Chanukah and the Light of Moshiach
True light – the light of the first day of creation; the light of Chanukah – is defined as the ability to see the inner dimension of existence.
Hints of Chanukah in Genesis
Chanukah, the festival of light, occurs on the twenty fifth day of the month of Kislev. The twenty fifth word of the Torah is “ohr-light.”
Is it a coincidence that the holiday of light occurs on the twenty fifth day of the month and the twenty fifth word of the Torah is light? According to our sages, there are no coincidences in life and certainly not in the Torah. The light that was created on the first day of creation has much in common with the light of Chanukah.
The Torah introduces the way G-d created the universe. First there was darkness and then G-d said “Let there be light.” The Midrash comments that “darkness” refers to the way in which the Greeks oppressed the Jews. Accordingly, the statement, “Let there be light,” is an allusion to the light generated by the defeat of the Greeks in the days of Chanukah.
Our sages also tell us that the light created on the first day of creation was no ordinary light; it enabled one to see from one end of the world to the other. To prevent the undeserving from accessing this amazing power, G-d concealed this light, preserved it and will unveil it again in the Messianic Age of Redemption. The miracle of Chanukah provided us with a glimmer of this unique form of light.
Greek Darkness
To have an appreciation for this dimension of light and what we have to look forward to when this light will once more envelop the world, we should focus on the nature of the darkness associated with Greek oppression. As stated, our sages interpreted the term darkness as a reference to the Greek form of religious persecution.
It is ironic that the sages would use the metaphor of darkness for the Greeks who emphasized light, enlightenment, culture and knowledge. Greek culture glorified aesthetic beauty. Now Judaism also believes in beauty. Yet the difference is stark. Judaism believes in an inner beauty, while the Greek’s reveled in an outer and superficial form of beauty. When people become fixated on the external because they are oblivious to the internal, they are in the dark. Their vision cannot see beyond and within.
The Greeks were not opposed to the Jewish religion, as long as it was limited to its literary, cultural and intellectually challenging aspects. As long as one did not recognize its divine core and the existence of an inner beauty that transcended its outer form, Judaism was as appealing as any other culture. It was the Divine element that Judaism believed in and that which represented the true notion of beauty, that the Greek’s resented.
Light and Reality
Light is characterized by its ability to enable us to see reality. Light is not worthy of its name if it gives us a distorted picture. When G-d created the world, He established what His goal was. G-d wanted a world that was filled with the type of light that uncovered the inner beauty and divinity that exists beneath the surface.
Greek culture with its emphasis on the outer form, thus, epitomized the very opposite of the true inner light that G-d created on the first day. And the victory of Chanukah is thus a victory for the power of true light. With the miracle of Chanukah, the world was able to come closer to appreciating the inner light that enables us to see things from within.
Three Distortions of Light
But, seeing beneath the surface is not the only feature that characterized the true light. There are actually three features that distinguish true light from its distorted counterpart. Distorted light, epitomized by Greek culture, is when, as stated, we only see and appreciate the surface and not what is beneath the surface. To truly shed light on a subject one must be able to identify its soul.
Light can also be distorted if it enables us to see only part of a picture, not its entirety. To appreciate anything one must be able to see the context in which it appears. When we look at anything we must realize that it is only part of a larger scheme. At present we can only see one dimension. When G-d’s light will shine we will see all the different levels and worlds and then view our world in that context.
Distorted light is also when our vision is limited to the here and now and where we cannot see the way things were and how they will eventually turn out. Putting things in context means, to know their history and to know their future and purpose as well. To witness surgery, for example, without the knowledge that the person doing the cutting is a surgeon and that he is performing lifesaving surgery, is tantamount to seeing nothing.
True Light
True light – the light of the first day of creation; the light of Chanukah – then, is defined as the ability to see: the inner dimension of existence, existence in context of all else that exists, physically and spiritually, and in context of how things were, their intended purpose and how they will be.
What makes the future Age of Redemption so special is that all of us will have access to this light. We will all be able to appreciate the inner beauty and divinity that exists throughout creation. Furthermore we will be able to see things contextually and in proper perspective; as they relate to the rest of creation as well as how they fit into G-d’s plan. We will thus be able to appreciate past events that did not necessarily make sense to us because we were only exposed to a limited view of the event.
This Chanukah, as we gaze into the small flickering flames, let us reinforce our belief in the coming of the Moshiach, and in the Rebbe’s persistent message that the Redemption is imminent. When we see the pure light of the Chanukah menorah let us reflect on the genuine light and view of reality that will soon illuminate the entire world, and usher in an age of peace and holiness.
From the book Light from the Future: Chanukah by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
