The word Hanukka means “dedication,” and it is used in this sense in Hebrew in phrases like Hanukat-haBayit (dedication of one’s new home).

So, what dedication are we referring to in our holiday of Hanukka?

During the second century BCE, the Jews in Israel lived under the oppressive rule of the Syrian-Greek army led by Antiochus Epiphanes. They were forbidden to practice their religion, and at one point, the Bet haMiqdash (the Holy Temple of Jerusalem) was captured and defiled by the Greeks. The Greeks desecrated the Temple by introducing an image of their pagan god, Zeus, and offering sacrifices of impure animals, such as pigs.

In 165 BCE, the Jews, led by Yehuda Makabi, rebelled against the powerful armies of Antiochus. With God’s help, they defeated the Greeks and regained control of the Bet haMiqdash. To purify and re-dedicate the Temple to God Almighty, they needed to light the Menora, symbolizing that the Temple had fully returned to the service of God.

They found only a small jar containing a limited amount of pure oil, enough to last for just one night. Nevertheless, they lit the Menora and joyfully dedicated the Bet haMiqdash back to God. The Makabim anticipated they would need to interrupt the dedication until new pure oil could be produced. However, a miracle occurred—the oil lasted for eight days, precisely the time required to prepare new pure olive oil.

Hanukka thus celebrates the dedication (or re-dedication) of the Bet haMiqdash to HaShem after years of defilement.

The holiday is observed by kindling candles each night for eight nights, commemorating the miracle of the oil.

Watch this beautiful video  THIS IS YOUR LIGHT    from Aish.com

As a tribute to our heroic ancestors who freed us from the Hellenic civilization, I would like to share with the readers of Halakha of the Day some thoughts on the difference between Jewish values and the values of the ancient Greek civilization.

I will base my words on Rabbi Ken Spiro’s book, “World Perfect”, which I strongly recommend reading, and other sources. I warn the readers that the issue we will explore today is extraordinarily harsh and sensitive. It is, nevertheless, the historical truth. And it will help us to appreciate some aspects of the celebration of Hanukka, our triumph over the Greek civilization, which we usually ignore.

While in modern gentile society, there are still debates on the subject of abortion, no one would dispute the right to life of a child once that child is born. Where does this principle come from? Is it an innate value in the minds and hearts of all human beings of all time? Is it, perhaps, part of the so-called “universal ethics”?

In Judaism, the right to life is a fundamental principle. For example, Jewish law allows abortion when the mother’s life is in danger before the birth process begins. But once the baby’s head is outside the mother’s body, the two lives are of the same value and importance. The preservation of that new life is an absolute and sacred principle. Our sages said: “Whoever destroys a life, it is as if he destroys all mankind”. This includes also, or perhaps above all, the life of a newborn baby, regardless of the physical conditions that baby was born with.

In ancient Greek society, this was not the case. Greeks (and later on Romans) normalized the practice of infanticide, killing newborn children as a form of population control, sex selection, and as the usual way to get rid of people who would cost a lot to maintain and would not bring any benefit to society.

Ken Spiro writes: “A baby that appeared weak or sickly at birth, or had even a minor birth defect such a cleft pallet, hair lip, or cleft foot, or was in some other way imperfect was killed. This was not done by some Nazi-like baby removal squad. This was done by an immediate member of the family, usually the mother or father, and usually within three days after birth. The method of “disposal” varied, but generally, we know that, in antiquity, babies were taken out to the forest and left to die of exposure, dropped down wells to drown, or thrown into sewers or onto manure piles. The horror of a parent being capable of killing his or her child is shocking enough. But that this parent should have so little regard for the child as to unmercifully dump it where it might die slowly and painfully, or be picked up by someone to be reared into slavery or prostitution (as sometimes happened), suggests a level of cruelty beyond our modern imagination. Lloyd DeMause in his essay “The Evolution of Childhood” (pp. 25-26) reports: “Infanticide during antiquity has usually been played down despite literally hundreds of clear references by ancient writers that it was an accepted, everyday occurrence. Children were thrown into rivers, flung into dung-heaps and cess trenches, ‘potted’ in jars to starve to death, and exposed in every hill and roadside, ‘a prey for birds, food for wild beasts to rend.’ (Euripides, Ion, 504)” So when a baby was born weak or sick, or if the baby was suffering from some physical defect of birth, even if your lip or foot were slightly split, were killed at birth. This removal was not performed by a squadron of removing babies, but by an immediate family member, usually the mother or father. And usually within three days after birth. The method of the “elimination” varied. But it is generally known that in ancient Greece, babies were taken to the forest and left to die by default, they are dropped into a pit or threw them into a river where they died by drowning, etc.”

