Last night I celebrated, with a Hasidic Jewish congregation, Hanukah.  It was a wonderful time of joy and light.  When I woke this morning, I realized that today, December 8, is the forty third anniversary of the death of former Beatle John Lennon.

    Such a  divergence, such a contrast.  In one of Lennon's most famous songs, "God," he says, "I just believe in me; Yoko and me.  That’s reality.”

     Maybe.  Granted, transcendence and religion do not lend themselves well to our rational perceptions.  On the other hand, if we could explain everything with chemicals, we would never really know why we find the insight to pose assertions like Lennon's.

    

    Rightly should we then wonder why we are who we are.  Rightly should we wonder why we can celebrate, why we can write music.  Why we choose to challenge our limits.

    

    Hanukah speaks of openness, the openness and mercy of God.  As we consider this, and as we remember the very different openness of John Lennon, we also ponder the ultimate challenge:  how do we know who we are if all we know is ourselves?

    It's no accident that we wonder about God.