December 8th: Vayeshev and Chanukah
THIS WEEK IN THE TORAH
Rabbi David E. Ostrich
Though a celebration, the symbolism and messages of Chanukah have often been troublesome—and sometimes in need of a massage.
A military holiday—celebrating the Maccabees’ victory over the Greek Syrians in 165 BCE, Chanukah was troublesome to the Rabbis of the Talmud who did not want to emphasize armed rebellion. After the disastrous Jewish Rebellion (66-70 CE) and the equally disastrous Bar Kochba Rebellion (132-136 CE), the Rabbis decided that military might was futile and counseled against it—a general approach that lasted until the 19th and 20th Centuries. To militate (😊) against Chanukah’s martial tendencies, they focused on the miracle story of the oil, moving away from militarism and toward faith and hope in God.
A counter-cultural holiday—commemorating a time when Jews stood up to the overwhelming Hellenistic culture, Chanukah was troublesome to the thousands of Jews who were comfortable with most of Hellenism. Though the Maccabees represented those Jews who resisted Hellenistic practices, Greek culture inundated Judea in all sorts of ways. People spoke Greek. Jews—including High Priests and Rabbis—had Greek names. Rabbinic discussions used Greek-style questioning and categories. Even the crowning work of Rabbinic Judaism, the Mishnah, is organized as a Greek legal code. Though the Rabbis clearly rejected Greek idolatry and religious syncretism, they did not purge everything Hellenistic from Jewish civilization. Thus, the anti-Greek elements of the Chanukah story were reduced to a focus on the evil and idolatrous king.
A sacrificial cult holiday—celebrating the restoration of Temple sacrifices, Chanukah was a problem when Judaism shifted to prayer worship. Though the Maccabees saved the Temple in 165 BCE, sacrificial worship only lasted a few hundred more years. When the Romans destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 CE, the Rabbis had to scramble for a replacement. Their temporary fix, a worship service in which a main prayer takes the place of the animal sacrifices, was so non-Temple oriented that the Chanukah focus on saving the Temple was rendered less relevant. To keep Chanukah’s power, the Rabbi’s focused on the faith, ritual purity, and God’s miracles. Again, the holiday was malleable.
In more modern times, these challenges continued. An obedience-to-God themed holiday—where following God orders was worth martyrdom, Chanukah was a problem for those who did not consider every mitzvah of the Tradition as binding. An answer was to de-emphasize the martyrdom stories of Hannah and Her Sons—and the gruesome deaths of Judah Maccabee and most of his brothers. In their place, the cultural pride message was elevated, and Chanukah became a statement of Jewish Identity. This “message massage” has proved to be very helpful.
A similar massage was necessary with the advent of Labor Zionism. A God-focused holiday—"she’asah nisim l’avotaynu / Who did miracles for our ancestors,” Chanukah was a problem for non-religious Jewish Nationalists whose messianism involved the redemptive ability of humans to fix and save themselves. Waiting for God’s salvation was not a theme for them to celebrate. Thus Chanukah was reimagined to speak to the power of ancient Jewish Nationalists who rose to the occasion and freed themselves. Again, Chanukah was molded to express current values.
Back to militarism. A pro-military holiday, Chanukah was a problem for Jews in the anti-war movement of the 1960s and 1970s, and it is still a problem for those uncomfortable with Israel’s military might and the ways the Israel Defense Forces are used. On the other hand, in times when Jews are in peril, most celebrate the fact that we now have an army to fight back. Since the rebirth of Jewish Self-Defense (in the mid-1800s), the Maccabees’ bravery and military prowess have been beacons of Jewish pride and self-reliance. Not only is Chanukah celebrated in December, but the Maccabees are also celebrated throughout Jewish culture all year long.
A final modern concern: Though certainly not “the Jewish Christmas,” Chanukah has been significantly affected by the seasonal frenzy—making many Jews uncomfortable with the elevation of a formerly “minor Jewish holiday” into something much bigger. One can look at Chanukah’s enhancement as an unJewish incursion, or one can see it as a modern Jewish survival strategy. Indeed, the parallels with the ancient situation that spawned Chanukah are striking. Just as Hellenism flooded ancient sensibilities, think about how hard it is to be a Jewish child when everyone and everything around you scream “Christmas!” From carols in school and scouts and the background music at the grocery store, to decorations everywhere, and to the constant conversations about parties and gifts, Christmastime washes over us all and draws us into its wake. Interestingly, it is usually not the theological message of Christmas that overwhelms us. In fact, many pious Christians mourn the deconsecration of their holiday—pleading to “Put Christ back in Christmas.” Nonetheless, we Jews of all ages find ourselves both drawn into and assaulted by the season, and we devise ways to accommodate the cultural energy while staying true to our faith: Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, attending parties but not church, focusing on the Peace and Goodwill themes rather than the Joy to the World, the Lord is Come messages. While being asked to sing Christmas carols makes me uncomfortable, I can nonetheless plunge fully into Christmas charity work like Toys for Tots. Theologically and culturally, we Jews walk a fine line.
The meta-challenge of Hellenism was that it forced our ancestors to live in two worlds—one Jewish and the other non-Jewish. Both were appealing, and each Jew bayamim hahem / in those days had to figure out the best balance for his/her life. One suspects that for them it was a matter of continuingly balancing and adjusting. We who also live in two worlds, work on balancing our two important and nurturing realities. That Chanukah—an ancient holiday of cultural and religious bravery—can in its elevated form help us to find balance and keep the Jewish side of things strong and resilient and fun is wonderful. It is just one example of the way our religion has adapted to what our long and many sojourns have brought us. As the Lord said to Jacob, “I will be with you wherever you go.” (Genesis 28.15)
Happy Chanukah!