Holiday Gifts: Tools Not Toys

These are your presents, and they are tools not toys

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

This Monday morning, millions of children and adults will wake up to presents given to them from relatives, friends, and, of course, Santa Claus. In the Jewish world, we've also adopted the custom of giving presents and have attached it to Chanukkah. I in no way am decrying this adaptation. Quite the opposite, I think this is one reason so many Jews continue to celebrate Chanukkah despite, perhaps, not always being engaged in religious practice. 

The topic for this post is on what is given as presents or what we want as presents. The media, of course, happily informs us what are the most popular toys and the "must haves" for the season. In "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," however, Lewis presents a nuanced and dual approach towards Christmas presents. 

Only in Narnia is one able to meet Father Christmas himself, and three Pevensie children were fortunate enough to receive presents directly from him. He warns them, however, that the presents are "tools, not toys," and the time to use them may be near at hand. In other words, Father Christmas, no doubt as a messenger of Aslan, provides the children what they need to face an uncertain and trying future. Peter is given the tool of war and eventually leads his troops into battle against the White Witch. Lucy is given the tool of medicine and provides healing to those wounded in the battle against evil. Susan is given the tool of prayer, calling out to Aslan, and uses it when attacked by the wolf. War, prayer, and the ability to heal are the tools needed to face difficult times in Narnia and in our world as well.  

And perhaps those are the types of presents we should hope for ourselves and to give to others. What do our children, our relatives, and our friends need in a world set against our morals and values? What tools can we give that will strengthen their stand for truth and their independence from the crowd dragging them down to the lowest common denominator? Those are presents worth giving! 

At least, those are one type of present worth giving. For Father Christmas presents something else to the children, "A large tray containing five cups and saucers, a bowl of lump sugar, a jug of cream, and a great big teapot all sizzling and piping hot." To some extent this present too helps them along their journey to greet Aslan. But mainly this present is so that they can enjoy the holiday, and that's also OK. 

In "Reflections on the Psalms," Lewis speaks of the role of chocolate eggs on Easter, noting that, "If he [the young boy who for the time has conflated the chocolate eggs with the spiritual aspects of the holiday] puts the spiritual first he can still taste something of Easter in the chocolate eggs. The command of Gods holiday comes first, but its holiness can spread to the mundane if recognized as such. 

Similarly here, the invitation to give presents is a means to teach our children, and even other relatives and friends, the importance of the holidays: that God rules the world, and that values such as kindness and charity flow from Him. But once those are established, the holiness of the holiday can extend to the presents that are toys as well.  

The sword, horn, and cordial given to the Pevensie children were indeed tools. But because they were given first, the spiritual celebration of Aslan's return extended to the tea as well.  

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. 

Always Winter and Never Christmas (Part 2)

 Always Winter and Never Christmas

In our first installment on the above words of the Faun Tumnus we asked the question, why is winter without Christmas such a tragedy? The answer we provided was motivated by the words of Pastor Ray Fowler, Christmas provides a respite to the hard winter and makes worthwhile the work and stress that the winter brings. In Narnia, however, there was no Christmas. There was no vacation and there was no satisfaction in a job well done. 

In this post I would like to explore an alternate reading of Always Winter and Never Christmas as suggested by Pastor Robert Marsh:

Each year, beginning on June 22, the number of minutes of sunlight we enjoy each day begins to shrink. From 15 hours and 2 minutes on that day, the time we have in the sun shrinks until December 22, when we have only 9 hours and 20 minutes. But as we approach that shortest day, I find myself telling people around me, and reminding myself, that the days immediately start getting longer again – gradually building till that wonderful 15 hour day in June! We need that hope – that reminder that things will once again return to the warmth and light of summer! 

But imagine if there were no hope – imagine if on December 23, the minutes of daylight kept getting fewer – and scientists told us that it would never get better – no hope! Imagine the despair of being hope-less! Of feeling there is no end to the misery, no light at the end of the tunnel – no reason or purpose to go on. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all.” That’s how the world would be with no Christmas...

In this reading Christmas is not just a respite from difficult times, or even the reward or satisfaction achieved due to hard work. Rather, Christmas is a beacon of hope that things can improve. In a moment the world can be transformed for the better, things need not remain as they are now. 

While I appreciate Pastor Marsh’s insight and his entwinement of the darkness of winter due to the natural shortening of the day with the evil doings of the White Witch, I believe that some more depth can be provided to Christmas’ theme of hope. For that I would like to turn to perhaps an unlikely source: the Talmud. 

The incompatibility of Judaism with the pagan gods is such that Talmudic law forbids certain interaction with pagans lest they use items gained in such interactions as a means for worshipping their gods. Thus, a Jew must be especially careful around the time of pagan holidays when worshippers are more likely to make dedications to their temples. In order to facilitate this, the Mishna (Avoda Zara 1:3) provides a list of pagan holidays which includes Saturnalia and Kalenda. The Talmud (Avoda Zara 8a) explains that Kalenda is the celebration after the Winter Solstice (the kalends was the first day of the Roman month) and Saturnalia is the celebration before the Winter solstice. 

