{"id":126580,"date":"2025-12-13T17:05:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=126580"},"modified":"2025-12-12T21:38:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T19:38:17","slug":"15-00-111","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=126580","title":{"rendered":"A Hanukkah Guide for the Perplexed"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reunion68.com\/Biuletyn\/img\/algem.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"35%\"><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000080;\"><span><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2025\/12\/12\/a-hanukkah-guide-for-the-perplexed-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A Hanukkah Guide for the Perplexed<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Yoram Ettinger<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/turkishsynagogue.jpg\" width=\"100%\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>Members of Turkey\u2019s Jewish community and visitors gather around a Hanukkah menorah during a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah at Neve Shalom Synagogue in Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 19, 2017. Photo: Reuters \/ Murad Sezer.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Ahead of this year\u2019s celebration of Hanukkah, here are eight important facts about the holiday:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">1. Hanukkah is the only Jewish holiday that commemorates an ancient national liberation struggle in the Land of Israel, unlike Passover, Sukkot\/Tabernacles, and Shavuot\/Pentecost, which commemorate the liberation from slavery in Egypt to independence in the land of Israel, and unlike Purim, which commemorates liberation from a Persian attempt to annihilate the Jewish people of Persia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">2. According to&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/ancient-coins-unearthed-israel-cave-maccabean-revolt-rcna61407\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an NBC news report<\/a>&nbsp;on December 13, 2022, \u201cAn ancient treasure trove of silver coins dating back 2,200 years, found in a desert cave in Israel, could add crucial new evidence to support a story of Jewish rebellion \u2026. The 15 silver coins were hidden [during] the Maccabean revolt from 167-160 B.C., when Jewish warriors rebelled against the Seleucid [Syrian] Empire\u2026.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">3. In 1777, Hanukkah candles were lit by a Jewish soldier, during the Valley Forge encampment, the turning point of the Revolutionary War. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a player in the ratification of the US Constitution, wrote: \u201cWhat shining examples of patriotism do we behold in&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/trailer.web-view.net\/Links\/0X4C712D2456A2B59828189BD7E4DC348D69E656F28D7816F0C27513C3176D74A0D50E9AE0F83C375FF8C5FA7EB82F86C4BAA355123E477DEFD3C5EC3F2682DDAE54C5294D8DA685E6.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joshua, Samuel, the Maccabees<\/a>&nbsp;and the illustrious princes and prophets among the Jews\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">4. According to Israel\u2019s Founding Father, David Ben-Gurion: Hanukkah commemorates \u201cthe struggle of the Maccabees, which was one of the most dramatic clashes of civilizations in human history, not merely a political-military struggle against foreign oppression. \u2026 Unlike many peoples, the meager Jewish people did not assimilate. The Jewish people prevailed, won, sustained and enhanced their independence and unique civilization. \u2026 It was the spirit of the people, rather than the establishment, which enabled the Hasmoneans to overcome one of the most magnificent spiritual, political and military challenges in Jewish history\u2026\u201d (<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/trailer.web-view.net\/Links\/0X28725EE0FC9D27CA189FE11ABD261B1D32CDEDAA268D86C747C282305ACE01D2F50D120B30D4B3DDF8C5FA7EB82F86C4BAA355123E477DEFD3C5EC3F2682DDAE54C5294D8DA685E6.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Uniqueness and Destiny<\/i><\/a>, pp 20-22)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">5. When ordered by Emperor Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid region to end the Jewish \u201coccupation\u201d of Jerusalem, Jaffa, Gaza, Gezer, and Akron, Shimon the Maccabee responded: \u201cWe have not occupied a foreign land. \u2026 We have liberated the land of our forefathers from foreign occupation (<i>Book of Maccabees A<\/i><i>: 15:33<\/i>).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Hanukkah highlights the centrality of the Land of Israel in the formation of Judaism and the Jewish people. The mountain ridges of Judea and Southern Samaria (the West Bank) \u2014 the cradle of Jewish history, religion, culture and language \u2014 were the platform for the Maccabean military battles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">6. Hanukkah\u2019s historical context is narrated in the&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/trailer.web-view.net\/Links\/0X73EA1ED89BD927EB96D9712B1DADA655C124CE01183EE1F3E06E611CAA5646068E682ED3556A55DFF8C5FA7EB82F86C4BAA355123E477DEFD3C5EC3F2682DDAE54C5294D8DA685E6.