Light does more than illuminate—it warms. And warmth is the language of love. When a person feels loved, they feel accepted, validated, and alive; when they are rejected or isolated, they feel cold, alone, and lost in the dark. Chanukah celebrates this dimension of light—the warmth of connection. It is no coincidence that this is a festival of family, of children, of gathering together. Connection and attachment are not luxuries; they are essential to life itself. From the moment we exist, nurtured and protected in our mother’s womb, we are sustained by warmth, closeness, and care. That early connection gives us the inner resources to grow, to blossom, and to face the world.
When that warmth is missing, the soul aches for it, sometimes desperately, and that longing can drive a person to attach to unhealthy substitutes. This is the root of so much inner struggle: not weakness, but a hunger for connection. The Chanukah flame reminds us that the soul itself is a warming flame, a spark of the Divine, calling us to connect—to family, to friends, and to one another. When we know we are not alone, we truly are not alone. Loneliness often hurts more than the challenge itself, but healthy connection gives us the strength to endure and to heal. This is the gift of Chanukah: to hold tightly to genuine, life-giving bonds, because they are the greatest source of resilience and light.
