This song covers a lot of the things that are important to the history of Chanukah. It calls us to remember things the Maccabees did to bring freedom to the Jewish people when the Greeks were trying to suppress their faith. It talks about the person who didn’t toss away their heritage under pressure yet the song also brings in some more light hearted elements like why latkes are traditionally fried and not baked. But in the end, it calls the listener to know what really matters and that is that we have freedom because of God so thanks should go to the Lord
It may seem obvious but that is a very important thing to remember. Because it is easy to be thankful to those who did hard things in the past that benefit us today but not much more than that. It is not enough to just remember what was done by others and be thankful for it if you want a better world. We should learn from the past and consider that if God can use others to do bring freedom that God could use us too.
Back when the Greeks were oppressing the Jewish people I wonder how many people just thought well that is bad for the Jewish people who are practicing their faith but it isn’t my problem. It is great the Maccabees helped other Jewish people and it is often the case that those who belong to a marginalized group are often on the frontlines when it comes to helping themselves with things that negatively impact them and understandability so. But wouldn’t it have been nice if the Jewish didn’t have to fight in the 1st place because other Greeks didn’t let it happen? We shouldn’t have to belong to certain group to keep an eye out for oppression and resist it when it impacts others.
When the shoe is on the other foot we should want the same freedom God gave to us for others. So even when things are going well for us, it is good to keep an eye out for others and how they are doing. Remember the song explains how the latkes were fried in oil and not baked to remind people of the miracle that God preformed in even seemingly minor choices we make. I’m not saying you have to deep fry everything you eat but on a practical level we should make sure every little thing we do in deeply touched by the Holy Spirit. Even the seemingly minor things we do and in the ways we relate to others.
