The Light of Chanukah
Rabbi Yitzchak Schwartz
Chanukah 5766
"And the earth was empty and void, and darkness covered the depths and the ruach of Elokim hovered above the waters." Genesis 1-2. The Midrash teaches that "Darkness" refers to Greece. Notwithstanding the prevailing belief that Greek civilization was the epitome of progressiveness and sophistication, from the viewpoint of our sages, Greek civilization was in fact the embodiment of darkness.
How is it possible to explain the phenomenon of such disparate viewpoints? After all, if we were to observe a wall that appears to be white it is possible that another person could think that it is beige, cream, or even light grey. In fact there is an element of truth in all of these observations inasmuch as white is an essential ingredient of beige, cream, and grey. But it is inconceivable that another person would consider the wall to be black. The only possible explanation of this type of dichotomy is that one [opinion] is utterly wrong.
We, of course, believe that our sages possessed the correct opinion. Hashem is referred to as 'Ziv ha'olam' the splendor of the world. Ancient Greece excelled in superficial aestheticism and biased intellectualism. This was not due to any inferiority of mind or spirit, rather, it was a deliberate attempt to conceal genuine beauty of creation, the presence of its Creator.
The light of Hanukah dispels the erroneous notion that there is any inherent value in a material world that is void of G-d's presence. Our task on Hanukah is to see beyond the formidable physicality of creation and gain a view of the transcendent reality of Hashem and establish Him firmly as the guiding light of our lives.
Chanukah 5766
"And the earth was empty and void, and darkness covered the depths and the ruach of Elokim hovered above the waters." Genesis 1-2. The Midrash teaches that "Darkness" refers to Greece. Notwithstanding the prevailing belief that Greek civilization was the epitome of progressiveness and sophistication, from the viewpoint of our sages, Greek civilization was in fact the embodiment of darkness.
How is it possible to explain the phenomenon of such disparate viewpoints? After all, if we were to observe a wall that appears to be white it is possible that another person could think that it is beige, cream, or even light grey. In fact there is an element of truth in all of these observations inasmuch as white is an essential ingredient of beige, cream, and grey. But it is inconceivable that another person would consider the wall to be black. The only possible explanation of this type of dichotomy is that one [opinion] is utterly wrong.
We, of course, believe that our sages possessed the correct opinion. Hashem is referred to as 'Ziv ha'olam' the splendor of the world. Ancient Greece excelled in superficial aestheticism and biased intellectualism. This was not due to any inferiority of mind or spirit, rather, it was a deliberate attempt to conceal genuine beauty of creation, the presence of its Creator.
The light of Hanukah dispels the erroneous notion that there is any inherent value in a material world that is void of G-d's presence. Our task on Hanukah is to see beyond the formidable physicality of creation and gain a view of the transcendent reality of Hashem and establish Him firmly as the guiding light of our lives.
