Candles
are small, almost insignificant in the incandescent lights shining from above. Yet, when the lights are turned off they
become defiant flames railing against the darkness. That is the meaning of these tiny wicks
aflame with fire. They illume the
darkness nights of the year with hope.
Two
thousand two hundred years ago pagans overran the Temple in Jerusalem. Filth and unholy totems filled what once was
the place of the Divine. The Maccabees
fearlessly waged a war against the empire.
With few weapons and warriors but an abundance faith and hope the Maccabees
defeated the idolaters, cleansed the Temple and relit the long extinguished lights
of the Menorah. With only enough
precious oil to kindle the lights for one day they miraculously burned for
eight nights.
To
this day we light eight candles as reminders of the faith of the just. The first light represents the tireless fight
against injustice. It calls us to waken
and combat against the looming darkness of ignorance, apathy and
godlessness. It is a stubborn but
resilient light that paves the way to illumination that grows with each passing
day. Such a small flicker gives us a
sense of hope when we feel hopeless.
On
each successive night to Hanukkah the flames grow bolder. That is why we light two candles on the
second night, three on the third and so on.
Once we have taken the first steps towards being true to our faith and
G-d our inner resolve becomes stronger as we advance into more and more
light.
It
is said that when the Holy Temple was recovered from the Hellenist forces the
flames grew ever brighter with each passing day. So it is on this Hanukkah. So it is in our souls that reflect the light
of the Menorah.
The
holiday calls to our sacred soul to find G-dly nourishment in the light of the
Almighty. When we call upon the light,
the Holy One fans the inner flames and helps them to grow exponentially.
