Chanukah (October – November 2013)
We have an historic Chanukah this year! It falls on the earliest date possible. It coincides this year with Thanksgiving. It won’t happen again for 76,000 years! So this year we’ll be eating our latkes with cranberry sauce; it might even become a new tradition!
Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday. The smells of the turkey cooking in the oven, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and apple pie fill American homes as families gather to be thankful and celebrate. There are tangible connections between Thanksgiving and Judaism.
The Pilgrims — authors of the Mayflower Compact in November 1620, wherein they declared “Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith” — were guided by a very strong religious fervor and faith who saw themselves as establishing a New Israel. They read their Bible and many scholars point to Sukkot, the Jewish fall harvest holiday, as being the basis for Thanksgiving.
We also know that Sukkot is the original reason why Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days. The earliest Jewish sources (the Macabees) explain that Chanukah was an eight day holiday, being a late celebration of Sukkot since “during Sukkot they had been wandering in the mountains and caverns like wild animals.” (The story of the miracle of the oil does not appear until 500 years later.) Sukkot was also an appropriate basis for Chanukah since Sukkot was the holiday when King Solomon dedicated the First Temple.
Thanksgiving is also celebrated as a holiday of religious freedom. The Puritans left England, first via Holland, having been persecuted in England for their religious beliefs. And so the connection between Thanksgiving and Chanukah is very strong and both holidays mphasize our greatest treasure-freedom.
Religious freedom is something we hold sacred and have chosen to celebrate freedom through both of these holidays. And for that we can be thankful.
Rabbi Jeffrey Bennett
December 2013 – January 2014
November 29, 2013 by urjnetworkadmin •
There’s an old story about a pair of travelers who climbed one ofthe hills outside of the old city in Jerusalem to glimpse its beauty. When they reached the top, one of the travelers began to cry.
“Why are you crying? You’ve been here a hundred times,” said the one, to which the other traveler said, “Yes, I have been here a hundred times. But this is the most special. This is your first time and I am seeing the city, the stones of the western wall, the magnificent contours of the buildings and the synagogues, the towers and the glittering gold of the dome as if for the first time, because I am seeing the city through your eyes. They are not tears of sadness but tears of great joy. “
Seeing the land that I love through the eyes of others is what inspires me to keep bringing groups to Israel. I want others to feel the passion for that holy place that I have felt through my six trips to Israel, including living in Jerusalem for a year. This past October thirteen of us from our community traveled together. For all but me and one other traveler, It was a first-time trip. And what an amazing trip it was.
Every time I go to Israel I say “This was the trip of a lifetime!” How can each trip be “the trip of a lifetime?” Well, if you ever visit Israel, you will understand. Each time is a totally different experience and one that is enriching and emotional with every step along the way. We journeyed through a whirlwind of activities that provoked thoughtful conversations about inspiring and challenging developments in Israel today. Every day began with an incredible Israeli breakfast and continued with an exhaustive tour throughout the entire country. As we arrived at the Mount of Olives overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem, we recited a “shehechiyanu” as we felt the tremendous emotion knowing that we were fulfilling the verse that we recite every Passover: “next year in Jerusalem…”; and there we were!
As always with Israel — a mixture of sheer amazement, exhilaration, warmth, love and yes, some measure of frustration. So much achieved, and yet still so much to do. But that’s what ‘being engaged with Israel is all about.
As usual, I returned a few pounds heavier for the food there is incredible! Once again, I felt a deep sense of amazement at what a wonderful country Israel has become. Yes, the country faces many problems and how to achieve peace with its neighbors is certainly at the top of the list. In spite of what one reads in the newspapers or sees on television, Israel remains a vibrant democracy, the only true democracy in that part of the world, and stands as a beacon of hope for the future of the Jewish people.
Rabbi Jeffrey Bennett