Shabbat-O-Gram for December 23

Shabbat-O-Gram

Tis the Season for Mitzvot!

TBE students cast their Mitzvah net in all directions this week, visiting residents at Brighton Gardens, singing at last Friday night's Kabbalat Shabbat service, and preparing gift packages for the JFS Adopt-a-family program and for the Jewish Home (where my mom was a happy recipient).  See more photos in our TBE winter album.  

 

 

  

 

Thank you to the Temples!

And speaking of special Mitzvot, a special thank you to Ken and Amy Temple for organizing our annual Christmas Eve visits to local agencies.  This year, we will be visiting three places, New Covenant House, Pacific House and Inspirica.  More than 100 people from 44 TBE families will be assisting in this effort on site as singers and servers (if you total up all the Hanukkah candles lit during the 8 day festival, that's one family per Hanukkah candle), and another 35 families who won't be on site made donations of food and supplies.  Truly a massive effort on behalf of Ken and Amy, as well as all who are giving of themselves this weekend.  I will be bringing electric Hanukkah menorahs to each location, so that we we may celebrate not one but two holidays this year along with our neighbors.

Shining the Light in Berlin

 

Given the horrible terror attack in Berlin this week, it makes us appreciate all the more our innate ability as human beings to pierce the darkness with ever-increasing light.  We grieve with the people of that city.  The Hanukkiah that will glow once again this year overlooking the central symbol of that city, a place that has known so much darkness, demonstrates that explicitly.  So will our visit to some of the darkest places of human history this summer.  Our Jewish Heritage Tour will also pierce that darkness.  Our group is growing and the registration deadline is fast approaching.  Check out the itinerary by clicking here.

Hanukkah Nights (and Shabbat)

The cantor and I will both be here for services over the holiday week. Join us!  Also, 

we are delighted to be partnering with "Members of the Tribe" family Facebook group for the best young family Hanukkah party in town! If you are around on Tuesday and have young kids, this is the place to be! You can sign up here. See the flyer at the bottom of this email for more information.

With Hanukkah just a week away, don't forget to send me your candle lighting photos for our Hanukkah album.  See some of last year's here.

If you are looking for a one page printout of the Hanukkah blessings and a morsel of learning for each night, JTS has provided just what you are looking for.  You can print out the pdf here.

And if you were stymied by last week's snow, you can read Evan Goldblum's Bar Mitzvah commentary on Vayishlach here.  

Mazal tov to him and a special mazal tov also to TBE's Rick Redniss, deservedly chosen as Stamford's Citizen of the year.

Aphrodite and the Rabbis - and the December Dilemma

 

A zodiac mosaic at the ancient synagogue in Sephoris (Tzipori) in the Galilee.  

That's Zeus-Helios, the sun god, in the center! And incidentally, it's the exact same image that is depicted on top of Brandenburg Gate (photo above)

A new book by one of my professors at JTS, Rabbi Burton Visotzky (who has spoken here), highlights one of the perplexing questions about Hanukkah, and for that matter, the December Dilemma:  To what degree does the Hanukkah story reflect the Jewish rejection of the prevailing culture?  Or are our celebrations, and rabbinic Judaism as a whole, immersed in Greco-Roman symbolism and themes.

The book is called "Aphrodite and the Rabbis," and I'll be discussing it here this Shabbat.

Visotzky gives ample evidence of significant Hellenistic influence on the versions of Judaism practiced during the centuries before and especially after the destruction of the Second Temple:

- The Passover Seder is a Greco-Roman symposium banquet
- The Talmud rabbis presented themselves as Stoic philosophers
- Synagogue buildings were Roman basilicas
- Hellenistic rhetoric professors educated sons of well-to-do Jews
- Zeus-Helios is depicted in synagogue mosaics across ancient Israel
- The Jewish courts were named after the Roman political institution, the Sanhedrin
- In Israel there were synagogues where the prayers were recited in Greek.

