Shalom dear friend in the Messiah,
‘Tis the Hanukkah–Christmas season! It is a time
of good cheer when, generally speaking, Jewish
people are celebrating Hanukkah and Christians
are celebrating Christmas. Though I must admit,
even in New York, there are quite a few “Hanukkah
bushes” (a Christmas
tree decorated for
Hanukkah) displayed
in homes throughout
the area.
It goes without saying
that there are many
differences between
the holidays, but
through the years
I have discovered
many parallels as well.
One of the most
obvious similarities is
that both Hanukkah
and Christmas are observed
the same time
of year. The precise
date of the Messiah’s
birth is a bit controversial
in some circles, but
what is absolutely clear from the New Testament
is that the God of Israel became man, dwelled
among us, died for our sins, and was raised to
life in fulfillment of the plan of God’s redemption
detailed in the Bible.
This year, Hanukkah, which is an eight-day
celebration, and Christmas overlap once again.
This creates a natural tension between the two
festivals, especially in Jewish communities.
I grew up believing that one of the ways you
could tell a Jew from a Christian was by the
holidays he or she celebrated. For that reason,
celebrating Hanukkah was viewed as a symbol
of loyalty to the Jewish people. My family and
other Jewish people who know that I believe in
Jesus as my Messiah often ask me which holidays
I celebrate. The underlying question being so
subtly asked is whether or not I still view myself
as Jewish now that I believe in Jesus!
In case you are unfamiliar with Hanukkah, let
me give you a brief overview of the celebration.
Hanukkah celebrates the great victory of the Maccabees,
a family of Levitical priests, over the armies
of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian Greek general
whom the Jewish people nicknamed “Antiochus
the madman”! He tried to destroy the Jewish people
by turning them into Greeks, but failed.
Hanukkah is also called the “Festival of Lights.”
According to Jewish tradition, when the Temple
was recaptured from Antiochus, there was only
enough oil to keep the
menorah in the Temple
lit for one day. However,
a miracle happened,
and the eternal light of
the Temple menorah
lasted for eight days,
the time it took for
the ceremonial olive
oil to cure and keep
the lights perpetually
burning. Jewish people
see this as a great dual
miracle—that God
gave the Jewish people
a humanly impossible
military victory and
marked the event by
ensuring the lights
lasted the full eight
days. That is why we
light a candle each night
as part of the eight-day festival.
The lights provide an obvious bridge between
Hanukkah and Christmas. When my kids were
small, I used to take them through parts of
Brooklyn during the Christmas season just to
see the homes decorated with lights in the most
magnificent ways. Some neighborhoods looked
like they belonged in Rockefeller Center or
Times Square at New Year’s!
The tradition of giving presents is also important
for both holidays. Jewish people give one gift
to their kids each night of Hanukkah, and the
tradition of giving presents on Christmas, in the
tradition of the magi at Jesus’ birth, continues
until this very day. Of course, both holidays are
often over-commercialized, but in my opinion,
there is never a bad time to give presents, as long
as you are focused on the real reason for this
season. Jewish people are thankful to God for
preserving the nation and express this thanksgiving
by giving presents to one another. This is
similar to Christmas, as we show our gratitude to
God for sending His only Son to die for our sins
by giving presents.
2
HANUKKAH
The Messiah is
the Light of the
World
FROM THE PRESIDENT
The Chosen People | DECEMBER 2019
Bus Stop at Christmas by Stevan Dohanos. The Saturday Evening Post,
December 13, 1952 © SEPS. Licensed by Curtis Licensing