Eight nights, eight lights. Then it’s over.
So I thought until the electric suddenly cut out last night. A downed tree the culprit.
Out came the candles. Another night of lighting candles yet with a very different purpose.
Chanukah candles are “not” supposed to be used for their light. Their purpose is pristine. They stand tall with a message of gratitude and acknowledgement for the great miracles and the Gdly love.
In a confusing world driven by a “what’s in it for me” attitude, it’s almost inconceivable doing something that doesn’t offer personal benefit. Why would one do that? Hardly a good use of time or financial resources.
Chanukah states otherwise. A untainted message of gratitude, acknowledging the higher purpose at work. The Divine energy that permeates the fabric of the world. Inherent good that cancels out or rather, dispels the very notion of darkness.
But then the eight days ends. We are now recalibrated. Our priorities in place we can now once again enter our realities. Our Divine given realities that is. Our successes, our gifts, our talents, our resources, our challenges, our tests — all Divine given. How will we use them?
The Torah and Judaism requires living and life in the very world that screams — “What’s in it for me”? “More is better”! “Pursue pleasure, do what it takes to get to the perceived top”. It’s in that environment specifically, that we can transform and refine our surroundings.
The human element of life is what makes life all so worth it… the maze like pattern of life throws curveballs, challenges and decoys — sending us in all sorts of directions which may lead us astray from our Divine goals. Yet as with any maze, when one rises above it for an even a short period of time one sees the whole blueprint and the goal becomes clear and achievable.
Last night’s outage caused an unscheduled inconvenience yet at the end of it all — the candles that we lit to use as light, brought the message of the previous eight days of Chanukah to a crescendo.
With best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom & a Happy New Year