Brad Hirschfield: December 2008 Archives

In 2009, we should expect religion to do what is has always done -- inspire the very best and the very worst in human thought and practice, especially when it comes to politics and public policy. Faith is like a fire which can either safely cook our food and warm our homes, or burn them to the ground. It's not up to the fire, it's up to us. And it's no different with religion.

As to the degree of influence, according to this month's polling from Gallop, 67% of Americans see religion as a whole, losing influence on American life at the present time. I hope that they are wrong, but more importantly, so should the people who gave that answer. Why? Because the majority of those same people also stated that they believe religion "can answer all or most of today's problems".

Of course statistics, as an old professor of mine used to remark, are used like a drunk uses a lamppost, more for support than illumination. But that having been said, it leaves the faithful among us, especially those who believe faith can contribute positively to American public culture, with a very real question. We need to ask why religion, which most Americans believe can address life's big problems, is seen as losing influence.

Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak announced that Israel is engaged in an "all out war" with Hamas. He told reporters that the Israel Defense Forces will "deepen and widen" their assault on Hamas as needed, in order to halt the endless rocket fire to which Israel has been subjected since 2001.

For those who are counting, the total of Hamas shells which have fallen now stands at close to 11,000. But it's Barak's use of "all out war" that deserves attention - it is nothing less than paradigm shifting.

How often does a nation prosecute a so-called all out war while allowing humanitarian aid to cross its own borders facilitating medical care of the soldiers against whom they fight? How often does that nation place over one hundred thousand cell phone calls before it attacks, warning civilians to get out of harm's way? And how often does a nation go to war while maintaining an ongoing commitment to avoiding civilian casualties even when doing so is likely to prolong the battle?

Not that such noble behavior automatically justifies the war. That conversation is ongoing around yesterday's post examining both the justice and the wisdom of Israel's actions in initiating this new level of conflict. But whatever conclusion one reaches about those questions, these are remarkable decisions for any army to make.

Israel's definition of all out war is tellingly different from Hamas' which called for a massive campaign of suicide bombings against any and all targets in Israel.

This one is easy. The Most important Hanukkah story of all is yours. For seven days we have shared versions of a 2,200 year old story that have inspired people across the time and around the world. And it was all a kind of warm up exercise to help begin telling the version that matters most i.e. the one that you celebrate.

What does Hannukah mean to you? This is one of those wonderful questions that nobody can get wrong. In fact, the only mistake one can make would be to have no answer at all. After all, Hannukah has been the story of successfully meeting the most profound challenges of the moment, of feeling deeply that which we most need, and discovering that we can attain it. Hannukah has celebrated the good stuff, both spiritual and physical, that we already have and the warmth that we already feel.

And Hanukkah will live on for another 2,200 years if we do what all those who have come before us did, and add our own understandings of the holiday to its celebration. So in honor of the final day of Hanukkah, I am opening up the page for all of you to share what Hanukkah means to each of you. If this list get big enough, who knows, it may become one of the sacred texts of the next century. Why not? That's how it worked for all of the other texts that we have explored for the past week.

So go ahead, tell your Hanukkah story. You may be making history and helping the next generation to a more meaningful future.

After thousands of rockets and mortars landing in what virtually the entire world accepts as the sovereign and unoccupied State of Israel, Israel began a large-scale bombing operation of Gaza this weekend. This new fighting, focusing on military and governmental targets is almost certainly justifiable.

To quote President-elect Obama from an earlier visit to the often bombed Israeli town of Sderot, "If somebody was sending rockets into my house, where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that, and I would expect Israelis to do the same thing."

But justice alone is not necessarily a sufficient reason to go to war. Having the right to do something does not always make it the right thing to do. Those of us, who appreciate the justice of this action, should also be asking if this escalation is wise. And about that, I am not so sure. Having spoken to numerous Israeli friends and relatives in the past twenty four hours, I can report that the people of Israel are of many minds about the intensified war against Hamas in Gaza.

As one friend from Tel Aviv remarked, "there is no apparent exit strategy and little reason to believe that Israel will be so destructive as to make Hamas re-think its commitment to destroying Israel. This means that sooner or later the two sides will need to speak, and sooner is better than later." Is he wrong? It was the failure to recognize the elements of truth is my friend's observation which dragged Israel into decades of fruitless conflict in Lebanon.

But, as many more friends and family members commented,

Hanukkah also celebrates the little light found within and its ability to dispel a great deal of darkness. Whether within a little vase of oil found in the Temple or within our own hearts, this story promises that good things really do come in small packages and that each of us is one of those packages.

The Haftarah, Saturday morning reading from the Prophets, which is read on the Shabbat of Hanukkah, is from Zechariah, chapter 4. It says "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit alone said the Lord of Hosts." Victory is not a physical thing, or at least it's not accomplished physically, according to this version of the Hanukkah story.

Hanukkah celebrates the light we all carry within us and its ability to change the world. According to the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Hasidic movement, Hanukkah represents the ability to revive the divine spark of light which resides in every human soul and to realize the full potential of that spark to dispel the darkness that exists in the world. And just as there was more power to burn in that little bit of oil than anyone anticipated, each of us carries within us the power to accomplish more than we ever imagine.

What's the little light you carry within yourself about which almost nobody knows? What challenges might you dare yourself to overcome in the next year? What inner capacity would you like to develop in the year ahead?