c. 2004 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Most religious festivals are split into two parts. The first component is intended for children and entails songs, special food, colorful decorations, distinctive games or parties. But a holiday’s second part is for adults and conveys a serious message often far different from the youngsters’ jolly observances.

This dichotomy is especially true of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of freedom, which begins the evening of Dec. 7.

Children eagerly anticipate the Hanukkah lights when a newly lit wax candle is added each evening to the home menorah culminating on the festival’s last night when the candelabrum is fully aglow. Youngsters receive eagerly anticipated gifts from family and friends, and play Hanukkah games by spinning dreidels or tops.

We have a photograph taken last Hanukkah of Emma, our 4-year-old granddaughter, that captures her utter joy as she gazes upon the menorah and its colorful candles. In the words of a TV commercial: “There are some things money can’t buy,” and Emma’s euphoric face is one of them.

Boys and girls receive pieces of Hanukkah chocolate wrapped in gold foil paper that duplicates the designs of ancient Israelite coins. Hot potato pancakes and miniature sugar coated donuts are traditional Hanukkah delicacies even though both foods are bad for digestion, dieting and cholesterol. But hey, it’s Hanukkah, and the holiday comes but once a year.

The glorious Hanukkah event that happened in Jerusalem in 165 B.C. is recounted in homes and synagogues. Judah Maccabee and his Jewish guerilla fighters recaptured the Holy Temple, and rededicated the sanctuary to God’s service. They lit the neglected Eternal Light despite having only enough oil to last one day, but the tiny cruse of oil lasted eight days. Ever since, Jews have rejoiced in that remarkable occurrence. The Hebrew word for “dedication” is Hanukkah, and it is also the term for “education.”

End of section one of Hanukkah.

Enter the “grown up” side of the holiday that is described in the two Books of the Maccabees that appear in the Roman Catholic version of the Bible, but surprisingly are omitted from the Hebrew Scriptures. The basic Hanukkah story of a guerilla band fighting a standing army has been repeated again and again in different forms for thousands of years. It is all so predictable.

Large and powerful political empires throughout history always seek to expand their spheres of influence and control, and usually achieve their goal by military conquest and physical occupation of diverse peoples. Because power, especially absolute power, is an addictive narcotic, most empires that forcibly rule other peoples ultimately attempt to culturally, politically and religiously dominate their far-flung provinces. But occupied peoples become restive, restless, and sometimes rebellious.

Small pockets of resistance spring up that seek to get rid of an empire’s large military presence. In reaction, the empire cracks down with restrictive and oppressive measures that further enflame the situation. Armed resistance ensues with the empire’s large army tracking down small cells of highly motivated rebels whose aim is liberation from the heavy yoke of political and religious domination.

In many cases the rebels gain victory over an empire. It happened in this country in 1783 at Yorktown, Va., when George Washington’s troops finally defeated King George III’s mighty army and the United States of America gained its independence.

It happened much earlier in Jerusalem 2169 years ago when Judah and his guerillas defeated the Greco-Syrian army of Emperor Antiochus IV allowing the Jews of ancient Israel to regain their religious and political freedom.

But despite the joyous celebrations of July 4 and Hanukkah, there were shadows that tempered the military victories of both Washington and Judah Maccabee. The stain of human slavery was part of the new American republic and today racism remains an unsolved national problem.

Judah’s victory enabled Jews to regain sovereignty. But sadly, the post-Hanukkah rulers were among the worst in Jewish history. Corruption and internal strife ensued. Less than 200 years after the Maccabean triumph, the Roman Empire, even more brutal and cruel than Antiochus’ regime, became the new occupying power of Israel.

With the earlier successful struggle of Judah Maccabee as a model, the Jews fought four wars against the Romans. But there was to be no second Hanukkah. The Romans won every conflict and destroyed the Holy Temple in 70.

But despite or perhaps because of those defeats, the great victory of Hanukkah became a joyous festival celebrated every year by both youngsters and adults.

(Rabbi Rudin, the American Jewish Committee’s Senior Interreligious Adviser, is Distinguished Visiting Professor at Saint Leo University.)

MO/RB END RNS