It seems as like it was only last week when I posted about the history of Chanukkah and the symbolism behind the holiday and its customs. Since flogging dead horses is a talent of mine I thought it best to once again beat my 1.4 readers in the head (hi mum!) and explain the meaning behind the holiday.
When Alexander the Great died unexpectedly his generals fought for control over the vast empire. Eventually, 2 generals came out on top and founded dynasties that were ever after jockying for control of the Middle East. The Ptolemaic Empire was centered in Egypt, and the Seleucid Empire sat in what is now Syria. In between these 2 superpowers lay the Jewish Homeland, Judaea.
Although both empires manipulated and interfered with Judaea it was the Jews themselves who were their own worst enemy- as has always been the case. A small but vocal minority favoured Hellenisation, the adoption of Greek customs and culture. Greatly out numbered the Hellenists went into exile in Syria and agitated for Seleucid intervention in Judaea. In 167 BCE/BC the Seleucid Emperor Antiochus IV Ephianes invaded Judaea and set about Hellenising the nation and the people.
In Jerusalem, the Jews political and spiritual capital, Antiochus had the Jewish Temple re-dedicated to the Greek deity Zeus and had pigs sacrificed on its holy altar- about as huge an abomination as one could possibly imagine. This sparked a rebellion but it failed to build momentum. Next, Antiochus IV had official delegations, backed by military formations, go village to village erecting pagan altars and compelling all men to sacrifice to Greek deities.
One day a delegation entered the village of Modi'in in the so called "West Bank." As all villagers stood watching the delegation erected the altar and commanded the men to make the ritual sacrifice. As was so often the case noone complied. Finally, the delegation leader offered materiel inducements and lo and behold, 1 villager stepped forward and said he would make the sacrifice. As he said this, a village elder named Matityahu Ben Yochanan HaKohen (Matthew Son of Yohanan the Priest, usually known in English by the bastardised Greek, Matthias Ben Yohanan) stepped forward and ran his spear through him, killing him. The village men then killed every member of the delegation and its military guard before going into the hill country to join the guerillas already struggling against foreign domination.
Eventually Matityahu's 5 sons all led guerilla bands of their own and were able to consolidate control, and finally came to lead a highly organised guerilla force that liberated the capital, Jerusalem. Upon entering the Temple the priests found only a single day's allotment of holy oil. Knowing that it would take a month to prepare a sufficient supply, the priests gathered the throngs of celebrants and directed their prayers towards rectifying this shortage. Lo and behold, the priests were able to manufacture the oil in only 8 days time instead of the predicted month. More over, the single day's allotment lasted a full 8 days so that there was always sufficient oil in the Temple.
The name of the holiday, Chanukkah (Chah-noo-Kah, with the "ch" being guttural as in the German "nicht"), means "Re-dedication," to commemorate the re-sanctification of the Temple after it had been blasphemed by worshippers of Zeus. The 9 sticked candelabrum has a candle for each of the 8 days that the oil lasted, plus a 9th candle to light each of the other 8. The holiday teaches Jews about the dangers of assimilation, of trying to cater to non-Jewish tastes and values. Ironically, in the West many Jews have adopted Christian trappings in giving gifts, some even having a tree. These things make traditionalists such as myself naseous.
It is a time to party, to get high and gamble, and to enjoy festive foods. My favourite Chanukkah food is "sufigyot," freshly fried jelly donuts. I don't drink alcohol (like a fair number of Jews I have a genetic condition that inhibits the metabolisation of alcofol sugara and it causes extreme pain in my GI tract. Anyway, that is why G-D gave us hashish bwaaaahaha.
When Alexander the Great died unexpectedly his generals fought for control over the vast empire. Eventually, 2 generals came out on top and founded dynasties that were ever after jockying for control of the Middle East. The Ptolemaic Empire was centered in Egypt, and the Seleucid Empire sat in what is now Syria. In between these 2 superpowers lay the Jewish Homeland, Judaea.
Although both empires manipulated and interfered with Judaea it was the Jews themselves who were their own worst enemy- as has always been the case. A small but vocal minority favoured Hellenisation, the adoption of Greek customs and culture. Greatly out numbered the Hellenists went into exile in Syria and agitated for Seleucid intervention in Judaea. In 167 BCE/BC the Seleucid Emperor Antiochus IV Ephianes invaded Judaea and set about Hellenising the nation and the people.
In Jerusalem, the Jews political and spiritual capital, Antiochus had the Jewish Temple re-dedicated to the Greek deity Zeus and had pigs sacrificed on its holy altar- about as huge an abomination as one could possibly imagine. This sparked a rebellion but it failed to build momentum. Next, Antiochus IV had official delegations, backed by military formations, go village to village erecting pagan altars and compelling all men to sacrifice to Greek deities.
One day a delegation entered the village of Modi'in in the so called "West Bank." As all villagers stood watching the delegation erected the altar and commanded the men to make the ritual sacrifice. As was so often the case noone complied. Finally, the delegation leader offered materiel inducements and lo and behold, 1 villager stepped forward and said he would make the sacrifice. As he said this, a village elder named Matityahu Ben Yochanan HaKohen (Matthew Son of Yohanan the Priest, usually known in English by the bastardised Greek, Matthias Ben Yohanan) stepped forward and ran his spear through him, killing him. The village men then killed every member of the delegation and its military guard before going into the hill country to join the guerillas already struggling against foreign domination.
Eventually Matityahu's 5 sons all led guerilla bands of their own and were able to consolidate control, and finally came to lead a highly organised guerilla force that liberated the capital, Jerusalem. Upon entering the Temple the priests found only a single day's allotment of holy oil. Knowing that it would take a month to prepare a sufficient supply, the priests gathered the throngs of celebrants and directed their prayers towards rectifying this shortage. Lo and behold, the priests were able to manufacture the oil in only 8 days time instead of the predicted month. More over, the single day's allotment lasted a full 8 days so that there was always sufficient oil in the Temple.
The name of the holiday, Chanukkah (Chah-noo-Kah, with the "ch" being guttural as in the German "nicht"), means "Re-dedication," to commemorate the re-sanctification of the Temple after it had been blasphemed by worshippers of Zeus. The 9 sticked candelabrum has a candle for each of the 8 days that the oil lasted, plus a 9th candle to light each of the other 8. The holiday teaches Jews about the dangers of assimilation, of trying to cater to non-Jewish tastes and values. Ironically, in the West many Jews have adopted Christian trappings in giving gifts, some even having a tree. These things make traditionalists such as myself naseous.
It is a time to party, to get high and gamble, and to enjoy festive foods. My favourite Chanukkah food is "sufigyot," freshly fried jelly donuts. I don't drink alcohol (like a fair number of Jews I have a genetic condition that inhibits the metabolisation of alcofol sugara and it causes extreme pain in my GI tract. Anyway, that is why G-D gave us hashish bwaaaahaha.