Even Though I Am Jewish, I Still Believe In Santa - Merry Xmas To All

We All Need To Light A Candle To Vanquish The Darkness And Rejoice In The Light

Many thanks to Substack Writer Susan Bordo, who showed me this picture from Haifa, Israel.

Releasing this once again to wish you all a Merry Christmas or Xmas, whatever you believe.

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So, once again, Hanukkah is upon us, and Christmas is approaching.

Whenever Hanukkah & Christmas roll by, my friends never fail to call and ask me in that sarcastic tone which tells me they think I am just conning them or have completely lost my sanity:

“Well, it is that time of year again. Do you still believe in Santa Claus?”

My answer has always been the same and given in all seriousness.

“Yes, I still believe in Santa.”

Of course, you can well imagine the reactions to my answer. First of all, I am way over ten years old. Add that to the fact I am not only Jewish and live in Israel, but I am traditional. So, believing in Santa Claus is not really part of the cultural heritage I am supposed to adhere to, to say the very least.

Let me go ahead and make things complicated here.

My favorite movie is “Miracle On 34th Street,” which always makes me cry.

“Amazing Grace” is a fantastic song with lyrics to match, and one who bothers to look up the history of that song will understand just how amazing it is. (I love the version performed by Celtic Woman and certainly Judy Collins.)

I remember when my father, “Pop,” on some snowy nights before Christmas, would take my sister and me on a walk up and down Fifth Avenue to look at the fantastic shop displays. Those childhood memories are, indeed, magical.

And before you ask, as far as I know, my genealogy is Jewish for many generations.

Yet there it is—the absolute, unmitigated truth.

I believe in Santa. Of course, the question is why?

To understand my complicated relationship with Hanukkah & Santa and the method to my madness, I guess the best way to clarify it is by going to the Talmud, believe it or not. The cliché here is true: strange bedfellows — Santa and the Talmud.

One of the discussions the Talmud has about Hanukkah tells us a long-forgotten tale (Talmudic scholars call such a tale a “midrash” or “aggadata”) about Adam & Eve. When they were banished from the Garden In Eden, they were sent into a world where nature and time existed. Adam & Eve had no experience with either. The passing of time was a new concept for them; indeed, Mother Nature was a mystery.

So, as the seasons rolled by and Fall turned to Winter, the couple began to notice that the sunlight became shorter and shorter, and night grew by minutes and hours. This was frightening to the two, and they thought that the world they had been banished to would soon be overcome by total darkness, and this was the real punishment they were cursed to endure.

A world covered in darkness. Such a fate should and would scare us all. But then something miraculous happened. When they thought it could not get any more ominous and darkness would rule forever, Adam & Eve began to notice that daylight slowly became longer and then longer. It was one of the ways Adam & Eve learned about nature.

Adam was so relieved and excited that the Talmud told us he rejoiced by praising God and His creation. Eve danced along with Adam's praise in pure joy.

They rejoiced in the light, singing praise while realizing that darkness could and would not prevail in the presence of light. (There is much more to this tale in Kabbalah if you are interested in such things).

It should then come as no surprise to anyone that the Romans and many other ancient cultures had holidays during this time of year, which celebrated nature, the coming of days full of light, and the end of darkness.

Hanukkah is the celebration of a miracle of light. Indeed it is called the “Festival Of Lights”. At the very heart of this holiday is the miracle of candles burning in the rededicated Temple for eight days instead of one day. Why was that considered a miracle? Because the Maccabeans only had enough pure oil to burn for one day.

Hanukkah is, in essence, a holiday where we celebrate the power of light over darkness. And in the end, the light will always win. This is the message of Hanukkah. Light that candle for one day. Have the courage to light it; the power of hope that will spread from it will keep it alive and flickering.

At the same time of year, Christmas also celebrates for all Christians the coming of light into their world—the eradication of darkness by one bright, shining star of hope. And though, as I said, I am Jewish and do not celebrate Christmas, nor its meaning, I do know the incredible power of hope brought by the knowledge of eradication of darkness with light.

The true essence of these holidays is the same. The universal hope and ultimate belief that one candle — one light — tiny as it may be, will bring hope to the darkest of places. Especially the darkness which invades our dreams, hopes, and souls from time to time.

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Yet again, I must diverge for a moment to explain why I truly believe in Santa Claus. In Judaism, we also have another holiday called Passover, which celebrates our leaving Egypt and becoming a nation. On the first night of this holiday, we have an enormous, long meal which is called the Seder. Towards the end of the Seder, we stand up and open the front door to our homes and welcome Elijah, the Prophet, who, according to legend, visits every Seder and sips from a wine goblet at the center of the table, set out, especially for him.

No one else but Elijah can drink from this wine.

So, logically, if one believes that Elijah visits every home in the world that welcomes him by opening the door on one single night, it does not take a great leap of imagination to believe Santa can make it around the world in one night as well.

Still, as you may suspect, this piece has a caveat. I do not view Santa as one big toy store. For myself, Santa is a symbol of hope and light. The Christmas tree's lights guide him and his elves and reindeer. They are there to bring light, laughter, and hope during the darkest hours of the night.

I light the Hanukkah candles all eight nights of the holiday. It is precisely as the Hebrew children’s song states: “to chase away the darkness.” I find some assurance, perhaps false though I hope not, that these candles will bring a more visible and purer light into the world.

On Christmas, December 25th, at night, I look into the heavens and know Santa is on his path again. The light and joy he brings will also chase away the darkness.

So yes. I am Jewish, and I still believe in Santa. Despite all the darkness, hatred, and despair I have seen in this world and during my lifetime, I have learned a critical lesson from Adam and Eve.

We all need to light a candle to vanquish the darkness and rejoice in the light.
We all need to strive to bring light into this world.
Whether it is with Hanukkah candles, Christmas lights, or the joy of Santa arriving in the darkest hours, it makes no difference.

Perhaps this year, we should all strive to vanquish the darkness and bring light to this world. So, both Elijah the Prophet and Santa can visit those who open their doors to hope and light.

May your holiday season, no matter what religion you ascribe to, be full of light. May it shine on all of us and chase away the darkness.
May the coming year be full of joy, health, happiness, and peace for mankind.
And yes, even one small candle or bright, far-away star in the heavens can bring great hope to those in despair.
May your hearts be filled with that light and hope.

Happy Hanukkah & Merry Christmas to all.