In that case, the Maccabees were not so much freedom fighters seeking to purify Jewish faith in the face of an alien culture, as they were rabble rousers from the countryside seeking to, um, drain the swamp of Jerusalem from a corrupt aristocracy that was both Greek and Jewish.  Ironically, once they gained power (long after Judah died), the descendants of the Maccabees themselves became corrupt, so that later on the rabbinic class, known as the Pharisees, opposed them. But the story here is not so much political as it is cultural.  If Jewish culture was so connected to Greco-Roman themes even at its origins, what are we to make of cultural syncretism today?  Is there such a thing as a "pure Judaism?"  Have "December dilemmas" been built into Judaism from the start - and what does that mean for our own times?

This is a great topic for those rare years when Hanukkah and Christmas Eve coincide. In fact, listen to an excellent podcast called "Judaism Unbound" and go to episode 42, where Burt Visotzky appears,  about midway through you'll hear him get very uncomfortable when asked to compare the widespread practices of having images of Zeus on ancient synagogue mosaics with Jews today bringing Christmas into their homes.  It's a fascinating conversation, and one we should not avoid.

And while you are at it, this article from the Forward sees Hanukkah bushes as a subversive means of both claiming and satirizing the Christmas tree.  Interesting.

But in the meantime, I recommend Visotzky's book - and also, BTW, the Judaism Unbound Hanukkah web page, which has lots of creative ideas, including Eight Ways to Light Your Menorah.

Reinventing Religion

This TED Talk by Rabbi Sharon Brous is a must-see.  She lays out how we can reinvent religion to meet the needs of modern life.  It is worth watching, especially on this weekend where so many are focused on the place of religion in our lives.  It also reflects so much of what we are trying to accomplish here at TBE.

Notes from the Frying Pan:

An Existential Commentary on Latkes 

Debbie Friedman singing "I am a Latke"

What is a latke?  

All my preconceptions of latkes have been proven wrong -  it turns out that the first latke was actually made of cheese.  I ponder this question while listening to Debbie Friedman's (1951-2011) musical children's classic, "I am a Latke," which takes us from the vat of batter  to allusions to the crackly fulfillment of a potato's oil splattering fate, helping us to envision how its  death by a thousand sizzles can lead to a miraculous rebirth on the plate.   A lonely potato, united with onions, flour, oil and, if it is lucky, a pinch of cinnamon (my mother's recipe) is transformed into a golden brown swan, delightfully crunchy and delicious.

Is the latke hopeful and triumphant, or is it the loneliest spud on earth?

Fyodor Dostoyevsky begins his classic novella, "Notes from the Underground," with the protagonist's plea, "I am a sick man . . . I am a wicked man."  This cry of despair introduces us to one of the most alienated, indecisive and lonely figures in all of literature.

My suspicion is that Debbie Friedman's latke really wants to be this Dostoyevsky antihero.  It strains through the strainer to emerge cynical, watery and dank, to see the world as a haven of brutishness, darkness and unmitigated evil.

How does this slab of batter, battered by life since its origins in the potato fields of Mother Russia, suddenly jump from the pan, tanned and tasty in full Hollywood splendor, as a Debbie Friedman ditty?  

Debbie's songs lifted the spirit.  As she put it:

My music has become the vehicle by which I am able to create a sense of a safe and loving space. It is a space in which hands and arms and souls touch in gentle song.

That's where her latke ends up. Actually, the latke ends up in my stomach, but metaphysically, it ends up in a nirvana-state on a plate, with children smiling and clapping at its entry into the room. There is no space more safe and warm than a dining room with the smell of fresh-cooked latkes.

But that moment is actually not Debbie's focus in the song. The song takes place in the blender, at the moment of the unformed latke's greatest pain and uncertainty, an existential crucible that slices and dices - and all for $19.95 if you order now - and grates and grates and grates. Or at the hands of grandma, who grates by hand, so that parts of grandma's knuckle end up in the mix, giving rise to diabolical anti-Semitic canard that Jews consume their grandmothers for Hanukkah.

The song takes place where Dostoevsky - not Debbie - lives, where there is no tenderness, no interaction, no ability to mix with the onions and the flour - and not even the possibility that the flour might be something more blessed, like matzo meal.

Friedman's lyrics begin with our protagonist in an existential stupor, acutely aware of his lot:

I am so mixed up that I cannot tell you,
I'm sitting in this blender turning brown.

