{"id":44703,"date":"2018-11-27T17:00:28","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T15:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=44703"},"modified":"2022-06-21T11:27:30","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T08:27:30","slug":"god-is-not-a-consumerist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/god-is-not-a-consumerist\/","title":{"rendered":"God Is Not A Consumerist"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I remember when I first came to Israel, I was so struck by the difference in the way Israelis celebrate holidays, both religious and civil. I think I’ve been to one Veterans Day event in America, but I’ve been to plenty of Veterans Day (and Memorial Day, and Labor Day) sales. If you know Israeli culture at all, you know how unimaginable it would be for a family to skip a memorial so they could save big at the mall (assuming there was a sale at the mall, which there wouldn’t be). And after years of seeing the winter holiday season kicked off by Black Friday, followed by a blitz of commercialism, I was elated at the sweet and simple way Israelis celebrate Hanukkah — passing out sufganiot to strangers on the street or coming to see the lights in our old neighborhood of Nachlaot (highly recommended, by the way). So it was with very mixed feelings that I saw that “Bleck Friday<\/em>” has come to Israel. Nothing against sales, but we know where this leads.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s chapter has what to say about it, too. As the Israelites celebrate the inauguration of the Tabernacle, all of their gifts are to God, and the chapter ends with God\u2019s accepting those gifts \u2013 by burning them to ashes. God, apparently, is not a consumerist. The real stuff of holidays can\u2019t be bought, it can only be given in selfless devotion.<\/span><\/p>\n

In America, Hanukkah has often been understood in terms of winning the fight for religious freedom against an intolerant majority, and in Israel it\u2019s been seen as a celebration of the Jews\u2019 new military prowess against our enemies. I think in both places the message should become a celebration of the enduring power of the spirit and of selfless love for God and one another, against the common enemy of materialism and consumerism. So I\u2019m asking myself this year, how do I celebrate Hanukkah \u2013 for myself, for my children, for my neighbors \u2013 in such a way? <\/span><\/p>\n

If we can hold against what seems to be a relentless march towards consumerism, that really will be a miracle worth celebrating.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":76433,"id":76433,"title":"hos9-gift","filename":"hos9-gift.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos9-gift.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/hosea-the-party-pooper\/hos9-gift\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"hos9-gift","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":76432,"date":"2020-06-24 14:09:42","modified":"2022-08-14 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