The End of Hanukkah: A Reflection on the Purpose of Our Celebrations

Hanukkah is over, and we are left to ponder what comes next. The eight days of pure inspiration and light that we have just experienced have come to an end, and it's natural to wonder what lies ahead. As we reflect on the festival of Hanukkah, it's worth exploring the Talmudic debate regarding how the lighting was supposed to work. There are two opinions: one that we started with eight candles and gradually reduced to one, leaving us hanging at the apex of eight lights, only to crash and burn; another that we began with one candle and built up to eight, creating an ever-increasing light.

The Talmud in Shaba asks about the reason for celebrating Hanukkah. It tells the story of the Greeks' desecration of the temple and the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days when it should have only lasted one. However, what's peculiar is that after this miracle happened, the Jewish people didn't celebrate Hanukkah the following year or even decide to make it an annual festival. Instead, they waited a year or two to recognize the significance of these days and declare them as a permanent part of their liturgical calendar.

This delay in celebration is a powerful lesson for us all. When we experience difficult situations, we often have a tendency to wish them away, hoping that our circumstances will return to what we consider "normal" or "good." However, this approach can be misleading. The story of Chanukah teaches us to be patient and give the universe time to unfold its plan. Just as the Jewish people waited to see how their experiences would shape their understanding of Hanukkah, so too should we take the time to reflect on our own challenges.

Rabbi Hillel's interpretation of the Talmud holds that lighting from one candle ending in eight may symbolize a journey towards greater strength and light. By starting with a small flame and gradually increasing it to eight, we can find a sense of purpose and growth. This concept is not limited to Hanukkah; it applies to our lives as well. When faced with difficult situations, we would do well to adopt this mindset.

The rabbi's wisdom reminds us that not every great story has a happy ending, and not every challenging start stays that way. Instead, we should wait for the development of the situation, allowing ourselves to grow and learn from our experiences. By embracing this approach, we can transform our struggles into opportunities for growth, just as the Jewish people transformed their difficult circumstances into a celebration of hope and perseverance.

As Hanukkah comes to an end, we are left with a question: what will our Sharna, our year, be like? Will it be different from the previous one? The answer lies in how we take away the lessons and insights gained during this festive period. By reflecting on the story of Chanukah and applying its teachings to our lives, we can find a renewed sense of purpose and strength.

Shabbat shalom.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso Hanukkah is over what do we do when the lights go out we've had eight days of pure inspiration of pure light each day building on the next from one candle to the next to the next to the next and then all the sudden we go from eight to nothing you know there's a disagreement in the Talmud as to how the lighting was supposed to work one opinion was we started with eight and kind of went down to one and the second opinion is that we go from one and build all the way up to eight and we leave you hanging at that apex of eight lights and then you go from eight to nothing and you crash and you burn what is that the Talmud in Shaba asks my Hanukkah what is the reason that we celebrate this beautiful festival it tells the story of the Greeks the desecration of the temple the fact that the Jewish people found one jug of oil that lasted eight days when it should have lasted one but then it says something peculiar lashana a Herot after this miracle happened they didn't celebrate Hanukkah they didn't even decide that next year they'd celebrate Hanukkah they waited a year maybe two in order to say that these days should be celebrated as a festival forever why there's something very beautiful here when we celebrate holidays in the Jewish religion the holidays that we celebrate in many ways are not about the days themselves but rather they're about the outcome of those days do you see that's why bet Hillel holds that you light from one candle ending in eight perhaps the eighth ending the holiday starts you off after the holiday with the most strength with the most light with the most influence of these days this concept is so useful in the way we look at life every time we experience difficult situations we have a tendency - wish it away hoping that we would still be in great times in our lives but we would do well to learn from the hush Munna em and the rabbi name of the generation of Chanukah they didn't immediately in the moment decide that's it this is amazing who let's call it Chanukah lashonna a Herot they waited let's see how this develops because not every great story has a happy ending and not every difficult start stays that way wait give us em a chance lashana a Herot after you've experienced what that scenario gives to you you're better equipped to make a choice as to how to respond so I will leave you with the question and you can comment below what are you taking away from this Chanukah will your Sharna your year be a carrot be different shabbat shalomso Hanukkah is over what do we do when the lights go out we've had eight days of pure inspiration of pure light each day building on the next from one candle to the next to the next to the next and then all the sudden we go from eight to nothing you know there's a disagreement in the Talmud as to how the lighting was supposed to work one opinion was we started with eight and kind of went down to one and the second opinion is that we go from one and build all the way up to eight and we leave you hanging at that apex of eight lights and then you go from eight to nothing and you crash and you burn what is that the Talmud in Shaba asks my Hanukkah what is the reason that we celebrate this beautiful festival it tells the story of the Greeks the desecration of the temple the fact that the Jewish people found one jug of oil that lasted eight days when it should have lasted one but then it says something peculiar lashana a Herot after this miracle happened they didn't celebrate Hanukkah they didn't even decide that next year they'd celebrate Hanukkah they waited a year maybe two in order to say that these days should be celebrated as a festival forever why there's something very beautiful here when we celebrate holidays in the Jewish religion the holidays that we celebrate in many ways are not about the days themselves but rather they're about the outcome of those days do you see that's why bet Hillel holds that you light from one candle ending in eight perhaps the eighth ending the holiday starts you off after the holiday with the most strength with the most light with the most influence of these days this concept is so useful in the way we look at life every time we experience difficult situations we have a tendency - wish it away hoping that we would still be in great times in our lives but we would do well to learn from the hush Munna em and the rabbi name of the generation of Chanukah they didn't immediately in the moment decide that's it this is amazing who let's call it Chanukah lashonna a Herot they waited let's see how this develops because not every great story has a happy ending and not every difficult start stays that way wait give us em a chance lashana a Herot after you've experienced what that scenario gives to you you're better equipped to make a choice as to how to respond so I will leave you with the question and you can comment below what are you taking away from this Chanukah will your Sharna your year be a carrot be different shabbat shalom\n"