Candles and Champagnes

Tug of holidays

It is during the holiday season, more than any other time throughout the course of the year, that we feel what it means to be an outsider in American society. This year, for the first time in forty six years Christmas and the Solar New Year coincide with the Jewish festival of lights, Chanukah. And although we always feel that the Christian holidays coincide with Chanukah annually, this is only because for reasons unknown to myself, Christmas seems to last for an entire month and a half while Chanukah begins with the first day and ends on the eighth, without the three weeks before and two weeks after of pre and post but still holiday season excuses for partying.

This weekend, more than any other of the year, we Jews will feel the strain of two forces tugging on us: 1) Chanukah and Shabbat (The ultimate combination of light) – and 2) New Year’s Eve; forcing us to in the very least contemplate what we are celebrating: our Judaism or our secularity?

The heavenly bodies and the earthly peoples

The Gregorian calendar is an entirely solar based one, while the Jewish calendar (or lunar calendar) is based on the cycles of the moon.

The moon, teaches the Zohar, represents the Jewish People and we therefore use it to measure time. Much like the phases of the moon, the Jewish people have had their moments of appearances as well as gradual fading from the empires, religions, societies and political parties around us. Our triumphs and victories as well as defeats are numerous in our recorded history. The monthly cycles and phases of the moon characterize our people in the chronicles of man on this earth, while the sun can represent the nations and mighty empires of this world, who have almost always ruled us and were always far greater in number than us.

The Talmud [1] records that originally the sun and moon were the exact same in size and strength. But the moon complained to G-d, “Can there exist two kings sharing the same crown?” How can both the sun and the moon share the glory? G-d replies “Go and diminish yourself.” The moon is hurt. “Master of the Universe, because I presented You with a true complaint, I should reduce myself?” G-d then offers consolation, and permits that unlike the sun, “Go and rule over the day and the night.” The moon sees this as no consolation. If the sun is shining all day, it continues, “What good is a candle at noon?” It will out-shine me, how do I gain by shining then? G-d then offers an alternate consolation. “It is destined for Israel to use you to count days and years.”

Indeed, every month for a few moments the synagogue’s services relocate outdoors in the streets where the congregants can sanctify and bless the moon and include a prayer that requests of G-d to remove the moon’s diminishing qualities and restore it’s brightness to that of the sun.

This concept too, is the story of our people, and this Chanukah, with its Gregorian coincidence with New Years, it is practically impossible to escape its message.

New Years Eve vs. Chanukah 5766

This Chanukah, the sun and the moon have met; the Judeo-Christian holidays share the same dates. And indeed, like never before, the miracle of Chanukah has experienced such great publicity: A Rabbi and his family light up the front page of the New York Times featured on corners all across America, while Fox News’s Homepage and almost every other media outlet in the world brought the light of Chanukah to billions across the world. While thousands gathered at the Universal Studios Chanukah events in Florida and California, countless mayors, governors, congressman, senators and presidents were kindling the Chanukah lights at a local Chanukah Party.

The moon faces off with the sun, in this giant face-off of luminaries, the smaller one seeking to be restored with its original glory… and finally seeing its restoration process in motion after thousands of years.

This Saturday night, after you have kindled the seven Chanukah candles and you’re rushing to get a good spot at the nearest New Years Eve bash, remember what this night is telling you: Tonight may be New Years Eve, but tonight I, the light of Chanukah and Judaism, am also an equal. It is a symbol of the ever nearing and approaching redemption when my light will forever be as strong as the sun’s.

The Celebration of the Jewish New Year is thoroughly different from the secular New Year festivities. No parties, no bands, no champagne, no glowing balls descending from towering skyscrapers. There is little similarity between the two, except for both being the first day of the year! The Jewish New Year, as opposed to the secular New Year, is a pensive and reflective time. It is a unique opportunity for Jews to reflect on the direction of their lives, to conduct a self-evaluation of what they have done and where they are going. Rosh Hashanah is not a time to party and let loose. True, it is associated with celebrations as the Bible states: “Go eat succulent foods and drink sweet beverages and send portions to those who have nothing prepared…. Do not be sad, for the joy of G-d is your strength.” But the very same passage mentions the reason for that rejoicing: “The day is sacred to our G-d.” More particularly, Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgment, when G-d “opens the book of memories… and all the inhabitants of the world pass before Him like a sheep… And He writes out their decree.” [2]

For Jews, the New Year is a time to make new resolutions in our service to G-d, the betterment of our deeds and actions towards friends and family and most importantly to increase in acts of goodness and kindness to help prepare the world for the ultimate redemption and divine revelation. This is in stark contrast with the secular ideas of New Years resolution, which vary from losing weight, buying a newer car and surfing in more beaches while touring more of the world.

The secular New Year – go ahead and acknowledge it – but to the Jew it ought to serve as a reminder of those Rosh Hashanah resolutions we made earlier during the Hebrew months of Elul and Tishrei. After all, all of the occurrences in the world at large are reminders from G-d for us to remember who we are. Forget not that this coincidence of holidays is merely a sign that a new era is being ushered in very soon, in which the moon will be restored to its former brightness and power.

The moon is already getting brighter and its light is ushering in the era of ultimate brightness, the infinite light of the infinite G-d and His infinite Knowledge.

Happy Chanukah! A little light dispels much darkness!