The message of Hanukkah couldn’t be clearer in 2024 and 2025: We must end and start the year with light.
Jewish mom decorates her home to help make Hanukkah fun for the kids
Hanukkah is always in competition with Christmas for Jewish families. Melanie Herschorn decorates her house to make the holiday exciting for her kids.
There’s a uniqueness to Hanukkah this year, as candles will be lit starting in 2024 and ending in 2025.
The message could not be clearer for all of us: to both end and start the year with light.
How much of it depends on us and if we’re willing to bring the light when there’s darkness and at times despair.
What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah means “dedication” in Hebrew, and it commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century where Jews revolted against their Syrian-Greek oppressors, who had abolished the practice of Judaism, in the Maccabean Revolt.
According to the Talmud, a central text of Judaism, Jews who took part in the rededication of the Second Temple witnessed what they believed to be a miracle.
While there was only enough oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for one day, the flames flickered for eight nights. This miraculous event led to Hanukkah being observed as an annual eight-day holiday.
Hanukkah is centered on the lighting of a nine-branched menorah called a hanukkiyah. On each of the holiday’s eight nights, another candle is lit after sundown. The ninth candle is called the shamash (“helper”) and is used to light the other candles.
Why do you light candles on Hanukkah?
Blessings are said aloud prior to the lighting of candles.
Hanukkiyahs are prominently displayed outwardly for the public to see and share the enduring message as written by Rabbi Sara Y. Sapadin “that we must always work to find light in the darkness and keep the light of religious freedom burning for all people and all time.”
Bringing the light shouldn’t stop at the end of this holiday; it can be a role all of us adopt and act on all year round to be the shamash for our families and community.
We can be helpers for others and spark the virtues of self-worth and respect. Our help has value. Father James Keller put it best: “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”
How do we bring light to a dark world?
There’s a great deal of uncertainty and negativity in everyday life, world events and politics. Technology has made distance disappear and brought it closer to home.
This level of proximity has either heightened or diminished civic engagement, depending on the disinformation permeated and repeated on social media posts. We’ve witnessed how threats, attacks and provocative soundbites breed fear and surround many in darkness.
How do we find clarity, calm and common ground in this kind of environment?
I propose the answer is strong and vibrant civic health.
Recently, Sybil Francis, chair, president & CEO of Center for the Future of Arizona, shared an op-ed piece about the value of strengthening civic health. She wrote, “When our civic health is strong, so is our ability to tackle big challenges and build opportunities. When it’s weak, division and distrust can grow, and progress slows.”
To move forward with progress and remove us from a deteriorating and paralyzing atmosphere, our active involvement is required to lower the noise of animosity and instead bring light to our community by protecting human dignity, respecting differences of opinion and seeking cooperation.
Let’s replicate kind words and deeds in Phoenix
The good news is that light travels faster than sound.
Courage is most needed to keep the flame burning. It’s not about the size or title of a person; it’s not about grandstanding or number of social media posts. It’s about modeling acts of humanity, demonstrating even-handedness and speaking up for undefended communities.
With this good courage, we can build trust and improve civic health.
Let’s also seek out the unsung heroes in our communities and neighborhoods making a daily difference in the well-being of many with simple acts of generosity, like writing grants to provide programming for children or distributing food boxes.
Let’s replicate their energy and kind deeds to help as many people as possible. It’s as Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego expressed to me recently, “In moments of darkness, let’s look to and reflect the light shed by many of our fellow dedicated community members.”
My greatest wish is for all of us to find the light within ourselves. Paraphrasing Anne Frank, we must “defy and define the darkness” — and with it, illuminate our better side by honoring the dignity of others and the light they bring to the world.
Carlos Galindo-Elvira is a Phoenix city councilman. Reach him at carlos.elvira@phoenix.gov or on X, formerly Twitter, @arizonascge.
