If you ask a rabbi what the most important Jewish holidays are, he's likely to tell you Yom Kippur and the Sabbath, in that order. There are other holidays he will likely mention – the High Holy Days, the Three Festivals. He probably will not answer Hanukkah.
First, Hanukkah is not mentioned directly in the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, like the aforementioned holidays. Our commentators do give it a nod as being referred to there, but you have to really look for the citations.
The references to dates in Jewish history that were to yet occur, like Passover (in connection with the visit of three angels to Abraham before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah), and the 9th of Av (mentioned in connection with the events surrounding the Sin of the Spies), are much better known in Jewish scholarship.
In addition, the books of the Maccabees, the works that most directly relate the events surrounding Hanukkah to us, are not even in the Hebrew Bible, the Tana”kh.
But, I argue that Hanukkah is the most important holiday we Jews have.
Why?
Well, Shabbat is our weekly day of respite from the troubles of this world, our taste of Ha'Olam Ha'Ba (the world to come). While the High Holy Days and Sukkot provide a designated avenue of repentance, the gates or repentance are always open anyway.
However, Hanukkah is the ugly mirror in time through which we Jews see the modern reality of our country and the condition of our people today in an event that occurred 2,100 years ago.
In spite of what the Talmud says, Hanukkah is not really about a cruse of oil that lasts eight times as long as it is supposed to; it is not about Greeks persecuting Jews and not allowing them to practice their religion; it is not about brave Jewish soldiers liberating the country from foreigners; it is not about potato pancakes; it is not about the "sufganiót" the jelly doughnuts we eat here in Israel.
Hanukkah is about a civil war. It is about a people drinking the wine of madness.
Article comments
1 - Aaman
Interersting and informative.
One question, though - why do so many ancient cultures - Israel,India,Iran obsess with their past glories and expect the same to persist. At the same time, a few - again Israel, India, China - have proven themselves globally in new fields of endeavor - technology,business,etc. - and should highlight those aspects, yet continue to focus on the historical record as a form of identity
2 - Nancy
It seems to me the Sabbath is only a holiday for men: the women still have to feed everyone, get everyone up & dressed, do the dishes, etc. & have from the days of Abraham. That they aren't supposed to actually labor on the day itself, so have to do double work the day before doesn't change things; everything still seems to devolve on them, especially if it's inconvenient, while the men get to sit around & talk pilpul.
3 - Mark Edward Manning
Very interesting, Ruvy, thank you. I learned a lot from this piece.
Just wanted to wish you and all other Jews everywhere a most happy Hanukkah!
4 - Nancy
This sounds to me like religious zealots (not in the good sense of the word) slaughtering innocent people who didn't agree with their narrow religious views; in the US, if those who follow Oral Roberts, Bob Jones, & their ilk were to rise up & slaughter anyone not a rabid christian fundamentalist. I think I'd agree, I wouldn't celebrate this, either.
5 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
First of all, Mark and Aaman, thank you for the kind words.
Aaman, I can't talk for the Indians or the Chinese, but I can talk for us Jews. For two thousand years, the historical indentity was pretty much all we had. That historical identity, the religion, was what brought us back here. Giving up that identity is pretty much what Jews in America and elswhere have been doing for the last hundred years or so. If you can, get a hold of the play, "The Melting Pot" by Israel Zangwill. It was written in 1900 but gives in a nutshell the social history of American Jewry over the next century.
That historical identity is also what gives us a right to and a feel for this country. The idea that Abraham bought the Cave of Makhpela from the Hittites, the fact that the Temple of Solomon and of Nehemiah were here give us claim and attachment to this land. You don't seriously believe that our right here is predicated on documents from the UN or the League of Nations, do you?
Finally the lack of resources of this land forced the creativity that lies behind the successful endeavours that you identify.
6 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Nancy, I'll need three posts to answer two separate questions that you raise.
