One of the names for the Jewish festival of Chanukah is Chag Urim, the Festival of Light. In the myth of creation found in Genesis, Divine Source created light on the first day, but the sun and the moon were not created until the fourth day. The primordial light from the first day of creation is the light of enlightenment. This is the light associated with spirituality and the human soul. At the end of the book of Proverbs, we learn that God’s lamp is the human soul, which is why so many cultures use candles for spiritual practices, particularly in rituals connected to mourning and to remembering loved ones. Light is also a metaphor wisdom and understanding.
The word Chanukah literally means “dedication.” Chanukah celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem roughly 2,200 years ago after the Maccabean Revolt, a battle for religious freedom. About 800 years after this battle, the Sages of the Talmud recall the miracle of the oil that was needed to light the Eternal Flame. This light is a symbol of God’s presence and it needed to be lit in order to rededicate the Temple after the battle. Thus, over time, the story evolved from one of military victory and religious liberation, external and physical values, to a story about the miracle of light, symbolizing that which is internal and spiritual.
Today, we are experiencing both isolation and fear in our daily lives. The pandemic is like a mirror, reflecting back to us the deep impact our actions have on our planet. All is illuminated: we see acts of tremendous generosity and sacrifice as well as actions that reflect the ugly manifestations of fear.
Chanukah this year feels relevant and close due to a sense of urgency that we need to dedicate our lives to the spiritual message of light. The choices we make now have gravity: we can choose to respond to our world with love and care and work collaboratively towards social justice, or we can respond from a place that lacks faith and promotes ego-driven competition.
I believe that those who choose the path of fear and competition will only reap regret, grief and sadness. You don’t need to be Jewish to take a moment this season to reflect on light and dedicate value-based actions that promote equality, justice and peace. The Jewish thinker A.D. Gordon taught, “There will not be a victory of light over darkness as long as we do not recognize the simple truth, that instead of fighting the darkness, we must increase the light.”
This pandemic may change the way we all celebrate our precious winter festivals and holy days but that is only on the outside. The core messages of hope, faith, kindness, generosity and shining our light this year are even more powerful now because these values are the exact medicine we all need to get through this together.
Rabbi Harry Brechner is Rabbi of Congregation of Emanu-El in Victoria, B.C.
* This article was published in the print edition of the Times Colonist on Saturday, December 12th 2020
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