Seeking Light

We have reached the end of Chanukah, kindled the last flame, said the last blessings for this year.  We’ve washed the wax from the menorah and put it away, perhaps wondering what the world will look like when we next light those candles.

Chanukah, as we all know, is the Festival of Lights.  We place our menorahs in windows, as a way of both confirming our identity and of sharing light with the world.  Yet, light itself feels in short supply this year.

October 7 cast a shadow over Chanukah, and every other day, for the last two years, both with the anxiety over the fate of the hostages and worry about the future of Israel. This year, while neither of those issues have left our minds, our concerns about anti-Semitism have continued to escalate.

Beginning the holiday with the slaughter of individuals on a beach in Australia brings these fears even closer to the surface.  Conversations with my colleagues in Jewish organizations from around the country, and across the globe, often include the topic of security and our sense of being vulnerable, of being at risk.

There is irony in this in our senior care environments.  We have spent years talking about the dignity of risk and excess safety, encouraging our elders to make choices and be as independent as they can be.  And, at the same time, we discuss the need to put fences and gates around our campuses and to have armed guards and ongoing police presence.

How do we make sense of all of this?  How do we reconcile our absolute commitment to recognizing the value of every person, regardless of their age and stage, in a world that seems to be focused on hate?  Every indicator of difference, from religion to national origin and beyond, has been transformed from something that uniquely defines an individual and turned into a reason to attack, to hurt and to harm.

Would that the light of the Chanukah candles offers humanity light on every level, light of understanding, light of kindness, light of peace.  May we look for the light in all we do, may we help ourselves and others to bring light into this darkness and healing into this world of pain.