In Israel, people knock off work on Friday early, if they work at all. Those of us who are observant do all of our cooking for the Sabbath on Thursday or Friday and before Sabbath arrives, we put up a food warmer and an electric water heater, both of which are turned on before the Sabbath and stay on for the whole 25 hours.
The food gets put on the warmer, and we go to synagogue. We serve the food when we get home from synagogue. The next morning, we take prepared meals out of the fridge and stick them on the warmer. A fire does not get ignited on Sabbath. There is no cooking done at all. The computer gets turned off, as does the phone, the stove, the washer, the dryer and the dishwasher, if the family has one.
Many families use plastic dishes and toss them after eating. The idea is to rest, after all. No? That is the joy of the Sabbath, "neg Shabbát.
7 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Nancy, I'm puzzled by your last post. Who do you identify as the zealots here?
8 - Anthony Grande
"Who do you identify as the zealots here?"
Anyone who believes in God. You got to understand that Nancy is an atheist and she looks down on anyone who is a believer.
9 - Mark Edward Manning
Ruvy, may I ask: Does blood count for anything? It's true that a lot of American Jews are liberal (or Liberal), but they are still Jews, even if their faith has been watered down.
I believe the melting pot works without totally wiping away one's heritage. I believe there's plenty of strong community among U.S. Jews.
10 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Mark, there is a piece by Jonathan Rosenblum that has been travelling around the internet lately, called "American Jewry has Found its Scourge" that deals very well with the question you just raised. In it, Rosenblum quotes extensively from a fellow named Wertheimer, a big noise in the Conservative (Jewish) Movement in the States, a fellow virtually alone among his colleagues in warning of the problems facing American Jewry. The piece was originally published in Hamodia. Google up Jonathan Rosenblum, and I'm sure you'll find it.
The truth of the matter is, barring a major Redemptive Act in the near future (like the messiah coming), if events continue on their present track, there will be only observant Jews in America by 2050 if any remain there at all. The remaining non-observant Jews will have been swallowed up by whatever is the dominant culture there and will have been lost until there is a major Redemptive Act at the Hand of the Almighty.
Gotta run and prepare for the Sabbath!
Shabbat Shalom
11 - Mark Edward Manning
"The remaining non-observant Jews will have been swallowed up by whatever is the dominant culture there and will have been lost ..."
That would be a tragedy. And a lot in the Jewish community in the U.S. are actually half-Jews, with the other half being some European consanguinity.
I may be wrong, but I believe Judaism has the smallest number of adherents worldwide among the monotheistic religions. It's only right to be concerned about increasing your numbers and passing on your heritage.
12 - Temple Stark
Today there is a Temple and it is I.
13 - Temple Stark
This is an Blogcritics editors' pick of the week. Click HERE to find out why.
Also, NEW this week, we are requesting the honor of your very own "best of the week that was" pick for showing an interest and a dedication in your own writing, and as a second thank you for writing well. I will be e-mailing you separately on this as well, but for a little more info read the top of the link above.
Cheers. - Temple, BC Editor / Special Projects Directo
14 - gypsyman
I guess we find our selves on opposite sides of the equation Ruvy. The blood that runs through my viens is from the same Jews whose blood runs through your viens I assume, but I can't find it in myself to be as zealous for anything like you can for your religion
I'm a human first and a Jew second, if in your eyes that is bad then we will not see the same way on many issues. Tolerance and respect are far more important to me than adherance to rules in a book and hatred of others for who they are.
I find it sad that people will think that you are an example of what jewish people believe, becuase the majority of us are not like you, which I guess is your point and the cause of your upset. Please believe me when I say I mean no insult to you by any of my words, but as I respect you shouldn't you respect me?
I'm always embaressed when I hear words of hate issuing from people who are of my race, I would think we of the older tribes would have learnt how to live better by now, and not still be acting like the children who have come after us.
Shalom
gypsyman
15 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Temple - you really want to be as cold and as hard as stone, eh?
