Art by Rivka Korf Studio
A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY
I’m going to deviate a bit from this week’s Parsha (Mikeitz) to talk about Chanukah, specifically—and I believe I’ve talked about this before—Shabbos and Chanukah together as we prepare for it tonight. We will be lighting Chanukah candles immediately followed by Shabbat candles, then tomorrow night, after Shabbos, we will be reciting Havdala and then immediately we will be lighting Chanukah candles. But the question arises: What does one do if there’s just one candle? (While we light an additional candle every night, the minimum requirement is to light just one candle each night of Chanukah.) Obviously, this is talking in the days of extreme poverty (or, perhaps, oppression) but this person is now faced with a dilemma—use this candle to light Shabbat candles or to use it as a Chanukah candle. Which is the right choice? To find the answer and lesson, let’s look at what each candle represents. The Chanukah candles must be lit at dark and should be placed near a window, representing spreading light into our dark world. We wait until it gets dark for maximum, tangible effect and place the Menorah near a door or window to spread the light from our homes into the street – and world – around us. How about Shabbat? Shabbat candles represents “Shalom Bayit,” Peace in the Home. So which candle takes precedence? The Shabbat candles, because without peace in your home, you cannot truly have the positive effect you wish to on your fellow man. To paraphrase what we have all heard on the airplane (and Godspeed to those of you who are traveling this weekend): “Please secure your own mask before assisting others.” If we ourselves are not in a good headspace, we cannot properly have the impact on those around us. So let us hope and pray that this Shabbos allows us to have both peace in our homes and the ability to impact our greater world for the better. Stay warm, Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah!