Looking at history from the distance of time is like taking an aerial photograph. Questions that have agitated the world completely fade away as the results of each path become clear. The perspective of time clearly demonstrates what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil.
Sometimes we would like to look down on the questions that concern us, but the truth is that we don't have to wait decades or centuries.
The days of Hanukkah present us with the same questions, the same doubts, the same struggles, with the addition of a historical perspective. You can literally hear the heated debate between the Hellenists and the Torah faithful.
Even the language and concepts of those days sound completely contemporary.
Who survived and who was lost?
The battle in those days was not fought only between Jews and Greeks. The main struggle took place within the Jewish people, against the Hellenists. These were progressive young Jews who believed that a segregated people, clinging to old-fashionedness, had no future in the modern world. They sought to create a connection between the innovative Hellenistic culture and Judaism.
But it quickly became clear that this path led in only one direction – from Judaism out. The first generation of Hellenists tried to combine Greek culture with Jewish tradition. The third generation had already kicked Judaism, despised it, and aspired to be Greek in every way. Soon, there was no trace of them left.
Those who returned to being complete Jews survived and integrated into the golden chain of Jewish continuity, and those who turned to Greek culture were completely assimilated and lost to the Jewish people.
We are faced with the same questions today. Almost a copy-paste from the days of the Hasmoneans. There are forces trying to pull the people in the same directions that the Hellenists tried to lead in those days. Opposing them are the followers of the Maccabees, who call on the Jewish people to remain faithful to their Judaism and the path of their ancestors.
The temptation to get swept up in the flow of global culture can be tempting. Most people like to be like everyone else, dress like everyone else, listen to the same music everyone else listens to, think like everyone else. It's not easy to be Jewish and stand out from the others. Not to eat with everyone else. To step aside to pray. To shut down activities because of the Sabbath or the holiday.
But this current takes away the most precious thing from us – our Jewishness.
Those who drift into world culture may be considered enlightened and cultured, will receive compliments and status – but they will be lost to the Jewish people. Assimilation and assimilation will leave no trace of them. This is precisely the process that afflicts many of our people in the free world.
To be or to cease to be
This struggle is existential for us. It's really a question of being or not, God forbid.
Happily, it seems that the recognition of the need to reconnect with the original path of the Jewish people is slowly permeating. Many understand that our future lies in the continuity of Jewish tradition.
As we light the candles of Hanukkah, we should remember the eternal lesson. Jewish existence depends on preserving Jewish uniqueness and adhering to the Torah and its commandments. The general culture changes and evolves, but Judaism lives and exists forever. Happy Hanukkah!
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