Joe Yudin owns Touring Israel, a company that specializes in “Lifestyle” tours
of Israel.So Hanukka is "The Festival of Lights" and almost every Jewish child can
tell you the story of why we celebrate this festival. Many of us
learned it in Hebrew school while our gentile friends were decorating
their Christmas trees. We learned that the Jewish army led by Judah the
Maccabee and his brothers kicked the Syrian-Greeks out of Israel, tore
down their idols on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, purified the holy
Temple of the pagan desecrations and then found a sacred jar of olive
oil blessed by the High Priest in a back room in the Temple. The
Maccabees then polished up the once thrown aside Menorah, symbol of
God's eternal light, and lit the golden oil lamp. Miraculously the oil
lasted eight days even though there was only enough oil for one, just in
time to receive the latest production of freshly pressed olive oil.
There are so many sites in Israel connected to the Hanukka narrative and
below is just a selection.
Let's
start with the story in the Second Book of Maccabees. The King of
Syria, a Greek called Seleucus IV, sent a tax collector, named
Heliodorus, to Jerusalem to loot the Temple's treasures. The High Priest
urged Heliodorus not to enter the Temple but he was intent on carrying
out the kings orders and entered with his men. All of Jerusalem prayed
that the Temple would be protected and lo and behold (II Maccabees
3:25-31 KJV):
For there
appeared unto them an horse with a terrible rider upon him, and adorned
with a very fair covering, and he ran fiercely, and smote at Heliodorus
with his forefeet, and it seemed that he that sat upon the horse had
complete harness of gold.Moreover
two other young men appeared before him, notable in strength, excellent
in beauty, and comely in apparel, who stood by him on either side; and
scourged him continually, and gave him many sore stripes.And
Heliodorus fell suddenly unto the ground, and was compassed with great
darkness: but they that were with him took him up, and put him into a
litter.Thus
him, that lately came with a great train and with all his guard into
the said treasury, they carried out, being unable to help himself with
his weapons: and manifestly they acknowledged the power of God.For he by the hand of God was cast down, and lay speechless without all hope of life.But
they praised the Lord, that had miraculously honored his own place: for
the temple; which a little afore was full of fear and trouble, when the
Almighty Lord appeared, was filled with joy and gladness.In the Hellenistic Period exhibit in the archaeology section at the
Israel Museum in Jerusalem is displayed the Heliodoros Stele, part of which was excavated at the
archaeological dig at Beit Guvrin.
You can participate in a dig for a day there run by Archeological
Seminars at the national park of Beit Guvrin-Marisha, south of Beit
Shemesh. Call (02) 586-2011 for reservations and more details. The stele
relates that in the year 178 B.C.E. of the rule of Seleuces IV, brother
of Antiochus IV, Heliodorus was sent to Jerusalem and the surrounding
territories to collect taxes, therefore confirming a key part in the
Hanukka storyline. The Heliodorus Stele is a unique find that lays
credence to the II Book of Maccabees and should be checked out.
So
does this prove that the Hanukka story happened? Well we know that there
was friction with the Syrian-Greeks dealing with the Temple and its
treasury. We know that Seleuces was later murdered by Heliodorus. His
successor Antiochus IV conspired with an impostor of a High Priest,
Menelaus, and banned the practice of Judaism and probably violated the
Temple. The Books of Maccabees and Josephus then describe the resistance
to Antiochus and the battle that ensued between the Hasmonean
(Maccabean) forces and the Greek military. Archeological evidence does
show that a war took place during this time all over Judea.
In
Jerusalem's Old City just inside Dung Gate to the left is the entrance
to the Davidson Center. Amongst the archaeological gardens between the
stairs just south of the Temple Mount is what's left of the Greek
fortress called the Akra. This fortress was the key to controlling the
Temple Mount. In 164 B.C.E. during the Hebrew month of Kislev, Judah the
Maccabees captured this fortress. His brother Simon later razed it to
the ground. Check out the ruins and explore this fantastic national park
and the nearby museum.
Call (02) 627-7550) for more details.
As if this victory over the Selucid Empire wasn't a miracle enough in
itself, we have the story of the "Miracle of Lights" as mentioned in the
Talmud. The surprising thing is that this particular story is not
mentioned in the Maccabees own chronicles nor in Josephus. Did it really
happen? Would the Maccabees have used oil blessed by Menelaus, the High
Priest allied with Antiochus? The same High Priest who allowed idols
and pagan sacrifice in the Temple? I doubt it. Most likely the eight
days of celebration came for the Maccabees wanting a holiday similar to
Succot and its eight days of celebration. Hanukka does take place at the
tail end of the olive harvest when all of Judea would have been
producing olive oil and sending the first oil of the year to market.
Perhaps it was just a good marketing scheme to sell more oil for
everyone's mini menorahs to light in their homes. Or perhaps it was a
way for the rabbis who were Pharisees to steal away the glory of the
Maccabees, who had changed allegiance under the kingship of Jon Hyrcanus
over to the rival Jewish Saducean sect.
Either way, this is an ideal time to check out olive presses both
ancient and modern. In the Beit Guvrin national park a whole olive oil
factory has been uncovered and preserved virtually intact. You can also
see olive presses at Korazim (tel. (04) 693-4982) in the Galilee and
the Talmudic Park of Katzrin in the Golan (tel. (04) 696-2412). The 1800
year old Katzrin olive press has been refurbished and workshops are
held there where they actually make oil in the ancient way.
The newest way to experience olive oil making is at the Simu Shemen
olive press at Kibbutz Deganiya Alef (tel. (04) 660-8641). The idea to
build an olive press on Israel's very first kibbutz began one afternoon
between Avner Abadi and his wife over a cup of coffee. After getting the
approval from the Kibbutz, Avner and his brother Navot found a few
investors and started to build their dream. The olive press was
established this past September, and produces oil from the olives that
grow on the kibbutz. The olive press can produce up to 750 million tons
of olive oil a year. Workshops, tastings and tours are available.
Joe Yudin became a licensed tour guide in 1999. He completed his Master’s degree
at the University of Haifa in the Land of Israel Studies and is currently
studying toward a PhD.