Thanks for letting me know about the pick of the week. I'll have to get a hold of Natalie and thank her.
16 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Gypsyman,
Please do not assume that you and I are opposite sides of the fence. Remember that you are writing from exile, and the influence of the faith is not likely to be as strong on you in Canada as it would be here.
I had a very different view of Hanukkah in the States before we immigrated here.
I'm not your standard, garden variety "frum Yid."
I started out as a conservative Jew who rapidly turned into an atheist - until some ladies told me that if I didn't believe in G-d, I couldn't be a Jew. I didn't know any better to argue. In fact those old women did something very few have managed to do in 5 decades. They shut me up cold.
For decades I was an agnostic, saying that the Bible provided a good guide for living. But I could not bear the thought of my sons not being raised as Jews, so I sent them to a Talmud Torah, and bought a Humásh, so that at least I would have an idea what they were supposed to be learning (so I thought).
I did something I had never done before. I actually read the Humásh.
It blew me away.
There are portions of the Torah that read like our history - except that they were prophecies.
I read a book, "The Truth of the Bible Codes" by Dr. Jeffrey Satinover. While one can hold whatever opinions one wishes on the Torah Codes, the appendices to this book are a wealth of Jewish knowledge, backed by hard physics.
On my desk, next to me, is a CD called the "Riddle of the Exodus" by Lightcatcher Productions. It provides proof of the Exodus occurring, the names of the pharaohs involved, the approximate dates, and even a picture of what is probably a statue of Joseph. The CD matches Jewish sources with Egyptian sources, even providing evidence of an Egyptian record of the Ten Plagues.
In my bookcase is also a copy of "The Science of G-d: The Convergence of Religion and Science" by Dr. Gerald Schroeder, an oceanographer who became a physicist who teaches here in Jerusalem.
Again, there is a wealth of Jewish knowledge, backed up by hard science.
For you to acquire these books would be a C$150 investment at most.
The book I based my data on about Hanukkah can be gotten from Amazon.ca for C$20 plus VAT (I'm guessing here).
What I write is not filled with hate - it is filled with sadness and disappointment. The people I thought were heroes in my youth have been far less than heroes. Indeed, often they have been scoundrels or weaklings. On the left wing of Israeli politics, the only people who have come through relatively unstained are Levi Eshkol, z"l, Abba Eban, z"l, and Yigál Allon, z"l. On the right side, like a lone beacon, is Menahem Begin, z"l.
I live here. I'm not drowned out by Christmas here, there and everywhere. So I can see the kulturkampf I describe to you and match it to what actually happened here 2,150 years ago. It is very important to see and recognize the truth - particularly when it is so bitter
17 - shernika
when they do
18 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
I don't normally publish e-mails for no reason, but given that this is Hanukkah, and this is my premier analysis of the holiday and its significance, this is highly appropriate and germane.
INTRODUCTION: While it isn't widely known, there is a "Megillah" (scroll) for Channukah. The history and authorship of Megillat Antiochus, the Scroll of Antiochus, are uncertain, which may account for it not having become part of the Canon or the Channukah liturgy.
However, its account of the struggle against Greek oppression, and the miracle of the oil burning for eight days, closely parallels other historic accounts. Below is an English translation of a Hebrew text which appears in the famed Siddur Otzar haTfilos, where the editor cites an old Italian prayer book printed in Salonica as his
source. He notes that the Hebrew text is a translation from the original Aramaic text, which was lost until a 19th century scholar found a manuscript copy in the British Museum. The Scroll of Antiochus was read publicly in Italian synagogues during the 13th century, and it is read in some congregations to this day.
© General Israel Orphans Home for Girls/ Jerusalem/ 1974
MEGILLAH OF ANTIOCHUS
It was the time of Antiochus, King of Greece. A great and mighty king he was; and he ruled with firmness, and all of the other kings gave heed to him. He conquered many nations and mighty kings, destroyed their castles, burned their courts and imprisoned their people. Since the days of Alexander there arose no king like him in all the land beyond the Euphrates River. He built a metropolis on the bank of the sea to serve his capital, and he called it "City of Antioch", after
his own name. And his viceroy, Bagris, also built a metropolis over against it, and he called it "City of Bagris", after his own name - and such are the names of these cities to this day.
