On this last day of Hanukkah, I am reflecting on what this holiday can mean for us, this year. What can I learn from this holiday that can guide me and inspire me?
Turning back to the beginning of the holiday, it’s clear that different than every other holiday, there is no ritualized ramp up to Hanukkah. This is true both for us as celebrants and for the original individuals who experienced the holiday. For instance, the day before Purim is the Fast of Esther. Before Pesach we search for Chametz. We have an entire month of spiritual preparation before Rosh Hashanah, and we have 7 weeks of counting toward Shavuot! For the Jews of Persia, they knew that Haman had drawn lots and that something climactic would happen on that date. In advance of Pesach, Moshe had told the Israelites that each household should get a lamb to sacrifice and be prepared to leave Egypt. Even before receiving the Torah on Shavuot the Israelites are told to spiritually prepare for three days. The list goes on.
But Hanukkah caught them by surprise, and maybe it sneaks up on us as well. The Maccabees weren’t expecting to win the battle and take back the Temple, and it just sort of… happened. They didn’t know that the oil would continue to burn and yet, it did. It surprised them. All of the sudden, a holiday was born. It's the only holiday we didn’t know was coming. It’s the only one we have no ramp towards and it’s the only one that the commemorating moment was not known in advance.
Hanukkah is where we can learn to be surprised by joy. Sometimes we can’t plan to feel grateful and we can’t plan to feel something magical and special when the candles are lit. Life has been hard and overwhelming and this winter has been dark. But we stumble into Hanukkah and I remember that sometimes joy cannot be planned. There’s some irony about intentionally trying to feel unexpected joy. So perhaps it’s not about trying, but just about being open to that surprise.
I hope that the 8 candles we lit last night continue to illuminate us, continue to give us light when we need it. I pray that even when Hanukkah is over, we can be uplifted by surprising joy. Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Sarit
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