Inner and Outer Light

By RABBI DAVID ROSENN

For Hanukkah

Someone who cannot afford to buy both a light for Chanukah and a light for the Sabbath should buy a light for the Sabbath, since the Sabbath-light is a matter of shalom-bayit (maintaining well-being in one's home).

(Shulhan Aruch, Orah Hayyim 578:1)

The reason given by the Talmud for lighting a candle or lamp on the Sabbath is that light brings feelings of joy and well-being (Shabbat 23b and 25b). In those, days, before light fixtures, the Sabbath lamp was sometimes the household's only source of light. Without a Sabbath lamp, once the sun went down on Friday night, a person's home would be dark.

Chanukah is known as "the festival of lights." But we don't light the menorah to keep ourselves from sitting in the dark. Instead, the rabbis explain that the purpose of lighting a candle or lamp on Chanukah is to publicize the miracle of the oil in the Temple that lasted for eight days, and the equally miraculous military victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks (Shabbat 21b). Set on the windowsill and shining outwards, the Chanukah lights send a message of hope to the world: it is possible for the few to triumph over the many, and tyranny can be successfully opposed.

Two lights with two directions. The Sabbath lamp fills our homes with light and creates a sense of well-being for those who live inside. The Chanukah lamp directs the light outwards, sending a message of hope to the world. In fact, the outer-directed message of the Chanukah lamp is so important that Jewish law forbids us to use its light for reading, illumination, or any other purpose besides "publicizing the miracle."

Ideally, we ought to have the benefit of both lights, one inner-directed and one pointed out to the world. This would mirror our own commitments to meeting our own needs as well as those of others. But when forced by lack of resources to choose one type of light over the other, the tradition instructs us to prioritize the Sabbath light.

Why do you think we are urged to care for ourselves before we address the needs of others? Do you agree with this approach? Finally, what can we do to ensure that taking care of our own basic needs doesn't forever take precedence over turning to the needs of others?

© AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps