Yael Eckstein: Hanukkah in the year of COVID reminds us that hope and faith are stronger than despair

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Hanukkah: Five things to know

Did you know there is no correct way to spell “Hanukkah”? Check out these five facts about the festival of lights.

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins at sundown Thursday, coming during a pandemic that all of us around the world will remember for the rest of our lives.

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, this has been a year of extraordinary struggle and challenges we never could have imagined. The disease COVID-19 has claimed more than 1.5 million lives worldwide, and the death toll sadly continues to rise.

Millions of people have also lost their jobs due to the economic impact of the virus. We’ve even been separated from those we love. This holiday season will find many families fragmented, celebrating in different locations, with only the telephone or an electronic screen to bring them together.

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It has been a difficult year to find hope. It seems that any light in the world has been extinguished, leaving only darkness. But just as we are tempted to despair, into this dark world comes Hanukkah, a holiday that celebrates light. In fact, the holiday is even known as the Festival of Lights.

Most people know Hanukkah as a festive holiday when Jewish people light menorahs, and Jewish children get presents for a whole week and play games with dreidels. But while Hanukkah is that, it is also so much more. It’s a holiday that tells an inspiring story of God’s protection and provision.

Hanukkah reminds us that hope is stronger than despair. In the darkest places, at the darkest hour, if we stand up to the darkness with our light of faith and action, God will work through us in miraculous ways to transform the night into day. 

This story is certainly one we need to hear and internalize today.

Sacred holidays ground us and remind us that there is more to life than our day-to-day struggles — that the world is God’s, and that God's plans are perfect.

The Hanukkah story begins more than 2,000 years ago, when a powerful Greek and Syrian army invaded Israel and tried to impose paganism on the Jewish people. While many people accommodated the new regime, a small group of Jews, the Maccabees, kept the light of faith burning and refused to water down their devotion to God. They revolted, and against overwhelming odds, prevailed against their oppressors.

After their victory, the Jews set out to purify the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, which had been desecrated by the Romans. But when they went to light the Temple’s eternal flame, they realized they only had enough pure olive oil to keep the flame burning for one day, and it would take another seven days to get more of the special oil they needed.

Acting out of faith, the Jews lit the Temple lamp anyway. They trusted God, and He miraculously kept the lamp lit for an entire eight days, until more pure oil arrived.

While Hanukkah has always been one of my favorite holidays, I’m particularly excited for its arrival this year. Knowing that it will come reminds me that even in times of adversity, some things do not change.

Sacred holidays ground us and remind us that there is more to life than our day-to-day struggles — that the world is God’s, and that God's plans are perfect.

We find our way to partner with God when we remember that our calling is not to curse the darkness, but rather to bring in the light. Hanukkah reminds me that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. When we know that and cling to it the light draws closer.

This Hanukkah, I will focus on the lights that shone so brightly even in this dark year.

Israel’s peace agreements with its Arab neighbors have kindled a flame of peace and harmony throughout the Middle East, which seemed impossible just one year ago.

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The miracle of Christian support for Israel never fails, in good times and bad. The outpouring of love and compassion has allowed us at The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews to respond immediately to the needs of the most vulnerable Jewish people in Israel and the former Soviet Union despite unprecedented challenges. Through this aid the people of Israel have seen how Christians around the world have saved lives and spread the light of hope.

In this season of light and miracles, even as we acknowledge that we live in a troubled world let’s decide that we will not be overtaken by the darkness. Let each one of us pledge to be the ones to share God’s light of hope and love.

Every year when I light a single candle on the first night of Hanukkah, I am reminded that just as one tiny flame can illuminate a darkened room, one person can bring so much light to the entire world.

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And on the last night of Hanukkah, when we light all eight candles, I am reminded that just as a cluster of tiny flames can create one great light, a team of people working together can have an outsized impact for good.

It’s important to remember our struggles, but I hope that when we look back on this year, we also remember the lights of Hanukkah — lights that shine at the darkest time of the year. And when we do, I hope we will remember the lessons of Hanukkah: that faith is greater than fear, love is stronger than hate, and light is ultimately more powerful than darkness.

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