Holiday for the Underdogs

Posted on | December 12, 2009 | No Comments

The last fall / early winter months bring with it some of my favorite things of the season, like crisp fall days with brightly colored leafs, then the magical first snow of the season. It also brings one of my favorite holidays – Hanukkah.

No, I’m not Jewish, but I was introduced to the Jewish holidays from a very young age and therefore have a special place in my heart for them. And while Hanukkah’s a little low on the scale of important Jewish holidays, it’s still one of my favorites.

I mean, what’s not to love? There’s potato pancakes, donuts, dreidel games, Hanukkah gelt (chocolate coins) and eight nights of candle lighting and presents.

More importantly, though, Hanukkah is a holiday for underdogs. According to the story, Greeks ruled over Jews and forbade them from practicing their religion. Rather than simply accept this fate, the Jews, led by Judah Maccabee, fought back, struggling for religious freedom and cultural survival. This ragtag bunch of rebels wasn’t supposed to last for long, let alone win. They were out-numbered, the odds stacked against them. And when, quite improbably, the Jews did win, they didn’t think they had the resources to rededicate their Temple. And once again, against the odds, the oil burned for eight nights.

Many people think of Hanukkah as a celebration of the miracle of the oil, but it’s also much more than that. Hanukkah is about defying expectations, coming from behind to do what no thought could be done. There were probably some miracles, yes, but there was also resilience and determination. In the face of a seemingly insurmountable foe, the Jews remained steadfast; they believed in themselves and their own abilities and, perhaps most vitally, they had faith – in possibilities, in themselves and in God.

In more recent years, Hanukkah has become a time of year in which people attempt incredible feats, whether it’s to build the world’s largest menorah or the world’s roundest latke. I think it’s also a good time to attempt all those things we didn’t think we could do. When we think the odds are against us, when we think there’s no way we can succeed – that’s when we should take the story of the Maccabees to heart and try anyway.

Hanukkah is a time to take a chance or risk, to have faith in the impossible, because there’s always the chance that the outcome just might surprise us.

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