Freedom of Religion Should Not Result in Freedom from Religion

There was an intriguing article that I read recently about freedom of religion and freedom from religion.  Chanukah is a celebration of our being able to worship G-d freely (freedom of religion).  Antiochus, the Syrian-Greek king against whom the Macabees rebelled, wanted to uproot Judaism by outlawing circumcision, Shabbat observance, and the study of Torah.  He compelled Jews to sacrifice pigs in the Temple and had a statue of the Greek god Jupiter placed in the Holy of Holies.  Not all Jews living during that period joined the revolt to keep Jewish practices alive.  Some actually prefered living as Hellenists and assimilating into the culture that tried to wipe out Jewish heritage. For those of us preparing to celebrate Chanukah which starts this evening, the true miracle is that there was a small band of Jews that could so radically change the face of history for us by fighting for the right to freely observe being Jewish.

A syndicated columnist, Sydney Harris, who wrote for the Chicago Daily News and the Chicago Sun Times in the 1940's and beyond, once wrote, "What has kept the Jewish people alive throughout the centuries has been the awesome paradox of persecution.  Left alone to live their lives and practice their beliefs they inevitably tend to dwindle in numbers to disperse and dilute their ethnic identification.  Then every so often in history there comes along a devastating persecution that has the very opposite effect of its intention.  It militates and mobilizes these people, reminds them of their unique heritage that is regarded as both a blessing and a burden, and re-animates their faith and their sense of identity."

According to this interpretation of Jewish history, it is only anti-Semitic persecution which keeps us determined to keep Jewish observance, customs, traditions, and rituals alive.  I prefer to think that this interpretation is not accurate.  Judaism is alive because throughout history Jews have understood that we carry a message that is important for the entire world to hear.   That message is that all people can follow a path of ethical monotheism and work together to perfect the world.  We believe that all people have the potential to be righteous.  Judaism is alive because we Jews find its values meaningful and its practices joyful.  Unlike other religions throughout history we have not adhered to the belief that the sword will keep us alive,by destroying those who do not believe as we do,  but that transmission of the words of Torah to our young will bring us continued life.  We value freedom.  We value life.  We are also aware that we have the freedom to choose whether or not we will continue to adhere to a lifestyle that has been handed down to us through our 3,000 year old chain of tradition.

I was shocked the other day, when in the staff bulletin at my school, there was a question asked whether teachers knew of any children who did not celebrate any holidays or Christmas.  Three families had their names listed as non-observers of any holidays and my granddaughter's name showed up as the sole child on the "does not celebrate Christmas - celebrates Chanukah” list.   The other Jewish children in the school did not have their names on that list.  I had to ask myself if that was because the children felt uncomfortable about talking about their Jewishness with their teachers or was it a result of children being raised in homes that observed both Chanukah and Christmas and therefore couldn't be on the "doesn't celebrate Christmas list."

I feel that the concept of religious freedom for which the Macabees fought was one that was based on a the belief that preserving our own religious identity was a worthy fight.  I believe we are still fighting that battle today.  We have to work very hard to ensure that our children and their children  are comfortable with living Jewishly; they understand the values that have been transmitted to us over the centuries; and that they do not feel as if they would want to switch from or opt out of Judaism.  The Macabees ensured that Judaism survived in their time, now we need to work to ensure the same in our time.  How do we do that?  By listening to the words of Rabbi Sydney Greenberg.  "The miracle of Chanukah was not made possible by casual Jews.   Casual Jews too easily become Jewish casualties.  In every age the miracle is renewed by the dedication, devotion, and sacrificial love of men and women who care enough to give their very best."

Shabbat Shalom.