Rhythms of Jewish Living

1. Rhythms of Jewish Living Chanukah Presented by Ittay Flescher Melbourne, Australia

2. 825-586 BCE 1st Temple Period Exile of many Jews to Mesopotamia after destruction 538BCE Fall of Babylonian Empire to Persian. Cyrus allows Jews to return 515 BCE 2nd Temple Reconsecrated C 450 BCE Zerubavel, Ezra and Nechemia lead returnees back to Judea. 332 BCE Alexander the Great defeats Persia, Hellenistic culture introduced to Judea 167 BCE Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Seleucid ruler enforces Hellinization of Israel. Matityahu refuses to bow. Timeline

3. 25th Kislev 165BCE The Maccabees, the priestly family of the Hasmoneans, head the rebellion against the Seleucids and Hellenistic Jews. 152 BCE Jonathan(Brother of Yehuda) appoints himself high priest. Hasmoneans are not the traditional family of the high priesthood. 104 BCE Maccabees declare themselves as kings of Judea. Forcibly convert populations to Judaism. 67-63 BCE Civil war between two Maccabee brothers. They turn to Rome for help. Rome enters and Pompey seizes control. 40 BCE Herod appointed King of Judea by Romans 70 CE 2nd Temple destroyed by Romans Timeline

6. Arch of Titus - Rome

7. What is the message of the Chanuka Story? • Rabbinic • Zionist • Chabad • Reform/Progressive

8. Rabbinic Narrative • Traditional Chanukah Blessings • 1. God commands us to light candles (Mitzvah) • 3. Thankfulness for arrival at this momentous time (Shevach VeHodaya) • 2. Praising God for causing a miracle

9. Rabbinic Historiography • Text 2: Al Hanisim • Miracles...You performed for our ancestors in those days • Text 3: Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 21b • Eight days of oil to light menorah... Miracle... • Military Miracle or Oil Miracle?

10. Which book of the Tanach tells the story of Chanukah? • Story of Chunukah is only found in the Apocrypha and Talmud.

11. Apocrypha • Comes from the Greek word ἀπόκρυφα, which means those having been hidden away. • Eg: Jubilees, Enoch, Tobit, Sirach, Judith. • Book of Maccabees - ספר חשמונאים • Why was Maccabees excluded from the canon? • 1. The Hasmoneans were looked upon with disfavor for having taken the throne away from the house of King David (Zadokite). • 2. At the time when the canonization took place, rabbinic authorities were still striving to get people to observe this festival more widely in their homes, but had not yet won over their hearts and minds. As such, they could not yet elevate the story of Chanukah in the Books of Maccabees to the status of a biblical book. • 3. No reference to the miracle of the oil

12. Why was Maccabees excluded from the canon? • 4. Destruction of Temple in 70 C.E. and failed Bar Kokhba revolt of 135 C.E. bore too many similarities to the Maccabbean revolt. Including the book of Maccabees in the Hebrew canon, may have encouraged suspicion among the Romans and reprisals against the Jews. • 5. Ultimately, the Hasmoneans had become just like the very Hellenists against whom their ancestors had fought. They had invited the Roman Empire to be protectors of Judea, paving the way for the Roman conquest. • 6. Hasmoneans had supported the Sadducees, the priestly party, against the Pharisees, the spiritual ancestors of the Rabbis.

13. Why celebrate Chanukah at all? • How do you celebrate the rededication of the Temple without the Temple? • Emphasise/Create the supernatural miracle of the oil • Theme of light (which shines in the face of dark despair) as well as its unexpected nature, may have given it the strength to become the most beloved, most eternally relevant festival during the hundreds of years of exile from the land.

14. Secular Zionist Narrative • Military victory through army, not God. • Anu Nosim Lapidim – We carry torches • Banu Choshech legaresh – We expel darkness

15. AnuNosimLapidimBy AharonZeev and MottiZe'ira We carry torches in gloomy nights, The paths glow beneath our feet, And he whose heart thirsts for the light will raise his eyes and heart to us - To the light - and come. No miracle occurred for us, we found no vial of oil.We walked to the valley, we ascended the mountain, We discovered the hidden springs of light.No miracle occurred for us; we found no vial of oil. We hewed stone until we bled and there was light. אנו נושאים לפידיםבלילות אפלים.זורחים השבילים מתחת רגלינוומי אשר לב לוהצמא לאור -ישא את עיניו וליבו אלינולאור ויבוא!נס לא קרה לנו -פך שמן לא מצאנו.לעמק הלכנוההרה עלינומעיינות האורותהגנוזים גילינו.נס לא קרה לנופך שמן לא מצאנובסלע חצבנו עד דם -ויהי אור!

