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Chanukkah Everday
 by Rabbi Dani’el Rendelman ~ ravemet@comcast.net
MEMBER OF BNAI YAHSHUA SYNAGOGUES WORLDWIDE
“Those who do not learn from history are doomed
to
repeat it,” source unknown.
“The thing that has been, it is that which shall be;
and that which is done is that which shall be done:
and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there
anything of which it may be said, ‘See this is new?”
It has been already of old time, which was before
us,” Keheleth (Ecclesiastes) 1:9-10, Restoration
Scriptures Version.
The year is 173 BCE.
A vicious war is just beginning. This clash began not
the battleground with weapons and slaughter but
first in the battleground of the mind.
The Greek King Antiochus Epiphanies is championing
the cause of Greece. He and the people of His day
are pushing the Middle East towards hellenization. In
other words, Antiochus is trying to make all the
people of his kingdom like the rest of the Greeks. His
cause is to conquer the minds’ of the people and
make them live like the ‘civilized’ Greek world.
History teaches that Antiochus founded more Greek
cities than any previous ruler. He also brought great
persecution to the Bible believers in the Land of
Yisra’el. First, the temple high priest was replaced by
a Greek named Jason. Jason strived to change the
religion of the Hebrews to be more accepting towards
the worship of other gods. By 167 BCE things had
gotten really bad as the Hebrews were forced under
the penalty of death to "to depart from the laws of
their fathers, and to cease living by the laws of
Torah (law). Further, the sanctuary in Jerusalem was
to be polluted and called after Zeus Olympius," says
the book of 2 Maccabees 6: 1, 2.
Antiochus entered the Temple, even the Holy of
Holies, offered unclean animals and performed sexual
acts upon the altar of sacrifice. He forbade the
Hebrews to circumcise their sons. He stopped
Sabbath worship. He even required the new brides to
spend the night with a Greek general before any
marriage took place. Clearly, this was a bad dude
with a bad cause!
Many Hebrews quietly gave in to the ways of the
King. They compromised their beliefs by departing
from the true faith and accepting the many gods of
Greece. Instead of fighting back they gave in. Some
even had painful surgeries to reverse their
circumcisions!
However, there was a family that refused to concede.
One man, from a priestly lineage, named Mattathais
(Mattitiyahu in Hebrew) and his five sons resisted.
Their opposition started a rebellion that would be
inscribed in the history books as one of the greatest
military battles of all time. Their refusal to go along
with Greek ways would a kindle a flame of hope within
the persecuted people of Judea. This flame
continues to shine even to this day.
The story is told that the Greeks came to the city
where Mattitiyahu and his family lived. The evil army
told everyone to bow down and worship a huge
statue of zeus. When Mattitiyahu saw a fellow
Hebrew begin to worship the idol, he quickly went
into action. Mattitiyahu killed the Hebrew and
declared to those around him, “Mi la YHWH elai,” or
whoever is for YHWH join me. He took his son Judah
(Yahudah in Hebrew), his family, and other loyal
Hebrews with him as they fled to the mountains. In
the caves they could plan and wage a war. “These
men believed that they could not free Israel from
foreign rulers, but they were willing to risk their lives
so that the Jewish people could enjoy spiritual
freedom and control of their Temple. Mattitiyahu
died, but the sons continued to fight under the
leadership of Yahudah the Maccabee. The
Maccabees, with four battalions of 1,000 men each,
defeated an army of 40,000 soldiers and 7,000
cavalry. Then in 165 BCE, Yahudah gathered a force
of 10,000 Jews and defeated an army of 60,000
soldiers and 5,000 cavalry,” wrote Rabbi Moshe
Koniuchowsky.
Finally, after three years of fighting, the Maccabees
were able to overthrow the Greeks. The Hebrews
regained control of Jerusalem and the holy Temple
site. Upon entering the Temple they found it to be in
disarray. This area of Biblical worship had been
desecrated and destroyed. So, they began the
tedious task of setting up the sanctuary in the
prescribed way. They remade certain items that
were missing, they washed dirty utensils, they
cleaned the whole place and set a date to set it
apart and re-dedicate the temple to YHWH. Their
celebration was to be eight days of prayer and
worship during which they would consecrate the
place to YHWH.
