Jewish World Review Dec. 13, 2001 / 28 Kislev, 5762

Of flames and souls

By Rabbi Alex Chapper

http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- HAVE you ever noticed how difficult it is to sit and do nothing? In a waiting room or on a train, we find it nearly impossible not to search for something to look at or read, as if we need to be constantly stimulated. It is a phenomenon that suggests a yearning for something beyond our present reality.

Judaism calls this phenomenon the neshamah, the soul that is embedded in us, which is given expression in the story of Chanukah and our remembrance of past miracles.

The Greeks, who tried to destroy Jews and Judaism based their actions on the philosophy of the physical, celebrating beauty and elevating logic as the yardstick against which all had to be measured.

However, while Greece taught the holiness of beauty, Judaism teaches the beauty of holiness. This holiness has its root in the soul, as the verse in Proverbs says, "The candle of G-d is the soul of man,"(20: 27), and it's this idea that comes to the fore on Chanukah.

The candles we light contain in their simplicity a fundamental concept of Judaism. The flame represents the soul, the very essence of a person while the candle is the body, just the necessary receptacle. A flame is the only physical entity that defies gravity: it reaches ever upwards, like the soul of man which constantly strains for the heavens. The natural state of the soul is to grow and just as the more the flame burns, the lesser the candle becomes, so, too, the more the soul grows, the more the physical diminishes.

This neshamah phenomenon also contradicts the Hellenistic idea of "what you see is what you get," which denies the existence of any greater value than surface appearance, while the Jewish view is better encapsulated by the saying: "There's a lot more than meets the eye." Our immediate reality is not necessarily the ultimate; so much more is hidden, waiting to be discovered.

Candles give this concept expression. One could be forgiven for believing that the wax form of the candle defines its purpose and is therefore its whole value. Yet when you watch the flame glowing, you realize that there is something more than just wax. The flame gives light to the world as the soul gives light to the body, and from this flame a thousand other flames can be lit to create even more light.

That ability to give light is within us all and can be experienced in our relationships with other people.

What do we see when we look at another person? As the commentators explain of the description of Rachel's beauty, she had an inner beauty and an outer beauty. External qualities are often clearly apparent, but internal qualities are harder to appreciate. Yet every person has light to bring to the world; it is only clouded Hellenistic vision that fails to see it.

While the world busies itself chasing whatever the eye can see - and never more so than at this time of year - Chanukah calls out for us to look beyond first impressions to find deeper value.

The Ponovezher Rav, Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, once asked the following question. After having lit the Chanucah lights, we recite a prayer, "Al hanisim… ve'al hamilchamot," for "the miracles and for the wars." Why should we thank G-d for wars? Are we bloodthirsty, do we live by the sword, that we are happy G-d provides wars for us? Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to highlight the victories in which we vanquished the enemy?

He answered that, in reality, it is premature to thank G-d for the victories because the fight that took place for the first Chanucah still continues today. The war against the Greeks was mainly a spiritual struggle, a war of sanctity against defilement that remains as yet to be won and so we thank G-d for the plain fact that we are fighting, that we strive, despite the most difficult conditions, for something better than our present situation.

Throughout Jewish history, the battles we've faced have never been simply for the cause of physical survival: they have always been for higher stakes, the spiritual well-being of our nation. And through all the enormous tragedies and terrible persecutions our people have undergone, holiness never departed from us. The flame of the soul that searches for deeper meaning was never extinguished, surely something worth celebrating, especially today.

JWR contributor Alex Chapper is rabbi of Reading Synagogue in the U. K.. You may comment by clicking here.