THE FIRST CLASH OF CIVILISATIONS

The Greeks supremely valued the aesthetic – physical beauty and strength – rather than moral and spiritual beauty. They did not believe in a single, loving God, but rather in destiny, and they gave the world the concept of tragedy. They believed that it doesn’t matter how hard we strive and work to achieve our own goals; destiny determines our end. Life has no ultimate purpose. The universe neither knows nor cares that we are here. In stark contrast, Judaism believes we are here because God created us in love, and He acts in history for our benefit, and through this love we discover the meaning and purpose of life.

Judaism tells us that the world can and will become better than it is today (and gives us the responsibility of partnering with God in making this a reality). The concept of tikkun olam (redeeming or fixing the world) and the anticipation of a Messianic time that has not yet arrived gives humanity hope in the future.

The Ḥanukka lights are the symbol of the survival of the Jewish people and Jewish culture. They represent hope and faith in the future, because even when the situation looked impossibly bleak, the Maccabees refused to give up hope for the future, and fought to triumph over the darkness (and continued to look for the cruses of oil despite the fact that the chances of finding any were very small).

FROM THE THOUGHT OF RABBI SACKS

While the military victory was also very impressive, the real victory was the spiritual triumph. This spiritual victory that we celebrate, how the Jews refused to give in to the seduction of Greek culture, which was the antithesis of the Torah’s values, has had the longest-lasting impact on Jewish history. They fought to hold on to Torah values, and today, thousands of years later, while the ancient Greeks are long gone, the Jewish people continue to thrive.

Rabbi Sacks speaks of the clash of civilisations found in the Ḥanukka story. This passage demonstrates that the spiritual triumph of the Maccabees was everlasting. The Jewish people and Jewish civilisation have survived through the generations not by building armies, but by caring about the education of each generation.

IT ONCE HAPPENED…

Aspects of secular culture may have values that are antithetical to Jewish values contained in the Torah. Secular culture may also lead Jews astray from their own culture and the values of their religion. Rav Kook’s response was to show how the good in secular culture can enrich Jewish culture and Jewish thought.

ḤANUKKA QUIZ

1. Forty-four.

2. “Dedication.” (Bonus answer: “They rested on the twenty-fifth.”)

3. Hammer. This was the nickname of Yehuda, the leader of the revolt against the Greeks.

4. Antiochus Epiphanes.

5. Yehudit.

6. Ḥag Urim (Festival of Lights).

7. The military miracle, that the small Maccabee forces defeated the mighty Greek army, and the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days.

8. Modi’in.