|
|
|
|
Histories
of Our December Heritages December is an important month for two of
the world's great religions -- Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity.
It is also a very important month for many Americans -- especially
businessmen. Christmas
falls on the 25th and all or part of Hanukkah is usually found in
December. As I researched my
spiritual past it didn't take long to discover that what I had been taught about
my December holiday and its actual history was not always the same. In
this article I will review the histories of Hanukkah and Christmas and then you
can compare them with what you were taught and think about how to incorporate
the new information in your spiritual journey.
I am blessed & empowered by both. Hanukkah: Hanukkah is the Jewish Feast of
Lights or Feast of Dedication. The Hebrew word hanukkah (also written
Hannuka or Chanukah) means dedication. The Hanukkah holiday begins on the eve of
the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev (approximately December) and lasts
eight days. The two books of Maccabees in the Apocrypha
tell the story of Hanukkah. The
story began in Modin, a village not far from Jerusalem, after the Temple was
seized and dedicated to the worship of Zeus. When
the first Jew of Modin stepped up to the pagan altar to sacrifice according to
the King's will, Mattathias, a priest whose family resided there, sprang out
from the circle of bystanders, struck the man down so that his body was
stretched out upon the altar, slew the agent of the government, and then pulled
down the altar. A search was instituted in Judea for those who had
disregarded the King's command and hidden themselves away in the wilderness.
They were counting on the Jews resting on the Sabbath and thereby being
vulnerable to capture. Mattathias
realized the situation: "If we all do as our brethren have done, and do not
fight against the Gentiles for our lives and our ordinances, they will soon
destroy us from off the earth." Mattathias
and his people therefore resolved, not indeed to attack, but at least to defend
themselves on the Sabbath day. Even more significant is the fact that Mattathias
ventured to interpret the law upon his own authority. In his day this privilege was vested in the High Priest and
his council, who governed Jerusalem and Judea.
When Mattathias, a man previously unknown, one priest among ten thousand,
resolved to interpret the traditional law, to impose his interpretation upon the
people, and thus to infringe upon the prerogatives of the High Priest, he raised
himself, perhaps without intending to do so, to the position of an opposition
government. This was a major
turning point in Jewish history. They
made a stealthy and roundabout entrance into the villages and summoned together
those eager to fight; with the force thus formed they moved from place to place,
destroying the idolatrous altars where they found them, compelling the
observance of the Torah by force (for example, they circumcised newborn infants,
as many as they found), and smiting apostate violators of the law.
The wrath of the Maccabees was poured over the Jews and not the Gentiles.
For two years Judah Maccabee waged guerrilla war like
his father, making surprise descents upon the apostates without venturing to
attack walled cities or Jerusalem. At
first the central government paid no attention whatsoever to the Maccabean
uprising. The handful of Maccabees
could only be regarded as another robber band on the highways.
But Judah was organizing his troops by appointing "captains of
thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of
tens." It would appear that
his force amounted to something more than three thousand men.
The leaders in Jerusalem made no attempt at mustering
its strength to put an end to the activities of the Maccabees.
Their failure is easy to understand if we reflect that they belonged to
the upper strata of the people, being city dwellers and Jerusalemites, and did
not particularly relish chasing after the Maccabees through gorges and over
stony hills. The mass of the
peasantry, on the other hand, remained secretly devoted to the old faith.
Before a battle Judah's company fasted, clothed themselves in sackcloth,
rent their garments, and prayed devoutly to the Lord of Hosts: "Behold, the
Gentiles are gathered together against us to destroy us. . . . How shall we be
able to stand before them unless Thou help us?" The Hasidim, "the
pious ones," supported the Maccabees in their struggle. In the fall Judah's success began to disturb the
central government. He appears to
have controlled the road from Jaffa to Jerusalem, and thus to have cut off the
royal party in Acra from direct communication with the sea and thus with the
government. It is significant that
this time the Syrian troops, under the leadership of the governor-general Lysias,
took the southerly route, by way of Idumea.
They encamped at Beth Zur, a fortress about 30 kilometers south of
Jerusalem (whose remains have recently been excavated) that was the key to Judea
from the south. This new tactic
proved correct. Judah was forced to quit his hiding place in the
hills and hurry southward. According
to Jewish historical tradition, he then and there defeated Lysias.
But certain other documents which happen to be preserved indicate that
the situation was much more complicated than the Jewish historians represent it
to have been. We see that the
Maccabees sent deputies to Lysias to negotiate an understanding.
Lysias promised to intercede for them with the King, if they would
maintain their "good will towards the state."
Menelaus, officiating High Priest and head of the reform party,
intervened in the negotiations and appeared as mediator between the King and the
Jews. A Roman embassy, probably en
route to Antioch, took the Jews' part and persuaded them to formulate their
demands quickly so that they themselves might present them to the King.
Thus it appears that all parties were concerned to make peace between the
government and the insurgents. Epiphanes resolved to call a halt to the
persecutions. In a proclamation to
the Sanhedrin and the Jewish nation, he declared that he had been informed by
Menelaus that the Jews who had fled from their homes -- that is, those loyal to
the ancient faith, among whom were the Maccabees -- desired to return to their
legal abodes. Exemption from
punishment was guaranteed all who returned by March 29, 164 BCE, and in addition
the assurance was given that the Jews would be permitted "to use their own
food and to observe their own laws as of yore."
The persecution was thus ended. The edict makes no mention of the Maccabees.
It is represented as an act of royal grace by Menelaus.
