Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Thank you for joining me. I'm Rabbi David Lyon from
Congregation meth Israel in Houston. Honkkah is here and many
anticipate Christmas two. As the Jewish community engages in celebrating
the great holiday of Honukkah, It's worth taking a moment
to understand what is Honkkah? This word that means dedication.
(00:25):
What is the Jewish community dedicating? What is it committed to?
How are we celebrating at this season? Knika begins on
the twenty fifth day of the Hebrew month of Kislev
and lasts for eight days every year on the Hebrew calendar.
The twenty fifth day of the Hebrew month of Kislave
is when we begin to celebrate. In the evening, families
(00:48):
and children come together. Jewish communities gather too, to begin
to light the menora. What does it commemorate. It commemorates
the victory of Judah Maccabee and his followers over the
forces of the Syrian tyrant Antikus Epiphanes, and the rededication
of the Temple in Jerusalem, which the Syrians had profaned
(01:10):
long ago, when the temple stood long before the Romans
destroyed in the year seventy the Jews, led by Judah
Maccabee and his band of warriors, overtook the Syrian tyrant
and his followers to rededicate the temple once more So,
Hanneka celebrates more than the end of an unsuccessful attempt
(01:32):
by an outside power to destroy Judaism. The threat to
Judaism was both internal and external. The assimilation to Hellenistic
culture that his Greek culture was so great that certain
elements within Jewish society sought to become fully assimilated, to
be accepted as Greek citizens, and to participate in Greek
(01:53):
culture at the expense of their own unique Judaic culture.
The resistance of the Maccabees and their allies to the
blandishments of assimilation preserve Judaism. The story of Hanikah, then,
is an age old struggle of the Jewish people to
remain Jewish in a largely non Jewish world. To celebrate
(02:16):
the victory and to rededicate the temple, the Maccabees proclaimed
an eight day festival observed annually, and according to Talmudic legend,
it might be the story that you already know. When
the Hasmunians recaptured and cleanse the temple. They were able
to find only a single cruise of oil with the
seal of the High Priest, sufficient for one day's lighting
(02:39):
of the Menora. But as the story goes, a miracle
occurred and it burned for eight days. The nightly kindling
of the Menora the Honica lamp, with its increasingly brighter light,
has become a very special symbol for both our physical
and spiritual resistance to tyranny and assimily. Jewish traditionists preserve
(03:02):
this too full concept of resistance, first the heroic Maccabean triumph,
but also second, to counterbalance it, the words of the
prophet Zechariah, who said, not by might and not by power,
but by my spirit, says the Lord, Chapter four, verse six.
(03:23):
And so we come around to celebrate Honkah not just
to remember the triumphant victory of the Hasbonians of the
Syrian army, but to remember God's presence as an enduring
and permanent part of Jewish life and its outlook with
hope and optimism for a future. How do we celebrate Honkah?
(03:45):
It probably isn't unfamiliar to you. A big focus is
on how families and communities gather and also with a
focus on the children because they are part of the
lights literally our future, to lead us into a future
filled with Jewish hope and Jewish faith. The midst of
Hanikah is related to the oil that became part of
(04:07):
the miracle story, and so part of the foods that
are served at Hanakah are related to oil. First, of course,
you know Latka's potato pancakes. They are delicious and if
you're welcome into a Jewish home or to a Jewish deli,
or have them in your own home, even if you
don't celebrate Hanukah, there's a certain aroma that brings back
(04:30):
special memories of childhood, but also special memories of Hanukkah.
Served with sour cream or apple sauce and adapted to
many different tastes and preferences, they are very special at Honka.
In addition, jelly donuts make the wave on the platter
and are served at Hanagah. Why because they're called in
(04:54):
Hebrew soof ganiote. They are jelly donuts that are deep
fried in oil. Again, oil is the attraction. Lots of
other foods too can be part of the celebration, but
anything related to oil connects us to the meaning of
the miracle and the story we like to share with
our children. How do we light the manora? As I
(05:17):
said a moment ago, we increase the light as each
day comes. There was actually a debate in the Talmut
about how to light the manora. Do we begin the
first night with all the lights blazing and then reduce
them as each night comes? Or do we begin with
one candle on the first night and increase them as
the eight days come and go. Well, you know the
(05:39):
answer to the question. But the reason the question was
even raised is because we learned something important about how
we light the manora and what it means about our
faith and outlook on the world. The rabbis taught in
the Talmut ma aalen bakodesh ve ain will redeem it
means simply in grease holiness. Don't diminish it with our deeds,
(06:05):
our words, the work that we do, everything that we
aim to accomplish each day should be a contribution to holiness, productiveness,
to the quality of life that we want to live
ourselves and in the company of others. We shouldn't tear down, diminish,
or disgrace anything around us. Because what we contribute to
(06:25):
should be a reflection of holiness, and so we see
it in the lighting of the minora. To adding to
the light adds to the hopefulness for holiness all around us.
