Recently a Jewish Rabbi was in the Seattle airport. He noticed the many Christmas decorations, which included 12 Christmas trees, and made a comment to someone in authority about the Jewish celebration of Chanukah. He asked if it would be possible to have a Jewish Menorah (this is a lamp stand that accommodates 8 candles and is related to the story of the Macabees) as a decoration, as well. The response of the airport was to remove the 12 Christmas trees from the airport, stating that they could not put up symbols for every religion’s holidays. There were even rumors that the Rabbi would file a legal suit against them if they didn’t install the Menorah. This happened near the end of the week. Friday at sunset the Jewish Sabbath begins and lasts until sunset Saturday. Many calls were made to contact the Rabbi to try and confirm if he was going to file suit. The Rabbi is an orthodox Jew and therefore does not use the telephone during the Sabbath. His machine took the messages but he was unable to return the calls until after the Sabbath. By then his lack of response had been misinterpreted by some as further evidence of his impending law suit. This is the slant that the initial news report gave: “A Rabbi, angered over the Christmas displays, had ordered that the trees all be removed or he would file a law suit.” Nothing could have been much further from the truth.
Finally, the Rabbi was able to make contact and straighten things out. He stated that he had never asked for the removal of anything. He merely wanted to know if a Menorah could also be displayed. He further commented that he never intended that the celebration of another’s holiday should be stopped, but rather that a different holiday might also be recognized. Finally, the authorities understood and returned all 12 trees to their original positions in the airport. Still unsatisfied, reporters once again contacted the Rabbi and asked him if now that the trees were back in place, if he intended to sue. His response was an absolute “No.”
The Chanukah holiday commemorates the way a lamp rather miraculously burned for 8 days, on what appeared to be a single day’s lamp oil. It burned until a fresh supply of oil could reach the Macabees, who had just successfully rebelled against the forces of Antiochus. Antiochus was trying to eradicate the Jewish practices from the area. The Macabees resisted and took back the desecrated temple, which they cleansed and rededicated. They also lit the aforementioned candle. Therefore, in commemoration of these miraculous events Chanukah was established. The tradition of celebration is to light one candle each of the 8 days of Chanukah. One candle is lit on the first day of Chanukah, two candles are lit on the second day, three the third, and so forth until the eighth day when all eight candles of the Menorah are lit. The idea is to bring more light to the world, symbolically with the candles, but realistically with our actions toward one another. The Rabbi truly symbolized this in his acceptance of others and their holiday, Christmas, one that he doesn’t observe himself.
Our Christian tradition of Christmas is celebrated because the light of the world came forth. He too, was born a Jewish boy and encouraged us all to be in the light as He is in the light. This Christmas would be an excellent time to be the light of the world that Matthew 5:14 encourages us to be. Oh that we could love enough to cause love’s warm flame to glow brightly each and every day. Blessings!

• BROWSE / IN TIMELINE
• « Give The Holidays To God
• » Resolutions And Changes

• BROWSE / IN Newsletter
• « Give The Holidays To God
• » Resolutions And Changes