Posts
Maccabee also stands for: Matisyahu Kohen Ben Yochanan - Matisyahu the Priest, son of Yochanan. Matisyahu (the High Priest) and his five sons led the revolt against the occupying forces and were heroes of Chanukah.
Hanukkah is an eight-day festival, commemorating the historic victory of the Maccabee family over the Syrian tyrant, Antiochus, in the 2nd century B.C. Before the ruler conquered Jerusalem he and his people championed the cause of hellenization. In other words, Antiochus is trying to make all the people of his kingdom like the rest of the Greeks. His cause is to conquer the minds' of the people and make them live like the 'civilized' Greek world. His goal was to conquer the Hebrews by having them assimilate into the nations. To help his actions, he desecrated the Temple. He forbade the Hebrews to circumcise their sons. He stopped Sabbath worship. He even required the new brides to spend the night with a Greek general before any marriage took place. He sacrificed a pig on the altar and put to death any Jewish people who dared to observe the commands of Torah.
Why did the oil need to last eight days? Why was 8 days of oil an immediate part of the Hanukah story and not something tossed in 300 years later?
According to Halacha (Jewish law) one becomes "Tamei" - "spiritually impure" when coming into contact with a dead body. The person must then wait seven days before becoming "Tahor" - "spiritually clean."
Due to the battles which the Maccabees fought, they came into contact with dead bodies and were considered unclean. Any oil which they would have produced during these seven days would not have been "clean" for use in the Holy Temple. Only on the eighth day were they able to begin producing "pure oil" fit for the Holy Temple. As a result, they needed a miracle for the original oil to last eight days.
Another reason given is that the best quality oil produced in Israel was in the territory of the Tribe of Asher, which was a four day journey from Jerusalem. Thus, to bring fresh oil they required four days to go and four days to return.
Now whether you wish to believe that oil for one day lasted for 8, or that they happened to find some more, or whether you wish to believe in God or not, it is up to you. But the ''story'' of 8 days of oil, was not something added into Judaism 300 years after Hanukah.
Now we gave you a pusuk of TaNaK (Zachariah) above:
Here is some Talmud:
The Talmud Balvi Tractate Shabbat 21b discusses three places where one may, under different circumstances, light neirot Chanuka: "The mitzva is to place the Chanuka lights at the entrance to one's house, outside. If one lives in a loft, he should place them in a window adjacent to the public thoroughfare (reshut ha-rabim). And in times of danger, he should place them on his table, and that suffices." In daf 22a Rabba said: The Chanuka lamp should be placed within the tefach (a handbreadth; approximately 8 cm) nearest the door. And where is it placed? R. Acha son of Raba said: On the right hand side. R. Shmuel of Difti said: On the left hand side. And the law is, on the left, so that the Chanuka lamp shall be on the left and the mezuza on the right…"
So my question is: why do we have an obligation to publicize the miracle of Hanukah? Why do we not have to publicize the miracle of Purim?
The economy is in shambles. A Jew has ''made-off'' with other Jewish charitable institutions money. We have a new parasha still talking about dreams, and ironically about 7 bad economic years to hit Egypt. Allow me to give you a little more Talmud regarding dreams and some good economic hope.
Our sages considered seeing pomegranates in a dream a fortuitous omen, Rabbi L. Cooper posits. The Talmud tells us that the significance depends on the size and condition of the fruit (Talmud Bavli Tractate Beracoth 57a). If the pomegranates are small, the dream indicates that the dreamer's business will be fruitful like a pomegranate. If the pomegranates are large, the business will not only be fruitful, but will expand and grow.
If the pomegranates are split, the sages say there are two possible meanings, depending on the scholarship of the dreamer. Dreamers who are Torah scholars may anticipate attaining further Torah knowledge if they see split pomegranates. Dreamers who are not well versed in Torah can expect to have the opportunity to fulfill more of the Almighty's commandments.
Pomegranates are one of the seven species with which the Land of Israel is blessed (see Deuteronomy 8:8). It is no wonder they played a prominent place in Jewish ritual art from ancient times. Thus images of pomegranates were woven into the hem of the robe worn by the high priest (see Exodus 28:33-34). Rabbi Cooper reminds us that in the Temple constructed by King Solomon, their image adorned the capitals of the two pillars - known as Yachin and Boaz - which stood at its entrance (see I Kings 7:13-22).
Pomegranates were also depicted on coins from ancient Judea. This tradition was revived when the two shekel coin entered circulation on Hanukkah 2007. This new coin features a pomegranate as well as a double cornucopia, that is, double horn of plenty. It was modeled after a coin struck by Yohanan Hyrcanus, the Hasmonean king and high priest in the second century BCE.
"May it be Your will, God, that our merits increase as the seeds of a pomegranate."
Rabbi Arthur Segal
Hebrew College, Newton Centre, MA, USA
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Hilton Head Island, SC; Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA
