The Fast of the Tenth of Tevet

Today is a fast day on the Jewish Calendar, the 10th of Tevet. The eight day Chanukah holiday ended just a week ago. Chanukah celebrates the impossible sounding miracle of a small group of Jews fighting the mighty Greeks, a fight for the possession of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

We finish Chanukah with a fully lit Chanukiya burning brightly feeling rather invincible. I grew up in a rather non-observant Jewish home. Even in my Conservative Hebrew School, I don't remember hearing about a fast day after Chanukah.

If anything, the power felt from Chanukah took us all the way to Purim.

That's really a mistaken notion. I remember my shock the first time I read that the heroes of the Chanukah story, the Maccabees, the Hasmonean Dynasty ruled a very short time. Jewish History isn't a simplistic fairy tale. After the pure olive oil stayed lit for the full eight days, while more oil was readied, the Jewish People didn't live happily ever after...

Even in modern times, our great victories in 1948, 1967 and 1973 haven't guaranteed us lasting peace. We must keep our enemies far away from us. Our existence as an independent country and Jewish People is a constant battle.

The Fast of the Tenth of Tevet is unknown by many Jews but Chazal, our Sages don't consider the Tenth of Tevet to be minor, or unimportant:

The Tenth of Tevet marks the onset of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylonia, and the beginning of the battle that ultimately destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon, and sent the Jews into the 70-year Babylonian Exile. The date of the Tenth of Tevet is recorded for us by the prophet Yechezkel, who himself was already in Babylonia as part of the first group of Jews exiled there by Nebuchadnezzar, 11 years earlier than the actual destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem itself. aish.com

Judaism pays attention to the first stages of our tragedies, not just the dramatic endings. We must always be on the alert to stay safe and preserve our independence and freedom.  We don't want to be conquered and exiled yet again...

Chanukah's Eternal Message

7th night of Chanukah a few years ago

There is a very simple basic message in the Chanukah Holiday.  It is that not only doesn't might make right, but sometimes the smaller and seemingly weaker opponent wins.

Jewish History is full of such examples. We were never one of the large nations or empires throughout the thousands of years of our history, but although today the Jewish Nation thrives, none of our ancient enemies still exist.

The Ancient Greeks of the Chanukah Story had once ben an enormous mighty empire which spread a lot further than their small Mediterranean islands. They even managed to conquer the Holy Land and tried to ban Jewish worship, putting their idols on the Temple Mount and destroy the Holy Jewish Temple and defile the pure oil required for Jewish worship there. Many of the Jews of the time thought it wiser to align with the invaders; they were called Hellenists.

A small band of Jews stayed true to Judaism and Gd. The Maccabees fought the Greeks, even though the Greeks had more forces and weapons. Gd performed a miracle for them. They were able to not only return to what was left of the Holy Temple, but the brave Gd fearing Maccabees even found one small vial of pure olive oil, just a day's worth. And that oil miraculously lasted eight days, until new oil could be gotten.

The Maccabean reign/dynasty didn't last all that long, due to sins of the people. Within a relatively short time, the Jewish People were exiled, and that exile lasted two thousand years. Many times it looked like the Jewish People were dying out, as had happened to all of the other ancient peoples and religions.

Instead of the Jewish People becoming extinct, in the 19th Century, as modern nationalism was sweeping Europe, and new countries were emerging, the Jewish People awakened from its national slumber. Zionism was coined to give a modern name to the eternal yearnings of the Jewish People for Zion, for the Land of Israel. Subsequently, not only did Jews come from all over the world as a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or to die and be buried there, but Jews began to arrive with plans and training to bring the Land back to life. Ancient cities were repopulated; farms and towns were built. And the necessary defensive groups, too, were established because of constant Arab terrorism.

Then after World War Two, after the Holocaust and the murder of six million Jews the time had come to declare independence, statehood for the Jewish State, the State of Israel. Despite our enemies and dire predictions of international media and leaders, the State of Israel thrives, thank Gd!

Honestly, Blame Israeli Policy for UN Resolution

Here in Israel and for many of our supporters all over the world there's great anger and disappointment about the recent and rushed United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel for the "settlements" which includes all the Land liberated in the 1967 Six Days War INCLUDING JERUSALEM.

Most people when confronting something they aren't personally involved with see it all, understand it, in basic simplistic black and white. They just can't comprehend the nuances, especially the very strange ones that successive Israeli governments and Jewish groups all over the world see.

