From Berlin to Gaza

It was the eighth night of Chanukah in Kiel, Germany, a small town with a Jewish population of 500. That year, 1931, the last night Chanukah fell on Friday evening, and Rabbi Akiva Boruch Posner, spiritual leader of the town was hurrying to light the Menorah before the Shabbat set in.

Directly across the Posner’s home stood the Nazi headquarters in Kiel, displaying the dreaded Nazi Party flag in the cold December night.

With the eight lights of the Menorah glowing brightly in her window, Rabbi Posner’s wife, Rachel, snapped a photo of the Menorah and captured the Nazi building and flag in the background.

She wrote a few lines in German on the back of the photo. “Chanukah 5692, (1931), “Death to Judah”, So the flag says, “Judah will live forever”, So the light answers.

Miraculously, the Posners survived and made their way to Israel together with their menorah and photo. Each Chanukah, that Menorah is lit again by their grandchildren.

While preparing to light the first flame of the Menorah, I had the chance to tune in to public Menorah lightings from around the world that were being streamed online.

One took place in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, led by Rabbi Yehuda Teichtel, the leader of Chabad of Berlin. This event featured special remarks of solidarity from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Another lighting occurred in Sderot. What made this Menorah unique was the fact that it was constructed from rockets that Hamas had recently fired toward Israel.

Yet a third, was the Menorah lighting being lit in the center of Gaza by our courageous IDF soldiers. In the very spot where evil terrorists humiliated and murdered our brothers and sisters just a few weeks ago, Jewish soldiers can be seen singing and dancing with joy despite the dangers lurking everywhere.

While our enemies rise up against us, we transform their curses into our greatest blessings. The story of Chanukah reminds us that no matter how dark it may seem outside, the light of the Menorah has the power to transform the darkness into light.

The story of Chanukah occurred in the second century BCE. The Holy Land was ruled by the Syrian-Greeks, who tried to force the people of Israel to accept Greek culture and beliefs instead of Mitzvah observance and belief in G‑d. Against all odds, a small band of faithful but poorly armed Jews, led by Judah the Maccabee, defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of G‑d.

When they sought to light the Temple's Menorah, they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks. Miraculously, they lit the menorah and the one-day supply of oil lasted for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.

Interestingly, when relating the story of Chanukah, the Talmud makes little mention of the actual victory of the war and instead focuses primarily on the miracle of oil that occurred. The Sages, as well, instituted the Mitzvah of lighting the Menorah each night of Chanukah and the customs of eating oily foods while only making a minor reference to the miracle of winning the war by including mention of it during our prayers. 

Wouldn't it be more fitting to put a greater emphasis on the miracle that our lives were saved as opposed to the miracle of the Menorah which happened afterwards?

To understand this phenomenon, we need to recognize the true nature of the war against the Greeks. 

Throughout our long history, our enemies appeared in all forms. There were some nations who openly called for our physical destruction while others seemingly only attempted to destroy us spiritually. There were those who seemed to attack only certain segments of the Jewish people while leaving others alone. But ultimately, the long-term objective of all our enemies is to destroy every last vestige of the Judaism and the Jewish people.

The Greeks worshipped the human mind, academic and athletic achievements, and materialism above all else. They saw in the Jewish people a threat and declaration against their philosophy. The Jewish people reminded them of the need to live for a higher purpose, to transform this world into a home for G-d.

The Greeks had no issue with Jewish culture per se or the study of Torah viewed as a brilliant intellectual book of wisdom. However, they endeavored to make the Jewish people forget that it was G-d’s Torah and Mitzvot. They challenged the supranational aspects of Judaism that didn't make any sense to the limited human mind.

It is for that reason that the Greeks specifically defiled all the oil in the Temple. They were sending a message to the Jewish people that purity and impurity was not a rational concept and therefore shouldn’t be observed. They had no problem with the lighting of the Menorah, they only insisted that it could be lit just the same with impure oil.

Therefore, we commemorate the miracle that, despite all odds, the Maccabees were able to discover a small cruse of pure oil that had remained untouched by the Greeks. Although it seemed that there was only enough oil to last for one day, a miracle occurred and it lit for eight days.

Today, as our brave IDF soldiers fight the evil terrorists in Israel who wish to destroy us physically, we also recognize that we are all fighting for our Jewish identity on college campuses, in our schools, our workplace, and neighborhoods.

Just as in the days of Chanukah, we must light our Menorahs and express our Jewish pride openly. We must not allow our enemies to break our spirit. By increasing in Mitzvot and adding more light in this world, we will ultimately transform the darkness.

Every individual has his or her “one cruse of oil,” begging to be discovered. A person may not uncover this internal connection to G‑d in the ordinary circumstances of his life. But when challenged, as in the case of the Maccabees, this inner connection will surface. And when this divine bond comes to the fore, “[G‑d will] deliver the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few,” for nothing can withstand its power.

In their struggle against the Greeks, the Maccabees tapped this resource - this single cruse of oil, revealing a level of soul that transcended their usual limits. In response, G‑d revealed miracles that transcended the natural limits of this world.
 

As we light the Menorah this Chanukah, let us invite our neighbors, family and friends to celebrate as well. Let us pray for the return of our hostages, for the safety of our brethern in Israel and around the world. Our current mission and battle is for the coming of Moshiach when our inner flames will truly shine for eternity.