Hanukkah also celebrates the little light found within and its ability to dispel a great deal of darkness. Whether within a little vase of oil found in the Temple or within our own hearts, this story promises that good things really do come in small packages and that each of us is one of those packages.
The Haftarah, Saturday morning reading from the Prophets, which is read on the Shabbat of Hanukkah, is from Zechariah, chapter 4. It says “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit alone said the Lord of Hosts.” Victory is not a physical thing, or at least it’s not accomplished physically, according to this version of the Hanukkah story.
Hanukkah celebrates the light we all carry within us and its ability to change the world. According to the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Hasidic movement, Hanukkah represents the ability to revive the divine spark of light which resides in every human soul and to realize the full potential of that spark to dispel the darkness that exists in the world. And just as there was more power to burn in that little bit of oil than anyone anticipated, each of us carries within us the power to accomplish more than we ever imagine.
What’s the little light you carry within yourself about which almost nobody knows? What challenges might you dare yourself to overcome in the next year? What inner capacity would you like to develop in the year ahead?