Yesterday began the Chanukah holiday in Israel. Below is an excellent history of this important holiday that appeared in the Ariel E-Bulletin. Dina Shalit, a dear friend of Ruby and myself is the director of Ariel Development fund here in Ariel. If you would like to be on her E-Bulletin list that comes out about once a month you can contact her at: fund@ariel.muni.il

Chanukah - A Concise History

The story of Chanukah begins more than 2000 years ago. Thirty years after the death of Alexander the Great, the Greek Empire had disintegrated into three kingdoms:Macedonia, Syria and Egypt. Syria conquered Judea and in 175 B.C.E., Antiochus Epiphanes became ruler. Hungry for fame and power, he declared himself the living incarnation of the Greek god Zeus and demanded that all his subjects worship him. He insisted that to prove their loyalty, they give up their own religious beliefs. Most Jews, however, would not abandon their faith in one G-d. That one small stubborn people could stand in his way infuriated Antiochus. To punish them, he had hundreds of Jews murdered and the Temple desecrated and turned into a shrine of Zeus. Jews were forbidden to study their holy books or observe their laws.

In the village of Modi'in, there lived an old priest named Mattathias and his five sons. Mattathias, declared publicly that the Jews would not abandon their G-d. Now in great danger, he and his sons were forced to flee to the Judean hills where they formed an army to resist Antiochus' decree. Mattathias, an old man, soon died and his son Judah Maccabee became the new leader.

Though Judah's army was not trained in warfare, it had courage and strong convictions. They attacked regularly and, before long, posed a serious threat to Antiochus. After long years of hard fighting, Judah and his army liberated Jerusalem and cleared Judea of Syrians. They cleansed the Temple of statues of Greek gods and rededicated it to the God of Israel.

Cause for Celebration

In honor of the day that the temple was ready, Chanukah became known as the Festival of Rededication. Legend says that on that first Chanukah, the priests of the Temple could not find sufficient oil to light the lamps. They found only one jar, containing enough olive oil to burn one day. By a miracle of G-d, the oil lasted eight days.

To commemorate this miraculous event, we light candles on each of Chanukah's eight days. Chanukah is one of the most celebrated holidays of the Jewish calendar. Often referred to as 'the Festival of Lights, Chanukah has meaning for people of all faiths, for this is the story of a people's fight for freedom. By their unwillingness to take the path of least resistance and give in to Hellenization, the Maccabees became known as "extremists" and "enemies of peace" but they became the symbol of victory of the few over the many, right over wrong.

Countless times have Jews been outnumbered and persecuted. Their passion for religious freedom and faith in G-d has enabled them to stand up against tremendous odds. We have seen this miracle repeated over and over in the history of Jewish people and again and again in the modern Land of Israel.

Chanukah is the only Jewish holiday that commemorates a national liberation struggle and victory in the Land of Israel. It could serve as a lesson to modern-day Israelis leaders. Simon the Maccabee, who succeeded his brothers, thus responded to an ultimatum given by Antiochus: "We have not occupied a foreign land nor have we ruled a foreign land. We have liberated the land of our forefathers from foreign occupation."

Ruby and I want to continue to express our gratitude to you for ordering our soap products. Our new soap man, Eli, is doing great. It is a blessing to hear him pray over the work of his hands and asking the Lord to bless you as you use our soap.
http://www.samaritanfoundation.org/product.htm

Blessings, Homer Owen.

www.samaritanfoundation.org
homer@samaritanfoundation.org