It’s Not The Jewish Christmas.
First, a little history. The Hebrew word, Chanukah, means re-dedication. In 167 BCE, Israel had been conquered by the Syrian-Greeks. As most conquerors, they preferred their own culture be practiced. Antiochus, the king, outlawed Jewish observance- no circumcision, no Shabbas, no Torah study, no Rosh Chodesh. The penalty was death. Soon, no Judaism!
Many Jews called Hellenistic Jews (anything Hellenistic means Greek) were already assimilating. The Greek culture was, at that time, beautiful. Their science, art, philosophy, and architecture is still admired. The emphasis was on the perfection of the human body and its comfort. In my opinion, if Antiochus had minded his own business, a slow but steady assimilation would have occurred, ending Judaism. He didn’t understand the Jewish people. As soon as he told them they couldn’t, they had too.
As usual, there was an incident. In the village of Modin, Greek forces commanded the Jews to sacrifice to a pagan god. One submissive Jew complied. An elderly priest, named Mattathias, became so enraged he killed him. Mattathias, and later his son Judah, led a guerrilla warfare against the Greeks. Antiochus sent thousands of troops to crush the rebellion. After 3 years, against incredible odds, the “Maccabees” drove off the Greek army and were allowed to practice Judaism again. Please understand. When the rebellion was over, the Maccabees did not conquer Greece. All they wanted was to practice their religion as they pleased. It was the first war for religious freedom ever fought.
The Jewish rebels re-entered Jerusalem and found the Holy Temple in shambles and desecrated with idols. They cleaned the Temple and re-dedicated it on the 25th of Kislev. However, when it came time to light the menorah, they could only find 1 jar of purified oil with the seal of the High Priest. It was enough for only 1 day. They lit the menorah anyway and, here it comes, the miracle. The menorah stayed lit for 8 days until a new supply of purified oil could be brought. This is generally regarded as a message from God: Job well done!
As with all Jewish holidays, there’s the history and there’s the message. So, what is the message of Chanukah? Chanukah is the holiday for standing up for your beliefs. They were many. We were few. Their culture was appealing. Ours is one of discipline. They wanted to make us like them. Those stubborn Maccabees said NO! We would rather live in caves, live a life of hardship, of deprivation, fight against impossible odds than to be like you. We want to be who we are and have always been. Separate, different. Were they being logical? Of course not. They were being faithful. They understood that it’s that separation, that difference that allowed them to survive as Jews. So, treasure that difference! It’s what allows us, also, to survive as Jews.
I find it interesting, not coincidental, that Chanukah always comes around Christmas. It’s impossible to avoid the music, the movies, the lights, the trees, the Santa’s. Once again, they are many. We are few. Once again, how beautiful, how appealing, how inviting. Could it be that every Chanukah/Christmas we are being asked to choose- Hellenistic or Maccabbean? So why not put up lights or a tree?
After all, Christmas is also a federal holiday. Because it is an accommodation to what we are not! Because it says it’s ok to be like them! Because we are not Hellenistic Jews. We must remember to be Maccabees. I don’t mean this to be an anti-Christian piece. I am not even suggesting a rejection of the Christmas spirit (bah humbug). I am suggesting an awareness of the Chanukah spirit. The menorah we light is supposed to be placed outside or in a window to let passers by know this is a Jewish home. It is our faith, our pride, our stubbornness that has allowed us to survive against impossible odds. The message of Chanukah: Hold on to your convictions. Never submit to assimilation, no matter how attractive or appealing. Remember and treasure that difference that makes us Jews. It always has, and still is, keeping Judaism alive.
PS. The obvious follow-up question is why is it so important for Jews and Judaism to survive? I’ll write another article, another time. It will be called “A light unto nations.”
