Festivals | Chanukah
Chanukah
The Maccabees re-establish independance in the land of Israel
Introduction
1995-96 has seen a focus on Jerusalem in Jewish educational materials
for schools and communities worldwide. We therefore take the opportunity
to link these Hanukkah files with the theme topic and bring you activities
created especially around the fifth chapter of Abraham
Stahl's book, "Jerusalem through the Windows of Time", by Barbara Weill
and the staff. The relevant chapter appears here in its entirety. The
book may be purchased through the offices of the Joint Authority's departments
in New York.
Table of contents
From the return of the Babylonian exiles, towards the end of the sixth
century c.e., and for hundreds of years after, Jerusalem was subject
to the rule of foreign peoples. At first, of course, the Persians, who
had taken control when they conquered the Babylonian Empire in 539 c.e.,
ruled the land of Israel. In 333 B.C.E, however, Alexander the Great
of Greece defeated the Persian army and took control of the entire Middle
East. After Alexander's death, his vast empire was divided. The Ptolemaic
Dynasty (or simply, the Ptolemies) ruled Egypt. The Seleucid Dynasty
ruled Syria and adjacent regions. The land of Israel, located between
Egypt and Syria, was originally ruled by the Ptolemies but was later
conquered by the Seleucids.
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During this time, the Jews of Judea enjoyed autonomy over their internal
affairs. They were not permitted to conduct foreign policy; they had no
army; and they were heavily taxed by foreigners, but there was no interference
with dealings among the Jews themselves, and they were permitted to conduct
their society in accordance with the laws of the Torah and operate the
Temple as they saw fit. The High Priest, who was in charge of the Temple
and its service, also supervised matters not directly connected to ritual,
such as repair of the city walls and improvement of the aqueducts bringing
water to Jerusalem. This, then, was the state of affairs when Judea came
under the fateful influence of Hellenism.
The Hellenizers
From the time of Alexander the Great's conquest, all the countries
of the Middle East came under the influence of Hellenistic that is to
say Greek culture, (Hellas is Greek for Greece). The people of the Middle
East tried to imitate the culture of their Greek overlords. Some of
these peoples assimilated completely and disappeared as distinct national
entities. Greek culture was quite different from the culture of the
Jews. The differences were manifest in intellectual fields such as philosophy
and literature; in the culture of the body, such as sports and the art
of war; and in material culture, such as art, pottery, and architecture.
In Judea, as well, there were those who wished to be part of the Hellenistic
culture dominating the entire region. In particular, Jerusalem's upper
classes, the wealthy and the priests, who came into close contact with
the rulers and were familiar with their customs, began to imitate Greek
culture. They began to speak Greek, adopt Greek names, and visit the
gymnasium, where the young naked atheletes participated in wrestling,
foot races, and other sports.
Greek culture was idolatrous and contained many elements that were
not only foreign but antithetical to the spirit of Jewish tradition.
Most of the Jews remained faithful to the Jewish religion and its customs,
and strenuously opposed the foreign culture and the Jews who adopted
it.
We can imagine what the conservative Jewish farmers from the small
villages of Judea must have thought when they came to Jerusalem and
heard, and perhaps even saw how the High Priest upon completing his
service in the Temple would remove his priestly vestments and go to
watch athletic contests in the gymnasium.
(See also: The monolog of Mattathias, extract
of "Journeys", an activity book by Steve Israel.)
Those who observed Jewish law saw the Hellenizers as infidels and traitors
to all that the nation held holy. The Hellenizers, on the other hand,
saw themselves as progressive, as following the spirit of the time;
and perceived those who observed Jewish law as fanatics who stood in
the way of progress.
Antiochus IV and His Oppressive Decrees
Antiochus IV was a Seleucid monarch who ruled over Syria and the land
of Israel; his reign began in the year 175 b.c.e. His policy was different
from that of his Hellenistic and Persian predecessors. Until then, the
various rulers of the land of Israel had not intervened in religious
matters. Antiochus IV, however, wished to consolidate all the peoples
under his rule into one homogeneous nation. He therefore prohibited
observance of the Jewish commandments and tried by force to compel the
Jews to observe Greek customs.
