Opinion & Comment
How It All Started

What brought the Chashmonaim to rebel against the Greeks? What was the final straw? In the Yotzros prayer for Chanukah, for both the first and second Shabbos, it is recounted how the rebellion against the Greeks began at the wedding of the daughter of Mattisyohu the Kohen Godol. She went among the guests immodestly, with uncovered hair.

Her brother Yehuda the Maccabee came over to reprove her, that she was behaving like a Greek. She answered him back piercingly that both he and the Sages were acting hypocritically. Everyone knew about the decree (at that time, a Jewish bride would first be violated by the Greek governor, as discussed in Kesuvos 3b). She is about to be taken to shame--how could he speak of modesty?

This aroused their hearts. They all rose, seized by a spirit of holy zealousness, and went out to battle the Greeks. And when she went to the Greek governor, she killed him. One woman's wisely-spoken words sparked a spirit of sanctity in the hearts of the Maccabees, and this sparked the rebellion. They realized that the Greeks had crossed a red line.

How would we define the issue over which they fought their incredible war? Jews and Greeks actually have a lot in common. This is what Rav Shimshon Pinkus zt"l writes:

"Indeed, we are brothers, for Yefes and Shem are Greece and Israel. Israel is the primary offspring of Shem, and Greece is the primary offspring of Yefes. And the two brothers, Yefes and Shem, worked together in cooperation, as it is written, `And Shem and Yefes took the garment' (Bereishis 9:23). We see that the two of them, without conflict, engaged in honoring their father and in good behavior . . . "

In addition to this, the Menorah is a Jewish symbol since it was in the Temple, and also because it is written, `For a mitzvah is a lamp, and Torah is light' (Mishlei 6:23). And the symbol of Greece is the olive, the oil of which serves to kindle the light of the Menorah, which represents wisdom. "Indeed the Greeks possessed wisdom, a quality found also in Israel."

And the gemora (Bava Kama 83a) cites Rebbi who says that in the Land of Israel, it is proper to speak either the Holy Tongue or Greek. Rashi explains that this is because Greek is a pure language.

HaRav Pinkus: "Apparently, it could be said that Greece and Israel are the only two proper nations in the world.

"I once saw the words of Winston Churchill, prime minister of England during the Holocaust. Among them he states that in the history of the world, there never were nations who contributed to the world in philosophy and in human values like the two city-states of Greece and Jerusalem" (Sichos of Rav Shimshon Dovid Pinkus zt"l, Chanukah p. 118- 119).

Of course there are differences as well, as HaRav Pinkus goes on to point out. Perhaps the most striking contrast between Greeks and Jews is their differing relationship to the values of the home. The holiness of modesty is not something that the Greeks share with us. And to the Chashmonaim this was an issue worth fighting over. This war was fought on the "home" front.

The Rambam writes in Iggeres Hashmad that the Greeks decreed upon the Jews that they may not close the doors of their houses. Josephus also mentions this decree and comments that this was a shocking decree that no conqueror had ever imposed on a conquered population. To decree that houses should always be open meant that they were totally deprived of privacy. The Greeks' goal in this decree was to negate the centrality of the Jewish home: its uniqueness, sanctity, and nobility (Mishkenos Efraim, Urei Shabbos Vechanukah 33:11).

What is a Jewish home? Our idea of the Jewish home comes from Soroh Imeinu. In Soroh's home, there were three special things: First, the Shabbos candles burned from one Shabbos to the next. Second, when Soroh kneaded the dough, the bread had such a blessing that whoever ate even the smallest piece was satisfied. Third, the Cloud of Glory was always present, showing that the Shechinah rested on the home.

This reminds us of another place where all these characteristics were found: the Beis Hamikdash, the dwelling-place of the Shechinah. In the Beis Hamikdash, when the Kohen lit the candles of the Menorah, they kept burning miraculously long. Every Friday, the twelve loaves of the Lechem Haponim bread were replaced with newly baked ones. The bread from the previous week, which had miraculously stayed fresh, was then divided among the kohanim. Although there were thousands of kohanim, every Kohen felt satisfied with his small piece.

The Chofetz Chaim wrote in an open letter: " . . . We all believe that whatever happens below, for better or for worse, is all from the Holy One blessed be He. Still, people are simply astonished. They cannot understand why things have gotten so bad . . . Even worse are the terrible decrees that have been made against Torah and mitzvos . . . And financially, things are very bad everywhere. In short, all Jews are suffering and are troubled by their unfortunate situation.

