Chanukah and Bushfires
At one time or another we all experience exciting and meaningful events. These are great moments of inspiration and motivation. But often they come and go with little or no effect. How do we absorb these moments, to ensure that they should have a lasting and positive effect?
Tonight the festival of Chanukah begins. Each evening we will kindle the Chanukah candles, adding one flame each day. The flames of the Menorah represent warmth, enthusiasm and passion. But fire is not always positive. At this time of the year we always hear of bushfires that burn throughout Australia causing gross inconvenience and destruction.
The difference between the two fires can be understood from the biblical story that we will read from the Torah next week. Pharaoh has two dreams. In his first dream seven fat, healthy cows are eaten by seven ugly, thin cows. The dream is then repeated but this time, with ears of corn.
When describing the dream with the cows Pharaoh exclaims: "They came inside them, but it was not apparent that they had come inside them, for their appearance remained as inferior as at first." What can we learn from the fact that the fat cows had no affect on the thin cows even after they were eaten by them?
The answer lies in the terminology used in the second dream. "Then the thin ears of corn swallowed up the seven good ears..." There are two forms of eating - chewing and swallowing whole. When we break up our food into small pieces through chewing, the surface exposure of the food to body enzymes are increased and the digestion process is that much more effective.
For a special moment to be effective it must be chewed not swallowed. We must take time to reflect on its significance, process its meaning and learn from each detail. In this way we can bond with the experience, grow from it and fully connect with its deeper meaning. If we 'swallow' these events whole, they will create huge excitement for a few moments but then disappear leaving us with a sense of emptiness.
A huge bushfire is devastation. A small but meaningful flame added each day is a mitzvah.
The Empty Menorah
The festival of Chanukah began Tuesday evening. The highlight of these eight days is the mitzvah of kindling the Chanukah candles every evening. Traditionally this mitzvah is fulfilled by placing the candles in a Menorah of eight holders. But in the first few days the Menorah always seems very empty and incomplete. Wouldn't it be more logical to kindle these flames in single candlesticks, adding one each night?
The Menorah brings together two perspectives - the focus on the present and the aspirations for the future. Successful growth - whether spiritual, intellectual or emotional - must always combine two very different approaches. On the one hand we should always appreciate the infinite potential of our soul and the unlimited capacity to grow into something completely different than we are now. True growth is not just a small token improvement, but rather a fundamental dramatic change of mindset, attitude, and emotional responses. On the other hand we cannot implement this change in one go. While the ultimate goal is drastic change it has to be accomplished by taking one step at a time.
This is lesson of the Chanukah Menorah. We light one small flame at a time, representing small and responsible steps. At the same time we stare at the empty candle holders, reminding ourselves of the greater goal. We light the first, second and third flame one at a time, but aspire to ultimately fill and kindle all of the candle holders.
As we kindle the first candle this Tuesday evening, let us be proud of the first step we have taken, while at the same time looking forward to filling and kindling the empty holders.
The Wick
One of the many lessons of the Chanukah lights can be derived from a law that the flames must burn through a wick. For this reason gas burners or electric lights are not kosher for Chanukah lights.
Our sages teach that the flame represents Torah study (knowledge) and the wick stands for Mitzvot (action). The knowledge of morality and spirituality becomes the shining light that guides and illuminates our existence. But knowledge alone is insufficient - it must translate into action. Theory that fails to change the way live is empty and meaningless. What we learn must attach itself to something tangible, just like the flame is connected to the wick.
In the Chanukah story the Syrian-Greeks were great academics. They had great centers of learning with huge libraries filled with literature. But in practice they were entirety different. They lived and promoted hedonistic and immoral lifestyles. They idolized the physical body and pursuit of material pleasure with no higher purpose or value.
This is the lifestyle that they wished to impose on the people of Israel. The Greeks had an appreciation for Torah study and allowed the Jews to pursue its teachings, provided that it remained theoretical.
The Chanukah candles must be a combination of flames and wicks. The victory of Chanukah is expressed in the fact that we don't just study. We allow our knowledge to change the way we live.
Each day when we kindle another flame we also add a wick. Every little bit of learning will change us for the better

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