On the Fourth Night of Chanukah, We Offer Reflections from MSI Press Author, Irit Schaffer
Chanukah is an eight-day Jewish celebration commemorating the rededication of the second temple by the Maccabees in Jerusalem in the second century B.C. While there is so much more to learn about the Maccabees and the events at the time, why we celebrate Chanukah, is the result of the miracle they experienced.
Under the cruel leadership of Seleucids King Antiochus IV, the Jews, at the time, were not allowed to practice their own religion openly. In fact, in their own country, they were faced with slavery and their religion was being eradicated. The Maccabees organized a successful rebellion against Antiochus and were trying to reestablish the temple in Jerusalem by sanctifying it while they were still under siege.
To sanctify the temple, the Maccabees were going to light a menorah lamp. They, however, only had enough oil for one day. But while they were only a small group of rebels, they also tuned into a higher power. The miracle of the Maccabees is through the connection to the Divine, the Divine kept the lamp lit for eight days, which became the miracle of Chanukah. We now celebrate Chanukah every year and it is also known as the Festival of Lights.
The Maccabees connection to the Divine is what my father called "Good Blood." My father and my family, like the Maccabees, lived in a time where governments were again trying to eradicate the Jewish religion and its people (WWII).
In my book, Good Blood: A Journey of Healing, I document the miracles that my father, my aunt Elli, and many others witnessed during a time (the holocaust) where there seemed there was no light. However, this is a story of hope where the Divine watched over my family during their time of incarceration in concentration camps where they experienced many miracles: the biggest one being that they survived the camp intact, with light and with kindness. After the war, they did not focus on the pain of the war and its atrocities, but instead they lived their lives from kindness and gratitude. That is the message of Good Blood, which is a message the world needs more than ever now during these difficult and unsettling times.
For more posts about Chanukah, click HERE.
For more posts by and about Irit and her book, click HERE.
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