Rockville Centre Hanukkah 5772 messages

Light one candle

By Rabbi Marc A. Gruber

Central Synagogue

After Alexander the Great died in battle (323 B.C.E.) his generals divided his empire into three parts. The Land of Israel was sandwiched between the Ptolemaic Kingdom of northern Africa and the Selucid Kingdom of Syria and Asia Minor. For the next century and a quarter these two kingdoms fought for control of the Land of Israel. The Selucid leader Antiochus III won control. For a time he was content to allow the Jews freedom to worship as they chose. Soon he began a program of Hellenization throughout his domain. In 176 B.C.E. Antiochus IV ascended to the throne. He decided to accelerate his father’s program of Hellenization forbidding the practice of Judaism and erecting a statue of Zeus in the Temple in Jerusalem.

In 167 B.C.E. a family of priests, the Maccabees, fought back and lead an uprising for Jewish religious freedom. They fought for three years and defeated one of the most powerful armies in the ancient world. The Maccabees regained Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple. Hanuka means rededication.

A story in the Talmud (at least five hundred years after the events) tells that the Maccabees found a single jar of unspoiled sacramental oil. They lit the menorah in the Temple. Miraculously, although the oil was sufficient for only one day, it burned for eight days.

The Hanuka lights became a symbol of hope for our people. We look at the candles burning brightly and know that some how we can survive catastrophes and thrive. The symbol of the Hanuka lights has bolstered our spirits for the past two millennia. We have nurtured a flame of hope in our hearts and our collective soul. Hope is not a matter of logic. As much as we might wish it, we cannot prove that the future will be better than present. Nevertheless hope is real and transforms us. With hope we are able sustain courage and envision and work toward making the world a better place.