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War, Peace, and
Dedication Do you remember that Oscar awards back in 1984 when Sally Field said ""I can 't deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you really like me!"? It was a great, comic moment of remarkable self-deception and embarrassment. Ohmigosh, I won, you really like me! Only after she finished blurting out the words did she find out that, suddenly, people didn't really like her, and her career as a "serious" movie actress was pretty much finished. What a disappointment; what a shock. Without being trivial about it, America is experiencing the same kind of abrupt realization right now. Not everyone out there really likes us. In fact, there are those who hate us. And no matter how we dress it up, that simple fact is pretty difficult for Americans, of all political persuasions, to swallow. On one end of the spectrum, our political leaders are trying to assemble a large coalition of "friendly" countries to "fight terrorism" by including several nations that actually sponsor terrorism. And many opponents of the war-on-terrorism policy are trying to convince the nation—and perhaps themselves—that the attacks on September 11th were the result of mistakenly chosen policies that not everyone in the world agrees with. If only we would withdraw our support for Israel no one would want to attack us... The facts do not seem to warrant either these beliefs or these actions. You see, there are people out there who do not like us because we are free, egalitarian, and pluralistic. In essence, they do not like our principles or what we stand for. They will not change their minds because we arrange an alliance of convenience with them, or because we change a particular policy in the vain hope that they will suddenly embrace us as brothers. Quite simply, this means that we must find other sources of strength. These must come from within, from our deep but often untapped resources of faith, conviction, and character. I am reminded of the Maccabees, who found themselves in a much worse situation bayamim haheim bazman hazeh—at this time of year in days long ago, as the Hanukah prayer Al hanisim recounts. They, too, were confronted with an enemy that had no respect for their culture or religion, that hated them because of who they were and what they believed. In those times of trouble—much more threatening than our own—they turned to God and to one another for support. They prayed, and worked, and fought. Ultimately, after many long and hard years, they were triumphant. And they then rejoiced in this success created not by their own arms, but by God's will. We tend to remember the eight days of Hanukkah, the festival that completed the victory. But we should not forget the nearly thirty years it took for Jerusalem and Israel to achieve true freedom from terror. We rejoice in the great joy of Hanukkah—as we will on December 16th at the Greatest Hanukkah on Earth III!!—but we must also remember the sacrfices and courageous beliefs it took to preserve our religion and way of life, and to regain independence and safety. On this Hanukkah, the holiday whose very name means dedication, we pray that our own beliefs will be rededicated, that our commitments to God and our people will be reinforced, that our love of our country will continue to grow. And may we all then be able to celebrate a Hanukkah of courage, conviction, and freedom. Chag Hanukkah Samei'ach, |
