Chanukah in Israel: "There were no latkes!"

In a talk about the importance and symbolism of Chanukah and its ties to the Jewish home, Rabbi Zev Leff of Moshav Matityahu exhorted listeners to think, “I’m important because Hashem made me important and I have the responsibility to bring light outside to others. The Jewish home inspires us and inspires us to inspire others.”

On Dec. 7, Kehilas Bais Yehudah Tzvi in Cedarhurst hosted a Rabbi Leff in a lecture sponsored by Project inspire, speaking on the history and lessons of Chanukah and the importance and its connection with the Jewish home. He noted the strength of the Bait Yehudi in protecting and uniting the Jewish family and the importance of projecting that holiness outside to positively influence others.

“When I moved to Eretz Yisroel about 30 years ago,” he recounted, “One of the great culture shocks was Chanukah. There were no latkes, just jelly donuts; it was really disturbing. Until I passed an army base and saw a sign that said, in Hebrew, ‘latkes.’” The Israeli driver noted that the sign said “to the ceremony” or “latekes” in Hebrew. “I’m sure that if you put a wick in a latke it will last for thirty days,” he continued but pointed out that the jelly donut is probably more significant because it’s “what’s inside that counts.”

Rabbi Leff pointed out that the threat of the Greeks was in their influence even before their decrees against Judaism, that they were not bent on physically destroying but rather spiritually destroying the Jews. Their emphasis was on the importance of the physical, the antithesis of Judaism, noting that yavan spelled backwards is noy or beauty. The laws enacted by the Greeks were against Shabbat “the neshama of the world,” brit milah, “the body’s connection to the Ribbono Shel Olam,” Rosh Chodesh since time is the “fourth dimension…we infuse time with holiness” and the purity and holiness of marriage, the foundation of kedushat Yisrael.