The story is told that when the priests went to light
the Menorah that stands in the holy place, they did
not have enough set apart oil to last for the whole
feast. The priests trusted YHWH and the oil burned
for eight days. This was just long enough to
consecrate new oil as prescribed by the Torah. The
Temple was dedicated to YHWH for 8 days. In
Hebrew the word for dedication is “Chanukah.” It is
from these events that have the Festival of
Chanukah as celebrated Jewish people for over 2,000
years. Chanukkah was even observed by our Messiah
Y’shua in John 10.
This powerful story of a miraculous military battle and
oil multiplication has been told and retold as the
reason for the season of the eight-day celebration of
Chanukah.
But please, please don’t just dismiss these events as
only for holiday time. Don’t think of the Chanukah
story as even a fable for children to replace
Christmas.
The miracles that took place during the revolt of
Judah and his army are too special to remember only
once a year. They should have lasting impact and
memory all year long. You’ve heard of Christmas in
July, well, its time to have Chanukah everyday. We
can learn much from the Maccabees if we will just
gleam from the glamour and glimmer of the menorah
the message of perseverance.
As this historic account unfolded many miracles
occurred like the military victories and the oil lasting
eight days. But, perhaps these outward marvels are
secondary when compared to the miracles that took
place within the Hebrew people at that time. As this
teaching brings understanding, wisdom, and
knowledge may it be Chanukah all year long within
the people of Yisra’el. May we learn from the
Maccabees how to conquer compromise!
The Real Deal Miracle
You see, King Epiphanies’ goal was not to necessarily
kill the all the Hebrews. His real purpose was to
change them. He wanted them to be like the rest of
the worldly Greeks. Epiphanies, who was renamed
Epimanes or “madman” by his contemporaries, did not
allow the Hebrews to keep Shabbat or study Torah.
He thought that by passing faith-damaging laws and
even destroying their place of worship that he could
defeat the Hebrews faith and cripple their culture.
The king was wrong.
The king did not understand that the Biblical faith is
not about buildings but about being. The king soon
found out that even though the Temple was
desecrated, the people remained faithful. Even
though the Temple Menorah was obliterated, the oil
remained. The faith of the Hebrews was within the
people and not based on something on the outside.
It is this miracle, the miracle of opposition, that
stands out greater than the oil and the military
battles. Antiochus wanted compromise or middle
ground. He did all he could to get the Israelites to
assimilate, to mix, to pollute their faith, to give in,
and walk the middle of the road. Some of the Jews
did this. They accepted the Greek ways and they
traded their tallits for togas. They mixed in with
other peoples and other faiths and lost their identity.
Others did not.
Let us learn from the examples of Mattitiyahu and his
sons as they refused to give in to compromise. The
times may have changed but our enemy has not.
The battle is still the same. Will we follow the words
of the Bible and walk out our Hebrew lifestyle or will
we compromise and mix with the world? This is a
daily fight for faith. “Therefore come out from among
them and be set-apart, says the Master YHWH, and
touch not the unclean things; and I will receive you,
and will be an Abba to you and you shall be My sons
and daughters, says the Master YHWH the Almighty,”
2 Corinthians 6:17-18, Restoration Scriptures Version.
In Hebrew the word for compromise is “p’shara.” This
term means to “expose or make liable to danger,
suspicion, or disrepute.” It also means to, “resolve
differences by mutual concessions esp. to prevent or
end a lawsuit.” How? P’shara is a choice to give in
and even give away. Compromise, as the definition
states, is a mutual agreement. It is an action that
must be taken and accepted – compromise is not
forced. Some Hebrew chose to p’shara and others
did not.
Interestingly, there is not a word for “compromise” in
the ancient Arabic language that the Muslims speak.
In the truest sense, Islam does not teach
compromise. One reason why there is no compromise
in the Middle East today is because the Islamic belief
system does not support in giving in. They don’t
even have a word for compromise in their dictionary.
The war against p’shara is one of the greatest fights
Torah followers face today. The world is calling us to
conform. Our children are bombarded with musicians,
actors, and the media who set the trends and fan
the fads. We must resist.
Make the Decision
First we must decide not to compromise. In a split
second Mattitiyahu the priest rose against the Greeks
and killed a public sinner. He then went to battle
against those who persuaded the Hebrews to worship
zeus. Mattitiyahu wasn’t doing anything spectacular;
he was just walking in his heritage as priest of YHWH.
