Hanukah: Rededication to Higher Standards of Living
A Hanukah reflection from Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal of Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta.
The most popular story of Hanukah has to be the tale of the oil. When the Maccabees entered the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to rededicate it after the war with the Syrian-Greeks, they found all the oil containers opened, rendering them unusable in the temple service. Miraculously, they found one flask sealed enough for one night’s burning. That oil lasted for eight nights and thus set forth the length of our holiday celebration. This is the Hanukah story that I grew up with.The purity of the oil always puzzled me. Why did it have to be pure? Didn’t the open oil burn just as brightly as the unopened oil? Of course it did! Why not just use the ‘defiled’ oil until more oil was made? Did God really care? These were the questions I had as a child. As I grew older, I realized that God does care. However, I don’t believe that God cares for God’s self, but God cares for us.We human beings have an amazing capacity to adapt. It’s evident as we look at the myriad of places, climates and conditions that our species lives in. However, that adaptation sometimes allows for our standards to slip. As our planet feels the pressure of our abuse, we adapt and often forget what it used to be like before the stress on the ecosystem. Worse than our forgetfulness, many of us sit idly by as threat looms over our globe due to man-made climate change. We have become additionally complacent as we look upon others living under horrific conditions.Hanukah reminds us to dedicate ourselves back to a standard that is high and holy. It’s within our power to do this. We can choose what kind of vehicle we will drive. We can choose what type of light bulbs we use to illuminate our homes. We can choose what kind of food we will eat based on the method of growing, cultivating and harvesting. We can become active in the ‘conversation’ about international food policies. We can raise up our voices when we learn about people in far-off places without potable water and food. We have the power to dedicate ourselves to a world that is once again holy, pure and sacred.Chag Chanukah sameach!
The most popular story of Hanukah has to be the tale of the oil. When the Maccabees entered the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to rededicate it after the war with the Syrian-Greeks, they found all the oil containers opened, rendering them unusable in the temple service. Miraculously, they found one flask sealed enough for one night’s burning. That oil lasted for eight nights and thus set forth the length of our holiday celebration. This is the Hanukah story that I grew up with.The purity of the oil always puzzled me. Why did it have to be pure? Didn’t the open oil burn just as brightly as the unopened oil? Of course it did! Why not just use the ‘defiled’ oil until more oil was made? Did God really care? These were the questions I had as a child. As I grew older, I realized that God does care. However, I don’t believe that God cares for God’s self, but God cares for us.We human beings have an amazing capacity to adapt. It’s evident as we look at the myriad of places, climates and conditions that our species lives in. However, that adaptation sometimes allows for our standards to slip. As our planet feels the pressure of our abuse, we adapt and often forget what it used to be like before the stress on the ecosystem. Worse than our forgetfulness, many of us sit idly by as threat looms over our globe due to man-made climate change. We have become additionally complacent as we look upon others living under horrific conditions.Hanukah reminds us to dedicate ourselves back to a standard that is high and holy. It’s within our power to do this. We can choose what kind of vehicle we will drive. We can choose what type of light bulbs we use to illuminate our homes. We can choose what kind of food we will eat based on the method of growing, cultivating and harvesting. We can become active in the ‘conversation’ about international food policies. We can raise up our voices when we learn about people in far-off places without potable water and food. We have the power to dedicate ourselves to a world that is once again holy, pure and sacred.Chag Chanukah sameach!