First Book of Maccabis, Chapter 1:

"Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that they should all become one people, and everyone should give up his particular practices.  And all the heathen assented to the command of the king.  And many from Israel agreed to his kind of worship and offered sacrifice to idols broke the Sabbath. And the king sent word by messengers to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah to follow practices foreign to the country and put a stop to whole burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offering at the sanctuary and to break the Sabbaths and profane the feasts and pollute sanctuary and sanctified; to build alters and sacred precincts and idols temples and sacrifice hogs and unclean cattle; and to leave their sons uncircumcised and defile themselves with every unclean and profane practice so that they might forget the Law and change their religious ordinances; anyone who did not obey the command of the king should die."

Questions for thought:

·         Why does Antiyochus want specifically to annul the Shabbat and holidays, circumcision and halachot of Kashrut?

·         Why are the mitzvoth of the Temple so troubling to Antiyochus?

Let us look at the Hellenistic nature of some of the Kohanim and the image of the Temple vs. the gymnasium:

Second Book of Maccabi’s, Chapter 4:

"When the king (Yason) had consented, and he had taken office, he immediately brought his countrymen over to the Greek way of living…he introduced new customs contrary to the Law.  For he willingly established a gymnasium right under the citadel, and he made the finest of the young men wear the Greek hat.  And to such a pitch did the cultivation of Greek fashions and the coming-in of foreign customs rise, because of the excessive wickedness of this godless Jason, who was no high priest at all, that the priests were no longer earnest about the services of the Alter, but disdaining the sanctuary and neglecting the sacrifices, they hurried to take part in the unlawful exercises in the wrestling school, after the summons to the discus-throwing, regarding as worthless the things their forefathers valued, and thinking Greek standards the finest."

Questions for discussion:

• What is the Hellenistic way?
• What does the Temple represent vs. the Gymnasium?
• What was the significance of the priests going to the gymnasium?

The Jews and Greeks also had an ideological difference in the understanding of God, Nature and the World…

מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה יא סימן ו

ו פילוסופוס אחד שאל את רבי הושעיה א"ל אם חביבה היא המילה מפני מה לא נתנה לאדם הראשון א"ל מפני מה אותו האיש מגלח פאת ראשו ומניח את פאת זקנו א"ל מפני שגדל עמו בשטות א"ל אם כן יסמא את עינו ויקטע את ידיו וישבר את רגליו על ידי שגדלו עמו בשטות א"ל ולאלין מיליא אתינן אתמהא א"ל להוציאך חלק אי אפשר אלא כל מה שנברא בששת ימי בראשית צריכין עשייה כגון החרדל צריך למתוק התורמוסים צריך למתוק החיטין צריכין להטחן אפילו אדם צריך תיקון:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XI:6

6. A philosopher asked R. Hoshaya: ' If circumcision is so precious, why was it not given to Adam?’7 ' If so,’he replied, ‘why do you shave the corners of your head and leave your beard?’ ‘Because it grew with me in folly,’1 was the answer. ' If so, you should blind your eye and cut off your hands!’2 ‘To such an argument have we come!’ observed he.3 ' I cannot send you away empty-handed,’ said he; ' [the real reason is this:] whatever was created in the first six days requires further preparation, e.g., mustard needs sweetening, vetches need sweetening, wheat needs grinding, and man too needs to be finished off.’4

Questions for discussion:

• What does the philosopher ask?
• What is Judaism's take on nature vs. the Hellenistic perspective of nature.
• What is the understanding of a Tikun?

Channuka vs. Purim; Al Hanisim – Special Addition for Prayers

לחנוכה:

בימי מתתיה בן יוחנן כהן גדול החשמנאי ובניו כשעמדה מלכות יון הרשעה על עמך ישראל לשכחם תורתך ולהעבירם מחקי רצונך. ואתה ברחמך הרבים עמדת להם בעת צרתם. רבת את ריבם. דנת את דינם. נקמת את ניקמתם.מסרת גיבורים ביד חלשים. ורבים ביד מעטים. ורשעים ביד צדיקים. וטמאים ביד טהורים. וזדים ביד עוסקי תורתך. לך עשית שם גדול וקדוש בעולמך. ולעמך ישראל עשית תשועה גדולה ופרקן כהיום הזה. ואחר כך באו בניך לדביר ביתך ופנו את היכלך. וטהרו את מקדשך. והדליקו נרות בחצרות קדשך. וקבעו שמונת ימי חנוכה אלו בהלל ובהודאה. ועשית עמהם נסים ונפלאות ונודה לשמך הגדול סלה.

:For Hannukah

In the days of Mattathias son of Yohanan, the Hasmonean kohen gadol, and in the days of his sons, a cruel power rose against Israel, demanding that they abandon your Torah and violate your mitzvoth.  You, in great mercy, stood by Your people in time of trouble.  You defended them, vindicated them, and avenged their wrongs.  You delivered the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the corrupt into the hands of the pure in heart, the guilty into the hands of the innocent.  You delivered the arrogant into the hands of those who were faithful to Your Torah. You have wrought great victories and miraculous deliverance for Your people Israel to this day, revealing Your glory and Your holiness to all the world.  Then Your children came into Your shrine, cleansed Your Temple, purified Your sanctuary, and kindled lights in Your sacred courts.  They set aside eight days as a season for giving thanks and reciting praises to You

לפורים:

בימי מרדכי ואסתר בשושן הבירה. כשעמד עליהם המן הרשע. בקש להשמיד והרוג ולאבד את כל היהודים מנער ועד זקן טף ונשים ביום אחד בשלושה עשר לחודש שנים עשר הוא חודש אדר ושללם לבוז. ואתה ברחמך הרבים הפרת את עצתו. והשבתו לו גמולו בראשו. ותלו אותו ואת בניו על העץ. 

For Purim:

In the days of Mordecai and Ester, in Shusha, the capital of Persia, the wicked Haman rose up against all Jews and plotted their destruction.  In a single day, the thirteenth of Adar, the twelfth month of the year, Haman planned to annihilate all Jews, young and old, and to permit the plunder of their property.  You, in great mercy, thwarted his designs, frustrated his plot, and visited upon him the evil he planned to bring on others.  Haman, together with his sons, suffered death on the gallows he had made for Mordecai. 

Questions for discussion:

• What is the difference between Purim and Hannukah?

  Compiled by Shira Schwartz

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