Have you ever seen someone look absolutely radiant? Someone seeming to emit an inner glow?
Have you ever engaged a bright person and been astonished by his/her brilliance?
Ever seen someone gleaming, I mean positively beaming, and sense rays of joy lighting up the room?
Ever known someone so morally balanced that you looked up to him/her as a beacon of virtue?
I'm trying to describe an intangible: the inner beauty of the human experience, and used nine synonyms for, or directly related to, ‘light’; and never was I referring to electromagnetic radiation.
Because 'Light' is a metaphor to describe the sublime, our experience at its unclouded best.
It’s not just our colloquial usage either. Torah parlance describes Moses’ face, pursuant to his Divine revelation on Mount Sinai, as “radiant”. We’re told that “one’s wisdom illumines one’s face”; and the priestly blessing prays that “G-d shine His countenance” upon us.
So 'light' is a Torah symbol for full spiritual, physical, mental and emotional expression. With light, we see ourselves and the world in full glory. With light, life makes sense.
G-d tells us that we are all Divine candles, invested in a human condition which threatens to obstruct our inner brilliance. Going through life, we pray for G-d to dispel the darkness of our confusion, self-absorption and lack of moral focus. We pray for our souls to shine.
When the Temple stood, its majestic Menorah – the seven branched candelabra – represented us as a people. When the Kohen (Priest) kindled its flames, he was drawing light to our souls, illuminating our psyches.
When the Hellenists took control of Israel, they fed us hedonism, trying to cloud our souls with their self-indulgent veil. They were promoting moral darkness, and presenting it as the light of societal evolution. The Hellenists weren’t trying to annihilate our bodies; they were seeking to extinguish our internal Divine light.
They wanted our Holy Menorah - in all its dimensions - to go dark.
The Maccabees heroically fought back and they miraculously won. They preserved Divine light. For us.
This Chanukah, dig deep inside yourself to find your own Holy oil. And kindle your inner flame.
Connect with Chanukah’s energy by lighting a Menorah for eight nights (not just the night of the family Chanukah party:)).
Add your candle to the brilliant blaze of our history.
Light up your life.