Thursday, December 15, 2016

Is This Hanukkah?

ט״ז לחודש התשעי תשע״ז
Only Simchas: Watch: Obama Hosts His Last Chanuka Reception at White House Using Shimon Peres' Menorah

2016-12-14

President Barack Obama hosted his final Chanuka reception at the White House where a menorah owned by the family of late Israeli President Shimon Peres was lit.

The menorah is one preserved during the Holocaust by the Waldens, the family of Peres’ son-in law, and was used for years at family Hanukkah lightings.

“The menorah survived the Holocaust and was carried from Poland, to France, and finally, to Israel by the family of the Ninth President Peres’ son-in-law, Professor Rafi Walden,” said the statement. “The late Ninth President Shimon Peres, who was raised on Jewish values and traditions at the knee of his grandfather, Rabbi Zvi Melzer, lit the Hanukkah candles every year, and made sure that this special menorah held a place of honor in the Walden-Peres family.”

Peres’ son, Chemi, and granddaughter, Mika Almog, attended the ceremony, which you can watch below. The service was run by Rabbi Steven Exler of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale. (Skip to the 45 minute mark)

The White House will also host an evening Chanuka reception starting at 7:35 p.m. EST, which OnlySimchas News will stream live online.
Esser Agaroth (2¢):
I am just beside myself over this report.

The event itself?

Not so much.

No real surprises here.

An American president, pushing for the removal of Jews from the Land Divinely promised to them, hosts a "Hanukkah reception" .

Barack Obama
An "Open Orthodox rabbi" participates, in what I can only assume is a demonstration of a Jewish holiday observance at the seat of Esau's power, and not an manifestation of לא תוסף עליו, ולא תגרע ממנו, the prohibition against adding and subtracting from the Torah (משנה תורה הל׳ ממרים ב,יג [ט]).

But, seriously? Did a Hanukkiyah really have to be lit? I guess the visual "special effect" was expected.

(I'll give you a topic. "Open Orthodox rabbis are neither open, orthodox, nor even rabbis." Discuss amongst yourselves.)

Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres, quintessential Erev Rav, believing in the removal of borders, chipping away at Torah, assimilation into a global community, and the unification of Esau with Yishma'el, is praised.

Hanukkah is about a war against assimilation, and against Jewish collaborators. Hanukkah is one of our most politically-incorrect holidays. But, you would never know it from such an event. Would you?

As pessimistic as this may sound, none of the above surprised me. Not in the least.

What did surprise me was that this event was publicized on Only Simchas.

Where is the simcha (happiness) in collaborating with the supposed leader of the Western world (Believe me when I tell you that there are quite a few individuals much higher up in the food chain that Barack Obama.), who, interestingly enough, who has a mother from Esau, and a father from Yishma'el.

It may be necessary for Jews to get along with their non-Jewish neighbors, and not cause trouble in their non-Jewish host countries. But, slobbering over and kushen tuchus (Google it!) someone who fought against The Almighty's Will for the Jewish People? Is this really necessary? No. But, like I said. This event did not surprise me in the least.

Where is the simcha in praising an individual who fought against The Almighty's Will for the Jewish People from within Israel? Using his family's hallowed menorah seems apropos.

Where is the simcha in potentially misleading uneducated and assimilated Jews regarding how to observe a Jewish holiday?

If you answered, "There isn't any" to the above questions, then you answered correctly.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Couldn't have said any better. There is something intrinsically comical about this practice of the Erev Rav and goyim celebrating Hanukah and ignorant Jews falling on their faces as they give their "Jewish" response: Upside-down world. Pre-Messianic times?