But all too quickly, the spud-mix is much too amenable to forging friendships:

I've made friends with the onions & the flour,
& the cook is scouting oil in the town.

The batter desires to be cooked but is dependent on an accomplice, which is perhaps its greatest weakness. No one will help him. He is always alone, unattractive and despised. 

All hope seems to be lost.

I sit here wondering what will come of me,
I can't be eaten looking as I do. I need someone to take me out & cook me,
Or I'll really end up in a royal stew.

And finally, this despair leads to messianic anticipation - something that the Underground Latke would never have entertained.

I am a latke, I am a latke
& I am waiting for Hanukkah to come

That salvation does come for most latkes in that post-fry rebirth, crispy on the plate, with the kids licking their fingers. But that happy ending is not found in the Friedman song. Instead, the uncooked latke muses on the foods of other Jewish holidays and the need to perform acts of kindness for others.

Acts of kindness? What planet does this starch-o-phile live on? Dostoyevsky's 

Underground Man asks plaintively, "Which is better-cheap happiness, or exalted sufferings?"

Well, which is better?" In the frying pan, there is no cheap happiness - nor is there in life. He argues that even a toothache is enjoyable, anything that makes us more aware of pain; for pain promotes consciousness. He adds that it is especially enjoyable to make others suffer with us. Where in such a world is there room for acts of kindness? In the cafeteria of Goldman Sachs there are paninis, sushi, grilled options, and a hot buffet with rotating themes...but there are no latkes.

We must remember those who have so little,
We must help them, we must be the ones to feed

The true Underground Latke fries alone, but that sizzling sound that we hear is actually his giggling at the prospect of others that will fry after him, or even alongside.

The Underground Latke is the perfect latke for 2016.

But Debbie Friedman never lived to see 2016. Her optimism and cheerfulness gives us a smidgen of hope that maybe, just maybe, this latke swimming in my stomach will have the audacity to give me indigestion for eight full nights!

That little oil-soaked spud can last a long, long time, just long enough for the days to get longer, the evenings warmer and the morning sun to peer over the horizon, and for Debbie Friedman's "safe and loving space in which hands and arms and souls touch in gentle song" to become the space that we all inhabit.

What a miracle that will be!

To share this on social media, click here

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Also, see these Hanukkah goodies from the Rabbinical Assembly:

  A Prayer for Each Night

  About the Liturgy of Hanukkah

  Discussion Sheets

  History, Laws, & Customs

  Prayers & Kavannot (meditations before lighting candles)

And see below a Hanukkah video for kids:

Maccabees and Miracles: The Hanukkah Story for Kids

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Hanukkah!

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman

Shabbat-O-Gram for December 9

Shabbat Shalom

This is Human Rights Shabbat, as Dec. 10 is International Human Rights Day, which originated in 1948 as a response to the Holocaust, when the United Nations General Assembly adopted Declaration of Human Rights.   This remains one of the most important documents of the twentieth century.  It has never been more relevant. Read the full text of the declaration's thirty articles here.  Also, see how each of the declaration's articles is supported by Jewish sources.  We'll be exploring this in greater detail on Shabbat morning.

I hope you can join us this evening for our wine and cheese at 6:30 followed by a Shabbat mood-setting mini concert by the acclaimed band Banot, and then services at the regular time of 7:30. It's great to have Cantor Fishman back this Shabbat, as we begin to count down the days to Hanukkah.

Meet Banot!

光明节快乐 "Happy Hanukkah" in simplified Chinese

Speaking of which, have you made your reservations yet for next week's Hanukkah dinner. The Chinese food dinner and service following will be geared to all generations, and lots of fun.   Read about it here and click here to RSVP for the dinner.  Also, this Sunday, our eighth grade youth group will be meeting at my house for Chinese food and a movie. 

So what's this about Hanukkah and Chinese food?  My guess is that it has something to do with Antiochus' connections to the Ming Dynasty.

