During Chanukah we light the Menorah at a window of our home that faces the street, in order to publicize the miracle that occurred in our Temple some 2200 years ago where a small jug of pure oil burned for eight days.
Generally speaking, we perform Mitzvos privately in our homes or together with others in a synagogue.
Chanukah is different. In addition to lighting the Menorah in our family setting we also display our Menorah outward for others in the street to see – and doing so, is an integral part of fulfilling the Mitzvah.
Chanukah is observed when the nights are the longest – during the darkest time of the year. The small dancing flames of our Menorah are there to illuminate for us, our homes and to the world outside.
This illumination is not for our personal benefit; that is why we chant immediately after we light the candles –“These lights are holy and we do not have permission to get personal benefit from them – only to look at them.”
The reason the Shamos – service candle – sits on the Menorah is if one needs to use the light to read he can use the Shamos for personal use, rather than using the light from the other candles on the Menorah.
We all agree there is a lot of darkness and confusion in the world. Chanukah is a time when we spread the spiritual illumination emanating from our Menorah that permeates our homes, out to the outside world as well.
You may wonder how? Well can the average person explain how wi-fi works? Yet we see that it works and gives off waves of connectivity.
Before lighting the Menorah we recite a blessing that G-d sanctified us with His Mitzvos and commanded us to kindle the light of Chanukah. This invests the illumination of the flames with the most powerful spiritual rays that serve to fill Kedusha – sanctity to the world!
There may be another aspect to lighting the Menorah at our window (or outside one’s door in Israel). The Greeks vehemently prevented the Jews from observing the Torah and Mitzvos. They removed the front doors of their homes so they could more easily patrol and see if they were observing the Mitzvos.
With the Macabees defeat of the Greeks, the Jews were once again able to observe freely.
When we light the candles in our window we open the usually drawn shades so that the candles are exposed to the outside. In doing so we also open the rest of the room where the candles are lit to the outside.
The room may have Hebrew books and religious articles; the room should be neat (as the Halacha indicates), and the family is gathered together as a unit. This is an outsider’s peek into the essence of the Jewish home.
This past October a news article caught my eye; Citigroup’s chief U.S. equity strategist Mr. Tobias Levkovich sadly past away at the age of 60. Tuvia was described as righteous, charitable and deeply religious.
At the funeral his Rabbi recalled Tuvia’s uniqueness in an anecdote about his last appearance on CNBC. The show was a few days before Rosh Hashana and the day before he was killed in an accident. In that CNBC interview Tobias appeared in his home office and behind him was a Shofar and Hebrew books. “I spoke to Tuvia right after that interview and he told me that the placement of the Shofar was intentional. In it was a subliminal message. He wanted to inspire all the young Jewish professionals who had recently entered Wall Street, “I made it where I am in my professional career while being proud and devoted to my Torah values; so can you!”
On Chanukah we broadcast to the street we live on, how proud we are to observe and live freely as a Jew. We also carry the spiritual aura we received from the Mitzvah and bear it proudly. It then spreads wherever we go!
