Why do we add a candle each night of Hanukkah? There is a debate in the Talmud, the ancient Jewish code of law, which asks this very question. Shouldn’t we rather, the question asks, begin with a full eight lit candles and decrease by one each night, as the oil decreased each day? The response given is that while it may make sense to reduce the number of candles each night, as Jews we are supposed to always work to increase holiness in the world, not reduce it. Therefore, we add candles, and each night, we bask in a brighter light than the night before.
Increasing in holiness is an important tenet of Hanukkah, which too often lately has become lumped in with the consumerist tendencies that take over our nation each December. But if we remember the holiness, and remember the light we participate in the work of repairing the world — tikkun olam.
As Jews, we are commanded to be a light unto the nations. And, as Rav Kook teaches, “That light must be increased continuously, and that is why the Hanukkah lights are lit in ascending order.” We are supposed to constantly work to increase light in the world, and there is no better time to recognize that as our calling than at the darkest time of the year, when daylight is at its shortest. Bringing light is especially important this year, as division, anger and fear cast a wide shadow across our nation.