My Hanukkah celebration began with my email filled with Happy Hanukkah wishes from family, friends and people of different faith communities. For those of us celebrating tonight we remember that Hanukkah, the Festival of Light is a celebration of freedom.

Hanukkah represents a fundamental human right to freedom and has historic and contemporary significance. The right to freedom stretches from the festival historic origins in the Maccabean Revolt in the second century B.C.E., all through the ages, in our world and in the United States in 2019.

We have nine candles on the Hanukkah Menorah and the role of the ninth candle, the server, the Shamash, is to light anew all the other candles, for eight days beginning with one candle on the first night. It is a reminder that we are like the ninth candle. Our task is to bring light in times of attempts to dim the light of democracy of the kind that we have experienced since 2016. As we light the candles we remember the Maccabis of all resistances to tyranny, including the act of impeachment. The historic list of those who have been fighting for freedom is long and compelling; yet, I would like at this critical time in our history, to mention a few of the brave ones who enhanced my Hanukkah ninth candle tonight: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democratic members of the House who voted for the two articles of impeachment and the editor of Christianity Today Mark Galli who spoke truth to power.

As I light the first candle of Hanukkah I am aware that each of us, far and near is a light. Our very connections to one another, our hope for justice and human rights are the light we bring to acts of freedom. Our bonds and commitment to democracy are the light we share as we face turbulence and uncertainty. Across differences we affirm our humanity on Hanukkah and we know that each one of us is a small light and together we are one bright illumination.

HAPPY HANUKKAH