Illuminating the true aspect of Chanukah

This December, while most of the world is decorating their trees, our thoughts are to the latkes and dreidels of our holiday, Chanukah.
Chanukah is the most universally observed “ritual” amongst the Jews, not only in our community but also throughout America. To understand this day we must understand the American culture.
When we light the menorahs this Dec. 21 at our party, we will be kindling our connection to our faith and find hope in the symbol of our menorah. With all these symbols of light and joy many ask what Chanukah means for all of us.
The true aspect of Chanukah is our connection to others and our desire for unity both within the Jewish and Gentile worlds.
Chanukah has been assimilated into the surrounding culture. It has become something of a Jewish Christmas, not in its Christian religious sense, but in its secular consumer sense.
Chanukah gifts have become Jewish Christmas presents. Schools, streets, and shops wanting to reflect American multiculturalism put the Christmas tree and the menorah side by side.
I shouldn’t have to say it here, but I will: Chanukah and Christmas are very different; to make them equivalent is to deprive each of its true character.
It’s ironic that the two festivals should be put in the same basket. Chanukah has its origins in the very opposition to the dominant non-Jewish culture, which Christmas celebrates.
Chanukah marks our ancestors’ refusal to assimilate. They wanted to stand up to the all-pervasive culture of their day, a culture that induced the Jewish upper classes of second pre-Christian century Judea to copy the ways of the Gentiles.
Nothing would have enraged the ancients more than making the festival a vehicle for Jewish assimilation. They would have seen it as the victory of that which the heroes of Chanukah thought they had defeated.
The fact that, in the process, Chanukah has become much more prominent and celebrated than it has ever been before would have given them little comfort. It was never intended to be a major Jewish festival in the first place.
The irony is particularly glaring when the first day of Chanukah is less than one week away from Christmas.
This makes the comparison between the two festivals particularly strange, even if, no doubt, some Jewish families will do what they can to postpone Chanukah celebrations for the sake of conformity. Chanukah, then, stands in Jewish tradition as a challenge to the surrounding dominant culture.
The goal of Chanukah is to celebrate the uniqueness of Judaism by making Judaism special through joy and celebration. We do this by fine food and embrace of good friends and reveal this to the world through the lighting of the Menorah.
This is a time for families and friends to come together and share our unique faith. We can do this with everyone at our table, but we must find a way to make our Jewishness shine in our hearts.
Chanukah, a symbol of Jewish unity, has the potential to be a catalyst for the redemption of our world.
The lights are not only a remembrance of the military victory to preserve our faith, but they are also a symbol of the menorah that stood in the Temple, and so they represent the potential for a true peace for all and a return to Jerusalem with a united people with no fear of violence.
When you light the flames you can have in your heart a prayer for the unity of the Jewish people and redemption for the world. Through Jewish unity we can unite the world in peace and harmony for all Jews and Gentiles alike.
When we take time this year to look deeper into others’ hearts, we can find good and make things better. Through unity of spirit we begin to gain unity of our world.
Let us take this time for all in the community of Wildwood to unite in spirit and build something great for all to take pleasure in.
As we approach the (hourly) darkest time of the year, let the lights of our Menorah be a light of friendship to all who enter our community. Through this unity we can rekindle the flames in all our hearts and truly help bring peace to all mankind.
Chag Sameach.
Caption: Rabbi Lipschultz is the Rabbi of Beth Judah Temple in Wildwood. He can be reached at dvjewish@rof.net.