On the First Night of Chanukah, we offer reflections from Rev. Greenebaum
Honoring Chanukah – A Personal
Reflection
(This is the sermon on Chanukah that Steven Steven Greenebaum gave on December 17th at the Living Interfaith Sanctuary)
Chanukah may not be the most pivotal of Jewish holy days but is likely the most universally known. It lasts 8 nights, with an additional candle added every night. In Judaism, the traditional menorah (Jewish candelabra) has 7 candles, but there’s a special menorah just for Chanukah – with room for 8 candles plus the Shamash, the special candle used to light the others. Chanukah also has a hero, Judah the Maccabee, the military leader about whom Fredrick Handel wrote an oratorio, right after writing his world-famous Messiah. That said, what is Chanukah truly about?
I take Chanukah seriously, light candles, ponder the holiday, and offer prayers all 8 nights. But it wasn’t always that way. In truth, in my 74 years and counting, Chanukah for me has never seemed to stand still. How I see it keeps changing. This morning, I’d like to share that odyssey with you.
When I was a child, I loved Chanukah. Candles. Songs. Gifts. Most especially gifts! What’s not to like?! But when I got a little order, Chanukah changed dramatically for me. I was maybe 9 or 10, when I put my foot down and refused to celebrate it any more. This is the place to say that the older I get, the more respect, compassion and even sympathy I have for my parents. I must have been a difficult child to try to raise. Yet they never abandoned me, for which I am grateful. Still, it was at the age of 9 or 10 that it was explained to me that at Chanukah we celebrate a “great miracle.” We light 8 candles over 8 nights because a lamp with oil enough for but one night, burned instead for 8. Say what? Assuming that the miracle happened, why would this be reason for massive celebration over 2,000 years later? It didn’t make sense.
Then I became a teenager, and Chanukah changed again. It felt to me now that the “miracle” was simply an excuse for giving kids presents, so that Jewish children wouldn’t feel left out at Christmas when all the Christian kids got gifts. This was amplified by the fact that at our house we had a “Chanukah bush” not a “Christmas tree”. It felt to me like this was just out-of-control commercialism. Worse, Chanukah wasn’t even a part of Hebrew Scripture. The story is to be found in the Apocrypha, not the Bible.
This commercialized Chanukah, this “I have to go Chanukah shopping” and “What did you get?” truly appalled me. This feeling lasted through college and beyond. In truth, I didn’t take Chanukah seriously for decades. Then at last I was moved to ignore the commercialism and, gasp, read the history. So I researched the historical events that led to Chanukah. They’re important. I’d like to share them. They are why today I deeply value and celebrate this holy time.
Some two hundred years B.C.E., Antiochus III of Syria wrested Judea from Egyptian control. In those days Judea was a political football. To get to Africa from the Middle East, or to get to the Middle East from Africa, all roads led through Judea. It was about trade. It was all about trade. Whoever controlled Judea, controlled trade between the Middle East and Africa. And whoever controlled these crucial routes could charge hefty fees/taxes to anyone seeking use them.
The Egyptians had simply wanted to control the roads. How Jews worshiped was never an issue, just as long as it didn’t interfere with collecting fees and taxes. Then Syria swept in and pushed Egypt out. Syria now controlled the trade. Syria’s ruler, Antiochus III, wasn’t so much of a problem. But his son and successor, Antiochus IV, had the idea of “civilizing” the Jews. Specifically, he wanted to Hellenize them, and that meant insisting that Jews worship the Greek gods at Greek temples, and not their one God at their Jerusalem Temple. The Temple was now looted – all but destroyed. More than that, the practice of Judaism was outlawed. To be Jewish was against the law.
A priest named Mattathias led a rebellion against this oppression. His son, Judah, became known as Judah the Hammer, the Maccabee. He took it to the Syrians, and beat them over and over again. And depending on how you choose to read history, either the Syrians were defeated and thrown out of Judea, or the Syrians realized that Judea was just more trouble than it was worth and went home. But whatever the reason, Syria withdrew. Judea was free. Soon Rome would invade, conquer Judea, and find itself in control of the trade routes. But for the moment, Judea was free. And more important, Jews could again practice their religion in their own rebuilt temple. Hallelujah!! To be Jewish was no longer illegal.
This, of course, is the short version. The full history was more complex and political. Still, it occurred to me, profoundly, that though we should always remember that most of history goes unrecorded, this, this was the first time in recorded history that a conquered people had revolted because they sought the right to worship as they felt called. As I realized this, Chanukah became truly sacred to me. This was indeed something important, to remember and to celebrate!
This morning let us seek to honor Chanukah in all its complexity. We want to honor the joy of Chanukah. We want to acknowledge the tradition of the miracle of Chanukah. That in the Temple that Antiochus IV had trampled, and thought he had destroyed, there was found enough purified oil for the sacred lamp for one night. Jewish ritual demanded seven days to properly sanctify oil before burning it in the Temple, and miraculously that small bit of sacred oil that should only have lasted one night, lasted for eight – long enough for fresh oil to be properly purified. But for me most importantly, may we honor what is so foundational to us as an Interfaith congregation – the right of every human being to worship, or not, as he or she is called – and to be respected in that choice. Happy Chanukah.
This morning, as we look around us, with the rise of
anti-Semitism, and the rise as well of Islamophobia, as well as the rise of so
much intolerance and hate, let us take a moment to light a candle, celebrate
religious freedom, and pray that the world might someday celebrate a universal
Chanukah. Amen.
For more posts about Chanukah, click HERE.
For posts by and about Steven and his books, click HERE.
Check out Steven's books:
Information about One Family: Indivisible
Erric Hoffer Book Award finalist
American Bookfest Best Book Award finalist
RECOMMENDED US Review of Books
"unreservedly recommended" MidWest Book Review
See information about Seeking Balance in an Unbalanced Time
See posts about seeking balance.
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