Page 49 - HaMizrachi_Hanukkah_AUS_2020_Neat

SOCIAL COMMENTARY THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND

Rabbi Chaim Navon

What Would

Washington Think Today?

and more watered down, diluted. For denies many citizens the choice of
example, Barack Obama declared that which school to send their children
Chanukah is the “holiday of religious to. The latter outrages me a lot more
freedom,” which teaches the right than the former since education is a
to liberty of religion, and the fable lot more important than snail mail.
of Washington and the candle tends Educational freedom is important
to be interpreted in that spirit today. to me because education is import-
Less “G-d of Israel,” more abstract ant to me, and freedom of religion is
rights. important only because religion itself
is important.
In the Hebrew Wikipedia, the entry
“Chanukah” displayed the following If we erase our G-d and our Avodat
strange sentence: “The main mes- Hashem, our joy and our awe, the
sage of Chanukah is the triumph of Temple and the Altar, from the values
freedom of religious worship.” Really? of Chanukah, what will remain from
Did Matityahu ever hear of this? After this beloved holiday? Freedom of reli-
n December 1777, General George all, this elderly Kohen from Modi’in gion will become about as important
Washington and his soldiers fear- called out, “Whoever is zealous for as freedom of mail. And ultimately,
Ifully fled from the British Army to the Torah and keeps the covenant, freedom of religion will also dissolve,
Valley Forge. On Christmas Eve, Wash- follow me!” Or, in the popular version, because people tend not to fight for
ington walked among his exhausted “Whoever is for Hashem, follow me!” things that are unimportant to them.
soldiers, who were hungry and shiv- (י ָ ל ֵ א 'ה ַ ל י ִ מ). He did not say, “Whoever
ering from cold. Next to one of the is for freedom of religion, follow me.” For me, religion is a higher value, and
tents, he saw a soldier lighting a candle I understand why gentiles looking for therefore religious freedom is a higher
and whispering a few words, tears in inspiration in the holiday of Chanu- necessity. I’m not a relativist, because
his eyes. Washington asked, “Why are kah would find more universal values I believe there is truth in the world.
you crying?” The soldier replied, “I am in it. That’s legitimate, even desirable. I’m not a pluralist, because I don’t
not crying. I am a Jew, and I just lit There are truly messages like this in believe in multiple truths. But I am
Chanukah candles. I prayed that the all of our holidays. But when we exag- tolerant because I believe there is no
G-d of Israel, who gave strength to the gerate in diluting the original Jewish other way to live in our diverse and
Maccabees to defeat their evil enemies, values in the holiday, we get a homeo- complex society today. If everyone
will give us strength too to defeat our pathic medicine which is 100 percent tried to force their values on others,
enemies. We will triumph.” Washington water. On Chanukah, we want olive our lives would turn to Gehenom. We
returned to his tent with vigorous steps, oil, not refined water. simply have no other choice.
a new light in his eyes. Freedom of the individual is the only
This famous story ties the ancient George Washington himself was a possible institution for shared exis-
deeply religious man, and through his
nation of Israel, which has a very religious beliefs, he also valued reli- tence in the 21 century. When it
st
young country, with the nascent gious freedom. But if we turn religion begins to falter, our shared existence
American nation, one of the oldest itself into an insignificant trifle, what is in danger. But all of that is not con-
countries in the world. It is exciting importance can there be to freedom nected to Chanukah. Religious free-
and heartwarming to see how our of religion? dom is not a slogan but an essential,
own holiday touches the hearts of life-affirming need.
others as well. No one knows exactly I am largely in favor of freedom. Yet
what that soldier said, and how the importance of freedom depends
exactly Washington remembered on the question of what it comes to
it. When I read different versions of protect. Israel denies most of its cit-
this story, it seems to me that, over izens the freedom to decide which Rabbi Chaim Navon is a renowned author
changing times, it has become more postal service they want to use. It also and educator.

Freedom is lost when it is taken for granted.
We have taken ours for granted for too long. | 49
RABBI SACKS