After describing the events of Chanukah the Talmud (tractate Shabbos 22B) concludes: “the next year they established these eight days as a festival”.
When does a war end? When the last shot is fired? When there is a signed armistice?
In the year of the war, on the original 25th of Kislev, there was calm, yet uncertainty. Had the Greeks surrendered, or just gone to summon fresh troops and more war Elephants?
It was only after a year of peace could a retroactive victory be declared.
When do we know we have made the right choice in our internal battles? With no guarantees or “do-overs,” when is the victory lap?
How do parents know they made the right decision to send their children to Jewish Day School? It’s not always evident after the first semester; it may only be years later when they stand under the chupa that every tuition penny seems worthwhile.
When is the battle against materialism won? When my neighbor’s new car makes my 800 credit score feel boring? Or when I’ve saved enough to help him avoid financial ruin?
Today is tomorrow’s history. It’s the seeds for all the “shoulda, coulda woulda” that can become weeds of regret.
The Greeks argued, “What you can feel is all that’s real;” revel in the immediate. If it can’t be debated or seen under the microscope I’m not interested. Infinite and ethereal are interesting but don’t inspire me to put down my popcorn and leave the theatre.
The Macabees declared there is no power like Hashem; no Greek indulgence can compete with the Infinite. Trust in Hashem and you’ll avoid the enticement of the merely tangible.
By focusing on the Eternal, the Jew is vulnerable to scorn. The truly valuable often can’t be appreciated in the right now. Celebration comes after the accomplishment; the hard choices of life are filled with second guesses
Plant a seed, water it, nurture it, guard it and with Hashem’s Help it blossoms.
