Who Was The
Hero Of Hanukkah?
By Dr. Mel Glazer
Okay, all you scholars of Jewish history, the
Rabbi has a question for you. What does it mean to be a hero? In the
famous Hanukkah story, which we all know and love; the story of Judah
Maccabbee and his family who fought and defeated the Syrian-Greeks and
rededicated the Temple; the tiny little cruise of oil which was only
supposed to last for one day but lasted for eight days; the piercing
story of Hannah and her sons who died rather than profane the Holy Name
of God; in that famous story, who was the hero? Who exhibited the most
courage?
Well, you could say that all of them were heroes,
and to a degree you would be right. Judah and his brothers showed
physical bravery against the raw physical power of the opposing armies.
They fought well, they were brave and we remember them with affection
and with pride. It is perhaps no accident that when we Jews, be it in
the State of Israel or the Diaspora, schedule Olympic-type events, they
are almost always called the Maccabi Games or the Maccabiah. We venerate
the efforts shown by the Maccabees, and we honor them in this moving
way.
Hannah and her sons were also heroes–the sons
refused to renounce their religion and they were willing to die as
martyrs in order to sanctify the Holy name of God, and Hannah stood and
watched as each one was killed.. She could have told them to give in to
the Romans, but she did not. Our Tradition is filled with examples of
those who chose to die as Jews rather than to live as apostates. The Ten
Rabbis who were executed by the Romans and those brave souls who died on
Masada remind us always of the need to protect our Jewish identity, no
matter what.
But my own personal choice for the Hero of
Hanukkah is the priest who lit the menorah in the Temple KNOWING that
there was only enough oil for one day. He knew this oil had to last for
eight days, because that is how many days earlier Temple Dedications had
lasted. He knew he did not have enough oil, and he lit anyway. How could
he do this? He had faith that somehow, in a way that even he did not
know at that time, somehow a miracle would happen and there would be
enough oil. The easiest thing for him to have done would be not to light
the menorah, and probably no one would have criticized him. But he did
not take the easy way out. He had faith, he lit the menorah, and the
miracle happened. Miracles happen to those who invite them to happen. In
the time of the Maccabees, and in our own time as well. Happy Hanukkah!
Dr. Mel Glazer is a Grief Recovery
Specialist working in private practice with grievers all
across America. You can visit his website at http://www.yourgriefmatters.com.
Dr. Glazer has served as a Rabbi, Author, and Speaker for
over thirty years, and he is recognized as a pioneer in the
art of using our life-losses to help us learn life-lessons.
We only uncover what is truly important about ourselves by
how we respond to the losses in our lives, and so each loss
becomes our cherished teacher. He is widely published, and
his upcoming book, And God Created Hope: How Our Favorite
Bible Stories Lead Us From Mourning To Morning will be
published in 2006.
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