Beth Schafer
Chanukah Light
Beth Schafer
Many candles, one light.
The light of creation, the spark of the Divine
burning within each of us, co-mingling, multiplying.
Light that knocks holes in the darkness
exposing injustice, tyranny, inhumanity,
bitterness, hunger, sadness, loneliness.
A light that helps us find our way
and, at times, lights the way for others.
The lights of Chanukah burn only briefly,
flickering against the long night.
They were never meant to last forever.
But the light within us endures
when we choose, again and again, to tend it.
On Shabbat, we are given an added light —
a deepened breath of the soul,
an expansiveness of the heart.
In rest and holiness, let us remember who we are
and what our light is for.
Through prayer and honest struggle,
through service to God and to one another,
through acts of giving,
through learning to see the Divine
even when it is hard to see—
this is how the flame is kept alive.
I pray that the light of Chanukah
carries us beyond the ancient story it remembers,
calling us to be bearers of light
in a world that still knows darkness.
Each night we kindle a candle,
searching for inspiration.
And when Chanukah ends,
the task remains to carry its light forward
into the days and months ahead.
For a little listening, I hope you enjoy, Night by Night by yours truly.
Chag Urim Sameach & Shabbat Shalom,
Beth
