Yes, you read correctly. The meaning of Chanukah isn’t found in the oil. The meaning of Chanukah is in what those lights stand for. Specifically, that a small band of determined Jews can thwart those who would persecute them. The miracle of Chanukah is that we are still here today. Our persecutors didn’t stop when Judah Maccabee and the rest of the Hasmonean Jews pushed out the Assyrian Greeks from the Land of Israel in 2000+ years ago. We’ve survived and thrived despite the best efforts of Pharaohs, Caesars, Emperors, Sultans, Kings, Queens, Popes, Czars, and Fuhrers—the list goes on.
When we celebrate Chanukah, we make a powerful statement that we are proud to be Jewish. That’s why the Chanukah lights are meant to be seen in the window of any Jewish home. The light that shines from the Chanukah menorah is for the world to see the joy we feel for being Jewish.
Join Rabbi Spike, Jessica, and me this Friday for an early congregational celebration of Chanukah. Join us for services at an earlier time, 6:30 PM.
Come in Chanukah pajamas if you’d like! Rabbi Spike and I will be wearing ours.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Max
