Hanukkah Candles and Our Restless Uncertain Souls
The world is in a restless and tense time as we approach the Hanukkah season. Another lockdown looms. We yearn for an end to the virus and political partisanship. We miss each other and our Lev services! Will we ever get back to normal? What will the new normal look like?
We think the natural state of our beings should be balance and peace, yet truthfully, our natural states are restless, and our souls are often struggling as we are pulled in many directions.
During this season, we are reading the Biblical narrative of Jacob, our third patriarch, and during the Hanukkah celebration, he is wrestling with an angel. Jacob is wrestling with his conscience and his soul. His name is then changed to “Israel” which in Hebrew means “one who wrestles and struggles” with God to find the truth of his or her being.
We are the children of Israel. We are “wrestlers” with our souls. It was through his struggles and wrestling with his soul that Jacob found his destiny and his true calling. Our continued struggling during these uncertain times will also reveal our inner convictions and truth.
The Hanukkah lights themselves are also restless sparks. Look at them. They do not stand still, but rather contain a dynamic friction. Watch the flame flicker as it rises and falls. A Hassidic rebbe teaches that this is like the soul reaching upward, only to be drawn back below, like a vibrant dance called Rotzo V’shuv…yearning and returning. A flame, like our soul, is never stagnant. It is always in restless tension, a holy dance.
What do the Hanukkah lights inspire us to do?
Lighting and meditating on the lights reminds us:
To fight for justice and what is right like the Maccabees
To stand up and make a difference
To see what needs to be fixed
To hear the silent cries of those who need our help
To invite in goodness, kindness, light and joy into our restricted lives
So, if you have been feeling restless, dissatisfied or unhappy, maybe you are right with your soul!
Kindle your own flames - breathe dynamic restlessness and feel the yearning within you. When you generate your Light, you will find a place that God needs you to be!
With all of us wearing masks, social distancing and following protocols, may the vaccine arrive safely as we overcome this deadly covid virus.
Find the light and let it in!
Embrace your restless soul!
Happy Hanukkah and a
Joyful Hanukkah Season
And let us all say: AMEN.
Rabbi Toba August
