Be the Light
First
of all, let’s be clear. Hanukkah is NOT Jewish Christmas. It falls at the same
time of year as Christmas. Its timing may or may not have to do with the prevalence
of festivals of lights in many cultures around the world as the Winter Solstice
approaches. However, it should be noted that, although later traditions
established it as a celebration of a miracle of a light that was sustained
beyond expectations, the original story in 2 Maccabees doesn’t include the
story of the lamp in the temple staying lit for eight days when there was only
enough oil for one. That is a Talmudic addition several hundred years later. Also,
the date of Hanukkah is set in 2 Maccabees as the date of the reconsecration of
the Temple and, since Judaism uses a lunar calendar, that date can fall as
early as late November, a full month before the Solstice or Christmas.
Whether you are Jewish or not, Hanukkah’s proximity to Christmas is the reason why most Americans know more about Hanukkah than any other Jewish holiday. However, that knowledge is generally limited to a little more than the very brief Talmudic synopsis above. Most people know that a Menorah is a candelabra that is lit for each successive night of Hanukkah. However, if I were to ask you how many candles are in a Menorah, you would be forgiven if your answer was eight. That makes sense, eight nights of Hanukkah, eight candles. But, in fact there are nine. The ninth candle is called a shamash. In most traditions, it is used to light the other eight candles.
So, at the center of the Menorah stands the Shamash, which apparently means “attendant” in Hebrew.
Now, I don’t speak Hebrew but I have sung it when I was hired to sing at a temple in Cleveland for the High Holy Days. And what I notice about “shamash” is that it sounds a lot like “Sh’ma.” The Sh’ma is probably THE most significant recited prayer in Judaism. The prayer is recited multiple times during the High Holy Days. The full text is “Sh’ma, Yisrael, Adonai elohenu, Adonai echad.” Translated, it says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.”
So, “Sh’ma” means “Hear” or “Listen.” Which is interesting because, although it is a less common usage, in English we use the word “attend” to say, “listen.” So, if these two words are related, the Shamash, “the attendant,” is “the listener.”
Who do you attend to? How do you listen to others? As the parent of an eight and a ten-year old, I am aware of the challenge to teach children the importance of listening to what is going on around them because they can be SO self-absorbed. It is not an easy skill. We have our own important issues to attend to, hyper-vigilance to our own safety and security, internal dialogues, distractions that we are drawn to, and so much more. I’m focused on teaching this skill to my children because I see its importance in our adult life.
Ironically, as I began writing this, one of my most significant teachers on this subject died this week. Ram Dass wrote a book called “How Can I Help?” which is my Bible on pastoral listening. The book is a thesis on mindfulness and attentiveness that calls us to our higher self when it comes to being truly attendant to others. In one of my favorite passages, Dass describes a typical conversation where a friend calls in distress and the receiving friend is earnest in their desire to listen and be helpful. But then, Dass describes the multiple distractions. The desire to shape a response while your friend is still sharing; the many tasks you have in your day that start to pull your attention; the reasonable judgments that you might make (“Aren’t they being over dramatic? This again? When are they going to move on?”); your own emotions attached to this crisis. And now the question is “How attentive were you really?”
People often ask me as a chaplain, “How do you know what to say to someone who’s love one has just died.” The answer is “I don’t.” There is no right thing to say. If all you can do is LISTEN, really listen, to someone, you have done more than you can imagine in the most “perfect” response.
One of my favorite readings that I have used frequently to start a worship service is a quote by Albert Schweitzer. “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude for those who have lighted the flame within us.”
Be the Shamash. Be the candle that lights the others. Be attendant. Sh’ma! Listen! Hear, really hear, the person in front of you knowing that your ATTENDANCE is the spark that they need more than any “perfect” words. And know with gratitude that there are others standing ready to rekindle your flame.
Whether you are Jewish or not, Hanukkah’s proximity to Christmas is the reason why most Americans know more about Hanukkah than any other Jewish holiday. However, that knowledge is generally limited to a little more than the very brief Talmudic synopsis above. Most people know that a Menorah is a candelabra that is lit for each successive night of Hanukkah. However, if I were to ask you how many candles are in a Menorah, you would be forgiven if your answer was eight. That makes sense, eight nights of Hanukkah, eight candles. But, in fact there are nine. The ninth candle is called a shamash. In most traditions, it is used to light the other eight candles.
So, at the center of the Menorah stands the Shamash, which apparently means “attendant” in Hebrew.
Now, I don’t speak Hebrew but I have sung it when I was hired to sing at a temple in Cleveland for the High Holy Days. And what I notice about “shamash” is that it sounds a lot like “Sh’ma.” The Sh’ma is probably THE most significant recited prayer in Judaism. The prayer is recited multiple times during the High Holy Days. The full text is “Sh’ma, Yisrael, Adonai elohenu, Adonai echad.” Translated, it says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.”
So, “Sh’ma” means “Hear” or “Listen.” Which is interesting because, although it is a less common usage, in English we use the word “attend” to say, “listen.” So, if these two words are related, the Shamash, “the attendant,” is “the listener.”
Who do you attend to? How do you listen to others? As the parent of an eight and a ten-year old, I am aware of the challenge to teach children the importance of listening to what is going on around them because they can be SO self-absorbed. It is not an easy skill. We have our own important issues to attend to, hyper-vigilance to our own safety and security, internal dialogues, distractions that we are drawn to, and so much more. I’m focused on teaching this skill to my children because I see its importance in our adult life.
Ironically, as I began writing this, one of my most significant teachers on this subject died this week. Ram Dass wrote a book called “How Can I Help?” which is my Bible on pastoral listening. The book is a thesis on mindfulness and attentiveness that calls us to our higher self when it comes to being truly attendant to others. In one of my favorite passages, Dass describes a typical conversation where a friend calls in distress and the receiving friend is earnest in their desire to listen and be helpful. But then, Dass describes the multiple distractions. The desire to shape a response while your friend is still sharing; the many tasks you have in your day that start to pull your attention; the reasonable judgments that you might make (“Aren’t they being over dramatic? This again? When are they going to move on?”); your own emotions attached to this crisis. And now the question is “How attentive were you really?”
People often ask me as a chaplain, “How do you know what to say to someone who’s love one has just died.” The answer is “I don’t.” There is no right thing to say. If all you can do is LISTEN, really listen, to someone, you have done more than you can imagine in the most “perfect” response.
One of my favorite readings that I have used frequently to start a worship service is a quote by Albert Schweitzer. “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude for those who have lighted the flame within us.”
Be the Shamash. Be the candle that lights the others. Be attendant. Sh’ma! Listen! Hear, really hear, the person in front of you knowing that your ATTENDANCE is the spark that they need more than any “perfect” words. And know with gratitude that there are others standing ready to rekindle your flame.
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