The priests were to teach Yisra’el to be kadosh
or ‘holy or set apart.’ The people were not to mix
with the world. They were not to mix the clean with
the unclean or even yoke different animals together.
They were forbid to intermarry with pagans and were
not to wear garments of mixed materials. Yisra’el
was to be different. Stopping the blending of the
truth with falsehood was just part of being a priest.
As Mattitiyahu stood up against the opposition he
proclaimed “Mi la YHWH elai,” or whoever is for YHWH
join me! Like Mattitiyahu we have to overcome our
fears and make a firm commitment not to give in.
Press On
Second we have to persevere. Making a decision is
one thing. Sticking by that decision is another. For
the Hebrews, victory was not easy nor was it fast.
It took the Israelites three years of warfare to defeat
the Greeks. They were outnumbered, unarmored,
and outsmarted but they still won. Even Mattitiyahu
their leader was killed in battle. They could have
given up at any moment but they did not. Through
all that happened to them, the Maccabee army
persevered and eventually conquered the king. After
many fierce battles they reclaimed what was
rightfully theirs in the first place. And it is no
different today. We must fight to reclaim the
lifestyle that is rightfully ours. And we have to keep
fighting. The opposite of compromise is
perseverance. We have to be the same; we have to
be ‘preserved’ through the events of life.
Perseverance is a daily struggle. Yet it is a worthy
struggle. “Fear none of those things that you shall
suffer: see, s.a.tan shall cast some of you into
prison, that you may be tried; and you shall have
tribulation ten days: be faithful to death, and I will
give you the keter chayim. He that has an ear, let
him shema what the Ruach says to the Yisraelite
congregations; He that overcomes shall not be hurt
by the second death,” Revelation 2:10-11.
Clean Up
Thirdly, we will need to clean up. Compromise is
messy because it blurs the lines between right and
wrong. This chaos and confusion has to be cleaned
up. When the Israelites regained the temple they
found it to be in a total wreck. It had been
desecrated and needed to be rebuilt. This took a lot
of hard work and a refusal to take shortcuts.
Throughout this process the Hebrews could have
compromised by using furniture and items other than
what was prescribed in the Torah. They could have
compromised. When the priests only had enough
sacred oil for one day they had to make a decision.
Should they mix the sacred oil or just used regular
lamp oil for the menorah?
They might have compromised the holy but they did
not. They believed and trusted in YHWH with what
they had. Because of this trust we commemorate
this miracle every year around the month of
December. Think for a minute though if the Hebrews
would have compromised and not trusted YHWH to
multiply the oil. Do you think we would have the
eight-day celebration of Chanukah with a special
menorah? Probably not.
Indeed, the greatest miracle of Chanukah is what
occurred INSIDE the people. Their resistance against
compromise of the spiritual world led to physical
wonders in this world. Like the widow whose meal did
not run out and like the fishes and loaves that
multiplied to feed thousands - the single cruz of oil
was enough. As the Passover song and phrase say -
“Dayenu” – it is always sufficient. When you trust
YHWH and do not compromise your needs will always
be met.
A Remnant and a fall
Something important to remember is that all of these
events centered on a remnant. A remnant is a ‘small
piece of an original that has not been mixed.’ A
remnant is like the beginning, yet remains through the
end. It was a remnant of the original oil that was
used by the priests. And even the priests
themselves were a remnant of the original bloodline
that served at the tabernacle in the wilderness. Like
their ancestors the priests had to stand up and defy
the world of compromise. They also had to ‘tikkun’ or
fix/rectify the errors of their past.
During Yisra’el’s journey from Egypt the priests gave
in to the people and compromised true worship. “And
when the people say that Moshe delayed to come
down out of the Mount, the people gathered
themselves together to Aharon, and said to him, Get
up, make us elohim, that shall go before us; for as
this Moshe, the man that brought us up out of the
land of Mitzrayim, we do not know what has become
of him. And Aharon said to them, Break off the
golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives,
and of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring
them to me. And all the people broke off the golden
earrings that were in their ears, and brought them to
Aharon. And he received them at their hand, and
fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it
a golden calf: and they said, These be your elohim, O
Yisrael. Which brought you up out of the land of
Mitzrayim,” Shemot / Exodus 32:1-4.
