大象传媒

Good morning.聽 When trying to turn around a bad situation should one鈥檚 focus be on eradicating the negative or introducing the positive?

Should changing the negative culture of an organisation concentrate on punishing bad behaviour, or accentuating good behaviour?聽 In my personal life should my focus be on refraining from bad habits or on introducing good ones?
Both perspectives are symbolised in the Hanukah lights which can represent either fire or light.
Fire signifies eradication; it consumes and reduces to ash. It is often used to symbolise the eradication of evil as the passage in our High Holiday liturgy proclaims 鈥淎ll wickedness will dissipate like smoke.鈥�
But the Hanukah flames can also signify light and light represents the power of good, as Isaiah declared: 鈥淭he people that walked in darkness have seen a brilliant light鈥澛� which refers to a new world order of goodness.
So which is it? Fire or light?
Like so much in Judaism it is the subject of an argument, which is underpinned by two opposing philosophical viewpoints.
According to the school of Shamai we kindle eight flames on the first night of Hanukah and reduce one flame each night. The school of Hillel holds the opposite; we start with one flame on the first night and work our way up to eight.聽 Shamai sees the kindling as representing the consumption of evil by fire and so each successive night there is symbolically less evil and so less fire is required. Hillel however sees the ritual in terms of adding positive light and the more one accentuates the positive the greater its influence and the darkness dissipates on its own. And this is the view we follow in our family.
Father in heaven; help us to change for the better by simply bringing a little more light into our lives each day.