In my experience, the most important part of Judaism is the calendar. Not the physical calendar but the metaphysical calendar where the living of life and the decisions we make are put into a totally different framework. And in the cycle of the year we are constantly challenged to understand ourselves, our community and the world in a way that is rooted in the past but still vibrantly meaningful for the future.
Chanukah, a minor Jewish holiday that is part of the deification of consumerism of in the American ”Holiday Shopping Season,” offers an opportunity for religious reflection where the trivial can be enriched and made holy. As part of my series of letters, posted on the website of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), I recently looked at Chanukah, and my work for refugees and immigrants, with fresh eyes to see The Challenge to be Today’s Macabees.
Taking Chanukah seriously, rather than defensively as something “just as good as Christmas,” we have the chance to question what, in the struggle for social justice, gives us the power to win. As the prophet Zachariah declared, “Not by Might and Not by Power, but by My Spirit (4:6) — it matters what we fighting for, but also that we keep up the fight, even in the face of long odds. Wrestling with the text of the Book of Maccabees, and the story of Chanukah, can give us answers and inspiration to continue the struggle.
You should write about Iraqi refugees.
Comment by Hasan — January 2, 2009 @ 8:04 pm
Hasan -
Good suggestion. The Iraqi refugee situation will definitely be a key issue for the United States over the next few years. Follow this link http://www.hias.org/files/u1/passages_summer07.pdf to see a commentary (on page 2 and continued on page 7)that I wrote linking the lessons of the Anne Frank case during the Holocaust to today’s challenge to assist Iraqi refugees.
Comment by Gideon — January 2, 2009 @ 8:46 pm