The Chanukah story does not end with a miracle

Chanukah is important. At a time when Jews are out-numbered in the Middle East by something like 55-to-1, Chanukah reminds us that the few can defeat the many. It teaches us that, if we unite under a single banner, we can be successful. It unites us in a celebration of victory.

After Mattisyahu the Jew defeated a brutal enemy, we saw a miracle. In the Temple, a small flask contained only enough oil to light the Temple menorah for one night; but it lasted eight nights. We celebrate that miracle as part of our victory.

Every Chanukah, essays appear—as they should—to remind us how this saga of heroism and miracle is relevant to the challenges we face today. Chanukah offers a wonderful story with an uplifting outcome. But the real Chanukah story in the First Book of Maccabees does not end with a miracle. It does not end with an inspiring message.

You might want to know about that ending. It may teach you more about today’s Israel than the ending you do know.

The first hint that the ending you know may not be the real ending hits you early in the story. Our Chanukah’s grand finale--restoring the Temple—doesn’t occur at the end. In a Book of sixteen chapters, the scene of the Temple’s restoration, rededication and celebration occurs at the end of Chapter four; and in a Book with more than 930 sentences, that scene uses less than three per cent of the text—just twenty-six sentences.

There is more to this story than defeating an enemy and restoring our Temple—twelve chapters more.

The second hint comes immediately after the celebration and joy, with the opening of Chapter Five: “It happened that when the heathen round about heard that the altar had been rebuilt and the sanctuary rededicated as before, they became very angry, and they resolved to destroy the descendants of Jacob” (translation by Edgar Goodspeed, in The Apocrypha, Random House, 1959).

From these words forward, the rest of the Book of Maccabees does not focus on happy Jewish living. Instead, it is a chronicle of war and betrayal. There seems no end to combat, fear and treachery. The enemies of Israel feel nothing but loathing for the descendants of Jacob. They talk about and interact with Israel with only one thought in mind—conquest. There is constant war against Israel.

Sound familiar?

Many in Israel today want ‘peace’, not because it is possible, but because they are worn down by war. For example, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been quoted as saying that he was ‘tired’ of the conflict, and (when PM) sought peace almost as a relief (it seemed) from his fatigue.

He’s not alone. Many Leftist essays appear with a similar emotional content: we are tired of fighting; can’t we just give ‘them’ what they want, so we can be left alone?

The original Chanukah story reminds us that desires for a Leftist-designed peace—attractive as it might be--will never work. Jews will never be ‘left alone’ because we have never been left alone. In peace or war, Jew-hate animates our enemies, not peace.

The enemies of Israel, we learn from Chanukah, want only one thing: conquest.  For them, coexistence is not an option.

Judah the Maccabee did not support our enemies. He fought them. He did not regret having confronted them in the first place; and he did not worry that going to war to defend Israel would anger others.

The original Chanukah story ends with the Jewish nation at war, just as we are today. There is no Hollywood ending. There is only combat and treachery—just as today.

Part of that treachery involved Jews betraying Israel. In Israel today, we have a Left that some call a ‘fifth column’ that actively promotes and supports our enemy’s goals. That’s exactly what happened in Judah’s story, where godless Jews joined the enemy to destroy Israel.

Treachery was not limited to Jews betraying Israel, or Israel’s enemies betraying promises to Israel (something we see today).  It also affected how Israel’s enemies treated each other.

Sound familiar?

 Today, outside Israel, we see between our foes a treachery and brutality that echoes hints in the Book of Maccabees.  The players and names are different, but the game is the same: Sunni fights Shiite, Syria kills its own people, Hamas murders Fatah. Our story is not new. It is as ancient as the Chanukah story. In fact, we live that story.

When you read the ending of the Book of Maccabees, you realize that the Chanukah story never ended.

There is a lesson here: being tired will not bring us peace. Negotiating with those who betray promises will not bring us peace. Surrendering land to those who swear to kill us will not bring us peace. With our enemies, peace is not an option—and never has been.

Judah the Maccabee understood that.  Do you?