Judaism for a Museum?
Imagine the scene that unfolded some 2200 years ago.
The Assyrian Greeks were out to wage war against Judaism. In addition to religiously persecuting the Jewish People, they made a consorted effort to contaminate the special oil used to kindle the menorah in the temple. The oil, which represented the sanctity and purity of Israel, is what the Greeks sought to eradicate. They would finally lash out - heaven forbid - the Jewish spirit.
Then, against all odds, the small Jewish army defeated the mighty Greek legions. They retook Jerusalem and the temple. When the Jews arrived in the temple they found a building filled with idols and pigs. They rushed to the room where the oil was kept seeking to rekindle the Jewish flame, but lo and behold, the oil had been defiled. The wax seal of the High Priest had been removed from each flask of oil making it unfit to use in the temple’s menorah.
Then a cry is heard. One jug has been found. This is the only remnant of pure oil that survived the Greek holocaust. Imagine how precious that oil must have been to the Jewish People. Imagine how much they must have treasured this single pure remnant of pre-Greek treachery.
And here is the pivotal moment in the story; the moment that would define the future of Israel.
It is probable to surmise that there was a group of Jews at the time who wanted to hold tight to this jug. They wanted to preserve it and display it in a museum for all to see. This jug would serve a living testimony to the miraculous victory. It would become the symbol of G‑d’s love for Israel. "What good would using the oil for the Menorah be anyway", they probably figured. After all, it would only last for 1 night and it would take 8 days for more pure oil to be pressed.
Yet it is here where we uncover a great Jewish truth; the truth that gives us the holiday of Chanukah. Our commitment to G‑d doesn’t lie in building edifices, museums, memorials, and exhibits where we showcase Judaism. The essence of Judaism lies in our "doing Judaism". The greatest way to celebrate the victory
Had that oil been placed on display we would not be celebrating Chanukah today. It is because that oil was used to perform the mitzvah of lighting the menorah that we continue to kindle the menorah some 2200 years later.
And so it is today. Though the movements to preserve and showcase pre-war European Jewry are noble ones, the only way to truly preserve and perpetuate the Jewry of our ancestors is by "doing it". When we restore our grandparents’ Shabbat candle sticks and light them weekly; when we repair our ancestors’ tefillin boxes and put them on daily, then we – like the Maccabees of old – will keep the flame of Judaism ever so bright.
And by acting in this manner we will prepare our selves and the rest of humanity for the restoration of the temple for the third and final time with the coming of Moshiach now!
Fruma and I wish you and your family a Happy Chanukah & a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick
