Chanukah and the Book of Maccabees

(1) ... Teach us, our master, from when does the mitzvah of the Channukah lamp begin? Our rabbis taught – from when the sun sets until the majority of people are gone from the marketplace. And where are they to be lit? If one lives on an upper floor with a window facing the public domain, light there. If it is a time of danger, light within your house [and it is forbidden to do work by its light. R’ Asi said] it is forbidden to see by its light. Why do we light Channukah lamps? When the Hasmonean High Priest defeated the Greeks, as it says “For I bend Judah for Me like a bow; I filled [the hand of] Ephraim, and I will arouse your children, O Zion, upon your children, O Javan; and I will make you as the sword of a mighty man,” (Zechariah 9:13) they entered the Holy Temple. They found there eight iron stakes, fixed them in the ground and lit lamps upon them. Why do we read the Hallel psalms of praise? Because it is written “The Lord is God, and He gave us light.” (Tehillim 118:27) Why don’t we read it on Purim? It is written “…to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish the entire host of every people and province that oppress them…” (Esther 8:11) and we don’t read it except to mark the fall of a kingdom and the kingdom of Ahasuerus still stood. But when the Holy One destroyed the kingdom of Greece they began to sing hymns and praises and to say that in the past we were servants to Pharoah, servants to Greece and now we are servants to the Holy One “Praise, you servants of the Lord…” (Tehillim 113:1) How many channukot (dedications) were there? There were seven. The dedication of heaven and earth, as it says “Now the heavens and the earth were completed…” (Bereshit 2:1) What dedication was there then? “And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to shed light upon the earth.” (Bereshit 1:17) The dedication of the wall, as it says “And in the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem…” (Nechemiah 12:27) The dedication of those who came up from the exile, as it says “And they offered up for the dedication of this House of God…” (Ezra 6:17) The dedication of the priests, which we light for. The dedication of the world to come, as it says “And it shall come to pass on that day, that I will search Jerusalem with candles…” (Tzephaniah 1:12) The dedication of the princes “This was the dedication offering of the altar…” (Bamidbar 7:84) The dedication of the Sanctuary, which this is speaking of “A psalm; a song of dedication of the House, of David.” (Tehillim 30:1) Another explanation. There are seven channukot. The dedication of the creation of the world, as it is written “Now the heavens and the earth were completed…” (Bereshit 2:1) Completion is the language of dedication, as is written “All the work of the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting was completed…” (Shemot 39:32) The dedication of Moshe, as it is written “And it was that on the day that Moses finished erecting the Mishkan…” (Bamidbar 7:1) The dedication of the House, as it is written “A psalm; a song of dedication of the House, of David.” (Tehillim 30:1) The dedication of the Second Temple [as it says “And they offered up for the dedication of this House of God…” (Ezra 6:17) and the dedication of the wall] as it says “And in the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem…” (Nechemiah 12:27) The current one of the House of Hasmonean. The dedication of the world to come, because even that has lights, as it is written “And the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold as the light of the seven days…” (Isaiah 30:26)

(10) Then Apollonius gathered the Gentiles together, and a great host out of Samaria, to fight against Israel.

(11) Which thing when Judas perceived, he went forth to meet him, and so he smote him, and slew him: many also fell down slain, but the rest fled.

(12) Wherefore Judas took their spoils, and Apollonius’ sword also, and therewith he fought all his life long.

(13) 13 Now when Seron, a prince of the army of Syria, heard say that Judas had gathered unto him a multitude and company of the faithful to go out with him to war; He said,

(14) I will get me a name and honour in the kingdom; for I will go fight with Judas and them that are with him, who despise the king’s commandment.

(15) So he made him ready to go up, and there went with him a mighty host of the ungodly to help him, and to be avenged of the children of Israel. And when he came near to the going up of Bethhoron,

(16) Judas went forth to meet him with a small company:

(17) Who, when they saw the host coming to meet them, said unto Judas, How shall we be able, being so few, to fight against so great a multitude and so strong, seeing we are ready to faint with fasting all this day?

