Dec 18th 2009, 00:00

I have often remarked that were Chanukkah to fall in the middle of August it would be the least known and celebrated Jewish holiday instead of the most. But Chanukkah, like most of our other holidays and festivals, is intrinsically tied to the season in which it occurs. It is also no accident that our Christian friends and neighbors celebrate a major holiday at this time of year despite the fact that the event that holiday commemorates actually occurred in the springtime. With all of our technology today we can to a large degree defeat the forces of nature. Every evening the sun sets (or more accurately, the earth revolves and we turn away from the face of the sun) and we turn on the lights. We have lights that brighten our homes, our streets, our cars – virtually everywhere. Not so long ago, people were vulnerable to the forces of nature, especially darkness (remember, it was one of the 10 plagues!), and were heavily influenced by the natural world. The ancient Romans believed that as the days grew shorter and shorter that the sun was actually losing its power and on the road to going out. So they held a festival at this time of year to implore the sun to keep on shining. And wouldn’t you know it, every year the days got longer and longer. The Romans at this time also persecuted the Jews and a breakaway group known as the early Christians. Neither group could observe their winter solstice festival, so they pretended to celebrate the Roman festival but secretly celebrated that which was significant to them. In the Talmud, the rabbis ask, “What is Chanukkah?” They were uncomfortable with people celebrating a military victory. So, they brought God into the story and proclaimed the miracle of the oil. It all came together so nicely: on the darkest and coldest nights of the year we celebrate a festival of light and bask in the warmth and glow of the candles. Later, other traditions (dreidels, latkes) developed to enhance the holiday and to peak the interest of the children, but the essential message of lighting the darkness was never lost. Despite our ability to defeat the darkness when the sun goes down, this is still a very cold and vulnerable time of year for many people. The loss of loved ones is amplified as we celebrate holidays and as we reflect back on the events of the year that have passed. As we click over another number on the odometer of life we reflect and take note of where we have been and were we are. Much like we Jews do on our High Holy Days, many people resolve to make changes, to better themselves and their behaviors. Most of all, many people use the shortened days and long, dark nights to brighten the lives of others. This Monday, December 21st, the longest night of the year, the Fullerton Interfaith Ministerial Association will hold its ninth annual Longest Night Service at Brea United Methodist Church (St. College & Lambert Avenues). I invite you to join me for this very special and moving program. Tonight at Temple we will have Tot Shabbat at 6:00 PM, then our Shabbat evening service at 7:30 PM with our Kol Tikvah choir. Tomorrow we have Torah Study at 9:00 AM and our Shabbat morning service at 10:00 AM, at which time Noah Gottlieb, son of Michelle and Jonathan Gottlieb will be called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah. Mazal tov to Noah and his entire family! Both services will be carried live on our website, www.templebethtikvah.com (click on Live Services). There will be no religious school tomorrow (actually, we will resume on Wednesday, January 6) due to winter vacation. Have a wonderful final day of Chanukkah and a great weekend!