The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
My extended family recently gathered over Zoom to share memories about my grandmother, Mrs. Gita Ceitlin. With her descendants dispersed around the globe, this year of the pandemic was the first time we all marked her yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) together. We all recognized that though we long for in-person gatherings, COVID conferred a benefit by shifting us to virtual platforms for this commemoration.
Everyone shared anecdotes about her. My uncle told how she would spend hours on the phone speaking in her native Russian; my aunt recalled the lists of names and addresses that would be scattered around her kitchen table in Montreal, Canada; and more than one grandchild remembered being sent to deliver gifts for the needy to homes in the neighborhood.
While we knew that my grandmother had been active in the community, these tidbits revealed to us the extent of the personal care she gave Jewish immigrants from Russia struggling to settle in. She provided food, clothing and a listening ear to those who needed it. She took care of her own family, but she also did what she could to make sure that others were also taken care of. In a way, my grandmother exemplified the message of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, began Thursday evening, Dec. 10, and will conclude on Friday, Dec. 18. Unlike other Jewish holidays, Hanukkah is a very public one. Its observance is not based on synagogue attendance as during the High Holidays, or on a ritual meal with family, like Passover. Instead, the Talmud instructs (Shabbat 21b) “to place the Hanukkah light by the doorway of one’s house, (viewable) from the outside.”
The flames of the menorah are meant to shine out into the night, viewable to everyone who is nearby. Those flames present a timeless message of light over darkness, hope over despair and miraculous victories over overwhelming odds. That message is meant to be shared beyond everyone’s immediately family, to the world.
Light naturally spreads — and so does hope. My grandmother shared her personal light to those beyond her own family, and that is something we can all be doing during this pandemic. In recent months, there have been wonderful stories and examples of people working around the clock and going out of their way to assist others.
People are currently facing many challenges and we can all use a ray of light. Leonard Cohen famously sang, “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” Our sages didn’t leave it to the clergy to facilitate this holiday. It is our collective duty to shine that light — and to be that light.