But such an interpretation could not conceal the true state of affairs.
The cessation of the persecutions signified the defeat of Menelaus, who
had been their instigator, and the victory of the Maccabees -- something that
must have seemed unbelievable to contemporaries. Judah had won his victory with casual irregulars who were
often lacking in such essential arms as sword and shield. Judah Maccabee and his soldiers went to
the holy Temple, and were saddened that many things were missing or broken,
including the golden menorah. They cleaned and repaired the Temple, and when
they were finished, they held festivities in the Temple, and dedicated it to
God. According to the Talmud,
written over five centuries after the event, when the Jews cleaned the Temple of
Syrian idols, they found only one small cruse of oil with which to light their
holy lamps. But miraculously, the cruse provided them with oil for eight days. Other sources tell of a torchlight parade
in the Temple, which may also have contributed to the tradition of lighting
candles on Hanukkah. The Book of Maccabees, however, describes none of that. The
book of Maccabees does connect Judah's celebration to King Solomon's dedication
of the First Temple, when a miraculous fire descended from heaven. It makes a
stronger case, however, for linking Judah's festivities to the holiday of Sukkot.
No mention is made of lights in relation to Hanukkah until about the year
100 CE, when Josephus speaks of a "Festival of Lights" commemorating
the Maccabean victory. No mention again for several centuries until the name
Hanukkah crops up full-blown in the Talmud and the story of the miracle appears,
along with discussions about lighting the menorah. According to Ami Isseroff: “Channuka
was originally Chag Haurim - the festival of light. This leads to the
suspicion that it, too, was a solstice holiday that existed before the victory
of the Maccabees, which was welded unto it.”
The use
of the name Hanukkah can only be documented from the first century CE.
Originally the festival was called "Tabernacles (Sukkot) of the
month of Kislev," -- so, for example, in an official communication from the
Palestinian to the Egyptian Jews, dated 124 BCE. Many people, including scholars, overlook some very
important aspects of the story of Hanukkah.
(1) By instituting this festival Judah and his people
declared themselves the true Israel, in contrast to the other Jews who were not
members of their movement. (2) Judah's act of creating the festival of Hanukkah
was one of far-reaching significance, because all previous festivals were
authorized by the Torah (Hebrew Scriptures).
Never had a festival been instituted in Israel by human hand.
Even the restoration of the Temple after the Babylonian Exile had not
been solemnized by the establishment of a day of commemoration.
Judah's act was therefore an innovation without precedent in Israel, but,
on the other hand, it was in complete accord with the traditions of the
Gentiles. In Greek political theory
the power to declare festivals, appoint priests, etc., was vested in the people
(the demos), but such an idea was completely foreign to Judaism.
The Maccabees, the alleged opponents of foreign ways, adopted a
Hellenistic practice for their own ends. No
one any longer celebrated the Greek festivals that served as Judah's example for
his new Jewish festival. But the
eight-branched candelabrum, a symbol, again, that imitates a pagan usage, is
lighted on Keslev 25 the world over. (3) The institution of daily prayer in the temple
cult seems to have been an innovation of the Maccabean or Herodian period.
It certainly was not the work of "the prophets of old" or the
First Temple. None of the texts
implies that prayer was part of the temple cult: Jews prayed at the
temple, not in the temple. Hanukkah
Today Hanukkah this year begins at December 19 (at sundown)
and last through December 26 (25 Kislev - 2 Tevet 5763).
Friends and family exchange gifts, put up Hanukkah decorations and light
the Hanukkah Menorah, a
really important part of the tradition and reflects the traditional name --
"the festival of light".
In commemoration of Hanukkah a special
nine-branched candlestick is lit each of eight nights.
The highest candle, known as the Shamash or "servant", is used
to light the other candles. Candles are placed in the menorah from right to
left, but lit from left to right. Blessings are said before the candles (three
blessings on the first night, and two every night thereafter). The candles'
light is not to be used for any other purpose other than contemplation of the
miracle of Hanukkah—they should not be used to read by, or for any other
secular function. The kindled menorah is displayed prominently in a front window
or near a doorway and remains lit for at least half an hour after nightfall. The
following blessing is only said on the first night before the traditional
blessings that are recited every night. Baruch
ata Adonai, Elohenu melech ha-olam Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Traditional
Blessing Baruch
ata Adonai, Elohenu melech ha-olam Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Who
sanctified us by his commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of
Hanukah. Baruch
ata Adonai, Elohenu melech ha-olam Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Other
Hanukkah Activities Common traditions include singing Hanukkah songs,
such as "Hanerot Hallalu" (Those Candles) and Ma'oz Tzur (Rock of
Strength) and eating special "oily" delicacies such as latkes (potato
pancakes) with applesauce and sour cream, or jelly doughnuts!
At Hanukkah it is traditional to eat good food, talk of the miracle of
lights, and do good deeds for others. It is also customary to play a game of
dreidel, which involves a spinning top with a different Hebrew letter printed on
each side. More recent traditions include the exchange of gifts
and money, or "gelt," typically given as a reward to children for
diligent religious studies. Some parents prefer to give their children chocolate
coins wrapped in shiny gold foil. While there are many Hanukkah traditions, it
is fun to invent your own meaningful family customs. Whether ancient or modern,
serious or hilarious, your unique traditions can serve as the glue of family
togetherness! History
of Christmas For the history of Christmas -- Click Here. Join
our Yahoo Group and discuss this article with others or just share your
comments. |
|
Thank you for visiting
our site!
|
