 |
|
|
When the Rabbis asked: What is the reason for Chanukah? They answered: For when the Greeks entered the Temple, they defiled all the oils inside, and when the Hasmonean dynasty prevailed against and defeated them, they made a search and found only one cruse of oil with the seal of the High Priest, but which contained sufficient oil for one day's lighting; yet a miracle was wrought and they lit the light which stayed lit for eight days.
This is the first time that the miracle of the light is mentioned. In the Books of Maccabees, which provide the accounts of the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks, the miracle is one of a military victory. The miracle of the light is absent.
Note how the Rabbis recorded in the Talmud, describe their reason for celebrating Chanukah.
"…and when the Hasmonean dynasty prevailed against and defeated them"
Just one line to sum up the Books of Maccabees but the legendary name Maccabee is not used. Rather, the Hasmonean dynasty. This is on the one hand, a polemic against the rotten leadership that ensued the great victory and that, the Rabbis would argue, ultimately led to the destruction of the Temple. On the other hand, this was a statement that firmly placed the military victory as an isolated moment in history, one that was less important to the Jews than the miracle of faith and light. This was an important message for all those who ruled over the Jews – the Hasmonean dynasty is no longer and Jews live in search of peace not war. Therefore, they are not to be persecuted for fear of them uprising.
Other than the negative, what was the positive reasons for emphasising the miracle of the light?
Not by might, not by power, but by spirit alone. (Zechariah 4:6)
And what is that spirit? Ner Adonai, nishmat adam – A lamp or candle of the Eternal One is the soul or spirit of humanity, searching out the belly's chambers (Prov. 20:27).
The mystics would have us understand that deep within us all is a divine spark, a lamp of the Eternal One. At Chanukah, the candles without are a metaphor for the candle within, urging us to increase the radiance of the light within on each successive night of Chanukah as we add another candle to our Chanukiot.
A mystical thought goes:
One night, a mystic comes across a man intensely searching the ground under a street lamp. "Did you lose something?" inquires the mystic. "Yes, my keys," responds the man frantically. So the mystic bends down to help the man search. After much time, he finally asks: "Where exactly did you lose them?" The man responds: "Over there, in that dark field." Confused, the mystic says: "Then why are you looking for them over here beneath the light?" The man explains: "I can't look there – its too dark!"
It is human nature to look where there is light. We are scared of the dark but give too little attention to the nature of the light that is without and within. We speak of light as knowledge, reason, redemption and of darkness, ignorance, superstition and death.
During the last two nights of Chanukah, let us examine the lights of the Chanukiot without and the light within us. Let us turn up the light to shine out during these dark winter nights to warm our hearts and our spirits. Whilst we may be encouraged at this time to economise on external lights, let the light within us be our guide.
In this way we can look forward to 2009 with optimism and hope, that the year will be a good one, not by might, not by power, but by the spirit, the 'ner Adonai – the light of God' within each one of us. Failing that, like many in the world, we can hope in Barak – a word that means, 'a flash of light.' Let our hope not be a flash in the pan!
Amen
|
|
