Hanukkahmas

better together

This year, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Christmas Day. That rarely happens. The first day of Hanukkah falls on the 25th of the month of Kislev. The Hebrew calendar, being a lunar one, doesn’t line up with the Gregorian calendar. The last time Hanukkah fell on Christmas was 2005. It will happen again in 2035 and then not until 2054.

This happens during a year in which sadly (or disgustingly) has seen a ramping up of antisemitic fervor. That’s true for the United States and places around the globe. The terror of October 7, 2013 — with the invasion by Hamas — has unleashed yet another and sadly familiar storyline in the history of the Jewish people. That is, an attempt at vanquishing them.

But let’s focus on the joyful aspects of this occasion.

There’s something relevant to this topic in the New Testament. In the gospel of John, we read “At that time the Festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon” (10:22–23). Jesus is right there with everyone else, celebrating Hanukkah, enjoying the Festival of Lights. (The Festival of Dedication and of Lights are other names for the holiday.)

Of course, Hanukkah commemorates the ritual cleansing of the temple after the desecration committed by the Greeks, in particular as ordered by the tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes. As the story goes, those performing the rededication found only one container of oil. However, the oil was constantly restored so that it lasted each of eight days, thus allowing the lamp to be fully illuminated. That story of the miracle doesn’t appear in the scriptures, namely 1 and 2 Maccabees, which are considered deuterocanonical. Instead, it appears in a section of the Talmud, which itself is a collection of Jewish law and tradition.

John says, “At that time.” What time was that? This note about Hanukkah comes in the midst of Jesus’ proclamation that he is the good shepherd. The imagery of shepherd appears many times in the Old Testament, among them Genesis 48, Psalm 23, and Ezekiel 34.

A feast celebrating the rededication of the temple could have parallels to the slaughter of sheep in the temple sacrifices. As verse 17 says, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.” That’s one of several explanations which have been offered regarding the mention of Jesus’ appearance at Hanukkah.

How about we return to this wonderful fusion, Hanukkahmas? Or maybe Christmukkah? (That actually is a word.)

My wife Banu and I are getting our Hanukkah candles ready. We used blessings for the candles last year. It being in the Christmas season, we’ll need to sing a carol after each of the blessings!

I’ve used the term “Hanukkahmas” rather tongue-in-cheek. I’m half-joking. (Perhaps I should go with Christmukkah, but I still prefer Hanukkahmas.)

But what are we to do with this fusion? What can we learn from it? Could it be something as simple as Christians and others learning about Hanukkah and developing an appreciation of it? My guess is the Jewish understanding of Christmas requires far less developing!

Could it be something as challenging as standing up to those attacking our Jewish sisters and brothers, be it with words or weapons? It might require, if necessary, noticing any of those impulses within ourselves, however small they might be.

Let’s have some chutzpah!

So enjoy this Hanukkahmas! Here’s an idea. How about giving a dreidel as a Christmas present?