Understanding The Traits Of Heroes

Continued from Page L-1

hero. Still others view ordinary
people doing ordinary, but
important, actions as heroes, like
Travor Ferell, who, at the age of 12,
offered a blanket and a pillow to a
homeless person and began a life
dedicated to helping others.
More important than strength or
ability is the way heroes personify
our ideals. When people are asked
to name their heroes, they usually
mention people who act out their
highest values. For some, being the
best at something is a high value.
These people may view top athletes
or highly successful business
people as their heroes.
Often, heroes are people who
are models because they were the
first to do something that we still
value today. Part of Abraham and
Sarah's heroism is that they were

the first to have a uniquely Jewish
relationship with God. Moses was a
hero, in part, because he was the
first to embody and become the
model for rabbis throughout history.
That is why Moses is often referred
to by the Rabbis of the Talmud as
"Moses our Rabbi."
Heroes overcome in two
different ways. First is the hero who
overcomes difficulty in order to save
something of value. We often see
these heroes on the news. They
may have saved a person who was
having a heart attack or jumped on
an out-of-control train to bring it
safely to a stop, or even subdued
an attacker who was threatening an
innocent victim. Their heroism is
measured in two ways: the threat to
their own life or livelihood and the
value of what they saved. Mattathias

and his sons were heroes because
they risked their lives in order to
fight for the ability to practice
Judaism as they saw fit.

Heroes are often people
who must go through
great hardship and
distress in order to learn
something of great value.
Jonah, for instance,
came out a changed man
with a message to
deliver to humanity.

Many heroes overcome in
another way. Heroes are often
people who must go through great

hardship and distress in order to
learn something of great value.
Jonah, for instance, was not a very
likable hero. He did not want to
travel to Nineveh to save the people
from punishment. He became a
"hero," in a broad sense, because
of his experience at sea and the
time he lived in the belly of the fish.
Like Moses' stay in the desert after
fleeing from the Egyptians, Jonah
came out a changed man with a
message to deliver to humanity.
We have many modern heroes
of this type as well: people who
overcome alcoholism, crime or
illiteracy and turn their lives around.
Magic Johnson is also this type of
hero, having gone through the
"cycle of heroes." The cycle begins
with the heroes living normally in
society, they then withdraw to a

The Essence Of Jewish Heroism

By RABBI AARON BERGMAN

For most nations military
victories alone are a cause for
celebration. Take for example the
recent war in the Persian Gulf. It
was a tremendous success for the
armed forces. America killed
thousands, perhaps tens of
thousands of Iraqi soldiers. Iraq
killed few of ours.
The celebrations in America
lasted longer than the war did.
Every soldier was called a hero.
The rabbis of the Talmud were
all too aware of the danger to one's
own people when military victories
were confused with moral ones.
This can best be seen in the story
of Chanukah.
Early celebrations of the
Maccabees' success focused
exclusively on the military aspect,
not on the religious one. In fact the
festival, held on the thirteenth of
Adar, was called Nicanor's Day, the
day the Seleucid general and his
troops were vanquished. The
twenty-fifth of Kislev, the date of the
re-dedication of the temple was
largely ignored.
Something strange happened,
though, when we get to the time of
the Talmud and Midrashim, roughly
two hundred years later. The rabbis,

Ljehagfrll

THE JEWISH NEWS

27676 Franklin Road
Southfield, Michigan 48034

November 29, 1991

Associate Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz
Jewish Experiences for Families
Adviser: Harlene W Appelman

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-

FRIDAY, NOV, 29, 1991

instead of glorifying the victories,
seem to gloss over them. Unlike
most Jewish holidays, there is no
tractate Chanukah; discussion of it
occurs in the tractate Shabbat.
They begin with the question,
"What is Chanukah?" They answer,
"The Hasmoneans prevailed against
the Hellenists and defeated them,
they made search and found only
one cruse of oil which lay with the
seal of the High Priest, but which
was sufficient for one day; yet there
was a miracle and the lamp was lit
for eight days."
The rabbis changed the focus
of the holiday. The military victory
was valuable because it permitted
the "miracle of the oil." It seems
that the rabbis have taken great
liberties with the record in
Scriptures. War is not the issue, but

faith. Viewed in historical context,
however, their position is quite
understandable.
Within a hundred years the
Hasmonean empire collapsed under
the weight of its own corruption and
assimilationist tactics. Under their
regime the Jews became as
Hellenized as any other people in
the area. The dreams of Judah and
his brothers, of a just and religious
state, crumbled after a few
generations.
The rabbis were witness to the
results. They knew for Chanukah to
be relevant they had to extract its
real meaning from the written
testimonies.
The Maccabees were not
merely trying to kill as many Greek
Syrians as they could for the folks
back home. Their main goal was to

recapture their own normal Jewish
lives. When they won they did not
throw parades or make speeches.
They did not loot the enemy. When
the fighting was done, they did what
all Jews of the time were supposed
to do. They went to the temple and
began preparations to make the
required sacrifices.
This, as the rabbis knew, is the
essence of Jewish heroism. It is the
refusal to accept disruption of
normal activities, even under the
most terrifying of circumstances. It
is this spirit that allowed Chanukah
to be celebrated in the Warsaw
ghetto with parties for the children,
and lectures and performances for
the adults. The Jews were going to
live their rich and full lives, the
Nazis be damned.
Jews take no pleasure nor pride

r

The Laughing Latke

Here's a Chanukah decoration to
hang.
Just color the latke and cut out on
the solid lines.
The head joins with two small rub-
ber bands — cut each rubber band in
its middle to make a longer elastic.
Poke out holes in the small circles
and thread an elastic on each side. Re-
join each rubber band with a small
knot.
Cut out the arms and legs and fold
accordion style on the broken lines. At-
tach them with paper fasteners to your
laughing latke. Hang by a string from
your favorite holiday spot.

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