chanukah
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The Festival of Lights
The days get shorter. Dark overtakes light.
To the ancients, it might have seemed as though
The days would continue to diminish until the sun
Would be gone forever, never to return.
But wait!
Hope remains.
In a testament to the fortitude of humanity—the determination of this one earthly species
To affect reality,
To control its own destiny, to shape the universe according to its needs—
They rise.
Rather than sinking into despair,
Humanity celebrates the darkness with a festival of lights,
Urging the light to come forth,
Coaxing it out of the cold dank place where it hides.
A spark is struck.
A light is kindled.
A flame grows stronger.
And almost imperceptible at first, the days begin to lengthen.
The sun regains its confidence, becomes bolder, warmer.
And humanity celebrates with a festival of lights.
Call it Diwali, Loi Krathong, the festival of Vesak, Christmas, Chanukah,
Call it science or magic, it’s all the same.
It’s all the same because we are one.
One with the earth, one with each other, one with the One,
And so we strike our flames, a flickering prayer that hopes
That believes
That the cold dank place within us
Where darkness hides
May some day be banished.
A cashier wishes me a merry Christmas and I respond,
“Thank you for the good wishes, and I wish you all good things too, but I don’t celebrate Christmas. I celebrate Chanukah.”
What an odd thing for a Jew to say! As if Chanukah is the Jewish response to Christmas, that somehow there’s a relationship between the two, that I celebrate Chanukah as an alternative to celebrating Christmas.
One has nothing to do with the other, except that they occur at about the same time of year, and that—especially in the U.S.A.—Chanukah has been commercialized to compete with the commercialization of Christmas.
But that said, on a certain level, there is a relationship between them; they share a common ancestor.
Cultures in every part of the globe call forth the light during the period of the winter solstice. Each has their own mythology to express what is essentially the same hope.
Chanukah is a political holiday, an historic holiday rather than a Biblical one. It’s a celebration of military triumph. In the year 168 BCE, when Jerusalem was ruled by the Seleucids, the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes sent troops to desecrate the Temple. It was renamed to honor Zeus and idols were set up within its walls. The practice of Judaism was prohibited. Jews were given the choice to convert or die.
While many chose conversion (the will to survive is a powerful one), one priestly family resisted. This family, headed by an old man—Mattathias—was known as the Hasmoneans, or the Maccabees. His son, Judah, led the revolt. A brilliant military strategist, he and his brothers and followers were able to defeat the armies of Antiochus—a tiny band of zealots overcoming a mighty force.
The Temple was purified and re-dedicated to HaShem, and the light of the ner tamid, which was meant to never be allowed to go out, was re-lit.
It’s much later, in the Talmud, that the story of the Chanukah miracle is first mentioned. According to the tale, there was only enough oil to burn for one day, and it would take eight days to prepare more. God performed a miracle, and that tiny bit of oil continued to burn until more oil was ready.
Whether or not you believe the story of the miracle is true, the celebration remains the same. We celebrate religious freedom, the power that conviction and stedfast faith can wield, a lesson in refusing to back down when we’re told that we cannot live as Jews. For each of eight nights we light the menorah, more accurately called a hanukkiyah. On the first night one flame is kindled. On each successive night we light one more, the light building until on the eighth night all eight candles (plus the shamas, the helper-candle) are brilliantly a-glow. The metaphors are many. But perhaps the real miracle is that the children of Israel survived the battle and subdued their oppressors, through the most unlikely odds.
In honor of the miracle of the oil, it’s customary to eat foods that are fried in oil. This is my kind of holiday!
Traditionally, this means latkes—fried potato pancakes, and sufganiyot—jelly donuts.
So what shall we eat?
Latkes and sufganiyot, of course! This is the menu that I prepared for my synagogue, a Shabbat dinner for 70 on the sixth night of Chanukah. It was a lot of work to put this together for so many people, but it was an extraordinary amount of fun and it turned out fabulously. (My readers who were in attendance will, I’m sure, agree).
There were two entrées offered, a Salmon glazed with pomegranate molasses and date syrup, and a vegetarian option, Roasted Cauliflower Supreme, with lots of toppings and two fabulous sauces that rendered it every bit as exciting as the fish. There was ample food, but barely a crumb remained.
I did need to make some modifications to the recipes to make it easier to prepare and serve for so many people. I usually do the salmon stove-top, which produces a wonderfully crisp skin, but it was impractical to prepare it this way for 80 pieces of fish. Instead, it was done in the oven at 425° for about 12 minutes.
I usually bring the cauliflower to the table whole, and slice it in front of my guests, as one would carve a roast. For a buffet presentation, I sliced the cauliflower into fairly thick steaks after blanching. I laid out the steaks, and any pieces of vegetable that fell off in the process, on a sheet pan. They were liberally oiled and seasoned, then roasted, sauced, dressed, and served in their baking pan. Also note that I served the nuts, cheese, and tahini on the side, so that no one with food sensitivities would have to pass it by.
We were preparing this meal in the dairy kitchen, hence the fish and vegetable choices. For the home celebration, I’m also offering another choice—a Breast of Duck with Persian Spices and a pomegranate/orange/date glaze. Pick and choose which dishes you’ll prepare for your gathering.
I promise, it will be much more manageable to prepare this fabulous meal for four…or eight…or twelve.
Enjoy, and have a very Happy Chanukah!