Be a Maccabee
A Happy Chanukah to you and your family!
All of us want this holiday to be a meaningful one. And so, it’s important for us to find some personal relevance and a contemporary message in this 2200 year old holiday. (For children, Chanukah gelt and presents will infuse great meaning, but for us adults that might not cut it!)
Yes, we can, and certainly should, light our menorahs and eat those latkes and doughnuts. But in order for Chanukah to resonate with us, let us attempt to uncover the holiday’s essential theme.
Throughout our history many tyrants and empires have sought our annihilation. However our enemy in the Chanukah story – the Greeks – had somewhat of a different agenda. Their goal was not our physical destruction. They wanted to put an end to our religious observance.
“Kosher, Shabbat, circumcision! That’s old fashioned and primitive”, exclaimed the Greeks. “We live in a modern world with great culture, science, the Olympics (started by the Greeks) and philosophy. Can’t you give up your attachment and obsession with a bunch of archaic rules and super-rational beliefs?”
The Greeks worshiped the body, logic, science, and nature. And the notion that a People could adhere to a faith for no reason other than because G‑d - Who transcends time, space, or reason - said so, was insulting and needed to be stopped.
Thus, the Greeks sought to lure the Jewish People into their “modern” way of life and entice them to assimilate into Hellenistic culture.
Unfortunately, the Greeks were somewhat successful. A large percentage of Jews fell prey to temptation, adopted a Greek lifestyle, intermarried and assimilated. And yet, there are a small, but strong, band of Jews – the Maccabees – who stood up and proudly proclaimed that faith and adherence to ritual observance is the “tree of life” that connects us to our source of life – G‑d. The Maccabees were miraculously victorious; they rekindled the Menorah, and restored the Jewish flame.
The parallels to today’s day and age don’t require too much elaboration. Thank G‑d, we don’t face an enemy who seeks our physical annihilation. However the wave of assimilation, enlightenment, and intermarriage is very powerful. We too are being told that religious and ritualistic observance is a thing of the past and old-fashioned. “We live in a modern age! Was kosher really meant to be observed in 2010?” exclaims conventional wisdom.
And so, let us celebrate the message of Chanukah. Let us take on the responsibility of becoming the modern-day Maccabees. Let us find personal relevance in this holiday by strengthening our faith and commitment to Judaism and its beautiful traditions. And let us proudly exclaim, as the Maccabees did, “Who is like You (G‑d)!”. And let us be firmly rooted in our faith thus ensuring that we ride the tide of assimilation and let our inner candles burn brightly for all to see.
Seems like a daunting task and responsibility? The Menorah teaches how to do it. One candle at a time! Until – on the eighth night – our entire menorah burns brightly.
Shabbat Shalom & A Happy Chanukah,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick
