More than 2,000 years ago there was a period when the Land of Israel was part of the Syrian-Greek Empire, ruled by the dynasty of the Seleucids. In 174 BCE – 3586 on the Jewish calendar, Antiochus IV ruled the region. He was called Epiphanes, meaning ‘the gods beloved’, but the people called him Epimanes – ‘madman’ – a title more suited to the character of this harsh and cruel king.
Wanting to unify his kingdom through common religion and culture, Antiochus tried to root out the individualism of the Jews by suppressing the practice of all Jewish law. He also meddled in the affairs of the Holy Temple, the Beit Hamikdash in Jerusalem, installing idol-worshipping High Priests who paid him handsome tributes.
At that time, Antiochus was also engaged in a successful war against Egypt. But messengers from Rome arrived and commanded him to stop the war and he had to yield. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, a rumor spread that a serious accident had befallen Antiochus. Thinking that he was dead, the people rebelled against Menelaus, the corrupt High Priest, who then fled together with his friends.
Antiochus returned from Egypt enraged by Roman interference with his ambitions. When he heard what had taken place in Jerusalem, he ordered his army to fall upon the Jews. Thousands of Jews were killed. Antiochus then enacted a series of harsh decrees.
Jewish worship was forbidden, and the scrolls of the Law were confiscated and burned. Shabbat observance, circumcision, and the dietary laws were prohibited under penalty of death. Many brave Jews resisted and were put to death.
One day, the henchmen of Antiochus arrived in the village of Modin where Matisyahu, a respected and elderly priest, lived. The Syrian officer built an altar in the marketplace of the village and demanded that Matisyahu offer sacrifices to the Greek gods. Matisyahu refused and replied, “I, my sons, and my brothers are determined to remain loyal to the covenant that our G-d made with our ancestors!”
Thereupon, a Hellenized Jew approached the altar to offer a sacrifice. Matisyahu grabbed his sword and killed him, and his sons and friends fell upon the Syrian officers and men. They killed many of them and chased the rest away. They then destroyed the altar.
Matisyahu knew that Antiochus would be enraged when he heard what had happened and would certainly send troops to punish him and his followers. And so, Matisyahu and his sons and friends fled to the hills of Judea.
All loyal and courageous Jews joined them. They formed legions, and from time to time they left their hiding places to fall upon enemy detachments and outposts and to destroy the pagan altars that were built by order of Antiochus.
Before his death, Matisyahu called his sons together and urged them to continue to fight in defense of G-d’s Torah. He asked them to follow the counsel of their brother Shimon the Wise and their leader in warfare was to be their brother Judah the Strong, or Judah the Maccabee.
The Maccabees won battle after battle, including one in which they fended off an army of more than 40,000 men.
Then the Maccabees returned to Jerusalem to liberate it. They entered the Temple and cleared it of the idols place there by the Syrian vandals. Judah and his followers built a new altar, which he dedicated on the 25th of the month of Kislev, in the year 139 BCE – 3622 on the Jewish calendar.
Since the golden Menorah had been stolen by the Syrians, the Maccabees now made one of cheaper metal. When they wanted to light it, they found only a small cruse of pure olive oil bearing the seal of the High Priest Yochanan. It was sufficient to create light for only one day.
By a miracle of G-d it continued to burn for eight days, until new oil was available. That miracle proved that G-d had again taken His people under His protection. In memory of this, our sages appointed these eight days as a holiday of annual thanksgiving and lighting candles.
Once this most important task was accomplished, Judah Maccabee led his freshly trained troops to the aid of the regions and villages harassed by the spiteful neighbors of Judea, then he led his army across the Jordan River against the Ammonites. Their capital fell before the furious onslaught of the Jewish troops. Judah’s brother Shimon led an army north to aid the beleaguered Jews of Galilee. Judea was again free, and all parts captured by the neighboring nations had been recovered.
The Maccabees leave us with an empowering message that resonates in all times and all places. Never cower in the face of tyranny. Do your part, trust in G-d, and success is sure to come.
From L’Chaim issue #1801 section: It Happened Once.
Melava Malka Stories 