likely to
see it?
We kindle the Hanukkah
lights in public to make a proud statement to everyone: We are the Jewish
nation, and we are here to stay. We are different and we want to make this
world different. These lights will pierce through all worldly darkness, and
will never be extinguished. No matter how dark it is... there is always
the possibility of light... we are that light! Don’t let the light
go out. Shine on!
The way to eliminate
darkness – to rid the world of ignorance, negativity, hatred and greed – is to
kindle the lights of knowledge, generosity, hope and love. The lights of the
Hanukkah are lit only after nightfall, signifying that our purpose is to
illuminate the darkness of the world. This is why we are here... and Hashem
sent the right people to do the job.
And just as we add
another light each Hanukkah night, may Hashem bless us all to go from strength
to strength, growing as Jews and as people, as we shed more and more light on
those around us and the world as a whole, fulfilling our purpose to be a light
unto the nations.
Kindest regards,
Evan D. Green
Partner and International Project/Programme Manager
Le Groupe-conseil
Baastel ltee
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