The Importance of Hanukkah .

Hanukkah is one of the most and misunderstood holidays of Judaism. I am looking forward to celebrating the festive occasion with my Chabad friends in my home of Haifa Israel. We have just started a Jewish study group for English speakers in our community. This will be our first Hanukkah together in the land where it all started.

The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah or Chanukah commemorates the re -dedication during the second century BCE of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabees Revolt. Hanukkah, which means "dedication" in Hebrew, begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and usually falls in November or December. The timing is based on the ancient lunar calendar. The celebration is based on events that occurred on about the year 200 BCE. However, there are no written records of any holiday observance of Hanukkah until about 500 years later, in the Talmud. Christmas, was not officially celebrated on December 25th until the third century. I have learned from studying both the old and new testament in Haifa that there is no certainty that the date of either is exact. The spiritual significance of the holidays is what is important and should be celebrated and coveted.

The Festival of Lights holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games and gifts. Many Jews and non- Jews consider the holiday to have special significance with the return of the Jewish people to the land of our roots. Many of us in Israel and elsewhere consider Israel to be the third "Bayit" (home) or Temple.

According to the Tanakh, Solomon's Temple was built atop the Temple Mount in the 10th century BCE and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Second Temple was completed and dedicated in 516 BCE. Two thousand years ago Jews were expected to pray in The Temple. According to classical Jewish belief, the Temple acted as the figurative "footstool" of God's presence and a Third Temple will be built there in the future. Traditionally, Jerusalem has been the focus of longing for Diaspora Jews who were forced from their land and the Temple of their God. Psalm 137 is the well-known lament of the Babylonian Jews who wept "by the rivers of Babylon" and declared, "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither." 



The History of Hanukkah

The events that inspired the Hanukkah holiday took place during a particularly turbulent phase of Jewish history. Around 200 BCE, Judea region —also known as the Land of Israel—came under the control of Antiochus III, the Seleucid king of Syria, who allowed the Jews who lived there to continue practicing their religion. His son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, proved less benevolent: Ancient sources recount that he outlawed the Jewish religion and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods. In 168 BCE, his soldiers descended upon Jerusalem, massacring thousands of people and desecrating the city’s holy Second Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus and sacrificing pigs within its sacred walls.

Led by the Jewish priest Mattathias and his five sons, a large-scale rebellion broke out against Antiochus and the Seleucid monarchy. When Matthathias died in 166 BCE, his son Judah, known as Judah Maccabee (“the Hammer”), took the helm; within two years the Jews had successfully driven the Syrians out of Jerusalem, relying largely on guerrilla warfare tactics.

For an entire generation, the ancient Judeans waged a struggle for freedom, which, in terms of intensity, has almost no parallel in human history. It was among the first recorded wars of liberation and it laid a model for nearly every revolution that followed. With an unbreakable faith and willingness to sacrifice, a handful of valiant Hebrew fighters forged the eternal covenant that resistance to tyranny is the highest and truest service to the universal creator and the highest moral value. Judah called on his followers to cleanse the Second Temple, rebuild its altar and light its menorah—the gold candelabrum of which seven branches represented knowledge and creation and were meant to be kept burning every night.

The Hanukkah "Miracle"

According to the Talmud, one of Judaism’s most central texts, Judah Maccabee and the other Jews who took part in the re-dedication of the Second Temple witnessed what they believed to be a miracle. Even though there was only enough untainted olive oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a single day, the flames continued flickering for eight nights, leaving them time to find a fresh supply. This wondrous event inspired the Jewish sages to proclaim a yearly eight-day festival. .

Jewish families across the world just completed celebrated this Inspiring holiday. Jewish children enjoyed spinning dreidels, lighting menorahs and opening presents on the first night of Hanukkah which was celebrated Saturday evening. I enjoyed eating "Sufganiot" or donuts at the Dan Panorama Mall in Haifa. Jewish children sang holiday ballads for mall visitors - many of them visitors from all over the world!

On the first night of Hanukkah, Jewish families began by lighting the menorah, the nine-branched candelabra. Two candles are lit on the first night: the shamash (the helper candle, which is usually the tallest) and one other. On the second night, the shamash and two other candles are lit, on the third, the shamash and three others are lit, etc. This continues for eight nights. To pay homage to the miracle which kept the oil burning, it is typical to eat fried foods such as latkes (potato pancakes) and jelly doughnuts. Children play dreidels (spinning tops), open gifts, eat gelt (chocolate coins) and families say prayers together. It is also customary to increase the amount given to charity during the holiday.

Nearly two thousand years after Judah led his successful revolt, the Jewish people are again free to practice our faith in "The Third Temple". This year marked the sixty fifth of our return to the place where it all started. Hopefully, we will all understand that the greatest message and truest blessing of Hanukkah is that freedom is worth any price that needs to be paid. Next year in Jerusalem is now!

