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"Whoever is For the Lord, Come to
Me!"
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Tonight, Jews around the world will light the first
candle of Chanukah, commemorating a military and spiritual victory that
took place over 2200 years ago. The Jews of Judea turned back the invading
army of the Syrian general Antiochus Epiphanes, but they also successfully
defeated the efforts Jewish hellenizers to destroy the core beliefs of
Judaism and replace them with a “cultural” substitute emulating the social
values of the dominant Greek civilization. Now, the ancient Greeks gifted
humanity with many great things, such as democracy, art, literature, and
physical fitness. But these noble tools have no value unless they are used
in the service of G-D. As ends unto themselves, stripped of all decency
and morals, art, literature, physical fitness and even democracy itself
can become dangerous and destructive. “Art” and “literature” become
pornography, “physical fitness” becomes hedonism and narcissism, and
“democracy” becomes mob rule.
The military victory was only temporary. But the moral and spiritual
triumph of “the weak over the mighty, the few over the many, the pure over
the defiled, the righteous over the wicked” should provide a model for the
leaders of Israel. Unfortunately, they have chosen to emulate the conduct
of the Syrians and their hellenizing Jewish sycophants and not the noble
Maccabees whose deeds are commemorated by this festival.
The Jewish hellenizers first seized control of the Holy Temple and then
proceeded to erect statues of the Greek gods and offer sacrifices to them.
They did this not because they actually believed in the pagan religion of
the Greeks, but because they wished to flatter the Syrian overlords by
honoring their gods, and because it was an excuse to “liberate” themselves
from the stringent morality of the Torah. According to the Talmud
(Tractate Sanhedrin, 63b) “Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of
Rav, Israelites who worship pagan idols do not do so because they really
believe in the power of the idols, but only to permit themselves to commit
wanton immorality.”
Just as the Jewish hellenizers of Judea prohibited the observance of the
Sabbath and forbade Jews from circumcising their sons, the leaders of
Israel are making plans to uproot entire communities of observant Jews in
order to surrender territory to a ruthless enemy, and to shut down schools
where Jewish children are educated al taharat hakodesh, “in purity
and holiness.” The modern-day Menelaus, the Israeli Justice Minister, has
even gone so far as to speak out against the aliyah (immigration)
of Jews from North America, since the majority of them are observant, they
are not likely to vote for his party. The Israeli appeaser, Moshe Amirav,
like the false mother who came to King Solomon, recommends giving away
half of the city of Jerusalem to the Arabs, after observing that “In the
last elections haredim seized all positions of political power in
the city, including mayor. They hold all the important portfolios. The
haredi community does not hide its goal of turning Jerusalem into a
‘holy city’” (Jerusalem Post: Dec. 16, 2003). Hellenizing intellectual
Yosef Goell threatens: “haredi schools that do not introduce the
core program and effectively teach it will be cut off from all public
funding.” (Jerusalem Post: Dec. 15, 2003). The “core program” he refers to
can be modified and changed at any time to include such “core values” as
“gay studies” and “pretend you are on a pilgrimage to Mecca” as have
already been introduced into American public schools. Goell continues:
“How to deal with the integration of the Arab sector into mainstream
Israel is infinitely more complex.” The “complexity” of course, is that
the Arab population is not so easily manipulated, but the religious sector
can be treated in an imperious, totalitarian manner without fear of
complaints from the outside.
When the Jewish hellenizers began their campaign against Judaism, the
initial resistance of the Torah-loyal community was passive. Instead of
confronting their persecuters, they fled to the caves and the mountains
where, they thought, they could observe the Sabbath and the commandments
without being molested. But then the hellenizers were not satisfied by
merely controlling the Holy Temple and the large cities, they began to
move into the small villages and settlements in order to coerce their
pagan ways on a meek and patient population.
But there is a limit to all patience and to the amount of abuse that even
the mildest person can endure.
When hellenizers came to the town of Modi’in, they set up an altar to Zeus
in the town square and called upon all the residents to come and sacrifice
swine to the Greek deity. The priest Mattisyahu forbade the townspeople to
participate in this sacrilege. When one apostate Jew stepped forward,
Mattisyahu became enraged with all the zeal of his ancestor Pinchas. He
attacked the apostate and killed him. Then he cried out, “Mi Le’Hashem
elai!” (Who is for the LORD, come with me!) Mattisyahu’s bold action,
which all our modern intellectuals and peace activists would surely
denounce as an act of terrorism, became the catalyst that launched the
revolt of the Maccabees.
When victory was achieved and the Jews were cleansing the Temple of the
idolatrous defilement, they discovered one small flask of olive oil whose
seal had not been tampered with by the apostates. This small flask,
containing only enough oil for one day, burned throughout the entire eight
days of the Temple Rededication. This is such a small miracle, unlike
splitting the sea or presenting the Law on a burning mountain, but it was
a sign from G-D that Mattisyahu’s act and the subsequent uprising was not
foul murder, but righteous and blessed deed.
May G-D grant us the courage of the Maccabees, to do what is right and not
what is popular.
Jewish-history.com wishes everyone a happy and
blessed Festival of Lights |
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