By Rabbi Avrohom Litvin
Rabbi Avrohom Litvin
I am writing these words while sitting among more than 5,000 of my fellow Chabad Shluchim at the International Conference of Chabad Emissaries in New York. It is a sight that defies description. Rabbis and community leaders from every corner of the globe, from Alaska to Australia, from Moscow to Mumbai, all united in a single purpose: to bring light, warmth, and Jewish pride to every Jew, wherever they may be found.
This gathering itself is a living embodiment of Jewish unity. Each of us may come from a different community, speak a different language and face unique challenges, yet we are all bound together by a shared mission entrusted to us by the Lubavitcher Rebbe: spreading the light of Torah and mitzvos, and to prepare the world for the coming of Moshiach.
It is in this spirit of unity that I am writing to you about the upcoming holiday of Chanukah. This holiday is referred to as the Holiday of Light, which refers not only to the physical light of the menorah, but also to the spiritual light that illuminates the darkness found in this world. The Rebbe often emphasized that light is the most fitting metaphor for holiness, because even a small candle can dispel much darkness.
Yet there is a deeper message in the Chanukah lights which speaks directly to the theme of unity. The Talmud teaches that the mitzvah of lighting the Chanukah menorah can be fulfilled in several ways. The most basic way is to kindle just one light each night for the entire household. A better way is for each member of the household to light their own singular light. Finally, the ideal way to celebrate which is the way universally followed in Jewish homes across the world: We increase the number of lights each night, from one on the first night to eight on the last.
This illustrates how individuality and unity coexist in Judaism. On Chanukah, every person lights their own menorah, indictive of their individual and personal relationship with G-d. Yet all the menorahs are lit together, at the same time, in the same home, shining out to the same street. Our individual flames do not compete with each other. On the contrary, each individual light complements and strengthens one another. Together, they create a greater and brighter light from which all can benefit.
This is true unity. Not the erasing of differences, but the harmonizing of diversity. Jewish unity does not mean everyone must look, think, and act the same. Rather, it means that every Jew, with their own strengths and background, contributes their unique light to the collective flame of our people.
Chanukah celebrates that unity! The Maccabees stood united to continue to observe and celebrate Jewish life. Their courage and unity brought about the miracle of Chanukah. The few triumphed over the many and the weak over the strong, because they were united by their faith and their common purpose. That same light, that same unity, continues to sustain us and strengthen us today.
And so, as I sit here at this global convention, I cannot help but think about our own community in Louisville. We, too, are part of that same story. We may be small in numbers, but our community has a strong and shining heart. When we come together in unity, we connect ourselves to that same eternal flame that has burned in Jewish hearts for more than 2,000 years.
That is why I am so proud that this year, the Louisville Jewish community will be celebrating Chanukah with a free evening of Jewish unity and family fun at the Alpine Ice Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. It is more than just a celebration — it is a statement. It says that we, the Jews of Louisville, stand together as one family. Whether observant or unaffiliated, young or old, whether our roots are in Eastern Europe, Israel, or right here in Kentucky — we are one people, united by one Torah and one destiny.
May this Chanukah inspire us all to bring more light, more love, and more unity into our homes and our community. And may our collective light hasten the ultimate light, the coming of Moshiach, when the whole world will be illuminated with the light and goodness and knowledge of G-d.
Happy Chanukah
Rabbi Avrohom Litvin is the longtime leader of Chabad of Kentucky