Meaningful Moadim
  • Welcome to Meaningful Moadim
    • Index
    • The Shamash's Lesson
    • CHANUKAH >
      • Chanukah: The Festival of Lights >
        • What is Chanukah? >
          • TAKING A MOMENT OUT FOR A CHANUKAH THOUGHT
          • The Name of the Holiday >
            • The Dreidel Teaches the Eternity of the Jewish People >
              • Deeper Meaning of the Dreidel Letters
              • Chanukah: Renewal
              • Allusions to Chanuka in Parshas Mikeitz
              • Connection Between Shabbos and Chanukah
              • Why is there no Mesechta Chanukah?
              • Matisyahu and His Sons
              • What is Chanukah? #2
              • The Maenorah cannot be placed lower than 10 Tefachim
            • Why is Shehechiyanu recited only on the first night of Chanukah?
            • Biblical Allusions
            • Another explanation of the name Chanukah
            • Ve-Al Hnissim, not Al Hanissim
            • Mai Chanukah?
            • Only Chanukah can be performed in a Mehadrin or Mehadrin min Hamehadrin manner
            • Varying Levels of Fulfilling the Mitzvah
            • Mazal Kislev Keshes
            • The Shamash (Candle)
            • Why didn't the Kohanim themselves defile the oil if everyone was tamei, ritually impure due to the war? >
              • Chanukah Always has a Shabbos >
                • Bais Shamai and Bais Hillel (2)
                • Chanukah Always Falls our Around parshas Mikeitz
        • The Lesson of the Dreidel
        • Chanukah: A Winter Festival
        • KISLEV - Great Expectations
        • The Light of the Jewish Soul Glows on Chanukah
        • Pirsumei Nisa on Chanukah
        • Chanukah: A War of Conflicting Philosophies >
          • Why was a holiday established specifically for the war that led to the Chanukah miracle?
          • Uphold Good or Destroy Evil?
          • LeHashkicham Torasecha U’LeHa’aviram MeiChukei Retzonecha
          • Are we celebrating the victory over the Greeks or the Miracle of the Oil?
          • U’Leamcha Yisrael Assisa Teshua Gedola U’furkan K’Hayom Hazeh…
          • Alexander The Great and The Jewish Sages
          • Miracle Oil?
          • Give the Gift of LIGHT!
        • Customs, Symbols & Observances >
          • More Reasons for Doughnuts on Chanukah
          • THE DREIDEL
          • The Letters on the Dreidel >
            • The Lesson of "Chanukah Gelt"
          • More Customs >
            • More About the Dreidel
            • The Lesson of the Dreidel
            • More on Dreidel
            • Another Gematria of the Dreidel Letters
            • Chanukah Gelt
            • L'Hodos U'LaHallel
          • More Symbolism >
            • Symbolism of Olive Oil
            • The Greeks vs. The Jews
            • The Little Jug that Traveled Through Time
            • Gazing at the Neiros Chanukah
            • Patriarchal Prayers
          • The Custom to serve Dairy and Cheese Products on Chanukah
          • Tzedaka - Charity
        • The Shamash >
          • The Secret of the Shamash
        • The Jewish People Are Above Nature >
          • A MODERN DAY CHANUKAH MIRACLE
        • Putting Away the Menorah?
        • Month of Teves: Catastrophic Events
        • Mazal Teves Gedi - Goat
        • Recommended Reading
  • The Final Judgement stretches out to Zos Chanukah
  • The Greeks Wanted to Destroy the Jews Status as the Chosen Nation
  • More on the uniqueness of Klal Yisrael
  • Chanukah Illuminates The Month of Teves
  • The Chasam Sofer on Asara B’Teves
  • Lag B'Omer-

Are we commemorating the victory of the Hasmoneams over the Greek army?

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The Talmud (Shabbos 21b) asks, "What is Chanukah?" and in answering the question, the Talmud goes on to relate the 'miracle of the lights'. This is the only miracle that the Talmud mentions in its brief description of the Chanukah events. It does not mention the defeat of the Syrian-Greek army. However, the AI HaNissim liturgy, which we recite throughout Chanukah recounts the festival's origin and tells a different tale. There, the eight-day miracle of the oil is not even mentioned. There, the emphasis is on the miracles of the military triumph. AI HaNissim tells how the Syrian-Greeks conquered the Jews and sought to wrest them from the Torah and commandments and how G-d came to Israel's defense, enabling them to overcome 'the strong, the many, the impure, the wicked, and the wanton,' bringing about 'a great victory and salvation' to the nation.

Maharal (Chiddushei Aggados), a popular commentary on the Talmud, notes the discrepancy between the Talmud's emphasis on the oil and the liturgy's emphasis on the war. He explains that even at the time of the miracle it was necessary for Divine intervention to show the victorious Jews that their military triumph had indeed been miraculous. 

As we read of the Maccabean victories over the Syrian-Greeks, we can marvel at their faith in G-d and at their courage in the face of impossible odds. A band of devout Jews defeated one of the superpowers of the day. 

But one who reads the history without knowing from faith, tradition, and study that G-d was in their ranks might be forgiven if he wonders. Even in modern times we have seen mighty armies of apathetic mercenaries defeated by bands of rebels, fighting for their own homes and to defend the dignity of their wives and children. 

