Hanukkah Thinking: Why Bete Israel Could Never Imagine Sitting in a Study Hall During Time of War

Hanukkah is a post-biblical holiday, and as such, Ethiopian Jews (Bete Israel) were not supposed to be familiar with it. How did they come to learn about it? Another question arises. How can we explain that the Greeks, who were known for their polytheistic worldview and were tolerant by nature, objected so strongly to Jewish practice. By and large, they did not engage in religious coercion in other territories under their control but when they came to Judea they imposed cruel edicts against the Jews’ faith. Was this a clash between monotheism and polytheism, or is there another explanation for the Greeks’ behavior?

Thinking about these questions, my mind is drawn to the draft law that is currently being debated in Knesset. We have witnessed resistance to enlistment from certain populations, with cries of “We will die before we enlist.” Some ultra-Orthodox opponents of the law have compared the state to fascist regimes. The former Chief Rabbi of Israel even declared, “Secular people must understand that without the Torah, the army will not succeed” and, “If we are forced to go to the army, we will leave Israel to go abroad.”

In my view, the discussion should not focus on whether ultra-Orthodox Jews will enlist, whether Torah study takes precedence over military service, or whether the army’s success depends on Torah scholars. Instead, we must ask: what drives the ultra-Orthodox community to express itself in this way? Can one truly remain in the study hall without fighting wars and expect to prevail?

Such statements and thinking are foreign to the spiritual leaders of Bete Israel (Ethiopian Jewry), the Keisim. The religious and cultural pathways of Ethiopian Jewry provide answers to some of the questions I’ve raised.

The holiday of Hanukkah was entirely unknown in Ethiopia. Only in recent years did the tradition of celebrating the holiday reach Ethiopian villages. This is ironic because Bete Israel canonized the Book of the Maccabees, which recounts the history of the Hasmonean era, as part of its sacred scriptures. Ethiopian Jews grew up and were educated on these historical narratives, recognizing the magnitude of the Maccabees’ victory over the Greeks.

In contrast, most Jews who follow the rabbinic tradition (Ashkenazim and Sefaradim), are unfamiliar with the Book of Maccabees. This book was not canonized as part of the Hebrew Bible.

To explain this conundrum, we must distinguish between two aspects of Hanukkah. One aspect, stressed in the Rabbinic Babylonian Talmud, is that of the religious holiday that commemorates the miracle of the oil in the Temple. For eight days, Jews express gratitude, praise and remembrance through the lighting of candles.

The holiday’s other aspect is the historical one, focusing on the battle against the Greeks. Ethiopian Jews, who studied the Book of Maccabees but lacked the rabbinic tradition, focus on the military battle and the Jewish people’s resilience in facing their enemy.

The perception of some groups of Jews, that Hannukah’s mortal struggle against a genocidal enemy should be remembered through the miracle of the oil, may be what leads to a belief that sitting in a study hall and learning Torah can ensure victory in battles.

The Ethiopian tradition, in contrast, which sees in Hannukah, the Jews’ victory in a war of no choice, could not conceive of the sentiment, “We will die before we enlist.” Paradoxically, this perspective aligns with that of the secular Zionist approach, which differentiated between the historical story and the religious miracle of Hanukkah.

Aryeh Ben-Gurion, a member of Kibbutz Beit Hashita, asked: “What has tradition left us from the Hasmonean wars? Not symbols of heroism or tools of warfare, but a candle.” This sentiment is reflected in the well-known Hanukkah song “Anu Nos’im Lapidim” (“We Bear Torches”).  The lyrics are:

“No miracle happened to us, no oil was found—

We went down to the valley, ascended the mountain,

And discovered the hidden springs of light.

No miracle happened to us, no oil was found—

We carved into the rock until it bled.

And there was light.”

In this way, we see how secular Zionism connects to the historical story of Hanukkah rather than the religious narrative. The historical consciousness of Bete Israel, which sees the holiday in a similar way, can explain the fact that the only sovereign Israelite kingdom that existed outside the borders of Israel since the destruction of the Second Temple was the one founded by Ethiopian Jews in Ethiopia.

The historical consciousness, rather than the religious one, teaches us—as is particularly evident in the Book of Maccabees—that the Greek’s exceptional step of making decrees banning religious practice was a result of the Jewish people’s rebelliousness. The conflict between Hellenized Jews and their faithful Jewish opponents compelled the Greeks, under the influence of Hellenized Jews, to impose these decrees. The Jewish revolt provoked the Greek decrees rather than the other way around, as many of us have believed.

In order to note that Hanukkah is relevant to us in every generation, we use the phrase, “In those days, and at this time.” How true for our generation! Since the seventh of October, we have witnessed events that combined human courage and extraordinary miracles. There is no other way to describe it: these events have biblical proportions. Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran invested enormous resources in the singular goal of eradicating Israel. And still, with God’s help, our people have succeeded in destroying hundreds of thousands of missiles and rockets, alongside the enemies’ skilled fighters, on all fronts These nations and groups now find themselves crumbling from within.

Israel, small in size but enormous in resolve, stands as a lamb among seventy wolves. Enemies rise up against us to destroy us, yet time and again, we demonstrate that this “lamb” is wise, calculated, and intelligent, outmaneuvering its enemies and defending its existence.

Miracles do not occur in a vacuum. Behind every achievement stand soldiers and civilians, men and women, who gave their bodies and souls for the defense of the homeland. This year has taught us that miracles and luck are insufficient—we must know how to use them. Israel’s military intelligence, strategy, and technological innovation enable us to overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable.

Hanukkah symbolizes the meeting of two consciousnesses—the historical and the miraculous. Both are necessary. Our strength lies in the combination of faith, courage, and wisdom. May this combination continue to bring light into our souls. During this year’s Hanukkah celebration, may we all, wherever we are, see the light within the deepest darkness and let it shine through to heal our bleeding wounds.

Happy Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.