Saturday, December 08, 2007
Chanuka: Zeal of the Maccabees
The first book of Maccabees starts, in chapter one, with giving us an account of the history of the Greek Empire in those times. It also tells us of the persecution that the Jewish people went through, how they were forced to give into Greek culture and the Greek, pagan, idolatrous way of life.
Despite the murdering of people who decided to keep the mitzvot of Torah, some Jews would continue to observe the mitzvot any way they could in secret.
Now something very interesting would happen in 1 Mac. 2. Mattisyahu/Matthew, the father of Judah the Maccabee would begin one of the first major violent rebellions against this Greek occupation. When an overseer of the Greek king came up to Matisyahu and asked him to "fulfill the King's command" (v. 18) and sacrifice to a pagan idol, Matisyahu said, in verse 19, "with a loud voice: though all the nations that are under the king's dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, and give consent to his commandments, I and my sons and my brethren will walk in the covenant of our fathers. God forbid that we should forsake the Torah and the mitzvot."
And so Matisyahu denies this enforcement of paganism upon him. Now read this...
1 Mac. 2:23-24:
"Now when he had left speaking these words, there came one of the Jews in the sight of all to sacrifice on the altar which was at Modin, according to the king's commandment.
Which thing when Mattathias saw, he was inflamed with zeal, and his reins trembled, neither could he forbear to shew his anger according to judgment: wherefore he ran, and slew him upon the altar.
Also the king's commissioner, who compelled men to sacrifice [to the pagan altar], he killed at that time, and the altar he pulled down.
Thus dealt he zealously for the law of God like as Phinees [Pinchas] did unto Zambri the son of Salom."
So Matisyahu slaughtered two people who were sacrificing to a pagan, Greek altar in Israel, and toppled the altar. This, everyone, is righteous anger and righteous violence done in holy zeal of the Torah!
THAT is what Chanuka is all about!
Now later, Yehuda Makabi (Judah Maccabee) slaughtered Greek army after Greek army, EACH who VASTLY outnumbered the small band of poorly armored and armed Jewish fighters. Out of this series of astounding military victories granted unto the Maccabees by the God of Israel came the freedom of Israel and the re-dedication of the Beis HaMikdash (Temple) from Greek rule.
Now what do we see today? The same kind of "false peace" being imposed on Israel in this day in the name of Democracy (which is a GREEK system), mostly by the United States of America (whose symbol is the eagle, which was the same symbol of the Greek god Zeus, AND the symbol of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Greek king in the Maccabee's time). Prophetic parallel... and here's a hint... the Prophet Daniel speaks of this.
There was no better time for Chanuka to fall this year than very shortly after the Annapolis conference which began the talks in discussing the splitting of Israel and Jerusalem in the name of a false, Greek peace.
This is how we should all be in resisting modern western culture, which is strongly rooted in ancient Greek culture, and in maintaining the righteous, pure worship of the God of Israel and standing up for the covenant of the Land of Israel! May we all have the spirit of the Maccabees in us.
Death to Palestine, death to western culture, and death to every nation which splits the Land of Israel!
Life to Israel, life to Torah observance, life to everyone who stand up for the covenant of Avraham avinu!
Shalom,
Chassidishe Yid
Despite the murdering of people who decided to keep the mitzvot of Torah, some Jews would continue to observe the mitzvot any way they could in secret.
Now something very interesting would happen in 1 Mac. 2. Mattisyahu/Matthew, the father of Judah the Maccabee would begin one of the first major violent rebellions against this Greek occupation. When an overseer of the Greek king came up to Matisyahu and asked him to "fulfill the King's command" (v. 18) and sacrifice to a pagan idol, Matisyahu said, in verse 19, "with a loud voice: though all the nations that are under the king's dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, and give consent to his commandments, I and my sons and my brethren will walk in the covenant of our fathers. God forbid that we should forsake the Torah and the mitzvot."
And so Matisyahu denies this enforcement of paganism upon him. Now read this...
1 Mac. 2:23-24:
"Now when he had left speaking these words, there came one of the Jews in the sight of all to sacrifice on the altar which was at Modin, according to the king's commandment.
Which thing when Mattathias saw, he was inflamed with zeal, and his reins trembled, neither could he forbear to shew his anger according to judgment: wherefore he ran, and slew him upon the altar.
Also the king's commissioner, who compelled men to sacrifice [to the pagan altar], he killed at that time, and the altar he pulled down.
Thus dealt he zealously for the law of God like as Phinees [Pinchas] did unto Zambri the son of Salom."
So Matisyahu slaughtered two people who were sacrificing to a pagan, Greek altar in Israel, and toppled the altar. This, everyone, is righteous anger and righteous violence done in holy zeal of the Torah!
THAT is what Chanuka is all about!
Now later, Yehuda Makabi (Judah Maccabee) slaughtered Greek army after Greek army, EACH who VASTLY outnumbered the small band of poorly armored and armed Jewish fighters. Out of this series of astounding military victories granted unto the Maccabees by the God of Israel came the freedom of Israel and the re-dedication of the Beis HaMikdash (Temple) from Greek rule.
Now what do we see today? The same kind of "false peace" being imposed on Israel in this day in the name of Democracy (which is a GREEK system), mostly by the United States of America (whose symbol is the eagle, which was the same symbol of the Greek god Zeus, AND the symbol of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Greek king in the Maccabee's time). Prophetic parallel... and here's a hint... the Prophet Daniel speaks of this.
There was no better time for Chanuka to fall this year than very shortly after the Annapolis conference which began the talks in discussing the splitting of Israel and Jerusalem in the name of a false, Greek peace.
This is how we should all be in resisting modern western culture, which is strongly rooted in ancient Greek culture, and in maintaining the righteous, pure worship of the God of Israel and standing up for the covenant of the Land of Israel! May we all have the spirit of the Maccabees in us.
Death to Palestine, death to western culture, and death to every nation which splits the Land of Israel!
Life to Israel, life to Torah observance, life to everyone who stand up for the covenant of Avraham avinu!
Shalom,
Chassidishe Yid
Labels: chanukah, hanukah, hanukkah, israel, jew, jewish, judaism, maccabee, maccabees, makabi, zionism
