Community Corner

Opinion: The True Light of Hanukkah

Rabbi Barbara Penzner is the spiritual leader of Temple Hillel B'nai Torah in West Roxbury.

 

This column was written by Rabbi Barbara Penzner, the spiritual leader of Temple Hillel B’nai Torah in West Roxbury. She wishes everyone happiness at this season as we each celebrate in our own way.

People often ask me if this is my busy season. It’s an honest mistake. After all, priests and ministers are all busily preparing for Christmas. But the Jewish “holiday season” is already over. Our houses of worship were full in late September and in October, when we joined together to welcome the new year (Rosh Hashanah) and to reflect on the meaning of our lives (Yom Kippur). After those holidays we celebrated Sukkot, the outdoor harvest festival, followed by Simchat Torah, when we dance in the streets with the Torah scrolls.

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Hanukkah will arrive on December 20 and we will light candles for eight nights, share gifts, eat holiday foods and sing songs. But very few Jews are in synagogues on Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a family time. No sermons. No additional liturgies. While Hanukkah is an important holiday for many Jewish families, it is not the religious high point of the year.

In fact, Hanukkah does not appear in the Torah (the five books of Moses) or anywhere in our Bible, the Hebrew Scriptures. Even the basic book of Jewish law, the Mishna (edited at the end of the second century), leaves Hanukkah out. In other words, Hanukkah is a late-comer to the holiday party, and like Christmas, its observance has been markedly changed in the United States in the past 100 years. Presents, decorations, and parties are American additions to both religious traditions.

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When my family lived in Jerusalem for two years, we enjoyed the simple joy of walking along the streets during Hanukkah and seeing holiday lights in every home. The custom in Jerusalem is to use oil, not candles, and to place the cups of lighted oil outdoors in a glass-enclosed container. Often the stone wall had a niche made especially for the Hanukkah menorah (or Hanu-kiyah in Hebrew).  The lights were placed outside just after dark, so if we were lucky, we could watch lights appear, one after another, as we walked down the block. That experience was more memorable than any gift I have given or received.

Many of us long for those simple family gatherings that emphasize love and light. Our winter holidays do not share a common story, but we all infuse our holidays with a sense of gratitude for the blessings of our lives. The light that shines in the darkness – whether from a Hanukiyah or from Christmas lights -- is a sign of hope, a reminder of the spark of goodness that dwells within each of us, and the radiance that comes from the smiles of the people we care about most, surrounding us with love.  


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