What are you dedicated to?
Hanukah is a special time.
For most of us, we only get part of the story behind Hanukah. It is a mix of celebrating a victory over oppression, particular identity over assimilation, an opportunity to celebrate the Sukkot holiday that had been earlier denied. And of course, let’s not forget Hanukah is the miracle of light when the purified oil miraculously lasted eight days until the new holy oil was available.
And with all of this part of the Hanukah story, we relegate it to “minor” status and often criticize those who make a big deal of the holiday as though it was something truly important- like Shavuot for example. I come down on the side that embracing Judaism is a good thing- whether it is done for a major or minor holiday seems less important. It is up to us to find meaning and to infuse our traditions and rituals with the things that help all of us resonate with them.
Mordecai Kaplan is quoted in Siddur Lev Shalem from his work, Meaning of God in Modern Jewish Religion, that the Jewish Religion imbued our rituals with such “universal, ethical, and spiritual significance that the issue involved was felt to be not only the saving of the Jewish people but the saving of all that made life worth living.” Kaplan was referencing the historical challenges of the various conquerors in our history. But the Al Hanissim prayer acknowledges a certain timelessness; The prayer ends “Bayamim hahem, uvazman hazeh,” “in those days and in THIS time.”
This year we are on the other side of the Winter Solstice. In other words, the darkest days are behind us and every day brings increasing light. We can only hope that this is true in all ways to interpret this. But it is up to us to determine what is important and worth fighting for. At the time of celebrating the re-dedication of the Holy Temple, to what is it that we are prepared to rededicate ourselves?
Chag Urim Sameach and Shabbat Shalom