Season for Miracles

Ukraine is at the center this historic night. The evening of 12-21-22.

On the forth night of Hanukkah my true love gave to me, … oops, wrong song. But it does get confusing as Hanukkah has become a kind of sister celebration to Christmas, and that’s fine, even great fun. It’s got complicated roots however and what it has come to be, has morphed as traditions do.

Time’s Person of the Year, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stood in the US Capitol on the forth night of Hanukah, the evening of the Winter Solstice, a few days before Christmas to thank Congress, the House, the President of the Untied States and all the citizens of the United States for their help in defeating their aggressor, Putin of Russia in his unprovoked attack on Ukraine. We hear it over and over and the details are worth repeating until the maddens ends.

Zelensky visiting Washington D.C., had been at the front of the war just the day before. He carried this flag signed by Ukrainian fighters for presentation to the US, shown here being given to Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi as VP Kamala Harris looks on.

The basics of the Hanukah miracle is as follows in short: Back a couple hundred years before Christ (B.C. or B.C.E.), the Jewish temple in Jerusalem had been overtaken by the Greeks who were attempting erasure of the Jews. The temple had been “desecrated”. One can guess what the means and I think all the usual sacrifices were done in the temple which the Jewish religion forbade, so it needed to be cleansed as well as regained. The presumptive act after regaining the temple was for the lamp to be lit with holy oil which was also destroyed for sacred use except for one sealed vile. It was opened and lit while waiting for more, it lasted for eight days rather than the one it was slated to last. Much has been made of the the story, the light, the eternal flame that cannot be extinguished. In Hebrew school, it was taught to me that it was Judah the Hammer that was admired as the one who finally managed to dislodge Antiochus the Greek aggressor and reclaim the Temple. This was in pre Christian times so, Judah likely saved Christianity, in the bargain.

How this holiday, once considered a minor holiday has risen to prominence is mostly due to social conventions and commercialization too, but the holiday has come to bring Christian and Jewish folks together in celebration of life and prayers for renewal through hope and love.

And so, on the forth night of Hanukkah, three days before Christmas and on the Winter Solstice, Judah the Hammer of Ukraine, appeared at the US Capitol to give thanks for the gifts of weapons that may not have been sufficient but proved triumphant when in the hands of the oppressed, against the crippling assault of a country trying to erase the people, and take their land.

We live and evolve and yet remain so much the same. Hope and love are our traditional and welcomed guides in this time of year, setting our intensions for the new year. Peace to us all. Peace, out.

Photo detail by Jeff Goldfarb