Community Magazine December 2003

16 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE s xc T he elite armies of a superpower that ruled practically, the entire civilized world, were defeated by a defiant band of fighters from a tiny nation. This essentially, was the miracle of Hanukah. In a war that lasted for several years, the Ancient Greek Empire was routed by a small Jewish troop called the Hashmonaim. In the course of this war, there was one day when the Hashmonaim reclaimed the Holy Temple and lit the Menorah with the only pure oil that remained—one day’s ration, which miracu- lously lasted for eight days. In comparison to the shocking military victory, this was a minor event. Yet this detail, which seems secondary to the triumph of the armed strug- gle, is the focus for our commemoration of Hanukah—while the military victory is downplayed. Why was this particular obser- vance chosen as the central way that the generations to come would celebrate a miraculous military success? An analysis of the strategic aims of the Ancient Greek Empire can shed light on this question. The Ancient Greeks practi- cally pioneered competitive sports; they were at the forefront of philosophical thought; and flagrantly pursued physical hedonism. All of this was packaged into what they termed “Hellenism” and what today would be called “culture”. It was through this Hellenism that they sought to spread their influence by forcing their way of life on conquered nations. After a successful invasion of Israel, the Ancient Greek Governor made what seemed like a very generous offer to the Jews. They could establish their own gov- ernment, administer their own municipal system and even appoint a king. The only price of this “freedom” was acceptance and embracement of the Ancient Greek culture. To this end, they banned many Jewish rituals and practices in an attempt to destroy the religion. There were, among the Jews of that time, Hellenists that bought into that bargain— giving up Judaism for political “freedom”. These collaborators worked together with the Ancient Greeks, fighting the traditional Jews and going so far as to desecrate the Beit Hamikdash with sacrifices of pig on the Holy Altar. As we know, in a series of dra- matic battles, the Ancient Greek army was ultimately defeated by the Hashmonaim and the Jewish identity was saved. It is also important to understand who the Hashmonaim were. Contrary to the percep- tion of most people, who envision the Hashmonaim as an elite group of strapping muscle-bound soldiers and military strate- gists that out-classed and out-maneuvered the Ancient Greeks, the history books of the time indicate otherwise. According to these records, when the Hashmonaim first saw the Ancient Greek army approaching, they broke into tears, realizing that the end was near. It was only after Yehudah Macabee inspired them to take heart that they were fighting for Kiddush Hashem and the Jewish way of life, that they mustered the courage to go out and fight. They were nothing but a small band of scrawny Yeshivah students that didn’t even know from which end to hold a sword. In the “Al Hanissim”, we specifi- cally thank Hashem for “Delivering the powerful in the hands of the weak.” These men knew nothing of military tactics—all they had was their heavenly merit and belief. The triumph of the Hashmonaim was not a military victory, it was a spiritu- al victory. Therefore our celebration focus- es on the spiritual aspect and not the accomplishment on the battlefield. The success of the Hashmonaim in those days has enabled a new generation of Hashmonaim in Israel today. Yeshiva stu- dents, numbering in the tens of thousands, who dedicate themselves to learn Torah each day, are our modern heroes. But just as the Hashmonaim had enemies within, our Torah students are faced with opposition from fellow Jews. The situation in the Israeli government has seriously deteriorat- ed as a new political party—Shinui, has joined the government with the sole objec- tive of defeating Judaism. They cam- paigned, with no position on foreign policy, no economic plan and no social platform— their only agenda was reducing the influ- ence of religious parties in the government. They are the Hellenisers of today, seeking to destroy our religion. They call Torah stu- dents, who are supporting the world with their learning and meriting for Israel the many miracles that save Jewish lives on a daily basis, parasites. Their resentment is directed, not at those who engage in immorality or exploit various vices. These people are not viewed as a drain on society for their purposes. Instead, all of the prob- lems in the country are blamed on the Torah students who live a meager existence. This is nothing less than Anti-Semitism. The effect of this war that Shinui is waging on our religion is devastating to the Yeshivot. Funding has been cut by up to 70%, many Yeshivot are on the verge of closing down and fewer students are being accepted. But I have no doubt that the Torah will be victorious here as well and the Hashmonaim of our day will lead us to vic- tory. Through this course, Israel will also ultimately find security. Our military is clearly superior to the enemy in every regard, it does not make sense that Israel should constantly find itself on the defen- sive in the face of Arab cruelty. The prob- lem is that many people have not learned the lesson of Hanukah. They continue to believe that the problem requires a clever political idea or an ingenious military strat- egy. They believe that with their power and the strength of their hand, they will force a solution. This approach will not work any more than it did for the Ancient Greeks. We must accept that our true power is not in our Air Force, it is our Torah Force and we must make a strategic decision to support it. May it be in the merit of the Torah being learned in Israel and all around the world that we should merit to see peace and Mashiah, soon in our day. The Strategic Lesson of Hanukah E D I T O R I A L B Y : H A C H A M D A V I D Y O S E F S H L I T A