Hanukkah--Part III (dedication definition)

Hanukkah is a commemoration of the second temple destruction. It is a celebration of the miracle of the long-lasting oil. It is a dedication to the temple.

One night of oil was not enough for the Judeans to make more oil. Eight days was. In this way, Hanukkah is also about preparation.

Frankly this is too big a scale for me to grasp. I don’t understand the magnitude of having to re-dedicate the holy of holies after winning an underdog battle against the fierce Antiochus IV and his soldiers. Whew, it’s overwhelming just in writing.

I do understand dedication though. I have just recently moved, again, for the tenth time in as many years. In each of these moves I have been able to rededicate my place (just because the physical location is different and they’ve all been apartments, the link is they are my home). I get to go through the process of unpacking my belongings and re-evaluating their importance in my life. I get to hang my mezuzzot. And when I put my dishes away, I am conscious and conscientious of kashrut. As I hang a chaotic collage of pictures I am aware of where I have been and remind myself of where I want to be.

Eight days may not be long enough for me to prepare for the next stage, for the full rededication, but it is a good start and it affords the time to think. What is the next step? How do I prepare for it? How do I spend this transition time? For this last one, I take notice of what the Judeans did. Rather than saying there was not enough oil to last through the making of oil and either giving up or working in the dark, they went for it. They did not put on hold the “now” for the “later”. Nor did they paralyze themselves with fear. They forged ahead.
So too will I. I will continue to lead my life as desired with the knowledge that I am preparing and forging ahead.

Hanukkah--Part II (dreidels and miracles)

And the dreidel/gambling conversation continues...

The gambling idea came about during the time of the Greeks. Jews were thought to be lazy and nothing but gamblers so this became a way to fool the soldiers. Since Jews were forbidden to come together and study or pray but somehow gambling was acceptable, that is what they did. When the guards weren’t paying attention, our ancestors could study Torah. The game was an immediate cover. Sometime during the medieval period the dreidel was introduced. At some point it overtook other game forms during Hanukkah and today remains an icon for the festival.

This is idea is uncertain and came about after the fact and still holds controversy.

Regardless of the origin, it’s mnemonic device stands for “A great miracle happened there (here)”. Every time the dreidel is touched, the players are reminded of the events which gave way to holiday. A time of perseverance and of hope and of victory. I guess I also wonder if during the miracle, those involved know it was so. What I mean is that I can’t imagine the Macabees coming to the Temple, finding the one jar of oil, burning it for the night and when it didn’t go out on the second day, exclaiming “it must be a miracle”. Perhaps they did cheer and sigh in relief and wonder. Perhaps by the fourth night they began to get suspicious. And maybe by the eighth night they were simply dumbfounded.

But a miracle? They just suffered the destruction of the holiest places they knew and some oil burning longer than expected would elicit the response of miracle? This could be the cynic in me talking or it could be the cliché regarding the clarity of hindsight. I actually like to think that they weren’t really aware of what was in front of them. I am then able to look at my life and the lives of those around me and wonder if this too is a miracle. I contrast this idea of miracle with the parting of the Red Sea. I tend to believe (if we keep with the literal assessment that it parted a la “The Ten Commandments”, I’ll debate that at another time, perhaps around Pesach) that the observers of the parting recognized the miracle immediately. The thing is, we still celebrate both today.

The little miracles are as entrenched in our history as the big ones. I find this thought to give great comfort in my life and I am able to find appreciation in the most minute things when viewed this way.

There is much to say on this part of Hanukkah and there have been many more people to have said it first. I found the following sites particularly interesting for various reasons:
For an explanation on why gambling is encouraged during Hanukkah even though the rest of the year it's frowned upon, see this post from hagshama.
Chabad (again I'll save my personal opinions for another time; they have a great website as usual though) has some insight with Kabbalah and Gematria here.

Hanukkah--Part I

It’s Hanukkah! [after consulting with many sources and rabbis, I have come to the conclusion that the presented spelling is the most appropriate].

What does that mean? It’s Hanukkah. It’s America. Those two together usually mean that Christmas is not far behind and that Hallmark and other corporate entities capitalize on the proximity of the two holidays. For all the fuss though, Hanukkah is actually considered minor holiday in Judaism. Minor vs major is usually separated by the level of work restrictions; there are no restrictions for this one. Greeting cards specifically for Hanukkah are almost becoming commonplace. Even Wal-mart and Safeway (and their cousin stores) sell Hanukkiot and the appropriate 45/pk of candles in traditional blue/white design. Gelt and latkes mix stocks the shelves in the kosher section of the grocery.

I find that the commercialization of these “Eight crazy nights” some how trivializes them. The games associated with the celebration as so much more than gambling. The foods so much more than tasty. The blessings so much more than words. The days so much than a celebration.

Eight parts for eight nights? We’ll see.