This fortunate overlap suggests that both Jews and Christians consider the similarities and differences of their respective holidays.
The holiday of Hanukkah celebrates both a military and spiritual victory by a relatively small Jewish community over a much larger Hellenized Assyrian force. In our holiday liturgy, we speak of a victory of the few over the many, of the weak over the mighty. This victory occurred in 165 BCE, more than a century before the birth of Jesus. Had the Jewish people been conquered, it is unlikely that Jesus would have been able to preach his message, which serves as the basis of Christianity.
The victory of the Jewish heroes, the Maccabees, was a victory for religious self-determination. No nation has the right to force its religion on another nation, even a smaller, weaker one. But the spiritual victory is even more important. The Jewish people recognize the 'hand of God' in this victory.
And we quote the prophet Zechariah during the holiday, "Not by might and not by power, but by My spirit saith the Lord of Hosts." The true source of victory is moral and spiritual strength. The miracle of the Hanukkah festival is that the Jewish people, possessing the more and spiritual strength of their faith, were able to defeat a mightier enemy.
And so the Hanukkah menorah we place in the window reinforces our faith and informs our neighbors about the importance of moral and spiritual strength in the face of adversity.
These are lessons that every American can accept and value. Happy Holidays to all the readers of the Herald Community newspapers.
Rabbi Art Vernon leads the Jewish Community Center of West Hempstead.
