Hanukkah arrives just when we need it most. As with many cultures worldwide, when the nights are longest and darkness feels overwhelming, we respond by bringing in light. The natural human response is to bring light wherever it’s needed.
You may be familiar with Hillel and Shammai’s debate over which way to light the Hanukkiah. Shammai proposed starting with eight candles and decreasing to one, reflecting the diminishing number of sacrifices on similar-length festivals. Hillel, however, argued that we should never decrease holiness. We start with one candle and increase the light each night. We start with one, and we go up from there. As we know, Hillel won the debate (like most Hillel-Shammai disagreements).
Less often noted is another reason for increasing the candles from one to eight. It’s not just that we celebrate light in the darkest season– we actually increase it as the darkness grows. Our calendar is a lunar calendar, and it just so happens that the later days of Hanukkah are over Rosh Ḥodesh— the new month, marked by a new moon, one that is no longer visible in the sky. We light one, two, three candles on the nights when we still have light bouncing off the waning moon. By the final nights, even that faint moonlight is gone. We respond with even more light.
We, the Jewish people, are very familiar with darkness. We know that we have that special job of being a light to the world. When that darkness grows and becomes all encompassing, we don’t hold back. Like the Maccabees, we simply push back with everything we’ve got. Whatever it takes, we bring our light to the world.
In this festival of lights, we remember that this is the second Hanukkah where too many of our own remain confined to the darkness of the tunnels and captivity. As we celebrate with our loved ones, let us remember that our kindling light only begins at the Hanukkiah. We must do all we can—including repeatedly calling our elected officials—to bring the hostages home. Looking for gift ideas? Consider purchasing from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, where all proceeds support advocacy for the hostages, their families, and the rescued.
On a happier note, I know that many homes will be filled with the smell of cooking oil from all those latkes. If you’re looking for something new to try this year, know that anything cooked in oil can serve to remind us of the great miracle. In my home, we have an annual tradition of making beer-battered fried chicken. I use J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s fried fish recipe from The Food Lab, and it’s always a hit. And, last year, I learned that if you add sugar to the leftover batter, you can make some excellent zeppoles, which are just one jelly injection away from becoming sufganiyot! What are your favorite Hanukkah recipes? Consider trying a new one to add to your family’s tradition this year.
To all, a Shabbat Shalom, a Chag Urim Sameiach, and a Happy Secular New Year,
Dave
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