Portion of the Portion

Fanatic? Who Me?

This past Shabbat we had a guest who inspired us with his personal story. He grew up in America as a normal assimilated (wild) Jewish kid. When he was in his 20s he decided he wanted to join the Israeli army for a bit of structure to his life - for some rules. He ended up in the tank battalion. One day while sitting in his tank on the Syrian border he became anxious as he realized that if there was to be a war he might actually die in this tank and he began to ask himself why in the world was he doing this? Why had he given up his comfortable life in the US to sit in a cramped tank which could turn into his coffin? He wondered if he were to die just then what he would be dying for and was it really worth it to him? Maybe he should just quit the army then and there. While all these thoughts came rushing at him he finally gained clarity and realized that he actually was willing to die for the Jewish people. This realization caused him to delve deeper into what it means to be Jewish. He became religious and is not only willing to die for Judaism but to live it as well.
The Maccabees were also willing to die for what they were fighting for. These Kohanim, didn’t start out as warriors, and didn’t need to save the Jewish nation from physical destruction.
Matityahu and his sons went to war because everything sacred in Judaism was in danger. They risked their lives for something larger than themselves, and it is probably thanks to them that we are still Jewish today. Other nations such as the Philistines, Ammonites and Moabites assimilated to the point that they lost their ethnic identity. The edicts of Antiochus IV, prohibiting Torah study, Shabbat observance and circumcision were having their toll on the Jewish nation as well. A statue of Zeus was placed in the Temple in Jerusalem, and swine were sacrificed before it.
The alien Syrian-Greek culture stressed the body over the soul, the physical over the spiritual, and beauty, not holiness. The Maccabees fought to preserve a different view of the world - one with God, not man, at its center.
The Maccabees could have just gone along with the flow of the majority of the Jewish population in their day, the Hellenistic Jews, who were influenced by the enlightened Greek culture. They could have been flexible with their Judaism. They could have followed the Greek way of tolerance and mutual acceptance and taken on the Greek practices while also keeping practices of Judaism.
But the Maccabees understood Judaism’s uncompromising exclusiveness. They were the people who were moved by zeal for their Judaism and they fought the Greeks.
Rabbi Steinsaltz in his book “Change & Renewal - The Essence of the Jewish Holidays” (which was recently published in English by Shefa and Maggid) points out the irony that Chanuka is a very popular holiday among all Jews both religious and secular but what people don’t think about is that it is really the holiday of the fanatics. He says if anyone were to act like Matityahu today an advertisement condemning the act would appear in all the newspapers in the name of all sensible Jews and might even had appeared in their own day stating, “The Jewish leadership strongly condemns this act, which to our minds brings dishonor to Judaism. This is the act of a few fanatics, who are neither to be emulated nor supported.”
Fanaticism preserves our religion, but can also be dangerous if it does not come from the right place. G-d’s bringing about the miracle of the oil gave backing to the acts of the Maccabees. It is not always easy to know how extreme we must be in order to preserve our Judaism but Chanuka is definitely the correct time to acknowledge the fact that there is a time, place and necessity for “fanatics” like the Maccabees.
WHILE SITTING in front of the flames of the Chanuka candles pondering the meaning of the holiday, here is a dessert served with flames.

BAKED BANANAS FLAMBE
4-6 bananas, peeled
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp lemon, lime or orange juice
1/2 cup rum
1 tsp ground allspice
Butter
Ice cream

Peel bananas and slice in half lengthwise. Arrange in layers in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with the sugar, juice,  cup of the rum and the allspice. Dot with butter. Bake at 350F for about 15-30 minutes, until fruit is softened, basting two or three times during cooking. Just before serving, heat the remaining cup rum. Pour over bananas. Ignite and serve when flames die down. Serve over vanilla or your favorite ice cream.
Always on Chanuka we need to take precautions with fire around - also in serving this dish. Do not carry the flaming pan. Do not lean over the pan as you light it. Do not pour the liquor directly into the pan from the bottle if it is near an open flame. The flame can travel up into the bottle and cause it to explode. Of course it’s a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher or wet towel around in case you need to put out a fire.

• Other Portion of the Portion
• The Hide & Seek of Purim
• SHOV'VIM TAT
• The Women in Sh'mot