Chanakah Lights

Repeat after me…peer-sue-may knee-sah. Nice job!

 Pirsumei nisa are two Aramaic words which mean “publicizing the miracle.” That’s the phrase the Rabbis used to explain why we light the Chanukiya at the doorways or on the windowsills in our homes – to publicize the story of Chanukah to passersby. It’s a concept uniquely associated with Chanukah.

It’s interesting that we place the Chanukah lights on the windowsill and go out of our way to draw the attention of people to what’s going on inside our homes. Many of us are probably uncomfortable with the idea of people peering into our homes on a regular basis, but for Chanukah, that’s exactly what we encourage.

In the original Temple, the Beit Hamikdash, there were strategically placed windows. The Yalkut Shimoni, a collection of midrashic commentary on the Torah, tells us something interesting about those Temple windows. He says that while castle windows might be narrow on the outside and widen towards the inside, the Temple windows were just the opposite. They were narrow on the inside and widened towards the outside. The purpose he explained was to demonstrate architecturally that the Temple was a source of light for the community and perhaps even the world. The energy and spirit of the Temple was launched into the world through windows specially designed to amplify and disperse the energy. It so happened, that one of those windows was opposite the menorah, the 6 branched candelabra that was kindled each night by the High Priest. The menorah in the Temple was its eternal light and that light was a beacon to be projected and shared with those outside the Temple.

While our chanukiya is really not the same as the Temple Menorah, the idea that we light it at the window for all to see is strikingly similar. Our homes, ideally, are mini Temples and the love and warmth and values that begin there and are (hopefully) displayed there should be shared with those who might be looking in.

Here at the Cardin School, we try to remember that our windows are wide on the outside and we endeavor to share the light of Torah, the light of community and the light of authentic Jewish values with all who might choose to look in.

Chag Urim Sameach.

May we all have a joyful and light filled Chanukah!

~Rabbi Yaakov Chaitovsky

Judaics Faculty