The Hanukkah story took place 2200 years ago, yet there are critical lessons that we in Israel today need to learn from the Maccabees and their Hasmonean descendants. Militarily, territorially, culturally and spiritually. Here are eight of them, one for each night.
- The Greeks built a fort called the “Akra,” overlooking the Temple Mount platform to keep an eye on the Jews. It wasn’t until 142 BCE, decades after the war began, that the Jews finally evicted the last of them.
Today, on the highest point overlooking Jerusalem from the south, above the popular tourist stop on the “Tayelet,” sits the UNTSO headquarters (United Nations Truce Supervision Organization) on the appropriately named, “Hill of Evil Counsel.” The UNTSO is supposed to be the watchdog for Israel’s border security. It is obvious they failed rather significantly. Why is the UN still sitting in the catbird seat as if they are the overlords of Jerusalem, rent free, on possibly the most prime acreage in the city?
UNTSO works hand in glove with UNIFIL. UNIFIL had been caught calling Israel "the enemy" in recovered documents. They are also accused of forewarning Hezbollah of military actions Israel was taking to enforce the disarmament agreement which resulted in serious injuries to Israeli soldiers. The UN’s overall disdain and almost singular focus on punishing the Jewish state is well known. Like the Maccabees finally did with the Akra, it’s time for the final UNTSO eviction notice.
- The Hanukkah war took 25 years from the initial uprising until the Maccabees finally expelled the last of the Greeks. In Israel’s current war against proxy agents of Iran, Israel is two years plus into the struggle. It may take some time for those proxy agents to be significantly destroyed, for regime change in Iran to occur and for the birth of a new reality in the Middle East. God willing, Israel will need less time than the Maccabees needed, but Israel needs to have their staying power.
- In one of the greatest military battle moves in history, Judah and the Maccabees crushed the Greek army, the greatest power in the world of its day. Greek General Gorgias and his army, based across Highway 1 from the Latrun area, marched up what is today’s highway 443 to attack Judah and his men in Mitzpe, just north of Jerusalem.
As recorded in the Book of Maccabees, Judah had actionable intelligence from their “Mossad,” so Judah and company vacated Mitzpe and headed west on what is today’s Highway 1. When they arrived at Gorgias’s camp, they destroyed it and all of their supplies and the Greek soldiers they had left behind to guard it. Gorgias and his men found no one in Mitzpe and returned back down HIghway 443 to find all of their supplies had been destroyed or taken. They had no choice but to hightail it to Jaffa and sail back to Greece.
Lesson for today: when Israel receives actionable intelligence on the enemy coming to attack - they need to act on it as the Maccabees did.
- Hanukkah was really about trying to spiritually destroy the Jews - They Greeks outlawed circumcision, Shabbat and the calendar and lived a life antithetical to the traditional Jewish family. The Greek ideal was to send a son away post high school to learn and be with his uncle in the bath houses for a physical relationship. Women were at best second-class citizens.
Today’s war is both spiritual and physical, a combination of Purim, where the Persians (east) tried to physically kill us and Hanukkah, where the Greeks (west) tried to spiritually kill us. Today, from the east there are Muslim factions that are trying to again, physically kill us and from the west - the Hellenist west woke influences are trying to spiritually destroy Torah based Judaism. They are having an impact. In America, NYC Mayor Mamdani’s connection to Judaism on his transition team is a transgender rabbi who is vociferously anti-Israel. In the US, it has been widely reported that 51% of Rabbinic school students in the non-observant movements, self-identify as LGBTQ.
Hellenist-like forces in the US are attempting to influence Israel. The Jewish Federation and others are sending large amounts of aid to Israel’s Aguda organization, the Trans Center and others which support the trans and gay agenda by influencing Israeli education and health policy. The Rebbe (Rabbi Schneerson zt’l) pushed back against Greek culture when he wrote that every person has free will and anyone who wants to live a normal life as Hashem intends should be encouraged to do so. Israel needs to fight back against today’s Hellenists.
- The Maccabees did not light the Menorah at the Kotel as we are doing today. They lit the Menorah on the Temple Mount. While today, this may seem to be a challenge, we need to move in that direction. Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu supported Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount and some prayer is already taking place. Can Jews take the next step and light a Chanukia on the Temple Mount as the Maccabees did?
- Alexander Yanai came to power several decades after the Maccabean victory and led Israel for 27 years. He ruled over a kingdom that included southern Syria and southern Lebanon, just as King David had 700 years earlier and just as the tribes of Naftali and Asher had settled 300 years prior to King David. The current boundary, the Sykes-Pico line, was merely a French and British marker on a map after WW1. While Israel doesn’t covet more land, if Israel needs to hold it for security, it isn’t and will not be called “occupied.” It is “RE-occupied” as it was at the time of the Maccabees and before and in that sense, it is no different than Judea and Samaria.
- The Greeks outlawed Shabbat observance. Jews can take that lesson and encourage Shabbat observance. This can happen without additional government restrictions. Those who observe Shabbat can simply be role models for those who don’t and invite them to their Shabbat tables. Chabad and many outreach organizations are doing just that in order to showcase this, the most beautiful centerpiece of the Jewish family.
- Finally, and most important of all, we must realize that, amazingly, the Maccabees were able to defeat the major world power of the day. The military victory of the Maccabees is simply beyond rational comprehension. And what we celebrate is the Hand of Hashem in both that victory and in the miracle of the oil lasting seven additional days when the Temple was rededicated.
- When we look back over the last 2 years, there is truly unspeakable horror as there was then, yet there are also many miracles: 1) a 12 day war with Iran with miraculous results in terms of its impact and the safety of our pilots and citizens, 2) Individual stories of people who miraculously survived, 3) all of the live hostages returned and so much more.
We need to remember as we say in Psalm 67 every day - we do our part but Hashem runs the world, “the nations of the world You will guide.” We also need to remember that Maccabee is an acronym for Mi Khamocha Baelokim HaShem - “Who is like You among the heavenly powers, Hashem?” And so it is today and from the beginning of time.
Gary (Yehezkel) Schiff is a resource and consultant and guide connecting Israel and the US and President of Jewish Family Forever