While Chanukah has always been an important part of my Jewish life, it was never a focal point. It isn't a major holiday in Judaism and is rabbinic in nature. What does that mean? Well, many of the holidays we celebrate within Judaism are written about in the Torah. They are handed down by G-d to be observed in a certain way. There are only two holidays that are 'man made' as it were. Those are Chanukah and Purim.Ask any American Jewish school kid or adult and they will most likely tell you that Chanukah celebrates the great miracle that happened when the Jews went to the Temple and only found enough oil to light the Menorah for one day and it lasted for eight days. Whether this story is true or not, we are not sure, however, we do know that this was not why the rabbis decided to celebrate Chanukah.The true miracle of Chanukah was the defeat of the Hellenistic Greeks for our religious freedom. You see, they didn't mind us as long as we played by their rules. They actually weren't out to murder us, just to have us stop practicing Judaism and live like them. Well, we weren't so thrilled about that idea. So some people went along with the Greeks because they didn't feel like fighting but some kept their Jewishness in secret. They still learned and taught Torah but did it in a way so the Greeks couldn't catch them. This is the origin of the dreidel. It looks like an innocent game but it can be used as a decoy for a look out or a way to learn Judaism without looking like it. When the Greeks started beating people up and forcing Judaism out of their lives, there was a group of guys who weren't happy with the idea. These are the Maccabees. It was a family and they fought back, rallying Jews to fight with them. There weren't that many in comparison to the Greeks but they fought anyway.The Maccabees used stealthy techniques. They fought at night when the Greeks were off their guard and other ways to utilize their small force. In the end, they defeated the Greeks and won their religious freedom back. However, the Greeks didn't just try to break our spirit by hurting us physically, they destroyed the things we treasured most. Like the Holy Temple. They let pigs run wild in the Temple and it was a filthy mess when the Jews finally came to it. So instead of celebrating like most winning armies would, they put themselves to the task of cleaning up the Temple and that is what the word Chanukah means. Rededication. It was the time when we rededicated the Holy Temple, the Beit Hamikdash, once we cleaned it up and restored it.We use the lights of the Chanukkiah to publicize the miracle. Now, that is an important distinction. The Menorah sat in the Temple year round. It had seven lights. The Chanukkiah was a new invention with nine lights (eight days + the shamash, the helper candle). Today we light our Chanukkiot in our window or doorway to let everyone know of our miracle of religious freedom but that is not all. There were many dark times in Jewish history. Many times when we, as a people, were again persecuted for our religious beliefs. Times when it was not safe to be a Jew at all, much less be a Jew openly. At those times, we lit our Chanukkiahs safely inside our homes. Fortunately, we do not live in those times and we can proudly show our miracle to the world. This is why it is doubly important to light so our neighbors can see.Being in Jerusalem for this holiday, it was incredible. I am used to being the only chanukkiah on the block. In a mass of windows displaying Christmas trees and Christmas lights, my apartment window is the only one with blue and white lights and a chanukkiah. But that is not the case here. So many windows have them. So many windows share the light. Public chanukkiot all over town... so beautiful.It's odd to feel that the holiday season is over and Christmas hasn't even happened yet but that is the reality here in Jerusalem. Post Chanukah and the lights are down, the decorations are down, the sufganiot (jelly donuts) are gone. Its a different world.
