Let’s Not Mock Chanuka
There are Jewish women who return from work on winter Fridays after dark and faithfully light Shabbat candles when they get home. Intentional or not, this is a mockery of the sanctity of Shabbat.

There are Jews who perform the ceremony of B’dikat Chametz - complete with candle, feather, and wooden spoon - and eat chametz on Pesach. This is a mockery of Pesach, intentional or otherwise.

There are Jews who fervently pray the Ne’ila service – by heart! – at the conclusion of a daylong fast, while they violate the sanctity of Yom Kippur by violating various and sundry prohibitions of Melacha. They too, intentionally or otherwise, mock Yom Kippur.

Many Jews light Chanuka candles in celebration of the miracles that happened – the victory of the few against the many... the wicked in the hands of the righteous... the wanton in the hands of those committed to the Torah... and the “miracle of the oil” – yet they do not live the life (nor try to, nor want to) that G-d gave us the opportunity to live, courtesy of the above mentioned miracles. This constitutes a mockery of Chanuka.

And like the other examples, this mockery has aspects that relate to the individual, as well as national implications.

The Syrian-Greeks issued many decrees geared towards our spiritual destruction, intended to eradicate or greatly alter Judaism itself. Jews fought and died to preserve Traditional Judaism... and they, with the help of G-d, were victorious.

In essence, lighting Chanuka candles is our way of thanking G-d for allowing us to remove the yoke of foreign domination and restoring Jewish sovereignty to the Land of Israel. It is also thanking G-d for our being able to continue learning and teaching Torah, to practice mitzvot and to live a Torah way of life without fear or restriction.

Lighting Chanuka candles is a mockery – intentional or otherwise – if we don’t continue to strive for and exercise Jewish sovereignty in Eretz Yisrael, if we don’t work towards the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and everything that it entails, if we don’t pursue a life of Torah and mitzvot, for ourselves and our children, and for all of the Jewish people. The Chashmona’im prevailed in their battles, not just against our enemies, but FOR a Torah way of life. Let us continue their struggles.