Historical sources describe Antiochus's oppressive measures and the
reactions of those who remained faithful to Jewish law.
Moreover, the King sent agents with written orders to Jerusalem and
the towns of Judea. Ways and customs foreign to the country were to
be introduced. Burnt- offerings, sacrifices, and libations in the
Temple were forbidden; Sabbaths and feast-days were to be profaned.
Altars, idols, and sacred precincts were to be established; swine
and other unclean beasts to be offered in sacrifice. They must leave
their sons uncircumcised; they must make themselves in every way abominable,
unclean, and profane, and so forget the law and change all their statutes.
The penalty for disobedience was death.
(I Maccabees 1:44-50)
Opposition to the Decrees
Some people bowed to Antiochus' decrees, as they had already been influenced
by the ways of the Greeks. Many, however, resisted, and there were those
willing to sacrifice their lives and the lives of their children in
order to keep the commandments of the Torah. The Book of Maccabees tells
of women cruelly put to death because they would not agree to leave
their sons uncircumcised (I Maccabees 1:59). Particularly well known
is the story of Hannah and her seven sons, who were all killed by the
Greeks, because they refused to worship idols.
According to one of the stories describing those difficult days,
Antiochus appointed a governor for Jerusalem named Philipus, and ordered
him to require all Jews to bow before an idol of the King (the King
himself was also frequently considered a god) and to participate in
the sacrifice of a pig. Philipus thought that if he could convince
one of the Jewish elders, this would influence the simple people as
well. He, therefore, summoned Elazar, one of the more important priests,
and told him to fulfill the king's decree. But Elazar did not agree.
Philipus said to him:
"You know that I respect you, and that I wish to make it easy for
you. Let us take meat of a kosher animal slaughtered according to
your own laws. You will eat before the people, so that they will thing
that you are eating pork. If you do not agree, I will not be able
to violate the King's decree, and I will be compelled to have you
put to death.
Elazar replied: "Today, I am ninety years old. If I do as you request,
all those younger than I will say, 'Even ninety-year-old Elazar sought
to save his life by eating pork. So what do they expect of us?' I
would rather die to set an example for my people. Both life and death
are in the hands of God, and you must do as you see fit."
When Philipus saw Elazar's stubborn courage, he commanded his men
to beat him to death.
(Josippon 14)
The Rebellion Begins
How the Jewish rebellion against the Greeks broke out is chronicled
in the Book of Maccabees. When a detachment of Greek soldiers arrived
at the town of Modi'in to compel its residents to sacrifice a pig to
the Greek gods, the officers turned first to Mattathias, scion of the
priestly Hasmonean family:
The King's officers who were enforcing apostasy came to the town
of Modi'in to see that sacrifice was offered, and many Israelites
went over to them. Mattathias and his sons stood in a group. The King's
officers spoke to Mattathias: "You are a leader here," they said,
"a man of mark and influence in this town, with your sons and brothers
at your back. You be the first now to come forward and carry out the
King's order. All the nations have done so, as well as the leading
men in Judea and the people left in Jerusalem. Then you and your sons
will be enrolled among the King's friends; you will all receive high
honors, rich rewards of silver and gold, and many further benefits."
To this Mattathias replied in a ringing voice: "Though all the nations
within the king's dominions obey him and forsake their ancestral worship,
though they have chosen to submit to his commands, yet I and my sons
and brothers will follow the Covenant of our fathers. Heaven forbid
we should ever abandon the law and its statutes. We will not obey
the command of the king, nor will we deviate from our forms of worship."
As soon as he had finished, a Jew stepped forward in full view of
all, to offer a sacrifice on the pagan altar at Modi'in, in obedience
to the royal decree. The sight stirred Mattathias to indignation;
he shook with passion, and in a fury of righteous anger rushed forward
and slaughtered the traitor on the very altar. At the same time, he
killed the officer sent by the King to enforce sacrifice, and pulled
the pagan altar down. . . . "Follow me," he shouted through the town,
"every one of you who is zealous for the law and strives to maintain
the Covenant!" He and his sons took to the hills, leaving all their
belongings behind in the town.