Aharon gave in to the nation’s request and gave
them the idol of the golden cow. Remember, if you
don’t learn from the past then you are doomed to
repeat it. If we don’t tikkun the errors of our
ancestors then we may replicate them. Compromise
cannot be tolerated within the family of Yisra’el. It
not only has to be stopped, it also has to be fixed.
Because of the sin of the golden cow, the nation was
in need of tikkun.
Perhaps part of Yisra’el’s tikkun was the actions of
Pinchas. “And when Pinchas, the son of El-Azar, the
son of Aharon the kohen, saw it, he rose up from
among the congregation, and took a javelin in his
hand; And he went after the man of Yisrael into the
tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of
Yisrael, and the woman through her belly. So the
plague was stopped from the children of Yisrael,”
Bamidbar 25:7-15. Tikkun of Aharon’s sin took place
as Pinchas the priest killed a public sinner. Then in
the reflection and shadow of the remnant, Aharon’s
descendant Mattitiyahu also rose to the occasion and
killed a public sinner. Pinchas and Mattitiyahu
refused to compromise. Remarkably, Mattitiyahu then
even echoed Moshe’s response to the sin of the
golden calf. “ Mi la YHWH elai,” or whoever is for
YHWH join me,” Shemot / Exodus 32:26.
The remnant continues now as you face the monster
of compromise. Everyday you have an opportunity to
learn from the past and change the future. Here at
the present time you can actually recreate the
miracle of Chanukah by strengthening your faith and
making up your mind up not to compromise. “Do not
love the olam hazeh or the things in the olam hazeh.
If anyone loves the olam hazeh, the ahava of Abba is
not in him. For all that is in the olam hazeh; the lust
of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
chayim; is not of Abba but is of the olam hazeh,” 1
Yochannan / 1 John 2:15-16.
Rejecting the world
Rejecting the world is not easy but it is necessary.
In a sense we as Yisraelites have to defy gravity.
We must resist the pull of the world. We have to
reject mixture. It is hard to swim up stream and
resist the influences of those around us. The Talmud
says, “All beginnings are difficult.” Yet it will get
easier each time we choose not to p’shara. There is
a principle of momentum that states every time you
perform a mitzvot or refuse to go along with the
ways of the world your spirit is strengthened.
Barriers are broken down as you reject the urge to
compromise. Take for example the feasts of YHWH.
At first they are new and perhaps even difficult to
celebrate. But as time goes by, the new actions
become habit; they become part of you and don’t
seem so strange. As the actions are repeated, it
gets easier each time to just perform the mitzvot.
And each time you refuse to allow your life to mix
with the world, you stand as a witness and example
of how a follower of YHWH should live.
Resist the urge when you are confronted with the
option to forsake YHWH. Do not allow the adversary
a foothold. “Do not give s.a.tan a chance or
opening,” Ephesians 4:27.
Be faithful in the small matters. Most people won’t
compromise their faith by disobeying a ‘big’
commandment like murdering or stealing. Yet will
your faith stand strong when faced with small
choices about Sabbath observance or words that are
spoken? It is hard to resist p’shara in the small areas
of life. The next time you are tempted to cross the
line remember how the priests would not even
compromise the oil they used in the temple.
As you are faithful to YHWH, you can expect miracles
to happen. In fact, you can make miracles happen
through your devotion. Expect the unexpected and
experience the unthinkable as your heart is molded in
the Father’s hands. Just as the Yisraelite
rededicated the Temple, recommit yourself to YHWH
and His service. Clean out the areas of compromise
and evil influences. Turn off that racy TV show. Put
away those clothes that reveal too much. Look at
how much money you spend on things that are just
not necessary. Say ‘no’ when friends and co-workers
tease or tempt you to disobey Torah.
In conclusion, when it comes to life there is nothing
new under the sun. The struggles we face today like
understanding our heritage or being in this world but
not of this world, are not new. The powers and the
many peoples around us despise how we act and
they want us to change. We too must stand like the
Maccabees and hammer our life through the
persecution of the world. We need to learn from the
mistake of Aharon and tikkun olam or ‘fix the world’
through our resistance to compromise.
Can you proclaim as Moshe and Matiyahu did? “ Mi la
YHWH elai,” or whoever is for YHWH join me,”
Shemot / Exodus 32:26.
*for all things of the Hebrew faith go to
www.emetministries.com
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