The eight nights of Hanukkah have passed for another year. The bright menorahs shining with electric bulbs, candle light, or oil flames will be packed away. Spinning dreidels will fall down with a gimel, hey, shin or vav staring blankly at the ceiling. Silver or gold paper from chocolate gelt, crunched and thrown into the trash, will be taken to the dump. Burning oil from frying potato latkes will no longer fog kitchens setting off smoke alarms. The blessing of lighting the menorah, the blessing of reaching this precious season, and the blessing of remembering the great miracle of G-d’s deliverance will not be spoken as lights on window sills disappear.
Yet, each of those Hanukkah menorahs represented eight sparks of life, millions of them burning all over the world. Eight sparks remembering the Jewish souls who refused to assimilate into the darkness around them, refusing to bend the knee to other gods. Eight sparks multiplied remembering the murdered Jewish souls in every generation, and even those today who suffer for only being chosen by G-d to be His light to the nations around them.
When Judah Maccabee fought against the armies of the Syrian Antiochus Epiphanes, he had no idea that dreidels would spin to remember the miracle of victory. When the priests found only one jar of oil to light the Golden Temple Menorah, they had no idea that one day Hanukkiahs would shine in city squares all over the world to remember the miracle of the oil. As the priesthood dedicated the Altar back to the G-d of Israel, they had no idea the sparks that would be ignited when a man named Yeshua walked in Solomon’s porch at the Temple celebrating this very Feast of Dedication. They had no idea that non-Jewish sparks would plug in electric menorahs to remember the great miracles along with them.
Though Hanukkiahs will disappear from windows, the sparks of life will remain. Though spinning dreidels will be hidden away, the sparks of life will remain. Though the oil won’t burn more latkes, the sparks of life will remain. Filled with the oil of the divine Presence, there will continue to be sparks, both Jew and non-Jew, who faithfully stand against forced assimilation into ideologies, persecution from those who don’t fear G-d, and murder by those who have become lost in the chaos; sparks who will continue to proclaim the faithfulness of G-d and His Miracles, who shine their spark of life for Him.
“Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.”
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