Rabbi Steve Graber gives Hanukkah message

When Alexander the Great died in 312 B.C.E. after having conquered all of the civilized world, his empire was carved into four pieces by his generals. The Macedonian, Parthian, Ptolemai and Selucid empires were thus born.

While the Macedonians controlled Greece and the Parthians controlled the east, the other two great powers faced off against each other in the Middle East. The Selucids, based in Syria and the Ptolemais in Egypt were constantly at war. The area that divided them was the Land of Israel. 

Israel, geographically important as the crossroads between the continents fell into the hands of the Selucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes about the year 175 B.C.E. When Antiochus went to war with the Ptolemais, the citizens of Judah mostly supported the Ptolemais rather than their oppressive Syrian ruler. 

When Antiochus passed through Israel on his way home after the campaign, he decided to wreak vengeance on Israel with a policy that was formulated to break the will of the Jewish people and to cause them to abandon their own culture in favor of the Hellenistic culture practiced by his Selucid kingdom. 

The ancient historian Josephus tells us “Antiochus subdued Egypt and turned back on Jerusalem with a strong force.” In his arrogance, he went into the sanctuary and took the gold altar and the “lampstand” and all the furniture and vessels of the Holy Temple.

He massacred hundreds of citizens. He taxed the towns of Judah, and plundered Jerusalem for money to finance his army, which was having problems in the eastern front with the Parthians.  He tore down homes and the city walls of Jerusalem and built a citadel on the City of David in order to control it. His most repulsive act was his desecration of the Holy Temple, which he turned into a Hellenistic gymnasium where idol worship and sports arenas replaced holy worship.    

A resistance group grew in the town of Mod’in under the leadership of the Maccabee clan, a priestly family headed by Mattathias and his sons Jochanan, Judah, Eleazar, Jonathan and Simon.  It was not just the atrocities of Antiochus that sparked their rebellion. Indeed, every citizen of Israel was affected, as the Selucid leader tried to rob the people of every aspect of their culture and force them to adopt the Hellenistic way of life. 

The brilliant Maccabee freedom fighters led a rebellion that resulted in the liberation of Jerusalem and its Temple on the 25th of Kislev, 163 B.C.E. The Holy Temple was cleansed and rededicated. An eight-day festival was proclaimed in honor of the liberation. Its name, Chanukah means dedication for on that day, as the Holy Temple was rededicated with the relighting of the Temple’s Menorah, the citizenry rededicated themselves to their faith and their ideals. The liberators continued their struggle, and within twenty years had reestablished a fully recognized flourishing independent Jewish Kingdom of Israel.

Throughout history we have lit an eight-day menorah, called the Chanukiah in our homes and synagogues to remember how our ancestors preserved the light of religious freedom from which we still benefit. The Story of Chanukah beckons to all freedom-loving people to dedicate themselves to the ongoing struggle for freedom of religion. 

Happy Chanukah!

Graber leads Temple Hillel
in North Woodmere.