Seeing the Forest from the Trees

Friday December 5, 2025/15 Kislev 5786/Shabbat Vayishlach

הָסִ֜רוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֤י הַנֵּכָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּתֹֽכְכֶ֔ם וְהִטַּֽהֲר֔וּ וְהַֽחֲלִ֖יפוּ שִׂמְלֹֽתֵיכֶֽם:

Remove the idols you took as spoil from the non-Jews in Shechem and that are now in your possession; ritually purify yourselves; and change your clothes. (Genesis 35:2)

Hevre/Friends,

Fall is always a special time in New York: crisp air and paths of burnt-orange leaves make for invigorating walks through Central Park; smells of cider and donuts at the Union Square Greenmarket enliven Thanksgiving prep; and colourful Christmas globes light up streets and storefronts as the soundtrack of clanging Santa bells, holiday jingles, and buskers’ carols plays endlessly. You don’t have to be Christian to get into the Christmas spirit here in NYC! Or do you?

The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is the most iconic NYC holiday symbol visited annually by tens of millions of people of all backgrounds, not to mention the hundreds of millions who tune in for the live broadcast of the lighting ceremony. But for many in the Jewish community, a Christmas tree has become more than something to admire in other spaces; it’s now a part of their own seasonal celebrations.

Understandably, for lots of multifaith/multiheritage couples, the fragrant, warm glow of a Christmas tree in the living room remains a fond link for the non-Jewish partner to their past. It’s often symbolic of cherished memories of relatives and friends, while for some it remains a declaration of faith. Having a tree at home is a common compromise even for interfaith couples committed to building a Jewish home and family.

But what about the growing number of exclusively Jewish homes with Christmas trees driving the market for Hanukah-themed ornaments and toppers? Throughout history many Jews - including Theodore Herzl and Louis Brandeis - embraced Christmas trees as secular symbols of holiday cheer indicating their integration into the broader societies in which they lived. But having a Christmas tree - or a Hanukah bush - has always been a bone of contention within the Jewish community.

This week’s Torah portion of Vayishlach weighs in on the debate. As Jacob readies to return to Canaan, to the land of his ancestors, he tells his family to rid themselves of the idols they had taken as loot after a battle with the  non-Jewish Hivites. What made it ok for them to have these symbols while they lived away from “home”, but no longer so when returning to the enclave of family and community? Sforno explains that the idols had been stripped of their pagan essence and were mere decorations, but Jacob wanted his family to sever all ties with items once representative of another religious tradition. Was Jacob concerned about what people would think? Did returning “home” call for strengthening their own identity?

While debate abounds about the Christian symbolism of the tree and its pre-Christian origins in many different faith traditions, what was clearly once a powerful religious symbol of Jesus - and for many is still - is now assumed to be a benign, secular adornment for the winter holiday season. Having one in a Jewish home is no different, some say, than Jewish kids dressing up for Halloween - a festival rooted in Christian observances of All Saints Day - and going trick-or-treating.

Given that the Christmas tree clearly remains a meaningful religious item for those who celebrate the holiday, what is it that draws some Jews towards its light? Why aren’t they similarly drawn to Easter eggs? Why doesn’t this strike us as cultural appropriation? When does the line between integration and assimilation become blurred? Are there circumstances and eras that summon us into a deeper, unalloyed embrace of our own symbols as an expression of Jewish pride and loyalty?

Our program last night at the Jewish Museum exploring their collection of gorgeous Hanukiyot from across centuries and countries was a clear reminder of our extraordinary treasure of Jewish art and artistry which spans dreidels and mezuzahs and kiddush cups and Shabbat candlesticks and havdalah sets and shofars and challah boards and on and on. Why aren’t our own beautiful cultural and ritual objects enough?  

In our age wherein identity has become more fluid than ever and boundaries between cultures ever more porous, some will still find these questions easy to answer; some may struggle with them. Comedian Elon Gold’s take on why Jews having Christmas trees is not a good idea will provide some comic relief should you need it!

With continued prayers for the return of the last murdered hostage, Rab Gvili, for the bereaved and the injured, and with blessings for a Shabbat Shalom,

Dini

(Photo by Ronen Avisror)