Inside and Outside

In previous generations, the “outside” started at the entrance to our homes. If there was any darkness, it was not coming from within. אhe Chanukah lights that were kindled on the entrances of our homes had the positive effect of bringing some light into the “street.”

Two Customs

The Talmud says that one should light the Menorah on the doorway going outside. The Talmud adds that it should be placed on the left side of the doorway opposite the Mezuzah which is placed on the right side of the doorway.

This custom changed, according to many sources, because of the danger posed by the enemies of the Jews and by cold climates.

As a result two customs emerged: The first is to light it near our windows so that the Chanukah light would publicize the miracle to those who are outside.

The second custom, the one adopted by many Chassidim including Chabad, is to place it on the left side of a doorway inside the house opposite the Mezuzah, which should be placed on every doorway with a few exceptions.

However, the second custom to light the Menorah inside is problematic. If the goal of Chanukah is to publicize the miracle, placing it in a conspicuous place towards the outside would be the preferred way of fulfilling this Mitzvah, and would have taken precedence over placing it opposite the Mezuzah.

Insidious Influences

There are perhaps two ways of explaining the custom of lighting the Menorah inside, despite the emphasis of Chanukah to illuminate the “outside.”

The first is based on the regrettable phenomenon of all the negative influences entering our homes.

In the “olden days” a Jew knew that his home was a thoroughly Jewish, warm, inspired and insulated castle. It was a fortress of decency, morality and holiness. The home, and not the synagogue, was the focal point of Jewish life, impervious to all the alien winds that were blowing outside.

However, in modern time, partly but not entirely, due to the advent of modern technology and other factors, all of the most negative and insidious influences have penetrated into the inner sanctum of Jewish life: the home.

In previous generations, the “outside” started at the entrance to our homes. If there was any darkness, it was not coming from within. And the Chanukah lights that were kindled on the entrances of our homes had the positive effect of bringing some light into the “street.”

Illuminating the Rebels

Indeed, the Talmud states that the ideal time for lighting the Chanukah lights begins after sunset and continues until the time that the Tarmudites are no longer roaming the streets.

The Tarmudites were a sect that would linger in the street. As long as there are still people in the street it is ideal for the lighting of the Chanukah lights, the objective of which is to illuminate the darkness by publicizing the miracle to the outside.

Chassidic literature takes this Talmudic passage a step further, The Tarmudites were an evil sect that persecuted the Jews. Moreover, the very word Tarmud, when its letters are rearranged, spells the word moredes, which means rebel.

Thus, the meaning of lighting the Chanukah lights “until the feet of the Tarmudites cease from the street,” is reinterpreted thus:

The objective of the Chanukah lights is to bring an end to the rebellious spirit that exists and prevails in the outside world.

The Outside is Inside

If the objective is to get rid of the negative atmosphere of the “outside” definition of “outside” in our own day and age, has changed; it begins within our homes. It has penetrated and has made inroads into the otherwise secure sanctuary.

We therefore have to light the Chanukah lights in our homes to intimate that we must first illuminate the darkness of the outside influences that are inside. Once we do that we can then project that light outwards.

As a caveat to the above it is interesting that while the Chabad custom is to light the Chanukah lights inside, the Rebbe has also strongly encouraged public Menorah lighting to publicize the miracle and light of Chanukah to the largest number of people so that it reaches the outside of the outside.

A Positive Explanation

This explanation, however, is based on the regrettable negative phenomenon of the insidious nature of the darkness that has entered into our homes and thus necessitates lighting the Menorah inside.

However, upon delving more deeply into the spiritual power of Chanukah lights we can discover another positive factor in the custom of lighting the Menorah inside the home.

When we discuss the concepts of “inside” and “outside” it is not restricted to good versus evil, holiness verses impurity. Even within the realm of goodness and holiness there is an inner dimension and an outer dimension.

In truth, within every level of spiritual growth there are two layers that we can refer to as “inside” and “outside.”

The first such distinction is between that which transcends our intellect and the intellect.

Judaism is predicated on the reality that G-d is above and beyond the parameters of the intellect. Yet He wants us to use our intellect to internalize those supra-rational aspects of the Divine.

Light of the Future

The prime example of this dynamic of introducing the supra-rational into the mind is the kindling of the Chanukah lights. The Chanukah light, we are told by Chasidic Masters, is the light of the first day of creation, which enabled one to see from one end of the world to the other. It was a transcendent light that will be fully revealed in the Messianic Era.

This light represents the most sublime spiritual energy that cannot even be revealed during other so-called “major Holidays.” Indeed, the mislabeling of Chanukah as a minor holiday is a gross distortion of the reality. According to one Midrashic source, Chanukah will be much more prominent in the Messianic Age than all the other major Holidays. The reason for this is that Chanukah is synonymous with the transcendent light of the future.

When we light the Chanukah Menorah today we create physical light that publicizes the miracle and introduces the outside world to the concept of miracles. Moreover, we unleash transcendent Divine light of the future into our souls, our homes and indeed the outside world.

Thus Chanukah’s spiritual dynamic is to bring the infinite and transcendent energies into the finite parameters of the temporal world.

Where is the first point where this transition or transmission takes place?

It is from the realm of the infinite into the world of rationality.

From the vantage-point of Chanukah, rationality and logic is “outside” the pale of the supernatural and the suprarational.

Thus lighting the Menorah inside the home hints that Chanukah is within and beyond the realm of logic. Logic, even the most abstract and spiritual logic, in relation to the trans-logical light of Chanukah is considered to be outside.

Chanukah also symbolizes the core of our souls. The Chanukah miracle started with the discovery of a concealed cruse of oil sealed with the seal of the High Priest. This, Chassidic thought teaches, represents the kindling of the core of our souls when we light the Chanukah Menorah.

While our soul’s essence is beyond rationality, the soul also possesses and manifests itself through our intellect; the “inside” and “outside” aspects of our personalities, respectively.

Lighting indoors suggests that the “outside,” i.e., our intellectual faculties really begin inside of our souls. They too need to be illuminated with the power that flows from our core. When this core is ignited it has the power to affect also the soul’s “outer” intellectual powers. They too are elevated to a higher level. From there it spreads to all of our other faculties and beyond.

The Light of Chanukah Preparation for Moshiach

The closer we get to the Final Redemption when our soul’s essence will be fully ignited the more power we have to affect all of our “inner-outer” faculties with the light of the soul’s essence. This will then become the bridge to illuminate the “outside-outside.”

In earlier periods of our history when we were far from the Messianic Age, our ability to introduce the transcendent G-dly light and the essence of our souls into the finite and intellectual sphere was restricted.

Only in recent times the teachings of Chassidus, a taste of the teachings of Moshiach, were allowed to be revealed. This revolutionary change represented a watershed moment. Just as the floodgates of the inner precincts of Torah are now open so too the floodgates of our souls are open to allow the heretofore concealed core of our soul illuminate our intellect and from there our entire personalities, and ultimately to the farthest reaches of the world.

From the book Light from the Future: Chanukah by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.