EDITORS NOTE: This piece was written prior to the Bondi Beach massacre.These are dark days for Jews around the world. Rabid antisemitism is at an all-time high in formerly civilized Western nations. Sadly, it is an old story, a recurring historical story, and one of the triumphs of light over such darkness that is commemorated in the festival of Hanukkah (also written as Chanukah).Unlike the Christian festival of Christmas, which celebrates the birth of the Jewish baby Jesus in Bethlehem, as the Prince of Peace, Hanukkah commemorates the second century BCE post-war rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, after it had been sacked and desecrated by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks). Not only was the Temple desecrated, but also the Jewish people.Many Jews had been murdered in gruesome public ways by the Seleucids as a means of extracting compliance from those who refused to abandon their faith and religious observances; other Jews had complied to survive; some had turned against their own. But a miracle happened. A tiny band of faithful Jewish warriors, led by Judah the Maccabean, defeated the mighty Greek army and drove them out of the land. Jews returned to the Temple, aghast at the devastation and defilement, but determined to restore, rebuild, and rededicate.They found only one container of olive oil that had not been defiled, and with hope, relit the Temple’s menorah, the seven-branched candelabra, knowing that there was not enough oil to last for the eight days it would take to produce a new batch of ritually pure oil..But they had succeeded against all odds in war; they had faith and lit the light. A miracle happened there.Somehow, the oil lasted those eight days. Somehow, the Temple was restored. Somehow, the Jewish faith survived another attempt to wipe it out.A great miracle happened there. And thus, the sages decreed that the festival of Hanukkah would commemorate this miracle. To this day, during the eight-day festival of Hanukkah, one candle is lit per night on the special nine-branched Hanukkiah; the ninth candle is used to kindle the flame. Rather than a Christmas turkey, Hanukkah features oil-cooked foods like potato latkes with apple sauce or sour cream, or the calorie-rich “sufganiot” — a jam-filled deep-fried doughnut. Rather than gift-giving, the essence of Christmas, which commemorates the gifts of the Magi, Hanukkah encourages the giving of good deeds; it encourages individuals to be a light in their communities. To remember that from the darkest times can come new light..While most Jewish festivals are observed within the community, Hanukkah is meant to be observed in public. As the Chabad Rebbe wrote of the Hanukkiah lit in homes, “Perched in the doorway, they serve as a beacon for the darkening streets. No matter how dark it is outside, a candle of G‑dly goodness can transform the darkness itself into light … It’s not enough to be a Jew at heart, or even at home. Chanukah teaches us to shine outwards into our surroundings with the G‑dly glow of mitzvahs.”Faith and hope are contagious.Courage is contagious. Generosity is contagious. Joy is contagious. For many people, this season of festivities is dark and difficult.For many people in these times, life has been turned upside down by the whipsaw of world events.Lift them up.Be the light.
