Many years ago, in the Kids Creating Peace summer camp that I founded to bring together Israeli and Palestinian children, there was one child, only six years old, who was particularly frustrated and reluctant at the beginning of camp because he had never been in such close proximity to children from “the other side.” He didn’t know how they were going to get along, play with each other, share with each other, eat with each other, even be in the same room with each other.
On the first day, this child stood off by himself; he could not bring himself to participate in anything. Eventually, however, he slowly began to open up and be a part of the activities. This change in him was miraculous, to say the least.
At the end of the camp session, he said something that I thought was very profound and powerful, especially coming from such a young person. He said, “You know what? I think we are all like clouds, rain, and rainbows.” When the teacher asked him what he meant, he replied, “Sometimes when there’s fighting going on, then the clouds burst together, but after the storm is over, it is possible for a rainbow to come out.” That rainbow that this child was talking about is the idea of creating a place where we can go beyond the hatred that exists in the world and bring ourselves to the beauty of love and respect and human dignity.
Within each and every one of us, there is a spark of the Light of the Creator. The same Light that burns within me burns within you. We may come from different cultures and religions, speak different languages, and have different ways of presenting ourselves to the world, but we still have this fundamental part of our being in common. Eventually, we will look into each other’s eyes and realize that when we are cut, we bleed—all of us.
Tonight as we light the fourth candle of Chanukah, let’s remember that even just one candle can bring light to a darkened room. Thousands and thousands of candles can do away with the darkness altogether.
