Hannukah: Yearning for the Reality of Psalm 30 (Rabbi’s Message)

Shalom,

As we embrace this second day of Hannukah, we hold the joy of our kindled Hannukiot and the heaviness of more violence against Jews.  I yearn for the time when our celebrations are no longer tainted by sorrow, grief, and pain.  I am also reminded that we are not strangers to managing this act of balance, of holding seemingly opposing emotions and ideas.

Each morning during Hannukah, it is our custom to recite the words of Psalm 30.  The depth and beauty of this text abounds with the possibility of tomorrow. Possibly a familiar verse (Psalms 30:6) guides us, “Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”  This is the fulcrum of the Psalm, it is this idea upon which our rededication exists.  The Psalmist gives us expression for our ability to stay committed to the possibility of transformation.  It is transforming beyond troubled realities, to the possibility of tomorrow.

Rabbi Miriyam Glazer writes in her book Psalms of the Jewish Liturgy, “All tragic drama, according to Aristotle, is about a fall from a high place.  If that is true, Ps. 30 depicts a tragedy: You made me strong as a mountain,” our Psalmist declares - but then “You hid Your face from me, and I was terrified.”  Life is filled with twists and turns…” (page 46)

It is more than twists and turns, yet the message remains.  And Psalm 30 is our traditions guide to serve as a tool to be, to live…even thrive in this moment, at this time.  

May we feel the strength of our People, as strong as a mountain, as we rededicate ourselves and light our Hannukiot.  As Rabbi Sharon Brous wrote in the New York Times yesterday about the menorah, “It is a hint, a prayer.  A symbol of eternal defiance.”  She refers to the famous photo of a Hannukiah in Germany from 1931 with a swastika banner in the distance across the street behind the Hannukiah.  (The Humanity Amid the Horror, NYT Dec. 15, 2025)

May our Hannukah not be diminished, rather may it help us grow as strong as mountains, may it be our symbol of defiance against hatred from wherever it lives, and may our candles burn ever more bright.

Chag Urim Sameach - A Joyous Festival of Lights,

Rabbi Evon