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I recently overheard a parent say to her child the following phrase, “Hope is overrated.”

Before I get to my response, let me set the stage. My family and I took a few days and headed to Florida for a Disney vacation. We skipped the parks, instead checking out the resorts. We found that resort hopping during the holiday break is, well, not a unique activity. In fact, we were joined by an exceptionally large group of people, making their way from one resort to another, checking out the restaurants and the decorations and, of course, the gift shops.

It was at one of the resorts that I saw the Chanukiah, the Chanukah menorah, sitting on the windowsill near the guest check-in. A closer look found that the staff had illumined the candle at the start of the morning rather than the customary practice of kindling at sunset. So, I approached the reception and, as I waited to speak with the employee, I overheard a little girl say to her mom that she hopes that she could see the princesses later on that day. And that was when the (clearly tired and frustrated) mom responded with those three words that are so antithetical to the spirit of a Disney resort: “Hope is overrated.”

I didn’t say anything. Well, I didn’t say anything to her. But I did talk to the receptionist about the Chanukiah. And I did talk to my kids over the course of the afternoon about the connection between hope and Chanukah. After all, the people never lost hope that they would be victorious in the days of the Maccabees, and our story has been retold over the years to instill hope in countless new generations. Hope has gotten us through the tough times as a people and it gets us through the tough times in our individual lives, whether we are confronting an illness or a family transition or an aspiration for our loved ones.

Hope is definitely NOT overrated.

On this last Shabbat of the year, may we find ourselves approaching with optimism the days that lie ahead. May our reflections of events of this past year enable us to recover moments of joy that we had forgotten. And may our hopes light the path ahead as we enter 2023.

Shabbat Shalom,

Brad