THE JEWISH NEWS

DECEMBER 7, 1990

A Toast
To Jewish Living

ft

Holiday's Meaning On The Move

By DR. RON WOLFSON

Dr. Ron Wolfson is director of
the Whizin Center and Institute for
Jewish Family Life at the University
of Judaism in Los Angeles and the
author of this month's To Our
Readers. For each issue of
L'Chayim, a rabbi, a Jewish
educator or other notable will
present an overview of the month's
theme.

What is Chanukah?
This simple question, "What is
Chanukah?, begins the Talmud's
brief discussion of Chanukah. For
those rabbinic sages in Babylonia
who were busy creating the future
of Judaism, the Judaism we now
practice, the question was not
rhetorical. It wasn't for pedagogic
purposes. Gathered in Babylonia,
some three or four hundred years
after the original event, the rabbis
had some serious questions about
the true meaning of a holiday which

`In Our Day And Age,
Chanukah Has Become
The Premier Public
Jewish Holiday, The One
Most Obviously
Celebrated, And The One
Whose Practical Meaning
Has Become The Most
Obscure:

was widely celebrated, but whose
central message was less than
clear.
For the rabbis the meaning and
purpose of Chanukah were indeed
in doubt; so was its authenticity.
Chanukah wasn't in the Torah; it
wasn't part of the Bible; it wasn't a
clear and obvious mitzvah
(commandment) from God. Instead,
Chanukah celebrated the political
and social independence of a
country which had long since been
destroyed. In many ways, it was

false pride and an inappropriate
reliance on the memories of military
victories past which led to its fall. It
made heroes of the Hasmonean
dynasty, a dynasty which after the
"Judah" generation turned into
some of the cruelest and most
hateful of all the Israelite kings.
Yet, Chanukah was something
which every Jew celebrated — it
was a very popular holiday. The
rabbis' challenge was to give this
common practice a viable meaning,
one which was worth holding on to
and celebrating.
Their solution was to center the
celebration of Chanukah on "the
miracle of the oil," an event which
involved God's invention and kept
the celebration's central focus far
away from the Maccabees and their
victories. It made Chanukah a
holiday which celebrates how God
helps us "when our own strength
fails us."
In our day and age, Chanukah
has become the premier public
Jewish holiday, the one most
obviously celebrated, and the one
whose practical meaning has
become the most obscure. More
than 1500 years in Christian society
had shifted Chanukah's meaning
and purpose. Chanukah had grown
and mutated, faced off against
Christmas, retreated, and then
reentered the struggle.
It is very clear to us that the
"true meaning" of Chanukah is
again on the move, and with it, the
ways Chanukah is celebrated.
We went and looked at what
the average Jew was already doing.
When we looked at practice and
understandings, we found some
very interesting common threads:
A. The very lack of definition
of specific Chanukah practice frees
families and empowers tremendous
creativity. In many senses,
Chanukah is a much more
comfortable holiday because it
doesn't come with the same kinds

Continued on Page L-2

Christmas 'free Rooted
In Religious Symbolism

By RABBI DANNEL I. SCHWARTZ

Most of the year, David and Joan
joke about what they call "their
'Brady Bunch' of his, her, and our
children." Though Joan has
converted to Judaism, the children
from her first marriage were born
and raised as Christians. David has
joint custody of his daughter who is
Jewish without any affiliation. Over
the last six years, they have added
two more children to the household.
In December, the "Brady Bunch"
joke turns into a nightmare! Her

Christian sons can't understand why
they don't have a tree with lights
and all the trimmings at the house
they live in while their Jewish
children want presents at Christmas
just like their brothers get.
Coping with Christmas and
Chanukah is hard enough under the
best conditions but with a blended
family it becomes tortuous. The
season gives former spouses cause
to question whether children are
getting a true representation of their
faith; while providing insecure
Continued on Page L-3