By Dr. Joshua Yudkin
To be Jewish is to bring light into the world. As we bring light into the darkest time of the year celebrating Hanukkah, a bright story of Jewish survival and spirit, we might wonder what light symbolizes in Judaism.
Light is Yiddishkeit. Proverbs teaches, “A mitzvah is a candle and the Torah is light.” Rather than assuming the mitzvah (or candle) is the prerequisite for Torah (or light), this teaching elucidates a different relationship. Specifically, the candle is ephemeral, as it can be extinguished, or it will go out by itself after a certain period of time, but light is eternal and cannot be destroyed. The Chofetz Chaim explains that Torah inspires and is the mechanism for the intergenerational transmission of light, or Yiddishkeit.
The story of Hanukkah is a story of light shining through darkness. Almost 2200 years ago, Hellenistic colonial ambitions sought to stifle Jewish life through desecration and destruction. The Hasmonean Maccabees, a very small group of outnumbered and poorly equipped Jews, revolted and successfully regained control of Jerusalem, Judea, permitting Jewish thought and life to continue l’dor vador (from generation to generation). Hanukkah is our brilliant story where just a little oil expected to sustain light for only one day sustained light for the necessary eight days to prepare and consecrate more menorah-grade oil. Etymologically rooted in the holiday’s name, Hanukkah, it is a celebration of dedication to our light, Yiddishkeit, in the darkest of times.
Yet the light in Hanukkah represents so much more. First, the Hanukkah light is connected back to divine light from the beginning of creation. Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) explains that when G-d created light during creation, it was the Divine (Shekina) itself that offered light for 36 hours (12 hours a day for the first three days) until the sun, moon and stars were created on Day 4. The 36 candles we light over the eight days of Hanukkah (excluding the shamash, or helper candle) each represent one hour of divine illumination coming into the world and explain why many Jews customarily sit in front of the candles after they are lit. Second, our essence as Jews is intertwined and interconnected to candles. When you take the first Hebrew letter of the three parts of a candle — the wax candle, the wick and the oil — you form the word “nefesh,” or soul. We learn from Proverbs that the soul of a person is a candle lit by G-d: “The candle of God is the human soul.” As evidenced, the candles represent both a divine light and reflection of our soul.
But as Einstein demonstrated, light is everywhere. Light is not unique only to Hanukkah. Symbolically, a ner tamid (eternal light) stays lit in every Jewish house of assembly (or synagogue) to represent that light, or Judaism, exists in all places and times. For some, this eternal light is often placed next to the Torah scrolls and represents the light that emanates from our tradition and Jewish teachings. For others, the ner tamid is a reminder that we are all created in the image of G-d and have a spark of holiness within us. In the same way that our ner tamid needs to be tended to regularly, many find this light to be a physical reminder of the way our relationships with G-d and our fellow man need to be tended to regularly as well.
In the status quo, our light continues to shine through darkness. As evil and ignorant forces, once again, seek to stifle Jewish life, erase our history and rewrite current events with ulterior (or not-so-subtle alternative) motives, Judaism’s commitment to decent discourse and debate, relentless respect for ourselves and others and an unwavering belief in the sanctity of life provide a moral compass through which our light shines onto others and future generations. Returning back to Hanukkah, the root of Hanukkah also means to educate or train. It is a reminder of the need to continue to engage as lifelong learners in Torah and Jewish tradition andtrain the next generation to do the same.
To be Jewish is to bring light into the world through dedication to and education in our tradition. Our soul is like a candle. We are candles that can be lit by G-d and/or by the divine spark within our fellow man. Our light is not just divine light illuminating us and the world but also the radiance of the goodness and love we cultivate as humans. With each passing night of Hanukkah, we bring in and cultivate more light. Looking ahead at 2025, how will you cultivate and radiate light into our community?
Dr. Joshua Yudkin currently serves as an executive committee member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas’ Community Relations and Public Affairs Department and works at the intersection of community building and public health.