With the White House as the backdrop for the lighting of the National Menorah in Washington, D.C., U.S. Vice President Joe Biden emphasized the centrality of Jewish values to American life.
“I want to give special thanks to Chabad for hosting this event,” said the vice president. “The Lubavitcher Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory] taught us that every living thing must grow. And just as the Chanukah lights will grow from the first day to the eighth, just as even those who have achieved good and holy things must never be satisfied with what they’ve achieved yesterday, may you all go from strength to strength.”
The ceremony was led off by Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president and director of the Washington office of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), who welcomed the vice president and shared the ancient Jewish teaching that the word “Chanukah” is rooted in the word and concept of chinuch, education.
He then introduced the winners of the Rabbi Mendy Deren National Menorah Essay Contest, in which children from across the country explain what the eight-day holiday means to them.
“Just seeing the beautiful menorah by my window helps me truly appreciate Hashem’s (G‑d’s) amazing greatness,” said Basya Fogelman of the New England Hebrew Academy in Boston. “I spin the dreidel, and when I do so,” she said, “I think of children my own age thousands of years ago, who were also spinning the dreidel. Just imagine how pure their souls were, that they would risk their lives for Judaism.”
Simmy Hershkop of Cheder Menachem in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., told the gathering that her favorite part of Chanukah was helping the sick and the elderly light the menorah over the course of eight nights.
“I know when I do this, I am not only elevating myself but elevating my grandmother’s soul, too,” she said.
‘An Essential Part of Who We Are’
The giant National Menorah was then lit by Rabbi Levi Shemtov, followed by the vice president’s address.
Expounding upon the Rebbe’s teachings about the continued growth and vitality of a living organism, Biden posited that the age-old “Jewish notion of religious freedom, of safety in your land, of being treated with dignity in your own community,” went on to become “the bedrock” of the United States of America.
“Jewish heritage, Jewish culture, Jewish values are such an essential part of who we are [in the United States], that it is fair to say that Jewish heritage is American heritage.”
Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, chairman of the executive committee of Agudas Chassidei Chabad, the umbrella organization of Chabad-Lubavitch, then discussed the importance of the soul and its relation to Chanukah. “The Rebbe maintained that every individual has a spark of holiness inside, of purity, because that is what brings us into the world, and that is what we remain here in the world for,” he said. “To allow this spark to express itself, develop itself, and to serve to bring warmth and light into the world.”
Exactly 40 years ago, in 1974, Shemtov initiated the first lighting of a menorah in a public square, right in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia; and in 1979, he officiated at the first national menorah-lighting on the White House Lawn, attended by President Jimmy Carter.
There was festive music throughout the event, with traditional Chanukah songs performed by “The Three Cantors” and by Alex Clare, accompanied by “Pershings Own” United States Army Band.
The lighting of the National Menorah in Washington, D.C, kicks off a series of Chanukah events and celebrations in the nation’s capital, including ceremonies at the White House, Congress and the Pentagon, as well as events at international financial institutions, and for diplomats, young professionals and students at Washington area universities.
!["The Three Cantors" sing at the National Menorah Lighting in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Ron Sachs)](https://w2.chabad.org/media/images/861/DDLf8612071.jpg?_i=_n32DD4A5CE5B405756B86D11830CBE5B1 ""The Three Cantors" sing at the National Menorah Lighting in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Ron Sachs)")
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