The Spiritual Legacy of the Hasmoneans

            Al haNissim (for the miracles), the prayer which is added on Ḥanukka, casts Mattityahu as its “hero”. On the face of it, one would expect Judah the Maccabee to be featured, since it is he who led the Jews in defeating the Greeks and rededicating the Temple.

            It is likely that our Sages who composed the prayer wanted to stress the spiritual aspects of Ḥanukka over the military and political side.

            As my father wrote: the Sages’ emphasis on the spiritual dimension reflects the fact that the Hasmoneans’ goal was much loftier than simply achieving a military victory. The goal was to achieve religious freedom in order to be able to continue Jewish tradition. The military aspect was merely a physical means to achieve a spiritual end. The Maccabean wars were a struggle of conflicting ideologies. The battles were geared not towards conquest of territory, rather towards ideas. (It is worth noting that the Hasmonean revolt was the first revolt in world history which was aimed specifically at achieving religious freedom.)

            Perhaps another reason to stress the spiritual side of the events is the simple fact that this is the permanent aspect of Ḥanukka. The Hasmoneans’ military victories ushered in a period of Jewish independence and sovereignty in the Land of Israel which lasted a mere two generations. The spiritual victory achieved by the Hasmoneans survives until today (to the extent that we keep it alive).

            Rabbi Kook commented that many a nation’s downfall has been brought about specifically through the nation’s success. When a nation gets caught up in its tangible victories, it often does so at the risk of its spiritual development.

            It is incumbent upon us to be the guardians of the spiritual legacy of the Hasmoneans.