This is part of the on-gong series of Divrei Torah being published on the NECHAMA, Jewish Response to Disaster web site and subsequently sent to our e-mail community.
Hanukkah 5772
Matt Rosenberg
There is a midrash, a Rabbinic commentary, about the first winter that Adam and Eve experienced after the Garden of Eden. As the nights were getting longer and the days were getting shorter, Adam feared that night would overtake the day and soon, only the cold nights would exist. Eve thought of a plan to ward off the night. They would light lamps to defend against the nights. This was a comforting idea to Adam. So they began. Each night they added a lamp, one on the first night, two on the second night, three on the third night and so on until after the eighth night, when Adam and Eve realized that the nights were getting shorter and the days were again getting longer.
Obviously this ancient tale was a portent of the lights of Hanukkah, a holiday in which we traditionally light candles during the darkest point of winter. With each night, each additional candle wards off the darkness and cold by increasing the light found within our homes. Hanukkah is one of the most frequently observed Jewish holidays in America and it’s no wonder - it is a holiday that unites families and makes a house a home.
Volunteers and staff of Nechama worked earlier this month at Nechama’s warehouse to prepare the supplies and equipment needed for next spring and summer’s inevitable round of disasters. Every disaster organization must ensure that its equipment and supplies are ready to respond and Nechama is no exception. This essential preparation during the darkness of this time of year will hopefully lead to bringing light into the homes of families around the country.
As we light our Hanukkah candles, one additional candle on the Hanukkiah (Hanukkah menorah) each night, increasing in light throughout the eight nights, let us pray for a season of warmth and happiness in our homes. Happy Hanukkah!
Matt Rosenberg is in his penultimate year of rabbinical school at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles and is a NECHAMA volunteer.