How to keep the Han in Hanukkah

Han Solo holding a menorah 

"Keep the Han in Hanukkah" was a meme born some years ago in response to the seasonal injunction to keep the religious focus on another holiday that sometimes comes out around the same time as Hanukkah (or Chanukah, as I prefer to spell it). It's just meant for fun, but this year I thought about it and remembered what Han Solo's character said that truly encapsulates the spirit of Chanukah:

 

Aegersgestrh Star Wars GIFfrom Aegersgestrh GIFs

"Never tell me the odds!" 

I can just imagine the Maccabees saying the equivalent once they spurred on to take action by Yehudith. Before hand, they were thinking about the odds.

What hope did a small group of rebels have in going against the masses who wanted to side with the empire? 

Based on probability, launching a rebellion, which also entailed a civil war, was a suicide mission. It took a miracle to win.

We highlight that in saying  "Al hanism"

מָסַרְתָּ גִּבּוֹרִים בְּיַד חַלָּשִׁים וְרַבִּים בְּיַד מְעַטִּים וּטְמֵאִים בְּיַד טְהוֹרִים וּרְשָׁעִים בְּיַד צַדִּיקִים וְזֵדִים בְּיַד עוֹסְקֵי תוֹרָתֶךָ

לְךָ עַשִׂיתָ שֵׁם גָּדוֹל וְקָדוֹשׁ בְּעוֹלָמֶךָ וּלְעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל עָשִׂיתָ תְּשׁוּעָה גְדוֹלָה וּפֻרְקָן כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶה

You delivered the mighty into the hands of the week, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the degenerates into the hands of those who cling to your Torah

And You made for Yourself a great and holy name in your world, and performed a great salvation and miracle for Your people Israel, as of this day.

We Jews don't just look at the odds.  We know Jewish survival is not the result of capitulation to whatever is trendy, popular, or considered enlightened. Those all obfuscate true light.

This time of year, you see many artificial lights around you. They overwhelm the token menorahs thrown into the "holiday" displays. But truth is not to be found in larger numbers or greater influences. 

The real flames we light on Chanukah always have been and remain  the source of true and pure light. We sing of this in "Maoz Tzur." Jews have survived and retain our identity despite the odds. 

Related: 

For Shabbos Chanukah

Hilchos Chanukah and Shalom Bayis

Hlllel's Approach for Chanukah

Zos Chanukah

What-does-your-threshold-say-about-you

Thoughts-for-zos-chanukah-2020-update.html

 

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