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The Greek Worldview

Rabbi Chaggai Londin

ach year as Chanukah approaches, forces. Hence, each person has their own In the Olympics, no one is rewarded for
people frequently discuss the phe- value, and that value is not determined by improving their own performance. The
nomenon of the “Mityavnim,” the how they compare to anybody else. Each only thing that matters is whether an
EJews at the time of the Maccabees person has their own G-dly nature, their athlete can beat his competitors. But
who sought to popularize Hellenism in own identity, and the identity and achieve- according to the Torah’s worldview, what
Israel. It is a popular sport to speculate ments of others are irrelevant. While we really matters is achieving your own
regarding which groups of Jews qualify live in a physical world and all receive dif- G-dly potential, irrespective of the people
in our own time as “Mityavnim.” How- ferent things, ultimately our goal is to be around you.
ever, I think that it is more productive to happy with what we have, knowing that This applies to children and adults alike.
examine the mindsets and outlooks that it is what Hashem wants. Adults often feel that they have to con-
represent “hityavnut” and which we must stantly prove themselves through profes-
be wary of and fight against. One would think that in the 21st century, sional achievements. Young families go
most people would be happy. We live in a
From the Greek perspective, we live in a civilization of material abundance, with into debt buying things they don’t need,
materialistic world of competing forces. historically high quality of life, and yet just to keep up appearances.
The Greeks were the first to theorize about so many people are upset and depressed. As we light the menorah, let us remember
atoms as the fundamental building blocks The reason for this is that we’ve adopted a the Jewish worldview that beat the Greek
of our physical world. Theologically, they “Greek mindset” of competition in which one. Ultimately, we believe our world and
saw a world of multiple gods fighting with each of us is valued only in relation to each person is fundamentally spiritual,
each other, each representing a different and so each person is infinitely valuable,
force in our world. In this materialistic others. When a child comes home from making it unnecessary to compare our-
worldview, the world is a zero-sum game school and his parents ask “what grade did selves to others. May we celebrate the
of a competition for resources, and so you get on the test?” and the next question spiritual victory of Chanukah, and apply
there were constant battles between the is “what grade did your friends get?,” the its lessons to our own lives.
Greeks and their neighbors. This world- child will internalize a competitive view
view also led to the creation of the Olym- of the world.
pics, something that institutionalized this
competitive worldview and celebrated the
physical prowess of the victor.
By contrast, the Jewish worldview per-
ceives existence through spiritual, rather
than material, lenses. Physical atoms are
not the core of existence, but rather the Rabbi Chaggai Londin
world of the spirit and values. The world is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Hesder
is fundamentally united, under one G-d, Holon, and is a resident of Sderot.
rather than a plethora of competing

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