Each year, as I re-encounter the story of Chanukah, I am inspired by the persistence of a small group of Maccabees who fought for their core values in the face of seemingly incredible odds. When confronted with oppression and limitations, they thought broader and wider than any narrow definitions that others might have used to define them.
No matter the historical circumstances, that ‘Maccabee way of thinking’ is useful in any generation.
Take the 1930s as an example. Even as Nazi Germany was narrowing its definitions of those to be included in society, one Jewish family insisted on lighting the Chanukah menorah in open view of the oppression. The iconic image that remains from that Chanukah, can inspire us today and tomorrow to connect to the ‘Maccabee way of thinking’.
I wonder what picture will become iconic for our generation.
I wonder who among us will embrace the ‘Maccabee way of thinking’.