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spirituality >> Torah portion

'Tis The Season
For Dedication

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Parshat Naso: Numbers 4:21-7:89;
Judges 13:2-13:25.

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tral place of Israelite worship until
have a confession: I enjoy the
the eventual building of the Temple
Christmas season. I like seeing
in Jerusalem a few centuries later.
the decorations at the mall and
It is that same Temple, actually the
the lights on my neighbors' houses.
Second Temple built in the identical
But doesn't it seem like the decora-
location as the first, which
tions are going up earlier
plays a prominent role in
each year -- October? —
the Chanukah story. It is
and the lights don't come
the Temple in Jerusalem
down until March?
that
is desecrated and then
So imagine how oth-
re-dedicated,
and that
ers might feel if they
is
the
explanation
of the
realized we're talking
word
Chanukah,
which
is
about Chanukah in June
Hebrew
for
"dedication?'
— really! Each year, usu-
More than 1,000 years
ally in December, during
before
the Chanukah
Chanukah, we read Torah
Rabbi Elliot
story
occurs,
Parshat Naso
each day from Parshat
Pac hter
describes
the
original
Naso, and then we return
Chanukah,
that
is the dedi-
to Naso at this time of the
cation
of
the
first
central
place
of
year. What's up with that?
Israelite/Jewish
worship,
the
mish-
Chanukah, though a central
kan. This dedication, the ceremony
holiday in the Jewish calendar,
to mark the official "grand opening"
is not mentioned in the Bible, at
of this holy building, constitutes a
least not in the Jewish version, also
central feature of Parshat Naso.
called Tanach. The Chanukah story
So, during the holiday of
can be found in the two books of
Chanukah
we turn to Parshat Naso
which
are
contained
in
a
Maccabees,
for
each
day's
Torah reading. And
section called the Apocrypha. These
then in June, we're reading again
are books which are not part of the
about Chanukah.
Tanach, but are contained in other
Too much? Bad timing? I don't
biblical collections, most notably
think so. After all, what is Chanukah
that of the Roman Catholic Church.
anyway? It is essentially about our
Isn't it ironic that the holiday
desire and ability to keep the flame
most frequently associated with the
of Judaism alive and burning bright.
American Jewish community has
That is certainly a message we
its story told in the Bible of Roman
should share every day.
Catholicism, but not in the Bible of
the Jews?
Elliot Pachter is the Rabbi of
So when it comes to the Torah
Congregation B'nai Moshe and a
reading for Chanukah, our tradition
Bible Instructor at the Frankel Jewish
is at loss. How can one find a Torah
reading that reflects a holiday whose Academy, both in West Bloomfield.
roots don't exist until long after the
completion of the Torah and whose
story might not even appear in the
Bible at all?
Conversations
Enter ... Parshat Naso. A little
Chanukah means "dedication"
background — back in the Book of
but is also related to the Hebrew
Exodus, not long after the Revelation
word for "education." How can
at Sinai, God instructs Mcishe in the
we keep the spirit of Chanukah
building of the mishkan, the porta-
meaningful year-round?
ble sanctuary, which will be the cen-

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