Celebrate the lights of Jerusalem

DVORA WAYSMAN

It is a well-known joke that all the Jewish festivals can be summarized in three sentences: "They tried to kill us. We won. Let's eat."

Chanukah does seem to fall into this category. The Maccabees, led initially by Mattityahu and later his son Judah, triumph over the Greek Syrians, led by Antiochus Epiphanes. But the Jews of that time were divided into two camps – the Hellenists, who admired Greek culture, and a second group led by the brothers Maccabee, who upheld traditional Jewish values.

As we know, despite the defilement of the Temple by the Greeks and the attempt to make them bow down to idols, Judaism won and survived. And "let's eat" is especially relevant to Chanukah, with all manner of delicious fried foods like latkes, symbolizing the one cruse of oil that miraculously lasted eight days.

Chanukah, perhaps Judaism's happiest festival, takes on a special dimension in Jerusalem. At sunset, chanukiyot (the eight-branched candelabra with its extra "shamash" for lighting the candles) sit on almost every windowsill or balcony, proclaiming the miracle. As you walk along the streets, you can hear voices singing "Maoz Tsur" ("Rock of Ages") very robustly, from childish soprano to deep baritone.

Visible all over Jerusalem is a giant menorah atop the Knesset, while others illuminate the tops of public buildings and water towers. In my local supermarket, in Beit Hakerem, all business stops at candlelighting time and customers and staff kindle the lights and sing together. Everyone receives a free sufganiya - a wonderful, very fattening jam-filled doughnut.

This holiday is popular with the secular and religious alike. The charming candlelighting ritual, the rich fried foods, the games with the dreidel and the gift-giving are customs in which everyone can share.

From an historical point of view, we are celebrating the victory of the few over the many. Judah the Maccabee led a revolt against the Hellenistic Syrians who occupied the land around 165 BCE, and the Israelites were victorious. The Chanukah miracle occurred on 25 Kislev, the day that the Greeks profaned the Temple and the Maccabees then cleansed it. They searched for sanctified oil to celebrate the victory for eight days, but they found only one flask with the seal of the high priest – enough to last for just one day. Miraculously, it lasted for eight days. (Shabbat 21 b)

The story of the Maccabees is not in the Bible. It is told in the Books of the Maccabees in the Apocrypha, a collection of ancient Jewish books not included in the 24 that make up the Hebrew Bible.

An interesting law evolved from the struggle. During the rebellion against King Antiochus, the Jews would not fight on Shabbat. The Greek armies went into the hills on Shabbat, found where the Jews were hiding, and killed them. The Maccabees then made a new law permitting Jews to fight on Shabbat in order to save their lives: "Let us break one Shabbat now," they declared, "so that we may fulfil many in the future."

The aim of the Maccabees was to preserve their Jewish identity, as Antiochus tried to force Jews to abandon their faith and assimilate into Greek society. He ordered his generals to put to death Jews who were found observing their laws and rituals and to force them to violate Sabbath and bow down to Greek gods.

Chanukah, however, possesses broad human significance and is far more than just a Jewish national celebration. It is the first serious attempt in history to proclaim and champion the principle of religio-cultural diversity in the nation. It is a festival of liberty, celebrating the right to freedom of all peoples.

We celebrate Chanukah as a magic potpourri of light and song, dreidels, latkes and Chanukah gelt. But its miracle is not only the supernatural one of the flask of oil: it is the passion inside man, which transcends the momentary and the opportune. With light as its symbol, the real miracle is that the light in the Jewish soul is never extinguished.

Dvora Waysman, formerly of Melbourne, Australia, lives in Jerusalem. She is the author of nine books, including The Pomegranate Pendant, Woman of Jerusalem and Esther – A Jerusalem Love Story. She can be reached at [email protected].

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