What the Hanukah Candles Teach US

The Hanukah candles should be placed in the doorway of the house leading to the street. In time of peril, however, it is sufficient to place them on a table inside the home(Sabbath, 21)

When Antiochus Epiphanes (the Illustrious, or as some called him, Epimanes (the Mad), ascended the Greek Seleucid throne in 175 B.C.E., the Jewish situation in Eretz Israel became unbearable. His government was deep in debt and he exacted every last possible measure of tribute from the small nations under his domination.

In addition, he made it his life mission to Hellenize the world; to spread Greek culture among all the nations under his sway. Everywhere he sought to implant Greek nationalism. He demanded of all that they renounce their religions, their time-honored customs, and become assimilated into the Greek people. His kingdom termed in Jewish tradition as "the wicked Greek kingdom," not only sought to conquer the land of Judea, but wanted very much to destroy the Jewish religion. To tear Jewish youth away from the will of God was the main object of his onslaught against the Jewish people.

Antiochus understood well that so long as Jews adhered to their Torah fulfilled its precept, he knew it would be impossible to Hellenize them. In his mad undertaking he was assisted by wealthy Jews and some members of the Priestly caste who had been captivated by the false glitter of Greek culture. To implement his plan he sent a strong military contingent to Judea under the command of one Appolonius.

The first thing the soldiers did upon entering Jerusalem was to carry out a pogrom against its Jewish inhabitants. It was Saturday when they slaughtered every man in sight, arrested women and children and looted their homes. The Jewish populace fled the city in panic, and the Greeks and Syrians occupied their homes.

This pogrom was was the beginning of terrible suffering for the Jewish people. Immediately Appolonius issued a proclamation declaring that the Jewish Torah no longer existed and that adherence to it was forbidden. Above all circumcision, kashrut and Shabbat observance were banned. The death penalty was decreed for the observance of any of these three.

The Jews were also ordered to observe the Greek religion in every aspect of Greek idolatry. Temples and altars were set up in every Jewish town, at which the Jews were forced to offer sacrifices to the Greek gods. Antiochus appointed special officials to see to it that his commands were scrupulously carried out. He also ordered all Torah scrolls burned.

The people bore this terrible oppression for quite some time, ever hoping that things would change. Finally their patience burst and they began organizing active resistance against the tyranny and revenge in the name of their martyrs for the desecration of all Jewish sanctities.

Particularly eager for battle were the Hasideans. The members of this party and their sympathizers left the big cities where the enemy, aided by some Jewish renegades, was strong, and hid in woods and caves in the mountains and wilderness. From time to time they left their hideaways to agitate among the Jews for revolt, to stir them to rise up in a holy war against the idolatrous assassins. Their agitation bore fruit, culminating in the great victory of Judaism over Hellenism.

With the Hanukah light we demonstrate the great victory we won over external foes who had sought to sunder us from our Torah. Therefore the true fulfillment of the precept of lighting Hanukah candles is in placing them in the front doorway of the house, to show the world that we are God's people and that we will not exchange our Torah for alien cultures. In time of peril, however, when the enemies of Judaism are within, among our own ranks, the Hanukah candles are to be placed on our own tables and we are to impart to our children the great ideals of our Torah.

Links to eternity: Jewish holidays and festivals; homiletical essays by Harris L Selig (pp 183-185)