Seriously, Jews in China take great inspiration from the Maccabees, according to the Times of Israel. As one representative of that community puts it, "Even in far-off Kaifeng, the light of Jewish survival continues to burn brightly." Scholars believe the Kaifeng Jewish community was founded in the 8th or 9th century by Persian and Iraqi Jewish traders along the Silk Road. At its height, during the Ming Dynasty, from the 14th to 17th centuries, it numbered some 5,000 strong, with a synagogue, rabbi, educational institutions and a cemetery.

Oh yes, and how appropriate it is that potatoes are fast replacing rice and noodles as staples of the Chinese diet.  Even without fortune cookies, this could be a fortunate or latke day for Chinese Jews (I've now used up my quota of bad puns).

So that explains the Jewish obsession with Chinese food on Hanukkah, although someone just whispered in my ear that the Chinese food thing is really more about Christmas...which brings us to our next topic:

 

Is the December Dilemma Still a Thing?

There's a new twist to the December Dilemma this year: Christmas Eve and the first night of Hanukkah are perfectly aligned, for just the fifth time in 111 years.  This can be a very convenient thing. For instance, if your true love gives you five golden rings, you'll know that it's the fifth night of Hanukkah.  If people at the mall wish you a "Happy Hanukkah," at least this year that greeting won't be for a holiday that ended two weeks before.

For interfaith families, of which we have a growing number in our congregation (including grandparents of interfaith families), this year presents unique opportunities and challenges.  For those who prefer to keep observances of both holidays distinct and separate, it's harder to do that when the celebrations coincide.  On the other hand, there is something poignant about sharing simultaneous celebrations with neighbors. 

When we go to the homeless shelter on Christmas Eve this year, I'll bring along a menorah as well. 

For some of our children, the combination of holidays is confusing, especially with schools becoming less and less sensitive to the feelings of those who are from religious minorities.  Some of our TBE kids, who at times are the only Jews in their class, have found themselves uncomfortable as teachers obsess over Christmas themes.  I would have hoped this no longer was happening, but in schools at least, the December Dilemma still most definitely is a thing.

I mentioned our growing number of interfaith families, and for them especially, I recommend this "Guide to Hanukkah for Interfaith Families," courtesy of interfaithfamily.com.  I find it to be most sensitive and honest in how it deals with this season.  In that guide, they frown on usage of the term, "December Dilemma."  As they state:

"We think a good starting point for interfaith families is not to begin their December holiday discussions with the assumption that they're mired in a dilemma. Remember, a true dilemma is a deeply vexing, intractable problem for which there is no good solution. But many interfaith families do find good solutions that make sense for their families and create beautiful enduring memories for their kids.

The point is well taken.  The "dilemmas" often have less to do with this time of year, which should be filled with joy and light from all perspectives, and more to do with unresolved or underlying concerns.

I know that for many families, both interfaith and otherwise, the question of a Christmas tree can become a source of tension.  Some consider this a litmus test of Jewish identity ( I even wrote a column once called "The Litmus Tree"), though, given the proliferation of interfaith families, I think it's much more complicated and no longer subscribe to such simplistic generalizations.  After all, back in the '40s and '50s, as Jews tried to assimilate - it was fashionable to have "Hanukkah Bushes" in homes, which seems rather strange now, but no one could question the degree to which that generation identified as Jews.

It's interesting to note that often it's the kids themselves who see the tree as a litmus test of Jewish loyalties.  This can sometimes cause needless tension among Jewish kids who have a Christmas tree and those who don't.   I can't emphasize enough how important it is to not pass judgment on others, but simply to be proud of who you are and comfortable with your own practice.

As I've written before, there are a number of ways to respond to a child who wants a tree, but where the parents have decided that it would not be appropriate.

In Susan Sussman's popular children's book "There's No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein," a young Jewish girl named Robin pines (OK, one more pun - couldn't resist) for a Christmas tree, and matters only get worse when she discovers that her classmate Sandy Goldstein has a Chanukah bush in her home. Eventually Robin is comforted when her grandfather teaches her how she can help her non-Jewish neighbors celebrate their festivals, as long as it's outside of the home.

In other words, as long as the Evil Evergreen doesn't sneak past the mezuzah, Jews can have their fruitcake and eat it too.

