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It is no coincidence Ĥanuka is celebrated during the bleakest time of year, when nights are longest and the moon does not shine, the darkness is intense, and the winter is bitterly cold. Yet, as the sun sets and darkness begins to envelop the world, Jews light candles. Ĥanuka candles symbolize the power of the Jewish faith to overcome even the deepest darkness. Even in the gloomiest times, when the mightiest empires ruthlessly ruled the world, we did not despair of the lights of Torah and faith. We continued learning and teaching, showing the world that even a small ray of light has the power to light up the night.
Ĥanuka is the celebration of the Oral Torah. This holiday and its mitzva of candle lighting were among the first mitzvot enacted by the Sages, the expounders of the Oral Torah. The mitzva to light the candles expresses the Oral Torah's special light, which has the power to illuminate even the darkest depths. Adding a candle each night (section 8 below) symbolizes adding more and more illumination until we enlighten every single dark place.
During the First Temple era, prophecy abounded among the Jewish people, and they primarily studied the Written Torah, meaning great prophetic revelations. However, after the Temple was destroyed and prophecy ceased, the time came for the Oral Torah to take precedence. While the principles were set in the Written Torah, the Sages of the Oral Torah paved the way for the realization of these principles. Granted, the light of the Written Torah shines brighter – it is compared to the midday sun – while the light of the Oral Torah is compared to that of the moon and the stars. Nevertheless, the Oral Torah can reach the hidden recesses of the soul and light up the dark corners of the world. During the Second Temple era, the foundations were laid for Oral Torah directives, including enactments, safeguards, and customs. This allowed the light of Torah to be drawn down from the eternal world, and allowed us to cope with all the difficulties of the exile.
As we wrote above in the context of brit mila (13:2), the number seven symbolizes this world (created in seven days), while the number eight expresses that which is beyond this world. Accordingly, the eight days of Ĥanuka express our goal to elevate nature, repair the world, and bring it under God’s sovereignty.
