c. 2007 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) I had the craziest dream the other night. Three wraiths appeared speaking perfect English. Each one claimed to be the “true” spirit of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights that begins at sunset Dec. 4.

The first wraith was “The Spirit of Hanukkah Past,” who recounted the historical events surrounding Hanukkah’s origin in 165 B.C. in Jerusalem. Three years earlier, the ruthless Greco-Syrian emperor, Antiochus IV, ordered total uniformity of thought and belief across his large Middle East empire, including among his Jewish subjects. Antiochus prohibited the teaching of Torah and all vestiges of Judaism. In an especially reprehensible action, the emperor placed a statue of Zeus, the pagan god, within the sacred precincts of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

Fearing the emperor’s policy of torture and execution, many Jews went along with the evil decree. They reasoned it was better to give up their religion than die at the hands of Antiochus’ soldiers.

But other Jews, led by Mattathias and his five sons (most notably, Judah Maccabee), physically and spiritually resisted and led a three-year guerrilla war that resulted in a military victory over the much-larger and better equipped imperial army.

When Judah and his troops entered Jerusalem, they removed all evidence of paganism from the Temple and rededicated it to the worship of the God of Israel. The Maccabees saved Judaism from possible extinction.

“Hanukkah” is derived from the Hebrew word for “dedication.” The Maccabees discovered there was only enough oil to keep the Temple’s Eternal Light burning for one day, but amazingly, the oil lasted eight days. That “miracle” of the oil and Judah’s triumph has been observed each December for the past 2,172 years. There are special prayers and songs and candles are lit in menorahs for eight nights.

“That’s what Hanukkah is all about!” the first wraith asserted.

“Not quite!” said the second phantom in my dream.

“The Spirit of Hanukkah Present” argued that Hanukkah is now an integral part of the December holiday scene, especially in North America. The second spirit sheepishly confessed that many Jews have greatly inflated the otherwise minor Hanukkah festival into a defensive counter-force against the omnipresent allure of Christmas and the ubiquitous “holiday” season. As a result, Hanukkah has morphed into a time of gift giving, holiday parties, and general merriment.

The second specter admitted that Hanukkah’s original meaning of religious liberty and freedom of conscience is frequently drowned out by the beautifully wrapped gifts, the multi-colored holiday candles, the beautiful designs of modern menorahs and the aroma of sizzling potato latkes.

“After all, the ancient rabbis de-emphasized the military component of Hanukkah and focused instead on the `miracle’ of oil. So what’s wrong with focusing on giving presents, playing Hanukkah games with children, and simply enjoying a cheerful holiday?” the second spirit asked.

But a frowning “Spirit of Hanukkah Future” was having none of it.

“The long-ago struggle of the Maccabees is really the preview of the confrontations to come,” the third wraith said. “Forget the presents, the fun and games of today’s Hanukkah festivities. Forget the beautiful gift wrapping. The horrific issues raised by Antiochus are still with us in many parts of the world _ the demand for total religious conformity and political uniformity.

“Just like Antiochus, despots employ brute force and intimidation to impose their extremist views on diverse and unwilling societies. We still have terrorists and religious warriors seeking spiritual domination over millions of people. There will be many future battles that must be won if we wish to maintain our freedom, and Hanukkah is an annual reminder that resistance is necessary in the face of radical evil. We need to always remember the Maccabees’ message: `Resist tyranny to preserve our political independence and religious liberty.”’

Maybe it wasn’t such a crazy dream after all.

(Rabbi Rudin, the American Jewish Committee’s senior interreligious adviser, is the author of the recently published book “The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right’s Plans for the Rest of Us.”)

A photo of Rabbi Rudin is available via https://religionnews.com.

KRE/JM END RUDIN