Hannukah

1. Hannukah The Maccabean Revolt

2. Hellenistic Period • 332BCE Alexander the Great conquers Palestine • 323BCE Alexander dies • Diadochi, Ptolemy in Egypt, Seleucus in Syria • 301-201BCE Ptolemaic Rule • Allowed to continue as semiautonomous • 201BCE Seleucid conquest of Palestine • 175-171 Jason High Priest • bribes Antiochus IV for high priesthood • builds gymnasium in Jerusalem which becomes a polis – “Antioch” • 171-167 Menelaus High Priest • Converts temple into pagan shrine, YHVH=Zeus=Baal Shamin • 168-164 Maccabean Revolt • 167-166 Antiochus IV decrees persecution • 164 Judah conquers Jerusalem and rededicates the Temple

3. Why is Hanukah 8 Days?

4. Winter Solstice Holiday תלמוד בבלי מסכת עבודה זרה דף ח עמוד א • גמ'. אמר רב חנן בר רבא: קלנדא - ח' ימים אחר תקופה, סטרנורא - ח' ימים לפני תקופה, וסימנך: (תהלים קלט) אחור וקדם צרתני וגו'. • ת"ר: לפי שראה אדם הראשון יום שמתמעט והולך, אמר: אוי לי, שמא בשביל שסרחתי עולם חשוך בעדי וחוזר לתוהו ובוהו, וזו היא מיתה שנקנסה עלי מן השמים, עמד וישב ח' ימים בתענית [ובתפלה], כיון שראה תקופת טבת וראה יום שמאריך והולך, אמר: מנהגו של עולם הוא, הלך ועשה שמונה ימים טובים, לשנה האחרת עשאן לאלו ולאלו ימים טובים, הוא קבעם לשם שמים, והם קבעום לשם עבודת כוכבים. בשלמא למ"ד: בתשרי נברא העולם, יומי זוטי חזא, יומי אריכי אכתי לא חזא; אלא למ"ד: בניסן נברא העולם, הא חזא ליה יומי זוטי ויומי אריכי! [דהוי] זוטי כולי האי לא חזא. • ת"ר: יום שנברא בו אדם הראשון, כיון ששקעה עליו חמה, אמר: אוי לי, שבשבילשסרחתי עולם חשוך בעדי ויחזור עולם לתוהו ובוהו, וזו היא מיתה שנקנסה עלי מן השמים, היה יושב [בתענית] ובוכה כל הלילה וחוה בוכה כנגדו, כיון שעלה עמוד השחר, אמר: מנהגו של עולם הוא.

5. Winter Solstice • Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zara 8a • Our Rabbis taught: When Adam saw the day getting gradually shorter, he said, ‘Woe is me, perhaps because I have sinned, the world around me is being darkened and returning to its state of chaos and confusion; this then is the kind of death to which I have been sentenced from Heaven!’ So he began keeping an eight days’ fast. But as he observed the winter equinox and noted the day getting increasingly longer, he said, ‘This is the world's course’, and he set forth to keep an eight days’ festivity. In the following year he appointed both as festivals. Now, he fixed them for the sake of Heaven, but the [heathens] appointed them for the sake of idolatry.

6. Like Sukkoth II Maccabees 10 Now Maccabeus and his followers, the Lord leading them on, recovered the temple and the city; 2. they tore down the altars that had been built in the public square by the foreigners, and also destroyed the sacred precincts. 3. They purified the sanctuary, and made another altar of sacrifice; then, striking fire out of flint, they offered sacrifices, after a lapse of two years, and they offered incense and lighted lamps and set out the bread of the Presence.  4. When they had done this, they fell prostrate and implored the Lord that they might never again fall into such misfortunes, but that, if they should ever sin, they might be disciplined by him with forbearance and not be handed over to blasphemous and barbarous nations. 5. It happened that on the same day on which the sanctuary had been profaned by the foreigners, the purification of the sanctuary took place, that is, on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, which was Chislev.  6. They celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in the manner of the festival of booths, remembering how not long before, during the festival of booths, they had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals. 7. Therefore, carrying ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also fronds of palm, they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who had given success to the purifying of his own holy place. 8. They decreed by public edict, ratified by vote, that the whole nation of the Jews should observe these days every year.  9. Such then was the end of Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes.

7. Lit for Eight Days • תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף כא עמוד ב • מאיחנוכה? דתנו רבנן: בכ"הבכסליו יומי דחנוכה תמניא אינון, דלא למספד בהון ודלא להתענות בהון. שכשנכנסו יוונים להיכל טמאו כל השמנים שבהיכל, וכשגברהמלכות בית חשמונאי ונצחום, בדקו ולא מצאו אלא פך אחד של שמן שהיה מונח בחותמו של כהן גדול, ולא היה בו אלא להדליק יום אחד, נעשה בו נס והדליקו ממנושמונה ימים. לשנה אחרת קבעום ועשאום ימים טובים בהלל והודאה.