DeMausse writes: “Until the fourth century A.D., neither law nor public opinion found infanticide wrong in either Greece or Rome. The great philosophers agreed. Those few passages that classicists consider as a condemnation of infanticide seem to me to indicate just the opposite, such as Aristotle’s “As to exposing or rearing the children born, let there be a law that no deformed child shall be reared; but on the ground of number of children, if the regular customs hinder any of those born being exposed, there must be a limit filed to the procreation of offspring.” Similarly, Musonius Rufus, sometimes called “The Roman Socrates,” is often quoted as opposing infanticide, but his piece “Should Every Child That Is Born Be Raised?” quite clearly only says that since brothers are very useful, they should not be killed. But more ancient writers openly approved of infanticide, saying, like Aristippus, that a man could do what he wants with his children, for “do we not cast away from us our spittle, lice and such like, as things unprofitable, which nevertheless are engendered and bred even out of our own selves.” Or like Seneca, they pretend only sickly infants are involved: ‘Mad dogs we knock on the head; the fierce and savage ox we slay; sickly sheep we put to the knife to keep them from infecting the flock; unnatural progeny we destroy; we drown even children who at birth are weakly and abnormal. Yet it is not anger, but reason that separates the harmful from the sound. (To read the full article of DeMause click here).

One might think that, as we say today, moral values are essentially “democratic” values. And as such, these values and mores probably come from the civilization that was the cradle of democracy: the ancient Greek civilization (the word “democracy” comes from the Greek, δημοκρατία). And it is indeed true that we inherited from ancient Greece architecture, arts, sports, aesthetics and many other positive things. But ethics was NOT one of them. Although the word “ethics” also comes from Greek, the “ethical practices” of the ancient Greeks, as we begin to see today, were radically different from the moral values of our modern society.

Respect for life is based exclusively on ancient Jewish ethics. These are the values for which our ancestors, the Hashmonayim, fought against the Greeks. 

What we celebrate on Hanukka is, above all, the preservation of Jewish ethics, the ethics of the Tora.  

As we explained yesterday, the of assimilation into Hellenic culture began a generation after the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE). Its empire was divided among his three generals, and they began the advancement of Hellenization, that is to say, the movement so that all the people conquered by the Greeks embrace the Greek culture and religion. The Greeks introduced their beliefs and values throughout the world without any resistance: promiscuous pagan practices, idolatry, the idealization of outer beauty and the entertainment industry. All these new “values” were adopted quickly and enthusiastically by all the peoples of the Greek empire. Except for the Jewish people.

At first, the Greeks tried to assimilate the Jews thru nonviolent means. To do that, they focused their efforts on the most vulnerable people in society: the rich. Those who had more to lose. The Greeks threatened the rich with confiscating their entire fortune if they persisted in keeping Jewish practices. And they also tempted them by offering them tax reductions and aristocratic titles if they began to act completely as Greeks. Slowly many influential Jews assimilated. This situation reached its peak when during a Shabbat, Jason, a Cohen Gadol fully assimilated to the Hellenic culture, attended a sports competition in an Olympic stadium built next to the Bet haMiqdash, instead of directing the religious services in the Great Temple.

However, although many Jews followed the path of the Greeks, other Yehudim remained loyal to their faith.
In 169 BCE something occurred that would change the course of history. Antiokhus Epiphanes, the new emperor, decided that it was time to stop being good and persuasive with those obstinate Jews who still remained faithful to their religion. It was time to impose Greek values by force and eliminate the stubborn Jewish resistance. Antiokhus brought his armies to Yerushalayim. First, he forbade the Yehudim to offer the daily sacrifices in the Bet haMiqdash. Then he profaned our Bet haMiqdash, transformed it into a sanctuary for his idols and introduced his statues. He killed thousands of Jews who resisted and captured others and sold them as slaves.

