Rabbi Guy Tal: The illumination of Hanukkah

By Rabbi Guy Tal

(Edmonton) – In a dark and frozen hamlet nestled in Eastern Europe, beneath a heavy blanket of snow, a beautiful Jewish child with radiant eyes lay upon a cold and crumbling floor, his sidelocks resting softly against his cheeks as he spins a dreidel. Despite the atmosphere of fear and melancholy surrounding him, his soul soars towards the illuminated hills of Judea, towards the heroic tales of the Maccabees he had just heard, whispered moments ago by his father’s trembling voice as he blessed the tiny oil candles placed with trepidation before the small window.

The ancient words still echo in his ears: “These candles that we kindle for the miracles, for the wonders, for the redemptions, and for the battles You performed for our ancestors,” – and though these events occurred in distant times, they continue to illuminate our hearts in the present moment – “bayamim hahem bzman haze”.

The Maccabees’ heroism—blazing in the sun-drenched fields of Beit Horon, in the slopes of Ayalon Valley facing Emmaus, and in the golden streets of Jerusalem—ignited a fire within his heart. The flames of the candles merged with flames of courage, of valor, of love for nation and land and faith in the righteousness of the path, in the power of the Jewish people and the redemption yet to come—all deeply rooted in his vivid burning soul during those dark and cold winter days.

Twenty years later, or perhaps ten generations hence, that boy grew and strengthened, driven by the same faith and values absorbed in the Hanukkah days of his childhood. He stepped into the fields of Degania, Rishon LeZion, and Tel Hai, raising the forgotten homeland from dust and reviving its soil, “One hand doing the work, and one hand holding the weapon” (Nehemiah 4:11). The faith that burned in the Hanukkah candles preserved the embers of nationalism and heroism in the heart of the oppressed people in exile and enabled their redemption.

“Who has accomplished and done this? He who calls the generations from the beginning—I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last, I am He” (Isaiah 41:4). The Jewish people lost their independence with the destruction of the First Temple and had not returned to full sovereignty since. Yet the One who “calls the generations from the beginning” planted, during the generations preceding the long and bitter exile—between Persian and Roman rule—a final ray of independence, heroism, and national spirit through the stories of the Maccabees.

The life-affirming heroism of the Maccabees, which was eternally inscribed in the Jewish calendar as a holiday to be remembered forever, is not the death-seeking heroism of Masada’s warriors. It is what preserved the ember of nationalism in the Jewish people. And though the Hasmonean dynasty deteriorated and became corrupted over subsequent generations, to the point of bringing the Roman sword upon themselves, the Jewish people never forgot its youthful grace, its courageous valor, and its steadfast faith.

The life-affirming heroism of the Maccabees is revealed anew in our generation, especially in the past year, among our brethren in the Holy Land. Despite the terrible blow we have received, the Jewish people find within themselves the courage and spiritual strength to wage fierce war, to overcome all our surrounding enemies, and to permanently alter the situation in the Middle East. Just as the Maccabees’ heroism illuminated the hearts of generations of Jews, so too will the Maccabees’ heroism of our time eternally illuminate the chronicles of our people.

 Rabbi Guy Tal is the Rabbi at Beth Israel Congregation in Edmonton.