Another way we celebrate with the minora is an old
custom where the menora lamp for Honikah is visible from
the outside. We put it in the window so the
(06:48):
public passing by can see that we are celebrating Hanikah,
and it's a displayant demonstration of Jewish pride and Jewish identity. Now,
the rabbi's wisely in the Talmud, not only because of
their own experience of history, but anticipating the future that
at times of persecution is it isn't always safe to
(07:09):
put the menora in the window for all to see
in those times, put it in the interior on a table,
but always light the lights. Today, many Jewish families in
our neighborhood celebrate openly and decorate their yards, even as
those who celebrate Christmas decorate theirs. Sometimes Jews are a
(07:31):
little concerned about the display of Hanaga, not out of fear,
but because we don't want to imitate another person's or
another faith tradition's customs. Why take away from theirs, be
respectful of theirs, and be respectful of our own. We
have plenty to celebrate in many ways to do it,
(07:51):
and another fun way to do it, especially for the children,
is to play the game of dradel. Dredal is a
spinning top, nothing fancy, but on the dradel on the
sides of it are letters, Hebrew letters that create an acronym.
It's the words spell out the expression nesca dol hayasham,
(08:12):
a great miracle happened there. So as children spin the
dradel and take from the anti some or half, or
put in or get nothing, they play a game that
delights them and celebrates the holiday that they're celebrating. And
you might ask, but what if children are playing this
(08:34):
game in Jerusalem itself, in Israel, with a miracle and
with the story of Hanukkah occurred and is retold every year.
Are the letters the same that spell out a great
miracle happened there? Actually the dradl is different. It says
nesca dol haya paul, a great miracle happened here. When
(08:56):
I have visited Israel, and I've been there at Hanukah.
It's kind of fun to see that all the things
that I celebrated as a child growing up in America
look so different there, even the dradal, but the fun
and the joy and the celebration of Hanakah is truly
the same. To celebrate Jewish pride and identity, Honika. Gifts
are common too, and while Christmas is a time of giving,
(09:21):
and unfortunately commercialization is somewhat overtaken some of the spirit
of Christmas, gift giving is common in America and in
many cultural areas, and Hanikah too is about giving gifts.
In the olden days, so to speak, most parents gave
to children what they call gelt, a few coins that
(09:42):
were special and saved and spent on something that was
meaningful to them. Today, there are still symbols of gelt,
sometimes a little money, but most often gifts that are
purchased and given just like many other people celebrating their holidays.
And sometimes chocolate coins similar to remember the days of old,
and sometimes the foil that wraps that chocolate is imprinted
(10:05):
with a symbol of Judah Maccabee and the Hasmonians who
were the warriors who rededicated the temple it's all connected,
but at the very heart of it is a source
of Jewish identity and pride that is symbolized in the
hopefulness of the manora, the lights that we kindle, and
the holiness that we aim to increase. It's also important
(10:29):
to note that while we're celebrating Hanukah, it's also celebrated
of the darkest season of the year. So it's no wonder.
It's no mystery that there is a manora, a Christmas
tree filled with lights, lights filling our streets and windows
in stores brightened by the special gifts and sales for
(10:51):
the holiday. Kwanza II has a candelabra that is lit
because darkness is often associated with abandonment or even pain,
but it's faithfulness that helps us to overcome the darkness,
the sense of abandonment, with opportunities to see more light.
(11:11):
We see it in the manora, we see it in
the Christmas tree, in the Kwansa lamp, and in many
ways where the darkness of the season is brightened and illuminated.
