Chanukah: An Ancient and Modern Holiday

What would you say about the following scenario? In 1967, the Israeli army captured Ramallah. Let's say that at that time there had been a holiday established on the Jewish calendar called Ramallah Reclamation Day. Then, in the process of the peace process, we gave Ramallah to the Palestinians. Would we still celebrate Ramallah Reclamation Day? I'm not sure what you would say, but I would say we would certainly not celebrate that day any longer. If the reason for the holiday has been reversed or overturned, then what is left to celebrate?

As a matter of fact, there were once many such holidays representing days of victory against the Greeks, the Romans and the Sadducees in the Second Temple period.  All of those  holidays were declared null and void when the victories were undone, except Hanukah. Why is Hanukah any different from all the other holidays? Hanukah reminds us a victory over the Greek Syrians. This victory was later reversed by the demise and corruption of the Hasmonian dynasty and the eventual takeover of the Romans, culminating in the destruction of the very Holy Temple whose restoration Hanukah commemorates. Why do we still celebrate Hanukah after its victory proved to be moot?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch wrote that the miracle of Hanukah is the last in a chain of miracles G-d did for us as a people to serve for us as an illumination of the travails of Diaspora. In other words, it is the memory of this last of the miracles of Biblical proportions which has served as a reminder of G-d's presence in history.

The Gherer Rebbe, in his work, the Sefas Emes, asks why we say that "G-d did miracles for us in those days at this time" (or, 'and in our days'). He quotes Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev who writes that the miracle of Hanukah still illuminates today, 'at this time, bazman hazeh.' The illumination of Hanukah is mysteriously trapped in the time of Hanukah and therefore the miracles are still with us today at the time of Hanukah. Hanukah has been preserved because it has its own magical way of coming back into consciousness each year. When we celebrate Hanukah it brings the magical and the miraculous back into Judaism.

The Gherer Rebbe goes on to say that as we look at the candles, the candles help restore our memory. The purpose of the Greek Syrians was, as we say in the prayers, "le-hashkicham toratecha," to make us forget the Torah. Our purpose in celebrating Hanukah is to remember the Torah, remember what was. During the times of Hanukah we read in Shul of the butler who "forgot" Joseph. This again reminds us not to forget. We cannot forget that we have had many obstacles in the past to our independence, to our access to our holiest city, Jerusalem, but in the end, the miraculous tendency of the Jewish people always prevails.

At this very difficult time in Jewish history, when after 52 years of the existence of the state of Israel, our enemies still question our right to exist, the message of Hanukah is particularly poignant. It reminds us that no matter how dark our times are, they will yet be lit by the light of the Torah which miraculously keeps glowing. No matter how little hope seems to remain, G-d always has a greater plan for us. Why do we still celebrate this ancient victory, long since overturned? Because Hanukah has long lit the way on our path of hope. Hanukah embedded forever more within Jewish history the sense that anything is possible, that for us the miraculous is to normative, and that our future has in store yet more miracles which we pray for speedily and in our day.