Totoro Goes to School, Part 2
I know you saw my video from last week of me dancing with my friend Ze'ev. We took a few pictures together (again, thank you Talia) in class that day. Here are a few:
I really learned a lot that day in Ze'ev's class. Not to mention that we got to watch Matisyahu's new music video for his Chanukah song and it was awesome. But really, Ze'ev is helping us understand the land conflict in Israel and how to speak about it as educated Jews. We were talking about rights to the land. I don't want to get too political here but we talked about six different types of rights the Jews have for the land of Israel. Those are - divine rights, aboriginal rights, legal rights, pioneering rights, internationally granted rights, and rights of war. One thing we focused on in this recent class is internationally granted rights. A lot of people don't realize that there have been several times in modern history where the Jews were granted this land. There was the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which was like a suggestion of rights. It happened because some of the Brits were sympathetic to the Jews but mainly because they wanted us on their side when the war ended. Then they changed their mind. They were setting up puppet governments all over the Middle East and figured it would be easier to control the area if it was all Arab. The League of Nations, Mandate for Palestine in 1920 was a lot more clear and legally sound. The preamble to the Mandate stated - "Recognition Has Been Given to the Historical Connection of the Jewish People with Palestine and to the Grounds for Reconstituting their National Home in that Country."Notice the use of the word reconstituting. They weren't giving the Jewish people something because they felt sorry for them, they were just making sure that they had their land back. In fact, all 51 member countries voted for this. This mandate was actually huge, including what was subsequently called TransJordan. Under this mandate, the Jews had religious, civil, and political rights and the other inhabitants of the land had religious and civil rights. The thought was that since there was a huge amount of land available to the other inhabitants where they have political rights, that would be reserved only for the Jews in this area. "At no point in the entire document is there any granting of political rights to non-Jewish entities (i.e., Arabs) because political rights to self-determination as a polity for Arabs were guaranteed in three other mandates for: Lebanon, Syria and Iraq" - Eli Hertz. This is not to say that today we don't want equal rights for all Israeli citizens, rather that within this mandate, the idea was to create a safe haven for the Jewish people while also providing huge tracts of land to other groups. Thus by ensuring political rights to the main inhabitants of the land and not others who may decide to come in and usurp the land, the integrity of the mandate would hold. Today, this is not a feasible option, nor would many people want it this way. I've included it here to point out context and thought process.The League of Nations was officially dissolved in 1946 while the UN officially began in 1945. While Article 80 of the UN Charter has been created to implicitly recognize the Mandate for Palestine of the League of Nations, they UN General Assembly made a recommendation in 1947 that Israel be established. This was UN Resolution 181 and it was a recommendation and not a legally binding resolution, which would have had to be passed down from the Security Council. UN resolution 181 has little significance in comparison to the League of Nations mandate which was legally binding.What a history! And a special thanks to Ze'ev for putting up with all the girls twice a month to teach them this history. It is so helpful and informative!Totoro out.
Great Dectective Radio Shows Online
I think we know by now that I am obsessive about Sherlock Holmes and the classic versions of them on the radio.Well, since I have been in Israel, I have found a really great podcast on iTunes that offers a huge selection of the best detective stories from old radio online. Great Detectives of Old Time Radio has a knowledgeable host and extensive archives. I have listened to most of his Holmes podcasts and have started enjoying others, like Let George Do It and The Thin Man. I definitely recommend checking it out on iTunes or his blog. He even has an iPhone app.One of my favorite parts of the old shows is the old commercials. Petri wine, Clipper Craft Clothes, Kreml Hair Tonic for Men, Bromo Quinine, Washington Coffee... It is so cool and to hear their calls for war bonds and victory gardens... it transports you to the past. Very cool.
Matisyahu on the History of Chanukah
I couldn't say it better myself. Matthew Paul Miller (aka Matisyahu) tells us the story behind Chanukah. Here's a preview... it isn't just about the oil, people. There is a deeper meaning.You've Got Matisyahu on Chanukah
Totoro goes to school
Well, I have been enjoying my classes for a while now but I have been so focused on being a good student, that I forgot to document it!Well, I was in one of my favorite classes - The David Project - taught by a certain Ze'ev Orenstein. It is a facinating class about the political realities of Israel and land rights. Really a great class and Ze'ev is a fun guy. So he was playing some Chanukah music for us at the beginning of class and we decided to dance together... you know, being the only guys there. It was a blast. Here is a video of it:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl1hUBsaaO0]And for fun, here is Matisyahu's HILARIOUS new video for his Chanukah song:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JHZOfwOGus]
Lightning Bolt...
A lightning bolt hit me tonight and boy was that inconvenient. Really, lightning? While I am trying to take a quick nap? Arggh...The upside of this odd weather pattern was the insane flow of words that flew out of my brain and hands...More to come.
Latke Lovers Contest!
