December 2022 Webinar Q&A

There is never enough time for Q&A, so we are providing additional interaction with our December 2022 panelists below.

Question: Wonderful presentation on the historical origins and content of these two celebrations! I believe that Gentile/Jewish interaction, and perhaps reconciliation, needs to replace the entrenched caricatures with the real world circumstances in which they originated. Do you have recommendations for deeper study?

Ephraim Radner:

This is one of the major and most challenging questions one could -- and should -- raise around this larger topic! I mentioned in my presentation that the central religious themes of Hanukkah and Christmas are not self-evidently similar. So it's natural and easy if one just lets these two feastdays go off in their own directions, in parallel at best, or in mutual rejection of the other at worst. Still, there are ways for followers of Jesus to draw them into some kind of non-triumphalistic organic relation. One place to reflect, which I indicated in passing, is Luke 1: 68-79, the so-called "Song of Zechariah" (the canticle known as the "Benedictus" in Western Christianity). The verses of this benediction are actually taken mostly from other parts of the Tanakh. Many of the hopes of Hanukkah are articulated here: salvation from enemies, true and holy worship of God in freedom from fear, light in the darkness, and so on. In this case, these are tied to two things: the coming of the Messiah, spoken of in terms of longing; and the preparation and witness to that coming (tied, by implication, to John the Baptist). Longing, preparation, and witness are, properly, things that Jews and Christians share in their orientation to God; and they do so, both, in terms of the Messiah himself, not as the solver of all problems, but as the focus wherein such hope finds its fullest form. When Christmas is seen in the context of this common set of hopes; then the lines of continuity between Hanukkah and the Nativity can be much more clearly grasped, I think. Both feastdays, that is, point to something shared at their root, a movement of the human spirit met by God's own life; they are not just group identity markers. I think that studying together these kinds of texts of Scripture is one way to step over, as you say, the "caricatures" with which we paint the outlooks and experiences of Jews and Christians as they look at each other across the divide of the centuries. We have a common joy, truly.

Question: When discussing the halachah of Hanukkah in the Talmud, there is a line that reads: "And in a time of danger, when the gentiles issued decrees to prohibit kindling lights, he places it on the table and that is sufficient to fulfill his obligation." The need to make this contingency concerning antisemitism about a holiday celebrating the defeat of an antisemitic ruler was disheartening for me. I don't see a spiritual reason not to celebrate Christmas as a follower of Yeshua. Still, something about the history of Christianity and the persecution of Jews prevents me from approaching Christmas. Am I wrong not to celebrate Christmas as a Christian?

Richard Harvey:

Great question – it brings together two issues – the need for safety in the light of hostility from powers that might oppress the Jewish people, and the anti-Jewish elements that often accompanied celebration of Christmas by the churches. The passage you refer to, Shabbat 21b, gives wise advice about the precautions we should take:

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: נֵר חֲנוּכָּה מִצְוָה לְהַנִּיחָהּ עַל פֶּתַח בֵּיתוֹ מִבַּחוּץ. אִם הָיָה דָּר בַּעֲלִיָּיה — מַנִּיחָהּ בַּחַלּוֹן

הַסְּמוּכָה לִרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים. וּבִשְׁעַת הַסַּכָּנָה — מַנִּיחָהּ עַל שֻׁלְחָנוֹ וְדַיּוֹ.

The Sages taught in a baraita: It is a mitzva to place the Hanukkah lamp at the entrance to one’s house on the outside, so that all can see it. If he lived upstairs, he places it at the window adjacent to the public domain. And in a time of danger, when the gentiles issued decrees to prohibit kindling lights, he places it on the table and that is sufficient to fulfill his obligation.

As Jewish disciples of Yeshua we can’t avoid dealing with such issues, and are deeply implicated in the sufferings of our people and in the injustices perpetrated against them, especially by those who called themselves Christians. Whilst we will all have different levels of sensitivity to such concerns, and there will be many different responses from Yachad BeYeshua members, some of whom will completely avoid celebration of “Christmas” whilst for others it is a main celebration of their liturgical calendar, my own personal view is that we should take every opportunity to celebrate the birth of Yeshua, the light of the world, who came into our world to live out the love of HaShem for Israel and all nations. Whilst we should clearly explain the way the two festivals developed in the history and traditions of both Jewish and Christians, as those who have the “best of both worlds and double the headaches” we should celebrate, consecrate and communicate the meanings of these seasons, focusing on the love and presence of HaShem for all.

Question: Are there not also in Chanukkah messianic dimensions (f.e. the Shamash - the awaited Messiah Servant kindling the Lights) that can be connected with the Birth of Messiah, the Light of the World and Suffering Servant? Are there other messianic dimensions (f.e. from the Jewish mystical traditions ) in Chanukkah?

Tali Snow:

I think it's true that with almost every Jewish holiday, there can be found some type of messianic connecting point. I would say, if this is something that gives new and deeper meaning to that particular holiday and thus draws you closer to the Lord, by all means, embrace those connecting points.

Regarding the second part of the question, the two messianic connecting points that I am aware of are 1) Yeshua celebrated Hanukkah (John 10:22-23) and 2) if we didn't have Hanukkah, there'd be no Christmas. I am not aware of any messianic dimensions from Jewish mysticism and I'd tend to stay away from that. :)