Whenever I have my first meeting with a Bnei Mitzvah
family, amongst the questions that I ask, I always like to find out what the
young person's favorite festival is. Often they will look a little bit
embarrassed and tentatively say Chanukah. I reassure them that there is nothing
wrong with that being their festival of choice, after all it does involve eight
nights of presents and an abundance of comical YouTube clips.
In the midst of the modern celebrations and after the
Rabbis' decision to focus on the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days, the
original meaning and story of the festival has been somewhat lost. Originally
the festival celebrated a miracle, but not of oil burning slowly, instead it
was the miracle of the Jewish resistance fighter's success against their Greek
rulers. The Jews took on, and defeated, the superpower of their day, in what
was a miraculous victory. The final success came with the rededication of the
Temple, which had been subverted and abused by the Greek occupiers.
The name Chanukah speaks to the festival's origins. The
Hebrew root behind the name is ח-נ-כ chet-nun-chaf,
which has a meaning related to dedication. The name was therefore a celebration
of the rededication of the Temple. On the festival we celebrate the rededication
of the Temple for its sacred purpose as the then center of Jewish life and
worship.
Living under foreign rule, the early Rabbis were worried
about a story which glorified revolution and rebellion, and so they shifted the
focus away from the military victory to one about the miraculous oil.
This Chanukah we will have a unique opportunity to
simultaneously celebrate both aspects of the festival. As we do each year we
will have a special Chanukah service on the Shabbat during the festival (this
year on December 14th). The sanctuary will be lit up as we light candles to
expel the darkness and remember the miracle of the oil lighting up the Temple.
But this year we will also have the chance to celebrate a dedication as we
dedicate our new Torah scroll.
As you should know we have been writing a Torah scroll as
part of our Etz Chaim 60th year celebrations. On December 2nd, as a community,
we will be finishing the writing of our Torah, and less than two weeks later we
will be dedicating it, as we welcome the Torah into it's new home, the Ark in
our Sanctuary. A new Torah scroll is something which is always worth
celebrating, but a Torah which has been written by members of our community is
extra special.
On Chanukah we celebrate the miracles of the military victory
and the oil lasting for eight days. This year we can add to the list the
miracle of a Torah scroll written by young and old, men and women, families and
individuals - a Torah which is the product of our community. Not simply because
of the money which paid for it, but because of every person who picked up the
quill and wrote their own letter in our Torah.
And if nothing else it is certainly an occasion and event
which is worth celebrating. We hope that you will join us in welcoming our new
Torah as part of our special Chanukah celebrations this year.
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