Maccabees

History

The Maccabees were fighters from a priestly Jewish family who successfully waged war against the Seleucids and rededicated the Second Temple in Jerusalem — which is now commemorated on Chanukkah. The Maccabees established the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 167 BCE to 37 BCE.

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The Miracle of the Oil

TALMUD

The miracle of the oil lasting eight days is the foundation for the celebration of Chanukkah, with its unique religious observances. The tractate Shabbat includes the primary talmudic discussion of Hanukkah, detailing the miracle and the establishment of the holiday by the sages.

The Gemara asks: What is Hanukkah, and why are lights kindled on Hanukkah? The Gemara answers: The Sages taught in Megillat Ta’anit: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the days of Hanukkah are eight. One may not eulogize on them and one may not fast on them. What is the reason? When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary they defiled all the oils that were in the Sanctuary by touching them. And when the Hasmonean monarchy overcame them and emerged victorious over them…

Shabbat 21b:10

The Start of Chanukkah

SECOND TEMPLE

Megillat Ta'anit records the specific date of the beginning of Chanukkah and the prohibition against eulogizing during the festival. This ancient text lists days of joy and commemoration, including the start of Chanukkah on Kislev 25, marking the Maccabean victory and rededication of the Second Temple.

On the twenty fifth of the month is Channuka, eight days on which one does not eulogize

Megillat Ta'anit, Kislev 7

Publicizing the Chanukkah Miracle

HALAKHAH

The lighting of candles during Chanukkah is a rabbinic commandment established to publicize and reveal the miraculous events of the holiday. Rambam, in 12th-century legal code, equates the observance of Chanukkah with that of Purim, emphasizing the importance of publicizing miracles and prohibiting eulogies and fasting during these festive days.

When the Jews overcame their enemies and destroyed them, they entered the Sanctuary; this was on the twenty-fifth of Kislev. They could not find any pure oil in the Sanctuary, with the exception of a single cruse. It contained enough oil to burn for merely one day. They lit the arrangement of candles from it for eight days until they could crush olives and produce pure oil. Accordingly, the Sages of that generation ordained that these eight days, which begin from the twenty-fifth of Kislev, should be commemorated to be days of happiness and praise [of God]…

Mishneh Torah, Scroll of Esther and Hanukkah 3:2-3

Divine Intervention and the Maccabees

SECOND TEMPLE

The Maccabees' victory was not just a military triumph but a testament to divine intervention and the spiritual renewal of the Jewish people. The book of Maccabees II, an ancient work that tells the story of the Hasmonean revolt and its aftermath, recounts the rededication of the Second Temple and emphasizes the plea for divine protection and forgiveness, highlighting the religious significance of Chanukkah.

The spirit of the Lord made Judah Maccabee and his men succeed, and they captured the city and the Temple. They destroyed the altars and the houses of idolatry that the nations had built in the city squares. After they purified the Temple, made a new altar, and removed the fire from the stones they gathered, they offered their sacrifice to the Lord at the end of two years. They offered incense and arranged the lamps; they placed the show-bread on the table of the Lord. And at the end of all these, they fell on their faces and they pleaded to the Lord God, saying:…

The Book of Maccabees II 10:1-7

The Joy of Rededication

SECOND TEMPLE

The rededication of the altar by the Maccabees marked a pivotal moment of communal joy and spiritual renewal, celebrated annually as Chanukkah. The book of Maccabees, an ancient work that tells the story of the Hasmonean revolt and its aftermath, recounts the Maccabees' triumph over the Seleucid Empire and the subsequent rededication of the Second Temple, events that are central to the celebration of Chanukkah.

