Welcome back to Season 7 of The Jewish Road Podcast! If you’ve ever watched Fiddler on the Roof, you know the classic scene - Tevye, the village milkman, listens to two men argue, nods at the first and says, “You’re right.” 

Then he hears the other side and says, “You’re right.” 

A bystander protests, “They can’t both be right!” And Tevye, caught in the tension, sighs, “You’re also right.”

That’s Israel today. Stuck between two truths - both undeniably right, both in direct conflict.

On one side, Israel must do everything possible to bring home the hostages taken by Hamas. It’s not just strategic; it’s a sacred, deeply ingrained Jewish value. 

On the other side, Hamas must be defeated decisively, or this will happen again. Over and over.

So, what’s the right answer? Like Tevye’s dilemma, both are right. And that’s the tension Israel - and the Jewish world - wrestles with today.

What if Hanukkah had never happened? Without this critical moment in Jewish history, the preservation of God’s covenant people—and the birth of the Messiah—might not have occurred. Hanukkah tells the story of a miraculous victory against Antiochus IV, a tyrant who sought to erase Jewish faith and identity. Against all odds, a small band of Jewish rebels, the Maccabees, reclaimed the temple, restored worship, and ensured the survival of their people.