Rabbi’s Corner – The Day After Channukah Edition

Dear Friends,
On Channukah we celebrate the miracle of the Menorah and military victory with the lighting of our own Channukiah and special prayers of Hallel. The Maccabees successfully defeated the Greeks and reclaimed control over our sacred temple, and all is right with the world, no? Hardly.

The sages report that far from the Great Religious Society, life under the Hasmonaim was fraught with institutional corruption and fractious sectarianism. In the end, the second Temple was eventually destroyed and the sages report that anyone who claimed to be a descendent of the Hasmoneans is actually a slave.

Faster than you can hang a “Mission Accomplished” banner, the harsh reality set in that winning a battle and maintaining that victory are two entirely different tasks. It’s easier to fight when faced with a clear enemy and specific goals, and we’re motivated with the adrenaline rush of impending doom. Similarly, it is much easier to feel spiritually connected during the eight nights of candles, but the true measure of our religious commitment is what happens when the music ends and the lights go out?

As a people we have a long history of surviving adversity, but a much more checkered past of sustaining our victory. The former only requires a relatively brief moment of sustained focus, whereas the latter requires true endurance of spirit. I do not believe it is coincidence that Channukah is the last holiday enacted by the Sages for its message is eternal. We know how to celebrate the big victories, but we still must earn the right to celebrate the small ones.

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Josh Yuter