Hanukkah - Celebrating the Miracle of Our Survival
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This is taken from my IsraelB website.
One of my favourite books is,‘Fear No Evil’. When you read that book, you realize that despite his humility and modesty, Sharansky is a true Jewish hero. The strength of character, resolution and willpower he demonstrated whilst a refusenik is something we should all learn from and is the essence of what Chanukkah is really all about as I will explain.
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks refers to two parallel yet opposing movements that have been existent throughout the build up and existence of the Jewish State. Those who were narrowly focused on ‘Torat Yisrael’ – the spiritual, the Law, the Torah ( the ‘Charedim’) and those who were passionate about nationalism, ‘Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael’ – the people, the collective nation and the land (the ‘Chilonim’). Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook attempted to be the bridge the gap between these two trends, which is still one of the main objectives of the Dati Leumi sector.
The question of what is the main source of the Chanukah story is unclear. Rashi comments that when the Gemarah in Shabbat asks ‘May Chanukah’ – literally, ‘What is Chanukah?’, the Gemarah is asking, ‘ What is the actual reason we celebrate Chanukah’. So, we see the answer has never been obvious.
Looking at the sources of the Chanukah story we see these two paradigms that Rabbi Sacks was describing in a more modern context. The ‘Spiritual’ one, focusing on the miracle of the oil as discussed in the Gemarah in Shabbat and Megillat Taanit and the ‘Physical ‘one, which commemorates the war, as mentioned in the Sefer Makabim and the ‘Al Hanissim’ Tefilah. The Rambam in Hilchot Chanukah 3:1/2, mentions both of these miracles, so maybe he is setting the precedent for Rav Kook’s philosophy.
But is that it? Is the Chanukah story just revolving around these two paradigms – Spirituality vs. Nationalism?
I would like to suggest a third aspect and angle to the Chanukah story that is based on the additional tefillah we say on Chanukah after ‘Al Hanisim’, ‘Bimei Mattityahu Ben Yochanan..’ This paragraph describes the victory of the weak against the strong, the few against the many, the pure against the impure and the righteous against the wicked..’ – the victory of the human spirit.
What kept the Chashmoniam fighting if there was so little chance that they would win? Where did their determination, resolve and tenacity come from? What was the source of their courage, indomitably and relentlessness?
Was it the spirituality, the ‘Torat Yisrael’ of the Gemarah in Shabbat and Megillat Taanit or the nationalism, the ‘Eretz Yisrael’ of the Sefer Makabim? I would like to suggest a third side to explain how they were able to win and beat the Greeks. Not based on the level of collective, the national, but rather on the level of the individual – and we see that strength in Jewish heroes like Natan Sharansky.
When I think about my grandparents and their friends, the survivors and refugees from the Holocaust, it is this dimension of Chanukah they represented. Not so much the collective and national ‘Eretz Yisrael’ – as when they escaped Europe they didn’t go to Israel or the spiritual or intellectual ‘Torat Yisrael’ – as not all of them were on that spiritual level as a result of their suffering and having witnessed what they had.
But on a more individual, human and private level, the belief that however hard and difficult their lives were and however little sense it all made, they never gave up. By showing that tenacious and unflinching resolve to carry on and rebuild their shattered lives they demonstrated that same inner spirit as the Chashmonaim thousands of years earlier.
It was that inner optimism and faith – that’s also what Chanukah is about. Not just the nationalism, the ‘Eretz Yisrael’ of Sefer Makabim or the spirituality, the ‘Torat Yisrael’ of the Gemarah in Shabbat, but also the human spirit and optimism of individuals of the ‘Al Hanisim’ Tefilah , who through sheer relentlessness and single-mindedness, kept going against the odds.As throughout our history, in the Chanukah story, the Jews were in the minority. Yet, as a result of our inner spirit, optimism and positivity we were able to overcome all the obstacles.
The Haftarah we read on Chanukah from Zechariah,’ Lo Ve’chayil Velo Vechoach, Ki im Bruchi Amar Hashem’ – mentions that inner human spirit, rooted in G-d’s spirit, that has kept the Jews going and is the secret to our survival.
Chanukah Sameach!
Benjy ( Singer)