* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
Tonight we light the first Chanukah candle.
Everyone knowns that the small jug of oil the Chashmonaim found, lasted for eight full days and so we celebrate eight days of Chanukah.
However, since the quantity of oil in the jug was sufficient to last for one day, our sages ask why the first day of Chanukah should be considered as miraculous as the following seven? Would it not make sense to celebrate Chanukah for seven days alone, instead of eight, recalling the stretch of days that the oil miraculously burned?
One of the answers to this question is that kindling the first candle celebrates the will, the aspirations of our nation, which is also a miracle. It commemorates the fact , that our ancestors searched for a jug of oil, that they wanted more light.
Longing, after all, is a miracle too, especially in the case of our nation. Motivation, forward movement, aspirations and dreams. It is miraculous that our nation survived all we have endured yet never despaired and continued to believe in life, in Torah, in joy, in holiness — and that we continue to radiate light.
So the first Chanukah candle symbolizes spiritual aspiration. Search for the point of light, of desire, deep within your heart and let it radiate outwards until this pure and holy light pushes the darkness away.
Happy Chanukah.