If guerrillas can defeat huge armies equipped with twentieth century armaments, why couldn't an ancient Jewish force do the same against Syrian horsemen with spears? 

...Or the Miracle of the oil?

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​
​Surely the triumph was immense, but was it a miracle?
Yehudah the Maccabee, who succeeded his father, Mattisyahu, as leader of the revolt, was a master tactician as well as a devout and righteous tzaddik - couldn't the victory be attributed to his tactics and the bravery of his men? The Sages of the time asked these same questions. Jewish tradition does not proclaim festivals easily; communities and individuals have the right and obligation to thank G-d and celebrate their salvation from death or danger, but only Scripture, prophecy, or some other Divine message allows us to proclaim that a day has been invested with holiness.


For the Sages who exulted at the liberation and purification of the Temple but wondered how miraculous it had been, G-d performed an unmistakable miracle to prove that the entire process had occurred only through His intervention. A lone flask of pure oil was found, still bearing the unbroken seal of the Kohen Gadol. How did it happen that the Syrian-Greeks failed to contaminate it? Why did it have the Kohen Gadol's seal when it had never been the Temple practice for him to seal or even supervise the flasks of oil? Strange. Extraordinary. But still not necessarily miraculous. Then they lit the oil, and it burned and burned and burned. For eight days it burned until fresh oil could be prepared and brought. This was undeniably a miracle.

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Photos from Matt Neale, Amy Loves Yah
  • Welcome to Meaningful Moadim
    • Index
    • The Shamash's Lesson
    • CHANUKAH >
      • Chanukah: The Festival of Lights >
        • What is Chanukah? >
          • TAKING A MOMENT OUT FOR A CHANUKAH THOUGHT
          • The Name of the Holiday >
            • The Dreidel Teaches the Eternity of the Jewish People >
              • Deeper Meaning of the Dreidel Letters
              • Chanukah: Renewal
              • Allusions to Chanuka in Parshas Mikeitz
              • Connection Between Shabbos and Chanukah
              • Why is there no Mesechta Chanukah?
              • Matisyahu and His Sons
              • What is Chanukah? #2
              • The Maenorah cannot be placed lower than 10 Tefachim
            • Why is Shehechiyanu recited only on the first night of Chanukah?
            • Biblical Allusions
            • Another explanation of the name Chanukah
            • Ve-Al Hnissim, not Al Hanissim
            • Mai Chanukah?
            • Only Chanukah can be performed in a Mehadrin or Mehadrin min Hamehadrin manner
            • Varying Levels of Fulfilling the Mitzvah
            • Mazal Kislev Keshes
            • The Shamash (Candle)
            • Why didn't the Kohanim themselves defile the oil if everyone was tamei, ritually impure due to the war? >
              • Chanukah Always has a Shabbos >
                • Bais Shamai and Bais Hillel (2)
                • Chanukah Always Falls our Around parshas Mikeitz
        • The Lesson of the Dreidel
        • Chanukah: A Winter Festival
        • KISLEV - Great Expectations
        • The Light of the Jewish Soul Glows on Chanukah
        • Pirsumei Nisa on Chanukah
        • Chanukah: A War of Conflicting Philosophies >
          • Why was a holiday established specifically for the war that led to the Chanukah miracle?
          • Uphold Good or Destroy Evil?
          • LeHashkicham Torasecha U’LeHa’aviram MeiChukei Retzonecha
          • Are we celebrating the victory over the Greeks or the Miracle of the Oil?
          • U’Leamcha Yisrael Assisa Teshua Gedola U’furkan K’Hayom Hazeh…
          • Alexander The Great and The Jewish Sages
          • Miracle Oil?
          • Give the Gift of LIGHT!
        • Customs, Symbols & Observances >
          • More Reasons for Doughnuts on Chanukah
          • THE DREIDEL
          • The Letters on the Dreidel >
            • The Lesson of "Chanukah Gelt"
          • More Customs >
            • More About the Dreidel
            • The Lesson of the Dreidel
            • More on Dreidel
            • Another Gematria of the Dreidel Letters
            • Chanukah Gelt
            • L'Hodos U'LaHallel
          • More Symbolism >
            • Symbolism of Olive Oil
            • The Greeks vs. The Jews
            • The Little Jug that Traveled Through Time
            • Gazing at the Neiros Chanukah
            • Patriarchal Prayers
          • The Custom to serve Dairy and Cheese Products on Chanukah
          • Tzedaka - Charity
        • The Shamash >
          • The Secret of the Shamash
        • The Jewish People Are Above Nature >
          • A MODERN DAY CHANUKAH MIRACLE
        • Putting Away the Menorah?
        • Month of Teves: Catastrophic Events
        • Mazal Teves Gedi - Goat
        • Recommended Reading
  • The Final Judgement stretches out to Zos Chanukah
  • The Greeks Wanted to Destroy the Jews Status as the Chosen Nation
  • More on the uniqueness of Klal Yisrael
  • Chanukah Illuminates The Month of Teves
  • The Chasam Sofer on Asara B’Teves
  • Lag B'Omer-