Merry Christmas, everyone!

My feelings about Christmas echo Rabbi Haim Cassorla's thoughts on Christmas:

"...Truly a Holy Day, which to a Christian rises to the level of Holiness of Yom Kippur (l’havdil).

...This Christmas is a wonderful day and I wish that more Christians would celebrate it.

...We, in the United States, annually fight a civil war about whether to publicly celebrate a Christian Holy Day. Each year the war seems to become more bitter and entrenched, but more and more Jewish leaders are coming to the “Right” side and arguing that Christmas is a Religious Holy Day and should be celebrated as such; just not by us. If the ACLU and ADL and all the other secularists win this war, Christmas will achieve the status of the Fourth of July in this country, with not even the minimal religious content of Thanksgiving.

...A Jewish identity is important for a Jew to be a Jew. A Jewish identity is built on positive input from Jewish parents who have a clear vision of their own Jewish identity. Part of that is being who we are and part of that is “not being who we are not.” A vibrant Christianity living a religious life is a supportive element in the life of Jewish children who can see that while we believe and observe differently, belief and observance are not “strange.” When your neighbors attend Church with their children, you can take strength from that and attend Shul with your children.

...I like to see the lights too. It reminds me of our own responsibility of “Pirsum HaNes” (publicizing the miracle) of Hannuka. "

Merry Christmas, everyone! May we merit peace, joy, and blessings from the Merciful One and may we be peaceful, joyful and merciful to all.