That All May Be One / Fr. Rick Ginther

May ‘festival of lights’ strengthen bonds with our Jewish brethren

(The following is a column written by Dr. Alan Bercovitz, who is Jewish. He is married to Janine, who is Catholic and a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Indianapolis. Together, they regularly attend a Jewish Saturday service and Sunday Mass. Alan previously has been a guest writer for this column. This year, our Christmas season and Hannukah season begin on the same day. Both have a “festival of lights” aspect. Below is what Alan shares.)
 

Jewish people worldwide celebrate Hanukkah each year by sharing the story and traditions of this holiday.

Hanukkah is an eight-day holiday that begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev and ends on the second day of the month of Tevet (on the Hebrew calendar, which is now in the year 5785). This corresponds to our calendar year of 2024, with Hanukkah beginning at sundown on Dec. 25 and ending at sundown on Jan. 2. 

The story of Hanukkah dates back more than 2,000 years, when Jewish people lived in a land called Judea (now modern-day Israel). The center of their worship was the Great Temple in the city of Jerusalem, and in that Temple was the great menorah.

The light of the menorah burned day and night and was a brilliant symbol of holiness.

King Antiochus (Epiphanes), who was Greek, ruled the land of Judea from 175-164 B.C. He demanded the Jewish people abandon their religion and worship his god, Zeus. When the Jewish people refused, Antiochus sent his soldiers into the Temple. They destroyed the holy books and desecrated holy objects, including the precious menorah.

Placing all their trust in God, and with great courage, a small band of Jewish people, led by Judah Maccabee, began to fight against the thousands of soldiers and horsemen of the king’s army. They defeated this much larger army, driving them out of Jerusalem.

This unbelievable military victory is the first of two miracles of Hanukkah.

Although now free of oppression, the Jewish people had before them the great task of repairing the damage to the Holy Temple.

The Temple was cleaned thoroughly, the altar was rebuilt, and a new menorah was placed. It was time to re-dedicate the Temple to God. (Hanukkah means “dedication.”)

When it came time to re-light the great menorah, only one small jar of oil was found, enough for just one night. It would take eight days of travel to obtain more.

It was decided to light the menorah anyway, and the next day, to everyone’s amazement, the menorah was miraculously still lit.

For eight days, the oil burned until a new supply of oil arrived. This is the second miracle of Hanukkah.

Seeing this as a sign of God, Judah Maccabee declared, “Let these events be celebrated with mirth and gladness for all time to come.”

And that is exactly what Jewish people do every year all around the world. With prayers of thanksgiving, we celebrate the victory God gave to those who believed in him.

We light Hanukkah candles at sundown on each of the eight days from a special candle called the shamash (“assistant”). A candle is added each day, so that a full menorah of nine candles (eight plus the shamash) burn brightly on the last day.

May the lights of this season shine brightly on us all.

This year, let us keep in mind that God’s light belongs to all humanity. May our Jewish brothers and sisters revel in that light. May we Christians revel in that light whom we honor as Christ!
 

(Father Rick Ginther is director of the archdiocesan Office of Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs. He is also the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Indianapolis.) †