[Avodah] Chanukah

[Cantor Wolberg]

The Gemara in Maseches Shabbos (21) begins:
"What is Chanukah? The Rabbis have expounded: Beginning with the 25th  
of Kislev, eight days of Chanukah are observed, during which no  
eulogies are delivered, nor is fasting permitted. For when the Greeks  
entered the heichal, they defiled all the holy oils used for the  
Menorah in the temple, and when the Hasmonean house prevailed and  
defeated them, they searched and found only one remaining cruse of oil  
with the Kohen Gadol's seal, which evidently had not been touched by  
the Greeks.  Although it contained only enough oil to burn for one  
day, a miracle occurred, the Menorah was rekindled and the oil  
miraculously lasted for eight days until new oil could be prepared. A  
year later they (the Rabbis) designated these days as Yamim Tovim on  
which praise and thanksgiving were to be said."
Interestingly, not a word about the military victory is stated. Also,  
the question has been asked why weren’t the Greek enemies commanded  
to go into the temple, smash all the jars of oil and spill it out,  
thereby depriving the Jews of continuing their daily lighting of the  
Menorah. Why did they just defile it? The answer is fascinating. The  
goal of the enemy was not to prevent the rekindling of the Menorah,  
but rather that it should be rekindled with defiled oil. So they  
purposely left a supply of oil in the Sanctuary to be readily  
available for this purpose.

The bottom line is that the Greeks demanded that the Jews accept THEIR  
(the Greeks) torah (small “t” purposely) and as long as the Jews  
followed what the Greeks commanded, everything would be fine. And one  
of the most powerful tools the Greeks employed was assimilation.

In other words, the real God of the Jews was not allowed to be  
followed and the resistance of the Chashmonaim was at the basis of our  
faith: To follow God’s way irrespective of what others say or demand  
we should do.  To be flip: It’s either God’s way or Oy Vey!

Happy Chanukah

ri
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