Why is peace in the world so difficult to find?
World peace. It is so desperately desired by so many. Why, then, is it so elusive? As I write this, we are just finishing the observance of
Hanukkah, the
Festival of Lights.
The menorah, the candelabra that we use to fulfill this mitzvah/commandment, contains the secret to this question. But to decode the secret, we have to back up a few steps.
First, the Hanukkah menorah is intentionally designed to remind us of the magnificent, seven-branched golden candelabra in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Second, the menorah represents the Torah, the teachings of the Almighty, for as stated in Proverbs: a single mitzvah
It’s relatively easy to hold up a placard at a protest or sit-in; it’s much harder to become a more educated person, a humbler person.
is like a candle, and Torah — the sum of all the individual mitzvahs — is like a torch. The light of the menorah symbolizes the brilliant, illuminating light of God’s Laws.
Third, the menorah resembles a living tree. In fact, the Torah describes the menorah as having branches, leaves and flowers. And the image of a living tree calls to mind the archetypal Tree of Life, which stands in the center of the Garden of Eden.
The multi-faceted symbolism of the menorah is meant to suggest the pristine harmony of Eden; a piece of art, which is itself in perfect balance and symmetry, reflective of an ideal world in perfect balance and symmetry; a world where all of its elements work organically together in the vivifying light of all that is good and holy. In short, the menorah is a symbol of world peace.
This hope for peace is a universal longing, belonging to all people of the world. This longing reflects another layer of menorah symbolism: its seven lights represent the Seven Basic Laws of Human Decency that are incumbent upon all mankind, projecting its ennobling light outward into the world.
The menorah symbolizes the universal Torah that belongs to every human being who seeks closeness with God.
God created us all for a reason. No one is an accident. Everyone has a unique contribution to make to the betterment of the world. This can only be accomplished through self-awareness and spiritual growth, and in being true to ourselves.
God doesn’t desire rigid uniformity from us. To the contrary, in the wonderful diversity of cultures and views, he designed the world to better express ourselves and use our unique talents and special insights.
God wants us all — Jew and Gentile — to work together, each in his own capacity and in fulfillment of his own divine calling, to help prepare the world for the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the universal message of the menorah, casting its light into the darkest nights of the year.
The first necessary step to perfecting the world is working on ourselves. It’s relatively easy to hold up a placard at a protest or sit-in; it’s much harder to become a more educated person, a humbler person, a person who talks less and listens more, a more refined and sensitive moral agent.
Perhaps this is the mysterious secret ingredient that eludes the well-meaning seekers of world peace. For peace cannot blossom without acknowledging that the basis for authentic human morality and civility can only be rooted in compassionate, ethical monotheism; i.e., in the One True God, in the light of his menorah, and in the light of his Torah. This is a central tenet of Judaism; for as the verse states: “It is through you, Israel, through whom all the nations will be blessed.”
A final note: We Jews are nothing if not thankful. (Indeed, “thanks” is the Hebrew root for the name “Judah” and “Judea,” whose name we carry.)
On behalf of the entire Jewish community, we are deeply grateful to our neighbors and friends in the Lehigh Valley for the overwhelming outpouring of solidarity in the aftermath of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre. Thank you.