Hanukka and Jewish Sovereignty

In (the era of) the Second Temple, the Greek kingdom issued decrees against the Jewish people, nullifying their faith and not allowing them to observe the Torah and its mitzvot. They extended their hands against the Jews’ property and their daughters; they entered the Sanctuary, wrought havoc within, and defiled the sacraments. The Jews suffered great difficulties from the Greeks, for they oppressed them greatly until the God of our ancestors had mercy upon them, delivered them from their hand, and saved them. The sons of the Hasmoneans, the High Priests, overcame (them), slew them, and saved the Jews from their hand.

          They appointed a king from the priests, and sovereignty returned to Israel for more than 200 years, until the destruction of the Second Temple.

                        Maimonides, Laws of Megilla and of Ḥanukka 3:1

            This is Maimonides’ introduction to his presentation of the laws of Ḥanukka. We may ask why Maimonides attributed significance to the fact that “sovereignty returned to Israel.”

            Following this introduction, Maimonides writes:

Accordingly, the Sages of that generation ordained that these eight days, which begin from the twenty-fifth of Kislev, should be commemorated as days of happiness and praise (of God, i.e., reciting Hallel). Candles must be lit in the evening at the entrance to the houses on each and every one of these eight nights to publicize and reveal the miracle.

These days are called Ḥanukka, and it is forbidden to eulogize and fast on them, as on the days of Purim. Lighting the candles on these days is a rabbinic mitzva, like the reading of the Megilla.                                                                     Ibid. 3:3

            Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveichik quotes the Talmudic discussion [Megilla 14a] of the reason Hallel is not recited on Purim. One opinion is that Hallel is never recited to commemorate miracles which took place outside the Holy Land. In the opinion of the Sage Rava, it is inappropriate to recite Hallel on Purim, since Hallel includes the statement  “Give praise, servants of God” [Psalms 113:1], and even following the salvation of Purim, the Jews remained servants of Ahasuerus. Rabbi Soloveichik explains that even after Mordechai was appointed chief minister and wore royal robes, he remained a servant of Ahasuerus, and he was subject to the king’s every whim. At any time, Ahasuerus could depose Mordechai as he had done to Haman. Though the lives of hundreds of thousands of Jews were saved, this salvation did not justify the recitation of Hallel, since the Jews of the Persian Empire lacked the feeling of security.

            Therefore, following the miracles of Ḥanukka, had the Jews not become a free nation in the Land of Israel, there would be no justification for reciting Hallel, for we would have remained servants of Antiochus, and not “servants of God.” Had the Hasmoneans not defeated the Greek, but merely achieved an agreement with Antiochus, who realized that he too was unable to completely defeat his enemy; had Antiochus issued a “Decree of Tolerance,” permitting his Jewish subjects to study Torah and observe mitzvot, the Jews would have remained servants of Antiochus. Therefore, the moment “sovereignty returned to Israel,” the Sages of that generation ordained the recitation of Hallel. While there were no prophets and no one could know how long the sovereignty would last, nonetheless, the Jews benefitted from a sense of security; they regained their sovereignty and their political power. Foreigners could no longer dictate to the Jews how to behave. Thus, the recitation of Hallel is appropriate for Ḥanukka.

            The implication of Rabbi Soloveichik’s analysis is that there is a close connection between the political status of the Children of Israel and their spiritual status. When Israel is sovereign, a reality which can be achieved only within the Holy Land, then, and only then can they truly be “servants of God” and not servants of a master of flesh and blood.

            We can add that, according to Maimonides’ own opinion, even though the Hasmoneans were not descendants of King David, and therefore did not have the Halachic right to become monarchs [Laws of Kings 1:7-8], yet Maimonides has no criticism (not even implied) of the Hasmoneans as kings, rather he lauds them for reestablishing Israel’s sovereignty in its Land. My rabbi, Rabbi Ya’akov Wahrhaftig, noted the parallel to the modern reality of the State of Israel.