(18) Unto whom Judas answered, It is no hard matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few;

(19) and with the God of heaven it is all one, to deliver with a great multitude, or a small company:

(20) For the victory of battle standeth not in the multitude of an host; but strength cometh from heaven. They come against us in much pride and iniquity to destroy us, and our wives and children, and to spoil us:

(21) But we fight for our lives and our laws.

(22) Wherefore the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face: and as for you, be ye not afraid of them.

(23) Now as soon as he had left off speaking, he leapt suddenly upon them, and so Seron and his host was overthrown before him.

(24) And they pursued them from the going down of Bethhoron unto the plain, where were slain about eight hundred men of them; and the residue fled into the land of the Philistines.

(25) Then began the fear of Judas and his brethren, and an exceeding great dread, to fall upon the nations round about them: Insomuch as his fame came unto the king, and all nations talked of the battles of Judas.

(35) Then said Judas and his brethren,

(36) Behold, the enemy is struck before us, now let us go up and purify the Sanctuary of the Lord.

(37) All them men of the army gathered, and they went together up to Mount Zion.

(38) And it was that when they saw the Holy Temple desolate, and the altar profaned, and that doors burned with fires and the courts destroyed, and grasses of the field sprouting all over it.

(39) They tore their clothes and threw dirt on their heads and made a great mourning.

(40) They blew blasts on the trumpets and fell on their faces and their cry reached the heavens.

(41) And Yehudah commanded one troop of his men to lay siege to the fortress until they had purified the Holy Temple.

(42) And he chose from among the priests who had not been defiled and who had not abandoned the covenant of their Gd, and he commanded them to purify the Holy Temple and the throw the stones which had been defiled in an unclean place.

(43) And they saw that the altar of the offering had been profaned, and they took heart counsel together in order to decide what to do.

(44) And they plan which they devised was to pull it down altogether, in order that it not be a stumbling block for them since foreigners had profaned it. And they tore it down.

(45) And they placed the stones on the Temple mount in a certain place, until a prophet would stand up among Israel and teach them what was to be done.

(46) And they took whole stones which iron had never touched, as is written in the Torah of the Lord, and they built a new altar in the likeness of the first one.

(47) And they repaired the breaches in the Holy Temple, and all that which was within the sanctuary, and they sanctified the courtyard and all that was in it.

(48) And they renewed all the sacred vessels, and placed the menorah, the incense altar and the table of the show bread back in the Temple.

(49) And they placed the incense on the altar, and lit the lamps upon the menorah in order to light the Sanctuary.

(50) And they placed the show bread on the table, and the dividing curtain before the ark, and all the work was completed as in the beginning.

(51) And it was on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is Kislev, in the one hundred and forty-eighth year that they rose early in the morning and offered the whole offering on the new altar according to its laws.

(52) And they dedicated the altar on the very day that the foreigners had defiled it, and they gave praise to the Lord with song, harps, pipes and cymbals.

(53) And they fell on their faces and prostrated themselves to the Lord because He had given them might and salvation.

(54) And they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and brought up whole offerings, and thanksgiving offerings in the joy of their hearts.

(55) And they glorified the face of the sanctuary with crowns and shields of gold and purified the gates and the courts of the priests, and replaced the doors.

(56) And there was great rejoicing among all the people, because the Lord had rolled back the disgrace of the nations from upon them.

(57) And Yehudah, his brothers and all the community of Israel commanded to celebrate the dedication of the altar on the twenty-fifth day of month of Kislev, eight days each year, with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

(58) At that time also they builded up the mount Sion with high walls and strong towers round about, lest the Gentiles should come and tread it down as they had done before.

(59) And they set there a garrison to keep it, and fortified Bethsura to preserve it; that the people might have a defence against Idumea.

1^a When Maccabeus and his companions, under the Lord’s leadership, had recovered the temple and the city,2they destroyed the altars erected by the foreigners in the marketplace and the sacred shrines.3After purifying the temple, they made another altar. Then, with fire struck from flint, they offered sacrifice for the first time in two years,^* burned incense, and lighted lamps. They also set out the showbread.