This year, with the holidays starting at the same time, our response should be to bring on the light.  If you add together all the tree lights and the menorah flames on your block on Dec. 24, throwing in a Yule log or two, it will be quite a light show.  Yes, the Christmas lights may be just a bit more noticeable in most neighborhoods around here, but come back again eight days later and see who's lighting up the block.  If we Jews have nothing else, we've got staying power.  And isn't that one of the key messages of this holiday.

This might be the perfect year to invite the neighbors to do the winter holiday version of a "Sukkah hop."  Go from house to house; some will have menorahs and some will have trees - and yes, some will have both.  And let's share the light.

I'd like to think that this joyous juxtaposition of holidays can be fun. Here are some of the more popular versions of "Twas the Night before Hanukkah." You can go with ones dripping with Yiddish shtick.   And here's one with a sleigh being pulled by a moose.  And here's a video by Aish that includes "visions of Walmart dancing in my head."  Oy. And try this clever one, for the kiddies.

Here's my own version:

'Twas the 7th night of Hanukkah and all through the shul
Not a word was included of a holiday called Yule
It's not that we're trying to defy old Saint Nick
It's just that it's now time to go and Bensch Lick!

This year, the 7^th night of Hanukkah is a Friday night.  On that night we light the  seven Hanukkah candles, and then two more candles for Shabbat. Bensch Licht is Yiddish for lighting Shabbat candles. My point is that we have so much love and warmth and light in our own Jewish rituals that "To tree or not to tree" might not have to be the question, at least for the child whose entire year is filled with the warmth and wonder of Shabbat. We just need to spread the wealth around.  If we focus less on December alone, there's less likelihood that there will be a dilemma.

So let's think of ways we can better share and intensify the light this year.

You might recall how last year I collected and shared photos of TBE families' Hanukkah lightings) check them out here). I'd love to see some more. 

And one other thing.   TBE member Tamara Duhov suggests that we focus a little less on getting and more on giving this Hanukkah.  If we can make our holiday celebrations more about giving and less about getting, all the dilemmas will quickly slip away.

See her note below about Fifth Night.

Dear Beth El family, 

I recently came across a very exciting initiative for the holiday season that I'd like to share. It's called Fifth Night and I would love for you to look into it and see if you'd like to participate in it. Thanks and Happy Hanukkah to all,

Tamara

About Fifth Night

In 2009, Fifth Night was officially launched.  Fifth Night is a charitable gift-giving event that brings families together to celebrate Hanukkah and to give back to our communities. The goal of Fifth Night is to help children better understand and appreciate the importance of their donations by learning about the charity and the families who will be benefiting from their gifts. By giving in a group setting, there is a shared energy and enthusiasm that makes Tzedeka fun and rewarding. Together, we are also able to make a more significant impact. Since its initiation, Fifth Night has partnered with organizations across the country to bring this spirit of giving to more communities.  Each year the positive effects of the event have grown and its founders are committed to its continued growth.

About The Founders

Robert and Rachel Glazer, and Amy Finn, the founders of Fifth Night, are Needham parents who wanted to help enrich the holidays by extending their children's spirit of giving beyond their own families, to the greater community. As their kids grew older, they explored the concept of having them donate one of their Hanukkah gifts, but never really knew how to make it meaningful.  They talked to many other families who felt the same way, and these discussions inspired the creation of Fifth Night.

Fifth Night 2016

This year, Hanukkah falls over the winter break and it is a somewhat tricky time to hold events. Therefore, Fifth Night will look a bit different, but the lessons and the mission are very much the same. Families, friends, and communities are being encouraged to think of Fifth Night when planning Hanukkah celebrations. Here's how:

* Plan a party! Host a Hanukkah party for your family and friends. In the planning stages, select a charitable organization where you can donate toys and other items for children. Have the children select a gift, and forgo one night of receiving a Hanukkah gift in favor of giving to a child in need. It could be a small get together with just your family, or a larger celebration - whatever works for you.

* Give! If possible, go with your children to bring the donations to the organization of your choice, and to meet the people who work there! Hearing "thank you" and seeing how their gifts will be used has a tremendous impact and helps the children better understand the importance of giving to others.