In the twenty-third year of his reign, two hundred and thirteen years after the Holy Temple had been rebuilt, Antiochus set out to go up to Jerusalem. Addressing his officers, he said, "You know that there is, among us, in Jerusalem, the Jewish people; they bring no offerings to our god, they do not observe our laws, and they forsake the king's laws and observe their own. And they look forward to the day when kings and rulers shall be shattered, and they say, "When shall our own king rule over us, reigning over sea and land, with all the world in our hands!" It is hardly honorable for the kingdom that they be permitted to remain on the face of the earth. Let us then go up
against them, to destroy the covenant they have made: Observing the Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and circumcision." And his words pleased his officers and their armies.
Then Antiochus arose, sending his viceroy, Nicanor, with a large army, and they came to the city of Judah, to Jerusalem, where they killed many people. And they built an alter in the Holy Temple, in the very place which the G-d of Israel spoke of to his servants, the prophets: There will my Holy Spirit dwell forever. In that very place
they slaughtered a pig and brought its blood to the Holy Court. And so it was, that when Yochanan, son of Mattisyahu, heard that such a foul deed had been done; fashioned a sword two spans long and one span wide; and concealed it under his garments. And he came to Jerusalem, where, standing before the sentinels at the gate, he
shouted, "I am Yochanan, son of Mattisyahu, the High Priest of the Jews, and I have come to present myself to Nicanor". And then did
come the sentinels of the gate and the guards, and announced to Nicanor, "The High Priest of the Jews stands at the gate", and Nicanor replied, "Let him come."
Then was Yochanan ushered into the presence of Nicanor, and Nicanor said to Yochanan, "You are one of the rebels who have rebelled against the king, and do not desire the well being of the kingdom."
And Yochanan answered Nicanor, saying, "I have come before you, and whatever you wish I shall do." And Nicanor replied, saying, "If you
really do as I wish, take a pig and slaughter it on the altar. You will then be clothed in royal garments, and you shall ride on the king's steed, and you shall be as one of those who is close to the king." When Yochanan heard this, he answered, " My lord, I fear the Jewish people. Should they hear I have done this thing, they shall stone me. Let everyone here go out, lest they inform the Jews."
Nicanor then removed everyone from his presence. Yochanan then raised his eyes to heaven, and set out his prayer before the Master of the Universe. "My G-d and G-d of my fathers. Place me not in the hands of this heathen, for should he kill me, he will go to the temple of his god Dagon, and he will boast, "My god has given him over to me." He
then took three steps towards Nicanor, thrust the sword into his heart, and cast him dead upon the holy court. And Yochanan said to the G-d of heaven, "My G-d, count it not as a sin against me, that I have killed this heathen in the Holy Temple. And I pray you do the same to all those who have come with him to trouble Judea and
Jerusalem." And Yochanan then went forth, and made war against the people, and killed many from among them. The number of those he put to death that day was seven thousand.
When he returned, he built a pillar honoring his name, and called it "Maccabee, Slayer of the Mighty." And when Antiochus heard that his
viceroy, Nicanor, had been slain, he was sorely troubled. He sent for the wicked Bagris, deceiver of his people, and Antiochus said to Bagris, "You know - have you not heard - what the Jews did to me.
They killed my armies, ransacked my camps and my officers. Can you now be sure of your wealth, sure that your homes will remain yours?
