As many of you know, I hate Hannukah

[xiphias]

So I've been looking for things I could like about Hannukah -- ways to redefine it, make it something OTHER than a simple "yay our repressive theocracy killed their repressive theocracy."

As usual, I discovered that the Rabbis got there first.

When Adam [the first human] noticed that the days were getting shorter, he said: "Is the world becoming darker because of my sins? Will it soon return to chaos? And this is what God meant when He punished me with mortality?" He prayed and fasted for eight days. When the period prior to the winter solstice arrived, he saw that the days were now growing longer. He realized: This is the way of the world. Adam then made eight days of celebration. (Talmud Avodah Zarah 8a)

That's something I can get behind much more easily.

Comments

[hangedwoman.livejournal.com]

I find I'm having an oddly cranky reaction to this. Weird. Maybe it's because I've made my peace with Christian appropriation, but Jewish appropriation is something I don't see so much.

Whatever. I'm a freak.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

What do you mean by "appropriation"?

[hangedwoman.livejournal.com]

In this case what I mean is taking pagan concepts and retrofitting them to the new religion.

As I said, I've largely made my peace with this, since a simple look at history shows that pretty much every enroaching culture does this with aspects of the older culture.

But I find I'm still having the urge to growl, "Get your own damned holiday!" Which is generally how I think of Jewish holidays - as being very specific to Jewish history and culture.

Did I mention that my reactions here are largely visceral and I make no claim to logic whatsoever? :)