NOVEMBER 29, 1991

A Toast
To Jewish Living

Understanding The 'Rafts Of Heroes

1

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Have you ever dreamed about
being a hero? I did. I would think of
myself in different challenging
situations and figure out how I
would act. Sometimes I would pull a
person out of a burning house,
other times I would grab the
controls of an out-of-control airplane
and bring it safely in for a landing.
As I grew older, my views on
heroism expanded to include much
more mundane, but no less heroic,
actions. At a certain point I had to
ask myself: What makes a person a
hero? Is my mom a hero or my
dad? Do heroes have to have
special powers or do some special
acts of bravery?
When we search through our
collection of heroes, both Jewish
and non-Jewish, we begin to see
some characteristics of heroes.
Samson, King Solomon,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and
many of our modern "cartoon"
heroes have special powers or
abilities which make them stand out
as heroic figures. Samson had
superman strength and King
Solomon, exceptional wisdom.
However, having special abilities is
not enough.
Possessing special abilities
does not make a person (or mutant
turtle) a hero; rather, it is how those
persons use their powers which
distinguishes them as heroes. Not
only does this type of hero have
special talents, but they use their
talents to promote goodness.
When Samson used to carouse
and "party," he was not considered
a hero. He only became a hero after
he used his strength to help defeat
a dangerous enemy of the Jews.
King Solomon was not considered a
hero until he used his wisdom to
judge the Jewish people fairly, to
unite a divisive Jewish kingdom and
build God's Temple in Jerusalem.
Great ability plus good actions
is one prescription for becoming a
Continued on Page L-2

Artwork by E l i Du nst, ag e 1 0.

By RABBI BARRY DIAMOND

Standing Up For Who You Are

By HARLENE WINNICK APPELMAN

Think about the qualities of an
onion: It has lots of layers. You cry
a little when you peel it. It has
strength. Its qualities set it apart.
When you consume it, its qualities
set you apart. Its beauty can be
bittersweet.
How many of us at one time or
another asked our own parents or
have been asked by our kids, "But
can't we have a little Christmas?
Maybe not a tree, but a bush for
Chanukah, or Santa Claus, or a
stocking, or just maybe a wreath on
the door?"

Regardless of how you slice it
(another onion pun, perhaps?),
living in North America during the
Christmas season is an all-
encompassing happening. However,
it is also a tremendous opportunity
to teach our families about the
power of daring to be different.
That's really what the
Chanukah story is all about: A
father, Mattathias, standing up for
what he believed and being an
incredibly strong role model for his
sons. So strong, in fact, that in his
old age, his son, the famous Judah,
took over for him.

A mother, Hannah, horrific as it
was, being a role model for her
seven sons. Judith, a heroine,
taking matters into her own hands,
slaying Holefernes, the general and
becoming a role model for her
village. The historical players in the
story of Chanukah are, one and all,
people who were willing to stand up
for who and what they were.
So why is Chanukah like an
onion? Perhaps, because it is a
story with so many layers: Each
with its own opportunity to talk
about the strength of individualism.
Continued on page L-4