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Two HefbW iq tjic Story of Chanukah
By DAVID GRAUBAAT, B.S.
The outstanding figure In the/stpry of the restoration of the Sanctuary.in 165 13.CE., wbeh the Haamonmns row.to rescue the glory of Israel and Palestine from the threatening forces of-Hellenism, is certainly Judas Maccabaeus, the most prominent son of Mattathias the Has-monean. For it was Judas that had carried the struggle to its successful culmination, to the time when the Temple was purified and the name of Israel vindicated and saved. Round the personality of this great Maccabean a haio has developed; he rivals the great heroes of yore in popularity and renown.
But, strange to say, Judas Macca-baeus is not at all mentioned in the Tahmid. In vain do we scan the folios of that remarkable encyclopjedia and look for the name of this illustrious saviour of our reputation and gjeat conqueror. The Talmud has nothing to sayibout Maccabaeus; it only mentions "Mattathias, the Hasmonean, the 'great' priest, and his sons." The following passage is the sole source in the Talmud, whence we glean the bare and meagre facts concerning that epoch-making event:
"What is Chanukah? Our sages have taught: On the twenty-fifth day of Kislev there begin the eight days of Chanulcah, in which we are not allowed to mourn and to fast. For when the Greeks had entered the Temple, they defiled and desecrated all the oils in the Sanctuary; and when the Hasmoneans became supreme and conquered the Hellenic forces, they investigated and found but one cruse of oil sealed with the stamp of-the High Priest, and this oil could last but for one day's use. A miracle, however, was wrought, and for eight days this miraculous oil was feeding the Menorah in the Temple. The ensuing year, these eight days were, instituted as holy days, with due praise to the Almighty." (Shab. 216).
The Taknud gives only these few historical notes on Chanukah. No special Tractate, such as Tractate Meglllah for Purim, is extant for Chanukah. Even such a ceremonial command as the kindling of the Chanukah lights, is not given special mention in the Talmud; there is no separate Mishnah dealing with this ordinance. There are passages in the Talmud that enlighten various phases of the Chanukah candles, but there is no Mishnah en joining the co mnaand of kindling them. The kindling of the Chanukah lights is taken as a matter of fact.
Had it not been for the information ?upplied us by the apocryphical books of tne Maccabees, we should have been in complete ignorance regarding the triumph of our nation over the Syrian ' 'reeks; we should not have known any-ihing about such a personality as Judas Maccabeus.
Thus the Talmud is generally silent i a Chanukah. How may such a ! hedomenon be explained? Is it pos--ible that such a great epic event has iade no impression on the minds of our i itellectual giants of the Talmud, who ;re noted for their sound historical conceptions?
One answer may be offered as a solu-t on to the problem. In the light of this i Nation, R. Judah the Prince, who was t.ie compiler and editor of the Mishnah ;89 C.E.), and a scion of the Davidic dynasty, loathed very much the idea of ri cording the deeds of the Hasmoneans *ho had "usurped" the throne of his ^ rehears; for tne Hasmoneans, in spite o! th� fact that they were not ofthe kavjdic Ike, sat for a long time on the royal throne at Jerusalem (14(KH> B.C.E.). Hence the lack of information in the Misimah oo the Hastnooeans, and especially oo Judas Maccabaeos, who Via itnj'j�iihfr� for the establishment of the later Hascfcooean royal hoe.
Bert tuck a solution of the problem can hsacttr be accepted; h is not sufficientl syjniMfjp_ Tbe eriod in which
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so as to obliterate and sever kin relationships between the editor of the Mishnah and King David. R. Judah could not have felt such a great affection and devotion to the Davidic dynasty, of which he waa a scion, to the extent of denying any place in his gigantic literary magnum opus to members of another family. Besides, R. Judah the Saint was too great morally and ethically to do this sort of thing. (See, for instances of his piety and broad raindedness, Jerusalem Taanith, chap. 3, Halakah i. See also Weiss, History of Jewish Tradition. 11,0.174.) We must, therefore, discard and do away with such a probable and tentative sotutioo, and look, for some other solution that would help diseo-taagle the knot.
It stuns that the spirit prevalent the Tajmod is diflertat, to *
great extent, from the one permeating the pages of the Bible. In the Bible, what we notice is a fresh, buoyant spirit. The hero La exalted and extolled. David is a hero contributing a great leal to the weal of Judaea; when he nurlsthedeathly cobblestones at the Philistine giant, he is performing a sacred task, a national service. And this is the case with all our heroes in the Bible. The attitude to them ta a highly positive and favourable one.
The Talmud, however, being a product of the Dispersion, strikes a rather different chord. It thinks twice before register ing its approval on some one hero or some one national event. Furthermore, when the Talmud determines to exalt (a fteat i&txxut figure, it clothes boo nt a strtkiaiflf' astocishia^ fora. ft not -rnereJty. ti*e hero oV Bible
fame; he is in addition, and perhaps first of all, primarily, a diligent and untiring student of our religious lore, a saint and a rabbi (Berachoth 4b). Tne attitude, in general, is to exalt the saint, the devout person; yea, to ferret out some devotional and religious phase in the characters of our heroes.
And now we come to the problem before us. Mattathias is a saint, whose sole aim is to restore to this people the freedom of religion, the freedom to worship God. Judas Maccabaeus, on the other hand, notwithstanding the fact that his object is to continue the great work of his illustrious father, has also other aims: the restoration of the ludaean political power and absolute freedom of Syrian control. He sacces�-fulry carries oo the work which cuhnin-- H