Oddly enough I visited the East Peoria Festival of Lights last week (it's not far from Bloomington). The lights and animations and decorations were really spectacular and quite beautiful (the pictures on that website don't begin to do it justice). And I learned that there is such thing as The American Bus Association and that they have a top 100 list. There was however absolutely no reference to Chanukah (which is what I always think of as THE Festival of Lights). Apparently though - LOTS of holidays in many cultures are called the Festival of Lights, including notably Diwali
But anyway - Chanukah... every year around now, there are lots of comments out there - about how it's a minor Jewish holiday and people make too much of a big deal about it in America and about how we're trying to compete with Christmas... Eh - I'm not sure I agree. I'd argue that Chanukah is actually a pretty serious Jewish holiday, maybe even more so today than it ever was in the past. And I don't think this has anything to do with miracles or oil or the Holy Temple or even a military victory of the few over the many. Yes, Chanukah is about all those things . And yes it's also a time to light candles, sing fun songs, eat yummy but not-so-healthy fried foods, and trade presents with loved ones. But most importantly, Chanukah is the quintessential story of modern Jewish identity. The Hellenists sought to learn from the Greek culture of their neighbors, while the Hasmoneans/Maccabees wanted to preserve the essence of Jewish tradition. Today - most Jews in America and in so many other Diaspora countries - heck even in Israel - are constantly defining and redefining what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century. For sure - I am. Judaism says much about how to live one's life. But so does the Western World - and so does the rest of the Eastern World for that matter. I don't think I could live in a solely Jewish context... I would never be able to live in Borough Park or Mea Sharim in a totally Jewish bubble without world news and baseball and Star Trek and Harry Potter and MQ Series...and books and people who think differently from me. But I would not want to live without the Torah and the rich 3000 year old tradition that comes with it...the dysfunctional family stories in Genesis and the practice of Kashrut that keeps me mindful of what I put in my body and the concept of Shabbat that reminds me to take a break sometimes and the belief that actions matter and people are responsible and accountable for what they do and the notion that I can make the world better than it was when I found it.
Whereas Judaism has traditionally been about separations:
- milk & meat
- linen & wool
- life & death
- kosher & traif
- Shabbat & the work week
- holy & mundane
I believe that today Judaism is about balance - in so many ways:
- needs of the Jewish community & needs of the larger world
- traditions of the Torah & newly acquired knowledge from physical and social sciences
- being faithful to G!d & being true to one's self
- being true to one's self & taking care of one's family
- taking care of one's family & being mindful of one's community
- being mindful of one's community & being loyal to one's country
- being loyal to one's country & being loyal to Israel
- caring for the Jews in Israel & caring for the non-Jews in Israel
- caring for the welfare of the Jewish state & the welfare of a Palestinian state
Chanukah is all about finding balance between the two worlds - Jewish and Non-Jewish - and the tension that floats around that balance. This is something we deal with every single day (or at least *I* do)...so I think this holiday is among the very important festivals of the Jewish year.
I actually also think it has become important if for no other reason than it's the one holiday of ours that so many non-Jews know about.
And So I really do think it's important for Jews to light the menorah and display it prominently in their windows. I do think it's important that we display Chanukah decorations and sing Chanukah songs and tell everyone that we're Jewish in addition to being whatever else we might be (American, European, Asian, Gay, Straight, Man, Woman, Techy, Trekkie, Reading Nut, Athlete, Mets Fan, Yankees Fan, Mac User, PC User, whatever). This is a time to celebrate one's identities - and find meaning from them all.
I think that has always been very central to how Chanukah has been celebrated - and (people may think I'm nuts for this) - I think this has influenced the celebration and commercialization of Christmas very significantly. There certainly weren't any Xmas lights much before 100 years ago - but the Jews and Chanukah injected this concept of asserting (religious) identity into December - and I think that caught on. All those Xmas lights and songs and whatnot...may well have started with us and our candelabra that is to be displayed prominently in the window solely for decoration. There were menorahs in the window long before there were blinking lights on the neighbor's bushes.
Now for some Chanukah links...
- A new take on the Chanukah miracle
- Jewish American Soldiers in Iraqcelebrating Chanukah
- I'm not really an Aish Guy - but this is pretty decent
- I actually don't think I entirely agree with Rabbi Jacobs' view here, but it's an interesting take on the concept of Jewish power and it is food for thought.
- Some tid-bits on Chanukah history
- This is just damned hysterical
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