16. Israeli Scouts in the Negev

18. News story – December 8, 2007/28 Kislev 5768 Basketball / Euroleauge No Miracle Needed: Macccabees Extinguish Greeks By Haaretz Sports Staff The Maccabees, feeling comfortable on their home turf, ambushed the Greeks last night, and no elephants had to be killed to secure the victory. Maccabi Tel Aviv reeled off the first 10 points of the game and practically never looked back as they toppled Aris Thessaloniki 85-70. David Bluthenthal made six of those points and went on to a perfect performance from 2-point range (6-for-6) during his 18-point evening.

19. Chabad Narrative • Text 6: Rambam, Mishne Torah - Publicising the miracle • “A Lubavitch Chasid is a Lamplighter” Menachem Mendel Schneerson • It is written, "The soul of man is a lamp of God" (Proverbs 20:27), and it is also written, "A mitzvah is a lamp and the Torah is light" (Proverbs 6:23). A Chassid is he who puts his personal affairs aside and goes around lighting up the souls of Jews with the light of Torah and mitzvot. Jewish souls are in readiness to be lit. Sometimes they are around the corner. Sometimes they are in a wilderness or at sea. But there must be someone who disregards personal comforts and conveniences and goes out to put a light to these lamps. That is the function of a true Chassid. • http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/114875/jewish/A-Lamplighter.htm

20. Chabad Narrative • Spreading the light to dark places • Publicising the Miracle • Spiritual War Chanukah - the eight-day festival of light that begins on the eve of Kislev 25 -- celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, of spirituality over materiality. www.chabad.org

21. TzivosHashem – Army of God • http://www.tzivos-hashem.org/ • Children go up ranks for doing good deeds • The soldiers of TzivosHashem gave nachas to the Rebbe as he watched them increase their mitzvos and perform them with greater care. And it was the children who were able to identify with and express the Rebbe’s passion to bring the world to peace and goodness, as they would sing for him their theme song: We Want Moshiach Now. • http://www.tzivos-hashem.org/Article.asp?dept=1002&Article=49

22. Reform Narrative • Reform Judaism does aspire to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem • Does not have a negative image of western culture (Hellenism) • Liberal outlook generally does not glorify military heroism • http://www.nfty.org/resources/holidays/chanukah/

23. An American Reform Holiday CurriculumThe Anti-War Celebration of the Maccabees (1971)By Harry Gersh • Jews never take up the sword willingly. No one can take joy in the death of another human being. But sometimes, we have no choice. We must stop and fight those who would deny us the freedom to be Jews. That’s why Mattathias, the priest of Modiin, is the real hero of the Chanukah. He had the courage to stand up the Syrians. Mattathias did not want war. When many people shouted for war, Mattathias ran away from Jerusalem hoping to avoid war. But when he found that meant he would have to give up his Judaism he knew what he had to do.

24. Chanukah is the festival of religious freedom • Today, some people use Chanukah to show that Jews were a warrior people. They were not. Most Jews in all ages thought war was stupid. Chanukah is not a war of Independence. The Jews at that time accepted Antiochus, but did not accept his interference with their worship, their beliefs and their religion. • So this war was the first for the right of a people within a country to believe as they wish – so long as they followed the king’s law in worldly matters. Jews have always been loyal to kings, dukes, Caliphs and presidents, as long as they were permitted to practice their own religion. This idea of religious freedom is followed in all free nations today. It was first given to the world by Jews.

25. The Chanukah Story Chanukah is a celebration of peace and freedom.It was first celebrated on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev. Long ago in a place far offThe story as I hear tellA Syrian king named Antiochus ruled over Israel. He said, "I am the lawI make all the rulesHow you eat, how you work and play,I shall tear down the temple of the JewsThey shall worship the way I say (2x). But one brave man named MattityahuSaid, "This shall never beI will not bow down, if you're for the LordJoin my sons and follow me," And they called them the Maccabbees. Oh we are the mighty MaccabbeesFreedom is our battle cryAll courage and strength, all victoriesAre gifts from our God on high,For we are the army of the LordAnd we battle in God's nameAnd when our temple is restoredWe'll rekindle the holy flame. (2x)

27. Narrative Summaries • Rabbinic – Oil lasted 8 days, miracle emphasise divine intervention. • Zionist – Military victory for national independence against foreign occupier • Chabad – Rekindle lights (Jewish souls) by doing mitzvot and acts of outreach • Reform – Anti War festival, only religious freedom is worth fighting far. Jews can live in harmony under non-Jewish rulers. Message is to fight for freedom and against intolerance of religion wherever it appears.

28. Other Chanukah Traditions

30. http://PassTheCandle.com

33. Rock of Ages, let our song praise Your saving power.You amid the raging throng were our sheltering tower.Furious they assailed us, but Your help availed us.And Your word broke their sword when our own strength failed us.

34. On a lighter note...What’s Chrismukah?