Every year, there are those who urge their fellow Jews to put Hanukkah in its place: Keep presents small, emphasize the holiday’s distinctive Jewish character (it celebrates a second-century uprising against Greek overlords who wanted Jews to assimilate), and try not to let it be “Christmas Jr.,” materialistic and showy. This year that’s an especially tall order, since the first of Hanukkah’s eight nights began at sundown on Christmas Day.
I sympathize with this effort to tone down Hanukkah, especially the gift-giving. God save us, too, from the inflatable lawn displays—an innovation our non-Jewish neighbors might have spared us. But I would like to push back. Hanukkah, though liturgically a minor holiday, is a big deal. It isn’t a party holiday; nor is it concerned with the world to come. Rather, it’s a holiday that poses a unique question: How are Jews to relate to the non-Jewish world?
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