Dear TBT Friends,
I’ve been thinking a lot about the Maccabees recently. That isn’t where my mind usually is at Chanukah time. I am usually thinking about latkes, candles, the happiness of having friends and family together, and a rush of gift giving. While I might tell the Chanukah story in some form, I’m never really focusing on the Maccabees. And, in the past, to the extent I ever did think about them, I usually think about a small group of people standing up for what they believe in, a surprise win of a war and then a greater surprise of the miracle of the oil lasting.
There is a part in the story that my brain almost always skips – as do most children’s books and re-tellings—the part when the Maccabees reenter the temple, before the miracle of light. I never thought much about how they must have felt when they came back and saw the destruction. As Rabbi Moss told us last month, it was quite a mess – things knocked over, unkosher animal parts strewn about—it wasn’t for the faint of heart.
It is hard not to draw some parallels here to what is happening at TBT (minus the animal parts!). Like the Maccabees, we were kept out of our Temple for a long time. The “oppressor” was very different – COVID, and the other factors, renovation, were actually good reasons, not bad. Yet, like the Maccabees, I feel certain many of us would like nothing more than to rededicate our new space as soon as possible.
When I walk in now, I see the great progress we are making but, I will just say it, there is work to be done! All of that work can sometimes feel overwhelming. Are we going to enter our new building soon? Can we finish it all? And, at the same time, as we have raised almost $6.5 million towards our goal of 8 million dollars, I worry about making it all the way there.
Yet, this Chanukah season, I am taking comfort and guidance from those Maccabees. They charged right into that Temple, took a look around and started to clean it up. They didn’t even have 6.5 days of light towards the 8 they needed – they only had light for one day. They had a real mess – and no general contractor and knowledgeable people working night and day.
So what inspired them in their rededication? Perhaps it was all in the way they saw things. Maybe they didn’t see a mess – they saw an opportunity. They were seeing what would be, not what was. They must have had great faith, faith not only in their G-d but also in themselves, to work hard and finish the job. And they must have had hope, hope that it would all work out. And out of that faith and hope we know what came next – the miracle of light.
So, as we look at our own unfinished building today – and maybe other things in our life that feel unfinished and hard to complete – let's take stock of our ancestors. At the same time as I think about our past, I am also thinking about our future and what we will do in our brand new building, once the hard work is over. As the Maccabees taught, there is real light at the end of the tunnel. Looking forward to seeing you all there soon.
L'Shalom,
Sarah Mervine