Religion & Beliefs
Hanukkah: It’s Not THAT Bad
By Tamar Fox / December 4, 2007
Okay, there’s some Hanukkah bashing going on this year, here on Jewcy and over at Slate, and I want to say that first of all, all the points that have been made are totally valid and everything. But despite all that, I think Hanukkah has some redeeming value, and I think it would be a shame to write it off as unimportant or too gory to celebrate.
Most of the controversy surrounding Hanukkah has to do with the war against Atiochus, and how bloody and shortsighted it was. That’s all true. But the holiday of Hanukkah is about the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days. The miracle, not the battle, is the part we celebrate and I think that’s something to pay attention to. The rabbis aren’t asking us to glorify senseless violence here, they’re asking us to glorify a miracle. So maybe you don’t believe that the miracle ever happened, or maybe you don’t care, but the miracle itself is not that offensive. And honestly, shouldn’t the concept of a limited amount of oil speak to the contemporary green movement? I mean, this is hardly a stretch. The message of the war against Antiochus is, at its heart, a message of self-esteem for Jews. It may have actually been a horrible and bloody war, but the idea that a small group was able to take down a much larger force is something that has always resonated with Jews. It should be pointed out that all wars are horrible and bloody, and this one probably no more or less than any other war of its time. The goal of the war–Jews standing up for a life of mitzvoth–is a concept that makes absolute sense to me. Do I love the Maccabees’ methods? Of course not, but I think it’s a mistake to impose our pluralistic ideals of today on the Maccabees. There were no models of pluralistic societies at the time (that I know of). And beyond that, they were following the narrative that has been constant throughout the Jewish Experience. Our job has been to ensure that Jews could practice mitzvoth no matter what. That’s what led us to leave Egypt, to settle in Israel, to fight Haman on Purim. Because the thing is, if Jewish mothers will die if they circumcise their sons then Judaism itself is at stake. The commandments are what we’re supposed to be about, and if we can’t do them, then who are we?
Finally, though it pains me to say this, I think part of what’s good about Hanukkah these days is that it has lost most of its historical context. Almost no one reads the book of Maccabees anymore, and it’s certainly not presented to little kids at Hebrew school. Instead, kids learn about miracles, about light, about spinning a dreidl, and eating latkes with their families. They learn about sharing a “holiday season” with other kids celebrating other kinds of festivals, and they learn about giving. One of my favorite things about Hanukkah is that even though there are eight potential days on which to get gifts, I don’t know anyone who gets eight extravagant gifts. Instead, most kids get presents on one or two nights, and spend other nights giving gifts to others, or just hanging out with their family. Because Hanukkah is so overwhelming it ends up being less over the top than many Christmas celebrations. It’s true that the Maccabees were scary guys, and Hanukkah is never going to be my favorite holiday, but it’s not all bad. Celebrating miracles, ensuring that Jews will exist in the world, and lessening consumerism. Let that be your Hanukkah mantra.
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Here is how wikipedai describes his power trip:
"Destruction of Jerusalem ignites Jewish rebellion"
"Antiochus' humilation at Egypt was followed by the most well-remembered aspect of his policy, namely his confrontation with the Jews, which ignited their uprising under the Maccabean leaders. Aside from their interest for Jewish and Seleucid history, these events are of interest as among the first instances in world history of religious persecution, a hitherto nearly unknown phemomenon which would in coming centuries assume an important role in human affairs.
As depicted in the Books of the Maccabees, upon his return from Egypt, Antiochus IV organized an expedition against Jerusalem, which he destroyed; he put many of its inhabitants to death most cruelly. He had soldiers enter the Jewish Temple and slaughter a pig (which is impure by the Jewish law) on the altar of the Lord. They set the pig ablaze and then took the meat and tried to make some Jewish men eat it. The men refused and he cut their tongues out, scalped them, cut off their hands and feet, and burnt them on the altar of the Lord.[citation needed]
After this, the Jews began a war of independence under their Maccabean leaders, defeating the armies that Antiochus sent against them. Enraged at this, Antiochus is said to have marched against them in person, threatening to exterminate the nation; but, on the way, he suddenly died (164 BC).[citation needed] The Jewish accounts are in the Books of the Maccabees, and their successful revolt is commemorated by the hDestruction of Jerusalem ignites Jewish rebellion
Antiochus' humilation at Egypt was followed by the most well-remembered aspect of his policy, namely his confrontation with the Jews, which ignited their uprising under the Maccabean leaders. Aside from their interest for Jewish and Seleucid history, these events are of interest as among the first instances in world history of religious persecution, a hitherto nearly unknown phemomenon which would in coming centuries assume an important role in human affairs.
As depicted in the Books of the Maccabees, upon his return from Egypt, Antiochus IV organized an expedition against Jerusalem, which he destroyed; he put many of its inhabitants to death most cruelly. He had soldiers enter the Jewish Temple and slaughter a pig (which is impure by the Jewish law) on the altar of the Lord. They set the pig ablaze and then took the meat and tried to make some Jewish men eat it. The men refused and he cut their tongues out, scalped them, cut off their hands and feet, and burnt them on the altar of the Lord.[citation needed]
After this, the Jews began a war of independence under their Maccabean leaders, defeating the armies that Antiochus sent against them. Enraged at this, Antiochus is said to have marched against them in person, threatening to exterminate the nation; but, on the way, he suddenly died (164 BC).[citation needed] The Jewish accounts are in the Books of the Maccabees, and their successful revolt is commemorated by the holiday of Hanukkah.
Antiochus committed an extreme provocation against a subject people which had hitherto been quite content to live under Seleucid rule. His goal was to wholly assimilate and Hellenize the Jewish state into Greek culture and remove the identity of the Jewish people as Jewish — an act that set off a rebellion which further undermined the Seleucid regime and provided the Romans with new possibilities of driving a wedge by allying themselves with the rebellious Jews."
"Antiochus committed an extreme provocation against a subject people which had hitherto been quite content to live under Seleucid rule. His goal was to wholly assimilate and Hellenize the Jewish state into Greek culture and remove the identity of the Jewish people as Jewish — an act that set off a rebellion which further undermined the Seleucid regime and provided the Romans with new possibilities of driving a wedge by allying themselves with the rebellious Jews."
Read the whole article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_IV_Epiphanes
I recently attended a Jewish text study on Sfat Emet. Rav Y. Lieb talks at length about the temple within and the small light contained in every Jew needed to seek out our inner temple. It also talks about a small light providing hope when all hope appears lost. This could be a source of comfort when a small group defends itself from a mighty tiereny, or it could provide hope to an individual in their own darkest hour.
In regards to our own Temples, every day that I reciete the Amida, kiss the mezzuzah and maintain my kosher kitchen, i am rededicating my temple. When faced with comments about money hungry Jews or how Jews are taking over the world, my small light shines within me even brighter.
There are so many levels to every story, and lessons to learn. We would all be missing the out if we only examined the historical story.
I love Jewlicious. I used to read it a lot when I lived in Israel (and was working part-time from my home in a rural kibbutz). I read it less now that I'm a working mom in the Bronx, but it is still great. Keep it up.
Amidst all the noise generated by the Hitchens article, this was, by far, the most reasoned and enlightened response. Kudos.
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I blog at Jewlicious.com
Look who's the appologist now!!!
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