"In previous years, there were also troubles and decrees. But people whose hearts were with Hashem could console themselves and say: `Externally, things are not going as I would like. But concerning matters of the soul, I can surely say that I am not estranged from Hashem. In the end, the Holy One blessed be He will surely come to my help, as it is written in Tehillim, "For He stands at the right hand of the destitute, to save him from the prosecutors of his soul." '

"But nowadays, due to our sins, we have it very bad from every direction. When a person considers his worldly matters, he sees them getting worse, day by day. And when he thinks about what is to come, when he examines where he is holding in Torah and mitzvos, he also finds himself without success. Every Jew is begging Hashem to hear his requests and bestow upon him what he wishes. Yet we go unanswered. There must be a reason for this.

"This is the root of the matter: we ourselves are chasing the Holy One blessed be He away from us!

"We are commanded to `Be holy and sanctify yourselves.' And Chazal said: `Whoever sanctifies himself below will be sanctified from Above. If he achieves a little, he will be sanctified greatly. In this world, he will be sanctified in the World to Come.'

"And it is written: `For Hashem your G-d walks in the midst of your camp to rescue you.' (The promise of `to rescue you' includes many things: to rescue you from the sword, starvation, being taken captive, and from being plundered.) This verse continues: ` . . . and your camp shall be holy, so that He will not see an immodest thing among you and turn away from you.'

"The Torah is clearly telling us that when we behave in a holy manner, Hashem walks among us to save us from all evil. But if He sees in us something immodest, He turns away from us. Then all the natural forces are able to affect us, chas vesholom . . .

"Nowadays, due to our sins, things have gotten way out of control . . . In short, this terrible thing called `fashion' brings a person to forbidden thoughts and sometimes even to . . . Through this terrible thing called `fashion' we virtually wipe out Hashem's commandment of `Your camp shall be holy, so that He will not see an immodest thing among you' . . .

"This is the reason that the flow of plenty and blessing from Heaven has been cut off from each person's endeavors-- which is what causes all the troubles and tragedies, as the seforim hakedoshim explain.

"Therefore, each one of us is obligated to put out this terrible fire, and to see to it that in our home, everything is proper and according to halochoh: We must make sure that no one in our home goes immodestly.

"Whoever sees to this, will merit that his children will come out straight and will be holy to Hashem . . . . This is an issue that affects our very existence and success, in body and in soul, in this world and in the next. And this is how to fulfill what the Torah wrote: `. . . and your camp shall be holy'" (Michtav Golui, printed at the end of Chofetz Chaim al Hatorah).

The Chashmonaim realized that, as the Chofetz Chaim wrote, "This is an issue that affects our very existence."

*

"The mitzvah of Chanukah is a light for a man and his home" (Shabbos 21a). The Nesivos Sholom brings out a deeper meaning in this statement of Chazal: "And there is a time of renewal in Chanukah. The name of the holiday is Chanukah which signifies renewal, and the days of Chanukah have a special quality conducive to the renewal of the house, Chanukas Habayis. For the light that shines in these days is of the rededication of the Altar and the rededication of the Shechinah's home, the Temple. This assists a Jew in repairing his home from all the breaches that have happened to it, and to rededicate his home . . .

"Also a Jewish home, if they behave in it properly, is like a miniature Beis Hamikdash in which the Shechinah dwells. As long as they do not chase away the Shechinah, chas vesholom, as it is written: `So that He will not see an immodest thing among you and turn away from you.'

"The Chanukah lamp contains a hint to this. For the lamp is composed of a union of the oil and the wick on which the flame rests. So it is with the home. It is built on the aspect of the oil, which gives (mashpia), and that of the wick, which receives (mekabeil). The light over them represents the Shechinah that rests upon them . . .

"And this is the meaning of: `The mitzvah of Chanukah is a light for a man and his home.' The mitzvah of these days is to bring the Presence of the Shechinah back to the home. The Shechinah rests in every place fitting for Its Presence . . .

"And when it comes to correcting the home, not everyone is the same. What, for one person, would be correcting the home, would not be considered correcting it with regard to another. Whoever is greater than his fellow, also the correction of his home should be on a higher level. This explains the continuation of the gemara's description of the mitzvah of Chanukah: `For the mehadrin, a light for each one.'

"For each person there is a unique level of correcting the home, through which his home becomes fitting for the presence of the Shechinah" (Maamorei Chanukah, pp. 68- 69).

Chanukah begins and ends at home.

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