It’s just days before Chanukah. It’s supposed to be the story of right over might and the miracle of oil. We’re supposed to recall the military victory of the Hasmoneans against the Syrian-Greeks, and celebrate God’s place in history with the words of the Prophet Zechariah, who said, “Not by might, not by power, but by [God’s] spirit.” We’re supposed to light the Menorah to remember these things, but it’s not going to be easy in light of Jewish financier Bernard Madoff’s $50 billion dollar fraud.
We can recall many lessons of Torah to address his transgressions and crime, but what would that do for us? Those who understand the ethical duties in Torah don’t need the lecture. Everyday, many individuals, Jewish and non-Jewish, forfeit or postpone steep financial gains in favor of steady returns. They exercise moral courage to maintain their commitment to lessons as ancient as those in Torah and as recent as Keating, Milliken and Lay.
Before those who don’t understand, we shake our heads and wonder what lessons did they miss in kindergarten, at their bar mitzvah, and in synagogue on the High Holydays? But, before we lower the pointing finger we’re wagging at them, let’s look at our hand that’s pointing. Look closely. There are three fingers pointing back at us. We have to ask ourselves: what are we doing, today, to prepare the next generation of Jewish leaders? What are we modeling at home for our children about ethics in business? Is it okay to keep the change when the cashier miscounts it to us? What are our schools and synagogues teaching? Is it okay to misunderstand Torah’s purpose or to miss weeks of classroom lessons? What demands are we making of ourselves to live by higher Jewish values? What could the Menorah possibly mean to us this year?
If the Jewish community is only going to hide its head in shame because of Madoff’s transgressions, then let’s not light the Menorah at all. It would be for naught. But, if we could light the candles with the passion of the Maccabees who reclaimed their Temple, its rituals and ethics, in order to live by Jewish standards of holiness, then we would have something to observe this season. We would restore our role as guarantors of the ancient promise to keep Torah a sacred part of our lives. And, as far as Madoff is concerned, he might see that while his relationship to his community is tarnished, his duty to Torah is eternal. He must reset his standards, too.
This Chanukah, we must all begin again with ancient words found in the Book of Leviticus, chapter 19, in the Holiness Code. In addition to the blessings at Chanukah, I urge you to recite these words from Leviticus on each successive night. Let them be a beacon of light that guides you and your family to a secure future founded on proven ethics and faith.
First night: “You shall be holy for I, the Lord, your God, am holy”
Second night: “Do not turn to idols or make molten gods for yourselves”
Third night: “You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger”
Fourth night: “You shall not defraud your fellow. You shall not commit robbery.”
Fifth night: “You shall not place a stumbling block before the blind.”
Sixth night: “You shall not render an unfair decision. You shall not favor the poor or show deference to the rich.”
Seventh night: “You shall not falsify measures of length, weight, or capacity.”
Eighth night: “Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
Chanukah, however you might spell it, means “dedication.” The Maccabees dedicated the Temple for the sacred duty they would perform there. Let us dedicate our hearts and our homes to the sacred duty we must perform here.
Happy Chanukah to you, and Shabbat Shalom.
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