Chanukah is my favorite time of year. The flickering lights on the menorah, the spinning of dreidels, the wonderful aroma of frying latkes, Chanukah gelt and the presents, all bring back warm feelings from my youth. Chanukah is a holiday that brings out the child in all of us.

We celebrate this most festive event because true miracles occurred around the 25th day of Kislev. The brave Maccabees, under the leadership of Yehuda HaMakabi ("Judah the Hammer"), won the battles against the forces of Antiochus IV, who had destroyed the temple and outlawed Judaism in the land. This victory was indeed a miracle since the army of Antiochus was so much more powerful, and well armed, compared to the almost rag-tag Maccabees. But the one power Antiochus did not foresee was the motivation, heart, and deep belief in their God, that brought the Maccabees this most unexpected victory.

When the battles were over, the Temple was cleansed, and a new alter was constructed, along with the menorah containing the eternal flame; a flame that must never be doused. The flame required oil with which to burn, and as most of us know, another great miracle occurred. It was discovered that there was only enough oil on hand to burn for one day, but showing great faith, the lamp was lit anyway. Against all odds, the lamp burned glowingly and proudly for eight full days and nights before an adequate supply of oil could be found to perpetuate the flame. Hence, we light our Chanukah menorahs, one candle on each night of Chanukah, for eight nights, to commemorate this great miracle.

I grew up in a mostly Jewish and Italian neighborhood. Each December, we kids would argue about who had the best holiday. The Christians had the smug condescending attitude, backed-up by millions of dollars of Madison Avenue advertising, that Christmas was, by far, the best. Of course, us Jews stuck-up for Chanukah.

Every evening the sun would go down a little earlier, as our battle raged on the suburban streets. A sinking feeling crept into our little Jewish hearts as one by one the houses lit up with festoons of glittering Christmas lights and lighted crèches in some of the front yards. Door after door, started to display holiday wreaths, and living room windows would be ablaze with dazzling Christmas trees bedecked with twinkling lights, stars, angels and dangling garlands.

We felt like the Maccabees trying to stare down an overwhelming army of Antiochus as every night we added only one additional light to our meager menorahs.

We brought these concerns to our Hebrew school teacher one afternoon and he listened very carefully to our complaints. After pondering for a moment, he announced:

“Don't worry, we will straighten this out!"

A few days later, a special assembly was held at our Hebrew school. The rabbi and a priest along with about a hundred kids from the local Catholic congregation were all assembled in our grand hall. Both clergymen made brief opening statements where they promised to address all our Chanukah and Christmas concerns. Naturally, we were all very excited because we had home ice advantage, and our wise rabbi would surly vindicate our beliefs, and vanquish our opponents. What a surprise was in store for us.

The Jewish and the Christian kids lined up on separate sides of the room, and started firing our questions at the two rugged clerics. Both took their time in answering us as completely and comprehensively as they could. As the evening wore on, a theme began to emerge from this discussion. In essence, these were the conclusions both learned religious men left with us.

Both Chanukah and Christmas, although celebrating very different events, had striking similarities. Chanukah celebrates the re-dedication of the temple, and Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus, who is the Christian Messiah. Both are punctuated by illumination with the miracle of the oil, and the intensity of the Star of Bethlehem. Both of these holidays are showered with special light.

Even if the Christmas trees and the homes of our Christian friends might seem brighter, and more colorful, than the Jewish homes displaying a Chanukah menorah, it must be remembered that it was the teachings and learning that occurred, both before, and after, the rededication of the temple that eventually enabled Christianity, as well as other religions, to flourish.

The simple eight candles, plus the Shamus used to light them, are a symbol of the great miracle of God, who commands that the light of the temple must be rededicated every year by all Jewish people. These multiple acts of rededication amplify the brightness of the original miracle, and reflects our faith, by shining a special light all over the world.

Let us enjoy all the festivities of Chanukah with our hearts full of light and joy. Look at your gorgeous menorahs burning brightly as they have through millennia, knowing the miracle it represents, and how its light has helped guide the world to their ultimate faith based beliefs. The next time you greet your Christian friends during the holiday season, remember to wish them a merry Christmas, and remind them that this season of lights enables us all to envision ideas for a better future. Then, invite them into your homes for a game of dreidel and some delicious homemade latkes.

Happy Chanukah to all of you,
Michael