It lifts our eyes up and gives us hope for
the future. Sometimes we equate God's presence with light and
brightness and joy. We do it because it's easy. A
(11:36):
baby naming, a wedding, a good day, a good grade
on a test, or even a promotion, or times when
people who don't ordinarily pray might even come to say,
thank God, how blessed I am. But in times of darkness,
like at this season, when something might not go well,
or even on a good day, to come home on
(11:57):
a dark night that begins at five pm five thirty pm,
unlike summertime, when the light extends well into the evening,
we might be looking for symbols of hope and not
find it. But remember that our tradition and many faith
traditions say that God is the source of light, but
(12:20):
also the source of darkness. God is in the darkness too,
And if God is in the darkness, then we are
not alone, We're not abandoned. And if God is a
source of light, and we can look up and feel
hopeful about tomorrow too. I'm Rabbi David Lyon from Congregation
Beth Israel and Houston. To listen again or to share
(12:41):
this message, you can find at my podcast called Heart
to Heart with Rabbi David Lyon at Sunday ninety nine
dot com. Are on the iHeartRadio app And so as
the holiday season begins and continues, it is our duty
not only to celebrate our respective holidays, but also to
be respectful of others' holidays and to note that all
(13:05):
of us want something similar hope in times of despair, light,
in a season of darkness, and optimism, that the future
can be filled with everything that our faith traditions respectively
and mutually want for the human race, for all humanity,
(13:26):
and for the world that we share. It has to
be greater than that. Just like the minora symbolizes, everything
we do and say and pray for should be a
reason to increase holiness and a way to multiply the
goodness that we see and share together. I urge you
(13:48):
not to do anything to diminish the goodness and holiness
that is already present in the world and the opportunity
to increase it. So add light, good words, do good deeds,
and be mindful of the blessings you've come to know.
And though it is a dark season when the solstice comes,
(14:10):
each day afterwards is just a little bit brighter and
the light lasts a little bit longer. So let's hold out,
let's look up and anticipate even a secular new Year
that begins with resolutions to do better. Better that begins
right now, as the seasons take hold and we all
(14:30):
celebrate in our homes and families, communities, and houses of worship.
Let's light the lights that endure. Let's kindle the lights
that burn within us, and remember that the light of
God is the soul of every human being, says the Psalmist.
So let's find the light within, share it with others,
(14:51):
and burn brightly at this season. Thank you for joining me.
I look forward to being with you again next time.
Thank you for joining me. I'm Rabbi David Lyon from
Congregation meth Israel in Houston. Honkkah is here and many
anticipate Christmas two. As the Jewish community engages in celebrating
the great holiday of Honukkah, It's worth taking a moment
to understand what is Honkkah? This word that means dedication.
(00:25):
What is the Jewish community dedicating? What is it committed to?
How are we celebrating at this season? Knika begins on
the twenty fifth day of the Hebrew month of Kislev
and lasts for eight days every year on the Hebrew calendar.
The twenty fifth day of the Hebrew month of Kislave
is when we begin to celebrate. In the evening, families
(00:48):
and children come together. Jewish communities gather too, to begin
to light the menora. What does it commemorate. It commemorates
the victory of Judah Maccabee and his followers over the
forces of the Syrian tyrant Antikus Epiphanes, and the rededication
of the Temple in Jerusalem, which the Syrians had profaned
(01:10):
long ago, when the temple stood long before the Romans
destroyed in the year seventy the Jews, led by Judah
Maccabee and his band of warriors, overtook the Syrian tyrant
and his followers to rededicate the temple once more So,
Hanneka celebrates more than the end of an unsuccessful attempt
(01:32):
by an outside power to destroy Judaism. The threat to
Judaism was both internal and external. The assimilation to Hellenistic
culture that his Greek culture was so great that certain
elements within Jewish society sought to become fully assimilated, to
be accepted as Greek citizens, and to participate in Greek
(01:53):
culture at the expense of their own unique Judaic culture.
The resistance of the Maccabees and their allies to the
blandishments of assimilation preserve Judaism. The story of Hanikah, then,
is an age old struggle of the Jewish people to
remain Jewish in a largely non Jewish world. To celebrate
(02:16):
the victory and to rededicate the temple, the Maccabees proclaimed
an eight day festival observed annually, and according to Talmudic legend,
it might be the story that you already know. When
the Hasmunians recaptured and cleanse the temple. They were able
to find only a single cruise of oil with the
seal of the High Priest, sufficient for one day's lighting
(02:39):
of the Menora. But as the story goes, a miracle
occurred and it burned for eight days. The nightly kindling
of the Menora the Honica lamp, with its increasingly brighter light,
has become a very special symbol for both our physical
and spiritual resistance to tyranny and assimily. Jewish traditionists preserve
(03:02):
this too full concept of resistance, first the heroic Maccabean triumph,
but also second, to counterbalance it, the words of the
prophet Zechariah, who said, not by might and not by power,
but by my spirit, says the Lord, Chapter four, verse six.
