The City of Fernley celebrated the Festival of Lights with the 11th annual Menorah Lighting in front of Fernley City Hall on the second night of Chanukah last Monday, with Rabbi Levi Sputz of the Carson City Chabad reminding the three dozen or so celebrants in attendance that they are the light in a dark world.
Comparing attendees to the candles on the menorah, Sputz said, “We are that little candle. When we do our part and we are the beacon of hope, the beacon of life, the beacon of goodness, in what sometimes can feel like a dark world, we know that more will follow.
“Here in Fernley, we really feel that. What started off as a small gathering of close friends over the years has grown to this beautiful gathering of community members, friends and family celebrating the festival of light here in Fernley,” Sputz added.
Relating the historical significance of Chanukah, Sputz said that when Greek oppressors took over Jerusalem and refused to let the Jewish population practice their religion, a powerful group of Jewish warriors called the Maccabees fought back and won their freedom.
To celebrate the victory and give thanks to God, they wanted to light the menorah in the temple but could only find “one tiny flask” of the holy oil, and it would take eight days to produce more.
But they lit the menorah anyway, and it miraculously lasted eight days rather than the one day that was expected, Sputz said.
“In that spirit, we light the menorah to remember that when we do our part, which might seem like a tiny push against the ocean, it might not feel like that much, but God will fill in the rest,” Sputz said.
Following the menorah lighting, celebrants danced, feasted on coffee, latkes and other traditional Jewish foods. City officials attending the event included Mayor Neal McIntyre, Councilman Ryan Hanan and Acting City Manager Lydia Altick.
Asked after the menorah lighting why the name Chanukah has so many different spellings, with the most common spelling being Hanukkah, Sputz laughed and said there are at least a dozen different spellings he knows of, but the reason is because there is no English equivalent to the “ch” sound in the Hebrew language.
The eight candles in the menorah represent the eight days of Chanukah, with the ninth, or middle candle, being used to light the other eight candles, one being lit for each day of the holiday, Sputz said.
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