Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, founder of Jewish Treats' partner organization the National Jewish Outreach Program, tells us how the story of Chanukah connects to modern times.
More than 2100 years ago, the battle of Chanukah took place between the Syrian Greeks and the Jews. The Syrian Greeks prohibited the observance of Festivals and Shabbat, of circumcision and learning Torah. The Jews fought back and defeated them.
Its deja vu all over again. The same battle is raging today in contemporary times. Its not exactly a traditional battle. Today, the outside environment has reduced us as human beings. If we lose our values and our commitment to our moral standards, then we are reduced as human beings.
We have to maintain those standards by being commited to caring and loving the stranger, the widow, the poor and those that are downtrodden. We dare not let the modern "Hellenist" society make us indifferent and reduce us as human beings. Rabbi Buchwald's challenge to you is: Don't be a half-baked latke. Light those candles. Eat those latkes and jelly doughnuts with a lot of oil. And commit yourself to being a better Jew and a better human being.
Happy Chanukah to you all!
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