Let us go up against them and destroy the covenant their G-d has made with them: The Shabbat, the Rosh Chodesh and Circumcision." So Bagris and his legions arose and came to Jerusalem. And he killed large numbers of people, and he issued firm decrees against the Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and Circumcision. With such agitation was the king's
decree carried out, that when a man had been found who had circumcised his son, they brought him forth with his wife and they hanged them over against the child. And a woman who bore a child
after her husband's death and had circumcised the child on the eighth day, went up to the Jerusalem Wall, her son in hand. And she said, "We say to you, wicked Bagris: You plot to destroy the covenant we have made. The covenant of our fathers will never be destroyed - not for us, nor for our children's children." And she cast her son to the
earth, following after him, and together they both died. And many Jews did the same in those days, and they did not violate the covenant of their fathers.
And it was also at that time that a group of Jews said to one another, "Come let us make our Shabbat in a cave, lest we desecrate the day of Shabbat. And they were betrayed to Bagris, causing Bagris
to send armed men, who came and camped at the mouth of the cave. And the men said, "Come out to us; eat our bread and drink our wine, and
do as we do." And the Jews said to one another, "We remember what we were commanded on Mount Sinai: Six days shall you work and do all that you have to, and on the seventh day you shall rest. So we would rather die than desecrate the Shabbat." Seeing that the Jews would not come out, they brought wood which they set on fire near the mouth
of the cave, and a thousand men and women died. Following this, the five sons of Mattisyahu - Yochanan and his four brothers - went forth
and made war with the people, killing many and driving many to the coastal isles - for they trusted the G-d of Heaven.
Then the wicked Bagris boarded a ship and fled to Antiochus, the king, together with those who had escaped the sword. And Bagris said to Antiochus, the king, "You, the king, have ordered us to remove from Judea the Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and Circumcision. But there is now total rebellion there, so that if all the peoples and the nations
do not join against them, we will not prevail against the five sons of Mattisyahu. They are stronger than lions, they are swifter than
eagles, and they are more courageous than bears. My counsel to you is, if you will make war with this army, you will be disgraced in the
eyes of all the kings. Therefore, send messages to all the provinces of your kingdom, and let all the field commanders assemble, leaving no one behind. Let them bring with them armored elephants." And the counsel pleased Antiochus the King, and he sent messages to all the provinces of the kingdom. And the officers of all the provinces came,
and with them armored elephants. For the second time Bagris, the wicked, arose and came to Jerusalem. He broke through the wall,
pierced the courtyard, and breached the Holy Temple thirteen times, smashing some of the stones till they were dust. And he said to himself, "This time they will not prevail for my army is great and my hand is strong." - But the G-d of Heaven thought otherwise. When the five sons of Mattisyahu heard all this, they rose up and came to Mitzpe Gilad, where dwelt the remnants of the Jews from the days of Shmuel the Prophet. They decreed a fast, and they say on the ground
to pray for mercy from the G-d of Heaven, and a good plan came to their minds. Their names were: Yehuda, the firstborn, Shimon the second, Yochanan the third, Yonatan the fourth, and Elazar the fifth. And their father blessed them before he sent them off to war, saying, "Yehuda, my son, I compare you to Yehuda, son of Yaakov, who was
compared to a lion. Shimon, my son, I compare you to Shimon, son of Yaakov, who killed the people of Shechem. Yochanan, my son, I compare you to Avner, son of Ner, general of Israel's army. Yonatan, my son, I compare you to Yonatan, son of Shaul, who killed the Phillistines. Elazar, my son, I compare you to Pinchas, son of Elazar, who was zealous for his G-d, and saved the Jewish People." It was after this that the five sons of Mattisyahu arose and made war with those people, killing many of them. From their own ranks, Yehuda was killed. At that time, when the sons of Mattisyahu heard that Yehuda was killed, they returned to their father. And he said to them, "Why have you returned?" And they answered, saying, "Yehuda, our brother,
who was the equal of us all, has been killed." And Mattisyahu answered them, saying, "I will go out with you and make war with the people, lest the Jews be destroyed, seeing as you are overwrought
about your brother." And Mattisyahu went out that day with his sons and they made war with the ations, and the G-d of Heaven gave all the mighty ones of the nations to their hands,and they killed many: swordsmen, archers, officers, and chiefs - not one survived. Others of the peoples fled to far-off countries. Elazar, occupied with destroying the elephants, became mired in their dung, and, searching among the living and the dead, his brothers could not find him. it
was only afterwards that they found him mired in the elephant dung.
