Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah
January 02, 2025
2 Tevet 5785
Vayigash
As the last moments of Hanukkah tick away, I keep coming back to the famous Talmudic argument about how exactly we should light the Hanukkah lights. The great sage Shammai argued that when the Maccabees lit the Menorah after vanquishing Antiochus and the Assyrian-Greek army over 2,000 years ago, the flame would have diminished with each passing day. Thus, he lit eight flames on the first night, seven on the second, down to one on the last night, mimicking that dying of the flame.
The great sage Hillel countered that the miracle was that one jug of oil grew greater with each passing day, and thus we should start at one flame on the first night and light an additional flame each evening throughout the festival. Anyone who has celebrated Hanukkah knows that Hillel prevailed, and we light one candle on the first night and build up to eight on the last.
The one thing that Hillel did not account for in his plan, however, was the shock of that first night AFTER Hanukkah—going from a fully lit menorah to absolutely no light at all. Like little kids, deep down, we all hope that Hanukkah will just keep going and going.
Instead, on the night after Hanukkah, the world seems just a bit darker than it did the night before, darker than it was before Hanukkah began. It’s hard to look at those empty menorahs. Yet, we take comfort in the memories of time spent with loved ones over the holiday, and with the knowledge that, finally, the days are starting to grow longer. There’s just a bit more light each day.
In a sense, it represents a decision we all have to make virtually every day. Are we going to focus on the absence of something we had in the past or are we going to look forward to things getting better? The Jewish tradition is inherently optimistic. We never forget our past, but we still expect a better and brighter future.
So, it’s okay to be a little bit sad that Hanukkah is over. It’s reasonable to miss the pretty lights. However, it’s also important to keep in mind that we are one step closer to spring. Happy Day After Hanukkah!
Shalom,
RAF.
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