By The Rev Ken Howard
[Author’s note: I had started to write about something else today, but my plans were overtaken by events on the other side of the world.]
On the first day of Chanukah, not long after sunset (4:27 pm here in Portland, OR), I lit the Shamash (“Helper”) candle on our menorah, recited the three blessings in Hebrew (I’m a Jewish Christian), and lit the first candle of Chanukah.
The first blessing is for the lighting: Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah lights.
The second blessing is for the miracle Chanukah celebrates: Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, Ruler of the universe, who performed miracles for our forebears in those days, at this time.
The third blessing, said only on the first day of Chanukah, is: Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, Ruler of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
Moments after reciting the last blessing, the “Shehecheyanu,” Hebrew for “Keeping us alive” (to this season), I read the horrible news of the massacre of Jewish people by two gunmen (a father and a son) on that very night.
To say the juxtaposition of the life-giving comfort of the Shehechyanu blessing and the evilness of a father and son setting out to murder Jews as a kind of father-son bonding was jarring is an understatement. It churned my stomach.
Then came the expected deluge of anti-Muslim bigotry from the usual anti-Muslim quarters, tarring an entire religion for the evil actions of a few, which churned my stomach even more, and gave me a foreboding sense of despair.
But in the midst of it all came a splinter of light. A local shopkeeper, a Muslim man, Ahmed al Ahmed, had braved the gunfire, risking his own life, to tackle and disarm one of the shooters. His example, amidst the carnage, gave me a sense that there is good in the world.
He did not ask what religion the gunman belonged to or the religion of the victims. He did not ask their race or ethnicity. He did not ask if he could help. He did not hesitate. He acted to protect other human beings from being injured or killed. Allahu Akbar! Elohim Gadol! God is great!
Will the fact that this good, caring, courageous man, who happens to be Muslim, stopped a massacre of people who weren’t even members of his religion, race, or ethnicity, turn the hearts of the haters? Probably not. Though while there is life, there is hope. So I will pray.
To our Jewish friends (yes, FaithX serves all congregations of all religions), we wish you a very happy Chanukah season!
To our Muslim friends, a joyful start to Rajab!
To our Christian friends, a Merry Christmas!
And to all our friends, may this season be happy and life-giving, and may you always find a sliver of light even in the darkest night.
