Spreading the light of Chanukah and our own light
"Chanukah, the Jewish festival of lights, began on Sunday night the second of December. On Chanukah we light an eight branched candelabra (with a ninth branch which serves as the lighter itself) and we light it for eight days, adding one candle each night. It is customary to light the candles when evening falls and to place the chanukiah (candelabra) in a window of our home that looks out onto the street, thus sharing the light with the larger world. There are different reasons given for this custom of sharing and making the light more public.
One reason given is that we wish to tell the world the particularist Jewish story of how a religious minority, the Jewish people, in the ancient Middle East fought against and resisted the persecution of the powerful Syrian-Greek Empire. There is an additional reason given, however. This reason is that we share the light of the Chanukiah to remind all peoples about the very possibility of light itself, of hope and illumination.
In other words, the light is not simply about celebrating the light of our own particular history and story but about wishing to convey the hope, optimism and generosity that all peoples can be illuminators and that everyone is deserving of light. In this way, when we place our Chanukiah in the windows of our homes, we are paradoxically reminded that there is still an absence of light in this world, that not everyone feels light, that there is sadness, poverty, and prejudice and that the miracle of Chanukah is not yet complete while other peoples are still suffering. Sharing the light reminds us that everyone should be inheritors of light and that we need to strive, each in our own way, to make this world a place of illumination, hope and possibility for all."
Written by Adina Roth
It has been a year at ML of light, of growth, development and change. My hope is that each child, parent and staff member was richer and lighter for having been a part of Mina Lopato Nursery School in 2018 and that 2019 will see our light continue to brighten and spread.
Wishing you all a peaceful and restful holiday, looking forward to seeing you in the new year!
“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same”