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Four Books of the Maccabees<\/i><\/a>,&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/trailer.web-view.net\/Links\/0XBD9AEF7F08F6B5533D2B5E3FEF87677E0D4DF2C02EE15862F80F4B47C2D5B1137DA03EFC2968F678F8C5FA7EB82F86C4BAA355123E477DEFD3C5EC3F2682DDAE54C5294D8DA685E6.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>The Scroll of Antiochus<\/i><\/a>, and&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/trailer.web-view.net\/Links\/0X7393CD400FF5C77FBF712B8242FCA480914319E826DA271FDD0884BD020A241EB82BB9CE3AB4FA07F8C5FA7EB82F86C4BAA355123E477DEFD3C5EC3F2682DDAE54C5294D8DA685E6.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>The Wars of the Jews<\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">In 323 BCE, following the death of Alexander the Great (Alexander III, who held Judaism in high esteem), the Greek Empire was split into three independent and rival mini-empires: Greece, Seleucid\/Syria, and Ptolemaic\/Egypt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">In 175 BCE, the Seleucid\/Syrian Emperor Antiochus (IV) Epiphanes claimed the Land of Israel. He suspected that the Jews were allies of his Ptolemaic\/Egyptian enemy. The Seleucid emperor was known for eccentric behavior, hence his name, Epiphanes, which means \u201cdivine manifestation.\u201d He aimed to exterminate Judaism and convert Jews to Hellenism. In 169 BCE, he devastated Jerusalem, attempting to decimate the Jewish population, and outlaw the practice of Judaism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">In 166\/7 BCE, a Jewish rebellion was led by the non-establishment Hasmonean (Maccabee) family from the rural town of Modi\u2019in, half-way between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean. The rebellion was led by the head of the family and his five sons, Yochanan, Judah, Shimon, Yonatan, and Eleazar, who fought the Seleucid occupier and restored Jewish independence. The Hasmonean dynasty was replete with external and internal wars and lasted until 37 BCE, when Herod the Great (a proxy of Rome) defeated Antigonus II Mattathias.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">7. As was&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/trailer.web-view.net\/Links\/0X8E4D8E64CBE50EC3C42373FB9EC0A86B005319878A8E8E189EA46BC4B35BCC10BA299DAFA9E1F397F8C5FA7EB82F86C4BAA355123E477DEFD3C5EC3F2682DDAE54C5294D8DA685E6.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prophesized by the Prophet Hagai<\/a>&nbsp;in 520 BCE, the re-inauguration of the Temple took place on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, which is the month of miracles, such as the post-flood appearance of Noah\u2019s rainbow, the completion of the construction of the Holy Ark by Moses, the laying of the foundations of the Second Temple by Nehemiah, etc. The 25th Hebrew word in Genesis is \u201clight,\u201d and the 25th stop during the Exodus was Hashmona (the same Hebrew spelling as Hasmonean-Maccabees).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">8. Hanukkah highlights the defeat of darkness, forgetfulness, disbelief, and pessimism, and the victory of light, commemoration, faith, defiance of odds, can-do mentality, and optimism. The first day of Hanukkah is celebrated when daylight hours are equal to darkness hours \u2014 and when moonlight is hardly noticed \u2014 ushering in brighter days.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>The author is a commentator and former<strong> Israeli ambassador.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\">\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content-alignment\">\n<div id=\"watch-description\" class=\"yt-uix-button-panel\">\n<div id=\"watch-description-text\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion&#8217;68,<\/em><em><br \/>\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion&#8217;68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.<br \/>\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:<br \/>\n<\/em><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><em><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"mailto:webmaster@reunion68.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"width: 100%;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Hanukkah Guide for the Perplexed Yoram Ettinger Members of Turkey\u2019s Jewish community and visitors gather around a Hanukkah menorah during a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah at Neve Shalom Synagogue in Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 19, 2017. Photo: Reuters \/ Murad Sezer. Ahead of this year\u2019s celebration of Hanukkah, here are eight important [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[33,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126580"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=126580"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126610,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126580\/revisions\/126610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=126580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=126580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=126580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}