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December 11, 2009
Finding unity in the candlelight
A peaceful Shabbat and Chanukah together allow us to proudly focus on the important.
ESTHER TAUBY
The dining room table is set with a snowy-white cloth, fine bone-china dishes, crystal wine decanter and glasses, gleaming silver goblets and cups, a silver candelabra and candlesticks filled with thick white candles awaiting their moment. Fresh flowers stretch their petals and spread their colors over the table. The fresh challah sits proudly on its silver and wooden board, peeking out from its velvet cover, awaiting its turn to be blessed and eaten. After placing some money into a tzedakah box, lighting the candles, making the blessing and asking G-d for His blessings for my family, community and anyone in need, I wish my family "Good Shabbos."
The noise has ceased in the house. The phone, fax machine and computer are all quiet. Peace and tranquility envelop our home. The Shabbat Queen has arrived. I recite Psalms for those in need of G-d's blessings from lists of names I've prepared. After the Shabbat prayers, I have some time left over to read the Independent in my favorite spot on the living room couch before everyone returns home from shul.
After the men, boys and guests arrive home, we sing Shalom Aleichem and Eishet Chayil, make Kiddush, bless the children, wash hands for challah and enjoy a four-course dinner of traditional Shabbat delicacies, interspersed with songs, words of Torah and discussions of important community and world matters.
No one is in a rush to get anywhere. This is what Shabbat is for. It is an oasis of time away from the hustle and bustle of the other days of the week, to refresh, recharge and reconnect to our loved ones and to our Creator, who taught us the concept of rest when He rested on the seventh day after creating the world in six.
The Shabbat candles' soft-glow and warmth, draws us into the home and invites us to sit and linger around the table, communicate with each other and spend time together after a hectic week of activities, school and work. Shabbat candles keep our focus inward. They illuminate what's important in Judaism: Torah, home, family and community.
The chanukiyot are assembled on the folding table, covered in foil. Shiny silver, bronze and wood stand proudly together on the table, ready to be used for the candlelighting on the first night of Chanukah. They are all different sizes and shapes but look just right assembled on the table every year. They bring back memories of Chanukahs past, when the children were younger and couldn't wait for the first night of the holiday to help their father set up the table, put in the cotton wicks and pour the traditional olive oil carefully, and then choose their favorite colors for their shamash candles from the infamous blue box of Israeli candles. After, they would proudly sing the blessings and Chanukah songs they learned in school. I notice many chanukiyot. My husband's favorite, beside another son's favorite, a bar mitzvah gift, and our other sons' chanukiyot, too, as well as our daughter's school creation when she was younger. The olive oil is waiting to fulfil the mitzvah, as it has done for thousands of years. I smell the latkes that have just finished cooking and see the rain pouring down on the windowpane in front of me.
I wonder if there will be people walking by who will be able to see our beautiful Chanukah display. I want them to see it. The dreidel and menorah stick-ons are beginning to peel off from the moisture on the living room window. I hope it stops raining so more people will be outdoors and walk by our home to see the Chanukah lights. This is their purpose – to bring light to the outside. We place them so they can be seen from outdoors and make large public lightings to fulfill the obligation to publicize the miracles of Chanukah.
Chanukah reaches beyond the warmth and comfort of a Jewish home to light up the darkness of the outside world. It is a reminder not to be afraid when we see terrible things happening in the world around us and feel helpless. When we see the Chanukah lights, we remember G-d's power and His mercy over us in helping us achieve victory over the Assyrian-Greek army, even though we were only small in numbers. We remember to always have faith in G-d, who has helped us fight and win more recent wars – including the Six Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973 – with open miracles. The Chanukah lights remind us to stand tall and proud as Jews and to teach those who may not know about their faith all about the beauty of Judaism.
Like the Chanukah candles of various colors, we are all different, but Chanukah reminds us that all the many colored candles stand together in the chanukiyah, to be used for the same mitzvah. This represents Jewish unity, which is the basis of the Torah – to love another as ourselves.
This year, the first night of Chanukah falls on Friday night, so Shabbat and Chanukah are joined together. This underscores the concept of unity of the Jewish people. This concept of unity is related to Shabbat Chanukah, which commemorates the dedication of the altar and the holy Temple in Jerusalem, which was a festive occasion attended by many Jews. The quality of joy and celebration enhance the expression of unity. When we have the aspect of Shabbat – home, inward – and the concept of Chanukah – Jewish pride and towards the outside – we see the combination of the two as being very powerful.
The Torah reading of the first day of Chanukah also emphasizes this concept of unity, as it discusses the dedication of the altar and sanctuary through the offerings of the princes of each tribe of Israel.
The Haftorah of Shabbat Chanukah shows, as well, the concept of unity, through its description of Zechariyah's vision of the menorah in the holy Temple. The menorah is a symbol of the entire Jewish people. In Proverbs (20:27) it is written, "The candle of G-d is the soul of man." The Jewish people as a whole can be described as a menorah.
The original menorah that stood in the holy Temple and was lit daily (not just on Chanukah) included the totality of the Jewish people, from the greatest of the righteous to those on the lowest spiritual level. Jewish mysticism teaches that the tzaddikim (righteous ones) are represented by the golden flowers of the menorah, and those on the lowest level by its golden base. (See Numbers 8:4 for a detailed description of the menorah.) Similarly, the menorah had seven shafts, each reflecting one of the seven different paths in the service of G-d that exist among the Jewish people. Nevertheless, it was one entity, its design hammered out of one block of pure gold, not from different pieces.
This year, Chanukah begins and ends with Shabbat, as the first and eighth nights fall on Friday night. This is a rare occurrence with special significance. It teaches us an important lesson. Similar to the idea of beginning Shabbat with the Shalom Aleichem (Peace Upon You) prayer, wishing everyone and the angels that accompany us home from synagogue, a peaceful Shabbat and upcoming week, Shabbat is associated with peace as we greet each other with Shabbat shalom (a peaceful Shabbat).
This year, we have the ultimate peace, as we begin and end the Festival of Lights with Shabbat. This teaches us that every Jew's service can and ought to be performed with peace and serenity. The fact that we have Shabbat and Chanukah together gives us extra time and strength to enjoy the comforts of home and family, warmth and love. Then, like the flames of the candles, we can light everyone outside our homes with Jewish faith and pride. May this year's joint Shabbat and Chanukah lights of peace and unity spread outwards to the whole world and especially to our homeland of Israel to bring an everlasting peace. Wishing you a wonderful, meaningful, fun and happy Chanukah.
Esther Tauby is a local educator, writer and counselor.
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