Hope Amidst the Darkness

Chanukah Hope Amidst the Unthinkable  

Hope is the very message of Chanukah.  Yet, tonight we feel hopelessness.   After such heartbreak in our community and our country, how do we move forward?

Tonight we light one candle to remind ourselves of the miracle of a day's worth of oil that lasted for 8 nights.  Since our ancestors knew they had enough oil to burn for one day, it's reasonable to think that the first night of Chanukah was not a miracle at all. It might stand to reason that only the last 7 days of Chanukah were miraculous.  

However, the fact that they were willing to try to light on that one first day, amidst such hopelessness- that was the true miracle of the first night.  Modern Israeli scholar David Hartman pointed out that when we feel completely stuck, yet are able to move forward, 

that is miraculous. 

Today's news has brought many difficult emotions. Yet our beautiful Chanukah tradition also calls us to bring light.  We must be willing to try. Let us be courageous and brave to light this first candle, especially amidst darkness and hate.

The only way to fight hate and antisemitism is with light. 

Let our hope light the way.

If you are so moved as I have been, I invite you to also light a separate candle to memorialize the souls across world and across our country whose lives were senselessly ended during these last 24 hours. May their memories be a blessing. 

May we allow the miracle of hope to light our way.

Rabbi JudiAhavah DelBourgo

For our ancestors, the willingness to try to light the 1st candle of Chanukah amidst such hopelessness was a miracle. Tonight amidst the tragic loss of lives at a Chanukah celebration in Australia and at Brown University, we summon the miracle of hope.

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