The Greeks and the Americans

The Greek oppression of the Jewish nation was unique. The Egyptians forced the Jews to be slaves, the Romans were conquerors and the Persians even showed some mercy towards their subordinates. They all represented the power of the strong over the weak and their goals were mainly economical. The Greeks on the other hand concentrated their efforts on the conquering of the soul. They attacked the core of Jewish life – the Torah, Shabbos and bris milah. Whoever observed these would pay with their life. The Greeks thereby prepared the Jewish nation for future tests throughout the ages, the choice between spiritual death and physical death!

Then Mattisiyahu ben Yochanan HaCohen with his sons and a few followers stood up. They trusted Hashem and the spiritual strength overcame the physical power of the Greeks. They then cleaned the defiled Temple but found only one jar of oil to use. However, as we all know, there was a miracle and the oil lasted for eight days, enough time to prepare new oil. In memory of this, we light the Chanukah candles for eight days, to express that the light of the Jewish spirit will never be extinguished, even in the hardest of times.

However, the problem today seems to be the opposite as times aren't that hard for most Jews, at least in America. Jews are free to come and go as they please, worship when and where they choose and pursue whatever careers they want. So, why is it that the assimilation rates are so staggering? Why is it that the Maccabees were willing to face death rather than give up their traditions, when today there's an estimated 50% assimilation rate for American Jews? Unfortunately, the desire for many to fit in after centuries of being labeled as different has left generations without much knowledge of Judaism or why it would be worth hanging on to.

In the Talmud it says that "all Jews are guarantors for one another." On a basic level this means that each of us is responsible for the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of all the others. Therefore, it is recommended to cut oneself off from the less educated to spiritually satisfy yourself if the vast majority of my nation cannot read two letters of their own alphabet let alone navigate the finer points of our legal, ethical and philosophical texts. All Jews must take the time and the responsibility to reach out and -- at the very least offer to -- help educate their fellow Jew. Otherwise, soon enough we won't even know who to reach out to.