Light over darkness in every Jewish home

The holiday of Hanukkah stands out amongst other holidays on the Jewish calendar. Directly linked to service in the Holy Temple, Hanukkah was celebrated as a rejection of the impurity that the Greeks sought to impose within the temple service.

Yet, other commemorations that were instituted in the time of the Beit Hamikdash were nullified when the temple was destroyed and weren’t maintained as part of the yearly cycle of holidays. Hanukkah was and is the exception whereby its observance, despite being directly linked to the temple itself, survived and thrived, even after the destruction.

The question found in the gemara asks why. What is the logic to celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah when the very institution where that commemoration and service took place is no longer with us? The gemara explains that the holiday remains because there was a specific mitzva to light the candle in the menorah in the Beit Hamikdash.

But that is exactly the question. Why is it still a mitzvah to light a candle if all of the reasons for the original holiday are no longer relevant? What are we meant to learn from this?

I would say that the answer lies not only in the technical side of candle lighting but in the far broader importance that Hanukkah holds in our very peoplehood and identity as Jews.

When the mitzvah of candle lighting was instituted, as it is discussed in the gemara, it wasn’t solely a remembrance of something that once was and is no longer. Rather the sages who had the wisdom and foresight to institute this mitzvah were teaching us the timeless lesson of bringing light into the world and the symbolism of candlelight in extinguishing the darkness in our midst.

Throughout Jewish history, this symbol, which began with the Maccabees rejecting the idolatry and hedonism of the ancient Greeks, has pervaded countless times where we needed to confront a darkness that threatened our very physical and spiritual existence.

The original candle lit in the Holy Temple isn’t confined to that physical time and space. Even after the Temple’s destruction, the power of that light brought forth by the sacred Kohanim became something embraced and brought into every Jewish home and life. A Jewish home, through the light of the Hanukkah candles, is a timeless manifestation of this concept. Rejecting darkness and reflecting the light of Jewish resilience and hope.

There is no doubt that these themes are even more relevant today. While we have been blessed with remarkable miracles in recent months and most notably the return of the hostages, we continue to live in times of uncertainty over what might still lie ahead.

When the Hanukkah candles are lit in the cellars of Inquisition-era Spain, the ghettos of Nazi-occupied Europe or the army bases of the modern-day State of Israel, the message remains the same. Light will win out over darkness and good will prevail over evil. Even in the most difficult times, that will continue to be the belief that sustains, inspires and guides us forward.

Chag Hanukkah Sameach.