The Virus, The Lockdown and the Origins of Hanukkah
When speaking to the Jews about the virus, be mindful of their history
please note: this article contains some graphic descriptions
An interesting set of events happened last week in Brooklyn. It would seem that they were not connected but to those familiar with biblical stories the link was all too real.
In a call to prevent the spread of the virus, Governor Andrew Cuomo warned he would to shut down churches and religious houses of worship in certain areas of New York City and state. Hassidic Jews in Brooklyn among those in Cuomo’s decree, took it as a threat and then protested. They burned masks and warned their members to be strong against torture that the government may enact against the Jews.
How did we go from stopping the virus to a warning against torture by the government of New York? Possibly by traveling from the Capital region in Albany to synagogues of Brooklyn by way of the Books of Maccabees 1 & 2.
I think what we have here is a failure to communicate
The Books of Maccabees relate the story from a Jewish perspective of an occupying pagan nation that dismissed Judaism as an unimportant force in society. They forced the Jews to reject their customs, liturgies and dietary laws. When the Jews responded they defined their faith in God and their fidelity to His laws.
You can read those books in any Catholic Bible as well as in Jewish Scriptures. They are the source of this article.
The story begins after the death of Alexander the Great. The great Greek leader leaves his kingdoms to several others including Antiochus IV around 137 B.C.
Some Jewish leaders, in order to bring peace to the kingdom, propose a new set of laws designed to open the Jews and Gentiles to a new era of peaceful co-existence. They abandoned their Jewish ways, hid the evidence of their circumcision and lived by customs of the peaceful occupying force. They engaged in the gentile way of life including their sporting events and even worshipped their gods.
As in often the case, the age of coexistence fell into an age in which the peaceful occupying force turned hostile and against the Jewish nation. The King sent agents into Jerusalem to rob the temple of all its valuable gold and silver items. He then sent in mercenaries who overran Jerusalem and turned it into a military base. They took over the temple desecrating it and using it to honor pagan gods.
Esperanto Religion
The king then commanded a new set of laws designed to create peace in the society by eliminating different religious practices and creating one unified belief system. This meant that the Jews could no longer worship their God but had to sacrifice to the pagan idols — actions forbidden by the Mosaic covenant and the first three commandments.
The monarch sent mercenaries in to occupy Jerusalem and enforce his laws upon the Jews. Many happily joined this new Esperanto of religion, however a small remnant refused. They suffered for saying no. Children who were circumcised were murdered and their mothers forced to carry the dead child around their necks. Others circumcised were executed.
The defining point was when the king passed new laws making it illegal for the Jews to live their faith and to follow their dietary laws. He forced them to eat pork prohibited by the covenant with God.
It would behoove you to eat that bacon with your eggs
In one of the strangest episodes in human history. Jews were given an ultimatum: enjoy a well cooked pork meal or be tortured to death. Of course, all this was done in the name of peace and tranquility.
I illustrate this to Catholic communities by cooking a meal of one English muffin with egg and bacon between the top and bottom halves of the bread. Then I tell the story from Maccabees and ask the participants knowing what was at stake: eating the meal or witness to your fidelity to almighty God which would they choose to do if they lived at that time and place.
The book of Maccabees illustrates several who chose torture. One case was a group of brothers all encouraged by their mother to testify to their fidelity to God by choosing the tortuous death. Even one man was offered to pretend he ate pork. He refused because it would appear he relented.
The soldiers forcing this choice even begged the Jews to find a solution for they did not want to torture old men, women and children because they would not eat pork. The Jews refused to give in to this affront to their faith and went willingly to their torturous deaths.
A man by the name of Judas Maccabeas the son of a resistor named Matathias came forward to fight back against the Greeks. Judas recruited men and formed armies. They worked to conquer the occupiers by first taking back the temple and the city of Jerusalem.
Cursed is the man who draws strength from mere flesh
Unlike the Greeks who relied on their strength, the Jews relied on their God and their trust that He would help them win the battle. Like so many before them from Moses to Gideon, they relied on prayer and fidelity to the Lord and His covenant to guide them to victory.
They fought back to free the temple from idol worshippers and blasphemers. They conquered and restored the sacred space. In celebration, they relit the temple vigil light recognizing the presence of God.
Ironically, the entire supply of oil on hand was only for one day and they needed to wait another week before a new shipment of oil arrived. Yet, ever faithful to God, they waited for the new oil while miraculously the small supply burned for the full eight days. This is what the Jews celebrate as Hanukkah today.
The Jews continued to overrun the Greek forces freeing their own people from dominance by the occupying force.
The Jews, as we all know, have a history of surviving the most horrible attempts to silence their voice and their existence. They have a fighting spirit. The challenge is to address their trepidation while ensuring that they do not spread the deadly results of the virus. We can all, meanwhile, recognize the thousands of years of fidelity to their God that they will not take for granted.