My father frequently told me about his favourite Shabbat drasha that he heard from his rabbi, Morris Untermann, in his youth during the “Swinging ’60s.” He especially remembered the opening line which was: “Why the new morality is just the old immorality.”
Amusingly, when I finally had the honour of meeting Rabbi Untermann, then in his 80s, and I mentioned this drasha, his response was, “Did I say that?” Oh well!
In any case, October 7 returned humanity to the time of the “old immorality.”
We all learned in kindergarten that a small band of Jewish fighters, the Maccabees, rose up against the mighty Greek army and rededicated the Temple. However, the true picture was not quite that simple. The “Greeks” we learned about may have consisted predominantly of Jews who wished to adopt the Hellenist way of life; a number of Jewish men even stretched their foreskins so that they could compete naked in the Olympic Games alongside their Greek compatriots.
The Maccabees were fighting to combat this new wave of assimilation. If we analyze one of the biggest differences between Greek and Jewish culture at that time, we can see that their dispute was focused on aesthetics. The Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy explains, “Beauty has traditionally been counted among the ultimate values … and a primary theme among ancient Greek philosophers.” While Jews are predominantly concerned about what is within us (our mind, thoughts and intentions), classical Greek morality was more focused on “how things look on the outside.” Jewish family values stood in direct opposition to Greek immorality, and the Jewish concept of an invisible Higher Power that commands complete loyalty stood in direct opposition to the totalitarian ideology of complete subservience to a Greek emperor.
Roll forward over 2,000 years and here we are again. Waging war on our enemies is deemed to be “genocide” by popularist academics on campuses around the world. If it looks like genocide, because Hamas terrorists in Gaza are hiding beneath hospitals and schools, then it must be genocide. No deeper thought or assessment is required according to the “new morality.” Show us a few pictures of suffering children and we will immediately jump to the (wrong) conclusion. Voices of opposition will be shouted down in the interests of free speech. If a situation looks superficially like “genocide” then that must be what it is. The “new morality” very much resembles the “old immorality.”
The danger of this philosophy is clear. It is well known that public opinion is easily swayed by a few choice photographs from popular influencers on social media. Terror groups and rogue nations around the globe have become experts at manipulating these influencers to side with their causes. This pathology in human “herd mentality” has been successfully exploited by Russian Communists, German Nazis and Arab Islamists over the past century, and has led to disastrous results, not least for the inhabitants of those nations. Standing diametrically opposed to this superficial populism is the Jewish people.
Just like our ancestors, the mighty Maccabees, armed with a Torah in one hand and an Iron Dome missile interception battery in the other, the Israeli people are defending the only true morality. Our brave spokespeople are fighting every attempt by global fascists to conquer the weak minded with their compelling but false narratives.
This generation of Israeli youth deserves the same respect as our archetypal warriors the Maccabees. For those that have fallen in battle, their families should know that their lights have not been extinguished. Their lights shine on in every Jewish home as we light millions of Chanukah candles around the globe. May we soon see an end to the fighting, the return of the hostages, and a return to the one true morality speedily in our days. Chanukah Sameach!
Rabbi Leo Dee is an educator living in Efrat. His book “Transforming the World: The Jewish Impact on Modernity” was republished in English and Hebrew in memory of his wife, Lucy, and daughters Maia and Rina, who were murdered by terrorists in April 2023.
