Those Shameful Thoughts and What They Really Say about You
As Jews everywhere seek strength and meaning, Hanukkah offers three lasting kinds of Jewish bravery that are especially resonant today.
Editor’s Note: This article was written days before the tragic antisemitic attack in Bondi Beach, Sydney. In light of that event, the words of the late Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was murdered while organizing a public Hanukkah event, feel especially resonant with the themes of the holiday and this piece: “The way forward has always been the same — be more Jewish, act more Jewish, and appear more Jewish.”
The first light of courage is the resolve to live openly and proudly as a Jew, even when visibility feels risky. In the Hanukkah story, the Syrian-Greek authorities outlawed the very commandments that mark Jewish identity: Shabbat, sanctifying the New Moon, and circumcision. As a Midrash explains, these mitzvot were targeted because they visibly affirmed the covenant between God and the Jewish people.
Our ancestors responded not with fear but with unwavering conviction. One powerful story from Megillat Antiochus tells of a Jewish mother who, under threat of death, circumcised her son and stood atop the city wall, declaring: “This covenant of our fathers shall never cease from us nor from our children’s children.” She and others gave their lives to protect the soul of their tradition.
This same spirit lives on in the mitzvah of lighting the menorah in a window or doorway — meant to shine outward, to share the miracle with the world.
Today, when antisemitism has caused many to think twice before wearing a Star of David or expressing their Judaism outwardly, Hanukkah offers a gentle but resolute call: Do not retreat. Muster the courage to live visibly Jewish and shine.
The second Hanukkah courage is standing firm in your values even when you feel outnumbered. The Maccabees were a small, untrained force going up against a professional imperial army. They had every reason to feel hopeless. And yet they fought, not just with weapons, but with clarity. As 1 Maccabees records, Judah declared: “Victory does not depend on the size of the army, but on the strength that comes from Heaven.”
The liturgy of Hanukkah marvels at this: “You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few.”
The Hasmoneans' moral clarity made them unstoppable. They knew what they stood for: the right to live as Jews and keep the Torah. That conviction gave them the strength to keep fighting.
Today, many Jews feel overwhelmed—by public hostility, by misinformation, by the loneliness of standing up for Israel or for Jewish life. Hanukkah reminds you that strength doesn’t always come from numbers. It comes from purpose. The few, when clear and grounded, can transform reality. The second courage of Hanukkah is to hold your ground because you know what you stand for.
After the war, the Hasmoneans reentered the ruined Temple and found only one sealed flask of pure oil—barely enough to last one day. They lit it anyway, and a miracle occurred: it lasted for eight. They didn’t wait until they had enough. They started with what they had. And God did the rest.
There are moments in Jewish history—and in your own life—when you feel emotionally or spiritually exhausted. This year, in the wake of October 7th and everything that has followed, many Jews feel they’re down to their last flask. Many are grieving, weary and afraid.
But Hanukkah says: light anyway. Don’t wait to feel ready. Offer the little you have—and God will make it enough.
The Sfat Emet writes: “Even when a Jew feels their light has gone out, there remains a hidden spark of holiness that can never be extinguished. On Hanukkah, that spark is awakened.” And Rav Kook teaches: “When a person ignites even a small light of holiness within themselves, it can awaken great light in the world.”
This is how we keep going. One small act of goodness, one candle, one mitzvah. Creating one moment of light when that’s all you’ve got is an act of courage, too.
Hanukkah is a call to live with courage today.
The courage to live proudly as Jews. The courage to hold fast to your values, even when the whole world seems against you. And the courage to offer your light, even when you feel like you have nothing left to give.
May the candles of Hanukkah shine through your windows to light up the whole universe, and remind you that with God’s help, even the smallest flame can transform a dark night.
Featured Image by Yoram Raanan
That's beautiful. I always wear my Jewish star. If we behave with pride, no one can harm us.