Happy Hanukkah! This year, Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 8th. For eight nights, we will celebrate with great greasy food (latkes/potato pancakes or sufganiyot/doughnuts), family, friends, and light. In the dark days of winter, so many faiths chose light to symbolizes hope and, in the case of Hanukkah, rededication (the English meaning of the Hebrew word Hanukkah).
In an op-ed in yesterday’s New York Times, Hilary Leila Krieger, the Washington bureau chief for The Jerusalem Post , reminded us of real story of Hanukkah – a post-biblical Jewish holiday commemorating hard-won religious freedom. As with most struggles for freedom, there was significant cost and loss of life. In the case of Hanukkah, a despotic Hellenist king, Antiochus IV, outlawed Jewish religious practices and imposed pagan rites in the Temple in Jerusalem. What followed was a Jewish uprising, led by a family of Hasmoneans, frequently referred to as the Maccabees. Their victory in 164 B.C.E. symbolizes religious freedom in the face of political tyranny. It is not until much later, in the Talmud, that we adopt the story of the fabled oil that lasted for 8 nights and days until more oil was brought for the Temple’s ner tamid/eternal light.
“Many believe the rabbis in the Talmud recounted the miracle of the light alongside the military victory because they did not want to glorify war,” Krieger notes. ”That in itself is an important teaching, as are the holiday’s related messages of renewal, hope and turning away from darkness,” she suggests.
This more “grown-up” version of the Hanukkah story gives us plenty to think about. It is easy to draw current-day parallels to the story of a repressive ruler and the people of his country seeking freedom of expression. How can we use the stories of our past to inspire a hopeful future? How will you share the story of Hanukkah this year to make it relevant and vital?
Of course, just enjoying the lights, the food, and a good game of dreidel with chocolate gelt is perfectly lovely too. Happy Hanukkah!
