When I close my eyes and picture the Hanukkah of my childhood, I see my father in the dining room, cutting wicks, pouring olive oil and setting up the family Hanukkah Menorah just so. The green colored Hanukkiah reminded me of something from Aladdin. I wondered if a genie would emerge to offer us our Hanukkah presents. The smell of oil that filled the house was stronger than that of frying latkes and frankly not so pleasant. And preparing the wicks was not easy. But the flickering of the flames was magical. They transformed our table into a sacred place of light and
story, warmth and wellbeing. The lights seemed to hold the wisdom of the ages and they shone brightly at the darkest time of the year.
In his song Miracle, Matisyahu calls out, 8 is the number of infinity, one more than what you know how to be. And this is the light of festivity, when your broken heart yearns to be free. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Xd2JLfHzs
Hanukkah calls us to imagine more than we might think possible. The flickering candles are aspirational images, illuminating our hopes for the future. Each night, they serve to raise up holiness, as we learn in the Talmud when discussing how to light the Hanukkah Menorah, ma'alin bakodesh v'ain moridin/we rise up in holiness and do not descend (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 21b). Every light has the potential to spread more love, more warmth and more joy.
Recently, one of our teens suggested that each night we light one candle, one light burning brightly, shining out on its own and finding its way. This image reminds me of Edith Wharton's claim that there are two ways of spreading the light - to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. Even one flame can illuminate the world, spreading joy in dark times, releasing us from captivity by mirroring the light in another. This is perhaps another take on the shamash/the helper candle that helps another flame rise from within.
This year in our home, in addition to our yearly Menorahs, we will light one colorful candle each night, noticing the power of the light that stands on its own in the shadow and reflection of the others. May the flickering light of all kinds illuminate our memories and light the way into a future of our making, brightening the road ahead.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Hanukkah! rg
Congregation Habonim 103 West End Ave New York, NY 10023
