Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

CBS News’ Sunday Morning this week presented reflections for the season from Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Episcopol Diocese of Washington, D.C., and Rabbi Steve Leder of Los Angeles. Bishop Budde leaned into the message of Christmas and what she saw as a message of peace that was placed in our human world via Jesus. She cited verses from the New Testament. I found nothing at all inappropriate in her reflections, bringing a perspective on Christian theology that leads our world to a better place.

Rabbi Leder made mention of the Hanukkah message — a message of religious freedom with the rededication of the Temple, and a message of our Festival of Lights, bringing needed light into the winter season, the darkest time of the year. His primary focus, however, was on the similarities between our two religions, and the lost opportunities at not sharing our respective holidays with his Christian neighbors.

This all leads to thoughts about the “December dilemma,” how Jews, and particularly Jews of interfaith families, join in, at least to some extent, with the majority culture and the Christmas celebration, or ignore the holiday altogether. Before even attempting an answer, I think it is important to state (at the risk of stating the obvious) that there are marked differences between the two holidays. No one would dispute that Christmas is a major holiday. By contrast, Hanukkah has a lower priority relative to other Jewish holidays, particularly the holidays mentioned in the Written Torah (Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Shabbat).

What I think makes this engagement a dilemma is the way in which both religions (and really most religions, if not all religions) connect holidays and all ritual religious practice to being in space with family. Whatever ritual practice is dictated, there are also traditions that formulate over time that are specific to individual families. These traditions tend to be more cultural than theological. My own sense is that we more readily accept our cultural differences than our core theological differences.

Ultimately, contrasting Rabbi Leder’s desire toward greater sharing, we don’t have to seek out our similarities to appreciate and respect the others’. My experience with my interfaith-clergy Torah study group is that, while we have significant theological differences, there are people of compassion and kindness, those seeking a more just world amongst all religions. (Just as there are people who cast a more malevolent purpose within their respective religions by demonizing those not like them.) We just choose a different pathway toward reaching a better world.

I have always been troubled by the idea that there are significant similarities between Christmas and Hanukkah. I am not troubled by being in space with Christian colleagues and friends, to appreciate and celebrate our differences rather than seeking out our similarities. Let that be our guide for engagement in this season of the year.