A little over two-thousand years ago, the influence of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire had peaked in ancient Judea, banning traditional customs and rituals of practicing Jews in Jerusalem. In response, a rebel group led by the Maccabee (hammer) dissenters, grossly outnumbered by the Greek occupiers, led a revolt to reestablish their customs and homeland. The Maccabees directed their guerrilla assaults on Jewish villages who had supported establishing the Greek doctrine and paganization of Judea, and eventually turned their uprising against Seleucid hoplites. In a war of attrition which discouraged the Seleucid King, Antiochus, the Jews were granted permission to return Jerusalem to its former glory, and cleansed the Second Temple used by the Greeks for pagan worship; eight days of celebration followed. According to tradition, during the celebration, the priests had found that all bottles of oil were broken in lighting candles for the Greeks gods, but one oilskin was found undisturbed... and the limited oil used for the Temples re-dedication miraculously burned for these eight nights. This is why we light one more candle each night as we progress through Hanukkah. These bold rebels will be blessed forever, and I proudly remember them. Happy Hanukkah.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 18:41:07 +0000