(03:23):
And so we come around to celebrate Honkah not just
to remember the triumphant victory of the Hasbonians of the
Syrian army, but to remember God's presence as an enduring
and permanent part of Jewish life and its outlook with
hope and optimism for a future. How do we celebrate Honkah?
(03:45):
It probably isn't unfamiliar to you. A big focus is
on how families and communities gather and also with a
focus on the children because they are part of the
lights literally our future, to lead us into a future
filled with Jewish hope and Jewish faith. The midst of
Hanikah is related to the oil that became part of
(04:07):
the miracle story, and so part of the foods that
are served at Hanakah are related to oil. First, of course,
you know Latka's potato pancakes. They are delicious and if
you're welcome into a Jewish home or to a Jewish deli,
or have them in your own home, even if you
don't celebrate Hanukah, there's a certain aroma that brings back
(04:30):
special memories of childhood, but also special memories of Hanukkah.
Served with sour cream or apple sauce and adapted to
many different tastes and preferences, they are very special at Honka.
In addition, jelly donuts make the wave on the platter
and are served at Hanagah. Why because they're called in
(04:54):
Hebrew soof ganiote. They are jelly donuts that are deep
fried in oil. Again, oil is the attraction. Lots of
other foods too can be part of the celebration, but
anything related to oil connects us to the meaning of
the miracle and the story we like to share with
our children. How do we light the manora? As I
(05:17):
said a moment ago, we increase the light as each
day comes. There was actually a debate in the Talmut
about how to light the manora. Do we begin the
first night with all the lights blazing and then reduce
them as each night comes? Or do we begin with
one candle on the first night and increase them as
the eight days come and go. Well, you know the
(05:39):
answer to the question. But the reason the question was
even raised is because we learned something important about how
we light the manora and what it means about our
faith and outlook on the world. The rabbis taught in
the Talmut ma aalen bakodesh ve ain will redeem it
means simply in grease holiness. Don't diminish it with our deeds,
(06:05):
our words, the work that we do, everything that we
aim to accomplish each day should be a contribution to holiness, productiveness,
to the quality of life that we want to live
ourselves and in the company of others. We shouldn't tear down, diminish,
or disgrace anything around us. Because what we contribute to
(06:25):
should be a reflection of holiness, and so we see
it in the lighting of the minora. To adding to
the light adds to the hopefulness for holiness all around us.
Another way we celebrate with the minora is an old
custom where the menora lamp for Honikah is visible from
the outside. We put it in the window so the
(06:48):
public passing by can see that we are celebrating Hanikah,
and it's a displayant demonstration of Jewish pride and Jewish identity. Now,
the rabbi's wisely in the Talmud, not only because of
their own experience of history, but anticipating the future that
at times of persecution is it isn't always safe to
(07:09):
put the menora in the window for all to see
in those times, put it in the interior on a table,
but always light the lights. Today, many Jewish families in
our neighborhood celebrate openly and decorate their yards, even as
those who celebrate Christmas decorate theirs. Sometimes Jews are a
(07:31):
little concerned about the display of Hanaga, not out of fear,
but because we don't want to imitate another person's or
another faith tradition's customs. Why take away from theirs, be
respectful of theirs, and be respectful of our own. We
have plenty to celebrate in many ways to do it,
(07:51):
and another fun way to do it, especially for the children,
is to play the game of dradel. Dredal is a
spinning top, nothing fancy, but on the dradel on the
sides of it are letters, Hebrew letters that create an acronym.
It's the words spell out the expression nesca dol hayasham,
(08:12):
a great miracle happened there. So as children spin the
dradel and take from the anti some or half, or
put in or get nothing, they play a game that
delights them and celebrates the holiday that they're celebrating. And
you might ask, but what if children are playing this
(08:34):
game in Jerusalem itself, in Israel, with a miracle and
with the story of Hanukkah occurred and is retold every year.
