An Empty Menorah?
Chanukah begins this Sunday evening, is your Menorah ready?
Typically we use a Menorah that has eight candle holders (plus the shamash). But in the first few days the Menorah always seems very empty and incomplete. Wouldn't it be more logical to kindle these flames in single candlesticks, so we can avoid that empty feeling?
Here’s the deal, the Menorah brings together two perspectives 1. Focus on the present and 2. Aspirations for the future. Successful growth - spiritual, intellectual or emotional - must always combine two very different approaches. On the one hand we should always appreciate the infinite potential of our soul and its unlimited capacity to grow into something much greater than we are now. True growth is not just a small token improvement, but rather a fundamental dramatic change of mindset and attitude. On the other hand, we cannot implement this change in one go. While the ultimate goal is drastic change, it has to be accomplished by taking one step at a time.
This is the lesson of the Chanukah Menorah. We light one small flame at a time, representing small and responsible steps. At the same time we stare at the empty candle holders, reminding ourselves of the greater goal.
See y’all on Monday at the Bellaire Chanukah Festival!
Rabbi Yossi Zaklikofsky