In the year 167 BCE Antiochus decreed that practicing Judaism was considered a capital crime in the Greek Empire and would be punished with execution. Shabbat, Rosh Hodesh, Kashrut and in particular circumcision were banned. And the Jews were obliged to kneel in public every time they passed before a Greek idol.
At first, the Yehudim reacted passively. Thousands chose death rather than worshiping idols. Until someone decided to do something about it …

In one of their raids, the Greeks entered the city of Modi’in and ordered Matitiyahu HaCohen, the leader of the city, to offer a sacrifice to a pagan idol. The Greeks speculated that once the leader would offer a sacrifice to the Greek god, all the others would follow his example. And if the leader refused to offer the pagan sacrifice, they would kill him and put a Hellenistic Jewish leader in his place. They had done so in every Jewish city. But with Matitiyahu something different happened. In place of martyrdom (choosing to being killed instead of practicing idolatry) Matitiyahu fought and ended up killing those who brought the orders of Antiokhus. This heroic and unprecedented act, inspired the armed revolution of the Yehudim, led by Matitiyahu and his sons, against the tyrant Antiokhus.

With the help of HaShem, and after many heroic and difficult battles, the Yehudim defeated the mighty Greek army, and in the end, in 165 BCE, they purified and rededicated the Bet haMiqdash, and restored Jewish sovereignty over the land of Israel.

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed (Penine Halakha, Zemanim, 218-220) says that Antiokhus’s impatience was something “providential” (מן השמים) that pushed many Jews, especially those who assimilated, to fight for their religion. Rabbi Melamed says that if the Greeks had been more patient, the assimilation could have been much greater, and the consequences, ח”ו, could have been devastating. As it happened many times, when prohibiting the practice of Judaism, even assimilated Jews reacted and joined the rebellion.

In my opinion, this video from the 80’s, is the one that better and in more depth explains the history of Hanuka. One of the things I love the most about this video is that its narrative is significant for adults, because it has very intelligent symbolisms, as well as for children. Although the quality is far from being HD, I think it is worth seeing and analyzing it.

When Alexander the Great came to Yerushalayim in 332 BCE, miraculously, he entered the city in peace. The Greek monarch was fascinated with the Cohen Gadol, the Tora and the valus of the Jewish people. Alexander, who was very smart and had been educated by Aristotle, was so amazed at the religion of the Jews that he offered to please their desires. The Yehudim did not ask for anything material, nor revenge of their many enemies, etc. They said: “We only ask that you allow us to live by our Tora in peace.”

Alexander agreed. A couple of examples: Alexander asked that an elite force be formed by Jewish soldiers, who would fight in his army. These soldiers would be allowed to fulfill their religion while serving in their ranks (Kashrut, Shabbat, etc.). There is documentation showing that Alexander the Great instructed his generals to excuse the Jewish soldiers from participating in the erection of a pagan temple in Babylon (E. Bickerman). A letter was also found where Alexander asks that a special oil be given to his Jewish soldiers in Antioquia, who refused to use the common oil (ta-me).

But over time, after a generation or two, the inevitable happened. The social and cultural contact between Jews and Greeks in Israel was friendly, daily and permanent. The Yehudim participated together with the Greek citizens in the arts, the market, and the army. There are documents from the year 259 BCE where we can see, for example, the abundant trade between the two peoples. The Greek language, which was the language of the market, came to replace the Hebrew language. The influence of the attractive Greek culture, modern technology and especially its sophisticated entertainment industry (sports, arts, theater) made a profound impact on the Yehudim of Erets Israel.

The book Yobelot (also known as בראשית זוטא) relates that as a result of the intense contact with the Greeks, many Yehudim “had already forgotten the religious precepts, stopped observing the Shabbat, ate the same foods as the Greeks and some, even married with them, and served their gods.” Many Yehudim also stopped celebrating Rosh Hodesh, that is, the beginning of Jewish month. Why? Because the Jewish calendar is solar and lunar at the same time, while the Greek calendar was just solar, and it was the civil and commercial calendar. Ben Sira, an author of that time (wrote his books around the year 190 BCE) which is sometimes quoted by the Gemara, denounced that many Yehudim were ashamed of their religion. The Jews participated in the famous Greek sports, in which the athletes had to compete being totally naked. There is evidence, in an ancient Mishnah in Pirqe Abot, that some Jews underwent a certain type of surgery to reverse their Berit Milah (מושך עורלתו), and thus be able to compete in athletic stadiums without the stigma of the circumcision (see Rambam MT, Teshubá 3: 6).