Thoughts About The Kabbalah.

I often have been asked by non-Jews: do Jews believe in heaven and hell? Does Judaism believe in a Messiah, angels or the devil? Do we believe in life after death? What is our perception of G-d and the universe? Judaism allows these cosmological issues to be wide open to personal opinion. Judaism is very much a knowledge- based faith and places far less emphasis on mystical issues than in other religions. The areas of Jewish thought that most extensively discuss these issues, Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism, were traditionally only taught when students had completed their education in Torah and Talmud.

In its narrowest sense, the Torah is the first five books of the Bible. The concept of afterlife is not mentioned in The Torah and does not show up prominently in Judaism until about the third century a.d. This concept showed up in the Talmud very possibly influenced by Christianity and Greek philosophy. The Talmud is the most significant collection of the Jewish oral tradition interpreting the Torah. Gan Eden as an internal reward is linked prominently to the treatment of others by the Talmud and its teachers of that era. Living by "The Golden Rule" was supposed to bring eternal bliss.

The Talmud tells a story of Rabbi Hillel, who lived around the time of Jesus. A pagan came to him saying that he would convert to Judaism if Hillel could teach him the whole of the Torah in the time he could stand on one foot. Rabbi Hillel replied, "What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your fellow man. That is the whole Torah; the rest is just commentary".Mysticism and mystical experiences have been a part of Judaism since the earliest days of our faith. The Torah does not refer to an afterlife but does contain many stories of mystical experiences. From the visitations by angels such as the three angels who visited Abraham and Sarah to foretell the birth of Isaac. Judaism often references prophetic dreams and visions; Joseph had the ability to understand dreams and make prophecies based on this knowledge. Jewish tradition tells that the souls of all Jews were in existence at the time of the Giving of the Torah and were present at the time and agreed to the Covenant.

In the middle ages, many of these mystical teachings were committed to writing in books like the Zohar. Many of these writings were asserted to be secret ancient writings or compilations of secret ancient writings. The Zohar is the most basic work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism. The Zohar contains a discussion of the nature of God, the origin and structure of the universe, the nature of souls, redemption, the relationship of Ego to Darkness and "true self" to "The Light of God," and the relationship between the "universal energy" and man. It can be considered an esoteric form of the Rabbinic literature known as Midrash, which elaborates on the Torah.

The mystical school of thought came to be known as Kabbalah, from the Hebrew root Qof-Beit-Lamed, meaning "to receive, to accept." The word is usually translated as "tradition." In Hebrew, the word does not have any of the evil connotations that it has developed as the result of manipulation of the Kabbalah. I am currently studying the history of the Kabbalah at a Masorti or conservative movement Synagogue in Haifa. We have learned that some of Jewish mystical teaching has been integrated into traditional Judaism while some Kabbalah practitioners are seen as charlatans.

Historically, Kabbalah emerged, after earlier forms of Jewish mysticism, in 12th- to 13th-century Southern France and Spain, later becoming reinterpreted in the Jewish mystical renaissance of 16th-century Ottoman Palestine. It was popularized in the form of Hasidic Judaism from the 18th century onward. The current interest in Kabbalah has produced a cross denominational interest in Jewish mysticism.

The basis of the Kabbalah is the concept of Ein Sof, or universal creator, the Ten Sefirot, and the tree of life.

According to the Kabbalah, the true essence of G-d is so overwhelming that it cannot be described. This true essence of G-d is known as Ein Sof, which literally means "without end," encompasses the idea of a lack of boundaries in both time and space. In this truest form, the Ein Sof is so powerful that It cannot have any direct interaction with the universe. The Ein Sof interacts with the universe through ten emanations from this essence, known as the Ten Sefirot.

These Sefirot correspond to qualities of G-d and Godliness in mankind. They consist of, in descending order, Keter (the crown), Chokhmah (wisdom), Binah (intuition, understanding), Chesed (mercy) or Gedulah (greatness), Gevurah (strength), Tiferet (glory), Netzach (victory), Hod (majesty), Yesod (foundation) and Malkut (sovereignty). The Ten Sefirot include both masculine and feminine qualities. Kabbalah pays a great deal of attention to the feminine aspects of G-d.

Divine creation by means of the Ten Sefirot is an ethical process. They represent the different aspects of Morality. Loving-Kindness is a possible moral justification found in Chessed, and Gevurah is the Moral Justification of Justice and both are mediated by Mercy which is Rachamim. However, these pillars of morality become immoral and harmful once they become extremes. Kabbalah teaches the concept of Izun or balance in all aspects of our lives.

The position of the Kabbalah is that the human soul is divided into three parts:

Nefesh : the lower part, or "animal part", of the soul. It is linked to instincts and bodily cravings. This part of the soul is provided at birth.

Ruach: the middle soul, the "spirit". It contains the moral virtues and the ability to distinguish between good and evil.

