Not so long ago, it was Hanukkah. It's funny, every single year we light the menorah like it's an involuntary reflex, but we hardly ever think about why.
Candles, not just menorahs, are a big part of our lives. Sure, we used to use them as a light and heat source, and now we don't as much anymore 'cause we have light bulbs. But on a cultural level, the candles are still burning.
Not only in Judaism, but in all religions, we often light candles in celebration. In many different cultures, we light candles to honor our dead. We don't use light bulbs for these occasions - we use actual, real candles.
So, why candles? What gives them the right to be bystanders during the highest and lowest times in our lives?
The answer, as far as I can tell, is this: they give us light even in the darkness. They cause us to reflect. Something about staring at candles conjures up memories of the past year, and of other occasions when you were also staring at candles. When someone dies, we often light a candle every year on the anniversary of their death to signal that we still remember. Without candles, we would lose that - that little bit of light that reminds you that nothing can ever be entirely "bad" when there is hope. So that's why we light candles - to cherish that hope. We let the candles burn and do everything we can to stop them from going out.
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