(I Maccabees 2:15-28)
The Marriage of Hannah Daughter of Mattathias
Legend, however, has a different account of the rebellion's outbreak,
based on the theme of "droit de seigneur."
As part of their campaign to break the spirit of the Jews, the Greeks
decreed that every maiden must spend her wedding night in the bed
of the regional governor, and that only afterward would she be permitted
to her husband. As a result of this decree, the Jews stopped marrying.
For three years and three months, no wedding was held in Judea. Then
it came time for Hannah, daughter of Mattityahu the Hasmonean to marry.
In spite of the decree, Mattityahu held a great celebration, inviting
the leaders of the nation, for Mattathias' family was extremely prominent.
The bride sat, as was customary, at the head table, but suddenly stood
up, clapped her hands together, and tore her expensive wedding dress,
exposing herself. Everyone looked away in embarrassment, and her brothers
ran to fall upon her and kill her for shaming herself and her family.
But Hannah said to them, "Why, when I shame myself before my relatives
and friends are you so filled with embarrassment and anger that you
wish to kill me, but you agree to surrender me this night so the heathen
governor can lie with me? Why do you not learn from Simon and Levy,
sons of our forefather Jacob, who avenged the rape of their sister
Dinah (in Genesis, chapter 34)?"
Everyone realized that Hannah was right; her brothers discussed the
matter and came to a decision. They dressed their sister in the finest
garments and brought her with great ceremony, at the head of a large
procession, to the King. Hannah's brother's declared, "We are the
sons of the High Priest, and it is not fitting that our sister be
given to the governor. Our sister is fit only for the King himself!"
The brothers' words found favor in the King's eyes.
The brothers accompanied Hannah to the royal bed chamber, and thereupon,
seized the King and killed him. Afterward, they stormed out killing
ministers, guards, and servants, who were in the palace. So began
the Hasmonean revolt.
(M. Y. Ben Gurion, miMekor Yisrael 1; Y. D. Eisenstein, Otzar Midrashim:
Hannukah)
Fighting for Jerusalem
The Jewish rebels, known also as the Maccabees, were led by Mattathias'
son Judah. Antiochus sent out various commanders, to defeat the rebels,
but it was not an easy war, as the Jews were able to hide in the desert
and in mountainous areas with difficult access for a regular army. Sometimes,
the Greek forces managed to defeat the rebels; in many cases, though,
it was the Jews who defeated the Greeks in small battles waged in territory
difficult for an army's passage and which the Jews knew much better
than the foreign forces.
The Jews were well aware of their ultimate objective: Jerusalem and
the Temple. They were mourning for both, destroyed by the Greeks:
Jerusalem lay deserted like a wilderness; none of her children went
in or out. Her holy place was trampled down; aliens and heathen lodged
in her citadel. Joy had been banished from the people of Israel; and
the flute and the harp were silent. (I Maccabees 3:45)
In place of the joy that had always prevailed at the three annual pilgrimage
festivals, Passover, Shavu'ot, and Sukkot, when masses of people went
up to Jerusalem, there were now only painful memories. But Judah, Mattathias's
son appointed to command the fighters, did not despair. He encouraged
the people to fight until they would be able to return to Jerusalem
as victors. Before each battle, Judah aroused his soldiers with a short
but inspiring message, like his talk before the battle of Emmaus, where,
commanding a force of three thousand untrained Jewish fighters without
suitable weapons, he defeated five thousand trained, well-armed Greek
soldiers:
. . . .Judah thus addressed them: "Prepare for action and show yourselves
men. Be ready at dawn to fight these heathens who are massed against
us to destroy us and our holy place. Better to die fighting than to
look on while calamity overwhelms our people and the holy place. And
in any case whatever Heaven will, is what will come to pass.