4When they had done this, they prostrated themselves and begged the Lord that they might never again fall into such misfortunes, and that if they should sin at any time, he might chastise them with moderation and not hand them over to blasphemous and barbarous Gentiles.

5On the anniversary of the day on which the temple had been profaned by the foreigners, that is, the twenty-fifth of the same month Kislev, the purification of the temple took place.6The Jews celebrated joyfully for eight days as on the feast of Booths, remembering how, a little while before, they had spent the feast of Booths living like wild animals in the mountains and in caves.7Carrying rods entwined with leaves,^* beautiful branches and palms, they sang hymns of grateful praise to him who had successfully brought about the purification of his own place.8By public decree and vote they prescribed that the whole Jewish nation should celebrate these days every year.

[1] The Jewish brethren in Jerusalem and those in the land of Judea, To their Jewish brethren in Egypt, Greeting, and good peace.
[2]

May God do good to you, and may he remember his covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, his faithful servants.

[3] May he give you all a heart to worship him and to do his will with a strong heart and a willing spirit.
[4] May he open your heart to his law and his commandments, and may he bring peace.
[5] May he hear your prayers and be reconciled to you, and may he not forsake you in time of evil.
[6] We are now praying for you here.
[7]

In the reign of Demetrius, in the one hundred and sixty-ninth year, we Jews wrote to you, in the critical distress which came upon us in those years after Jason and his company revolted from the holy land and the kingdom

[8] and burned the gate and shed innocent blood. We besought the Lord and we were heard, and we offered sacrifice and cereal offering, and we lighted the lamps and we set out the loaves.
[9] And now see that you keep the feast of booths in the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and eighty-eighth year.
...
[18]

Since on the twenty-fifth day of Chislev we shall celebrate the purification of the temple, we thought it necessary to notify you, in order that you also may celebrate the feast of booths and the feast of the fire given when Nehemiah, who built the temple and the altar, offered sacrifices.

[19]

For when our fathers were being led captive to Persia, the pious priests of that time took some of the fire of the altar and secretly hid it in the hollow of a dry cistern, where they took such precautions that the place was unknown to any one.

[20] But after many years had passed, when it pleased God, Nehemiah, having been commissioned by the king of Persia, sent the descendants of the priests who had hidden the fire to get it. And when they reported to us that they had not found fire but thick liquid, he ordered them to dip it out and bring it.
[21] And when the materials for the sacrifices were presented, Nehemiah ordered the priests to sprinkle the liquid on the wood and what was laid upon it.
[22] When this was done and some time had passed and the sun, which had been clouded over, shone out, a great fire blazed up, so that all marveled.
[23] And while the sacrifice was being consumed, the priests offered prayer -- the priests and every one. Jonathan led, and the rest responded, as did Nehemiah.
[24] The prayer was to this effect:

"O Lord, Lord God, Creator of all things, who art awe-inspiring and strong and just and merciful, who alone art King and art kind,

[25] who alone art bountiful, who alone art just and almighty and eternal, who dost rescue Israel from every evil, who didst choose the fathers and consecrate them,
[26] accept this sacrifice on behalf of all thy people Israel and preserve thy portion and make it holy.
[27] Gather together our scattered people, set free those who are slaves among the Gentiles, look upon those who are rejected and despised, and let the Gentiles know that thou art our God.
[28] Afflict those who oppress and are insolent with pride.
[29] Plant thy people in thy holy place, as Moses said."
[30]

Then the priests sang the hymns.

[31] And when the materials of the sacrifice were consumed, Nehemiah ordered that the liquid that was left should be poured upon large stones.
[32] When this was done, a flame blazed up; but when the light from the altar shone back, it went out.
[33] When this matter became known, and it was reported to the king of the Persians that, in the place where the exiled priests had hidden the fire, the liquid had appeared with which Nehemiah and his associates had burned the materials of the sacrifice,
[34] the king investigated the matter, and enclosed the place and made it sacred.
[35] And with those persons whom the king favored he exchanged many excellent gifts.
[36] Nehemiah and his associates called this "nephthar," which means purification, but by most people it is called naphtha.