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As your family gathers to light the Chanukah candles, let each night be inspired by the words of Rabbi Sacks

NIGHT 2 NIGHT 4
NIGHT 1 The Light of Inspired by
The Light of the War and the NIGHT 3 Faith, We Can
Spirit Never Dies Light of Peace Inside/Outside Change the World

here’s an interesting question here is a law about Chanukah I find here is more than one command wenty-two centuries ago, when
Tthe commentators ask about Tmoving and profound. Rambam Tin Judaism to light lights. There are TIsrael was under the rule of the
Chanukah. For eight days we light writes that “the command of Chanu- three: Shabbat candles, the havdalah empire of Alexander the Great,
lights, and each night we make the kah lights is very precious. One who candle and the Chanukah candles. one particular leader, Antiochus IV,
blessing over miracles: sheasa nissim lacks the money to buy lights should The difference between them is that decided to force the pace of Helle-
laAvotenu. But what was the miracle sell something, or if necessary borrow, Shabbat candles represent shalom nisation, forbidding Jews to practice
of the first night? The light that should so as to be able to fulfil the mitzvah.” bayit, peace in the home. They are lit their religion and setting up in the
have lasted one day lasted eight. But The question then arises, what if, on indoors. They are, if you like, Judaism’s Temple in Jerusalem a statue of Zeus
that means there was something Friday afternoon, you find yourself inner light, the light of the sanctity of Olympus.
miraculous about days two to eight; with only one candle? What do you marriage and the holiness of home. This was too much to bear, and a
but nothing miraculous about the light it as – a Shabbat candle or a group of Jews, the Maccabees, fought
first day. The Chanukah candles used to be lit
Chanukah one? It can’t be both. Logic outside – outside the front door. It for their religious freedom, winning
Perhaps the miracle was this, that the suggests that you should light it as a was only fear of persecution that took a stunning victory against the most
Maccabees found one cruse of oil with Chanukah candle. After all, there is no the Chanukah candles back inside, powerful army of the ancient world.
its seal intact, undefiled. There was law that you have to sell or borrow to and in recent times the Lubavitcher After three years they re-conquered
no reason to suppose that anything light lights for Shabbat. Yet if faced Rebbe introduced the custom of light- Jerusalem, rededicated the Temple
would have survived the systematic with such a choice, the law is you light ing giant menorahs in public places and relit the menorah with the one
desecration the Greeks and their it as a Shabbat light. Why? to bring back the original spirit of cruse of undefiled oil they found
supporters did to the Temple. Yet Listen to Rambam: “The Shabbat light the day. among the wreckage.
the Maccabees searched and found takes priority because it symbolizes It was one of the most stunning mil-
that one jar. Why did they search? shalom bayit, domestic peace. And Chanukah candles are the light Juda- itary achievements of the ancient
Because they had faith that from great is peace because the entire ism brings to the world when we are world. It was, as we say in our
the worst tragedy something would Torah was given in order to make unafraid to announce our identity in prayers, a victory of the few over the
survive. The miracle of the first night peace in the world.” public, live by our principles and fight, many, the weak over the strong. It’s
was that of faith itself, the faith that if necessary, for our freedom. summed up in a wonderful line from
something would remain with which Consider: Chanukah commemorates As for the havdalah candle, which the prophet Zechariah: “not by might
to begin again. one of the greatest military victories is always made up of several wicks nor by strength but by My spirit says
in Jewish history. Yet Jewish law rules woven together, it represents the
So it has always been in Jewish his- that if we can only light one candle – the L-rd.” The Maccabees had neither
tory. There were times when any the Shabbat light takes precedence fusion of the two, the inner light of might nor strength, neither weapons
other people would have given up because in Judaism the greatest Shabbat, joined to the outer light we nor numbers. But they had a double
in despair: after the destruction of military victory takes second place make during the six days of the week portion of the Jewish spirit that longs
the Temple, or the massacres of the to peace in the home. when we go out into the world and for freedom and is prepared to fight
crusades, or the Spanish Expulsion, live our faith in public. for it.
or the pogroms, or the Shoah. But Why did Judaism, alone among the When we live as Jews in private, Never believe that a handful of dedi-
somehow Jews did not sit and weep. civilizations of the ancient world, filling our homes with the light of cated people can’t change the world.
They gathered what remained, rebuilt survive? Because it valued the home the Shechina, when we live as Jews Inspired by faith, they can. The Macca-
our people, and lit a light like no other more than the battlefield, marriage in public, bringing the light of hope bees did then. So can we today.
in history, a light that tells us and the more than military grandeur, and chil- to others, and when we live both
world of the power of the human dren more than generals. Peace in the together, then we bring light to the
spirit to overcome every tragedy and home mattered to our ancestors more world.
refuse to accept defeat. than the greatest military victory.
There always were two ways to live
From the days of Moshe and the bush So as we celebrate Chanukah, spare in a world that is often dark and full
that burned and was not consumed a thought for the real victory, which of tears. We can curse the darkness
to the days of the Maccabees and the was not military but spiritual. Jews or we can light a light, and as the
single cruse of oil, Judaism has been were the people who valued mar- Chassidim say, a little light drives out
humanity’s ner tamid, the everlast- riage, the home, and peace between much darkness. May we all help light
ing light that no power on earth can husband and wife, above the highest up the world.
extinguish. glory on the battlefield. In Judaism,
the light of peace takes precedence
over the light of war.