The morning after.
We did it. We pierced through the darkness. Introduced a new reality called light. We built on that success, expanding the warmth to a bright, glowing environment.
And tonight, we put the exclamation mark on Chanukah, proclaiming that we are not satisfied if there is a single corner that is not illuminated. We are not content if one person's light is dim, feeling lonely and distant. Everyone has a place at the table. Everyone is invited to the party. It is only truly light, when there' no experience outside of that.
But then, what happens tomorrow night? How can we possibly go back to no light, no menorah? Did we gain all of that ground just to revert back to the pre-chanukah madness? Did we get all that buoyancy just to once again be defined by the laws of gravity?
No. To the contrary. We have so staked the claim in the field of light, that now light is the new normal. We don't need to light the Menorah, because we are the Menorah. We take the inspiration of Chanukah so much to heart, that tomorrow night, and all through the long nights of winter, we stay warm and glowing.
So join us tomorrow evening for a Community Shabbat Dinner as the eighth day of Chanukah concludes; as we don't allow its light to wane. We enter right into the Shabbat lights, holding on to the power, luminance, and joy of Chanukah.