Chanukah's Other Lessons

Chanukah is full of life lessons. The most major and obvious one is the one we sing about in the special “Al Hanissim” prayer addition during Chanukah: We praise God that He helped His people during their time of need and that He, “Gave the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the evildoers into the hands of the righteous, the schemers into the hands of those who are busy with Torah…”

Indeed, the might, many, impure, evildoing, scheming Greek army fell to the weak, few, pure righteous, Torah-learning Jews. If you take out “Greek,” this is a very familiar tale throughout Jewish history. It resonates especially strongly today, when once again we, like the Hasmonean dynasty of long ago, have sovereignty in the land of Israel, and rise to defend ourselves against the “Others” who are trying to destroy us. Chanukah is celebrated fervently and passionately in Israel, not just because of the fancy filled doughnuts, but because the Maccabees’ story is so intensely nationalistic, so representative of our historical struggles.

But what else is Chanukah about? Besides “size isn’t everything,” the small army defeating the large, besides the tiny amount of oil that lasted for eight days, what other insights can we glean from the Chanukah story that we could apply to our own lives? Here is my ode to the Other Lessons of Chanukah:

1. Sometimes, lying and deception are necessary. Throughout our history, we have always clung to our mitzvot, our unique way of life, often under pain of death. The Jews of Egypt, way back when, kept their Jewish names as a sign of their identity, refusing to use the pagan Egyptian names. Conversos during the Spanish Inquisition often hid in their basements to light Shabbat candles. Jews in concentration camps huddled in secret to celebrate Passover. And the Jews under Greek rule, performed circumcisions and learned Torah, knowing they would be put to death if discovered. To hide their illicit activity, the Jews had these little spinning tops at the ready, so if Greek soldiers came nearby, they could hide their sacred books and whip out the toys.
2. A national army is critical. Yes, the Jews were the comparatively weaker army. But let’s not kid ourselves. They were soldiers. They were prepared to do battle, to defend their way of life and did indeed wage a successful guerilla warfare campaign, driving out the Greeks and re-purifying the Temple. The importance of a well-trained national army cannot be underestimated, not in the 2nd century BCE and not in 2012. (Something we saw evidence of just a few short weeks ago, during Operation Pillar of Defense.)
3. Don’t walk to do mitzvot—run! As the story goes, the first thing the Maccabee army did after defeating the Greeks was rush to the Beit HaMikdash and light the menorah, the special seven-armed candelabra that was lit anew every day. Their priority was not a victory party or gathering spoils—it was rushing to complete a mitzvah, one that they had been denied for a long time.
4. Don’t settle for less. Perhaps one could understand if the priests were to use some other method of lighting the menorah. After all, they had finally regained access to the Temple, they were eager to light the menorah. Who could blame them if they decided to use a different oil? But they didn’t—because if you’re going to do something, do it right. The halacha stated that pure olive oil must be used for the menorah, and the Jewish people were not going to settle for anything but that. Miraculously, they found one untouched, sealed flask of oil. And we all know what happens after that.
5. The importance of feminine wiles. The story of Yehudit, or Judith, doesn’t always get enough press, but it’s one worth telling. The Greek army had placed a siege upon a small village, waiting for the Jews inside to die a slow, thirsty death. The Jewish inhabitants were considering surrendering to the Greeks when Yehudit asked permission to leave the village and visit the Greek general in his tent, knowing that even being found outside the city borders could lead to her death. Undeterred, Yehudit dressed up in her finest, went to the general’s tent, and got him nice and drunk on wine and cheese. And when he fell into a drunken stupor, she chopped off his head. Yehudit brought the head back and the Jews executed a surprise attack on the Greeks. The Greeks were panicked and confused by the loss of their leader; many fled, others were killed. And all because Yehudit didn’t hide her femininity, but used it.

So those are my thoughts this Chanukah. Also, this one: Caramel-filled doughnuts will rock your world. Try one. (Because even if Chanukah isn’t all about fancy filled doughnuts, it is alittle bit about that.)

Happy Chanukah, JVO-niverse!