In honor of Chanukah, we had a beautiful menorah-lighting and party for our community this week. We invited the fire department to send parachutes of chocolate gelt down into the crowd of children, which is always a favorite. And we also hired a professional ice carver to create an intricate 5-foot menorah out of a giant block of ice.
We were able to watch him do the carving—a fascinating process—and then actually light it afterwards! We’ve been lighting the menorah every night since, but last night, when I walked past it at 10pm, I discovered the menorah in pieces on the ground.
At first, I assumed it must have melted. After all, we knew it wouldn’t last forever, but we did hope it would hold up through all 8 days of the holiday. When I looked more closely, however, I realized it had not melted at all. Aside from the frigid weather we’ve had all week, which certainly would’ve kept the menorah intact, it had clearly been hacked to pieces—a deliberate and malicious act by someone who didn’t like our menorah and what it represented.
I even considered if a car or truck may have accidentally backed into it, but the damage to both sides indicated that that was not the case.
Clearly, our menorah had deeply affected someone to the extent that they felt compelled to destroy it. What goes through the mind of such a person? A menorah represents light, purity, and holiness. What could lead someone to smash that? Where is the hatred coming from? Did the menorah awaken something in their soul?
Regardless, the message of Chanukah is more relevant than ever: No matter how much darkness surrounds us, light will always win. No matter how much they try to destroy us, we will prevail. In fact, the whole reason we light the candles after dark is to light up the world!
Are we disappointed that someone saw fit to smash our menorah? Absolutely. But are we letting them win? Of course not.
We’ve had yeshiva students here every night of Chanukah distributing thousands of menorahs, doughnuts, and latkes, and we will continue spreading the light for the remaining nights of the holiday.
The Torah teaches that it only takes a small amount of light to dispel tremendous darkness, and that is our goal. Spread the light, dispel the darkness. And when better to put this into practice than tonight, the fifth night of Chanukah?
The fifth night is considered the darkest night of Chanukah, because it can never coincide with Shabbat. Our Sages teach that when Chanukah occurs on days that are even only potentially Shabbat days, the light of Chanukah combines with the light of Shabbat for a powerful illumination. So the fifth night, which can never be on Shabbat, represents great darkness relative to the other nights. This means the fifth light has the unique power to illuminate and instill spirituality even in such a time of darkness.
So come out tonight and light the fifth candle with us at our Chabad center. Together, we will counter the dark and show the world our resilience and determination.