News and Updates Latest News

Dr. Lenore C. Kipper, Judaic Studies Director Emerita

Middot, Enduring Virtues and Values of Judaism

Courage, Ometz Lev
What is courage? Who is courageous? In Jewish tradition, we have examples of acts of courage associated with displays of power, might, strength, and bravery. The phrase ometz lev indicates an inner strength a person develops that is reflected in daily behavior in many different circumstances. Our ancestors needed both kinds of courage as they faced difficult enemies that threatened the survival of the Jewish People.

The biblical stories remind us that our strength and courage were closely connected to our faith in the covenant with God. When Moses handed over the leadership to Joshua as the Israelites were about to enter the land, we read the phrase, “Be strong and of good courage.” Joshua repeated and emphasized this phrase to the tribal leaders. What seemed to be an overwhelming challenge of a small group of Israelites overcoming the Canaanites depended on their internal strength and courage, their faith and will to achieve it.

During the time of the Maccabees, again, a small group of Jews defeated the Syrian-Greeks and rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem. The prophet Zechariah wrote, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit…” We are reminded of this every Chanukah. The strength and courage we strive for fall into two categories. The first is related to not being fearful. When we are willing to have trust and faith, even when there are moments of fear, we are encouraged to renew our inner strength and find the courage to overcome difficult times. The second category is choosing to live a life of middot, with the endurance, persistence, and strength it takes to have the courage of our convictions. This is particularly hard during times of personal, communal, and national crisis.

The modern State of Israel is an important part of the Jewish story of courage. Israel has faced many threats to its survival. Yet its citizens have shown courage in the belief that Israel has the international right to exist as a Jewish nation, to fulfill its destiny in the return and rebuilding of a Jewish nation.

Sometimes this value gets buried in the headlines of everyday life, but I believe it exists in the soul of every citizen, and it is the secret ingredient of the remarkable achievements over the past 100 years. The early Zionist pioneers displayed such courage. They expressed their faith in the mission to establish a Jewish homeland once again. Without any guarantees for the future, they called upon their strength and courage to plant and to build, and when necessary, to fight.

Dedication, Education, Chinuch
The root of the word chinuch—chet, nun, final chaf—connects two important values. We are familiar with the holiday of Chanukah, which means dedication, yet there are several ways in our tradition that relate to different kinds of dedication. In Biblical days there was the celebration of dedicating the temple to the service of God. Jewish homes have a dedication ceremony called Chanukat Ha-Bayit, when we place a mezuzah on the doorpost. What do these ceremonies have in common? They represent dedication to God, Torah, and Israel, the people and the land. In essence, they symbolize a dedication to a Jewish way of life. And what is the best way to ensure this? By dedicating ourselves and educating our children.

Although the story of the Maccabees is not included in the Jewish Bible, and for many years it was a minor holiday, it has expanded in the United States, in part because it occurs during the winter month of Kislev, always close to the Christmas season. It is not the Jewish Christmas. Its message and value themes can be meaningful to all ages if we take the time to learn the full story. I would like to suggest the following eight ideas that are related to the story:

• The right to be different from the majority culture.
• The right to worship according to one’s beliefs, religious freedom.
• The courage to speak out and fight against injustice, oppression, and tyranny.
• Loyalty and dedication to the Jewish people and the Jewish heritage.
• Identity with the Jewish people to preserve Jewish continuity and prevent assimilation.
• Rededication to the Jewish way of life.
• Trust and faith in God; thankfulness and gratitude through prayer, tzedakah (charity), and acts of kindness.

The Chanukah story has encouraged many groups in history to fight against injustice and oppression. It has motivated the Jewish people to withstand assimilation. It emphasizes the commitment to Jewish culture in the midst of an overwhelming majority culture of Christianity in the US. The Maccabean victory marked a spiritual revival of Judaism and the victory of Judaism over the Greek way of life, Hellenism.

I hope you will include these ideas around your Chanukah celebration tables as you spin the dreidel, eat the latkes or sufganiyot, sing the songs, and light the candles.

Since Chanukah begins early on the secular calendar this year, December 4, I chose to present these ideas and history in November so you can learn about and reflect on ideas before Chanukah begins.

Also, it is a difficult time for the Jewish People and Israel. I wanted to remember the values of courage and dedication that we need to face the current issues of antisemitism,anti-Zionism, and anti-Israel sentiment that have become issues of concern for the American Jewish Community and for Israel.

B’Shalom,
Lenore