8. Eight Metal Spits • פסיקתא רבתי (איש שלום) פרשה ב ד"ה ילמדנו רבינו נר • ולמה מדליק נרות בחנוכה אלא בשעה שנצחו בניו של חשמונאי הכהן הגדול למלכות יון שנאמר ועוררת בניך ציון על בניך יון (זכריה ט' י"ג) נכנסו לבית המקדש מצאו שם שמונה שפודין של ברזל וקבעו אותם והדליקו בתוכם נרות,

9. Josephus is in the “Dark” Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12:7 • Now Judas celebrated the festival of the restoration of the sacrifices of the temple for eight days, and omitted no sort of pleasures thereon; but he feasted them upon very rich and splendid sacrifices; and he honored God, and delighted them by hymns and psalms. Nay, they were so very glad at the revival of their customs, when, after a long time of intermission, they unexpectedly had regained the freedom of their worship, that they made it a law for their posterity, that they should keep a festival, on account of the restoration of their temple worship, for eight days. And from that time to this we celebrate this festival, and call it Lights. I suppose the reason was, because this liberty beyond our hopes appeared to us; and that thence was the name given to that festival. Judas also rebuilt the walls round about the city, and reared towers of great height against the incursions of enemies, and set guards therein. He also fortified the city Bethsura, that it might serve as a citadel against any distresses that might come from our enemies.

10. Dreidl

11. The long nights of Hanukkah were ideal for games and play which, prohibited during the year (the main reason: waste of time which should be devoted to the study of the Torah), were allowed on this occasion. The most popular game, especially with children, was trendl (dreidl; a top; in modern Hebrew sevivon)whose four sides were inscribed with the Hebrew letters S, h, g, n, standing for the words: MS hyh lvdg sn (nesgadol hayah sham, “a great miracle occurred there”), in Israel the S is replaced by p, the initial of hp (poh, “here”). The dreidl isan example of how foreign material was ingeniously Judaized: the original medieval dice used in Germany by gamblers was inscribed with the four letters: N, G, H, and S, which are the initials nichts (“nothing”), ganz (“all”), halb (“half”), and stellein (“put in”). The four Hebrew parallel letters of the dice which became sanctified have the same numerical value as that of the word “Messiah” (Shgn=HyQm=358) and appropriate conclusions were consequently reached. Cards were also Judaized and special “Jewish” card sets, inscribed with Hebrew letters and illustrated with “Jewish” pictures, were used. – Encyclopedia Judaica “Folklore”

12. From the Hasmoneans to Roman Revolt

14. Judah the Maccabee • 167-160 BCE • Led the revolt against the Seleucids • Purified the Temple in 164 BCE

15. Jonathan • Ruler 161-143 BCE • first Hasmonean to be High Priest in 153 BCE

16. Simon • Ethnarch and High Priest • 142-135 BCE • Is granted tax exemption from Demetrius II • Removes Seleucid garrison in Jerusalem • Gains total political independence • Murdered by his son-in-law together with two older sons

17. John Hyrcanus • Ethnarch and High Priest • 134-104 BCE • Forced the Idumeans to convert (including Antipater’s father, grandfather of Herod) • Destroys Samaritan Temple in 128BCE

18. Aristobulus I • King and High Priest • 104-103BCE • First to call himself king • Imprisons mother and three brothers. Kills another brother. • Married to Salome Alexandra

19. Alexander Yannai • King and High Priest • 103-76 BCE • Married Salome Alexandra, his brother’s widow • Practiced Sadduecean law and was pelted by Etrogim. Kills 6,000 Jews in retaliations. • Killed 50,000 in civil war. • Crucified 800 Pharisees • Advises his wife before dying to yield to the Pharisees!

20. Salome Alexandra & Sons • Salome is queen of Judea 76-67 BCE • Her two sons Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II fight over the crown. Both appeal for help from the Romans. • Pompey imprisons Aristobulus II and makes Hyrcanus II high priest in 63BCE. • Hyrcanus serves 63-40BCE • Antignos serves 40-37BCE • Herod marries Mariamne, granddaughter of Hyrcanus and Aristobulus.

21. Hasmonean Conquests

23. Pompey

24. Pompey Enters the Holy of Holies • The first Roman to subdue the Jews and set foot into their Temple by right of conquest was Gnaeus Pompey: thereafter it was a matter of common knowledge that there were no representations of the gods within, but that the place was empty and the secret shrine contained nothing. Tacitus Histories 5.11-12