It really is a wonderful time of year. Of course it’s busy, but it’s really a good busy in the sense of our having plenty to eat, warm homes, loving people in our lives, often too many to be with at one time. What nice problems to have in today’s world of woes, and that is also true. We live in the both/and.

Hanukkah brings forth memories of miracles, light in the darkness, and latkes! We are so grateful for this time of year to be able to celebrate these ancient days that are still so impactful today. This year, in particular, seems to present an especially important season to reflect more deeply on the origins of this holiday when we light our Hanukkiah candles bringing forth His Light to dispel the darkness.

The Maccabees fought for their Jewish identity in the 2^nd century BCE when they reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem, its rededication the inspiration for our celebration even today.  Sadly, this year we cannot help but think of the Bondi Beach massacre as we observe our Hanukkah traditions.  Killing innocents in the act of observing their faith is unimaginable. Although suffering such atrocity is not unique to our Jewish people, that will be our focus today.

I have often suggested that we are living in amazing times of the coming together of Christians and Jews, a development that we as a society have been experiencing. When I was a child a Christian schoolmate accused me of having killed God and he felt my head for horns. Experiences such as that were not unique for that time frame in some places even here in America. By contrast, today many Christians are embracing their Jewish roots and recognize the Jewishness of Yeshua our promised Messiah.

That shift is miraculous and has happened within a generation. Modern scholarship has been instrumental in dispelling misinformation on this subject so vastly misunderstood for millennia. God’s greater plan is in the works big time as we approach perhaps even a time of revival.

So what could make the evil one more upset than the coming together of two seemingly disparate religions on each side of a schism that was created by mankind’s choices most likely fanned by his evil whisperings? We see alongside the reconciliation evil forces at work also, horrific growing antisemitism, the both/and of life. Just as good is growing, the evil one fights back.

I’m sure many of you have experienced this dynamic on personal levels – health challenges and car trouble just as Camp Or L’Dor is about to start, scary near misses right before or after we’ve just done something good for His Kingdom. It’s almost predictable, laughable. At these times I literally say, “Go away, devil. You don’t scare me! You have no power here! You’re just a big bully! God’s got this!” (I really do say these things).

These are the days to be bold in our faith for when we stand strong in Him the devil runs and hides. These are the days to set the record straight about our faith in God, about the truth of Yeshua, to lovingly converse with others, to dispel misconceptions about that which divides us. To not be afraid. To arm ourselves with the armor of God and stay bold in prayer.

To everything, turn, turn, turn. There is a season, turn, turn, turn – words of the Peter, Paul, and Mary song of that name inspired by the Ecclesiastes teachings. ‘Tis the season. This is a Hanukkah season unlike others in more recent years. As we see the rising antisemitism of the world fueled by misperceptions and slanted media coverage of the Gaza crisis, just as the Maccabees we must fight for our faith. We do not need to do so with blood as did they, but rather, with voice. We cannot be silent. Truly, our very existence as a Jewish people is at stake.

I hope this season of Hanukkah, with its challenges and with its beauty, the absolute evidence of the both/and of life in this realm, inspires you to be brave in your faith. I hope you are rededicated to study and deepen knowledge of your faith, to be strengthened in your convictions of its truth. I encourage you to be bold in correcting stereotypes and misunderstandings, to not stand silent.

Rather than kill, I urge you to heal the brokenness through conversations that will lead to understanding, that the love of all mankind that burns fiercely through the ages, that never ending love of His Creations that He has for us, can overcome and replace hatred that has filled the hearts of so many, that your efforts will be rewarded one person at a time.

I wish for us all peace that surpasses all understanding that can only come from feeling His Love through all seasons, for we know, He’s got this. We just need to do our parts too.

Happy Hanukkah and Shabbat shalom.

Diane