Hanukkah

On Hanukkah, we celebrate hope and light. But the story does not begin with the kindling of the menorah. The rededication we celebrate on the holiday was forged in a time of devastation and desecration. Even as fires burned and fighting still raged, the Maccabees diverted people and resources to restore the Temple. They understood it was not just a building. If we were to survive with any sense of national purpose, we needed to rebuild the institution that represented who we are as a people. We needed to reclaim our national identity and values.

When a society’s sacred institutions have been redirected in pursuit of the morally repugnant, there can be no greater pursuit than seeking their rededication. We live in an era when too many of our own national symbols have been captured and redeployed. The systems once built to embody our values of welcome and refuge have been desecrated and dismantled. They have become barriers rather than pathways to welcome in too many cases.

As we celebrate this Hanukkah, destruction and devastation still abound. But the choice to rebuild our identity as a nation of refuge and of welcome is ours. The overwhelming majority of our country stands firm in our embrace of immigrants and refugees. It’s time to reclaim, rebuild, restore and rededicate the ruins upon which we stand. As we celebrate a story of identity reclaimed this Hanukkah, may it be our invitation to look upon the devastation and do the work that will enable us to reclaim our identity and rekindle the lights of welcome once more.

HIAS also invites you to use these Hanukkah resources in your communities. The sermon and text study can be delivered in whole or used to inspire your own teachings.