Chanukah Shabbat Sermon; Hitchen as Ebenezer Scrooge By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Bah Hambug, Christopher Hitchens….

A quick word tonight as we gather together to celebrate this fourth night of Chanukah.
This week Christopher Hitchens wrote a vicious attack on Chanukah and Judaism in Slate Magazine. It appeared this Monday in the on line magazine. Hitchens slams Chanukah as “a semiofficial holiday” that celebrates “The imposition of theocratic darkness.” In the revolt of the Maccabees against the Seleucid -Syrians descendants of Alexander the Great, Hitchens sees that “the whole of humanity was terribly retarded.” He claims that with the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian-Greeks, the Jews set back the world into a dark age that rejected learning, science and erudition. And then he claims that the Jews set –up the world for the coming of Jesus of Nazareth—who imposed more folly to the world. Hitchens’ attack on Judaism and on Christianity and Islam and religion in general continues a flow from his book God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.
Hitchens hates religion and blames it for the world’s suffering and ills. And in this attack on Chanukah—he has reserved a special hatred for Judaism and Chanukah. His venom blinds his eyes and his heart. It is clear that he is a deeply wounded individual who smugly pretends he has the answers to the world’s problems. No doubt Religion has been used and misused throughout history. But so has politics and every other “ism” in the history of the world has been used and misused. Judaism still tries to take the grand themes of life, death, love and hope, redemption, salvation, family and holiness and helps individual Jews transform their lives for good. Judaism helps us have a sense of responsibility for ourselves and our community.
But what do you expect from someone like Hitchens? When a young man enlisted because of Hitchens’ support for the war and then writes about Hitchens, his influence upon him and his enlistment in his blog and then dies in battle in Iraq, Hitchens doesn’t really take any responsibility for the effect his writings or his words have had. He asks the questions but absolves himself of any responsibility for the influence of his writings. So what can we expect here?
In truth Hitchens misses the point completely. Chanukah didn’t usher in a theocratic darkness—instead it threw off the bondage of the Seleucids who forced their religion on the Jews to the exclusion of Judaism. The heroic deeds of the Maccabees are an inspiration to Jews today precisely because we still struggle with the balance in our lives between the majority culture and our own Jewish identities. The light of the Chanukiah ought to inspire us today to think about how we might bring more light and redemption to the world rather than continue the emphasis on mass consumerism. The light of the Chanukiah ought to bring a sense that we might see in the ordinary---the miraculous and mere human beings might be able to bring that awe of life to bear in witness in the world. Tthe fact that the Maccabees took the loving care to cleanse the Temple of the impurities and rededicate the sacred space of that place, is inspiration to each of us to cleanse our lives of the impurities and seek sacred space even today.
Hitchens’ attacks are no different than those we have seen in previous generations and are no different than the attacks of the Seleucids whom he praises so. They too felt their way of doing things was better than any other and imposed that upon the world. The Seleucids had an army and used it to murder and destroy Jewish life. Thank goodness Hitchens’ has no army. But his words have the power to hurt and inspire others to such hatred. Hitchens is nothing more than an Ebenezer Scrooge who can’t see the joy and hope in the world.
So tonight and every night of Chanukah—let our Chanukiah inspire us to transform this “semi-official” day as he calls it—into a gigantic celebration of love, faith, hope, and yes, peace. Things we pray Hitchens’ will find someday.