Greetings, friends. Several people have posted this today, and I sincerely appreciate the spirit of good will in which it was offered. But it’s really not an appropriate way to remark about Hanukah, and I want to explain why.
Jewish tradition absolutely prays for and aspires to peace. A prayer for peace is part of the core set of prayers recited at every service and traditionally said three times every day.
But Hanukah is actually a commemoration of a military victory. And the war itself was specifically fought to resist assimilation and the melding of Jewish practice into the practices of the larger surrounding population.
So the values represented by Hanukah aren’t peace, but determination to maintain our separate traditions and identity. By force if necessary.
It’s great that everyone gets to celebrate their own holidays! And it’s nice that several faith traditions have holidays this time of year. But this just happens to be a good example of the fact that different traditions’ holidays aren’t the same.
Christmas celebrates Jesus and the message of peace and goodwill to all. But Hanukah is about being true to ourselves and putting up resistance against anyone trying to not let us do that. It’s about celebrating our differences, not about how we can make it all feel the same.
So it would be better to wish everyone a happy holiday and offer specific greetings to those you know celebrate a particular holiday. May we all have the peace and freedom to be true to our faith and traditions.
Merry Christmas, to my Christian friends!
Chag sameach, to my Jewish friends!
Happy solstice, to all who mark the relative movements of the Earth and Sun!
I’ll never be a famous actress or model. Or a CEO of a company. I’m a provincial Cebuana. Just give me enough rice, some love and laughter in my life, and healthy, happy kids - that’s heaven. Heaven on earth. As pasko approaches, may you all be blessed with enough food, love, laughter, and healthy, happy loved ones.
On this, the last night of Chanukah, may we all be a light for each other in dark places. May we treasure one another and live generously. May we embrace the hope that we may endure and persist, and that peace shall prevail on earth. May we all find that the strength within us burns brighter and longer than we ever thought possible. Long may we shine.
M-M-M-Metroid Monday, art by Nathan Anderson on ArtStation! This message is so relevant… in space and especially here on Earth. ☮️ 🙏🏼 #Nintendo #Metroid #SamusAran #FanArt #MetroidMonday #PeaceAgreement