When was Yeshua born? Some say near Sukkot, some Passover, but all agree not in December. This has caused a huge issue over keeping the “true date”. Here’s the problem, we don’t know it. My question is this – Is it really that big a deal? In looking at scripture we find that anytime G-d felt it was important that we know a date or time he made it very clear. So why not Yeshua’s birth? I believe it’s because we are to focus on the fact he did come not when he did. I have seen people get very heated over this issue, even to the point of insinuating that those of us who don’t correct others, or don’t see it as a major issue, of truly not caring about ‘the truth’. In fact I was informed the other day that I must think my opinion is better than what scripture says because I disagreed on someone’s reading of the verses that ‘obviously are anti-Christmas”. The thing is that those of us raised Jewish just don’t see it as a big deal. Either its a secular American holiday, or its a Christian holiday. It doesn’t really affect us one way or the other. Mind you I am not trying to dismiss the birth of messiah. Not at all. What I am saying is we spend so much time on the date we don’t spend any of it focusing on how we are treating others. This is a time of year when we have a chance to do even greater mitzvot than normal. For example, the people who are giving anonymous checks at stores to pay for others purchases, or putting money in a parking meter for another person, or even buying presents for groups like Toys for Tots. I personally am going to help with Toyland through the Salvation Army. It allows parents to come in and ‘shop’ for their kids. I am looking forward to being able to help them. Even those of us who don’t ‘do Christmas”, or have no money can make a difference. There is a site called Greater Good. It has stores for many charities, so that each purchase goes to a specific program. For example; Rainforest, Animal Rescue, Feeding the Hungry, etc. They also have a program called ‘ click to give’. This is a program that is free. You simply click on the site(s) you wish to help and it is applied towards the number of clicks for the day. At the end of each day they are counted and the sponsors for the program donate according to that figure. It is basically a matching fund program. So , to borrow from Dickens instead of saying “Bah humbug” to the holiday let us say “God bless us everyone”. May this be said of us as well.
Michelleschiffman's Blog 
December 17, 2013 at 10:18 am
Your comments are well said. As Jews, we don’t have any holiday that compares with Christmas, either in time or spirit. At the Christmas season, I think we could be well advised to consider the concept of tikkun olam. That often causes money to fall from my hand into the Salvation Army bucket. Just because they are Christians doesn’t mean they don’t deserve help from us. The fact that I believe in Yeshua, while most Jews do not, has nothing to do with whether somebody is hungry.