The Talmud then relates the origin of these holidays. After Adam’s sin and his exile from the Garden of Eden, he realized that the days were getting shorter and the nights longer. Perhaps, he thought, I have ruined the world and the darkness will continue to grow until the universe reverts to nothingness. He then spent 8 days in fasting and prayer. When the solstice came Adam realized that this was simply a natural cycle and he then spent the next 8 days in celebration. Starting the next year, he celebrated both sets of 8 days as holidays. Of course, Adam set aside these holidays to celebrate God’s command over nature, and the pagans came and misused them for idol-worship. 

The connections between Saturnalia and Christmas have been noted time and again. Unfortunately, these similarities are used as an attack on Christianity. The thought process appears to be that if a religious holiday grew out of a pagan ritual (though the religion now utterly rejects paganism) this somehow is a point of ridicule. I must admit, I fail to see why this should be so. The Christian faith (perhaps Pope Julius I) understood the importance of a celebration around the Winter Solstice as symbolic to the birth of the Christian Messiah. 

The (Christain) theology perhaps goes something like this: the time before said messiah came into the world was one of great troubles: God’s people had splintered into numerous, warring sects. The Pharisees who were teachers of law, were hypocritical and corrupt. They put minutiae before ethics and did not truly love God. This was a time of great spiritual darkness. At this time, when the world was at its bleakest, the messiah was born. He did not immediately engender change, but the moment before he was born was rock bottom, the nadir. After that the situation started to improve until such time that it will come to full day. 

This is symbolized by the natural cycle of light and darkness during the year. At the autumnal equinox, the amount of light and darkness are equal. After that, there is more darkness than light until the solstice, the day of greatest darkness. However, after the solstice the situation begins to improve. It is still dark for most of the day but the amount of light increases. The solstice may be rock bottom, but only because there is a rock bottom, can light start to increase.  

Christmas represents the turnaround from the darkest day of the year. It’s still dark and cold, and will be for quite a while, but at least it is getting lighter. But what if there was no Christmas? What if there was no rock bottom, but it always remained dark as it is on the day of the solstice? What if there could not be a turnaround because everything is (and always will be) static? That was the situation in Narnia. It was not just that there was no hope, but that there was no worst, and therefore no chance or possibility for improvement. It was just always winter, the White Witch would always be queen, and evil would always be triumphant. 

Therefore, the first step in the redemption of Narnia must be Christmas. The arrival of Santa Claus brings joy in hot drinks and a good breakfast, but that is only temporary. It is still cold, the White Witch is still queen, and she can (and does) still cause much harm. What Santa Claus permanently brings is the realization that the worst has past, and that the situation can be improved. It hasn’t improved yet, but he provides the tools that are needed induce change. Those tools, with determination and faith, will bring about the Narnian redemption.

Always Winter and Never Christmas (Part 1)

Always Winter and Never Christmas

Lucy’s first visit to Narnia almost ends in tragedy. Unbeknownst to her, the Faun Tumnus, whom she had befriended and whose house she was visiting, was covertly planning to lull her to sleep and hand her over to the queen of Narnia, the White Witch. The nefarious plan would have succeeded had Tumnus not been overcome by guilt. He repents, asks Lucy for forgiveness and explains that, though he was in the pay of the White Witch, he now understands the error of his ways. 

In the course of his confession, Tumnus attempts to convey to Lucy that his being in the pay of White Witch is indeed evil. He demonstrates her wickedness by explaining: 

Why, it is she that has got all Narnia under her thumb. It’s she that makes it always winter. Always winter and never Christmas; think of that!

As a child, this made a lot of sense to me. I knew, of course, that Christmas was a very important holiday because that was when non-Jewish children got presents (our parents told us that Santa Claus was not real, but we would never ruin the surprise for any non-Jewish children we might speak to). Due to the White Witch, the children in Narnia never got presents, and certainty it takes a singularly evil person to want to take away an opportunity to receive presents. 

Rereading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as an adult, I came to realize that Lewis probably had more in mind than presents and the like. But what is it? Why is winter without Christmas such a tragedy? Furthermore (as I am not Christian), is there a parallel to be drawn to the Jewish winter holiday, Hanukkah? 

Not surprisingly, there have been Christian pastors who have used this statement of Tumnus to demonstrate the importance of the Christmas holiday. Pastor Ray Fowler emphasized the importance of the holiday as follows:

Can you imagine what it would be like if it were always winter, never Christmas? First of all, just imagine if it were always winter. Now maybe some of you happen to love the winter, but how would you like to deal with ice and snow, sub-freezing temperatures, and having to clean and scrape your car every morning, every day? ...

So, this “always winter” thing would be bad enough. But what if it were always winter, never Christmas? That would be even worse! You know, we may not always like the ice and snow and cold, but at least when it gets cold around here, it’s a sign that Christmas is coming. And for many people, Christmas is that bright spot in the middle of winter that somehow makes it all worth it. But what if there were no Christmas? What if the Christmas season never came? Think about it – no holiday decorations, no family gatherings, no Bright Nights at Forest Park, no Christmas carols or concerts, no Christmas trees, no Christmas presents, no Christmas vacation (!), (kids, that means you would be in school all December long), no Charlie Brown Christmas specials, no Jimmy Stewart and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It would be all winter, all the time, but never any Christmas.

