Hannukah reflections

Joseph Henson President

Is it just me or does it seem like all the holidays are late this year? This year Hannukah only starts on Dec. 25 and ends eight days later on Jan. 2. Although, as Rabbi Chorny will patiently tell me, Hannukah is actually right on time.

In the Hebrew calendar, Hannukah begins every year on 25 Kislev and ends eight days later on 2 Tevet. It only seems late because of the Adar I lunar-solar calendar balancing effect. The Jewish calendar follows a lunar month cycle, so about every three years the calendar has to play catch-up by adding in 30-days of Adar I. This rebalancing keeps the holidays in the proper season so we do not celebrate Hannukah in the summer or sit at the seder table on Thanksgiving.

We all know why Hannukah is celebrated. Judah Maccabee and his troop of Jewish freedom fighters faced impossible odds as they fought those who would deny them the right of their belief in G-d and being able to fulfill the mitzvot according to their traditions. Of its many mitzvot, an important Hannukah lesson we must follow is “stand vigilant for your beliefs.”

However, with today’s chilling headlines, as we covered in our November article “Adverse Trends,” this can sometimes seem daunting or physically unsafe. Witness the shooting of a man in Chicago simply walking to shul on Shabbat. Then, the city taking several days to decide this was more than just a mere assault. That was almost a dismissive reaction by the civil authorities.

Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the highly esteemed Chasidic Rabbi and the fatherin-law of the Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, said we should spend time in close proximity to the Hannukah lights. He taught, “We must listen carefully to what the candles are saying.” So, what are those flickering lights telling us?

For one, never be afraid to stand up for what’s right. The Maccabees were confronted with seemingly overwhelming odds, but that didn’t stop them. They entered the battle of their lives —and won. We can do the same. But we all know our history. In subsequent battles, the Jews were defeated and dispersed throughout the world, but through almost constant and often horrific pressure, they did not abandon their beliefs. Today we will continue to encounter setbacks and defeats — both great and small — but we cannot surrender.

Second, we should remember the principal mitzvah of Hannukah is lighting the Menorah and letting the light be seen. Hannukah is meant to be publicly observed. This is an outwardly facing observance. It is not enough to say, “I am a Jew” but only light the menorah candles at the dining room table. We need to embody the famous and effective civil rights slogan, “Say it out loud!”

The sages teach us to shine the candle light outward from our personal space. This is clearly seen in how we perform this mitzvah. The Hannukah lights are lit after sunset and must burn into the night. It is a requirement that a menorah be visible from the outside. This demonstrates our menorah is intended to bring the mitzvah out to everyone rather than just within our home.

So, yes my wife and I will be putting our plastic menorahs with the little orange light bulbs (I mean, who doesn’t have one?) in our front windows for all eight nights. Later, when we drive around looking at our neighbor’s Christmas displays, we hope to see your menorah shining brightly in your front window too.

We hope to see you at the Federation’s community-wide Hannukah party on Dec. 26 at 5 p.m. at Mercato. We will enjoy celebrating together as our community menorah is lit. While there, please stop by our Beth Tikvah Welcome Table. We will be happy to tell you about Beth Tikvah and what we have to offer for you and your family. We look forward to seeing you!