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Friday November 30, 2007

When the world is dark, make light

by rabbi judah dardik

Vayeshev

Genesis 37:1-40:23

Amos 2:6-3:8

Chanukah “comes early” this year, or so people say. It begins this Tuesday night (Dec. 4), but is it really early?

In point of fact, Chanukah comes on the same date of the Jewish calendar every year — it’s just that the Jewish calendar and the secular calendar shift in relation to each other. Chanukah is always right on time, on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev.

How did this holiday end up on this date?

One of the most popular explanations is that of Rabbeinu Nissim, who explains that the name “Chanukah” is a contraction of the Hebrew words chanu b’kaf-heh, meaning “they rested on the 25th.” The struggle against the Syrian Greeks ended on the 25th day of Kislev, hence the name and the date of the celebration.

But this version and dating of the history is roundly questioned, and most other commentators disagree and say the name of the holiday derives from chanukat habayit — the rededication of the Temple. But if so, then why this date?

Matters become more complicated as we examine the traditional “Al Hanissim” prayer of Chanukah. The key miracle of Chanukah is well known — it’s the whole piece about how a little bit of olive oil in the Temple menorah burned for a full eight days. Yet the prayer only speaks of the lesser known and less obvious miracle: that a small band of Jewish rebels fighting for the right to practice Judaism was able to defeat a larger army. It focuses only on the battle, and when it does make one lone reference to lighting the menorah, it says nary a word about miracles and long-lasting oil. Why leave out this most central aspect?

The Maharal offers an explanation for the date of Chanukah based on a Talmudic passage in Tractate Avodah Zarah (8A). The text begins with the notion that Adam and Eve were created on the first day of Tishrei — forever after celebrated as Rosh Hashanah. After eating from the tree whose fruit was forbidden to them, they noticed the days growing shorter as they headed into winter. Fearing it was their error that was causing the light to disappear, and that soon the world would be completely dark, they spent eight days fasting and praying. Upon observing that the days were beginning to get longer again, they celebrated for eight days and in future years made this an eight-day holiday.

If one assumes that “days” in the story of creation were 24 hours, then the date of the creation of light was five days before Rosh Hashanah, the 25th of Elul. The Maharal explains that on the first day of Adam’s and Eve’s life, the hours of light and darkness were pretty much in balance. Heading toward the winter solstice, three months later, light was retreating. And so it was on the 25th of Kislev, Chanukah, that Adam and Eve celebrated the return of light.

This became the date of a Jewish holiday related to light, and the appropriate date to commemorate the miracle of the oil that happened in our fight for freedom from Hellenistic dominion. To this day, we light candles at this time of year, celebrating by creating more light in the darkness.

At this time of year, when things are dark and cold, it is easy to feel down and drained. We question, “How could another problem come my way? I don’t have anything left in me …” And what is our response? We light Chanukah candles. Because the Jewish response to darkness has always been that we recognize that it is there, and then we do something about it. A little something.

This may also explain the failure to mention the oil in our prayers. In public, at our windows, we light candles and tell the world that when things are dark we should go create light.

But when we stand in front of HaShem in private prayer, we focus on the theme of “the few defeating the many” because that is the miracle we feel we need. In private, we struggle and ask HaShem for help in the darkness that surrounds us. After all, even eight candles can’t light up a whole dark world. But balancing again, we look toward the window and the brightness of the menorah, sending the message of making light as the shortest days begin to grow longer once again.

Rabbi Judah Dardik is the spiritual leader at Orthodox Beth Jacob in Oakland. He can be reached at Rabbi@BethJacobOakland.org.

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