Chanukah: The Origin of Cancel Culture
Resist the subversion of darkness in the name of enlightenment.
Chanukah may be the most misunderstood of all Jewish holidays.
It's not Jewish Christmas.
It's not about personal freedom.
It's not about rising up against oppression.
The essence of Chanukah is the continuing struggle for cultural and intellectual integrity.
After Alexander the Great conquered the known world, the culture of Greece transformed every society under its rule. Hellenism was the order of the day, with countries and ethnicities falling into line as their people eagerly embraced the magnetic style and values of their Greek overlords.
Many Jews were swept up in the "new syncretism" of integrating Greek culture into their own, especially those possessing wealth and access to power.
But the majority of Jews resisted. And when a tiny clan refused to submit, they sparked a revolution that eventually reclaimed their capital and their Temple. The light of divine wisdom pushed back the darkness of self-serving aestheticism.
And the battle goes on today.
But the more it seems as if the darkness of ideology is spreading across our world, the more opportunity there is for a little light to make a dramatic difference.
That is the message of Chanukah.
Now ask yourself:
Are you on the side of light or on the side of darkness?