Wikipedia

First of all, let's make it clear that the 1967 Six Days War the State of Israel battled three armies and the Iraqi Air Force not only without any allies, but severely restricted in its arms purchases because of the anti-Israel policies of many countries. It was very clear to those of us old enough to understand what was happening, that the rest of the world really wouldn't have cared if we had been defeated and washed into the sea, which was predicted/threatened by Egypt's Nasser. And please don't forget that the United Nations fully cooperated with Nasser and removed its peacekeeping forces, which were supposed to prevent a war.

Thank the Good Lord that we had one ally, Gd Almighty, who took charge, and the State of Israel defeated its enemies and within six days was suddenly a large country with easily defensible natural borders.

Defensible Borders

West Point

Israel had been geographically and militarily vulnerable when the War for Independence ended in 1949. It was clear that at some point, pretty soon, our enemies would attack in order to wipe us off the map.

So, when the proverbial dust settled in June, 1967, after the war, any normal country would have immediately annexed and declared sovereignty over every single millimeter of the land liberated and make it clear to the aggressors and the world that we would be considering all that land ours and no different from Tel Aviv. But instead, every single government since then has made all sorts of incomprehensible distinctions between the areas we held. That's how Menachem Begin blithely gave the Sinai to Egypt and in the process unprecedentedly destroyed Jewish communities and agreed for it to be Judenrein.

Even though all Israeli Governments since the 1967 ceasefire insist that East Jerusalem, including the Kotel, Western Wall, the Golan Heights and a few other locations remain under Israeli control, the world in general does not understand, nor accept all of these distinctions. For them it's all or nothing, and that is why even countries that Israel naively considers as allies had no problem voting for that Security Council resolution.

All I can say is that it's never too late, and now's the time for a total change in Israeli policy. The only thing that can save us is our annexing and declaring full Israeli Sovereignty over what we still hold. And, yes, we will have to cease our support and recognition of the P.A. Palestinian Authority.

It must be done. We have no choice if we want to survive, and Gd will only step in to save us if we do it.

Now we are celebrating Chanukah, the perfect time to rid ourselves of the modern Greeks and Hellenists in our midst. We must fight like the Maccabees of Old! And, yes, Gd willing with the Help of Gd we will be victorious. 

Let's Pretend: Today's Elections at The Time of the Maccabees

poster

Democracy, elections such as we take for granted didn't take place in ancient times, but human nature and idealism, etc have always existed and haven't changed. There are just different labels, laws and customs. So, I'm going to tell you what I think our ancient heroes, led by Judah the Maccabee would have done if faced with the sort of Knesset Elections we are being faced with this Jewish Year of 5775, (2015 on the goyish calendar.)

A little background on Judah Maccabee:

Judah Maccabee was a fearless leader, a brilliant battlefield tactician and a man capable of inspiring thousands to take up arms in the battle for the preservation of Judaism. It was Judah Maccabee who conceived of ways for the Jewish forces to out-maneuver the larger, better equipped and seasoned Greek army. When at last the Jews captured Jerusalem, rededicated the Temple and witnessed the miracle of the oil, it was with Judah Maccabee as the leader of the Hasmonean family and at the head of the Jewish army of liberation. (Torah.org Who Was Judah Maccabee Anyway? by Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf)

This was a time in Jewish History when we weren't totally independent or sovereign in our Land. Our Holy Temple was in ruins and the Greeks ruled us, not only administratively, but they also forbade the practice of Judaism.

The festival of Hanukka celebrates the military victory of the Judeans over the Hellenist Syrians in the second century BCE, as recorded in the Al Hanissim thanksgiving prayer added to our Amida prayers and Grace after Meals for the eight days of the holiday; the festival also celebrates the ideological victory of Judaism over Greek Hellenism, as symbolized in the kindling of the Menorah, the Holy Temple candelabrum signifying “the illumination which is Torah.” Hence we were engaged in a two-pronged struggle; a national war of independence against the heirs of the military conqueror Alexander the Great, and a spiritual Kulturkampf against the wisdom of ancient Greece, which that same Alexander wished to dominate the entire civilized world at that time.
Moreover, as is clear from the historical writings of Josephus Flavius and the Apocryphal Books of the Maccabees, the enemies who were vanquished were not only the gentile Syrians but also the Jewish secular assimilationists, especially the ruling priestly aristocracy who had become bitten by the “bug” of Hellenistic culture and who wished to transform Judea into a Greek city-state (See Victor Tcherikover, Hellenistic Civilization and the Jews). (Jerusalem Post, Rabbi Riskin)

Their actual aim was the destruction of us as a people united by our Jewish religion.

