The more light we give

Over the centuries our rabbis have been inspired by the symbolism of Chanukah. One of our most famous teachings comes from the Talmudic debate between Hillel and Shammai. Shammai instructed us to kindle all the lights of the chanukiah on the first night, and reduce the number each following night, as this is more reflective of the original event. For surely on the eighth night, when almost no oil remained, one would have felt anxious watching the sputtering light, worried that the flame would be extinguished before more pure oil could be brought to keep it burning.

While Hillel acknowledged that this would be a more accurate portrayal of the experience, he directed us to light the chanukiah in the manner we do today–going from one to eight. Hillel emphasized that each day that passed with the flame continuing to burn caused God’s presence to shine more brightly. And that when it comes to miracles and holiness, their impact grows stronger and brighter with every passing day.

Another powerful teaching about Chanukah comes from the modern theologian, Rabbi David Hartman, who founded the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He taught that the miracle of Chanukah has less to do with the amount of time the oil burned, and more to do with the strength and conviction of those who decided to kindle the lamp in the first place.

Surely, he noted, there were many voices calling for a delay to the rededication ceremony, arguing that to reconsecrate the Temple and kindle the Ner Tamid , only to see its light go out the next day, would create a feeling that their struggle had been in vain. Better, they would have argued, to delay the ceremony until the store of oil had been replenished.

In Hartman’s teaching we hear an echo of the decision made by David Ben Gurion, who established the State of Israel, despite the dangers that loomed before him. In both instances having the courage to step into the void and act, rather than wait for more favorable circumstances, led to miraculous outcomes.

A final observation about Chanukah from this rabbi. As a child, I was obsessed, not with lighting the chanukiah , but with the box of candles. As the nights of Chanukah progressed, I used to worry that there wouldn’t be enough candles left to get us through the holiday. While I didn’t realize that a box of 44 candles was designed to last for all eight days, I did understand that the more candles we used each night meant that fewer remained for the days to come.

As I grew older, I paid less attention to the candles in the box and more to the candles in the chanukiah , especially the shamash . Each night we used the shamash to kindle more candles. Each night as it “gave away” its light to kindle more candles, rather than resulting in less light for itself, the more the shamash gave away, the more light it created.

Light, like love, doesn’t follow the rules of math: When we give it away, rather than leaving us with less, we create more than existed before. And the inverse is also true; the more light and love we hold on to and keep for ourselves, the less happiness and joy we experience in our own lives. Like the light of the chanukiah– the more we open our hearts and hands to others, the more light and love we create for ourselves, our community, and our world.

Wishing you and your family a Chanukah filled with much light and love–you deserve it!

Rabbi Sidney M. Helbraun is the rabbi at Temple Beth-El in Northbrook and is the immediate past President of the Chicago Board of Rabbis.