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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText>Several decades before the fall of the second Temple, we read of the emerging of Zealots, Sicarii, and Biryonim – different extremist groups at one end of the spectrum, and the Tzadukim and “Friends of Rome” on the other end with the majority of the Jews in Jerusalem being more moderate in their approach. You have the former involved in either Religious divisiveness and zeal, political killings against anyone who might have an affinity with a Roman, or outright intimidation and extortion for personal gain. Leaders such as Rabban Gamliel the Elder spoke out against them and tried to stop them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Skipping backward in time, we have a story of the Maccabees, which may not be historically accurate, but does emphasize a radical element, that the Romans brought forth a meal of pig and demanded that the Jews partake of it, and when a Jew did step forward, a Maccabee came behind him and stabbed him to death, beginning the war. (There are others that emphasize other divisive reasons that are equally as interesting).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>As an aside, I read a book some years ago where the author promoted the idea that non-Jews are not <i>tamai</i> and therefore the “al haNissim” where we speak of the pure ones defeating the tamai ones is speaking of the religious Jews against the Hellenized ones, which is an interesting way to read it, and put it into the context of the division of the later period. And the religious Jews won, and we celebrate the purifying of the temple. We unite and, a few years later, were are no longer under Greek rule.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>So my two questions are these:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Do we hold the Maccabees to a higher standard than the Zealots of the year 6CE (plus) because the Maccabees were successful, or is it because it was the Kohanic LEADERSHIP (versus the Kingship and authority of the courts of that time) were the ones pushing for such a war, and therefore killing Jews to intimidate participation was an acceptable strategy? Remember, the Zealots in the year 68CE would destroy the food supplies of Jerusalem to get the moderates to take action.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Can we apply the goals of their children and grandchildren, after a mere generation, whose lust for power included such things as hiring Assyrians to kill the thousands of Jews who opposed their tyranny (many fled to Alexandria to save themselves), as also being in the background of Yehudah the Maccabee and his sons, or do we keep them separate from the desire seeking to take over the Judean kingship?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Happy last day of Hannukah!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Eliyahu Grossman<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>