How to Chanukah a Little Light Dispels Much Darkness
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Kislev 25 - Teves 2, 5769 • December 21-29, 2008 A little light dispels much darkness How to CONTEMPORARY STORIES OF LIGHT Chanukah OVERCOMING The soulful meaning, history, customs, blessings, schedules DARKNESS and how to celebrate. ERS HT IG L P M A L CELEBRATION! SOME CHANUK AH THOUGHTS Chanukah 579 / 2008 3 The Rebbe’s Message A Little Light 4 Eight Days of Light 9 Chanukah Parade Dispels a Big 10 Light Dispelling Darkness Stories of Love, Goodness and Light Darkness 12 Story: The Strong Hand hanukah was a victory of a few over many. Each 13 When Faith Burned Bright Maccabee was a hero, essential to the victory. One could think that in those days, when the popu- 14 The Menorah In Union Square lation of the world was so much smaller, a single 16 Bad Jew Cindividual would have more power to change the world. In 18 Chanukah Recipe fact, just the opposite is true. Technology and information Latkes have put enormous power in the hands of whoever wants it. 19 Wisconsin’s Eight Days of Light An act of kindness which asks nothing in return, the light of the Shabbat candles, a sacrifice of convenience to benefit 20 City of Madison Approves Center another, a small child kissing the mezuzah on the door of the 21 What’s Goin’ On at Lubavitch of house – each of these are as bursts of light in the nighttime Wisconsin sky. True, they make less noise, rarely are they reported in Photo gallery the daily news, but while darkness passes like the shadows of 30 Let’s Chanukah! clouds on a windy day, these lights endure and accumulate Holiday instructions, blessings, schedules until it leaves no room for evil to remain. and candle-lighting times As the dark of night gets longer and the cold of winter closes in, the Festival of Lights helps us turn our homes into bea- cons that warm the world with a Divine glow. In eight short days, the Chanukah season fuels our homes for a full year – powering up our homes to spread goodness, warmth and Celebration! Volume 40 #2 November 2008 light to a world sorely in need. Published 6 times a year by: The theme of this guide is “A little light dispels much dark- Lubavitch of Wisconsin ness”. In this spirit, we are pleased to share with our friends 3109 N. Lake Drive • Milwaukee, WI 53211 stories of hope and light, warmth and love, and how nega- Phone: (414) 961-6100 • FAX: (414) 962-1740 tive experiences have been enlightened by the sacred, eternal E-mail: [email protected] Jewish spirit. www.chabadwi.org In this guide you will find history, practical instructions, prayers, customs, and – of course – a Chanukah game and recipe, to help you capture the warmth of this celebration Dedicated to the Rebbe, of life and light that remains eternally new – as the blessing Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, OBM, proclaims, “Who performed miracles… in those days, at this whose boundless love and teachings are an endless source time.” of inspiration and guidance. Best wishes for a very happy Chanukah, 2 Check out our weekly online magazine at www.chabadwi.org miracles. A person coming to the Temple experienced the goodness and perfection of G-d as a tangible The Rebbe’s reality. True, this light was confined to a specific, finite space in the physical Message world. But from there it radiated outward to the entire world. The THE EIGHTH SPHERE Torah describes the windows of the Holy Temple as “narrow on the he lights we kindle on the eight evenings of the festival inside and wide on the outside” (which is the exact opposite of of Chanukah are the offspring of the lights kindled the way windows were built in those times when people relied in the menorah in the Holy Temple. Indeed, the on daylight as the primary source of lighting indoors). Our TChanukah lights were instituted by our sages to commemorate sages explain: “From the Temple light went out to the rest of the great miracle that occurred in the Holy Temple’s menorah the world.” when a single cruse of pure oil—enough to keep the menorah’s The menorah in the Temple represented this light. It was lights shining for one day—burned for eight days, until new, a constant, unchanging light. It was kindled in the light of pure oil could be obtained. day, yet its rays reached deep into the night. It was kindled in There are, however, several marked differences between an inner sanctum brimming with divine light, and radiated the Chanukah menorah and the menorah in the Holy its glow to the mundane world without. There Temple: were seven lamps, representing the seven days a) The Temple menorah