Chanukah

[liv]

I have ideological issues with Chanukah. But this evening, I came home from work, and was so dead tired that I fell straight to sleep (this was the middle of the afternoon!) And I woke up and it was cold and dark, but there was my chanukah present from lethargic_man. All of a sudden, I felt far away from my family and my people, and I had a strong impulse to go out to the corner shop and buy nightlights with which I improvised a chanukah lamp.

Then I sat down and wrote a highly enthusiastic review of The Player of Games.

To those who care about such things, happy chanukah.

Comments

Re: Issues with Chanucah

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

That may be the case, but right now you can read any number of modern drashes that talk about how wonderful it is that we've thrown off the nasty Hellenistic culture - there are children's magazines knocking around my own reasonably liberal shul that talk about how great it is to be a Jew and how revolting it is to associate with goyyim, and how it's really disgusting to absorb any elements of goyyishe culture. Here it isn't made to be about fighting intolerance, it's about fighting outside influences, and in that context, I too prefer not to put too much emphasis on celebrating Chanukah. Maybe if the prevailing culture was basically tolerant of outside influence I would be able to appreciate the aspects you mention, but it isn't. This is a time of year to tell small children that the evil Greeks threw small children off the tops of buildings and that all goyyim are nasty. Yeah, great festival.

(although this may merely be symptomatic of Jerusalem as opposed to Jewry as a whole)

Re: Issues with Chanucah

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Any religion can be hijacked by fundamentalist tendencies. And in Israel, and Jerusalem in particular, where there's precious little in the way of middle ground between the חרדים and the secular, one can again see why that has happened.

But does the blame for that lie on the religion?

Well yes, partly; the Orthodox liturgy is packed full of expressions such as באיאמ"ה שלא עשני נכרי that are liable to misinterpretation in a racist manner. But equally no, partly; as a close examination of the liturgy and its biblical sources show the whole concept of Jews being the Chosen People to be in order that they be a light unto the nations. The fault is here that of the fundamentalists for engaging in a narrow reading of the texts, and ignoring the bits that don't fit with their worldview.

Yes, I know I'm treading on dangerous ground here. Go ahead; knock me down if you want.

Re: Issues with Chanucah

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

I don't really want to knock you down, clearly you can argue it six ways till the cows come home - my deal is that you celebrate Chanuka your way and I'll celebrate it my way; my way is appropriate for me in today's Jerusalem, and your way presumably works for you.

[liv]

how great it is to be a Jew and how revolting it is to associate with goyyim, and how it's really disgusting to absorb any elements of goyyishe culture
Ach, my poor badger! I'm so sorry you're getting this kind of crap. I can very vividly remember how absolutely sickened I was the first time I heard 'goyim' used in a derogatory sense, and it doesn't get much easier with familiarity. There are many things I love about Judaism, but just occasionally certain sections of the community make me deeply, deeply ashamed.

Whether refusing to celebrate chanukah is the answer, I honestly can't say (despite my flippant remarks above; many apologies if I touched a raw nerve). I can definitely see the point that in the far from ideal context where you find yourself, it's probably the most appropriate response.

I must admit that I really admired that single light thing you did at Hengrave a couple of years back; making a point of doing the absolute bare letter of the law minimum is an extremely stylish approach. Not that I'd ever expect anything less of you.

Of token rebellions in religion

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

I must admit that I really admired that single light thing you did at Hengrave a couple of years back; making a point of doing the absolute bare letter of the law minimum is an extremely stylish approach.

That reminds me of the situation in Guy Gavriel Kay's (fantasy novel) Tigana, in which every year there is a three day period, the Ember Days, during which no fires are to be lit or maintained.

There is a people in the book who have undergone a national disaster -- the conquest of their land, the destruction of its cities, the death of their king, the oppression of the people and even the taking away by sorcery of their land's name. We meet a member of this people who insists on keeping a single light lit through the Ember Days, as a symbol of the way her people have been let down by their god.

I was most struck with this when I read it; it struck me as a very apt way of registering rage at the G-d you continue, nonetheless, to serve. ("Not bloody theodicy again," groans rysmiel.) However, I never could see an easy way to fit it into Judaism.

Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough. (Or very hard at all, for that matter.)

Re: Of token rebellions in religion

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

There is a people in the book who have undergone a national disaster -- the conquest of their land, the destruction of its cities, the death of their king, the oppression of the people and even the taking away by sorcery of their land's name. We meet a member of this people who insists on keeping a single light lit through the Ember Days, as a symbol of the way her people have been let down by their god.

My connection with that was the Bealtaine fire, and St. Patrick breaking the Ban.

