Chanukah celebrates our spiritual survival

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman

Rabbi Baruch Lederman

SAN DIEGO –There are two ways which our enemies seek to destroy us. The first is physical. The second spiritual. Purim is the annual celebration
of our physical survival. Hanukkah is the annual celebration of our spiritual survival over the many who would have liked to destroy us through cultural assimilation.

In 167 BCE the Syrian-Greek emperor, Antiochus, set out to destroy Judaism by imposing a ban on three Mitzvos: The Shabbos, The
Sanctifying of the New Month (establishing the first day of the month by testimony of witnesses who saw the new moon) and Bris Mila
(entering the Covenant of Abraham through Torah-ordained circumcision). The Shabbos signifies that G-d is the Creator and
Sustainer of the Universe and that His Torah is the blueprint of creation, meaning and values.

Sanctifying the New Month determines  the day of the Jewish holidays. Without it there would be chaos. For example, if Succos is the 15th of Tishrei, the day it occurs  depends upon which day is declared the first of Tishrei.

Bris Mila is a sign of our special covenant with the Almighty. All three  maintain our cultural integrity and were thus threats to the Greek culture.  Every Chanukah contains at a Shabbos, a Rosh Chodesh,
and is eight days long.

Matisyahu and his 5 sons, known as the Maccabees, started a revolt and three years later succeeded in evicting the oppressors.  The victory was a miracle — on the scale of Israel defeating the combined super-powers of today. Having regained control of the  Temple in Jerusalem, they wanted to immediately rededicate it. They needed ritually pure olive oil to re-light the Menorah in the  Temple. Only a single cruse of oil was found; enough to burn for just one day. However, they needed oil for eight days until new ritually pure olive oil could be produced. A miracle occurred and the oil burned for eight days.

Therefore, we light Hanukkah candles (or better yet, lamps with olive oil) for eight days. The tradition to eat latkes, potato pancakes,  is in memory of the miracle of the oil (latkes are fried in oil). In Israel, the tradition is to eat sufganiot, deep-fried jelly donuts. In times of  persecution when learning Torah was forbidden, Jews would learn anyway. When the soldiers would investigate, they would pull out
the dreidel and pretend that they were gambling [unlike kids today who put away their toys and pull out their books when the teacher  is watching].

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Rabbi Lederman is spiritual leader of Congregation Kehillas Torah.  He may be contacte at baruch.lederman@sdjewishworld.com