Rabbi Benjamin Elton
We tend to think of Hanukkah as the celebration of a great victory — a victory by the Maccabees over the Syrian Greek empire, ruled by the Seleucids. We tell the story that the Jews defeated their enemies and recaptured the Temple, where the miracle of the oil took place. And that, we often assume, is the end of the story. The Seleucids retreated and an independent Jewish kingdom was re-established. Except, that is not what happened.
Here is the real story. The crackdown on Jewish observance began in 168 BCE, the next year the Maccabean Revolt began and, by 164, they had reconquered Jerusalem and purified the Temple. That is the event that Hanukkah celebrates, but the war was far from over.
Although the Syrian Greeks lifted the ban on Jewish practice, they were still in charge of the land of Israel. The Maccabees had to fight on. There was progress but also setbacks. There were complex negotiations with the Seleucids involving partial autonomy; there were alliances with Rome; and, eventually, complete autonomy was established by 139 BCE, some quarter of a century after the events that Hanukkah commemorates. To paraphrase Winston Churchill: Hanukkah was not the end, it was not even the beginning of the end — it was, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
What is the significance of celebrating an event, even a miracle, that took place not at the end but in the middle of a campaign? What is its relevance for our day?
Families of the hostages and their supporters participate in a Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony on the first night of Hanukkah, where one candle was lit for each person still being held hostage, outside The Museum of Art on 7 December 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Many of us feel we are in the middle of a long and painful process, we hope not as long as the Maccabean Revolt, but certainly much longer than we would wish. It is now 448 days since the events of 7 October 2023, which means 448 days of captivity of the hostages and 448 days into the increase in antisemitism in Australia and around the world. Although we should also place that in context. I heard a Jewish comedian say, “There’s been a recent uptick in antisemitism, the last 3,000 years”.
Occasionally we hear about negotiations that might lead to a hostage release and a ceasefire in Gaza, and then they go quiet again. We have also experienced encouragement and disappointment in the local fight against antisemitism, as state and national leaders offer their solidarity and support — and then another outrage occurs and we feel let down. We are very much in the middle, so is it appropriate to celebrate?
Hanukkah teaches us that, even at this stage, celebration is not only appropriate but essential. In fact, Hanukkah is just the last survivor of a large number of minor festivals established from the Maccabean period until the destruction of the Second Temple, exactly the time when the Jewish state was fighting for its existence, suffering defeats as well as celebrating victories, and when there was a constant struggle without an established and secure peace.
35 such days were established to celebrate the moments of light amid the gloom. The miracles and wonders of the Exodus when the Israelites left Egypt in triumph only needed one festival — Pesach. It is the more complicated realities of the Maccabean Revolt, and indeed of our time, that call for regular celebration.
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This is something that Rabbi Jonathan Sacks talked about. He told a story that happened to him in 1993, just a couple of years after he became Chief Rabbi. A head teacher of a failing school contacted him to ask for advice. She visited his home and told him a tale of woe. Morale at the school, among students, parents and teachers alike was an all-time low. Due to children being withdrawn from the school and transferred elsewhere by parents, the roll had dropped from 1,000 children to 500. Examination results were poor, and the school was heading towards closure.
Rabbi Sacks takes up the story of his advice to the head teacher:
I said: “I want you to live one word: celebrate.” She turned to me with a sigh: “You don’t understand — we have nothing to celebrate. Everything in the school is going wrong.” “In that case”, I replied, “find something to celebrate. If a single student has done better this week than last week, celebrate. If someone has a birthday, celebrate. If it’s Tuesday, celebrate.” She seemed unconvinced, but promised to give the idea a try.
Eight years later that head teacher wrote again to Rabbi Sacks to tell him what had happened. Examination results at high grades had risen from 8 to 65 per cent. The roll of pupils had risen from 500 to 1,000 again. She said that one word — celebrate — had changed the school and her life.
It is our religious celebrations, and the gratitude to God they express, that give us the strength to carry on. Jewish history is a succession of better times and worse times. The Hasmonean monarchy that followed the Maccabean Revolt was not a simple and wholly happy time. There were civil wars, assassinations and massacres. The alliance with Rome turned into a full Roman occupation which led eventually to the destruction of the Temple. The Hasmonean dynasty itself ended tragically. The last Hasmonean princess threw herself from the roof of the palace rather than be forced to marry Herod. Her final words declared that she was the last of her line, and anyone who came after claiming to be a Hasmonean was a liar.
Nevertheless, the festival of Hanukkah was established and it remains, as a reminder that we celebrate and we thank God even when everything is not perfect, and even though the moment of happiness will pass — because the blessings also endure, and we cannot survive without them.
Dr Benjamin Elton is the Chief Minister and Senior Rabbi of The Great Synagogue in Sydney.
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