Though Hanukkah is in our rearview mirror, its message of hope—that the few can triumph over the many— is an important principle to inspire our hopes for the year ahead.
The arrival of 2023 conveys a stark truth: Though we mark the passage of time in yearly segments, simply turning the page on the calendar doesn’t change the state of our lives or the world. The challenges of 2022, after all, do not disappear at the stroke of midnight on December 31.
The good news, however, is that our human resilience, resourcefulness, and strength also come with us! That is how the inspiration that flows to us from the glow of the Hanukkah lights endures.
One of my favorite Hanukkah songs is “Mi Yimaleil G’vurot Yisrael”
(מי ימלל גבורות ישראל). You can find the entire song here. The first verse translated literally is: Who can recount the heroes of Israel, who can count them, in every age a hero rises to save our people! It then continues to extol the Maccabees, but the last line of the second verse is:
יתאחד, יקום ויגאל ובימינו כל עם ישראל
“In our days, all the people of Israel will unite, rise up, and bring redemption!”
It’s that last verse that, to me, carries the most power and is the core of the enduring Hanukkah message. While we can wait for a savior, either in the form of a government leader, a well-resourced corporate head, or even another influential, charismatic soul, the truth is that even those types cannot effect change without the contributed momentum of others. True change—true progress—happens when enough people unite behind a cause and push that cause forward.
As the calendar turns to 2023 and the challenges of 2022 accompany us into the spring, what will be your cause? With whom will you join to advocate for the change you seek in the world? When the few unite and put their shoulders into the efforts that benefit all, we move that much closer to the world of our dreams.
—Rabbi Ron Stern