I swear this isn’t a retread of “Jewish & Goyish.” What it is, though, is the 50th episode of Necessary & Sufficient, marking one full year on the podwaves. Enjoy! Fay’s essay, with recipes, is here.
Necessary & Sufficient
Two people, two words, a few minutes.
Necessary & Sufficient 
Cholent and TV are not that similar. Cholent is a food that is cooked on a pre-existing heat source before the Sabbath, and it’s food. Leaving a TV on is, while probably not a technical violation, is certainly a violation of the spirit of the Sabbath. Similarly, the context of “traditional” Judaism has not changed. The world has changed, and while there are branches of Judaism that have made a conscious decision to change Judaism to fit their current lives, the rules that were set down 5000 years ago are still the rules.
Passover comes from the Torah, where it is clearly delineated as a celebration of the Jewish exodus from Egypt.
Chanukah not only pre-dates Christmas, but it has utterly zero relation to Christmas. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus – the Christian belief on the birth of God’s son. Chanukah is the exact opposite. To be precise, though Chanukah may be considered a minor holiday (compared to say Rosh Hashanah) it’s a very important celebration. It commemorates the victory of the Hasmoneans over the “Greeks” who sought to assimilate the Jews into the “popular” culture. It’s a rejection of what Christmas stands for. It’s a return to traditional Judaism, versus an embrace of a new faith.
There will be eggnog this year. My eggnog is apparently quite good, though last year was my first time ever making and consuming it. Please come and join us. As Fay would say, we welcome all and sundry.