There is nothing like the holiday of Hanukkah to illustrate the essential difference between us and our enemies. Look at what we celebrate and what they glorify. In recent weeks, our forces have destroyed monuments to murderers that the enemies erected in the cities of the Gaza Strip and also in the cities of Judea and Samaria. These are their role models. While we erect menorahs and light candles.
When necessary, we too know how to fight with strength and courage and strike down our enemies. The Hasmoneans also rose up and fought the Greeks. But this is a necessity of reality in certain situations. The general path of the Jewish people is expressed in the symbol with which we commemorate the miracle of Hanukkah throughout the generations – lighting candles, spreading light.
The power that brings victory
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There is truly something miraculous here. The Hasmoneans achieved a great military victory - a handful of guerrilla fighters managed to defeat the huge army of the greatest power in the world of those days. It would seem fitting to tie the eternal memory of the holiday to the military victory.
But in fact, the military victory is mentioned briefly in the "Va'al Nissim" prayer, while the main mitzvah of Chanukah places the emphasis on a completely different event - the miracle of the jar of oil.
In this way, the Sages sought to instill in generations the recognition that the main struggle of Chanukah was expressed in the spiritual-ethical side, which is symbolized by the jug of oil. The wars and victories came from the power of that 'jug of pure oil,' that point of intense and fervent faith in God, which then erupted in full force. This point is worthy of being remembered and passed on from generation to generation.
The end of the Hasmonean kingdom also reflects this truth from the other direction. As long as the spiritual power was intact, the kingdom flourished and prospered. Its decline and collapse began the moment it lost its spiritual-moral power and its independence of consciousness. When it began to look down on neighboring kingdoms, alongside internal corruption, at this point its end was sown.
It turns out that in the Jewish people there is no physical independence without spiritual independence. The two are interdependent, and when spiritual independence is harmed, through the adoption of the culture of other nations and the erosion of Jewish identity, physical independence quickly erodes and even disappears.
The Eternal Jewish Light
The shock that shook us all following the brutal massacre on Simchat Torah suddenly awakened the Jewish point that had perhaps been dormant. Suddenly, Jews all over the world clearly felt their Jewishness. From their hearts burst a strong desire to proudly identify as Jews and to connect with their identity and roots.
This is what happened during the Hasmonean period. It was precisely the decrees of Antiochus that awakened the Jewish point in the hearts of the masses of the people, and then the rebellion broke out. The forces that seemed to have waned suddenly came to life. The Jewish soul suddenly revealed its strength. The few rose up against the many, the weak against the heroes. The Jewish faith succeeded in overcoming its enemies and oppressors. The determination of a handful of believers prevailed over the heavy war elephants of the Greeks.
As we light the candles of Hanukkah, we should remember the eternal lesson. Jewish existence depends on preserving Jewish uniqueness and adhering to the Torah and its commandments. The general culture changes and evolves, but the Jewish light lives on and endures forever. Happy Hanukkah!