Now on the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, which is called the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and eighth year, they rose up betimes in the morning, And offered sacrifice according to the law upon the new altar of burnt offerings, which they had made. Look, at what time and what day the heathen had profaned it, even in that was it dedicated with songs, and citherns, and harps, and cymbals. Then all the people fell upon their faces, worshipping and praising the God of heaven, who had given them good success…

The Book of Maccabees I 4:51-57

Proclaiming the Festival of Lights

SECOND TEMPLE

The annual celebration of Chanukkah was established through a proclamation sent throughout the cities of Judah, ensuring its observance every year. The Book of Maccabees II, an ancient work that tells the story of the Hasmonean revolt and its aftermath, recounts the events leading to the establishment of Chanukkah, emphasizing the religious and cultural significance of this festival.

And they sent a voice in all the cities of Judah to celebrate this festival every year.

The Book of Maccabees II 10:11

Judith's Bold Chanukkah Legacy

HALAKHAH

The story of Judith highlights the significant role women played in the Chanukkah miracle, emphasizing their bravery and contribution to the victory. The Kol Bo, a medieval compendium of Jewish law and custom, recounts Judith's pivotal role in the Chanukkah story and explains the custom of eating cheese dishes during the holiday.

Women are obligated to light Hanukkah candles, for they too were included in the miracle. This means that the enemies came to destroy everyone, men, women, and children, and there are those who say that the great miracle occurred through a woman. Her name was Judith, as the story goes, and she was the daughter of Yochanan, the high priest. She was extremely beautiful, and the Greek king wanted her to lay with him. She fed him a dish of cheese to make him thirsty, so that he would drink a great deal and became drunk, and recline and fall asleep…

Kol Bo 44:9

Chanukkah's Sukkot Connection

SECOND TEMPLE

The Maccabees' rededication of the Temple was celebrated with elements reminiscent of Sukkot, connecting the festival of Chanukkah to this earlier biblical holiday. The Book of Maccabees II, an ancient work that tells the story of the Hasmonean revolt and its aftermath, details the events leading to the celebration of Chanukkah, including the purification of the Temple and the Maccabees' victory.

And from the Lord it was this, to purge the House on the same day that the nations defiled it, and it was the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev. And they celebrated a festival to the Lord for eight days, like the days of the festival of Sukkot, and they remembered the previous days when they celebrated the festival of Sukkot in mountains and in caves, and they went out in the desolation/wilderness, like wild beasts. They took willows of the brook and branches of palm trees, and they sang a song of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord…

The Book of Maccabees II 10:8-10

The Struggle for Faith and Freedom

SECOND TEMPLE

The Book of Maccabees I vividly portrays the severe persecution faced by the Jewish people under Antiochus IV, highlighting their resilience and determination to maintain their faith amidst brutal oppression. This apocryphal text recounts the historical events leading to the Maccabean revolt, which is commemorated during Chanukkah, emphasizing the rededication of the Temple and the miracle of the oil.

And after that Antiochus had smitten Egypt, he returned again in the hundred forty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a great multitude, And entered proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof, And the table of the shewbread, and the pouring vessels, and the vials, and the censers of gold, and the veil, and the crown, and the golden ornaments that were before the temple, all which he pulled off. He took also the silver and the gold…

The Book of Maccabees I 1:22-62

Unity and Miracles in the Maccabean Revolt

SECOND TEMPLE

The Book of Maccabees II highlights the miraculous intervention of God in saving the Jewish people and the importance of unity and shared celebration among the Jewish people. This ancient work tells the story of the Hasmonean revolt and its aftermath, recounting the rededication of the Second Temple, celebrated during Chanukkah, and emphasizing the connection between Jews in Jerusalem and Egypt.

...The Jews in Jerusalem and in the land of Judah to their Jewish brethren in Egypt, peace and salvation! God bless you, and remember you his covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And give you a whole heart to fear him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul. God will open your hearts to reflect on His Torah and keep His commandments, and will give you a blessing and peace. If only The Lord will listen to your prayers and be merciful to you, and from hardship He will save your lives. This is our prayer to You for all time…

The Book of Maccabees II 1:1-35

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