When the Seleucid Greeks tried to quash a Jewish rebellion in the 160s B.C., they were trying to "extinguish our light from us," Rabbi Eli Langsam says.
That light was the cultural and spiritual light that sets the Jews apart, the leader of Peoria Chabad said.
While Jews could have used Hanukkah to celebrate a military victory by a small army over one of the world's superpowers at the time, they instead emphasize the miraculous relighting of the seven-branched menorah in the Temple, Langsam said.
"The essence of the Jews is the concept of light," he said.
Hanukkah isn't the only time that Jews use light, of course. There are also candles lit before the weekly and annual Sabbaths begin.
"We need light in our home to live and do things we need to do, so to begin the celebration of Shabbat we light the candles," said Rabbi Shlomo Wing of Peoria's Reform Congregation Anshai Emeth.
Since the Torah forbids the kindling of a fire on the Sabbath, Jews have traditionally lit candles or oil lamps before sunset on Friday nights to have light, especially in times and places where electric lights couldn't be turned on in advance.
One of the meanings of Sabbath is peace, Langsam said, something that's difficult to have if a person is stumbling around in the dark.
Jewish peoples also use light at havdalah, a ritual performed at the end of Sabbath, and for yahrzeit candles, lit on the anniversary of a loved one's death.
Sometimes a person's life is discussed as a flickering flame, Wing said. A yahrzeit candle burns with life and radiance but eventually grows dim or burns out, just like someone's life, Wing said.
Langsam said that the yahrzeit candle's flame represents the person's soul. "We're not happy, but the idea is this person had a lot of light in this life," he said.
Light also can be destructive or creative, Wing said.
"You can use it for cooking or to see, but it can also burn down a house."
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