By Rabbi Naftoly Bier
The Medrash explains that the verse in , Genesis 1:2, “…with darkness upon the surface of the deep”, as referring to the darkest days of human history.
This was, Chazal teach us, during the Greek occupation of Eretz Yisroel, during the era of Antiochus. Let us consider the situation the Jews of Jerusalem were in during the years leading up to the revolt of the Maccabees, which we celebrate at Chanukah.
The Syrian-Greeks had imposed laws prohibiting the Jewish people from following their Torah. Among other restrictions, they were not allowed to keep Shabbos or circumcise their sons. The Greeks weren’t bent on exterminating the Jews, but they were determined that all Jews should adopt their way of life, including pagan worship.
They argued, why define your superior intellectual wisdom and understanding of life due to your Torah, as a benefaction of G-d? You are stifling yourselves! Humankind is superior due to its natural intellectual prowess.
The human is god. Worship your intellect. Worship your body. Worshipyour desires and lusts.
Most Jews had Hellenized. some people resisted and lost their lives. It got to a point where the observant
Torah jews were just totally demoralized.
This situation came to a head when the daughter of the Kohen Gadol, the high priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, was about to get married. An edict had been passed that every Jewish woman, on the night of her wedding, would have to spend that night with the local Greek governor and be humiliated. During the wedding ceremony, the high priest’s daughter started taking off her clothing.
Her brothers ran up to her and said, “It’s bad enough that we’ve lost everything. Now you’re going to
destroy the dignity of the priestly family? How can you do this in public?”
The daughter said to them, “You’re right. But where are you when I am going to lose my dignity tonight?
Why are you so upset at me for disrobing? You should be upset I have
to go, and every other Jewish woman, all the Jews, are being abused and humiliated.”
Her speech moved their hearts, and her brothers confronted the local governor, saying, “Our sister is the
daughter of the high priest and she doesn’t deserve to have you defile her. Only the supreme governor of the whole country should be permitted to be with the high priest’s daughter.” He agreed and the sons killed him! That was the spark that touched o the Jews’ revolution against the Greeks.
What’s the point of this story? It’s that we can be so demoralized that we can’t think anymore. But if you find one positive point upon which you can afix enthusiasm, courage, and determination to go ahead, you do it. Find something that sparks you. Find one thing that sparks you. There’s always a spark in each person. A person might feel a failure, but there’s always something there to light a new path. Hashem will help you! He loves you!
How were they able to overcome the Greek domination? (In actuality they did not win political freedom until many years later. Only religious autonomy was achieved at the time of Chanukah.)
The Alsich in his commentary explains the juxtaposition of the salvation by Chanukah and the coming of
Moshiach, is that in both eras the Jewish people will be bereft of merits. But in both cases, the merit of
those who diligently learn Torah and the children who study Torah, will bring about the salvation of Klal Yisroel. For Torah study is our blueprint for life, our essence, our neshamah.
Let us all light a spark and pray that Hashem fans it into a flame ; the coming of Moshiach speedily in our time. May we all have an uplifting Chanukah!