Hey guys! My work is hosting a Latke Lovers contest for all the immas out there!Do you have what it takes to create latkes your friends and family rave about? Enter Metroimma's Latke Lovers contest and win some amazing prizes*...as well as your name in lights! All you have to do is get your family and friends to go to the contest listing on the Metroimma facebook page and post the comment “Our MetroImma _____________ makes the best latkes you’ve ever tasted!” The Metroimma who gets the most comments (including "likes") by Friday, December 3rd wins!To enter, join our Facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/metroimma
Final Dig (B)Log
As I write this (on my iPhone to be transcribed to my blog later), I am on a bus headed to Tzfat for Shabbat. I am excited to see friends, be around the familiar Jewish rituals, and go back to school. But our bus just passed the dig site at Magdala.I saw Martin's hat up over the nearly 6 foot deep dig site.I saw the crew under the pottery tent and the two white vans that careened along the lakeside highway to get us to and from the site.I didn't see Migdal but I know that cute pup was cheerfully running back and forth on the site or laying lazily in the shade or sitting on Maria's shoulders.I didn't realize what an impact these people would have on me or how the dig would affect me. I thought I was just going to clear some rock and dirt and find some pottery. But this was a once in a lifetime event for me (though I would love to find a way to do it again sometime) and I am so thankful to have gone. My only wish is that I could have shared it with a few very special people.Basically, this taught me never to be afraid of new experiences. To never shy away from trying something different, no matter how scary or hard it may seem at the outset. New activities and amazing experiences don't just fall in your lap. They don't always involve a 4 star hotel, the best food, or a clean experience. Sometimes you just have to trust an Israeli bus driver to tell you where to get off and cab drivers to give you good walking directions. Sometimes you have to be strong and aware and confident in your self.It ain't always easy but it's always worth it.
Imagined conversation with G-d on Friday night
My friend Rucheli and I were sitting at a shabbis table on Friday night and we noticed some humorous, if not annoying things. This was how our imagined conversation went.Talia: No really, G-d... what is up with this? Our shabbis table, really?G-d, the almighty: Whatever Talia, deal with it.Talia: Seriously?G-d, the infinite: Seriously.Talia: Let's take this outside.At which point we erupted into a huge fit of giggles. Maybe it is just one of those things where you had to be there but what we were doing was relating to G-d in a way that we understood, that was comprehensible to our brains. It is something that we all do, that we, as humans HAVE to do to be able to relate to a G-d concept. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a high power concept that is working for them... one where they don't have to challenge it or question it, one that comes easily. In it's stead, we have to find the small ways to relate to G-d... that night, it was imagining challenging the big G to a round of fisticuffs outside.
Lesson # 102 – Cut the roots, don’t make the wall fall down or “I’m ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille.”
Hey, even walls need to look pretty for pictures. Today we were cleaning the site to make it ready for some aerial pictures tomorrow. So we were sweeping (yup... dirt on dirt, I know), pulling up rocks, and trimming the roots. But if you pull or cut too much the wall will fall in. Our dig supervisor, Marcela joked that if I cut too much and made one fall on top of me and I was hurt, she would be sure to tell the paper that it was Talia Davis who knocked over a priceless 1st century wall... Thanks Marcela!So we set about cleaning. We were each given a room/quadrant. My room was a really nice square. I had a ‘bench’ of un-cleared area and a trench where they had gone down further to see what they could find. I went about my merry way, snipping roots and brushing the loose rocks and dirt to the floor. That took all morning, from 6 until our breakfast at 10. Then after breakfast, I started sweeping the floor... I was sweeping dirt up on a dirt floor. And brushing dirt off the dirt wall onto the dirt floor... sometimes it was hard to tell when to stop brushing or sweeping... but I had to be sure to stop before the wall started crumbling and on the floor... well, I just had to stop at some point.The whole team set about cleaning the site. Juan and Elias were clearing one area where we had found an arch. We weren’t sure what it was or why it was there. It was a freestanding arch that backed up almost to a wall. Then Juan found a small square in one of the bricks in his area. It could have been for water. I just can’t wait for this site to be fully excavated. I really want to come back in three years when it is cleared. It will be amazing to learn exactly what each of these areas are for.All in all, it was an amazing experience. I was so honored to work with such an amazing group of people. These volunteers are so dedicated and amazing. Many of them will be here for three years to fully excavate the site. Wow!Well, my experience on the dig is at a close. I head to Tzfat tomorrow for shabbis with my wonderful friend Chani and her family. I am looking forward to going back to Mayanot energized and ready to learn... with one more thing checked off the bucket list. I played a part in history and that is so exciting, especially for a history nerd like me. :)