[Avodah] Why was the Hanukkah Revolution led Specifically by Kohanim?

[Micha Berger]

I guess it wasn't spam blocked, just very delayed! Sorry for yet another
duplicate. Now, taking off my mod hat...

On Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 06:45:06PM +0000, rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com wrote:
: A: Because of the gzeira of "tibo'eil lehgmon". For Yisroelim and Leviim
: This was bad - but survivable

I just posted something about this on Areivim. That conversation drifted
Avodah-ward anyway...

In Maaseh Chanukah par. 6 (which can be found in Otzar haMidrashim (NY,
1915) and more classically, in Otzar Tov cheileq 1, Beis haMedrash
cheileq 5), the war is described as being triggered by the wedding of
Matisyahu's daughter Channah. (Not being confused with Channah of the
7 sons of Maccabbees II, which BTW is a less Jewish source than Makabiim
I.)

Chanah's wedding couldn't be hidden from the hegemon, being that the
kohain gadol's family is famous. She came to her wedding nude, taunted
her brothers that this outrages them, but the fate that evening does
not? She then asks them to follow in the footsteps of Shim'on veLeivi
defending Dinah's honor, and the war begins.

Something that happened in that Areivim discussion is that I learned
(against my expectation) that this story isn't common knowledge. It was
something I was taught in HS, so I thought everyone old enough to be
taught about such matters knew.

Before I was such age, I was taught that the reason why there is a minhag
for women not to do melakhah the first 30 min that the neiros burn was the
the story of Yehudis killing Holifernes, the opposing general (in a manner
much like Yael killing Siserah). BTW, Yehudis is described as Yochanan
kohein gadol's daughter, ie Matisyahu's sister. (Assuming "kohein gadol"
in Al haNissim modifies "Yochanan" rather than "Matisyahu". Otherwise,
who knows which Yochanan was Matisyahu's father?)

However, when I was told about the hegemon claiming droit de seigneur,
I was also taught that /this/ was why Chanukah was so special for women
in particular, and thus the lack of melakhah.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "And you shall love H' your G-d with your whole
micha at aishdas.org        heart, your entire soul, and all you own."
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