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The Fifth Night of Chanukah [1]

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Date: 2023-12-12  

Last night we lit five candles. The fifth night is special for many reasons. Because of the intricacies of the Jewish calendar, based on a resolution of both the lunar and solar cycles, the fifth night can never fall on the Sabbath, even while Chanukah can sometimes start before Thanksgiving or end after the Christian New Years. Thus it became traditional for parties and family gatherings to be scheduled for the fifth night when people would be able to travel and give gifts, both actions that are not permitted on the Sabbath. The fifth night is also the first night that more than half the candles are lit, symbolizing the victory of light over darkness, especially needed on a night that could never fall on the Sabbath day, a day associated with “light and gladness and honor.”

The events memorialized by Chanukah took place around 200 B.C.E. and were one of the few times after the fall of the temple and before the modern era that the Jews had an army or used military action in response to their often dire situations living among the nations.

Before and after that, exile and accommodation were key to their survival. The Seleucid Greek ruler Antiochus IV forbade worship in the temple and commanded the Jews to worship idols. This inspired the Jewish revolt led by Judah Maccabee (the hammer). His brother then established the Hasmonean dynasty that ruled Israel for 100 years.

Then it was back to exile among the nations, except for a brief rallying under Bar Kochba against the Romans. In the concentration camps during WWII, Jews sometimes made menorahs out of potatoes, the wicks for the light from threads of clothing and a little oil or other grease saved from their rations instead of the commemorative olive oil. Today we are lucky to have super-large public menorahs lit on the town squares and greens of the United States and in the capital cities of many countries throughout the world, with leaders of the various countries often attending these celebrations.

But for almost 2000 years this was not how it was. Other nascent countries might recall this in their desire for self-determination in Gaza or elsewhere. Armed struggle should always be a last resort. Peace to the far and the near. A little light can dispel much darkness...if only we remember to turn on the light.



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