Always Winter and Never Hanukkah?

Having identified several themes inherent in the holiday of Christmas we may wonder whether similar motifs are inherent in the holiday of Hanukkah. In the USA, the temporal juxtaposition of Christmas and Hanukkah make them part of the generic “Holiday Season.” However, timing alone does not mean the holidays share themes and motifs (of course, the date of Hanukkah depends not on the solar calendar, but on the Jewish calendar which is primarily lunar, and thus, the holiday may start as early as the end of November). Our goal in what follows is to explore whether any of the “Christmas themes” we identified earlier relate to Hanukkah as well. 

Our first theme was that of a break or respite from a hard winter. Of course, it does not snow much in Israel and there are very few days of sub-freezing temperatures. Nonetheless, Hanukkah does provide a break, not from ice and snow, but from the darkness of exile. 

The Hanukkah story occurs during the Second Temple period. Though the Temple stood, the hoped for return to the Golden Era of the time of King Solomon had not materialized. The lack was felt on two fronts. First, the Second Temple lacked the glory of the First Temple in both its spiritual stature (several of the primary articles of the Temple, including the Holy Ark) and physical beauty (at that point in time). Second, Judea lacked political independence. 

The Hasmonean dynasty temporarily ameliorated the second problem but not the first. In fact, even the political independence, according to the Sages, was incomplete since there was no return of the rule of the House of David. 

With this in mind we can understand why later Jewish authorities did not regard the Second temple period, even during Hasmonean rule, to be fully redemptive. Hence, the Sfat Emet states that the Hasmonean victory over the Seleucidian army was incomplete. In fact, the entire purpose of Hanukkah is to remind us that He is in our midst even at the darkest moments of exile. As is evidenced by the Hasmonean victory, but even more so by the miracle of the candles, He can and will operate above the natural laws to protect His Nation. 

This year, as in every year for millennia, Jews find themselves in exile very much at the whim of the natural world. Hanukkah is a break. True, it lacks the prohibition against work and the sanctification of the meals that we associate with typical Jewish holidays. After all, we are still in exile. Nonetheless, it is a time to re-experience the supernatural aspect of God’s presence even in the darkness of exile.