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Chanukah, Eid-ul-Adhar and Christmas: Celebrations Calling for Rededication
By Eric Parkinson

December of this year happens to be a month of religious celebrations for each of the three Abrahamic faiths starting with the Jewish holiday of Chanukah (or "Hanukah"), which was celebrated for eight nights beginning on December 5. The Muslim holiday of Eid-ul-Adhar is the next on the calendar and is celebrated December 19-21. The holiday season ends with the Christian celebration of Christmas which occurs on December 25.

I'd like to briefly discuss certain aspects of these three different holiday traditions and what they mean to the faithful who celebrate them. Each celebration offers a very meaningful message that is certainly worth understanding.

Chanukah

Unfortunately, many non-Jews who don't know much about Chanukah think of it merely as "the Jewish Christmas." While both Christmas and Chanukah offer revolutionary messages of hope, Chanukah has its own meaning and – like the other holidays being celebrated this month – should not be merged into any other tradition.

As Michael Lerner, rabbi of Beyt Tikkun synagogue in Berkeley and founder of Tikkun.org, has insightfully summarized it, "Chanukah celebrates history’s first recorded national liberation struggle."

Following the death of Alexander the Great near the end of the fourth century BCE, the Jewish people found themselves caught between a struggle for power between the Seleucids of Syria and the Ptolemies from Egypt that would last for more than 150 years. The on-going battles were, of course, military in nature but also ideological in that both of the warring parties sought to impose their Hellenistic culture on the Jewish people.

Text Box: Chanukah The revolutionary spiritual message of Chanukah “is that it’s possible to bring light and hope in a world of darkness, oppression and despair.” Things went from bad to worse in the early second century BCE when the Seleucid king Antiochus attempted to impose Hellenism by force by ordering the Jews to perform sacrifices to the Greek gods in the Temple in Jerusalem, prohibited them from observing the Sabbath, the dietary laws and other practices, and increased what were already oppressive taxes.

For many Jews living at the time, resistance to Hellenism was felt to be futile. But for what started as a small group of others who came to be known as the Maccabees, resistance was required despite the odds, which – at least with regard to military might – were stacked heavily against them. As Rabbi Lerner writes, "The Maccabees understood Judaism as teaching that 'the spirit of the people was greater than the man’s technology,' or, in traditional Jewish terms, 'not by power, and not by might, but by My spirit, says the Lord of Hosts'." The Maccabees understood that all human beings were made in the image of God and that each person, therefore, had the right to be treated with respect. As Rabbi Lerner writes, the Maccabees knew that "the central power in the universe rejected the reality of oppression."

Through the Maccabees, Antiochus learned the rule, "Never start a land war in Asia" – particularly against a people that were used to beating the odds as the Jews had done against the Egyptians much earlier in history. In 165 BCE, the Maccabees recaptured Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple. It was from this rededication that the various Chanukah traditions developed; indeed, the Hebrew word Chanukah means "dedication" in English.

As Rabbi Lerner puts it, the revolutionary spiritual message that Jews glean from Chanukah "is that it's possible to bring light and hope in a world of darkness, oppression and despair." Unfortunately – in our society – the true meaning of Chanukah is frequently overshadowed by a secular message that says, "Buy, buy, buy – for it's in doing so that you will find happiness." The pervasive nature of this hollow, secular message in our modern culture compels Jews everywhere to rededicate themselves to their unique heritage and traditions and to inculcate the radical message of hope that Chanukah offers in their own lives and in the lives of others.

During Chanukah, like our Jewish brothers and sisters, we can – despite the odds – rededicate ourselves again and again to bringing justice and hope in a world that so often seems mired in darkness, oppression and despair!

Eid-ul-Adhar

Eid-ul-Adhar (Arabic for the "Festival of Sacrifice") is one of the major holidays of Islam. According to Muslim tradition, its purpose is to celebrate the sacrifice that Abraham was willing to make of his own son Ishmael when he was commanded to show his commitment to Allah (the Arabic word for the English word, "God"). At Allah's direction, the angel Gabriel substituted a lamb for Ishmael after it was clear that Abraham would indeed sacrifice his son to prove his faith. Abraham had shown that his love for the Lord was his highest priority in that he would lay down his own life or the lives of those dear to him in submission to God's will.

The celebration of Eid-ul-Adhar takes place each year on the tenth and last day of the Hajj – the celebration of the holy pilgrimage to Mecca – and lasts for three days. During the pilgrimage, Muslims are called to remember and commemorate the trials and triumphs of the Prophet Abraham, who is described by the Qur'an as follows:

"Surely Abraham was an example, obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the polytheists. He was grateful for Our bounties. We chose him and guided him unto a right path. We gave him good in this world, and in the next he will most surely be among the righteous." (Qur'an 16:120-121)

During the celebration of Eid-ul-Adhar, Muslims commemorate and remember Abraham's trials by themselves slaughtering an animal such as a sheep, camel, or goat. Unfortunately, this action is often misunderstood by non-Muslims. The sacrifice itself, as practiced by Muslims, has nothing to do with atoning for sins or using the blood to wash themselves from sin. As the Qur'an affirms, "It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him." (Qur'an 22:37)

The symbolism of the sacrifice is in the attitude – a willingness to make sacrifices in order to stay on the Straight Path. A true Muslim – one who submits himself or herself completely to the Lord – is willing to follow Allah’s commands completely. Indeed the word "Muslim" literally means, "One who submits to God." It is this strength of heart, purity in faith, and willing obedience that God desires.

