|
|
||
HOME
|
|
December is upon us and with it the annual dilemma surrounding Hanukkah and that other holiday that falls sometime nearby: the awkward moments when we are wished a Merry Christmas, the television blitz of religious programming that runs counter to our beliefs, the inescapable music on the radio, and the compiling of gift lists drawn up with the intent to counter any jealousy that might arise in the children. What's a Jew to do? When we look at the origins of the Hanukkah celebration, it is amazing the parallel to our current situation that emerges. The Hasmoneans (the dynasty that arose out of the Maccabee revolt) lived in a time of foreign domination. The conquest of Alexander the Great had left tiny Israel as a point of contention between two newly Greek powers, Syria and Egypt. The Maccabees revolted when they saw that the domination of the Syrians was beginning to have results. Jews were starting to take on the ways of the Greeks willingly, in matter of dress, diet, cultural activities, and even religion. Those who had remained loyal to their Jewish ways found themselves in a situation that demanded action. When the Syrians demanded pagan sacrifice and defiled the Temple, it was the call to arms. War broke out in order to repel the Syrians and reclaim the Temple, as well as to refute those among the Jewish people that had so eagerly taken on the ways of Greek culture. In a very real sense, it was a fight against assimilation. The miracle that we proclaim with the Hanukkah menorah was only able to happen because of the successful outcome of the battle. The decisions that we need to make this December are not nearly as complicated as many have made them out to be. On a certain level we simply have to make a decision to celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah, and do it our way, and with our traditions. Do we allow our children to lead us in the celebration of our holidays, or do we set the example for them? A true testament to the spirit of the Hanukkah victory and the miracle that marked it would be to resist the external pressures, real or imagined, that would bid us to celebrate our holiday in a way that is unrelated to our faith and our people. Instead, let us all kindle the lights of Hanukkah with joy and in the full appreciation of the rededication to Jewish identity and independence that these lights represent. A happy Hanukkah to you all! Rabbi David Freelund |
