‘Light is more powerful than darkness’

WITH each passing year, and from one generation to the next, the Jewish people rededicate themselves to the underlying message of Chanukah and to the enduring tenets of their faith.

This reflects the event from long ago that is commemorated at Chanukah – the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Hellenistic Greeks of Syria had desecrated it.

Sometimes the details of this story have been forgotten.

Sometimes the names of the people and the places have faded from memory.

But always there is a rededication and always there are the same values that sustain it.

That freedom conquers oppression.

That light is more powerful than darkness.

That faith endures even as we face the trials and tribulations of this world.

During a time of increasing hatred and division, these messages are more important than ever.

For this is the story of a people who were told they could not practise their faith but who rose again – and it is symbolised by the miracle of a single vial of olive oil burning for eight nights.

So while one generation may grow old and the next one breathe new life, the traditions carry on – playing the game of dreidel, eating jam-filled donuts, lighting the candles of a chanukiah.

It is these moments – spent with loved ones or in quiet contemplation – that truly matter.

I wish the Jewish people of Australia a joyous and light-filled Chanukah.

Chanukah sameach!

Scott Morrison is Prime Minister of Australia. 

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