Hanukkah: the Light at the Door

The Light at the Door

Tevet 2, 5766/January 1, 2006


Eighth Light of Chanuka


One doesn't have to be at home in order to fulfill G-d's commandments; as the Torah instructs us, "you shall talk of them… when you walk by the way" (Deut. 6). It may be difficult, but we can fulfill His will while on the road, as we have for nearly 2,000 years, on the long road of exile. We Jews are no strangers to wandering, and the desert tabernacle itself that accompanied the Children of Israel throughout their journeys was the very embodiment of the concept that G-d Himself wanders along with us in this world, while we are on the way to our permanent home.


In the time of the Holy Temple, proper celebration of the three major pilgrimage festivals meant leaving home. From all over the Land of Israel and from as far away as Babylon, Jewish people departed from their homes and made the long trek to Jerusalem and the Holy Temple "to be seen there by G-d" (Ex. 23). In leaving their homes, they left all their material possessions behind, and received a Divine guarantee that all would be well in their absence, and "and no man shall covet your land" (Ex. 39) while you are away from home.


The Passover offering was not to be eaten at home; it had to be partaken of in Jerusalem, and somehow all of Israel crowded into the holy city and found lodging for the festival. All were considered guests; thus our sages teach that no Jerusalemite charged for lodging, since "all are guests in Jerusalem" – even the locals who live there, for it is G-d's portion.


Obviously, one does not need a "home" to celebrate Sukkot, the festival of Tabernacles… for G-d instructs us that to properly observe this holiday, we must leave our homes behind, and dwell in temporary booths for seven days! (Lev. 23).


Indeed, the true exception to this rule is the holiday of Chanukah, which the entire house of Israel has been observing for the past week. Of all Jewish holidays, the eight day observance of Chanukah is unique. One aspect of this uniqueness is that holiday, the time of the rededication of the Second Temple and Israel's victory over foreign oppression, is the only holiday which really requires that we be at home, in order to observe it properly and fulfill its requirements. The special chanukiah, the eight-branched candelabra used to kindle the lights that commemorate the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days in the Temple menorah, is preferably to be placed outside the home, next to the entrance. The family gathers together by the door of the home to light these flames, and the light is symbolically brought into the home.


So Chanukah is really the holiday of the home. This idea should come as no surprise… after all, it is the holiday of the Holy Temple, G-d's home. Without that home, without the proper abode for the Presence of G-d among us, what value or significance do our own homes have?


And how ironic that this holiday of the home, of G-d's and ours, is being observed as another homeless festival by the selfless and dedicated Jews of Gush Katif whose suffering rises to heaven, expelled by a Jewish government from their homes, and still wandering, five months later, the majority of whom have still received no permanent housing and no compensation. The story has all but disappeared from most headlines, but the people have not.


But the light of Chanukah is no ordinary light. As we have discussed on recent installments of Temple Talk, the commonplace usage of the word "light" is simply in reference to the absence of darkness. But there is a higher and holier form of light, so bright that we have not the capacity to comprehend its beauty, and it actually appears to us, with our limited intellect and spiritual small-mindedness, as darkness… the darkness which our sages refer to as the secret of "the darkness of holiness." The Chanukah lights we kindle during each night of the holiday are a revelation of the sublime "hidden light of creation" which, we are taught, served Adam in the Garden of Eden before the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, and was then hidden away by G-d for the righteous in the World to Come. This light, also an illumination of the original light kindled by the High Priest in the Holy Temple, is revealed once again during each night of Chanukah.


Another aspect of the uniqueness of Chanukah is the degree in which it is universally commemorated by so many Jews the world over, even by those who are only moderately (or practically not at all) observant. Even amongst those whose Jewish identity is flickering at a bare minimum and who hold to few other practices, gather together to kindle the Chanukah lights. Some writers have minimized the significance of this phenomena and have attributed it to the fact that it's easy enough to light some candles… there's not much effort involved. But according to the deepest sources of our tradition, the attraction is simple enough to understand, for as our sages have stated if the "children of Israel are not prophets, then they are certainly the sons of prophets" (BT Tractate Pesachim) and thus on the deepest intuitive level every Jew knows the truth: this is a chance to rekindle that original holy light and receive the highest illumination of the hidden light of creation… every year, when the kindle the Chanukah lights, this light shines once again in our homes, in our hearts, however briefly, refracted through us, through our families, our children. Indeed, Chanukah, a word denoting "dedication" – as in the rededication of the Temple by the victorious Macabees – is also a form of the word chinuch, meaning "education." Our children, whom we strive to educate in the knowledge of Torah, are the bearers of the hidden light; they are the true secret meaning of the victory of Chanukah, the victory of light over darkness.


The goal of the wicked King Antiochus and the Greek invaders was not the physical annihilation of the Jewish people. True, they slaughtered countless Jews as part of their offensive, but their real goal, as we recall in the special holiday prayers recited during Chanukah, was "to make Israel forget Your Torah, and to cause them to transgress Your will." This war, in which the desecration of the Holy Temple was the focal point, was based upon decrees that were enacted against the Jewish religion, and was designed to conceal the presence of G-d in the world.


Historical sources such as the Book of Maccabees and other writings reveal that the most problematical aspects of this war were not those posed by the Greeks. The brave and heroic Matityahu and his brothers, sons of the High Priest Yochanan, had to confront and do battle against those Hellenistic Jews who fought against the Torah from within the body of Israel. These apologist, rebellious Jews, only too eager and willing to be agents for the Greeks, were ashamed of their Jewish heritage and identity and sought to obliterate the unique spiritual quality of the people of Israel. To find favor with the Greeks, they offered up pigs on the altar, hid the sign of their circumcision, and made every effort to turn their backs on Judaism and emulate the foreigners. The first blow which "Judah the Hammer" struck in the war against King Antiochus, the war of Chanukah, was against these pathetic yet insidious Jewish turncoats. And "Macabee," from which "Judah the Hammer" takes his name from the words that formed his battle cry, which he shouted out while going into war: "Who is Like You, Hashem, among gods?" For there are no other gods but Him. (The Hebrew word "Macabee" is an acrostic formed of the first letters of these words).


Now, as we prepare to usher in the last day of Chanukah, we can reflect upon these things. Chanukah is all about the never-ending spiritual struggle of maintaining our identity and focusing, at all costs, upon our spiritual mission in this world. At this time of political upheaval and the total bankruptcy of Israel's political establishment, Judah the Macabee's battle cry still rings true: The biggest problem that we continue face is from within. There are those amongst us, perhaps at the highest echelons, who seek "to make Israel forget Your Torah, and to cause them to transgress Your will."


Tonight, on the last night of Chanukah, the holiness of this light reaches a tremendous crescendo. According to tradition, all the sanctity and purity of Chanukah, and all of its potential for spiritual growth and progress, is concentrated into this last day of the festival, making it an ideal time for repentance. In fact our sages stress that the same gates of repentance that opened for Yom Kippur are open again now. But true repentance, in the spirit of Chanukah, requires us to bravely and unabashedly declare, at all costs and for all to hear, that there are no other gods but Him.


With blessings of Chanukah light,


Rabbi Chaim Richman
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500