From Rabbi Craig Mayers
December 2022 / January 2023
Chaverim,
As I write this, we are about to celebrate the great American holiday of Thanksgiving. That means Chanukah can’t be far behind, as we approach winter and the shorter, cooler days ahead. The Festival of Lights usually occurs somewhere near the winter solstice, and this year that happens right smack in the middle of the holiday. On top of that, Rosh Chodesh Tevet occurs just a few days after the solstice, meaning that not only does Chanukah fall during the shortest day of the year, but there is also no moonlight for part of the festival. But that’s okay – we will take care of adding light to the world! That’s one reason we light our hanukiyot each night, increasing the light put forth as we add candles even as the days grow shorter and the moon fades from view.
As beloved as Chanukah is to modern Jews, it’s not really a Torah holiday. Sure, there are hints and clues in the Torah. One of these is the fact that in Leviticus 23 we get a list of all our holidays, culminating with Sukkot - and the very next sentences speak about lighting the menorah with oil. Coincidence? How about this one – the portion we read on Chanukah which describes the dedication of the mishkan, the holy tabernacle, consists of 89 verses total. The numerical value of the word Chanukah is – wait for it – you guessed it, 89. So the clues are there. And besides, going from Sukkot to Purim (another non-Biblical holiday) would a be a long stretch with nothing to celebrate! (No offense to Tu B’Shevat…)
As there is not a specific liturgy to Chanukah, and it’s not in the Torah, we read the best match we have – Psalm 30. It is also a psalm read in the preliminary service most days. It opens “A psalm of David, a song for the dedication of the house.” Since Chanukah means “dedication” it is a natural fit. Later in the Psalm we read: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes with the dawn.” When a new day dawns, it brings with it light which drives out the dark; it brings hope with it, which drives out the despair and weeping. Chanukah is a time for us to remember that even when it gets very dark – even winter-solstice-combined-with-new-moon levels of dark – we have the power to add in light of our own and drive back the darkness. The lights we kindle on Chanukah are symbols of that victory of light over dark – literally and metaphorically.
Wishing you a season of joy and light,
Rabbi Craig J Mayers
As I write this, we are about to celebrate the great American holiday of Thanksgiving. That means Chanukah can’t be far behind, as we approach winter and the shorter, cooler days ahead. The Festival of Lights usually occurs somewhere near the winter solstice, and this year that happens right smack in the middle of the holiday. On top of that, Rosh Chodesh Tevet occurs just a few days after the solstice, meaning that not only does Chanukah fall during the shortest day of the year, but there is also no moonlight for part of the festival. But that’s okay – we will take care of adding light to the world! That’s one reason we light our hanukiyot each night, increasing the light put forth as we add candles even as the days grow shorter and the moon fades from view.
As beloved as Chanukah is to modern Jews, it’s not really a Torah holiday. Sure, there are hints and clues in the Torah. One of these is the fact that in Leviticus 23 we get a list of all our holidays, culminating with Sukkot - and the very next sentences speak about lighting the menorah with oil. Coincidence? How about this one – the portion we read on Chanukah which describes the dedication of the mishkan, the holy tabernacle, consists of 89 verses total. The numerical value of the word Chanukah is – wait for it – you guessed it, 89. So the clues are there. And besides, going from Sukkot to Purim (another non-Biblical holiday) would a be a long stretch with nothing to celebrate! (No offense to Tu B’Shevat…)
As there is not a specific liturgy to Chanukah, and it’s not in the Torah, we read the best match we have – Psalm 30. It is also a psalm read in the preliminary service most days. It opens “A psalm of David, a song for the dedication of the house.” Since Chanukah means “dedication” it is a natural fit. Later in the Psalm we read: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes with the dawn.” When a new day dawns, it brings with it light which drives out the dark; it brings hope with it, which drives out the despair and weeping. Chanukah is a time for us to remember that even when it gets very dark – even winter-solstice-combined-with-new-moon levels of dark – we have the power to add in light of our own and drive back the darkness. The lights we kindle on Chanukah are symbols of that victory of light over dark – literally and metaphorically.
Wishing you a season of joy and light,
Rabbi Craig J Mayers