The Festival of Chanukkah celebrates a historic moment of dedication – or rather, of re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees, following a successful revolt against the Syrian Greeks in 164 BCE. The fighting was still ongoing as they proceeded to clear out the Temple, remove the idols and re-kindle the Temple Menorah. We retell the story every year, recounting the struggle and the unlikely victory that allowed our ancestors to thrive as Jews in our land once again – a powerful and inspiring story.
While the most well-known explanation for the 8 days of Chanukkah comes from the Talmudic story of the cruse of oil, the Book of Maccabees offers us a different reason for the duration of the Festival: the Maccabees had spent a long time in their hideouts and caves as they waged war against the Greeks, and they missed out on many of the celebrations that formed a big part of their Jewish identity. The most recent (and beloved) Festival they missed was Sukkot (which lasts 7 days plus one more – 8 days in total!). Not only that, when the First Temple was built in Jerusalem by King Solomon, the dedication was celebrated over the course of the Festival of Sukkot! I suppose they could have waited until the following year, but their desire to restore the Jewish rights and customs was so strong that they created a brand new Festival of re-dedication!
It struck me that this is the year when we all can feel a little bit like the Maccabees – we have missed out on so much of the joy of communal gathering and Jewish rituals and celebrations over the last year and a half, hunkered down in our homes, grateful for the technology that has allowed us to maintain at least some form of our community. Having reentered the sanctuary just a few weeks ago, we are giddy with the excitement of being together again. Just like the Maccabees, though, we don’t get to relax just yet – the pandemic is still here, and while the infection rates are a little better than they were, we are not yet able to breathe a sigh of relief, and have to be careful as we cautiously begin to return to our traditional ways.
The Maccabees were very much the traditionalists of their time, yet they were also able to adjust to the realities of modernity, and used their Jewish creativity, too. They gifted us with Chanukkah, a most beloved Jewish Festival, that offers us light in the time of darkness; that lifts our spirits and fills our hearts with joy. And so, this year we will once again come together in our sanctuary and celebrate Chanukah, complete with candles and the TE band! There will be numerous precautions, including masks and distancing. We will not gather all our chanukkiot in the middle, but instead will spread the light all across the building – Sanctuary, Kiddish Lounge and the Social Hall! Last but not least, we will not be able to hold our wonderful Chanukkah dinner the way we have always done – but our wonderful volunteers are working on some exciting ideas, so watch the Shofar blast in the next few weeks! We will adjust to the new realities, and of course, we will make sure that those who are not able to make it in person can celebrate with their TE community – by bringing their chanukkiot to Zoom and joining the community virtually.
I cannot wait to celebrate this Festival of Lights with all of you!