This week is Hanukkah – the Festival of Lights. While it is not “the Jewish Christmas”, being largely inflated out of proportion by its calendar proximity to the major holiday of the dominant culture, it does have its own importance. In particular, it has to do with the concept of publicising the miracle.

Hanukkah is not a Torah holiday – it was instituted during the reign of the Hasmonean dynasty in ancient Israel, also known as the Maccabees. They famously instigated a rebellion against the ruling Seleucids, leftover from the conquest of the country by Alexander the Great, and set up an independent monarchy, which lasted until the Romans arrived. The crowning achievement of this rebellion was the recapture, cleansing and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. Since they hadn’t been able to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot properly the previous fall, they celebrated for eight days in the winter instead. The name of the holiday means “Dedication”.

Over the generations, the meaning was shifted from the celebration of a military victory (maybe not so wise under the Roman occupation and later exile) to the story of a miraculous container of oil, only enough to light the great menorah of the Temple for one day, which lasted for eight days until new oil could be brought. Hence the emphasis on oil – oil lamps (although nowadays we usually use candles – less messy) and oily treats. The rabbis decreed that we should put our lamps in the window – to let the world know about the miracle that happened to us, when we defeated an emperor and were able to light up the darkness.

This year, for the first time since we came to Winnipeg, I hesitated about putting our big electric menorah in the window. We live in a nice quiet suburb, and we’ve never had any reason to be concerned about our neighbours. We chose to live here because it is walking distance from our synagogue, a large prominent building. There used to be many more Jewish families around here, but the demographics have shifted to other parts of the city, and the synagogue will be following suit next year (following literally decades of debate). We have never had any trouble with antisemitism in our neighbourhood, that I know of. Still, I hesitated. It’s a scary time.

The world is dark this year – with illness still raging (and little children bearing the brunt of it now), the rise of fascism in so many places, and environmental disaster looming. It’s easy to sink into fear, to hide, to keep our heads down and hope nobody notices us. But we decided to put our big, bright lamp in the window anyway.

Hanukkah, ironically one of the most assimilated of our celebrations, comes to remind us that hiding is not our way. Put the light in the window. Speak up against evil. Come together in community, even if it’s virtually or wearing masks, and stand together. In the words of a Hanukkah song I learned as a child in Israel, every one of us is a little light, and together we are a powerful light. May it banish the darkness.

Wishing you and yours a joyful, light-filled holiday season!