(I Maccabees 3:58-60)
The Conquest of Jerusalem and Purification of the Temple
In spite of their inferiority in numbers and armament, after extremely
difficult battles throughout Judea, Judah and his men succeeded in capturing
Jerusalem. The Jewish victory over the Greeks was a historic instance
of the spirit of the fighters being every bit as important as military
might. The Book of Maccabees tells of the emotion-filled moment when
the Jews returned to Jerusalem as victors, in the year 164 B.C.E., some
three years after the rebellion began:
And Judah and his brothers said: "Now that our enemies have been
crushed, let us go up to Jerusalem to cleanse the Temple and rededicate
it." So the whole army was assembled and went up to Mount Zion. There
they found the Temple laid waste, the altar profaned, the gates burnt
down, the courts overgrown like a thicket or wooded hill- side, and
the priests' rooms in ruin. They tore their garments in mourning,
wailed loudly, put ashes on their heads, and fell on their faces.
(I Maccabees 4:36-39)
Judah and his men began cleaning the grounds and restoring the structure.
One of their first acts was to erect a new altar in place of the altar
that had been desecrated and destroyed by the Greeks.
The Eternal Flame Returns to the Altar
Legend tells that after Judah and his men built the altar and arranged
wood on it for a fire, they prepared an animal for sacrifice, laying
it upon the altar they had so recently completed. But the holy fire
that burned on the altar from the days of Moses and remained miraculously
alive in a secret hiding place for the seventy years of Babylonian exile
no longer existed, and it was forbidden to use "strange fire." The Maccabees
prayed, and in response, fire issued from the stones of the altar and
ignited the wood. This same fire continued to burn on the altar until
the Temple was finally destroyed by the Romans over two hundredyears
later.
The altar was dedicated on the twenty-fifth of the Hebrew month of
Kislev, three years after it had been desecrated and defiled by the
Greeks. To this day, Jews celebrate the twenty-fifth of Kislev as the
first night of Hannukah.
(Josippon 18)
The Miracle of the Oil
In the Temple, there stood a seven branched candelabrum known in Hebrew
as the Menorah, which burned day and night without interruption. The
lights of the Menorah were fueled by olive oil of the finest quality,
whose ritual purity was zealously guarded during entire process of its
production. The oil designated for the Menorah was stored in special
vessels bearing the seal of the High Priest.
An ancient tradition tells:
When the Greeks entered the Temple, they defiled all the containers
of oil, and when the Hasmonean family and their followers prevailed,
defeating the Greeks, they searched and found only one container still
sealed with the seal of the High Priest. It held enough oil for only
one day, but a miracle occurred, and the oil burned for eight days.
The next year they declared the eight days of the miracle to be a
holiday for praise and thanksgiving.
(Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 21b)
Hanukkah, the eight days of praise and thanksgiving established over
two thousand years ago, continues to be celebrated by Jews the world
over to this very day.
Rock of Ages - Maoz Tzur
By tradition, each night after lighting the Hanukkah candles, we sing
the song "Rock of Ages." The words were written by a Jew in thirteenth
century Germany whose identity remains unknown. The author did leave
us a kind of signature, though. Taken together, the opening letters
of the Hebrew verses spell out what appears to be the author's first
name, Mordekhai.
The song describes various moments in history when the Jews were miraculously
saved from their oppressors. The second verse, for instance, describes
the Exodus from Egypt; the third verse describes the return from Babylonian
exile; the fourth the Jews' rescue in the time of Mordekhai and Esther,
which gave us the Purim festival; and the fifth tells of the Maccabees'
victory over the Greeks:
Greeks gathered to attack me in the Hasmonean days; they demolished
my towers and polluted all the oils; from the last remaining flask,
a miracle was wrought for Israel. Men of wisdom then decreed eight
days for hymns of praise.
Jerusalem Expands
During the the Hasmonean rule, Jerusalem grew significantly, and many
new buildings were erected new residential neighborhoods as well as
opulent palaces for members of the upper classes. The Hasmonean rulers
themselves lived in a palace near the Temple. New sections were added
to the city wall in order to incorporate the new areas that had been
built. In the vicinity of the city, outside the wall, wealthy families
prepared monumental burial sites, some of which can be seen today. One
the most famous of these is known today as Yad Avshalom or Absalom's
tomb; it is named for King David's son Absalom (who lived nearly a millenium
earlier). Archaeological excavations in and around Jerusalem have unearthed
many remains from the days when the Hasmoneans ruled Jerusalem.