Chanukah at Queen’s Park
Two weeks ago, I went to Queen’s Park to lobby with CIJA on behalf of Jewish Ontarians. I spent the afternoon in a series of small group meetings with the Premier and seven MPPs – Conservative, Liberal, and NDP. Yesterday, I returned to Queen’s Park at the invitation of MPP Smyth, in whose riding Holy Blossom Temple resides. These are the words I shared with the many MPPs, government staff, and guests who gathered for a pre-Chanukah Party.
What is the miracle of Chanukah?
Ask, and you’ll hear something like the following…. In the 2nd century BCE, Before the Common Era, the Assyrian Greeks took hold of the Land of Israel and denied the religious freedoms of the Jews who lived there. They desecrated the Temple that stood in Jerusalem by setting up altars and offering sacrifices to their many gods there.
The Maccabean Revolt to drive out the foreign occupying power took seven years. In the year 164 BCE, the Maccabees took back Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple. The word “Chanukah” means “dedication.” At this season, we remember our ancestors’ dedication to religious and cultural identity, and we rededicate ourselves to do the same.
All this we know to be historically true – thanks to reams of written and archeological evidence. But it wouldn’t be a holiday without additional layers of legend and faith, mystery and miracles. According to the ancient Rabbis…. THE MIRACLE of Chanukah was that when the Maccabees went to relight the oil lamp of Jerusalem’s Temple, they found only one vile of ritually pure oil, only enough to burn for one day. It would take a week to press and prepare more of the pure oil fit for ritual purposes. But miracle of miracles, that one sealed vile of oil lasted for eight days, when it was only enough for one day.
So the question comes…. Why do we celebrate Chanukah for eight days? If they knew there was enough oil for one day, that first light wasn’t miraculous at all. So why not celebrate only the seven “miraculous” days? Why do we recite the blessing for miracles (she’asah nisim) on the first night of Chanukah? What was the miracle of the first twenty-four hours?
Ask and you’ll hear one hundred different answers. Literally. In the Middle Ages, an anthology of one hundred answers to this question was compiled. What was the miracle of the first day? Let’s name just three out of the one hundred possible answers.
- A religious answer — Perhaps the miracle of the first day was that the Temple was rededicated and sanctified, that after a time of fear and erasure, freedom of religious expression was reclaimed and restored.
- A military answer — Perhaps the miracle of the first day was that the few bands of Maccabee-soldiers defeated the great and mighty Assyrian-Greek Army that ruled far and wide.
- An answer about the human capacity for imagination and hope — Perhaps the miracle of the first day was simply that the Maccabees lit the lamp at all. They didn’t have enough oil to last more than a day, but they lit it anyway. Maybe that’s the miracle. Call it hope, call it faith, call it determination or perseverance. The Maccabees remind us that we can use our human courage and commitment to open the door for a miracle to take hold. Through our own hard-work and dedication, we can set the stage for something miraculous to emerge. We human beings of flesh and blood can begin the work, we can take the first steps, and then God can complete the miracle. This is what the first night’s candle comes to teach us.
Dear Friends, Colleagues and Congregants, Honoured Leadership, and Elected Officials of the Province,
This is a joyful holiday season, but I would be remiss if I didn’t name the moment. You know this is a fearful time for Jewish citizens of Ontario. We, in the Jewish communities of this province and across the country, know all too well that we cannot confront or combat antisemitism alone, because it is not a Jewish problem. It is a Canadian problem that can only be solved by a multi-faceted and well-coordinated effort by every level of government.
We are grateful for the security grants and police protections that have been arranged. We wish they weren’t so necessary, but they are. Believe me when I tell you, we do not wish to build our synagogues and schools and community centres into fortresses. We want the religious freedoms that are enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We don’t believe that is asking too much of this good country.
As we anticipate the arrival of many winter holidays of our many neighbours, let us remember the power of beginnings. As we anticipate the arrival of many Festivals of Lights to brighten the long dark nights of the season, let us celebrate the power that one little light has to dispel darkness.
May God bless your leadership. May God give you the insight to discern right from wrong and the courage to name it out loud. May we bless one another with good partnerships and creative collaborations, so that we may share in the responsibility of bringing greater light to the great diversity of communities that make Ontario their home.
I will conclude with the prayer we offer up each morning, a prayer for peace:
Grant us peace, Your most precious gift, O Eternal Source of Peace, and give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth. Bless our country, that it may ever be a stronghold of peace, and its advocate among the nations. May contentment reign within its borders, health and happiness within its homes. Strengthen the bonds of friendship among the inhabitants of all lands and may the love of Your name hallow every home and every heart. Praised are You, O God, who blesses all peoples with peace. Amen.
I wish you and your loved ones a season filled with civic courage and increasing light.