was lit during of creation and the seven divine attributes the day (no later than 1-1/4 hours before (sefirot) that spawned them—the totality sunset) and burned through the night. of the Divine presence within creation. The Chanukah lights are kindled when The Chanukah menorah represents night takes hold. a time and situation, which is very b) The original menorah stood different. A time when darkness well indoors, in the inner sanctum of has invaded the divine lighthouse, the Holy Temple (called the heichal). extinguishing the menorah and defiling The Chanukah menorah is placed “at its oil. A time when we can no longer draw the perimeter of the home, on the outer from the day to illuminate the night. doorway of one’s home or, if one lives on At such times, we must turn to the night the second floor... in a window overlooking the itself to find light there. We must search for the street.” hidden “single cruse of pure oil,” for the undefiled c) Seven flames burned in the Temple menorah. The and indefilable essence of creation. We must delve below the Chanukah menorah holds eight lamps, all of which are kindled surface reality of darkness to unearth its true essence as hidden on the eighth and culminating night of the festival. light. d) The same number of lights (7) were kindled every day Therein lies the significance of Chanukah, when the menorah in the Temple’s menorah. On Chanukah, we increase the moves from within the Holy Temple out into the street, from number of lights each day — one light on the first evening of the daytime to the evening, from the steady flame of tranquil Chanukah, two lights on the second evening, and so on until holiness to the constantly increasing flame of struggle and the eighth evening, when we kindle eight lights. creativity, from the seven spheres of “normal” light to the All these differences reflect the basic difference between the eighth dimension of transcendent, hidden light. Chanukah Temple and the Chanukah menorahs: the difference between transforms the menorah from a tool that disseminates the shining light into the darkness, or transforming darkness into light of day into a tool that extracts the luminous essence of light. darkness itself. When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, there was light in the world. The Temple was G-d’s home, in which Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. He openly dwelled, manifesting His presence through daily Schneerson, OBM. Special Chanukah presentation at www.Chabadwi.org/Chanukah 3 Eight Days NIGHT ONE Sunday, December 21 of Candles may be lit after nightfall Blessings 1, 2 & 3, p. 30 he events that led to the miraculous victory of Chanukah span a period Tof a hundred and seventy years, beginning at about 300 BCE. Light Alexander the Great was the lead- er of the Greek Empire who by the age of 21 had conquered most of the known world. He respected the Jews. He didn’t want to wage Did Chanukah happen years ago or is war against tiny Judea; he only required heavy taxes. it happening now? Looking at the events The Talmud details many conversations that young today, you start to wonder. The story of a little Alexander had with the Jewish Sages, many of whom traveled to Greece to tutor royalty. light pushing away an empire of darkness, After Alexander’s death, the Greek empire was split human sensibility defying terror and brute into three territories: Greece, Egypt and Syria. In 175 force, life and growth overcoming destruction BCE, Antiochus IV rose to power over the Syrian terri- – the battle is very much alive within each tories, which included Israel. The Syrian Greeks, called of us, and in the world outside of us. Seleucids, were not interested in co-existence, but in assimilation. The victory of light over darkness is the cosmic The Talmud, the Book of the Maccabees, Josephus, megadrama – the ongoing story of all that is. This and other works detail the events of Chanukah. victory occurs at every winter solstice and at the Antiochus IV sent his ministers to force Greek culture dawn of each day. It is found in every decision to on the people of Israel. Most Jews conformed. What else could they do against the might of the empire? The do good in the face of evil, to be kind where there Zohar says of this period: “The Greeks darkened the is cruelty and to build where others destroy. eyes of Israel with their decrees.” Chanukah is more than just a festival The festival of Chanukah is about light overcoming commemorating a miracle of old. It is an darkness. Our world is currently experiencing a eight-day spiritual journey. “In those days“ particularly dark time.