by Rabbi Yisrael Rutman

Is the cup half empty, or is the cup half full?

I know the correct answer. Psychologists tell us that the ability to perceive the cup as half-full will enable you to live longer. But longevity itself may be a cup half-empty, if it consists of pain and dementia. And what is it worth if the road to longevity is paved with half-truths?*

What brings me to these ruminations is the festival of Chanukah. Over 20,000 Chanukah menorahs—more correctly known as chanukiot—were sold in Israel this year. Total sales came to an estimated 40 million shekels, close to $10 million. By American standards this may not sound like much, but Israel is a small country, and it can better be appreciated by a survey which shows that 85% of Jews in Israel light Chanukah candles throughout the eight days of the festival. Behold, the cup half-full…

However, though it’s an encouraging datum for those of us distressed by the secularization of Israeli society; it scarcely heralds the Messianic era. For many, Chanukah observance is an exception, and no indication of observance in other areas, like Sabbath, kashrut, or Torah study. It would also be naive to think that everybody’s Chanukah lighting conforms to halacha. A Chanukah memoir in the current New York Times Sunday magazine tells of a heartfelt Chanukah observance with the candles arrayed in a semi-circle—which is halachically problematic. The electric menorah the author pined for as a child is even worse. Behold, the cup half-empty…

Indeed, the dilemma pertains to the Chanukah story itself. We celebrate the victory of the God-inspired, little band of Macabbees against the armed might of Greek empire, the restoration of the Temple, and the miracle of the one-day supply of oil that burned for eight days. But even a cursory look at the historical context reveals that the Jewish victory was partial and fleeting. Jerusalem had been taken back from the enemy, but the rest of the country continued to seethe in persecution and violence. Fighting went on intermittently for many years after the illustrious victory in 165 B.C. After the Greeks came the Romans, and the national/spiritual decline which culminated in the destruction of the Temple and beginning of Exile in 70 C.E. So far from a new world order, Chanukah was little more than a blip on the screen. Cup half-full, or cup half-empty?

The Sages who instituted Chanukah did not do so out of any euphoria of triumph. In fact, as the Talmud records, they waited until the following year to proclaim the festival observance. There is some speculation among the commentators as to the reason for the delay. Some say it was felt to be inappropriate to commence a national celebration while many were still occupied with burying and mourning their dead. Others say that they waited to see that the Macabbean gains would be more than temporary. Until they were satisfied that the Divine assistance they had merited would have a lasting spiritual influence, they were not prepared to enshrine those events in Jewish tradition.

In spite of the continued troubles and eventual downfall of the Jewish Commonwealth, there is no evidence in the Torah literature that the Sages ever regretted their decision. On the contrary, the oft-quoted words of Maimonides that “Chanukah is a very precious mitzvah” is borne out by the statistics quoted above.
It is no species of spiritual correctness that accounts for the unbroken observance of the festival down the ages. Despite the harshest conditions of poverty and persecution, Jews have fulfilled the mitzvah. Even in the Nazi death camps, Jews risked their lives for a bit of oil and wicks for Chanukah. Generations of assimilation have not obliterated the special love for Chanukah that abides in the heart of every Jew.

Indeed, it can be said that perceiving the cup as half-full is exactly the meaning of the festival. In the dark, depressing times of war and oppression, the Sages understood that the victory was God’s message that He would never utterly abandon the Jewish people. They understood further that that message had been embedded forever in the Jewish soul. A light in the darkness that would never go out.

Inconsistency, ignorance, alienation. These are realities we live with. But the light of Chanukah continues to burn. Behold, the cup half-full!

* The conundrum of how to view life seems basic to human psychology. Studies suggest that a person’s chances for happiness are determined approximately 50% by genetics, the rest by circumstance and acts of will. Pessimists will say that the cup of life is already half-empty at birth; while optimists will say that as much as 50% of your chances for happiness are up to you and the fortunes of life, a cup half-full.

Related posts:

1. Chanukah & The Third of Tishrei
2. The Year of Heroes
3. Not On Everest
4. Tough Jews
5. Dress for Success, & Don’t Forget to Shine Those Shoes