Festival of lights offers hope on darkest day of year

The darkest day of the year holds a certain symbolism for those who find themselves wondering what 2009 will bring, how they will cope, and when the light of hope for a brighter future will be rekindled.

So it is fitting to Rabbi Benny Zippel that he and thousands of other local Jews will light the first candle of Hanukkah on Sunday night at the end of the shortest and darkest day of the year. Standing in the ballroom of the Governor's Mansion, in a private ceremony with the governor, his wife and other guests, the rabbi will light one candle on the eight-candle menorah, symbolic of how God preserved the Jewish nation after a battle with invading foreigners.

This year, the question for many is "how are you able to rejoice in relationship with God when people find themselves in a tight financial spot?" said the leader of Chabad Lubavitch of Utah.

The best way, he said, is "through the path of faith — having faith that God knows what our needs are, what our deficiencies are and just as God has been providing abundantly until now, without a doubt God will continue doing so.

"It's at times of a crunch where it becomes incumbent for adults who are parents and leaders of children and communities that we not let despair, panic, overreaction or desperation kick in and take over and that we remain faithful in our beliefs."

Though the eight-day "festival of lights," as it is known, coincides this year with the week of Christmas, the emphasis is "totally not on material gifts," the rabbi said. While individual traditions around gift-giving during Hanukkah vary by family, Rabbi Zippel said the holiday emphasis is on "the predominance of light over darkness, of goodness over evil, of selflessness over selfishness.

"The material gifts are sort of a side issue, but definitely not at the core of the holiday."

Though many Jews consider Hanukkah a "minor holiday," the celebration in a typical Jewish home begins with lighting the menorah on Sunday night, lighting two candles the following night, three on the third night, and so on through the eight-day celebration.

More than simply tradition, "it's a message to our children that complacency when it comes to spiritual fulfillment is something that's definitely not a good trait," he said.

As Jews watch the light increase gradually during the week as additional candles are lit, it is symbolic of a rise in spiritual achievement regarding their relationship with God, he said.