The year was 1937 — a most difficult year for the Jewish people in Russia. Many were arrested and few returned home. Among them was my grandfather, Yitzchak Elchanan Shagalov, a loving husband and father. His “crime” was that he was Jewish and devoted to his Judaism at any cost.
The week he was arrested, my grandmother, Maryashe Garelick Shagalov, took her children and daily walked to the prison, waiting for a glimmer of information. On Friday, someone came over to my grandmother, looked her straight in the face and said: “If you come here again we will arrest you and put your children into an orphanage.”
She got the message and slowly walked the children home. Before sundown, she arranged the makeshift candles on the table and said to her children, “They can take our bodies but not our spirit; for this which father was arrested, we will now continue to do; come let us light the Shabbat candles and say the blessing and honor Shabbat.” The children watched with sadness in their eyes as mother lit the Shabbat candles. Grandma looked up at her children and said, “Come to me dear children, and let us dance and be happy; today is Shabbat!”
My grandmother always had a song on her lips. Life was not easy and raising six children under the watchful eyes of communism while remaining stalwart in their Jewish observance was more than a challenge. Many succumbed to the communist ideology out of necessity more than out of conviction. But some like my grandmother never did. “They can take our bodies but not our spirits,” she would repeat to her children.
Years later, in America, my grandmother was sitting at the wedding of one of her great-grandchildren with the family all around her. A Russian woman who was also at the wedding, stood watching the scene. Suddenly she burst into tears. She said, “Maryashe, we had such pity on you in Russia, seeing how poor you were and raising your family on your own; but now look how rich you are!”
We are now approaching the holiday of Hanukkah, when darkness was overcome by the Maccabees’ steadfast faith in G-d, and willingness to fight for what is right. With great resolve they battled the Syrian-Greek army to win the freedom to serve G-d faithfully. With great miracles the few overcame the many and entered Jerusalem and the holy Temple. Here they found all the oil for the menorah defiled by the Greeks. They searched until they found one single cruse of oil with the seal of the Kohen Gadol, enough to last for one day. But it would take seven more days until new oil could be made. G-d saw the love of the Jewish people for the mitzvot and performed a miracle for them. The cruse of oil lasted eight days until the new oil arrived!
The menorah in the Temple spread its light over the whole world. The victory of the Maccabees signaled that ultimately good will overcome evil.
The only way to fight darkness is with light. Let us commit to lighting the Shabbat candles, at the proper time, 18 minutes BEFORE sundown. Girls light one candle before their mother; women light at least two candles. Shabbat candles bring light and peace into our homes, our communities and the world! Let us commit to lighting the Hanukkah menorah each night of Hanukkah (beginning Sunday evening, Dec. 2). The light of the Hanukkah menorah is meant to bring light to the darkness outside until everyone can see their way and follow the “right path” home. Friday evening we light the Hanukkah menorah first and then the Shabbat candles. Both must be lit BEFORE sundown. Think of someone else you can encourage to LIGHT UP. Each candle matters!
Let us stand strong in our commitment to Torah and Judaism until the day will come when peace will reign in the whole world. May it be speedily in our times!