If you have any questions about Fifth Night, or if you would like to make an even bigger impact by coming together as a TBE family, choosing one specific charity, and then presenting the gifts to said charity, please contact Tamara Duhov at  tamara.verushka37@gmail.com or (203) 663-3388 (after 4:00 pm).

Shabbat Shalom

Shabbat O Gram for November 1

The Thanksgivukkah Dilemma, Stamford’s New Trader Joes, Shalom TV, Hebrew School Dybbuks, Jacob’s Kitchen Challah Taste Test and Why Balfour Day Matters (but what the heck is it?)

Shabbat Shalom.  Yes, I’m delighted about the Red Sox and appreciate everyone’s congreatulations and your tolerance of my insufferableness over the past few weeks. It was a great run, and a healing, joyous moment for a city that has suffered quite a bit this year.

Mazal Tov to Hudson Price and Rebecca Morgenthaler, who become b’nai mitzvah this weekend. I am proudly wearing a Rainbow Loom bracelet that Hudson is distributing as part of his mitzvah project.  Incidentally, last week’s S.O.G commentary, “Are Rainbow Looms Kosher?” has been one of the most widely read feature op-eds on the Times of Israel site this past week.   There’s lots of interest in this new fad. 

Check out David Lang’s bar mitzvah d’var Torah from last Shabbat afternoon, on the portion Toldot.  Speaking of Toldot, which is this Shabbat morning’s portion, see G-dcast’s creative take on the portion for kids, “A Cheater Who Prospers.” 

Tomorrow, BTW, is a Jewish holiday that no one knows about.  Read this article about Balfour Day and why we should care about it, as people still bicker over the Jews’ right to a national homeland. And if you are into Jewish history, check out this interactive Jewish history timeline now featured at MyJewishLearning.

Dybbuks and Golems at TBE

Yesterday at Hebrew School the attendance was excellent, considering it was Halloween.  Kudos to our new educator, Lisa Gittelman Udi, who created an entire program on how Jewish folklore treats the occult.  Golems and demons filled our chapel! I even got to exorcise a dybbuk, something they never taught me in rabbinical School! I just improvised, asking the dybbuk to please leave the premises. It worked (and not a single head spun 360 degrees)!  To quote one of our students to his parents, “Hebrew School was so much fun today!  Totally awesome!”  We aim for “awesome” – and it really was!

We’re hearing “awesome” quite a bit from our students this year.  I only feel badly for those who missed out, choosing to start their trick or treating early and not realizing that an even greater time was to be had in, of all places, Hebrew School.  Yes, this is not your father’s Religious School. It’s totally awesome!

Pewish and Jewish on Shalom TV

See me discussing the Pew Research center report on American Jews on Rabbi Mark Golub’s “L’Chayim” program this Sunday at noon and 6 PM on Shalom TV, Cablevision channel 138.  Shalom TV, which last week broadcast TBE’s recent Hoffman Lecture, continues to provide the most relevant and thought provoking Jewish programming on the airwaves.  Check it out!

Interfaith Climate Summit

I will have the honor of participating next Thursday in the plenary session of the Interfaith Climate Stewardship Summit in Hartford.  The Summit is a full day conference designed to educate and inspire religious and lay leadership on the issue of climate change as the moral imperative of our time. Attendees will learn the theological background for environmental stewardship as well as the connection between climate change and traditional ministries, such as hunger, poverty, conflict, and disaster relief.  Participants will leave the event with tools and support to address climate change in their congregations. For more information, please visit the conference website.  See the full program here.

Trader Joes and Jacob’s Kitchen Challah Taste Test

Welcome to Stamford, Trader Joes (and see TBE’s Linda Rothman in this photo from the Stamford Advocate article about yesterday’s grand opening). In honor of that opening, and in conjunction with this, the most culinary Torah portion of the year (Esau sells his birthright for a bowl of Jacob’s lentils, then Jacob and Rebecca cook up a tasty meal to gain Isaac’s blessing), we’ll be doing the SECOND ANNUAL JACOB’S KITCHEN BLIND CHALLAH TASTE TEST at services tomorrow morning and a kids version at Tot Shabbat this evening.  Get ready to compare Trader Joes with Stop and Shop, Beldotti and Fairway, and judge which is the best in Stamford. 

