While every holiday in Judaism has its own content and meaning which, as we have mentioned many times, is eternal and applies to every place and time, the holiday of Hanukkah has (among others) a different component.

Each holiday comes with its specific observance: on Passover we eat matzah, on Shavuot we read the Ten Commandments, on Sukkot we eat in the sukkah, on Purim we read the Megillah with the story of Esther and Mordechai. On Hanukkah we light the menorah.

However, the way Hanukkah is observed is different. The Talmud says that the Menorah (the eight-branched candelabrum) should be lit at the door, on the outside. The reason for this is that the miracle of Hanukkah should be publicized and made known.

Now, the question is: to whom should the miracle be made known? If we say it's to the other Jews who light the Hanukkah menorah, it's obvious that the very act of lighting it reminds them of the miracle, and they don't need to see their neighbor lighting it. If we say it's to the Jews who don't light the menorah (God willing), that's also obvious, since we are all responsible for the physical and spiritual well-being of all Jews.

Of course, we are not necessarily in contact with all the Jews in the world in a way that allows us to influence them directly, but at least we should take care of those we know and have access to.

So, who is the publication about the Hanukkah miracle for? We could say it's for non-Jews. The Hanukkah miracle is of such magnitude that it carries a universal message, one that isn't limited to the Jewish people: Hanukkah means dedication. It also means education, from the word Chinuch.

Today, as the world finds itself in a time of transition and change, where economic security is no longer so certain, where society is saturated with excesses of all kinds, where almost nothing is surprising or abnormal anymore, we must remember that Hanukkah teaches us to dedicate ourselves to education. An education in true values, based on the Torah of Life, the Torah of Kindness.

This message is universal. I would venture to say that if all the governments of the world were to agree to drastically increase their education budgets, not only to pay teachers better, but also to offer attractive educational opportunities even to people with fewer resources, the entire world would be greatly improved.

And if anyone is thinking that because it is such a global issue it doesn't concern them, the question they should ask themselves is: What are they doing to improve their own educational level and that of their closest people?

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