Hodesh Tov!

Kislev, the eighth month of the Jewish calendar, is most notably filled with the observance of Hanukka, which begins on the 25th of this month. By our observance of Hanukka we are reminded of the revolt led by the Hasmoneans more than 2,100 years ago in Eretz Yisrael. For many, the extraordinary success of the small band of Jewish fighters against the Syrian Greek army, leading to the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, has been an inspiration to every generation of Jews.

In our generation, we are grateful to have witnessed the heroic establishment of Israel, also by a relatively small number of Jewish fighters, against the combined forces of the surrounding Arab nations.

The Rabbis believed that gevurah, strength, comes from God. They were uncomfortable with the message of the Hanukka story, that the victory of the Maccabean soldiers was due to military prowess rather than God.

The haftarah -- the prophetic portion selected by the Rabbis to accompany the Torah reading -- of Shabbat Hanukka captures the priority of the Rabbis of approximately nineteen hundred years ago. It was in their selection of the haftarah from the prophet Zechariah that articulated these priorities, including the verse (4:6) "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says the Lord of Hosts." To the Rabbis, gevurah -- power -- does not come from armies dependent on physical strength and armaments but by the spiritual strength they receive when they orient themselves to God's values.

The Rabbis also understood that gevurah may also be expressed by an individual. In a question posed in the Mishnah Avot (4:1), also known as Ethics of the Fathers, Ben Zoma asks, "Who is strong? One who is able to overcome his (evil) inclination." Ben Zoma didn't comment on physical strength or physical challenges, but chose to reflect on true strength as manifested by a person who is able to successfully battle the spiritual enemy within himself. Selfishness, jealousy, lust, and hatred are only a few of the internal evils that we battle consciously and unconsciously on a daily basis.

Another expression of gevurah is in the second blessing of the Amidah, the prayer that is the spiritual pinnacle of our services. God, who could have been described by the Rabbis as the one who plagued the Egyptians and split the Red Sea, is instead shown expressing His power by sustaining the living with kindness, supporting the fallen, healing the sick, and freeing the captive.

The recitation of the Amidah is the most spiritually charged part of the Jewish prayer service; we pray as if we are in God's royal court. It is a profound message to us that the most significant expression of God's gevurah, of God's power, in the Amidah is through acts of hesed, of loving-kindness.

Perhaps in our time, when we are focusing our attention on war and military strength, we need to reflect on this spiritual message. The recapturing of the Temple by the Maccabees in the month of Kislev was only a small expression of gevurah -- power. A most meaningful expression of gevurah in our generation may be in our ability to reorient our priorities: insuring our personal Jewish spiritual commitments in the place of our conscious and unconscious desires. Just as God expressed gevurah through acts of hesed, we must redouble our efforts to reach out and help others in need.

Hag Urim Sameach -- Warmest wishes for a joyous Festival of Lights!