It's the 3rd Night of Hanukkah tonight, and already my digestive system is pleading with me: "What's with all of these donuts and Latkas!? Spare me, please!" Now, I know you'll tell me that the whole miracle of Hanukkah we commemorate centers around the finding of one last jar of oil in the Temple and that's why we eat all of these oily foods. But let's take a deeper look.
What were the Syrian-Greeks trying to stamp out from the minds and hearts of the Jewish people? Unlike during the times of Purim where a decree was sent for the annihilation of the Jews physically, the oppression of our people by the Greeks was not on our bodies but on our souls and our beliefs.
The Greeks valued beauty: Art, music, philosophy, intellectual pursuit. Socrates, Plato, Homer, Aristotle. If we look back to the Biblical story of Noah and his 3 sons after the flood, the love of beauty in Greek culture makes perfect sense. Noah cursed Cham (look there for reasons why), blessed his son Shem (whom Abraham descended from) with spiritual truth, and blessed his 3rd son Yefet with beauty (Yefet had a son named Yavan, the progenitor of the Greek Empire). Noah wished, however, that this beauty "should be found in the tents of Shem." That true beauty could only truly be found when in a Godly, spiritual context.
But the Torah happens to be a beautiful work, full of philosophical and intellectual debate. It's the #1 best-selling book in History! [I'll have to check Harry Potter statistics later]. It has an original and all-Powerful Author as well. So what was the Greeks' problem? They should have rejoiced in the fact that they could fulfill the wishes of Noah, that spiritual beauty and aesthetic beauty could combine together in perfect harmony. It's known that there was a point in history when this harmony resided. The Talmud mentions an event when the mighty Greek ruler Alexander the Great, when greeting the Jewish sage Shimon Hatzadik, 'alighted from his chariot and bowed down before him...he exclaimed: Blessed is the G-d of Shimon Hatzadik!' Many respectful incidents between Roman rulers and the Sages of Israel exemplify this as well.
The later Greeks' annoyance, however, centered not on the Torah's intellectual beauty. No, the Greeks disliked that the Torah didn't remain just as another intellect. Mitzvot and Jewish ritual weren't considered by the Jews as mere customs and tradition. Jews considered Torah and Mitzvot to be God's Divine Will; that there's something beyond what the human intellect can reach on its own. That there's a higher, Divine reality.
Back to the oily Latkas and Donuts. Jewish mysticism likens oil to the Essence of Torah. Many examples are given why, one being that just as oil's nature is to pervade through and through whatever it comes in contact with (just ask your mother who had to clean your pant's stain ), so too the deepest truths of Torah pervade every fabric of our reality. As the "blueprint of the world", every aspect of life and of our world can be found in Torah on some level.
But unfortunately, oil can't be healthily consumed raw! For consumption of oil, it has to be cooked or fried with something. Spiritually speaking, this need to mix raw oil with dough, or potatoes and onions, or some other more tangible food, represents the need for the Essence of Torah (oil) to come down in a more tangible, "edible" way that we can comprehend, for pure Godliness would be too lofty for us mortals to handle. But through "cooking" and "baking" this Divine wisdom into words and teachings that we can understand, we are able to digest and internalize this divine wisdom and message. This is Torah, from its practical laws to its mystical aspects: 'Digestible' Godliness.
May we all take advantage of the 'donuts & latkas' (Torah and Mitzvot) in our midst throughout the entire year beyond Hanukkah, and let the Essential oil reveal our essential connection to God. And may the 'beauty of Greece' be found in 'the tents of Shem' - the tents of Divine purpose and meaning. Now go enjoy those latkas and doughnuts!
Happy Hanukkah & Shabbat Shalom!
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