The pastor notes that Winter is difficult. It is cold and icy. But at least there is Christmas to look forward to, and that makes the troubles worthwhile. 

Transitioning this thought back to Narnia, we would then understand Tumnus’ statement as follows. The White Witch has made the lives of Narnians really difficult. It is always cold and icy, but it is worse than the winters we are used to, because there is no redeeming factor. Life in Narnia is all work and no reward, no validation, and no purpose. 

This reading of Tumnus’ statement is a straightforward or grown-up extension of the naive understanding I had as a child. A child might say, were things as they should be, children who are “good” would be rewarded with presents on Christmas. The White Witch is mean because, due to her, no Narnian children receive presents. The adult version of this is that winter is “hard,” and Christmas is a reward for the toil and a purpose of the hard work. The hours of hard work, celebrated with great joy surrounded by friends and family, become worthwhile. In Narnia such reward and purpose do not exist. 

Such a situation was in fact what the Israelites of old experienced in Egypt. Our sages tell us that the Jews were forced to work meaningless, non-constructive jobs with no ultimate purpose. They were thus lacking even the ability to even take pride in their work, to congratulate themselves on a job well-done. A similar cruelty was applied by the White Witch. There was work to be done but no ultimate satisfaction. 

(Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash)

Pre-Commemorating Christmas

It looked just as if he had been doing his Christmas shopping

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Christmas, and Father Christmas, play a highly symbolic role in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Analyzing that story and its message of hope, redemption, and the wheel of fortune, will require many posts and will have to wait until next year. At present, I would like to examine the first time Christmas is mentioned in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It appears in a descriptive and almost nonchalant fashion. Yet its mere mention can teach us of the fundamental nature of redemption.

The first creature Lucy Pevensie meets when she enters the world of Narnia through the wardrobe is the faun Tumnus. Tumnus is described in great detail: his appearance, what he is wearing, and what he is holding. Curiously, the faun is holding something very unusual for fauns, known in Narnia for music and dance: several brown-paper parcels. In fact, describes Lewis, “it looked just as if he had been doing his Christmas shopping.”

This description is rather odd as, presumably, Tumnus was not doing his Christmas shopping. He later tells Lucy that the White Witch has cast a spell over Narnia making it, “Always winter, and never Christmas.” We never actually learn what is in the parcels Tumnus is holding. If so, why the gratuitous mention of Christmas? Why does Lewis describe Tumnus as shopping for a Holiday which Tumnus himself understands will never come?

Two biblical vignettes, interpreted by the Jewish Sages, may shed light on this description.

1) Two men (understood to be angels), having recently been guests at the home of Abraham, enter the evil city of Sodom with orders from God to utterly destroy it and its environs. They are met by Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Lot invites them to his home and serves them matza, the bread of affliction of which Jews are commanded to eat on the night of Passover. Our Sages teach that this was appropriate because that evening was actually (on the calendar) the night of Passover. In fact, our Sages insist that Abraham also served the men matza for the same reason. Of course, the Israelite redemption from Egypt for which Passover is celebrated would not happen for several centuries. So, why eat matza?

2) As Isaac prepares to bless his eldest son Esau before death, Rebecca insists that her younger son Jacob disguise himself as his brother in order to receive Isaac’s blessing. She commands Jacob to bring two goats so that she can prepare food for Isaac. Could Isaac really eat two goats? Why is one not enough?

Our Sages give two explanations: (1) the two goats symbolize the two goats that would eventually play a central role in the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) ritual, (2) one goat was for the Passover sacrifice and one was for the meal. Again, the events which Passover commemorates were yet to happen. The concept of Yom Kippur as a day of repentance had not yet come to the world. How can there be symbolism or celebration of events and ideas that have yet to occur?

Certain concepts and ideas are inherent in Creation. Man must be given the opportunity to repent his sins. Redemption and the triumph of good over evil must have its time. The fact that these ideals, repentance and redemption, had not at the times of Abraham and Isaac, yet been manifest in their fullest form chronologically, is irrelevant to their celebration and commemoration. Abraham, Lot, and Rebecca, did not know of the future events which would lead to Passover and Yom Kippur, but their actions were anyway guided towards commemoration of those events because the ideals behind them are timeless.

The same is true with Tumnus the faun. Tumnus had no inkling that on that particular evening he would initiate the events that would lead to long hoped-for triumph of good over evil in Narnia. Nonetheless, the concept of redemption was already promised and was integral to the being of Narnia. Tumnus, due to his sterling character and ultimate destiny, reflects this timeless truth. Why he went shopping that particular evening is irrelevant. His actions were guided by his internal compass that told him that redemption would occur and he must prepare. In this way Tumnus could commemorate Christmas, symbolizing the Narnian redemptive process, even before it happens.

(Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash)