How many rabbis and mayors does it take to light a candle?
Rabbi Moishe Gurevitz posed the question Thursday night after darkness nearly prevailed over the Menorah outside Morristown town hall.
“That’s 2020,” said Mayor Tim Dougherty, who failed his audition to become Rabbi Dougherty when he could not ignite the first lamp of the Jewish Festival of Lights.
He was trying to help the designated Menorah-lighter, Morris View Healthcare Center Administrator Ralph Gottlieb, who made several tries, from assorted angles and ladder heights, without success.
They don’t make lamp oil like they used to, evidently.
Rabbi Gurevitz finally coaxed a lamp to cooperate. While his quip got some laughs from a sparse, masked audience, his struggles with the portable Menorah underscored a serious message.
The novel coronavirus poses stark challenges that we must overcome together, he said.
It’s tempting to retreat into our safe spaces during this darkest of times. Yet we must reach out, in safe ways, to help others, said the rabbi of Chabad Morristown.
“We don’t live in a bubble. Every action makes a difference in the world around us,” he said, urging compassion by Jews and non-Jews.
‘DIFFICULT TIMES’
In normal years, hundreds come to the Morristown Green for a Menorah celebration, noted Dougherty. He commended Rabbi Gurevitz for keeping Thursday’s event small during a pandemic that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans.
Gov. Phil Murphy last month capped outdoor gatherings at 25 people, though religious events are exempt.
Gottlieb acknowledged “difficult times” in his industry. Long term care patients comprise more than 40 percent of New Jersey’s COVID-19 deaths, according to state figures.
Through October, Morris View had seen 153 cases and 28 COVID deaths, while the Morristown Post Acute Rehab and Nursing Center, part of the same Allaire Health Services network, has had 152 cases and 32 deaths, reported ProPublica.
Better days are ahead, Gottlieb said.
“This is part of what Chanukah is all about. Even in a time of darkness, we have to look for the light, and brighter times.”
Chanukah spans eight days. According to the Jewish faith, that’s how long one jar of oil miraculously burned when the Temple in Jerusalem was recaptured from the Syrian Greeks more than two millennia ago.
A few blocks from Thursday’s brief ceremony — which included traditional doughnuts and a chorus of the Dreidel song — members of the Rabbinical College of America quietly lit the giant Menorah on the Green.
Dougherty and his counterpart from Morris Township, incoming Mayor Jeff Grayzel, were joined outside town hall by Morristown Councilwoman Sandi Mayer and Township Committeeman-elect Bud Ravitz.
The mayors echoed Rabbi Gurevitz’ call for compassion. Chanukah is an opportunity to re-dedicate ourselves to serving our neighbors, Dougherty said.
“Please, reach out to others who might be lonely,” added Grayzel.
“At this holiday season, everybody should know that they have somebody else in their lives. If you have any elderly neighbors, reach out to them, ask if they need anything. Let’s all help each other get through this.”
