Most people around me either think I'm crazy , or they just don't get it, but celebrating Chanukah with my family this year has been a blessing for us and I wanted to jot down some thoughts about why we did it and what I learned.
Jack learned about Chanukah in preschool and asked if we could "do Chanukah." I thought, "why not? Same God, right?"
Technically a Menorah had seven candles and was lit daily in the Temple. Since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the term Menorah has come to mean the nine candles associated with Chanukah. Eight of the candles are for the eight days of the miracle, and the ninth is the helper candle. The eight candles are set in a row, lest they be mistaken from a distance for one large torch, and the helper candle is distinguished by its position either higher or lower than the eight. The helper candle lights the others, which do no work - they are simply to be enjoyed. We made our Menorah from tea lights in a narrow glass holder, which I hoped would be more portable since we lit the menorah at five different houses in eight days!
Also as part of this adventure, we downloaded two contemporary Chanukah songs by the Maccabeats, an acapella group from Yeshiva University. One of the songs was "Miracle," a cover of a song by Matisyahu, a Chasidic reggae pop-star I had long admired. While the rest of Christendom was caroling "away in a manger," my family was belting out "I flip my latkes in the air sometimes!"
The first blessing I received was the reinforcement (recognition) of the continuity of the God revealed in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Yeah, yeah, Psalms ... Genesis ... David and Goliath. But the Festival of Lights celebrates the miracle of how one day's worth of oil lasted for the eight days it took to consecrate more. It celebrates the miracle of God's provision for God's people.
The Menorah is lit outside (ideally) or in a window because Isaiah challenges us to be a light unto the world. We light candles against the darkness because Zechariah reminds us that God's kingdom comes not by might but by God's spirit.
One of my favorite lines in "Miracle" is "I'm bound to stumble and fall, but my strength comes not from man at all." Keenly aware of my own shortcomings, I am encouraged by these words of God's steadfastness. Christians might have a different understanding of the person of God (in the Trinity), but not the nature of God or God's love for us.
The other blessing I received was affirmation for how important Christ is in my life. I've often thought that Protestants may have thrown the baby out with the bath water, so to speak, when we broke away from Catholicism. We generally lack ritual in any formal sense. I was drawn to the ritualism of Chanukah, the rules about where to light the Menorah, when to light the Menorah (at dusk, except on Friday, then just before dusk) and how to light the Menorah (adding a candle each night from right to left, but lighting them each night from left to right). Every mitzvah (instruction, requirement) had a reason, each designed to remind us of some aspect of our relationship with God.
Interestingly, the week before Chanukah began, Matisyahu (the reggae singer I mentioned) shaved his beard for the first time in ten years. In a public statement, he said that he had felt that the rigidness of Chasidic Judaism had been what kept him "right," and now he wanted to explore a different understanding of his divine mission and how God works in his life.
Perhaps similarly I realized that - for me - it was not enough to light the candles. When the miracle of the oil happened, the war wasn't over, but the Israelites were given time to stop, regroup, rededicate, and realize that they shouldn't have been winning at all. Chanukah gave me a chance to stop from the craziness of secular Christmas, the Advent season I'd kinda gotten used to over the years, and reflect. I reflected that Jews and Christians alike are awaiting the coming of the Messiah and God's kingdom. When I lit the candles, it was not enough just to be grateful for blessings, or grateful to some greater power. What is important to me is being grateful to the God who cares about each of us personally, and grateful for the steadfast love of God and the redemptive gift of Jesus Christ.
It wasn't the ritual that brought me closer to God, but the willingness to approach God differently, to see something new.
So, happy Chanukah and merry Christmas. Who's ready for Purim?
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