This tendency towards assimilation and abandonment of Judaism occurred, as is often the case today, not because the Jews were “forced” to abandon Judaism. Little by little many Yehudim left the Tora and were influenced by the Greek culture, their way of thinking and acting. Without the observance of the Mitzvot and without social barriers that protected them from integration into the Gentile society (Jews spoke Greek, dressed like Greeks and even had Greek names), little by little and perhaps without realizing it, they were losing their identity. ..

And all this occurred decades before Antiokhus Epiphanes (215 BC -164 BCE) established his decrees prohibiting Jewish practice.

Of course, not all Jews were assimilated. Many Yehudim, perhaps half or a little less, despite being integrated “commercially” with the Gentile society, still continued to fulfill the Tora and guarded the social barriers that prevented assimilation.

Thus, in the times of the Hashmonaim, the heroes of Chanukah (175-165 BCE) there were already two very distinct camps within the Jewish people: those Yehudim who had voluntarily assimilated or Hellenized (mityavnim), and on the other side those who remained faithful to their religion, unconditionally.

To be continued…

At the end of the year 167 b.c.e approximately in December,  by order of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, King of Syria and so ruler of the Jews, the Temple on Zion was desecrated and given over to the uses of idolatry. At the same time the law of Moses was rescinded by a decree of the King. Observance of the commandments of the Torah, such as circumcision and the sanctification of Sabbath and New Moon, was made a capital offense. In addition, the Jews were required to worship the gods of the gentiles. Altars were erected to these gods in every locality, and the populace was commanded to offer sacrifice to new deities. It was the pig, precisely the animal regarded by the Jews as unclean, the most acceptable offering to these gods…. never before and never thereafter was the spiritual existence of Israel so imperiled.

From the book: “From Ezra to the last Maccabees”, by Elias Bickerman. p. 93.

Antiochus pillaged the Temple, attacked Jerusalem. More than 40,000 Jews who resisted the new laws (aka “Hasidim”) were killed by the Syrian-Greek army. Thousands of Jewish women and children were taken into slavery.

During the eight days of Hanuka we recite the prayer ‘al hanisim, (‘for the miracles’) in the ‘amida (=main daily prayer) and in birkat hamazon (= prayer of gratitude after a full meal). In ‘al hanisim we mention malkhut yavan harish’a, the cruel Greek-Seleucid Empire and their decrees to abolish our Tora. In this prayer we thank HaShem for the wonders and miracles He performed to our ancestors, preventing them from falling into the hands of the enemy. Bearing in mind that the defeated Seleucid army was one of the most sophisticated and well organized armies in antiquity, while the Jews did not practice war and never excelled in the art of warfare.

We also hint to the fact that the pious Jews who were willing to sacrifice their lives to uphold the Tora, lead by Yehuda Maccabee, were victorious in the struggle against those Jews who were willing to assimilate and reform Judaism.  This is what Bickerman describes as the most dangerous threat for “the spiritual existence of Israel”, the civil war. Many Jews, especially the aristocracy and those in positions of power, were very eager to reform the “old laws of Moshe” and integrate themselves into the new universal culture, the Hellenic civilization. Tempted by these new winds, many Jews saw no problem in intermarriage or in adopting the worshiping of other gods, side by side with the God of Israel (=syncretism, like celebrating Hanukka and Christmas together). In the prayer ‘al hanisim we call these apostate Jews resha’im and zedim, wicked and sinners. We  thank HaShem for His help in this struggle, because we are are mindful that it was, and it is, much more difficult to fight against our own, than to fight against the enemy.

THE PRAYER ‘AL HANISIM

“In the days of Matityahu, the son of Yochanan the High Priest, the Hasmonean and his sons, when the wicked Hellenic government rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Tora and violate the decrees of Your will. But You, in Your abounding mercies, stood by them in the time of their distress. You waged their battles, defended their rights, and avenged the wrong done to them. You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the wanton sinners into the hands of those who occupy themselves with Your Tora. You made a great and holy name for Yourself in Your world, and effected a great deliverance and redemption for Your people Israel to this very day. Then Your children entered the shrine of Your House, cleansed Your Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy courtyards, and instituted these eight days of Hanuka to give thanks and praise to Your great Name.”