Someone once said that the power of Jewish holidays is that they are “meta-historical,” meaning that they are based on a historical event and simultaneously have valuable lessons and teachings for us today. Nowhere is this clearer than in this year’s holiday of Hanukkah, which begins on Thursday evening, Dec. 7, and lasts for eight nights.
Historically, Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, is a commemoration of the military victory of the Maccabees (also called Hasmoneans) against the Seleucid Greek empire in the second century B.C. The Maccabees were a group of Hebrew priests who led a successful revolt against the Greeks to take back control of Israel. When they had taken control of the Temple in Jerusalem, they cleansed it and needed to light the eternal light in the sanctuary. There was only enough oil for one day, but that one day’s oil lasted for eight days, until new purified oil could be obtained. And so, Jews around the world light an eight-branched candelabra called a hannukiah in honor of this victory.
This may seem minor, and it is often treated that way by secular Jews (who ignorantly compare it to the meaningful Christian holiday of Christmas and use it to give gifts to children), but it is actually a very important theological holiday about faith in God — and has tremendous teachings for these times of war we live in.
There are two miraculous aspects to the holiday. The first is that the tiny group of revolutionaries were able to defeat the Seleucid empire. The second miracle of the oil was a confirmation by God that they had done the right thing: a second visible miracle to verify that the military victory was Divine.
The Seleucids were the greatest empire of their time, more numerous and powerful than any army in the world. But when they demanded that the Jews of Israel give up their faith in God, a revolt was started by Matisyahu, a priest of Israel, and his five sons. These were not soldiers well-versed in military strategy, they were deeply religious men well-versed in an abiding faith in God. They knew that the entire ancient world would be against them, but they also had absolute faith that God was their partner and would be their ally in ensuring that the nation of Israel would be redeemed and made whole. And they won an “unwinnable” war. This was a miracle, but there might have been those who didn’t see God’s hand in the victory, and so the miracle of the oil reminded everyone that God has His hand on our shoulders. Always.
A miracle (of oil) to confirm a miracle (of victory). We all experience miracles daily, but most are subtle and we need to pay attention. Births, sunrises, breathing, and every moment is miraculous when you pause and think about it. But rarely do we get a reminder that we just experienced a miracle, that we just were blessed by God’s hand. Like a dream within a dream, it is a rare occurrence, and this double miracle is meant to help us rededicate ourselves to our partnership with God.
This year, Hanukkah has special significance as we look at two wars: the war in Israel, and the war for the soul of the United States as “palestinian activists” fill our nation’s streets with hate. The war in Israel was started with some of the most depraved horrors in human history by Hamas, including rape, kidnapping, beheadings, torture, and more. And the war here is with the Marxist agenda of secularism, socialism, gender mutilation, and the accompanying hatreds. It's an agenda that is currently using “palestine” as its cause célèbre in the same way that it has used “racism,” immigration, and gender issues in the past. We see the same people demonstrating for a “free palestine” today whom we saw in demonstrations for drag queens, BLM, and Antifa over the last few years.
Hanukkah reminds us of the importance of both of these wars and tells us how we should respond in both cases. It is clear from the Torah that Hamas must be utterly destroyed as a spiritual obligation to destroy the evil of Amalek forever (Amalek being the biblical character that consciously attacked civilian women, children, the sick, and the old.) Before Matisyahu died, he spoke to his sons. Commanding them to “fight the war of your peoples,” he enjoined his sons to “exact vengeance for your people” (1 Macc. 2:66). As clear as any instruction can be, these words from over 2,000 years ago ring true as a reminder of exactly what must be done to Hamas.
The Maccabees didn’t stop with destroying the Seleucid army. The Book of Maccabees as well as Josephus continue to tell of how they integrated their enemies’ children into Judaism and the Hebrew nation or forced them to leave the region entirely. This too is a lesson: there are no “innocents” in Gaza that support Hamas. Those who are actually against Hamas must choose to become and show that they are pro-Israel, and integrate as valued members of Israeli society. If any “innocents” strive for Hamas’ goals, then they are not “innocent”, but rather unarmed Hamas soldiers, and must sadly be treated that way.
The Maccabees remind us that an enemy as horrific as Amalek, the Seleucids, or Hamas must be utterly destroyed, and we must be dedicated to that goal lest the evil regroup and continue to attack again and again.
Hanukkah and the Maccabees also teach us how to deal with the spiritual war for our nation against the Marxist/BLM/gender mutilation/anti-family/pro-Palestine agenda. The ancient Seleucids sought to destroy the religion, practices, and values of the Jewish people. The Maccabees did not initially go to war for their physical survival but for the survival of their values against the Seleucid Greek attacks of hedonism, idolatry, and assimilation. This is the other important teaching that we must emulate in the war on the values of this nation.
The United States was founded and has existed as a home for personal liberty. The framers of the Constitution were well-versed in the Bible and theology, and they strove to create a nation of righteous individuals based on the specific values of personal responsibility, liberty, respect, and justice. As we see these values being undermined by the Marxist goals of destroying the family unit, creating an all-powerful state, and encouraging emotionally (and physically) crippled younger generations, we must recognize that there is a war going on for our survival as a nation of free and responsible citizens. It is a war that we must win, for our sake, for the sake of our children, and for the sake of our nation.
Related: A Biblical Teaching for the War in Israel
Again, the actions of the ancient Maccabees show us a pathway to light the darkness that is threatening this nation.
The Maccabees were spiritual men of peace, and like most people committed to peace, they were hesitant to admit that there was a war going on. Only when personally confronted with the Greek desire to attack their spiritual beliefs did they take up arms. Once they realized that there was a war going on, they never let up until they won and the Temple was rededicated.
We, too, as Americans have been at war within our nation for a while. Some blame this President or that one, or feel it started with the BLM riots or another event, but certainly war was declared on American citizenry with the draconian mandates for vaccination and masks. Businesses, churches, and gatherings were shut down (unless you were a Democratic politician like Newsom or Obama with their unmasked parties) and much of the country was in forced lockdown that even affected the 2020 elections.
That war against the spiritual values of America is now in full operation, and we need to do the same three things that the Maccabees did so many centuries ago. One, we must recognize that whether we want to admit it or not, war on American values has been declared. Two, we must fight that war fully, with every tool and asset we have, to regain and retain those liberties and values that are integral to the survival of the United States as we know it and as it was founded. And three, we must dedicate ourselves to being vigilant in not only winning this war for the soul of America but in never letting the Seleucid/Marxist values of secularism et. al. regain a foothold in this country.
Two miracles of Hanukkah. Two wars we need to fight. Two battlegrounds we need to win.
Hanukkah means dedication, and it is what we need now in both wars. A dedication to win these wars, both militarily in Israel to defeat the evil of Hamas and philosophically in the war going on domestically for the soul of this country.
May we all take the teachings of Hanukkah and the Maccabees and use them to light a path through the darkness, to a destination of peace and prosperity here in the United States, in Israel, and in the world.
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