Our war, the fight of the Maccabees against the Greeks, had to be a battle on two fronts, and there was no compromise. Taking a "Centrist" view would not give us a victory. I have no doubt that Judah the Maccabee would oppose the Likud of Binyamin Netanyahu and also the NRP aka Jewish Home of Naftali Bennett. Moderation under any name was not in his ideological or political lexicon. Judah the Maccabee would also oppose the Chareidi parties, because they only take on religious battles and in principle ignore national and defense issues.

I have no doubt that today's Judah Maccabee would be an active member and supporter of Otzma Yehudit (formerly Otzma LiYisrael,) led by Michael Ben-Ari.

The lesson of the Chanukah story is that compromise with our enemies is dangerous.When someone wants to destroy you body and soul you have to fight on both of those fronts. There is no negotiations. The only political group that understands this is Ben-Ari's Otzma Yehudit!

Chanukah and Parshat Miketz, Taking Responsibility

First to credit those who unintentionally gave me the ideas for this blog post.  My mind was pretty blank tonight, and then I checked the links Shy Guy had added to his comment on the previous post.  The third link was perfect, Mikkeitz/Chanukah: How (not) to bring the Redemption by Daniel Pinner.   And then Isramom sent me a link to a short shiur Chanuka: Leadership Without Prophecy - the Maccabean Challenge by Jeffery Woolf.  The two messages work together, at least in my mind.



Woolf discusses the process and history of how the Jewish People, their leadership learned to make decisions without the Prophets.  They had to learn how to take responsibility.  For instance the Holiday of Chanukah was established after cessation of prophesy.

Parshat Shavua Miketz,  Genesis 41,1-44,17, includes the story of how Josef finally was freed from Egyptian jail.  I find the ending of Daniel Pinner's article in Tomer Devorah very interesting.  He compares Josef's trusting, or counting on the Royal Butler for his release from prison like the mistake the Macabees made after the great Chanukah story:

Jewish forces were winning victory after victory over Seleucid forces throughout Judea, and their eventual victory seemed guaranteed.
And then in 161 B.C.E., Rome – the up-and-coming super-power – recognised Jewish sovereign independence, and Yehudah (Judah) the Maccabee, the son and successor of Matityahu who had founded the Maccabean dynasty, signed a treaty of military alliance with Rome. Shortly afterwards Yehudah was killed in battle, and his brother Yonatan was elected in his place. There followed a long period of uncertain rule in Israel – rival Jewish groups and the remnants of the Seleucids all vying for power.
In 139 B.C.E., the Roman Senate formally recognised Judæa (the Latinised spelling) as an independent country.
The Hasmoneans saw this alliance and treaty with Rome as a veritable salvation: for a small nation fighting desperately for its independence against a mighty superpower, winning the protection of another powerful country seemed the pragmatic thing to do. But the repercussions were horrendous: within a generation the Hasmoneans would become Hellenised, and Jewish infighting would effectively give Rome control over Judæa...In 69 B.C.E. Queen Shlom-Tziyon (Salome) Alexandra died – the last monarch to reign and to die as an independent ruler of an independent Jewish state. Her two sons, Aristobulus and Hyrcanus, both claimed the Judæan throne, and a civil war broke out between the two brothers and their respective followers. Hyrcanus forged an alliance with the Roman Empire, and the Judæan civil war ended when the Roman General Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey) entered Jerusalem in 63 B.C.E. insupport of Hyrcanus, who thereby defeated his brother Aristobolus and became High Priest and vassal king of Judæa.
Such is the result of entrusting Israel’s Redemption to human allies. God’s Name is not sanctified by Israel relying on Rome or France or America for salvation. His Name is sanctified when Israel, His Nation and His representatives in this world, fight their own wars and win their own victories in His name without mortal allies...For failing in this test Joseph spent an extra two years in captivity. When the Maccabees failed in this same test, they descended rapidly into the very Hellenism that their grandfather had given his life to fight against, and very soon became corrupt dictators, holding power against their fellow-Jews at the point of Roman spears – and eventually, those self-same Romans with whom they had forged alliances and treaties destroyed them along with the same Holy Temple that their predecessors had fought to liberate and purify.
This is the inevitable result of trusting in human allies instead of in God for the Redemption. As with Joseph in this week’s Parashah and as with the Maccabees in the Chanukah episode, relying on foreign nations for our Redemption guarantees failure. Our salvation will come not from treaties with America or from Chinese technology, nor from deals with Arab terrorists, but solely from God and from our trust and reliance in Him.