And the Jewish people were happy that their enemies had been delivered up into their hands; some were burned, others were hanged. And Bagris, the wicked, the deceiver of his people, was burned by the Jews. And Antiochus, the king, when he heard Bagris, his viceroy, had been killed together with his armies, boarded a boat and fled
overseas. and wherever he came, people rebelled against him and called him Fugitive, and so he cast himself into the sea.
The Chashmonaim then came to the Holy Temple, rebuilt the gates, repaired the breaches, and cleansed the courtyard of the dead, and of
impurities. They searched for pure olive oil to kindle the Menorah, but found only a single vial which bore the seal fo the ring of the
High Priest, which they knew was clean, and of sufficient quantity to burn a single day. And the G-d of Heaven, who had there caused His
name to dwell, blessed the vial, and it was sufficient to burn for eight days.
It was for this reason that the Chashmonaim, together with all other Jews - with one accord - agreed to establish these eight days for feasting and joy, like the days of those festivals written of in the Torah, and to kindle lights to proclaim that the G-d of heaven had wrought victories for them. On these days one may not eulogize the
dead, and one may not proclaim a fast - except that a fast coming from a pledge must be carried out.
The Chashmonaim then reigned - they and their children's children - from that time until the destruction of the Holy Temple - two hundred
and six years. Therefore do the Jewish People observe these days in all the lands of their Diaspora, proclaiming to be days of feasting
and joy, the eight days, beginning them with the twenty-fifth of Kislev. And these days were established and accepted by the Jewish
People and their children's children, forever by the priests and Levites and the sages of the times of the Holy Temple, never to be forsaken by their offspring.
19 - Dr Dreadful
Ruvy, may I take this opportunity to wish you and yours a happy Hanukkah.
A very interesting account. For some historical context - if I've got my Western Civ straight - the Antiochus referred to would be the Fourth of that name, the King of the Seleucids who inherited the eastern part of Alexander's empire - correct?
20 - Avi in Jerusalem
Hi,
My name is Avi. I’m Ruvy’s son. I’m seventeen years old and way taller than little Ruvy.
My Dad isn’t home right now but he wanted me to look over any comments to his last publishing. I’ll do my best but don’t be too hard on me " I’ve never written here before.
Dr Dreadful,
The Antiochus you are referring to would be Antiochus Epiphanes. If I remember my history correctly, his hold on his part the empire was an insecure one. The Idea of imposing a single religion was a way to stabilize an unstable empire. Another Greek king to take hold of the area was Ptolemy. (Ptolemy was a Greek general who inherited Egypt and Judea when Alexander died.) Egypt was united and stable, while the Seleucids were not. This would account in part for the way the Seleucids dealt with Judea after conquering it twenty-two hundred years ago.
I hope this helped.
You guys have a great weekend.
21 - Dr Dreadful
Hi Avi. Welcome to Blogcritics.
Thanks for confirming what I thought. You certainly know your history, like your Dad!
Alexander's successors certainly were a pale shadow of the man, but probably prove how much he overreached himself.
It's only Tuesday night here, but I always look forward to a good weekend! I'll be spending this one flying home to England for a visit from the West Coast of the US, where I now live.
Have a peaceful holiday.
22 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
This story appeared at the Arutz Sheva website today.
The rest of this story can be found at the link above.Judea and Samaria: IDF Rounding Up Jews' Weapons by Gil Ronen
26 Kislev 5768, 06 December 07 06:12
Why have I posted this particular item here? In the article above, I wrote, It all appears to be coming true right before my eyes. I take no pleasure in saying, "I told you so."
23 - Hanna
hello