Hanukkah celebrates triumph of 'spirit over matter' and 'light over darkness,' says faith leader

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Even though the story of Hanukkah "happened to the Jewish people in Israel nearly 2200 years ago," the themes are "extremely relevant" to people of all faiths in America today, says one Jewish faith leader as the Jewish people soon conclude the celebration of Hanukkah this year.

"Ancient Greeks worshipped reason and with that, made great contributions to mathematics and the sciences," Rabbi Pinchas Taylor of Plantation, Florida, told Fox News Digital.

"However, coupled with that," he said, "their philosophy of materialism solely exalted the physical and made worship of the physical a virtue and an ideal."

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Taylor said that this "created a culture" in which the human being was "glorified" as a "purely physical specimen."

He continued, "Everything was reducible to physicality and there was no real idea of a soul."

Rabbi Taylor, of Plantation, Florida, shared thoughts on the meaning and history of Hanukkah — and explained the belief "in a purposeful God." (Rabbi Pinchas Taylor/Chabad.org)

He also said, "The Greek concept of the soul was the intellect, and the Greek gods were projections of aspects of the human character."

This "immersion" in materialism naturally led to self-indulgence, he noted, and any real sense of "something transcendent" was offensive to their worldview.

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"In contrast," he added, "Judaism believes in a purposeful God who created man and endowed him with a soul, made in the divine image."

"Commemorating Hanukkah each year by lighting the candles symbolizes the eternal triumph of spirit over matter and of light over darkness."

With human beings developing a "God-consciousness" through adherence to the Hebrew Bible, Taylor said, "the physical world becomes a conduit to express godliness."

In the story of Hanukkah, "the wicked King Antiochus and the Greek Hellenists believed that their worldview was far superior to a worldview based on God and faith," he also said.

"They wanted to replace the faith of the Jews with Greek rationalism, so they defiled the temple and forbade the observance of any of the super-rational Jewish commandments," he added.

A miracle occurred when "a small jug of sealed oil," which only had enough oil for one day of kindling the menorah, miraculously lasted "for eight days," said Rabbi Taylor of Florida.  (iStock)

Many Jews were even drawn to adopt some of the rationalist ideas and were "lured to the pleasures of materialism," he also said.

Hanukkah commemorates how the Maccabees, a "small ragtag group of faith-adhering soldiers," defeated the "large and well-equipped army "of Syrian Greeks, he said.

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This victory culminated with the Temple being "reclaimed, cleaned and rededicated," he said.

The word "Hanukkah" means "dedication," he noted.

A further miracle occurred when "a small jug of sealed oil," which only had enough oil for one day of kindling the menorah — the candelabra used in the daily Temple service — lasted "miraculously for eight days," Taylor said.

"There is something inherently soulful and special to the human being, which, when embraced, enables a richer and more meaningful life."

"This was long enough to procure more usable oil and allowed the temple’s service to continue uninterrupted," he said, noting that the physical battle was one victory, but the oil burning "supernaturally" symbolized victory in the spiritual battle as well.

"The God-centered worldview had triumphed over rationalism and materialism."

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"Commemorating Hanukkah each year by lighting the candles symbolizes the eternal triumph of spirit over matter and of light over darkness," he also said.

The physical battle of the Maccabees was one victory, but the oil burning "supernaturally" symbolized victory in the spiritual battle as well. (iStock)

Many societies over the centuries have, like the Greeks, "glorified the body over the soul" and the material "exclusively" over the spiritual, Taylor also shared with Fox News Digital. 

"While America is, at its core, a faith-filled nation, there is a trend, nowadays in particular, to focus primarily on the value of the material world," he said.

"Throughout his life, man is constantly in search of things that have nothing to do with his physical makeup."

Whether we are considering a "societal preoccupation with physical beauty and acquiring material things," "looking at the entire spectrum of human experience as the mere sum-total of electrical activity in our brains" or "looking at existence as a cosmic accident" — we see an expanding worldview "focused exclusively on the material world," he said.

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While rationalism and the material world both "have their place," he said, a "soul-less world" becomes "an empty, hedonistic existence." 

He continued, "There is something inherently soulful and special to the human being, which, when embraced, enables a richer and more meaningful life."

Rabbi Pinchas Taylor said a healthy human being has a "will to find meaning" — and it's these "spiritual dimensions" that set humans apart.  (Rabbi Pinchas Taylor/Chabad.org.)

"The human being is unique in his ability to be self-aware, humble, to choose a moral path, to be patient, to improve, to be compassionate, to have perspective, to have purpose and to change," he underscored.

"Throughout his life, man is constantly in search of things that have nothing to do with his physical makeup."

Hanukkah is a time when the faithful "recount the battle between matter and spirit."

A healthy human being has a "will to find meaning," Taylor noted, and it is these "spiritual dimensions" that "set him apart from the animals." 

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He added, "How can the human being need transcendence, if transcendence has no actuality in the fabric of existence? What about a thirst for meaning? Could the thirst be there with nothing to satisfy it? Existence has inherent meaning, and the human spirit seeks to get in sync with it."

"How can the human being need transcendence, if transcendence has no actuality in the fabric of existence?" said Rabbi Taylor.  (Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images)

He continued, "So, who will win the battle of worldviews? The perspectives that focus on materialism and meaninglessness, or the faith-based view of spirit and purpose?"

Hanukkah is a time when the faithful "recount the battle between matter and spirit" and "celebrate the inevitable victory" of the spirit, he said.

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"This applied in the days of the Syrian-Greeks, it applies currently in America, and will continue through to our ultimate destiny," he also said.

"Whether you are of the Jewish faith and physically kindling the Hanukkah lights, or of another faith who shares this vision, it is a good opportunity to recall that the ‘soul of man is the candle of God (Proverbs 20:27),'" he noted.

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Taylor also said it is important to "remember that you are imbued with purpose, and to shine your light and create a more soulful world."