Ceremony and Celebration Family Edition, The Hagim, Hanukka, The Seventh Night, Educational Companion to the Questions
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THE LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT NEVER DIES
The Maccabees had faith in God, and in the righteousness of their mission, and in their ability to achieve it (with the help of God). They had hope that they would be able to defeat the Greeks and re-institute the Temple service and sovereignty in Jerusalem. They demonstrated this by searching for the purified oil despite the improbability of finding any. The very act of searching for the oil amongst the destruction in the Beit HaMikdash demonstrated their faith in the future.
Despair is a natural response to tragedy and adversity. The Maccabees had every reason to despair. Their deep faith in themselves, in the future, and in God, was heroic and inspiring, and according to Rabbi Sacks it was miraculous because it was also so unlikely and took deep courage.
There are many reasons to despair in the face of the adversities before us today. Having faith in the future is always miraculous, but at the same time, it is something we can aspire to.
FROM THE THOUGHT OF RABBI SACKS
These things represent the courage of Jewish faith in the future. That we have returned to Jerusalem and it is now thriving, after thousands of years of exile and desolation, is reason to be in awe of the Jewish people. Jews investing in the future by getting married, raising families, and educating their children in their homes and schools left Rabbi Sacks feeling in awe of their courage and faith.
The faith in the future represented by these things is the same faith and courage seen in the Ḥanukka story, both when the Maccabees fought against a far superior army, against the odds, and when they searched for pure oil in Jerusalem. They, too, demonstrated courage and faith in the future.
IT ONCE HAPPENED…
When the core values of your very existence are threatened, extreme measures are called for. Mattityahu was a spiritual leader at this time, and he had to take a stand to save Judaism and the Jewish people. His role model in the Torah was Pinḥas, who took a similar stand in the face of immorality.
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