Are the letters the same that spell out a great
miracle happened there? Actually the dradl is different. It says
nesca dol haya paul, a great miracle happened here. When
(08:56):
I have visited Israel, and I've been there at Hanukah.
It's kind of fun to see that all the things
that I celebrated as a child growing up in America
look so different there, even the dradal, but the fun
and the joy and the celebration of Hanakah is truly
the same. To celebrate Jewish pride and identity, Honika. Gifts
are common too, and while Christmas is a time of giving,
(09:21):
and unfortunately commercialization is somewhat overtaken some of the spirit
of Christmas, gift giving is common in America and in
many cultural areas, and Hanikah too is about giving gifts.
In the olden days, so to speak, most parents gave
to children what they call gelt, a few coins that
(09:42):
were special and saved and spent on something that was
meaningful to them. Today, there are still symbols of gelt,
sometimes a little money, but most often gifts that are
purchased and given just like many other people celebrating their holidays.
And sometimes chocolate coins similar to remember the days of old,
and sometimes the foil that wraps that chocolate is imprinted
(10:05):
with a symbol of Judah Maccabee and the Hasmonians who
were the warriors who rededicated the temple it's all connected,
but at the very heart of it is a source
of Jewish identity and pride that is symbolized in the
hopefulness of the manora, the lights that we kindle, and
the holiness that we aim to increase. It's also important
(10:29):
to note that while we're celebrating Hanukah, it's also celebrated
of the darkest season of the year. So it's no wonder.
It's no mystery that there is a manora, a Christmas
tree filled with lights, lights filling our streets and windows
in stores brightened by the special gifts and sales for
(10:51):
the holiday. Kwanza II has a candelabra that is lit
because darkness is often associated with abandonment or even pain,
but it's faithfulness that helps us to overcome the darkness,
the sense of abandonment, with opportunities to see more light.
(11:11):
We see it in the manora, we see it in
the Christmas tree, in the Kwansa lamp, and in many
ways where the darkness of the season is brightened and illuminated.
It lifts our eyes up and gives us hope for
the future. Sometimes we equate God's presence with light and
brightness and joy. We do it because it's easy. A
(11:36):
baby naming, a wedding, a good day, a good grade
on a test, or even a promotion, or times when
people who don't ordinarily pray might even come to say,
thank God, how blessed I am. But in times of darkness,
like at this season, when something might not go well,
or even on a good day, to come home on
(11:57):
a dark night that begins at five pm five thirty pm,
unlike summertime, when the light extends well into the evening,
we might be looking for symbols of hope and not
find it. But remember that our tradition and many faith
traditions say that God is the source of light, but
(12:20):
also the source of darkness. God is in the darkness too,
And if God is in the darkness, then we are
not alone, We're not abandoned. And if God is a
source of light, and we can look up and feel
hopeful about tomorrow too. I'm Rabbi David Lyon from Congregation
Beth Israel and Houston. To listen again or to share
(12:41):
this message, you can find at my podcast called Heart
to Heart with Rabbi David Lyon at Sunday ninety nine
dot com. Are on the iHeartRadio app And so as
the holiday season begins and continues, it is our duty
not only to celebrate our respective holidays, but also to
be respectful of others' holidays and to note that all
(13:05):
of us want something similar hope in times of despair, light,
in a season of darkness, and optimism, that the future
can be filled with everything that our faith traditions respectively
and mutually want for the human race, for all humanity,
(13:26):
and for the world that we share. It has to
be greater than that. Just like the minora symbolizes, everything
we do and say and pray for should be a
reason to increase holiness and a way to multiply the
goodness that we see and share together. I urge you
(13:48):
not to do anything to diminish the goodness and holiness
that is already present in the world and the opportunity
to increase it. So add light, good words, do good deeds,
and be mindful of the blessings you've come to know.
And though it is a dark season when the solstice comes,
(14:10):
each day afterwards is just a little bit brighter and
the light lasts a little bit longer. So let's hold out,
let's look up and anticipate even a secular new Year
that begins with resolutions to do better. Better that begins
right now, as the seasons take hold and we all
(14:30):
celebrate in our homes and families, communities, and houses of worship.
Let's light the lights that endure. Let's kindle the lights
that burn within us, and remember that the light of
God is the soul of every human being, says the Psalmist.
So let's find the light within, share it with others,
(14:51):
and burn brightly at this season. Thank you for joining me.
I look forward to being with you again next time.
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