Reflections on Chanukah

Reflections on Chanukah by Peter Beyfus

In Isaac Asimov’s short story entitled ‘Nightfall’, he postulates what would happen to
humanity in the absence of sunlight; in short we would all go mad! Darkness still holds a
grip on our imagination, no matter how old we are, evoking primeval fears of being
vulnerable. This theme of vulnerability is taken up by John Wyndham in ‘The Day of the
Triffids’, where unsighted people are helpless and increasingly fall victim to the scourge of
intelligent carnivorous plants. It is hardly surprising that so many world religions regard
light as a powerful symbol, embodying hope, joy and life. Diwali, the Hindu festival,
celebrates the triumph of good over evil; Christmas lights symbolise the birth of Jesus,
“The Light of the World”; Ramadan, the month of fasting for Moslems, is marked by
illuminating homes, streets and mosques; Bodhi Day, commemorates the day the Buddha
attained enlightenment, and Loi Krathong and Yi Peng, Buddhist festivals observed in
Thailand, Burma and Laos is a dazzling sight where rafts of lighted candles are floated on
rivers and hundreds of paper lanterns are released into the sky. And, finally, we have our
very own festival of lights, Chanukah.
Although Chanukah is regarded as a minor festival and does not appear in the Tanach it
has over the years assumed an importance that would have surprised the compilers of the
Talmud. Every festival has its own detailed tractate in the Talmud but not Chanukah; there
is a sprinkling of references in those part of the Talmud that deal with Shabbat and those
discussions centre on candles! In fact, less than 4 pages in rabbinic literature is dedicated
to Chanukah.
The origins of Chanukah are found in what theologians call the 400 years intertestamental
period, literally between the Old and New Testaments. The festival is mentioned in The
Apocrypha, specifically the ‘Books of the Maccabees’, non-canonical works and therefore
lacking the authority of Torah, and yet this wonderful festival seems so heimishe! The
theme of the ‘Books of Maccabees’ (four in number) is the struggle against cultural
absorption by the Seleucid Greeks under Antiochus IV Epiphanes . The revolt against the
Greeks who had defiled the Temple was ably led by Judas Maccabaeus, and we all know
the inspirational story of the cleansing and rededication of the Temple to Hashem, who
worked the miracle of the cruse of oil that would have lit the Temple menorah for just one
day but lasted for eight. The Talmudic rabbis tended to play down the military aspect of the
Hasmonean defeat of the Syrian Greeks, replacing spears with candles, and placing
greater emphasis on Jewish faith and the miracle of the oil. Also by giving the festival a
biblical makeover, concocting a festival lectionary in which the prophecy of Zechariah was
chosen for the haftarah: “Not by might, nor by power, but only by My Spirit, says God
Almighty”.
After the atrocities of 7 October 2023 many Jews around the world saw Chanukah literally
in a different light, from a joyous celebration at the end of the year, to one that signalled
resistance to barbarism; for the families of those taken hostage by Hamas, two Chanukahs
without loved ones, would not have been a time of brightness but one of apprehension and
foreboding. But before the terrible event of 2023, Chanukah, had since the Middle Ages,
perceptibly morphed into the Jewish equivalent of Christmas, but with obvious exceptions.

Before the emancipation of German Jews between the years 1812-1871, the influence of
Christian festivals would have been minimised; and certainly, in the Russian Empire where

Jews had to wait until 1917 before full emancipation, keeping Christian influence out of
Judaism would have been easier, particularly for those living in the shtetl. Jews are now
part of the greater society, entering professions, establishing close relations with
Christians, and so, inevitably, they faced the popularity of Christmas, among both believers
and secularists. Rabbis speak out about blurring traditions, arguing forcefully from the
bimah, Chanukah is for Jews, Christmas for Christians; but as we all know people make
up their own minds about such issues. On a lighter note, there is not one year that goes by
when a debate breaks out about the order of placing the candles and lighting candles in
the chanukiah. But perhaps that is no bad thing if it encourages people to read up on the
significance and practices of this truly joyous festival.
The candles visible to the outside world during the festival proclaim all that needs to be
said: light banishes darkness; and we the Jewish People are still here after so many trials
and tribulations, including bitter struggles against assimilation, an age-old kulturkampf.
Most modern Jews accept integration is important, thus enabling contributions to the
bigger society; but assimilation, where cultural identity is lost, is not an option; and, that
arguably, is the greatest challenge facing diaspora Jewry today. Will Chanukah ever be the
same again? Have recent events given grist to a more assertive Judaism? Only time will
tell.