[liv]

That reminds me of the situation in Guy Gavriel Kay's (fantasy novel) Tigana
Thanks, that's a very interesting comparison. I think there's a substantive difference between protesting against the status quo by lighting in a dark period, and by being temperate about lights when everyone around is going overboard. Still, interesting idea.

it struck me as a very apt way of registering rage at the G-d you continue, nonetheless, to serve.
Do you know the story of the group of rabbis in the Camps who put God on trial for allowing the Shoah to happen? And the trial was very long and complicated, and went on and on for hours, but eventually the rabbis returned a guilty verdict. But before they could pass sentence, their disciples reminded them, "Our masters, it is time to recite the Shema".

I am a little uncomfortable with repeating that story, because I can't be sure of its authenticity. I'm not sure this reluctance is entirely rational; I'm quite happy promulgating myths from earlier times with no idea of whether they are literally historically true, so why should myths referring to the Holocaust be any different? Anyway, the immediate source is The Rosh Hashanah / Yom Kippur Survival Kit (Apisdorf 1992) which we use quite a lot in our HHD liturgy.

Not bloody theodicy again
Well, having said all the above, I don't think that taking issues with Chanukah is really about theodicy at all. It's registering a protest, maybe even rage at certain parts of the historical and current Jewish community failing to live up to our holy heritage.

However, I never could see an easy way to fit it into Judaism.
Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough. (Or very hard at all, for that matter.)
If you ever get a chance to hear R. Wittenberg speak, you should definitely do so. I have always been aware of a strong tradition of theodicy and even protest against God within Judaism; it permeates both our liturgy and our scholarship. But some of that stuff you might find too weird and Reform to be meaningful to you; R. Wittenberg is Masorti his stuff is completely rooted in tradition.

[lethargic_man]

I have always been aware of a strong tradition of theodicy and even protest against God within Judaism; it permeates both our liturgy and our scholarship.

Could you elaborate on this, please? I am writing an article for this year's Grassroots Jews booklet about why I do not prostrate (using Tigana as an analogy), and would not like to leave myself open to rebuttal on account of ignorance.

Re: Of token rebellions in religion

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

It struck me a little while ago (but I forgot to mention it to you) that actually I do have an equivalent in my life of the refusing to extinguish all flames on the Ember Days: I don't, and won't, bow in the High Holyday services.

This year everyone else in eye range without my actually looking about was bowing; I was the only one not. But I stuck to my guns; I'll worship the Creator but won't bow to a god the liturgy claims to reward the good but allows <insert example of choice> to happen.

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

I still do a single light, but it's not fair, W does the usual number, and since the mitzvah is on the building rather than the individual, doing one in our house doesn't have the same significance any more...still, it makes me happier. I think they probably deserve one light.

[liv]

I still do a single light
And you are still very stylish! Yay blackherring.

the mitzvah is on the building rather than the individual
Really, I didn't know that! Are there many mitzvot that come into that category? OK, house leprosy, that's obviously got to apply to the house. Building a succah? Is that household or individual?

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

There isn't a mitzvah to *build* a succah, only to *sit* in one. Consequently, that's binding on the individual, but you don't have to own the succah, only to have permission to use it.

Other things that the household has to do but aren't the province of a particular individual...what about mezuzah? If you move into a house that's alreay kitted out with mezuzot, you don't have to do anything. Perhaps hospitality? It gets confused quite quickly with the things that the Man of the House has to do, he being representative of the household. W's out right now, so no input from there :)

[liv]

Thank you so much, so useful having such a knowledgeable person in range.

I was confused about both succah and mezuzah, cos of never having been in a situation where either just happens. Pretty much, if I want to sit in a succah, I need to build one, and if I want my dwelling to have mezuzot, I need to fix them. Thus the building and fixing are sort of contingent to my being able to perform the mitzvot of sitting and having.

But the hospitality could be a very interesting example.

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

W couldn't think of any others about households, but he suggested as a parallel the argument about tzitzit - whether it's a mitzvah only if you possess a four-cornered garment, or whether the mitzvah is to own a four-cornered garment with tzitzit.

[neonchameleon.livejournal.com]

I must admit that I really admired that single light thing you did at Hengrave a couple of years back; making a point of doing the absolute bare letter of the law minimum is an extremely stylish approach.

Interesting. That, to me, is the obvious response.

[liv]

Interesting. That, to me, is the obvious response.
Well, yes, it's obvious if you happen to be aware of the detail of the halacha regarding Chanukah. And if you are confident enough in your knowledge to follow it through and behave in a way that makes you stand out in a context which is very much about everybody following the same practice. I think if you regard this as obvious, you haven't properly understood the background.

[neonchameleon.livejournal.com]

The principle not the practice is the obvious part. It does take extreme confidence and good research. On the other hand, I've always been a fan of following bad or stupid laws to the letter and never one of fences about the law (other than to use as climbing frames).