Hanukkah lights the way in a world of hate | Opinion
Jewish holiday Hanukkah background with menorah and colorful lighting candles. Rabbi Michael Lewis describes how Hanukkah can light a better path in a world full of hate.This week, Jews will begin kindling the lights of Hanukkah at the darkest time of the year. In a world of increasing hate against Jews and many other communities, the story of Hanukkah provides an important lesson.
There were two major ways in which Jews responded to this persecution. One group of people, feeling great discomfort, tried their best to fit in, giving up their Jewish identity in the process. One high priest, embraced by King Antiochus IV, turned the temple in Jerusalem into a site for worshipping the Greek gods. He brought in pigs for sacrifices, defiling the temple according to Jewish law.
In the aftermath of this period, Jews and Jewish culture thrived for two centuries. It is likely around this time that the Hebrew Bible was canonized and we know of two great houses of study — led by Hillel and Shammai — that formed the foundation for rabbinic Jewish laws and ideas. For any of us who are the target of hate, the story of Hanukkah reminds us that we have two ways to respond. The first, and often easier route, is to fear the consequences of that hate and hide one’s identity. In the Jewish community, this might look like people who removefrom their doors, fearing they would be targeted as Jews, or stop wearing obvious Jewish markers likeor Jewish stars in public places.
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