The supernatural courage of light - Hanukah 2024/5784.
What seems impossible, against all odds and precedent, downright unreasonable, is precisely what this faith points to - as what must be our goal. That's no coincidence... and where courage comes in.
It’s Hanukah.
About this time a year ago, a picture was making the rounds: one candle in a menorah on a windowsill. The first day of Hanukah. Except this Menorah was found in the ashes of one of the villages attacked on October 7th, and the windowsill belonged to the ruins of a burnt-out house in that village.
The message, broadcast to the world, including Hamas and its ilk, but also Jews and Israelis themselves? Nope. Sorry. Still here. Can’t end us so easily. No more going quietly into the night. We’ll start over, right here where we were. One candle, then another, and the next. And before you know it, it’ll all be right back, stronger, better, more beautiful than before. One little bit of light at a time. You’ll see.
Hanukah celebrates the Maccabees’ victory over the Hellenistic Seleucid empire, which tried to wipe out Jewish religion and culture, replacing it with its own (starting with emperor-worship). Starting with just one guy standing up, and saying, no – this far and no further. I will not go along. I will stand, and fight, for what is right. He might have said, fight, fight, fight!
As they say, one light dispels a lot of darkness… but does it? There’s a whole lot of darkness out there, have you noticed? Is one light enough? One man, one hero? One Maccabee, standing up and thereby risking his life? Or does it take more, and more?
The first light teaches the courage of standing up, and standing out, first – when no one else will. Of being different, of risking everything, because it's right.
But the second light is no less important. Because one light isn’t enough; it must be joined by others. And standing up next to the one crazy guy also takes courage. Maybe not less, because now everyone's looking, and the pressure to sit back down and shut back up is truly on. But the one guy probably can’t do it all by himself – he may be a hero, he may be driven by supernatural spiritual impulse, but he’s only human. Even if he drives back the darkness, you can bet that darkness isn’t about to just give up. So if the first Maccabee is to have any chance to change anything – there must be others. That means you, buddy.
One by one, each candle teaches that courage is contagious, and light lights light which lights more light. And now don’t you feel like standing and joining in the singing.
But why the candle metaphor? When the Maccabees brought The Temple back online from Seleucid desecrations, one day’s supply of consecrated oil burned miraculously for 8 days, until more could be procured – the visible sign of God’s involvement in the Maccabean victory, which became the holiday’s symbol: the Hanukah menorah. ‘Hanukah’ also means ‘dedication’, as in ‘of the Temple’.
Like in that picture, we start with one light, adding another every night. But why? Why not light a full menorah for 8 days – per the actual miracle in the Temple?
Or, we could start with a fully lit menorah, removing one candle each day… that would make sense, actually: as the oil burns, less and less remains each day… and fewer days remain in the holiday. Can you imagine, how perfectly depressing? ...but also, it would be the more natural way. That, was the position of the house of Shammai. But the house of Hillel said, no, that’s crazy. Always, increase light, and joy! Start with one candle, folks, and end with many! Spoiler: Hillel won out (as usual).
See, Judaism is not a natural religion. Jewish monotheism, and the Christian version born of it, are not even merely counternatural, but outright supernatural, calling us to exceed the natural and its apparent limitations, to rise above, transcend what is, and always reach for the ought beyond it. To constantly push ourselves, and the world, towards how things ought to be.
God, see, created this whole ‘nature’ thing. Which implies He is outside and above nature. And He, not nature, points the way for us.
That’s how, in a world where nature says the strong survive, you get a culture that values the old, for the wisdom they hold even though their bodies are past their peak; one that protects the weak, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger – even though they may seem to cost society more than they contribute; one that says, we are all created equal, and our life has infinite value, when before nature we most definitely are not all equipped equally. This is how you get a society where there are limits even on the wealth and power of the king, and where murder, rape, adultery, and theft are all forbidden, despite the very natural instinct that says, if I can take it, why shouldn’t I? Why shouldn’t the strong do as they please, and the weak bear the consequences at they may? This was once the guiding principle in Athens – see “Melos”. Or, see Nietzsche, and the cataclysmic consequences of his teachings on the morality of the strong.
Reaching beyond the natural is how you get a faith that teaches, no – your current circumstances need not define you. What you’ve been told about what you can and cannot do need not define your limits. What should be out of your reach… maybe, just maybe, isn’t – if we set the bar high enough!
And this is how you get seemingly impossible historical miracles – or more properly, seemingly counter-historical miracles, of the few defeating the many, the weak defeating the powerful, and a righteous cause defeating apparently impossible odds. David against Goliath. The Maccabees against the Seleucids. The 13 colonies against the British Empire. And, against all odds and accepted rules of History, the rebirth and continued survival of modern Israel.
So yeah, no. Not gonna sit down.
Never tell me the odds.
And God help us all.