Hanukah Faith Without the Hanukah Fairytale
Since everybody and their brother is posting on the history of Hanukah this year, I thought I’d link to a post I just wrote on the challenges–and imperatives–of integrating disturbing historical information into one’s mature adult faith. More on the Hasmonean massacres, forced circumcisions, God and Biblical criticism can be found here.
I’ve been thinking about these themes a great deal this past month. Thank you so much for your eloquent ideas.
I didn’t agree with every detail of the piece, but I echo Ronen as regards its main themes. Thoughtful and fascinating. My background was the reverse of Danya’s – I started with the fairy-tale version (well, i was a kid) and eventually had to face the not-always pleasant realities – but in the end we have to leave both the childish naivete and the adolescent resentment behind, and celebrate our holidays thoughtfully but no less joyously than we did as kids.
The genuine tradition of Israel, preserved in the Oral Law,
explains the true nature of the Hannukah celebration. “What is Hannukah? (RSHI: For which miracle was it instituted?) The Sages taught …. A miracle took place and they kindled the Menorah from it (from the vessel of oil) for eight days” (Shabbos 21 B). The miracle of the lights was the central cause of celebration; for the battles were by no means finished, for soon afterward the power went over to the Hellenisers entirely, after the death of Judah the Maccabbee, and the worst part of the Shmad commenced, followed by 25 years of war. It is thus clear that the celebration of Hannukah was not because of any victory, but because of their rejoicing at the demonstration of the Shechinah in their midst.
The episode of the miracle of Hannukah “was not permitted to be written” (Yoma 29 A). It is certain that none of the Sages ever mentioned the book of the Hasmoneans (the book of the Maccabbees); and this book has not been in the hands of our nation throughout the past two millenia. It was illegal for loyal Jews to have any public writings other than the Scriptures. All secular narratives were forbidden as “outside books” (Sefarim Hitzonim) (Sanhedrin 90 A), and no sacred writing other than the 24 books of the Scriptures was permitted. It was forbidden to write even prayer-books (Shabbos 115 B), and there is no mention of a written Mishnah or Talmud until the days of the Rabbanan Savorai, after the last of the Amoraim. All historical narrative was contained in the Oral Tradition in the form of carefully-memorized Baraisas, of which a number are found in the Talmud and other compilations, such as Seder Olam and MidÂrashim; but, like all the Oral Tradition, this had been forbidden to put into writing. Even Josephtus states: “We do not possess an unlimited number of books among us … but only the books of the Scriptures” (Contra Apion I, 8), and he states: “Every one is not permitted of his own accord to be a writer” (ibid. I, 7). Josephus wrote his own books not for the Jews (vid. Jos. Vita 76). The book of Hasmoneans (including II Hasmoneans) was therefore certainly not composed by any of the Sages or their disciples (who were always the majority of the nation, as testified even by Josephus-Antig. XIII, 10, 5; XIII, 10,6).
The narrative of the book of Hasmoneans concludes soon
after the period of Jochanan Hyrcanus (I Hasmoneans 17: 25 ). Since it goes no further, it obviously was composed at that time (for if it were merely a chronicle of the Syrian wars, it did not need to include the history of Jochanan Hytcanus). This demonstrates that it was written under the regime of the Sadduccee-Hasmonean rulers, of whom Jochanan Hyrcanus was the first; and the writer was under their dominion. Because the Sadduccee regime of Jochanan Hyrcanus forbade the practice of all Rabbinic laws and inflicted punishment (in some instances death) upon those who observed these laws (Antiq. XIII, 10, 6), the writer was careful to omit any mention of the Rabbinical law of kindling the Hannukah lamp. He could therefore make no mention of the miracle of the Menorah which the entire nation knew as the occasion for this Rabbinical law. The practice of Hannukah was not repressed, although it was a Rabbinical edict, for it was the memorial of the glory of the Hasmonean family and the sole justification of their authority. Josephus, who followed the Sadduccee chronicles throughout, also omitted the miracle of the Menorah; but he could not brush off the fact that the entire nation kindled the Hannukah lamps, and he therefore mentions the festival called Lights (Antiq. XII, 7, 7). He gives a lame explanation: “I suppose the reason (for this name of Lights) was because this liberty beyond our hopes appeared to us” (ibid.).
Despite the attempts of the Sadduccees to suppress the
fame of the miracle of the Menorah and the practice of the Mitzvah, the Sages and the nation made every attempt to publicize this miracle; and the universal practice of the people was to kindle the Hannukah lamps at the gates of their homes, in the public thoroughfare (Shabbos 22 A; Bava Kama 62 B).
from “Tzur Hate-udah” by Avigdor Miller