By Rabbi Levi Greenberg
Public menorah displays (ritual candelabras) are a staple of Chanukah celebrations around the world. At famous places such as the White House and the Eiffel Tower, or in the most remote locations where a handful of Jewish tourists visit during the season, you can expect to see one.
In El Paso, menorah displays are located in numerous places, including El Paso International Airport, San Jacinto Plaza, West Towne Marketplace, the Shoppes at Solana, Cielo Vista Mall and University Medical Center.
It was not always this way. The mitzvah of kindling Chanukah lights is performed at home, using oil, wicks or candles. In 1973, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, launched the Chanukah campaign to publicize the observance and message of Chanukah to the world.
The next year, a menorah was lit in front of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, and public menorahs have proliferated worldwide since then, numbering over 15,000 today. These public displays are not meant to replace the private menorah lighting at home, but rather to serve as welcoming beacons for all Jews and symbols of the universal Chanukah message for all.
The eight-day festival of lights, which begins this year Sunday night, Dec. 14, and will be celebrated through Monday, Dec. 22, is observed by kindling flames. On the first night, we light one candle on the menorah, and we add a light every successive evening until eight flames shine brightly on the final night of Chanukah.
Over two millennia ago, the Jews in Israel were conquered by the Assyrian Greek Empire, which sought to assimilate all humanity into its way of life. When the Jews resisted this cultural onslaught, the Greeks enacted decrees with the intention of destroying any vestige of authentic Jewish life. They plundered the Holy Temple and made an ideological statement by defiling all of the ritually pure olive oil used for lighting the golden menorah in an effort to extinguish the soul of Judaism.
The Hasmonean priestly family formed a resistance movement popularly known as the Maccabees. Contrary to common perception, these were not natural-born warriors. They were lifelong scholars trained to officiate the ritual services in the Holy Temple. Although they had no chance for success, they charged into battle with faith in their hearts and a prayer on their lips, and were miraculously victorious.
After recapturing and restoring the Holy Temple, they desperately searched for ritually pure olive oil to light the lamps of the menorah. Only a small jug containing a night’s worth of such oil was found in all of Jerusalem, and it would take eight days to produce more.
Instead of being paralyzed by indecision or doubt, they seized the opportunity to observe this divine service, filled the lamps, and hoped for the best. An awesome miracle occurred, and the flames burned for eight nights, subsequently minted as the eight nights of Chanukah.
True, the military victory was spectacular, but the decision to go ahead with the menorah lighting and the subsequent miracle became the centerpiece of the Chanukah celebration for all time.
This is the universal message of all menorahs, private and public. When you are surrounded by a world of darkness and corruption, complaining or philosophizing is not the way to proceed. Learn from the Macabbee and take initiative. Do a good deed and kindle a flame in the life of another. Even if you have barely enough emotional and moral fuel for yourself, do your part, and G-d will take care of the rest.
To learn more about Chanukah, please visit chabadelpaso.com/chanukah.
Levi Greenberg is associate rabbi at Chabad Lubavitch of El Paso.
The post Opinion: How public menorahs became a global Chanukah tradition — and an El Paso staple appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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