“From this perspective, the revolt of the Maccabees against Greek rule wasn’t just about religious freedom or political independence from pagans. It was a fight between those Jews who accepted the Hellenic claim to intellectual superiority—to a human-oriented knowledge of science, mathematics, and philosophy that surpassed the intellectual achievements of all other cultures—and those who, while placing a high value on human reason and possibly even admiring Greek intellectual achievement, insisted on the existence of a fiftieth level: transcendent, divine knowledge beyond human comprehension.” – Lewis H. Glinert
SHABBAT READING
Joseph: The Making of a Prophet: Dr. Joseph Tron, The Torah.com, Dec. 27, 2017 — The Torah’s narratives are not considered prophetic literature. Nevertheless, Abraham is called a prophet (Gen 20:7), and God speaks to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob on more than one occasion, making promises to them about their futures and the future of their offspring. The Joseph stories seem even less like prophetic literature: although Joseph has dreams that seem prophetic in the sense that they are fulfilled, God does not speak to Joseph explicitly concerning the meaning of these dreams.
SPIRIT AND WARFARE
On Chanukah, Netanyahu Invokes Maccabees, Threatens Houthis: JNS, Dec. 25, 2024 — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday threatened Yemen’s Houthi militia while lighting the menorah on the first night of Chanukah at his office in Jerusalem.
KKL-JNF Presents Images of Hanukah Past: David Israel, Jewish Press, Dec. 25, 2024 — The Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel – Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) Archive shares a collection of rare historical photographs showcasing Hanukkah celebrations across Israel.
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The Miracle of the Light: Meir Soloveitchik, The Free Press, Dec. 26, 2024
The Intellectual Struggle Hidden in Hanukkah’s Best-Known Song: Lewis H. Glinert, Mosaic Magazine, Dec. 14, 2017
Hanukkah and State: The Hasmonean Legacy: Richard Hidary, Jewish Review of Books, Dec. 27, 2016
Straightening Out the Menorah: Reviel Netz, Jewish Review of Books, Dec. 25, 2024
Darkness We Have Come to Dispel: Between the Light of Hanukkah and the Black Shabbat: Mois Navon, Lehrhaus, Dec. 10, 2023
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The Miracle of Chanukah: Jonathan Sacks, The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, Dec. 4, 1999 — There are times, rare but unforgettable, when you know you are living through a page of history. That is what I felt when, back in 1991, I lit Chanukah candles together with the Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev.
The Biblical Building Blocks of Chanukah: Dr. Yael Avrahami, The Torah.com, Dec. 16, 2014 — Thee Hebrew Bible never mentions Chanukah, but this does not mean that it has no biblical precedents.
Straightening Out the Menorah: Reviel Netz, Jewish Review of Books, Dec. 25, 2024 — Chabad’s campaign of public menorah lightings began in San Francisco, in 1975. Two local Lubavitcher rabbis, Chaim Drizin and Yosef Langer, met with the program director of the local public television station and Bill Graham, San Francisco’s famous Rock and Roll impresario (and Holocaust survivor, born Wulf Grajonca in Berlin), and came up with the idea of erecting a twenty-five-foot-tall mahogany menorah in Union Square on Hanukkah.
A Merry Little Chrismukkah: Liel Leibovitz, The FreePress, Dec.. 25, 2024 — This year, for the first time since 2005, we have ourselves a merry little Chrismukkah. As St. Nick concludes his gift-giving world tour, Jews around the world light the first candle in their Hanukkah menorahs.