In the glow of Hanukkah’s tiny flames, we revisit the distant history for which we thank God “for the miracles and the wonders.”
We celebrate Hanukkah in memory of the Maccabees, who mustered courage and waged a fierce war against the army of Antiochus IV, the ruler of the Seleucid dynasty. Despite being the few against the many and the weak against the strong, the Maccabees won the battle, purified the Temple from Greek idolatry and the impurity left behind, and rededicated it.
Following the war, they found a small flask of oil, and miraculously, though it contained only enough oil for one day, it fueled the Temple menorah for eight consecutive days. This is the story of the “miracle of the oil.”
More than 2,000 years have passed since then, and we might wonder what this celebration means for us today.
What does the miracle of Hanukkah mean for us today?
To grasp the essence of the Hanukkah miracle, it is helpful to reflect on the many lessons conveyed by our sages over the generations about that era and its lasting significance.
One such story is shared in the midrash:
“On the Sabbath when the Greeks executed Yossi ben Yoezer, the high priest of Tzreida and president of the Sanhedrin [Supreme Rabbinical Court], his nephew, Yakum Ish Tzrorot, a Hellenist, saw his uncle being led in a death cart. From atop his splendid horse, he mockingly called out: ‘Look where your Master is taking you and where my master is taking me...’” (Genesis Rabbah 65).
Yakum’s taunt echoed the well-known question “Why do the righteous suffer while the wicked prosper?”
Yossi ben Yoezer responded with a few words that pierced his nephew’s heart. Yakum reflected deeply, repented, and immediately arranged a simultaneous execution for himself, choosing to die out of remorse and a broken spirit.
The midrash recounts that seeing this, Yossi ben Yoezer declared: “In a brief moment, he [Yakum Ish Tzrorot] preceded me to paradise.”
Yakum, the Hellenist and sinner, entered the world to come – paradise – before the president of the Sanhedrin.
The midrash shares another story:
“When the Greeks sought to enter the Temple Mount during Antiochus’s time, they said: ‘Let a Jew enter first.’ They approached Yosef Meshita, saying: ‘You go in, and whatever you take out will be yours.’ He entered and took out a golden menorah. The Greeks told him: ‘It is not proper for a commoner to use this; go in again, and whatever you bring out will be yours.’
“At that moment, a spirit of repentance filled Yosef Meshita’s heart. He refused to go back in, saying: ‘It is not enough that I angered my God once – shall I anger Him again?’”
These two stories are brought by the midrash in connection with the verse where Jacob approached Isaac to receive his blessings. As it says:
“And he [Isaac] smelled the fragrance of his [Jacob’s] garments (begadav)” (Bereishit 27:27).
Our sages explain that Isaac was not merely smelling Jacob’s garments but foreseeing the “fragrance of the traitors (bogdav).” Isaac envisioned future Jews who would betray their people and heritage, yet he rejoiced, knowing that even they would find repentance – even if only at the end of their lives – and their repentance would carry the fragrance of paradise.
Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen (a hassidic rebbe, thinker, Kabbalist, and prolific author, 1823-1900, Lublin, Poland) commented on this midrash, saying that the moral of these stories, which occurred during the Greek decrees, lies in the remarkable discovery of “the fragrance of the traitors.”
In the time of the Maccabees, beyond the extraordinary love shown to Israel through the heavenly miracles of victory and the oil flask – despite the people’s sins – there was a refreshing revelation: Even those deemed “traitors” could find acceptance and favor before the divine throne, bearing the fragrance of paradise.
During Hanukkah, the days of light triumphing over darkness, as the small flames illuminate the night, let us remember the fragrance of paradise that exists within every Jew, no matter who they are. ■
The writer is rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites.