The evening before Hanukah began,I sat in a lovely restaurant in Jerusalem, enjoying a bit of quiet reflectiontime. My reverie was interruptedby the high-energy voices of teenage scouts on the street outside, singing afavorite Hanukah song at the top of their lungs. "Banu choshechlegaresh!" – "We have come to banish the darkness. In our hands is light and fire. Every person is a tiny flame; togetherwe are a great light. Depart,darkness, away! Depart before thelight."

The song is a favorite of secularJewish Israelis. In thetraditional Hanukah story, a miracle allowed a tiny remnant of light to sustainthe Jews of 2nd Century B.C.E. through their own dark period ofreligious oppression. In themodern song, the light and the power are in our own hands. In this version, we can depend only onourselves to banish the darkness.

It has been a wonderful week inJerusalem - as always, full of beauty, contradictions, and paradox. A festive atmosphere pervades thestreets, as families enjoy the children's week off from school, and friends andstrangers alike greet one another with exuberant wishes for a happyholiday. Hanukiyot (Hanukah candelabras) are everywhere, as are theubiquitous jelly donuts many Israeli Jews associate with Hanukah. After sunset, families and friendsgather to light the Hanukah candles, enjoying song, food, and lovingrelationship, and for the religious, prayers of thanksgiving for the God whobrought us miracles in the past and will again.

On another level, it is a darktime in Jerusalem right now. Evenpeace-loving leftists feel stuck, confused, and hopeless. They long for a diplomatic breakthroughthat would lead to the end of the occupation and a comprehensive agreement withthe Palestinians. But none of thepeople I have talked to this week believe that, without a miracle, we will havea breakthrough soon. I feel thedarkness more than the light.

But even in dark times, as theJewish mystics taught, there are sparks of holiness to be found. The sparks are abundant. An Orthodox scholar drawing togethersettler rabbis and arch-leftist leaders of the secular peace camp for respectfuldialogue and visioning. Dedicatedattorneys and human rights activists working on a daily basis to advance therights of women, the poor, the Bedouin, the Palestinians of East Jerusalem,Ethiopians and more. A veritableparade of rabbis visiting Yasuf to offer apologies, copies of the Kor'an andtheir own labor to repair the damage and defacement caused to a mosque by aviolent Jewish extremist.

In the original Hanukah story,the Assyrian Greeks suppressed our religious freedom and defaced ourtemple. Today, we have the powerto oppress others and to deface our nation and our collective soul. We continue to pray for miracles, andalso to do everything we can with our own hands to bring brighter days.