Eight small candles have glowed on the windowsills of Jewish homes throughout history. They do not emit expansive light; we are not allowed to use them. Their sole purpose is to be seen, to convey a message to the world – we are here, and not even a stormy wind can extinguish our light.
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These eight candles were lit during the days of the Talmud under the persecution of Byzantine rule. They were lit during the turbulent times of the Crusades and persecutions. They survived the zealotry of Islam. Even on the darkest nights, they were lit again and again, with miraculous persistence.
A particularly moving image captures the essence of the Hanukkah candles. It is a menorah in the window of Rabbi Akiva Baruch and his wife Rachel Pozner in the city of Kiel, Germany, in the year 1932 (5692). The photo shows eight small and brave Hanukkah candles facing an imposing Nazi flag emblazoned with a swastika hanging on the other side of the street.
On one side, the rising Nazi empire, with all its murderous might, just days before Hitler's ascent to power, and on the other side, eight small and resilient Hanukkah candles. At the top of the image, almost prophetically, Rabbanit Pozner wrote "Hanukkah 1932," as if she knew that a day would come when the threatening flag would be removed, and the small Hanukkah candles would mark another victory over another enemy of the Jewish people.
After many years of wandering, persecution and exile, we light the Hanukkah candles with pride. Fearlessly. We light them in our homes and the streets of the city. Beloved Hanukkah candles are found in every home. Every Jew encounters them, planting seeds of courage and dedication that lie within the heart of this wonderful holiday.
"Just a little light," taught us Rabbi Behaye, "dispels much darkness." We are not allowed to use the Hanukkah candles; we do not read or work by their light. The Hanukkah candles demand that we pause for a moment from the business of the day and see with our own eyes how a little light dispels much darkness. To see the light and bless it, even without using it.
Even in the darkest hours, the Hanukkah candles remind us that "Judah shall dwell forever, and Jerusalem from generation and generation." Even in the darkest days, the holiday candles cheer us up and say, "All the darkness in the world will not be able to diminish the power of light. But light can overcome darkness – and the brighter it gets, the more the darkness will disappear."
In the dark days that have befallen us, let us remember the power of the Hanukkah candles. Candles of courage and hope. Candles of identity and belonging. Candles that remind us that we are the descendants of the Maccabees, who proudly bore the symbol of the lion, representing their strength of spirit, and the symbol of the menorah expressing the light of the Temple illuminating the whole world.
May it be His will that we hear the voices of the candles and wish ourselves a holiday marking the victory of good over evil, and the triumph of light over darkness.