1	Chanukah and The December Dilemma © Helene Audrey Bergman 2005
2	What is a Jew to do? Christmas is so appealing Popular Hard to avoid Connected to Lots of presents Beautiful music Classic art Movies and books
3	Is Chanukah the Jewish Christmas? THEY HAVE COMMON ELEMENTS Lights Presents Winter solstice BUT THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT ORIGIN and Chanukah directly addresses how our ancestors handled the seductiveness of the majority culture!
4	The Attractions of the Majority Culture Issues then Circumcision Language Cosmopolitanism Participation in sports Kashrut Commercial pressures Global politics Issues now Circumcision Language Cosmopolitanism Participation in sports Kashrut Commercial pressures Global politics
5	What do you think? How does your family handle the pressure of the majority culture? How do you? How do you think you will handle it with your children?
6	What happened the first Chanukah? As told by Historians Alexander the Great and Hellenism Seleucids and Ptolemies Jerusalem caught in the middle Judean factions Maccabbean rebellion Victory – the Roman connection Rabbinical retelling of the story Rabbi Jeremy Rosen’s reflections
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8	Alexander the Great and Hellenism The Persian Empire was replaced by the empire of Alexander the Great. Thus, Judea and Samaria came under Greek rule. The Greeks called Yehudah "Iudea."
9	Alexander the Great and Hellenism Alexander the Great kept a tight but mostly benevolent command over his empire. Alexander met the leader of the Iudeans, Simon the Just, and decided to spare Jerusalem and the Holy Temple.
10	Alexander the Great and Hellenism Alexander attempted to create a new universal culture that would bind his empire and keep it together. He blended the Greek religions with Eastern philosophy, and built temples and gymnasiums throughout Egypt and Iudea to spread these new teachings. He founded Alexandria to be the seat of this new culture, and peopled it with members of every nation.
11	Alexander the Great and Hellenism A large number of Jews eagerly embraced this new culture. They became known as the "Hellenizers." Not satisfied with simply rejecting their ancestral Torah Traditions, they also vied for power. They convinced the Greeks that the most prestigious political position among the Iudeans was the post of High Priest. They then proceeded to periodically buy the position of High Priest from the Greeks. They were incapable of fulfilling the functions of the High Priest, and so an Assistant High Priest would most often do the job.
12	Seleucids and Ptolemies After Alexander's death, his immense empire fragmented, and was divided between three of his generals, who fought constantly. Iudea and Samaria fell temporarily under the control of the Egypt-Greek empire, which we know as the Ptolemaic Empire. The Ptolemies, following Alexander’s example allowed subject people to keep their own religious customs.
13	Jerusalem caught in the middle In an attempt to keep at least some political freedom, the Jerusalem government played the Egyptian and Syrian Greeks against each other. Ultimately, this effort failed. Ptolemy V was too weak a king to keep all of his empire. The Syrian-Greeks under Antiochus III, known as the Seleucid Empire took over Iudea and Samaria.
14	Seleucids and Ptolemies Antiochus III's successor, Antiochus IV, was not as subtle or as philosophical as Ptolemy IV and V.
15	Seleucids and Ptolemies In order to consolidate his control, he forced all conquered peoples to assume the Greek religion.
16	Seleucids and Ptolemies The Syrian-Greeks would often add the gods of peoples they conquered to their own pantheon (collection of gods to be worshipped) as well.
17	Judean factions During this era, there sprung up a heretical group known as the Tzadokim (which the Greek language turned into "Sadducees"). This group was created by a man named Tzadok who began by claiming that we must follow only the Written Torah and reject the Oral Torah. His followers assumed many of the aspects of Hellenism.
18	Judean factions The Sadducees, who were mostly rich priests, often bought the position of High Priest from the Greeks. The Sadducees infiltrated the Sanhedrin as well, the highest Jewish court Finally the Sages abandoned the Sanhedrin and reformed under a different name.
19	Judean factions The mainstream Rabbis called themselves the Separatists, or in Hebrew--the "Perushim," which Greek later somehow turned into "Pharisees."
20	Judean factions It was not a political separatism that they espoused, but a religious separatism, isolating themselves from syncretism and other harmful influences. Syncretism is the practice of adding ideas from other religions, something which is strictly forbidden by the Torah.
21	Life under the Seleucids The Greeks, fearing that they would lose political control of Iudea, enacted barbaric punishments against anyone found teaching, studying, or practicing Judaism. Defiled the Holy Temple by using it as a pagan temple. Forced Yehudim to bow before Greek idols. Outlawed circumcision. Killed anyone they found celebrating Sabbath or Rosh Chodesh (the New Month).
22	The Hasmoneans The Hasmoneans were a Jewish family of the 2d and 1st cent. B.C. that brought about a restoration of Jewish political and religious life. They are called Hasmoneans or Asmoneans after their ancestor, Hashmon.