With responsibilities, comes mistakes. May we learn from them and do much better, G-d willing.

Chanukah Message for Today and All Time

Today is the second day of Chanukah 5774.

Our Jewish Holidays are celebrated to teach us lessons, timely lessons. Our Mitzvot, the G-d given Commandments don't have expiration dates. Each one is supposed to be observed by Jews forever.  G-d and Chazal, our Sages are supposed to be our experts, not United Nations officials, the American President, academics or the media.

It's very worrying that while the "gut reaction" of your typical Israeli is that there's nothing illegal in "Jewish settlements sic in the west bank sic," the minute they are reminded that the world, the United Nations considers them illegal, suddenly they do, too.

The survey, conducted by New Wave Research on behalf of Regavim, found that 60 percent of Israelis view the settlements to be legal, while only 16 percent consider them to be illegal. 24% were unsure.
When respondents were asked about the legality of settlements under international law, the results differed substantially. A slight majority of 36% said they were legal and 35% said they believed them to be illegal. 29% said they didn't know.

We are not supposed to look at international public opinion and "justice" to learn right from wrong.

Our moral and legal compass is supposed to be tuned in to G-d and Torah Judaism.

This gets to the very core of the Chanukah story.  In actuality, the element of the oil and the light is minor and even added later.  I have no doubt that the emphasis of the oil and the increasing lights of the Chanukah menorah are to give visual and kinesthetic tools to teach the story.  Unfortunately, the oil or candle-lighting ceremony has taken off in popularity and left the true message of Chanukah far behind.

The poll quoted in the Algemeiner story shows that many Israelis and Jews all over the world are actually Hellenists, assimilated. They look to non-Jewish sources for their values, opinions and morals.

¹as·sim·i·late
 verb \ə-ˈsi-mə-ˌlāt\: to learn (something) so that it is fully understood and can be used
: to cause (a person or group) to become part of a different society, country, etc.
: to adopt the ways of another culture : to fully become part of a different society, country, etc.

The modern Maccabee challenge/war isn't the military one of ancient times.  It's an intellectual spiritual one. We must understand that the bedrock of our laws and morality must from Jewish sources, Jewish History and G-d.  This is a very important war, and the battles won't be easy.

Chag Urim Sameach and Shabbat Shalom

Maccabee Victory versus The Greeks, Nes Gadol Hayah POH, Right HERE!

There were battles between the Greeks and the Maccabees right here near Shiloh.

Yes, when we in Shiloh say the phrase indicated on a dreidel, נס גדול היה פה! Nes Gadol Hayah Poh, A Great Miracle Happened Here, we really mean HERE!  There were battles around Shiloh where today we have the villages of Eli, Ma'ale Levona and smaller Jewish communities.

Most of the battles take place in the foothills leading from the coastal plain area (Tel Aviv) to Jerusalem. The Greeks are trying to march their armies up the natural canyons that lead into the mountain areas, the stronghold of the Jewish army. There's only a few places where the Greeks can ascend and this is where the Maccabees choose to take them on. (History Crash Course #29: Revolt of the Maccabees)

Shiloh is east of what is today Tel Aviv and north of Jerusalem.  All of the recent archaeological excavations are revealing the rich and active Jewish life in Shiloh and environs after the Mishkan was destroyed.  This area was full of Jewish Life during the reign of King Solomon and even after the division of the Jewish kingdoms to Judea and Israel.

Close to twenty years ago, during my final year as the Girls Gym Teacher of our local elementary school, I, for the first time, was asked to accompany my students on a school trip.  That's when I learned that Shiloh was more than just the location of the Mishkan Tabernacle.  Actually, I had no idea where we were going, just that they needed a teacher who could "walk."  It was during the very short bus ride that I learned that the Second Grade students would be "reenacting" those ancient battle in situ.

First the boys were dropped off towards the bottom and the girls further up.  They were all given toy swords for the activity.  They were told to meet and "battle it out."  I don't remember which group was supposed to be the Greeks and which the Maccabees.  I was too terrified.  I have a phobia about walking down cliffs, and for me this was one big nightmarish cliff!  The soldiers who were there to protect us had to drag me down, or I'd probably be there until this day.

