Tonight we celebrate the sixth night of Hanukkah. Our Festival of Lights points us toward hope—in the midst of the darkest time of the year, we bring light into the world, adding more and more each day of our celebration.
My colleague and friend Rabbi Rachel Ain points out how we can learn an important lesson about how to live our lives from the shamash, the helper candle whose job it is to light the others. She points out that when we use the shamash to light the other candles, its light is in no way diminished. Instead, “all we see is an increase in light … Nothing needs to disappear in order for us to be elevated. So on this holiday, we can find ways to use the fires inside us for good, to light the flames within ourselves and others, to stand proud of who we are and what we represent, and to lift up and light the way for those who need our support.”
When we share our light with others, there is simply more light. When we share love and kindness expansively, remaining open to new friendships, there are simply more friends in our lives. The more we try to help others, the more we give, the more we receive in return.
May we—together, as a sacred community—bring more and more light, kindness, goodness, and love into the world.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Hanukkah,
Rabbi Yoshi