Maccabee Fist
Chanukah commemorates a successful defense against a grave threat to our religion and everything for which it stands, namely a combination of devotion to God and respect for humanity. Rabbi Akiva, who experienced, perhaps, the most virulent outbreak of anti-Semitism before the Holocaust, taught that the greatest principle in Torah is: Love your fellow like yourself (Vayikra 19:18).
The attacks on Judaism all over the world must be seen as an attack on more than just us: It is an affront to our humanity. Can we learn anything from the Chanukah experience to guide us in our present predicament?
What was the Chanukah experience? There are two versions of the Chanukah story which inform our celebration: The Talmud in Shabbat (21a) and the prayer AL HaNISSIM. The Talmud discusses the miracle of the oil, and barely mentions the fact that there was a war. The prayer, on the other hand, is all about the war and has only an oblique reference to the oil miracle (‘they lit NEOROT in the Holy Precincts’). This year, perhaps, because of the headlines, I’m more interested in the prayer.
The concept of reciting a prayer for Chanukah is mentioned in the Tosefta (additions to the Mishne, Brachot 3:14), and there’s a short version of the prayer in Masechet Soferim:
In the benediction for Thanksgiving (MODIM) we include [on Chanukah] ‘and thanks for the wonders and salvation of Thy priests which Thou hast wrought in the days of Mattathias, son of Joḥanan, High Priest, and the Hasmoneans his sons. So also, O Lord our God and God of our fathers, perform for us miracles and wonders, and we will give thanks unto Thy name for ever. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Who art all-good’.
However, sometime between that text and the Siddur of Rav Amram Gaon (he died 875 CE) our prayer grew into its present much longer version. There is one very distinctive detail about this prayer, namely, its structure around the number five.
We are thanking God for the 1. NISSIM (miracles), 2. PURKAN (salvation), 3. GEVUROT (acts of power), 4. T’SHU’OT (victories), 5. MILCHAMOT (wars). Now, I know that some versions have a sixth item in the list, but I believe that was an editing problem. According to the Avudrham, the correct fifth item should be NECHAMOT (comforts) instead of wars. Others added the term NIFLAOT, ‘wonders’. But I have confidence that the original version had five items only.
The Avudraham by switching NECHAMOT for MILCHAMOT was dealing with an understandable problem. Why should we thank God for ‘wars’? Well, because we good guys don’t like to fight wars. But sometimes it is necessary and there is God guiding our ZADIKIM (like the Chashmona’im) to take up righteous arms when the need is present. When will our modern groups of right wing religious adherents learn to follow in the footsteps of the ZADIKIM of old? Sometimes we just need to follow the examples of our ancient leaders and fight for our survival.
Back in the prayer, next we list five miraculous occurrences during the war: You delivered 1. the mighty into the hands of the weak, 2. the many into the hands of the few, 3. the impure into the hands of the pure, 4. the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and 5. the wanton sinners into the hands of those who occupy themselves with Your Torah.
Finally, there were five actions taken by the Jews at that time to mark this amazing event: Then Your children 1. entered the shrine of Your House, 2. cleansed Your Temple, 3. purified Your Sanctuary, 4. kindled lights in Your holy courtyards, 5. and instituted these eight days of Chanukah to give thanks and praise to Your great Name.
Cool! The fives are wild! But why five? The simplest answer, I think, is to recognize the contributions and sacrifices of the five sons of Matityahu who led this revolt: Yehuda, Shimon, Yochanan, Elazar, and Yonatan.
The Rokeach in his commentary on the Siddur suggests that the reason is connected to the evil decrees of the Syrian Hellenists who were trying to eradicate Judaism and replace it with Greek culture. The Hellenists forced the Jews to break five Mitzvot which carried the punishment of KARET: 1. Idolatry 2. NIDDAH 3. BRIT MILA 4. Shabbat 5. Giving virgins to rulers; and there were five Mitzvot which don’t carry the KARET punishment : 1. Consume pork 2. To not light the Temple MENORAH 3. To not build Sukkot 4. To not give brides KETUBOT 5. To not study Torah.
Both explanations are compelling. Yet I would like to suggest a more elemental one. Perhaps the repeated fives point to the most basic human instrument of all: the hand.
The human hand, with its five fingers, is humanity’s oldest weapon and most versatile tool. We strike with it; we build with it; we wield every weapon—ancient or modern—through it. The Chanukah struggle was not fought by angels or miracles alone, but by human hands acting with courage, restraint, and moral purpose.
As we celebrate Chanukah this year, there are so many thoughts and ideas roiling in our brains. Are we engaged in an all out war for our survival against physical and philosophic enemies like the Seleucid Hellenists from Syria? That would demand a war footing. Perhaps, this is a short term downturn in our fortunes which will change with the next news cycle and the Anti-Semites will crawl back under their rocks.
I don’t know, but it’s safer to circle the wagons and be ready for the worst. Prudence demands readiness.
It seems every headline is either a heartbreaking tragic episode or a denunciation by a powerful person. It’s clear to me that we must be prepared for violence, while remaining true to our Torah, our Mitzvot and our humanity. Like the Maccabees, we must be strong—hands at the ready, but never forget why we are strong, or what we are defending.