Text Box: Eid-ul-Adhar Faithful Muslims do this in recognition that all blessings come from God and that, likewise, we should open our hearts and share our blessings with others who are less fortunate. According to the Muslim tradition, Allah has given human beings power over animals and has allowed us to eat meat, but only if His name is pronounced at the solemn act of taking life. Muslims slaughter animals in the same way throughout the year. By saying the name of Allah at the time of slaughter, they are reminded that all life is sacred.

The meat from the sacrifice of Eid-ul-Adhar is mostly given away to others. One-third is eaten by immediate family and relatives, one-third is given away to friends, and one-third is donated to the poor. The act symbolizes the community’s willingness to give up things that are of benefit to themselves or close to their hearts in order to follow Allah's commands. It also symbolizes the willingness of Muslims to strengthen ties of friendship and help those who are in need. Faithful Muslims do this in recognition that all blessings come from God and that, likewise, we should open our hearts and share our blessings with others who are less fortunate.

During Eid-ul-Adhar, the Festival of Sacrifice, we can – like our Muslim brothers and sisters – rededicate ourselves again and again to opening our hearts and sharing our blessings with the poor!

Christmas

Of course, Christmas is celebrated in the Christian tradition as the day of Christ's birth, but it offers much deeper meanings than that for faithful Christians. Unfortunately, as it sometimes is with the Jewish and Muslim traditions discussed above, the radical message of hope offered by Christmas is often obscured by our consumerist culture which sees the acquisition of possessions as the benchmark of a successful life. Material gifts are exchanged during Christmas to commemorate the birth of Jesus, but the message of "Peace on Earth" and the life example that Jesus offered to the world as described in the "Sermon on the Mount" remain an invitation often left unanswered.

Christmas reminds those in the Christian community to remember what Jesus gave and how he lived, and to then "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:37)

An excellent expression of some of the deeper meanings of Christmas comes from Father John Dear, an American Jesuit priest, in his essay, "Peace on Earth Means No More War," in which he offers the following:

"First, Christmas celebrates the birth of a life of perfect nonviolence and calls us to become people of active nonviolence. Christmas invites us to practice the vulnerable, disarming simplicity of children, to live the disarmed life in solidarity with the children of the world.

"Second, Christmas demonstrates that God sides with the poor, becomes one with the poor, and walks among the poor. God does not side with the rulers, the rich or the powerful, but with the homeless, the hungry and the refugees. Christmas…demands that we work to abolish poverty itself so that every human being has food, clothing, housing, healthcare, education, employment and a lifetime of peace.

"Third, Christmas calls us to reject greed, give away our money and possessions to those in need, and also live in solidarity with the disenfranchised.

Text Box: Christmas “The scandal of the story is that God wants to become human and show us how to be human.” "Fourth, Christmas…announces that every human being is a beloved son and daughter of the God of love. Every human life is beautiful in the eyes of God, since God has become one of us.

"Fifth, as Gandhi pointed out, there is a straight line from the crib to the cross. Christ practiced steadfast nonviolent resistance to imperial injustice and was brutally executed. That bloody outcome is crucial to the story, and calls us to work for the abolition of the death penalty so that Christ will never be crucified again and the killing stops once and for all.

"Sixth, since the birth of Christ means that every human life is beloved by God, that all human beings are God's children, we have to treat every human being on the planet as our very own sister and brother…

"Seventh, if the angels celebrate the coming of 'peace on earth,' that means they are environmentalists. We too have to protect the earth, oppose its destruction, defend God's creatures and the universe, and help make the earth a place of peace for every life form.

"Eighth, Christmas means working for the abolition of nuclear weapons. These weapons are idolatrous and blasphemous. Their very existence insults the God of peace and mocks the nonviolent Jesus.

"Ninth, Christmas calls us individually to prepare for the gift of peace on earth. It invites us to welcome peace in our hearts and our personal lives, and learn to be at peace with ourselves, with God, with our families, friends, neighbors, and local communities, and with the whole world.

"Finally, Christmas invites us to be human in an inhuman time. The scandal of the story is that God wants to become human and show us how to be human. We, on the other hand, want to play God, to be powerful, in charge, in control, to dominate the world. Perhaps the best way to celebrate Christmas and welcome the beautiful gift of peace on earth is simply to be human, despite the callous inhumanity around us, and to trust that our modest, vulnerable humanity – our nonviolence, compassion and love – like the humanity of the child in the crib, will one day bear good fruit and sow the seeds of peace on earth."

During Christmas, we can – like our Christian brothers and sisters – rededicate ourselves again and again to offering love, kindness and compassion to everyone we meet, wherever we may find them!

I hope you enjoyed and are inspired by each of these perspectives. As we each celebrate our religious traditions this month, let us rededicate ourselves to the true reasons behind them.