Hanukkah is a holiday of light and a reminder that “you should never give up hope,” according to Rabbi Ariel Constantine of the Tel Aviv International Synagogue.
“We have special celebrations throughout the holiday to bring light to Tel Aviv, to the world,” the rabbi told ILTV on Wednesday, the first night of the eight-day Hanukkah holiday. “Indeed, Hanukkah is a holiday light, a festival that is here to bring some light in dark times.”
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Constantine explained that Hanukkah falls in the month of Kislev, the darkest month of the year. The days are shortest and coldest, and it is often a time when people may feel like giving up hope. However, he said, “the holiday teaches us that you should never give up hope. We should always have faith and always look for that little light.”
In the Hanukkah story, the Maccabees found that little light amidst the ruins of the violated and desecrated temple during those dark times. They decided to light the menorah in the temple despite not having enough oil, believing that even a little light could make a big difference.
“God appreciated their efforts and extended that light throughout the eight days until they could bring new oil and the light could grow brighter and brighter,” the rabbi said, adding that today, in honor of that miracle, Jews add a new candle each night of the holiday.
“These are indeed trying times,” Constantine said. “One hundred hostages still in Gaza, soldiers out there fighting for freedom. But we, the Jewish people, our national anthem is ‘The Hope’ – Hatikvah. We will never give up hope. We're always going to seek a better future.”