- Shabbat and Holidays
- Hanukkah In Our Time
The Torah study is dedicated in the memory of
Hana Bat Haim
The Lesson of Chanukah
Chanukah is a time of praise and thanksgiving to God for the miracles and wonders that He performed on behalf of our ancestors “in those days at this time.” It is also a time to reflect upon and learn from the great events which happened in those days.
Chanukah is a time of praise and thanksgiving to God for the miracles and wonders that He performed on behalf of our ancestors "in those days at this time." It is also a time to reflect upon and learn from the great events which happened in those days. We are called upon to consider how it was that the Jews managed to persevere in the face of the great crises which befell them.
The Greek adversary was set on eradicating the faith of the Jewish people. The Hellenist juggernaut strove to expung our Divine heritage. Greek pressure grew until it was unbearable. The majority of Jews were unable to withstand it. Resistance was slowly warn down. Many became tired of the prolonged struggle on behalf of the religion of Israel. They could not bear being repudiated by the nations because of their unique faith. The people could not withstand the isolation, animosity, and bloodshed which resulted from their refusing to be like other nations. They said, "Must we forever face the sword? No more war! No more bloodshed! Enough separatism! Let us be like the rest of the nations! Let us stop being different and despised!" They reasoned that the sanctity of life should take priority over ancient beliefs and customs.
Poets sprung up who preached peace and brotherly love. Thinkers and ideologists arose who set about uprooting whatever set us apart and made us distinct from the Gentiles. They disparaged the Sabbath and Jewish circumcision, and they began to devote themselves to Greek gods and Greek culture. They waged war on any matter that even resembled Judaism.
Part of the nation had for some time felt closer to the the Gentiles than to their Jewish kinsmen who continued to cling to the Torah and its precepts. They forged a common language with the non-Jews, and came to despise their fanatical brethren who were destroying all hope of peace and appeasement and any chance of a creating a "new Middle East."
There were those who warned against assimilation, but their cries fell upon deaf ears. In addition to being a minority, they were plagued by inner quarrels. Every religious circle rejected the others. The nation was split and splintered. The Greeks took advantage of the situation and pressed us to abandon our faith.
This was the situation until a single brave elder arose, filled with the spirit of faith and self-sacrifice. He raised the banner of the faith of Israel and cried, "Whoever is for God, join me!" He united the nation's divided spiritual forces and awakened the inner spark which, though it existed all along, had been long covered over.
A feeling of spiritual rejuvenation and purpose gripped the people. The nation rose up, liberated its land, and restored sovereignty in Israel - a sovereignty that was to endure for the next two hundred years. The Jewish people purified the Holy Temple, regained their spiritual health, and returned to the service of God and the fulfillment of His precepts. A single great individual armed with an unbending faith was able, with God's help, to achieve all this.
This, then is the lesson to be learned from Chanukah: a sudden spiritual revolution is entirely possible, and it can even be sparked by a single individual.
The Greek adversary was set on eradicating the faith of the Jewish people. The Hellenist juggernaut strove to expung our Divine heritage. Greek pressure grew until it was unbearable. The majority of Jews were unable to withstand it. Resistance was slowly warn down. Many became tired of the prolonged struggle on behalf of the religion of Israel. They could not bear being repudiated by the nations because of their unique faith. The people could not withstand the isolation, animosity, and bloodshed which resulted from their refusing to be like other nations. They said, "Must we forever face the sword? No more war! No more bloodshed! Enough separatism! Let us be like the rest of the nations! Let us stop being different and despised!" They reasoned that the sanctity of life should take priority over ancient beliefs and customs.
Poets sprung up who preached peace and brotherly love. Thinkers and ideologists arose who set about uprooting whatever set us apart and made us distinct from the Gentiles. They disparaged the Sabbath and Jewish circumcision, and they began to devote themselves to Greek gods and Greek culture. They waged war on any matter that even resembled Judaism.
Part of the nation had for some time felt closer to the the Gentiles than to their Jewish kinsmen who continued to cling to the Torah and its precepts. They forged a common language with the non-Jews, and came to despise their fanatical brethren who were destroying all hope of peace and appeasement and any chance of a creating a "new Middle East."
There were those who warned against assimilation, but their cries fell upon deaf ears. In addition to being a minority, they were plagued by inner quarrels. Every religious circle rejected the others. The nation was split and splintered. The Greeks took advantage of the situation and pressed us to abandon our faith.
This was the situation until a single brave elder arose, filled with the spirit of faith and self-sacrifice. He raised the banner of the faith of Israel and cried, "Whoever is for God, join me!" He united the nation's divided spiritual forces and awakened the inner spark which, though it existed all along, had been long covered over.
A feeling of spiritual rejuvenation and purpose gripped the people. The nation rose up, liberated its land, and restored sovereignty in Israel - a sovereignty that was to endure for the next two hundred years. The Jewish people purified the Holy Temple, regained their spiritual health, and returned to the service of God and the fulfillment of His precepts. A single great individual armed with an unbending faith was able, with God's help, to achieve all this.
This, then is the lesson to be learned from Chanukah: a sudden spiritual revolution is entirely possible, and it can even be sparked by a single individual.

The Chanukah Revolution Continues
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu | Kislev 5762

"Each According to his Camp"
Rabbi David Chai Hacohen | Kislev, 5761
Miracles, Miracles Everywhere
Rabbi Gideon Weitzman | 5765

Western Culture – What to Accept and What to Reject
Various Rabbis | 26 kislev 5768
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed
Head of the Bet El Yeshiva Institutions, was the head of the Yesha rabbis board and rabbi of Bet-El, founder of Arutz 7.
Israel, Gentiles, & Gog U'Magog
Adar I 16 5782
Yosef & His Brothers / The National Religious & the Left
Kislev 22 5782
Purim: How the Final Redemption Will Play Out
Adar II 7 5782
Post-Pesach Reflections on Redemption
Nissan 28 5782

The Day of Love for the Land of Israel
Rabbi Yaakov Ariel | Shvat 12 5783

Tree Planting - the Redemption Revealed
Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l
Automatic Holiness!
Rabbi Netanel Yossifun | Shvat 12 5783

Understanding the Shalom Zachor
Rabbi Avraham Rosenthal | Cheshvan 12 5780

The Day of Love for the Land of Israel
Rabbi Yaakov Ariel | Shvat 12 5783

Between Yishtabach and Borchu
Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff

influencing Our Families, Cities & the World
Ein Aya Shabbat 5,14
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Shvat 5783
