The real Chanukah miracle

Settling into my seat in synagogue one morning earlier this week, I suddenly noticed a rifle propped up against the wall. The scene was jarring. Though this summer will mark 15 years since we made Aliyah, there are still some sights that can give me pause. While it is not uncommon to see guns in synagogues in Israel, the contrast between the image of the gun and the image of its owner – wrapped in a tallit and deeply immersed in prayer – hit me hard.

To the outside observer, our soldiers, modern-day Maccabees, are armed warriors ready at a moment’s notice to defend their people and head out to battle. But those in the know understand that these young men (and women) are just as much at home in the synagogue, at work, in a university classroom, hiking the country, traveling the world, or spending time with their families. Indeed, that is where they prefer to be. They will answer the call to duty and put everything else aside to be the fighters they are trained to be. But the army in Israel is a people’s army, and for the majority of our soldiers this is not their career.

As I watched the gun’s owner sway back and forth in prayer, I imagined what he had likely seen and experienced over the last two years and marveled at the seeming simplicity with which he continued to turn to and call out to God. I wondered what gave him the strength to put his gun aside and focus his attention on his relationship with the Almighty.

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Settling into my seat in synagogue this past Friday night, my friend motioned and whispered to me, “I think that’s Mike Huckabee.” I looked toward the front of our synagogue where she was pointing and quickly realized that she was correct. With no advance notice to the congregation (due to security considerations), we were astonished to find that the current United States ambassador and his wife had joined us for the Friday night service. Without any fanfare, he quietly slipped into the front row behind the rabbi and observed as the members of our community welcomed Shabbat with beautiful singing and lively dancing. Throughout the night, various congregants approached him to shake his hand, including a father of a young man killed in Gaza at the beginning of the war. After our rabbi warmly greeted our distinguished guests, he shared that the ambassador would address the congregation briefly at the end of the evening.

As the service came to a close, Ambassador Huckabee stepped up to the podium. With years of experience as a Baptist minister, he had everyone’s rapt attention as he delivered a moving, succinct, and engaging sermon about the story of Joseph, “his favorite in all of Scripture.”

In his retelling, he shared the pain of Joseph as his brothers threw him into a pit and then sold him into captivity in Egypt. He spoke about the accusation of Potiphar’s wife, the time Joseph spent in prison, and the way in which he ultimately rose to become second in command of the world’s most powerful country, saving it – and the entire region – from devastating famine.

When the brothers make their way down to Egypt to stock up on food, Joseph does not seek revenge. While he wants to know that they have grown and repented from their ways, he is not interested in exacting punishment. When the brothers come to him, afraid that he will treat them harshly, he responds that while they intended to cause him harm, God looked after him and made sure everything turned out for the good.

At that point, Ambassador Huckabee turned toward the crowd and said: “Joseph never turned his back on God because God never turned His back on Joseph. Even what could be interpreted as awful events were really God watching out for him all along.”

“So too, the Jewish people have faced exceedingly difficult circumstances over the past few years and have responded with incredible resilience. They have not turned their back on God because God has not turned His back on the Jewish people. He has never stopped looking out for their best interests.”

Tears filled my eyes as I thought about the soldier from earlier in the week. Why had I so marveled at the sincerity of his prayer? Was it not a given that he felt God’s presence? Had I allowed myself to forget, even for just a moment, all that we have to be grateful for?

Sometimes, though, it takes someone on the outside to remind you of what you knew deep inside all along.

Tonight, Jews around the world will light Chanukah candles. We will light them in our front windows or outside our homes to remind ourselves – and those outside – of the miracles that happened to us “in those days at this time.” The miracle of a small band of Jewish soldiers who managed to push back the mighty Greek army, and the miracle of the small, pure jug of oil that burned in the Temple’s menorah for eight days instead of one. These are the official miracles we commemorate on this holiday and publicize to the world.

But the real miracle – the one that continues to stand behind all others – is that the Jewish people have not turned their back on God because God has not turned His back on the Jewish people. As time marches on, the frame widens and we gain more insight into the bigger picture and the larger story.

In the midst of all the real pain, angst, sadness, fear, and mourning of the past two years, a religious awakening is taking place in the hearts and minds of Jews in Israel and abroad. To the outside observer, it may be difficult to understand. They wonder what would make Jews turn to God given everything we have endured. But those with historical perspective are not completely surprised.

As Jews, we pick up our guns when we need to. We do our part to defend our people and our land. We continue to fight for our survival. We are resilient. We are in this for the long run.

This Chanukah, our candles declare to the world that we are here to stay. We are not afraid.

We know God has our back.

Happy Chanukah.