The light of Hanukkah transforms darkness into light.
But darkness is the absence of light. How is it possible for the absence of light to transform into light?
Because nothing exists without a purpose, and purpose is light. It's just that some stories in our lives obscure their purpose, making them appear dark.
What should you do? You must squeeze the light from them, just as you squeeze oil from olives.
It can hurt, sometimes, to be squeezed like that. But only then will those life stories, too, shine. And their light will reveal wisdom that no other light could.
That's why we wait until it's dark to light the Hanukkah menorah. And that's why we light it in public places.
Because, with those flames, we are igniting the darkness itself, revealing that even darkness is truly divine light.