CHRISTMAS, it is late or early and the house is very silent.
Silent Night is a famous Christmas song. It is a tradition for many to sing it on Christmas eve. Here are some of the lyrics that were written in 1816 by a young priest in Austria, Joseph Mohr.
"Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright. 'Round yon Virgin Mother and Child, Holy Infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight! Glories stream from heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ, the Savior is born, Christ, the Savior is born.
Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love's pure light. Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth."
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| Holocaust book about the "longest night." |
It strikes me as profoundly ironic that when an older Jew hear's the word "Night" in the spiritual context of Christmas, there is a good chance they will think of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. (Kristall is glass, not Christ.)
The Hebrew word for "how" is Eicha. Eicha is the Jewish name for the "Book of Lamentations." Eicha (Lamentations) is a theological and prophetic response to the destruction of the First Temple (Beit Hamikdash) in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.(E.). It is believed to have been written by the prophet Jeremiah.
EICHA is not concerned with the historical details of the destruction, but rather with larger theological questions: Why did God, who had once been Israel’s redeemer, acquiesce to the destruction of His holy city and temple? Why is God’s love no longer evident? How can it be that “the city that was full of people” now “dwells alone” In Lamentations 1:1, the first word in Hebrew, Eicha, is the basis for the name of the book.
On Christmas Eve, which coincided with the 7th Night of Hanukkah this year, I went to a Christmas Eve dinner. I brought my Hanukkiah (menorah) along and lit it before dinner. At dinner, one of guests said that on Christmas it was tradition for him and his friends to get together and sing "War Pigs."
I recognized the song because it is by one the most famous 1970's heavy metal rock bands. Black Sabbath, War Pigs, is sung by the iconic Ozzy Ozborne.
War Pigs is reputed to be an anti-war anthem. Originally, “War Pigs” was titled “Walpurgis” after the Christian feast of Walpurgis Night. But according to song's principle lyricist and the band original bassist, Geezer Butler, in a 2010 interview with Noisecreep, Walpurgis is essentially “Christmas for Satanists.” Here are the lyrics:
Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death's construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds
Oh Lord yeah!
Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that all to the poor, yeah
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait till their judgment day comes, yeah!
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of Judgment God is calling
On their knees the war pigs crawling
Begging mercies for their sins
Satan laughing spreads his wings
Oh Lord yeah
The band's name, Black Sabbath, conjures up images of a Black Mass. A Black Mass is a ceremony which celebrates death and destruction held by various Satanic groups over the centuries. It is intentionally sacrilegious and a blasphemous mockery of a Catholic Mass.
War Pigs is possibly the magnum opus of Black Sabbath. The lyrics provide an image of burning bodies ignored by the unstoppable war machine bringing death and hatred to all the land. The generals and politicians who bring war face judgement in the end, but Satan laughs and appears to fly off. It is as though Satan leaves a trail of death and destruction throughout history; corrupting the minds of all who aren’t strong enough to resist Satan's sorcery
Interestingly, in the Hebrew Talmud, Jesus is accused by the pharises of being a sorcerer. The New Testamant, essentially confirms this in Matthew 12:24, "But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils."
There is perhaps no greater trail of death and destruction than the tragic events through history associated with Jews and Tisha B'Av. Jews have asked themselves for thousands of years, HOW could so many tragic events in history befall us. Eicha reverberates throughout history. In Jeremiah's time they asked "how" God could have allowed for the destruction of the first temple. In my time, Jews ask how the Holocaust could have happened.
On Christmas Eve, when Christians sing Silent Night, this Jew, me, am reminded of the "Longest Night," the Holocaust. I am not alone. The question has to be asked. How could the Austrians that gave us Silent Night, have also given us Hitler and the Holocaust? Eicha?
While Jews and Christians have different beliefs about the Messiah, they do both believe in a Messiah. Jews and Christians both believe in the "Shield of David" -- God's protection of his chosen people. Jews and Christians both believe that sin is disobedience. But when it comes to evil influence in the world, Jews and Christians diverge. Each answer the question of "How" very differently. Jews believe in Man's "evil inclination" which is called "yetza hara" in Hebrew. Christians take evil a step further with the belief in a super natural force of evil -- a fallen Angel called Lucifer, otherwise known as Satan.
If Satan does exist, then War Pigs seems to hit the nail on the head in. Satan laughing spreads his wings.
In these times, very religious Jews and Christians see many signs that the scriptures prophesied of. Both are watching for the Messiah. Christians expect to see the anti-Christ first. Time will tell if there is a Satan. Then, we will all see who the Messiah is and whether he is pierced.
Fear the Lord. Merry Christmas.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1.7
