Happy Chanukah. I have stated before that we celebrate Christmas in our home. That being said, I think it is Ok for me to wish my jewish friends a Happy Chanukah. Most of them are more than willing to wish me a Merry Christmas. I am not quite sure why it is such a big deal.
I know that there is room enough in this world to celebrate both holidays. I also know that my friend's desire and right to celebrate Chanukah, does not take away from my desire and right to celebrate Christmas. I feel that there are many truths in the world and I feel at liberty to embrace every truth. Consequently, I don't feel at all shackled by superstition, bigotry or ignorance. This does not mean that I understand all truth, but it does mean that I am willing to search for it without limitation. I never have heard of a person being ignorant for believing too much, but it seems to me that there are quite a few who are ignorant because they believe too little.
For some of us, truth is difficult to identify. In the world right now there is a call to proclaim every idea, even if it is a crazy idea, as truth. Because somebody desires it – they think it should be declared as truth. It is now quite unpopular to stand for what is truth. It is even a moment when some believe it justified to punish those who stand up for some of our most universal and basic truths. I believe that truth is eternal, meaning that it does not change – even when it is not politically correct to stand for it. It does not change. I also believe that I must stand for truth at all times and in all places.
I suppose this is why I love the story of Chanukah so much. Chanukah celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, and of spirituality over materiality. More than twenty-one centuries ago, the Holy Land was ruled by the Syrian-Greeks, who sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and then rededicated it to the service of God.
When they sought to light the Temple's menorah (i.e turn on the power), they found only a single cruse of olive oil (a one day supply) that had escaped contamination by the Greeks; miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity. Chanukah commemorates this amazing event.
On Chanukah faithful Jews recite the Hallel and the Al HaNissim, which are prayers to offer praise and thanksgiving to God for "delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few and the wicked into the hands of the righteous."
This is a great story from our past that helps both the Jews and the Gentile remember the power of God. It helps us remember how He treats those who are faithful to His teachings. It helps us remember that even when it is not popular to stand up for what is truth, and even when there are fewer that stand for truth than there are those that stand against it, the Lord can and will deliver His people if they are faithful.
Standing for truth does not always mean silencing those who stand for something else. One of the greatest truths is that each of us possess agency or the ability to choose what we want to be and how we want to live our lives. I truly believe that our right to choose is really the only right we have and the only right that can never be taken away from us. You and I can choose how we want to live our life, but we cannot choose the consequences that come from our choices. The consequences will always follow. Our only option is to choose how we will respond to those consequences.
My friend Dale, recently sent me a link to Captain Smartypants Sings The Dreidel Song. I really enjoyed watching it and wished him a Happy Chanukah in return. He then told me something I already knew. Captain Smartypants is a Gay Men's Chorus from Seattle. They are known for their wonderful harmonies and ability to make beautiful music. He thought that because I only support marriage between a man and a woman that I ought to know that these guys support Gay marriage. He thought that somehow this would make a difference in my ability to enjoy this music. I t
hink he thought I would be outraged and that I might even try to organize a protest against this group. I am not. I feel it is possible for me to stand up for what I believe is truth, while at the same time supporting the efforts of those who oppose my view of the truth without judging and casting them aside. Captain Smartypants and I disagree on a very hotly contested topic right now. The music that I am passing along with this link has nothing to do with that issue. I value their right to stand up for what they believe in. I do not think that one of the conditions of my willingness to stand for truth is to cast out or protest those who believe and act differently and reject them completely. How could I ever convince them that I am standing for truth if I did that. Rejecting people for their ideas is born of fear. The fear that somehow my idea of the truth will change if I hear the opposing argument. I am sure there are songs or videos from Captain Smartypants that I would not pass along and that I would not enjoy watching. This particular one is not one of them and I really enjoyed viewing it so I hope you will take the time to watch it too. Passing it along does not mean I support Gay Marriage – is simply means that there are things that I have in common with those who oppose it and the music that this group produced is common ground.
hink he thought I would be outraged and that I might even try to organize a protest against this group. I am not. I feel it is possible for me to stand up for what I believe is truth, while at the same time supporting the efforts of those who oppose my view of the truth without judging and casting them aside. Captain Smartypants and I disagree on a very hotly contested topic right now. The music that I am passing along with this link has nothing to do with that issue. I value their right to stand up for what they believe in. I do not think that one of the conditions of my willingness to stand for truth is to cast out or protest those who believe and act differently and reject them completely. How could I ever convince them that I am standing for truth if I did that. Rejecting people for their ideas is born of fear. The fear that somehow my idea of the truth will change if I hear the opposing argument. I am sure there are songs or videos from Captain Smartypants that I would not pass along and that I would not enjoy watching. This particular one is not one of them and I really enjoyed viewing it so I hope you will take the time to watch it too. Passing it along does not mean I support Gay Marriage – is simply means that there are things that I have in common with those who oppose it and the music that this group produced is common ground.
In the spirit of Chanukah, I am going to continue to stand for what I believe in and for what I believe to be truth. I realize that for every truth for which I stand, there is somebody else on the other side opposing my stance by standing for what they believe is truth. This is why I say that my only real right is my right to believe what I want. I believe those that oppose my viewpoint enjoy the same right. I will stand for that right until I die.
Happy Chanukah!
Andrew Thorn
760-559-3548
athorn@telioscorp.com
