Every day we can be adding a little more light to the world.
That was the message from Rabbi Nosson Meretsky, director of Chabad of Penn State, at the public lighting of a 10-foot menorah outside of the State College Municipal Building on Tuesday night, the fourth night of Hanukkah.
‘The menorah we specifically light at nighttime, in the darkness,’ Meretsky said. ‘Tonight half the candles will be lit and half will not be lit. We light another light each night and the concept is that we’re always adding light to the darkness. We always increase light.’
After welcoming remarks from State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham, Meretsky briefly discussed the miracles commemorated by the eight-day Jewish festival of lights.
He explained how a small band of Maccabees defeated the powerful Syrian-Greek army and reclaimed the temple in Jerusalem, then how a small jug of oil fueled the menorah in the temple for eight days. These, he said, have meaningful symbolism for everyday life.
‘There were the few against the many,’ he said. ‘Sometimes in our lives we’ll think ‘Who am I? The rest of the world is doing different than me. Should I really hold on to my beliefs? Should I really hold on to my traditions and customs?’ Even though you may think you are the few surrounded by the many, we can still hold on to our customs and traditions and beliefs.
‘On an individual level… We go through the day and are taking care of this or that, but we can have five minutes in our day that we can set aside for prayer or to learn something inspiring or to meditate on God or to help out a friend, to do an act of kindness – that five or 10 minutes that we’re doing that act of kindness or that little prayer can transform the whole day. All of the other hundreds of minutes of the day are transformed by that little block of five or 10 minutes. We’re adding light, and we do a little more and a little more and we’re adding light each time.’
Rabbi Nosson Meretsky lights the menorah outside of the State College Municipal Building. Photo: Geoff Rushton/StateCollege.com
After blessings and the lighting, attendees gathered inside the municipal building lobby for a celebration with hot latkes, chocolate Hanukkah coins, music and crafts, with free menorahs and candles given away.
Families gathered inside the State College Municipal Building lobby for a Hannukah celebration before and after the menorah lighting. Photo: Geoff Rushton/StateCollege.com
State College’s menorah is one of about 15,000 large public menorahs sponsored by Chabad in more than 90 countries around the world.
The menorah outside of the State College Municipal Building. Photo: Geoff Rushton/StateCollege.com
