This Tuesday is the dark of the moon. It is no accident that this falls right in the middle of Hanukkah- as the Jewish months follow the cycles of the moon, and so Hanukkah always begins in the last slivers of light of the moon, and lasts until the first slivers of moonlight return. Hanukkah always falls in the month of Kislev which in our hemisphere is also the darkest, coldest time of year.
It makes sense to our spirits to kindle lights in dark times, but these little lights on the menorah are not for illumination, they are not to be used in any practical way, like reading a book, or lighting other candles (that is why we carefully separate the Shamash, the helper candle that is a working candle). These candles traditionally remind us of the divine, and of the miracle of lights.
Often we talk about Hanukkah as an occasion to celebrate religious freedom, but there is another, old tradition that Rabi Waskow talks about in his book “Seasons of our Joy” -- the rabbis in the Talmud emphasize the spiritual meaning of the light that burned in the temple for 8 days. Waskow writes:
“the single bottle of oil represents the last irreducible minimum of spiritual light and creativity within the Jewish people – still there even in its worst moments of apathy and idolatry. The ability of that single jar of oil to stay lit for eight days symbolized how with God’s help that tiny amount could unfold into an infinite supply of spiritual riches. Infinite, because the eighth day stood for infinity. Since the whole universe was created in seven days, eight since the whole universe was created in seven days, eight is a symbol of eternity and infinity” [p. 91-92]Perhaps this December your spirit is full of light and energy, overflowing with abundance. Or perhaps your spirit is burning low. These lights kindled on the menorah remind us in this the darkest time of year when we might need reminding, that the light, the fuel of the spirit is different than the fuel in our cars. That the light of our spirits can be renewed in unexpected ways, even when we cannot imagine our dim light ever being bright again. For theists, it is God that renews that fuel for the spirit. And for folks who are not sure about God, we remember the Spirt of Life, the web of life, the beloved community can surprise us with help to renew our spirit. So if you are full of energy and joy just now, perhaps you will be the source of the light for others. If you are feeling low, remember that miracle of lights, that relights our own spirit even in a season when light is scarce.
As I was watching Rev. Joanna’s video about lighting a menorah, she explained that the lights “These candles are meant to be just ornamental, just to bring joy, not to be a functional source of light and illumination to a space.” I had never really understood that before. The more I thought about it, the more I could see the wisdom of it.
This distinction reminds me of the care we have to take for our own spirits, and the light of our beloved community. It’s easy to use every last drop of ourselves in our work, and indeed the work is endless. We light these candles simply to remind us of that which is sacred. This year the lights of the Hanukkah menorah speak to me of the lights we preserve only to feed our spirits with beauty. They speak to me of the importance of things which exist in the world just to be enjoyed, not for their utility. That includes us -- each of us with our inherent worth and dignity. Though our work is important, our inner light, our life is sacred just simply being.
