12/5/2021 - Chanukah

My first official Chanukah is almost over and it's been a wonderful week of fried foods and blessings.

Celebrating Chanukah has felt like a daily Shabbat. There's just something so profoundly spiritual about lighting a candle. The warmth and light it projects across a dimmed room is how I imagine Earth must have first looked when God created light among the chaos.

During service on 11/19, I like what was mentioned about making our own Chanukah memories. My first memory of Chanukah that I will never forget is almost starting a grease fire in my kitchen while making latkes. But hey, they tasted great. Some of my friends asked to join the festivities which I gladly welcomed. Some via FaceTime and some in person. It has been endearing how my friends have supported, and continue to support, me while I settle into Jewish life.

Sam, the one who offered to be a Jewish mentor of sorts, came over on Saturday to celebrate Chanukah as she insisted it is a holiday meant to be spent with others. With latke's, pomegranate wine, and the burning candles on both of our chanukiahs, it was a wonderful first Chanukah memory.

Similar to Shabbat, I found myself so excited reciting the blessings while lighting the Chanukiah that I read them aloud twice over. Watching the candles slowly meltdown as I reflected on this journey thus far is how I imagine Henry Thoreau must have felt watching the loaf of bread rise in the oven.

Reading through The Jewish Holidays by Michael Strassfeld was a quick yet insightful explanation of the history, difficulties, and modern celebration of Chanukah. It was reassuring to know that modern explanations of Chanukah are pretty accurate though - the celebration of the oil and the celebration of the Maccabees. It's incredible that a small feat of resilient Jews stood up to the vast armies of Antiochus in defiance of his command to Hellinize. It is even more incredible that a single, sealed cruse of oil lasted eight days. I was unaware that Chanukah shifted primarily to the celebration of oil rather than a militant victory due to the Maccabees later Hellinizing and persecuting rabbis.

While I was reading and watching videos about Chanukah, I was surprised that many view it as a very minor holiday in Judaism. Some said it's because of the Hellenization of the Maccabees, some said it's because the holiday is not in the Tanakh, but many referenced it's because Chanukah has been heavily influenced by Christmas. However, if that is the logic, then wouldn't Christmas be considered a minor holiday in Christianity since it has become so commercial? But that doesn't mean Christmas is any less of a significant holiday to Christians. A modern twist on holidays can misconstrue the meaning of holidays, but it should not tarnish the holiday altogether. 

That is not to say that I believe Chanukah to be the most important holiday in Judaism, but I don't really believe there is a least significant holiday. A celebration is a celebration, one does not cancel out the other.  One Simcha is no less than another's Simcha. However, I do believe that Chanukah epitomizes Judaism by celebrating both perseverance and miracles.

During service on 12/3, I enjoyed the friendly banter between Rabbi Fischel and Rabbi Miller about whether Chanukah is the celebration of the underdog (Jews) or the celebration of the oil. I tried to pick a side for fun and was leaning more toward the celebration of oil. But Rabbi Miller presented a good point, it is also a celebration of man. 

The Maccabees did not let the size and power of the Greeks deter them from fighting to reclaim the temple from defilement. They didn't let time hinder their resilience either as a revolt does not happen overnight. Nor did they let the single cruse of oil discourage them. And thus comes the miracle from God, a single cruse lasting eight days. Maybe a modern simile for oil burning for eight days can be equated to driving 15 miles home when your gas tank is on E. Both truly being a miracle.

Rabbi Miller and Rabbi Fischel were right that Chanukah is both the celebration of the underdog and the celebration of the oil. But maybe it is also the celebration of man's relationship with God. Had God wanted the temple to be reclaimed, He could have done so within seconds. Instead, man's faith in God drove them to reclaim the temple from powerful forces. And while they worked to clean up the temple, God came in and shed light for eight days. It's a beautiful reminder of God's presence.

It can also be equated to the coming of the Messianic Age. I loved Rabbi's Miller explanation in 12JQ that God will not come in and clean the mess, but will come when we're almost done cleaning up the mess. What better representation of that than God illuminating the temple for eight days while we cleaned it back up to its glory?

Maybe that's why I get excited when I light the candles on the Chanukiah or during Shabbat; the small flames on the wick are enough to illuminate things around me, just as God's presence. 

Strassfeld says it perfectly:

"The week and Shabbat, the sabbatical yesters, the omer (7x7) all reflect the importance of the number seven. Eight is seven plus one - that is, one beyond the number of completion. If seven marks the limits of time by marking the limits of the week, then eight is beyond time. Eight signifies the eternal. Just as Shemini Atzeret is a special day when God asked His people to stay one more day with Him, so the eighth day of Hanukkah is the essence of Hanuakkah and a reminder of the Light that is ever present in this world."