Judith and Jason

an excerpt from the Hanukah story

by Eugene Schwartz

“In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be Light: and there was Light.

And God saw the Light, that it was good: and God divided

the light from the darkness . . . .”

Through long eons, God's Light hovered above the world. Noah saw it shimmering through the dark mists, weaving the many-colored rainbow; Abraham saw it sparkle as the light of myriad stars in the night sky, and knew that the generations of his people would be plentiful; Moses saw it flaming forth as the Burning Bush, and learned that the God of his people was called “I AM THE I AM.” And, throughout their long years in the wilderness, the children of Israel saw it blaze in the Pillar of Fire that guided them across the desert darkness.

And while all other peoples in those times made images of their many gods, and prayed to effigies of clay or wood or gold, the Israelites alone knew their God to be so fleet and pure and mighty that His image could not be contained in the base substances of the earth. It was He Who moved across the waters, Who breathed in the wind, Who spoke in thunder and Who thought in luminous strokes of lightning. And it was this God Who lived for His Chosen People in the flickering, flashing flame.

Every time an Israelite lit the sacred oil and watched its fire come to life again -‑ whether it was the‑ venerable High Priest in the Temple, or a humble mother lighting the Sabbath flame -‑ he or she was reminded of the wisdom‑filled Light and love‑endowing Warmth of Adonai, the God of Israel. And from the souls of the Children of Israel would arise a prayer and a song of praise:

Raise your voices to the sky,

Praising God the Lord, on high;

Sing by day and sing by night

To the Lord who lives in Love and Light!

For many generations, the power of this Light was a staff and comfort to the Israelites. Sometimes it flickered or grew feeble, but God would time and again send a great man or woman to be His messenger, awakening His people to again fortify the failing flame.

It came to pass that a great army from the land of Greece fought against the Israelites and overcame them. Yet Alexander the Great, the leader of this host, was unlike any warrior who had come before. Rather than compel the Hebrews to worship Greek gods, he met with the wise Rabbis and Priests of the Temple in Jerusalem, and found much to revere in the God of Israel. He, in turn, invited the fairest youths among the Israelites to visit Greek temples, where many gods were esteemed, and Greek gymnasiums, where the harmony of the human form was cultivated.

The leaders of the Israelites were relieved at the generosity of Alexander. Yet they warned their young men and women that the bloodline of the Hebrew people was more precious than gold. And, like gold, it would remain precious only if it were not mingled with the baser lines of other peoples. Most of the Children of Israel heeded this warning, but over the years one or another youth was drawn to take on the way of life of the Greek conquerors. Such young people might then be seen months later, striding proudly through the streets of Jerusalem, forgetting the ways of their people, forgetting the Laws of their God.

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