Living in Shiloh, as I've written many times before, gives me a perspective that you won't get in most other locations.  Not only is Shiloh the center of many Biblical events, but we are the place and the people politicians and world leaders want to move around like chess pieces.

They talk about me, my community, neighbors and home as if we're no more than cheap plastic.  I am one of "those settlers."  I've lived in Shiloh for over thirty years. "Peace plans" isn't a computer game with the convenient "undo" button.  We can't afford to make a mistake.

The ancient Jewish Maccabees fought for Jewish Rights, Independence and sovereignty thousands of years ago, and we must do it again. Nothing's new.

Our Land!

This is our Land; it's that simple.

From ancient times until today, only one People, one Nation has been independent and sovereign in this tiny portion of the world.

Other nations ruled as invaders, conquerors. But no other nation, no other culture and no other religion ever established an independent country, nor has survived for thousands of years in exile, praying, dreaming to reestablish itself.

The Chanukah holiday commemorates our survival against all odds. That is the message of the Holiday. No matter who are enemies are, no matter how powerful our enemies, we will survive and be victorious.

The world may belittle, mock and condemn us, but our young, modern, fearless pioneers are the Yehuda Maccabees of today.

The Mitzvah, the commandment is to publicize the lighting of the Chanukiya, Chanukah Menorah (candelabra.) In some societies, even lighting it in secret endangered the Jews. And there are still countries in the world in which being Jewish is a crime.

The hypocritical US President Bush and Secretary Rice are doing everything they can to establish another country in which it will be a crime to be Jewish. Today in most Arab countries, Jews are forbidden, aren't welcome. And if by chance they do enter, they cannot live as Jews in any way. The Pseudistinian state which Rice, Bush, Blair ad nauseam dream and conspire to establish will be another of those juden rein states. Human and civil rights for Jews would be forbidden there. Actually, even today, the world condemns us for living. They condemn us for building, while at the same time Arabs build mansions.

Look at the names of the cities in Judea and Samaria, and you will see how they're connected to Jewish History. Our history began long before the Europeans came to the "Americas," and we will still be around when the United States is long gone.

Chag Orim Sameach

May you have a joyful and enlightened Chanukah

On the Eve of Miracles

Etrog Olmert has gotten over-confident, thinking that the world will be as coddling as the Israeli media and agenda-ed judicial. Yahoo news changed its original headline for this updated article, which still (at the time of writing this at least) uses the following:

"...Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel was not bound by the December 2008 target for the peace agreement set at last week's U.S.-hosted Mideast summit in Annapolis, Md."

A few years ago, when I was in a group that learned Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, I remember that we were told that every word has power according to Judaism. We must be careful to say "bli neder" before, rather than after our statements. When at Annapolis, Olmert agreed to many things. Some have been revealed, and other things he has kept secret. Secret to the Israeli public, but not secret to G-d and certainly not secret to those he promised, Bush, Rice and the Arabs who want to destroy us.

It's the Eve of Chanukah, the Holiday of Miracles in the "material, obvious, sense." It's not yet Purim, when the Hand of G-d is more hidden.

Olmert mustn't forget that once said, words can't be erased, at least in the real world. Etrog Olmert is in quicksand and he may be in over his head by now.


Living here in Shiloh puts me in a different perspective in terms of Jewish history and our future. For many years, there was annual, pre-Chanukah school trip for the Second Graders to a mountain, the same mountain where the Maccabees and the Greeks battled. It's just a couple of minutes drive from here, between Eli and Maale Levona. The year that I accompanied the kids, as one of the teachers, the boys were left at the foot of the mountain and the girls were driven to the top. They met in the middle for a mock battle.



Today, we're battling for real, for the future of our country. In Shiloh, I can see the lights of Jordan through my dining room window, and if I walk a few steps past my backyard and climb the water tower, I can see the entire country, Tel Aviv, the Golan, the vapors of the Dead Sea. I don't have telescope vision, nor zoom lenses for eyes. It's just that our country, our precious Land is minute in this enormous earth. Even with all of Judea and Samaria, we have the square miles (or kilometers) like one of the smallest of states in the USA.



It's very hard for even the most sympathetic American to comprehend this.



I have no doubt, that no matter how difficult it looks today, just like the Maccabees of old, we will defeat our Greeks and the Jews of today who are like the mityavnim, those who assimilated themselves into Greek culture.

Nes Gadol Hayah Poh!

A Great Miracle Happened Here!