Light and Dedication at Hanukkah

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by Rabbi David Katz

The Jewish calendar is filled with wisdom, particularly in the way that the holidays fit together. There’s much to be learned about life from observing which holidays follow the others, and at what time of year they occur, telling us a great deal about how we relate to and experience the world around us. One of my favorite ways to understand this idea is to think about Hanukkah.

In the northern hemisphere, Hanukkah usually takes place around the time of the winter solstice – which is, literally, the darkest time of the year.  In the heart of winter, when the days are shortest and the nights longest, at those moments when we’re spending a lot of time inside and we see the least amount of sunlight that we do all year, the festival of Hanukkah comes along to literally bring more light into our lives.  By giving us a holiday for which the most prominent symbol and ritual is to simply create light, at the moment of the year that has the most physical darkness, the calendar seems to be giving us a reason for hope and optimism.  “Don’t despair,” the Hanukkiah (the nine-branched candelabra also known as a menorah) tells us; “It might be cold and gray and dark outside, but just like my candles, each day can be a little bit brighter.  Have fun, eat a latke, and hang in there.  More light is on the way!”  This calendar seems to understand the natural rhythms of being human.

   I’m often struck when I re-discover, year after year, how many people don’t know what the word Hanukkah actually means.  Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights, but if you look up the word in a Hebrew-English dictionary, you’ll find it defined by words like inauguration, consecration, and dedication.  I’ve always been drawn to that last term, ‘dedication.’  If you know the story of Hanukkah, you might recognize that the Maccabees (ancient Israeli guerilla warriors who purged the Greek-influenced Syrians from their kingdom in the 2nd century BCE) used the miraculous vial of oil that lasted eight days to rededicate the Temple after it had been defiled by the Syrians.  On the surface, theirs was a physical dedication, as they returned their most sacred space to its clean and pure state.  However, this action was also symbolic of the rededication of the country, and its citizens, to what the Maccabees felt was the more truly Jewish way of life.  The illumination within the Temple reflected the change going on within the Jews of Ancient Israel, as they returned, with renewed focus, to the ways of their tradition.  A brighter Holy Place resulted in a clearer focus in people’s homes and hearts.

This year, as we light the Hanukkiyah, play dreidel games, give and receive gifts, and enjoy fun foods like potato latkes and sufganiyot (special jelly donuts, the traditional Hanukkah food in the modern State of Israel), we have a choice.  We can simply enjoy these joyous holiday customs, or we can take the name of this celebration to heart, and use the festival as an impetus for our own inner re-dedicating.  What would you like to focus on this holiday season?  Are there parts of your life that require greater clarity, heightened insight, and renewed illumination?   This year, I invite you to make Hanukkah not just your Festival of Light, but also your Festival of Consecration, Inauguration, and Rededication, marking a return to or a renewal of your own inner work.   May you have a Hag Hanukkah Sameach – a very happy, and meaningful, Hanukkah celebration.
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Rabbi David Katz is the rabbi at Temple Beth El of Williamsburg, and also serves as rabbi for Balfour Hillel, the Jewish student organization at the College of William & Mary. He has served at Temple Beth El since October, 2010. He previously served as Assistant Rabbi and Director of Education at Kehilat HaNahar: The Little Shul by the River, a synagogue in New Hope, PA.
     Rabbi David grew up in New York City, and holds a B.A. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo, with a minor in Media Studies. He was ordained as rabbi at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in June, 2009, where he earned a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters.
     Before attending rabbinical school, Rabbi David worked as the Youth and Program Director at a synagogue in Texas, as the Director of Cultural Programming at a Jewish Community Center in Florida, with troubled teenagers at a program for youth in crisis in Texas, and as a teacher in public schools in New York City and Florida.
     An avid sports fan, who is particularly devoted to the New York Mets, he also enjoys music and film. He is married to Dr. Amy Lazev, a clinical psychologist. They have two sons, Noah (age 7) and Elijah (age 2).

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Temple Beth El of Williamsburg
600 Jamestown Road at Indian Springs Road
Fri. Night Service: 7:30pm;
Sat. Morning Service: 10am
Office: (757)220-1205, www.temple-bethel.com

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