It was December 25th of 1941 when Americans first heard the song White Christmas on the radio. As Bing Crosby sang melancholy lyrics about returning to a previous time he used to know, the nation was in a panic. Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor only eighteen days earlier.
White Christmas was an instant hit largely because it resonated with audiences who were grieving over the reality of war. Americans sought a return to innocence at a time in which the world was suddenly anything but innocent. The song provided them a certain relief and a validation of their feelings.
Of course, White Christmas was written by a Jewish immigrant named Irving Berlin who understood the power of sad songs about yearning. The Jewish corpus is full of music that expresses a longing for a time gone by. Whether it be a return to a land or the rebuilding of a temple, Jewish songwriters have long sought a coming back during the most difficult and trying of times. Berlin’s Christmas opus was in this sense very much a Jewish response to a dark world.
This year, as Chanukah and Christmas share a calendar day for the first time since 2005, I find myself humming White Christmas and thinking of Chanukah. This holiday that we will celebrate tonight is not simply about military victories and happy times. Chanukah is rooted in a sense of powerlessness that Jews have felt for most of our history. We spend the darkest time of the year thinking about miracles because we have historically longed for them to occur.
Ultimately, White Christmas not only helped Americans yearn for a time gone by, but also recognize that such a time could exist once again. The genius of Berlin’s song is not simply its sad tone, but also the way it paints a picture of what can still be. The song mentions the writing of cards as an activity that can actually make the past real again. Americans who heard that song could still believe in the possibility of a joyful and merry holiday.
So too with Chanukah. While this holiday certainly recalls times of sadness and powerlessness, while we certainly dream of miracles occurring again, we also recognize that we have the innate ability to bring miracles, to ‘write our own cards’ and deliver a day much like the past — when our lives can be merry and bright.
Wishing you and your loved ones a Chanukah of yearning, hope and joy.
Rabbi Brian Leiken