The Thanksgivukkah Dilemma

Welcome to November, which begins today and the Hebrew month of Kislev, which begins Sunday.

I flipped my calendar this morning and lo and behold, all those rumors I’ve been hearing are true: Yes, Hanukkah begins before Thanksgiving (technically the night before) for the first time in 125 years and the last time for 79,043 years, according to one calculation.  Thanksgivukkah has become a big deal in the media, though many Jewish families have combined the two celebrations before, when Hanukkah has begun while families were still gathered for the long holiday weekend. It’s fun, it’s inspired a whole host of creative ideas and lots of Jewish pride. Buzzfeed calls it “the best holiday of all time.” There’s even a song, “The Ballad of Thanksgivukkah.”

Here’s a chance for Jews to celebrate two holidays at once without the second holiday posing significant theological problems for us.  Here’s a chance to combine Hanukkah with its American counterpart, totally guilt free. 

Here’s a chance to have your cranberry-latke stuffing and eat it too.

But people are ignoring the other side of the matter.  What happens when the turkey is digested and the final candle has burned out?  What will happen this year on December 5, when Hanukkah is behind us and Christmas has the month all to itself?

I’ll tell you what will happen.  Hanukkah will in fact be prolonged, like a souped-up dreidel. Much like the endless Christmas season, this year’s Hanukkah will drag on eternally, clear through to January.  You see, as obsessed as American Jews are becoming with Thanksgivukkah, most of the other 97 percent of Americans will not get the memo.  For them, Hanukkah will be in December, as usual.

Yes, Virginia, there still will be a "December Dilemma" this year, that annual uphill battle against the pervasive, domineering cultural crescendo of all things Christmas.  Hanukkah is typically, the greatest ally in this fight. Jews have been able to match those Twelve Days of Christmas with our Eight Crazy Nights, pit menorah against mistletoe, watch dreidels twirl against the tinsel, our lights against their lights, the blue and white against the green and red.

It's not a fair fight, especially with regard to the songs, although if you disqualify those Christmas classics written by Jews, things get more interesting.

My interest in this is very personal. My father was born on the first day of Hanukkah in 1918, a rare year when the first night of Hanukkah coincided with the late afternoon of Thanksgiving, and he died on the last day of Hanukkah in 1979, which just happens to be the most recent time the holiday ended on New Year's Day. Plus, our last name, in rough translation, means Maccabee.

But this dilemma raises questions that go far beyond my own family. What should Jews say when well-intended shopkeepers wish us a "Happy Hanukkah" on Christmas Eve, weeks after our holiday has ended?

Do we return those unwanted Barbie dolls during those non-existent "after Hanukkah sales," or do we dare hold onto them until Dec. 26, when the prices really go down? Without Hanukkah to fall back on, how do we resist the Yuletide onslaught on television and in our schools? Is it possible to add a few weeks onto Hanukkah on a one-time-only basis?

I suppose that with the Christmas season now beginning as early as October, there's nothing so wrong about letting Hanukkah be extended a few weeks in the other direction, especially since that will enable Jews and their neighbors to share this season of good will in a manner that respects diversity rather than demanding homogeneity.

So by all means, non Jews, wish me a Happy Hanukkah all December long. If that legendary oil could miraculously burn for eight whole days, what's another twenty one? The ancient rabbis instructed Jews to increase the light each night in order to spread the joy and publicize the miracle. No one ever said that we have to stop at eight. In fact, Jewish law states that the Sabbath can be extended far beyond its natural conclusion on Saturday night, even until midweek. So let Hanukkah linger as well, even if only in the well wishes of neighbors.

In the spirit of M.O.T. Jerry Herman's song from "Mame," "We Need a Little Christmas," another Yuletide classic with a Yiddish soul, maybe this year we should sing, "We a Little MORE Hanukkah," enough to last clear to the end of the month.

Let's keep those flames burning, all December long -- and even beyond. During these trying times, we all could use a little more light.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Kislev!

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman