As a past principal of a Hebrew day school in the United States, I never looked forward to the Chanukah holiday season. First, the importance of the time was always diminished because of the competing Christmas season. There seemed to be always a struggle going on. When you went to the store during this season (which you had to do), Christmas music was constantly heard and you couldn’t help yourself but to become swept up in the excitement, and sometimes one would even begin to hum the melodies that were being played on the speaker system.
Additionally, when Chanukah arrived there was tremendous pressure within the walls of the day school. The davening was longer – so much so that the children often could not deal with it – and the preparations for all the Chanukah programs that would have to be presented to the parents during this season, made it pressured and anxiety driven, almost to the point that I dreaded its coming and my going to school to lead these programs.
In Israel, however, where I live now, the story is quite different. Lights flicker everywhere. Bands are playing; children are singing; there is dancing in the streets. The season is filled with majesty and love. Chanukiot (Chanukah lamps) decorate the streets of Yerushalayim. As my wife and I walked the streets of Yerushalayim on the eighth and last day of Chanukah amidst the glitter of the lights and the joy of the evening, I turned to her and said:
“Let’s celebrate another night of Chanukah! We’ll call it Chanukah Atzeret!”
There is a famous question that is asked by the Beis Yoseph, Rabbi Joseph Karo, the author of the Shulchan Aruch regarding Chanukah:
If the Maccabees found enough oil to last for one day, then why was the first day considered a miracle? The miracle only lasted for seven days? Why do we light eight candles? We should light only seven?
Many answers are offered by our sages. Some say that only a fraction of the oil was used each day. Thus each day could be considered a miracle in its own right. Some say that the first day was also a miracle because it celebrated the military victory of the Maccabees.
My brother Rabbi Avi Weiss explained that the miracle of the first day was that the Maccabees had the conviction and the strength to light the menorah at all. People who discover themselves in a situation of depression and despair find it difficult to start any venture. They might say, “What’s the point! How can I overcome this darkness that surrounds me? Everything is for naught. Why start all over again?”
But the Maccabees of old were courageous in their convictions to realize their dream, the rebuilding and the cleaning out of the Temple and its rededication. That the Maccabees in the midst of seeing the Temple wasted and in a state of ruins had the guts to even light the menorah was the miracle of the first day.
When one lives in Israel, one sees miracles daily. One wonders how the first pioneers that came to this land had the strength to rebuild despite the desolation and destruction – the daily enormous challenges of overcoming disease and famine. But they had the courage to light that first candle despite the odds against them and because of their efforts and dreams we have our country and the miracle of Israel today. Shouldn’t we light a candle for them as well and celebrate another day?
To this question my wife looked at me lovingly and said:
“In that case we would need to celebrate Chanukah every day! For here in Israel the miracle of Chanukah is repeated daily.”