Dear {{first_name}},
One of the more “mis-understood” aspects of חנכה/Hanukkah is the use of the שמש/Shamash. Many, if not all of us, have been raised on the idea that the שמש exists for the lighting of the other candles. It is considered to be the helper candle. The fallacy of this lies in the fact that חנכה doesn’t celebrate the miracle of wax but the miracle of oil. Our ancestors didn’t light candles as they didn’t have candles to light. Instead, they lit oil lamps. Hence the miracle of the oil having lasted longer than expected. Candles can light each other but oil lamps are really hard to light off of each other. It’s possible, but it’s definitely not likely, nor is it remotely convenient. The origin of the שמש is actually something much greater and more involved.
The origin of lighting candles on שבת/Shabbat or rather for שבת is that our houses needed light in the evening of שבת with which to function: to eat, read and spend time with other people. It was for this reason we had candles lit right as שבת was about to begin. The שבת candles are a set of utilized candles. But when it comes to חנכה, the candles are not intended to light up our houses for anything other than themselves. Meaning they are the main attraction… the main event. We are forbidden from using the candles of חנכה to read, to cook, to see anything around us… they are just to be used to promote the miracle of our people. It’s for this reason the שמש came into existence. We needed light in our houses to do things and so a “using” candle was added to the חנכיה/Hanukkiyah to enable us to use the light to see and do things. That’s its origin. Today, though, we use it primarily as an accessory to lighting the other lights.
The utility of the שמש is something we all need to embody, in both its ancient and modern uses. We all need to see that our world is filled with darkness. That we have not just a need, but a responsibility to bring light into the world to brighten it up. We all have to see our role as being the one obligated to provide the world with light, hope and faith. We do this through our unwillingness to allow hope and optimism to die. We do this through our volunteerism. And we do this through our charitable giving. Think about it. When we donate money as Jews, we often donate in denominations of $18. It’s a bit of a pain to add up because it leaves us with strange numbers, but it’s something magical. If you’ve ever seen a list of donors or watched a telethon, you’ve see lots of hundreds and thousands of dollars with names next to them. But then you see numbers that are multiples of 18 and you will feel a sense of joy and pride because the person who did that was clearly Jewish and they are doing their part. That’s bringing light into the world. Each of us needs to dig deeper and look for ways to spread the light for others to have more of their own.
The second understanding of the שמש is that of the helper candle. For this, I need all of us to recognize the need to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty in being instruments of change. We need to be the ones who never sit on the sidelines and always are out there being involved and lending a hand. We need to be the ones who heed the call to do more and be more. We need to see it’s not only about providing light but that we, ourselves, have to physically do more to help others.
These two different understandings of the role of the שמש are two sides of the same piece of Hanukkah gelt (pause for laughter). That being the light and being the help are one in the same, but they are also different. We need to be the message of hope and the tool of hope. We need to be the inspiration and the worker. When we’re able to heed these concepts, and do a bit more, we’ll all see a more promising world filled with light for tomorrow.
חג שמח
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Hearshen