Neshamah: the higher soul, or "super-soul". This separates man from all other life-forms. It is related to the intellect and allows man to enjoy and benefit from the afterlife. It allows one to have some awareness of the existence and presence of God.

I recently completed a class in the Kabbalah at a local Masorti or conservative Jewish school and synagogue. We learned in the class that the goal of Kabbalah is about how to recognize, experience and come close to God. We do this first and foremost to quote Rabbi Hillel through the practice and promotion of the Golden Rule!

Nazareth Israel, Home of Jesus

Christianity is the world's most popular religion, with an estimate of 2.2 billion adherents. This religion has followers in virtually every country in the world, and its strongest growth is in developing nations. I live in Israel and love visiting the holy sites of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Nazareth is particularly inspiring to me as an Israeli. It is a city that combines the history and cultures of the three major faiths in a peaceful and harmonious community. It was of course the home of Jesus and a special shrine to Christianity. I can take a local bus from Haifa and arrive there in an hour.

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Christianity started about 2,000 years ago in the country of Judea, which is presently known as Israel. Israel had become a melting pot of various cultures, with many cities and farms. During that period, Rome had control over Israel and the Jewish people were subjugated and felt the need to seek freedom and independence. The Jews refused to accept the pagan ways of the Roman Empire. Many Jews believed the coming of the Messiah was their best hope for deliverance from Roman oppression and for spiritual salvation. Jesus of Nazareth was born during this tempestuous time in our history. He was a Jew and observed all aspects of the faith. He also knew Jewish law very well. When Jesus was in his early thirties, he began going to various villages, teaching and healing people along the way. The world was literally revolutionized by his teachings. Jesus taught a far more universal form of Judaism that prevailed in the era of his life. People began to question their leaders and the Judean community sought change.  Jesus promoted the concept of "The Golden Rule." I believe that people of all faiths and backgrounds have benefited from this basic tenet of the teachings of Jesus.

(In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them."In this passage, which is part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that he didn't intend to abolish the old Jewish religious laws, such as the Ten Commandments and the various regulations on marriage, inheritance, property rights, diet, and similar matters.)

Jesus grew up in Nazareth with his mother Mary, making the city one of several Christian pilgrimage sites in the Holy Land. In his time Nazareth would have had a population of about 500. Indeed, in the New Testament, Nazareth is depicted as an obscure village. In the Gospel of John, people who hear of Jesus of Nazareth ask themselves, "What good could come from Nazareth?" (John 1:46)

Nevertheless, the New Testament reports that Nazareth was the home of Mary and Joseph (Luke 1:26), the site of the Annunciation (announcement to Mary that she would give birth to the Savior) and the town in which Jesus grew up (Matthew 2:23, 13:54; Luke 2:4, 2:51, 4:16). Nazareth is mentioned 17 times in the New Testament. Jesus eventually left the village for a wider ministry although he was always known to some as a "prophet from Nazareth in Galilee" (Matt 21:11).

The two most famous churches in Nazareth are the Church of the Annunciation and St. Gabriel's Greek Orthodox Church. The two churches are connected by a spring and well, while the spring supplies the water to the well. It is believed to be the spot where Mary received the Annunciation of the upcoming birth of Jesus. The Greek Orthodox Church is the site of the spring, and the Church of the Annunciation is the site of the well.

The Jesus Trail begins in Nazareth. It is a 65 km walking trail which connects many of the sites where Jesus did his ancient ministry. One of the important sites of the trail is Tabgha which is believed to be the location of the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fish. In this location there is an ancient Christian site- the Church of the Multiplication.

Christians inhabited Nazareth by the 4th century, if not earlier, but pilgrims were not much interested in the site initially. It was not until the 6th century, when legends about Mary's life in Nazareth began to circulate, that Nazareth became a Christian pilgrim destination.

Modern Nazareth is situated among the southern ridges of the Lebanon Mountains, on the steep slope of a hill, about 14 miles from the Sea of Galilee and about 6 miles west from Mount Tabor. I used to do the annual jog to the top of Mount Tabor. I won't lie, it's an exhausting trek  but the scenery was well worth the effort. The modern city lies at the bottom of the hill which views the ancient city. The weather is hot and humid, especially in the summer. I therefore prefer to visit Nazareth in the fall.

Nazareth has a population of 60,000. The majority ofare Israeli Arabs, a residents about 35-40% of which are Christians and the rest are Muslims.  The historical sites bring Nazareth a wide array of tourists from all over the world. I find it exciting to meet visitors to Nazareth from virtually every nation on earth. Nazareth is a warm and welcoming place, and one of my favorites in Israel.

Nazareth has my favorite pizza joint in Israel- New York style pizza served with American beer. Near the central bus station is my preferred shoe store in Israel- they have a wide variety of American brand shoes. Nazareth  of course, maintains its tradition of wonderful Arabic cuisine- always a treat.