Question: I have a friend who is intermarried, very assimilated and has had very little to do with Judaism for the last twenty years. With the crazy antisemitism going on now, he is shaken and for the first time feeling like he wants to connect with his Jewishness. But he thinks it may be too late for him to come back after the life choices he made. What would you say?
Response: The Talmud asks this very question. When is it too late? The context is a discussion about Chanukah candles.
When discussing the mitzvah to light Chanukah candles, the Talmud asks how late into the night can the candles be lit. Rather than give a straightforward time, the Talmud says cryptically, “until the Tarmodians are no longer on the street.”
The Tarmodians were a nation of mixed Jewish and non-Jewish background. They descended from intermarried couples who had moved away from the mainstream in the time of King Solomon. This group made their living selling firewood after hours, when the markets were closed. So they were the last people on the streets after dark.
Our sages said, as long as the Tarmodians are still wandering the streets, it's not too late to light Chanukah candles. These flames are designed to bring light to the darkness out there. If even a few stragglers are still loitering outside, we want them to see the light.
There are a lot of Tarmodians these days, Jews who have wandered other paths and, by no fault of their own, lost touch with their Jewishness. But many dormant Jewish souls are waking up right now. And many of them are in a crisis. As Jews they face a hostile world, and their erstwhile friends have turned on them. But as Tarmodians they don't know if they have a place in the Jewish world either, and are not sure if they are welcome back. They are suddenly feeling left outside in the dark.
Now is the time to shine the light for those Tarmodians. Tell your friend, don't feel like an outsider. You have a community, and you are always welcome. There is a place at our Shabbos table for you. The doors of our shul are open to you. It's never too late to rekindle your Jewish soul.
The unusual wording of the Talmud now makes sense. We light our candles until there are no more Tarmodians on the street. We won't leave anyone outside in the dark. Let's light up the way until every last Jewish soul finds its way home.
