Ah, Chanukah. There is the smell of fresh latkes, the artful menorahs, the dreidel games. There is the festivity, whimsy and magic. But so, too, there is the Light.

The light I speak of is not harnessed through modern technology nor emitted through halogen bulbs. It is a spiritual light.

According to our sages, the light that was conceived on the first day of creation will be concealed until Moshiach appears. Until that time, G‑d has sequestered the light in four places, one of which is the 36 How can you fathom such light, light that has been untouched, absolutely pure?candles of Chanukah.

How can you fathom such light, light that has been untouched, absolutely pure? You can’t. But while we cannot understand G‑d in His entirety, in His completeness, we humans have been blessed with faculties to comprehend a bit of the incomprehensible. And just a bit, just an infinitesimal amount, is all-powerful. It builds, it restores, it saves. So, can you imagine if we had access to more of that light? Well, we do on Chanukah.

The Talmud describes this one-of-a-kind light in this way: “With the light that the Holy One, Blessed is He, created on the first day, Adam looked and was able to see from one end of the world until the other.”1

Is this not the most beautiful metaphor?

What does the Talmud mean when it refers to the ability to see from one end of the world until the other? Perhaps it means seeing the big picture, having a more complete understanding of the common denominator that links events in our lives and our world.2 Perhaps, when we recognize these links, we move closer to our unique place in that big picture. After all, no one else can fulfill our personal mission; no one can replace our particular tile in the mosaic we call life.

What does “seeing from one end of the world to the other” mean to you?

Maybe it means a change in vantage point, the ability to see outside ourselves. Maybe it means questioning, and not always coming up with the immediate answers: Am I evolving and moving towards something? Am I incrementally growing? Am I at peace with sowing seeds that may not harvest until later—possibly in this lifetime and possibly not? Is my scope large; is my vision broad and wide? Am I mired in the details of life, or illuminated by Am I evolving and moving towards something?its challenges?

Is my vision moving me towards a higher, more exalted place, one that is fitting for the daughter or son of the King? After all, the universe could not be complete without my contribution.

The hidden light of creation is about to be revealed. It will retreat back after Chanukah. Will we honor its appearance in our lives?

How can we bring to fruition the full potentiality of this moment, this time that is Chanukah? What would more “light in our lives” look like? More kindness, more acceptance, more giving? Time with our family, time in the synagogue, time conversing with the Almighty?

The list is as endless as the light and, thank G‑d, so too are the eternal rewards.