23	The Hasmoneans The Maccabees appear in history as the family of a priest, Mattathias, dwelling in Modin, who opposed the Hellenizing tendencies of the Syrian ruler Antiochus IV. Antiochus had taken advantage of factionalism among the Jews and had stripped and desacralized the Temple and begun a religious persecution.
24	Maccabbean rebellion Mattathias, after killing an apostate Jew who took part in a Greek sacrifice, killed the royal enforcing officer. With his five sons he fled to the mountains and was joined by many Hasidim. Thus began a guerrilla war. On Mattathias’ death (166 B.C.) the leadership passed to his son Judah Maccabee. Judah, an excellent military leader, defeated an expedition sent from Syria to destroy him.
25	Maccabbean rebellion Having occupied Jerusalem, he reconsecrated the Temple; the feast of Hanukkah celebrates this event (165 B.C.). Except for the small little mountain of the Holy Temple that was under the control of the Yehudim, the entire country, even the city of Jerusalem, was still under the control of the Greeks.
26	Victory – the Roman connection The Maccabees made a treaty with Rome, taking advantage of their economic interests in the region. The Seleucids could not withstand the combined power of Rome and the Judean forces, and withdrew. Although the Hasmoneans ruled, it was with Roman toleration.
27	The Hasmonean Dynasty At that time there was civil strife in Syria. Demetrius I, then in control, sent the general Nicanor with an army against Judah; that expedition was routed, but another, led by Bacchides, defeated and killed him (161? B.C.). Judah’s brother Jonathan, the new leader, was successful for a time; he supported Demetrius’ rival, Alexander Balas, and made treaties of friendship with Sparta and Rome. Jonathan was killed by treachery in 143 B.C., and the last brother, Simon, succeeded; he was recognized by the other powers as civil ruler as well as high priest, and Palestine enjoyed some years of peace. Eventually Antiochus VII sent an expedition against the Jews; Simon defeated it, but in the disorder afterward he was murdered (135 B.C.) by an ambitious son-in-law. John Hyrcanus, Simon’s son, managed to gain the ascendancy in the subsequent strife. He fought against Antiochus and remained in power until his death (105? B.C.). Under him Judea enjoyed its greatest political power.
28	The Hasmonean Dynasty John Hyrcanus was succeeded by his son Aristobulus I, who died a year later. Another son, Alexander Jannaeus, then took the throne; he governed with great severity and headed the Sadducees in their strife with the Pharisees. Upon his death (78? B.C.) his widow, Salome Alexandra, who had also been married to Aristobulus, became queen. She favored the Pharisees and governed well. After her death, her son John Hyrcanus II, who had been high priest, acquired the temporal rule as well, but his more energetic brother, Aristobulus II, revolted. A civil war followed and resulted in Roman intervention and the taking of Jerusalem by Pompey (63 B.C.).
29	The Hasmonean Dynasty The house of the Maccabees made several efforts to throw off Roman rule. One of its members, Alexander, led an abortive rebellion in Syria, and in 40 B.C. Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus II, invaded Judea with Parthian aid. Some of the Jews rallied to his standard, but he was defeated and put to death (37 B.C.) at the request of Herod the Great.
30	The Hasmonean Dynasty Hyrcanus II, who had been reinstated as high priest by the Romans, was captured by the Parthians and deprived of his ears in order to render him unfit for priestly service. He returned (33 B.C.) to Judea but was put to death (30 B.C.) on a charge of treason.
31	Rabbinical retelling of the story Long ago in the land of Judea there was a Syrian king, Antiochus. The king ordered the Jewish people to reject their G-d, their religion, their customs and their beliefs and to worship the Greek gods. There were some who did as they were told, but many refused. One who refused was Judah Maccabee
32	Rabbinical retelling of the story Judah and his four brothers formed an army and chose as their name the word "Maccabee", which means hammer. After three years of fighting, the Maccabees were finally successful in driving the Syrians out of Israel and reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem. The Maccabees wanted to clean the building and to remove the hated Greek symbols and statues. On the 25th day of the month of Kislev, the job was finished and the temple was rededicated.
33	Rabbinical retelling of the story When Judah and his followers finished cleaning the temple, they wanted to light the eternal light, known as the N'er Tamid, which is present in every Jewish house of worship. Once lit, the oil lamp should never be extinguished
34	Rabbinical retelling of the story Only a tiny jug of oil was found with only enough for a single day. The oil lamp was filled and lit. Then a miracle occurred as the tiny amount of oil stayed lit not for one day, but for eight days.
35	Rabbinical retelling of the story Jews celebrate Chanukah to mark the victory over the Syrians and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. The Festival of the Lights, Chanukah, lasts for eight days to commemorate the miracle of the oil. The word Chanukah means "dedication"