Rabbi Howard Morrison

Once again, a joyous Festival has been transformed into horror and sadness. Over two years ago, Simchat Torah in Israel was changed forever on October 7, 2023. This past Sunday, as many of us were sleeping, Chanukah had already begun in Australia, given the time difference of many hours. On the first light on Bondi Beach in Sidney Australia, indiscriminate shooting at Jews celebrating Chanukah resulted in 15 deaths and dozens of injuries The deaths included an October 7 survivor who had come to Australia to help confront the rampant Antisemitism there, two local rabbis, a Holocaust survivor, and a young child. 

Today, we near the end of Chanukah. Today we have a long service - three Torahs, Hallel, Al Hanisim, and more. However, there are historical dimensions to Chanukah that we need to reclaim given the hatreds which have always been around but which have risen to the surface in the last few years.

If you ask the average Jew on the street about Chanukah, my guess is that you will hear the story of the oil and the Mitzvah to light the Chanukiah, and not much more.

If you ask the average Jew on the street about the literary sources of Chanukah, my guess is that you might hear that the origins appear in three pages of Talmud that include the story of the oil and the laws of kindling the Chanukiah. You might hear of the famous debate between Hillel and Shammai on whether we start the holiday with all eight lights and subtract one each night, or we start the holiday with one light and add one each night. In case you missed the memo, we follow the latter view from the school of Hillel.

Here is what the average Jew on the street might not know. There are two historical books about Chanukah called the books of the Maccabees. They were preserved not in our Tanach, but in the Apocrypha, books outside the Hebrew Bible. The Christian world maintained these books in between their Old and New Testaments. The Talmud never mentions these books, and the Sages sought to ignore them. Why?

The descendants of the Maccabees embraced Hellenism; the descendants of the Maccabees abused their power and became corrupt; In retrospect, some saw the Maccabees as being too overzealous, attributing their acts of military violence to the zealotry of Pinchas in the Bible; whereas, the Talmudic Sages preferred the image of seeking peace from their interpretations of Aaron, the Hight Priest.

The Sages of the Talmud, who lived two thousand years ago and some hundreds of years after the actual events of Chanukah, de-emphasized the books of the Maccabees and military miracles. The account in the Talmud maintains the story of the oil as the only miracle. The Sages sought to erase the physical and military side of Chanukah, preserving only the spiritual side of the lights. Even the selection of today's Haftarah from the Prophet Zechariah selected by ancient rabbis focuses on a reenvisioned Menorah and concludes with the words, "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts." Ironically, the famous miracle of the oil does not appear in any source prior to the Talmud, hundreds of years after the original events. When the story of the oil is recounted in the Talmud, the medieval commentor Rashi writes, "For which miracle was Chanukah established," suggesting there were other miracles associated with the holiday.

During the eight days, we recite in the Amidah and in the blessings after meals a passage called  Al Hanisim. There is no mention of the oil. The military heroism of the holiday is emphasized, "the many falling into the hands of the few; the strong in the hands of the weak," and a few other such expressions.  This prayer was inserted in the Middle Ages during times of persecution and attack.

Less known is a medieval work called, Megillat Antiochus, relating the victories of the Maccabees.

The song we recite after lighting candles, Maoz Tzur, also developed in the Middle Ages, celebrating God's victories over the enemies of the Jews and celebrating pride in the strength of the Maccabees.

While the tendency over the ages has been to emphasize the spirituality of Chanukah and a desire for peace, it seems to me that we ought not forget the original books of the Maccabees and a return to the historical military aspects brought to us in the Middle Ages. The horrors of October 7, the rampant rise in evil acts of Jew hatred, and the latest example on the first night of Chanukah in Australia remind us to stay educated about Chanukah in all its dimensions.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Urim Sameach.

Rabbi Howard Morrison