Virtual Israel Tours
“A Bible in one hand and an iphone in the other”
Rav Shaanan Scherer M.A, B.Ed. Licensed Israel Tour Guide
Exploring the Depths of Chanukah
An explanation of the history and customs of
Chanukah through the lens of archaeology,
historiography and a touch of mysticism
‫?למה‬
‫תורה עם דרך ארץ‬
‫!ישראל‬
“There’s plenty of room
at the Hotel California ..
You can check out any time
of night, but you can never
leave” (followed by great guitar solo)
“but you can
never leave,
eh?”
HOTEL TORONTO
SHAANAN TOURS
- GUIDING SINCE 2007 IN ISRAEL
- VIRTUAL GUIDING SINCE 2010 IN USA AND CANADA
- OVER TEN YEARS OF ISRAEL EXPERIENCE HIKING, BIKING AND
HITCHHIKING ALL OVER THE COUNTRY
- GUIDED TOURS WITH PASSION, SOUL AND A SENSE OF HUMOUR
- “IF I CAN’T BE IN ISRAEL, THEN I’VE GOTTA TAKE IT WITH ME”
ARIELLA AND TEHILLA
Trip to British Museum
January 2012
•EGYPTIAN MUMMIES
BABYLONIAN IDOLS
PERSIAN ARTIFACTS
ANCIENT GREEK EMPIRE
‫מאי חנוכה‬
‫‪:‬שבת כא‬
Rambam, Mishneh Torah. Hilchot
Chanukah. Chapter 3:
• Halacha 1
• In [the era of] the Second Temple, the Greek kingdom
issued decrees against the Jewish people, [attempting to]
nullify their faith and refusing to allow them to observe
the Torah and its commandments. They extended their
hands against their property and their daughters; they
entered the Sanctuary, wrought havoc within, and made the
sacraments impure.
• The Jews suffered great difficulties from them, 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.
• Halacha 2
• When the Jews overcame their enemies and
destroyed them, they entered the Sanctuary; this
was on the twenty-fifth of Kislev. They could not find
any pure oil in the Sanctuary, with the exception of a
single cruse. It contained enough oil to burn for
merely one day. They lit the arrangement of candles
from it for eight days until they could crush olives
and produce pure oil.
• Halacha 3
• Accordingly, the Sages of that generation ordained
that these eight days, which begin from the twentyfifth of Kislev, should be commemorated to be days
of happiness and praise [of God]. Candles should 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 Chanukah. It is forbidden to
eulogize and fast on them, as on the days of Purim.
Lighting the candles on these days is a Rabbinic
mitzvah, like the reading of the Megillah.
Why do we celebrate Chanukah?
• Two reasons:
1) Supernatural miracle of the
pure oil that lasted 8 days
2) Military victory of Hasmonean
army over Greek Empire and
return of Jewish sovereignty to
Judea for next 200 years
What is wrong with these reasons?
1) Supernatural miracle of the
pure oil that lasted 8 days
2) Military victory of
Hasmonean army over Greek
Empire and return of Jewish
sovereignty of Priests to Judea
for next 200 years
Rambam. Mishne Torah
• They appointed a king from
the priests, and sovereignty
returned to Israel for more
than 200 years, until the
destruction of the Second
Temple.
Miracle of the Oil
Yehudit Hamacabee
“There is a custom to eat cheese on
Chanukah to commemorate the miracle that
was done with dairy food when Yehudit fed
the enemy”
• Rabbi
Moshe
Isserles.
Commenta
ry on
Shulchan
CHANUKAH CHEESECAKES!
You heard it HERE first!
“From Atzeret to Chag, One should bring (the
bikkurim) and recite. From Chag to Chanukah –
one should bring, but not recite.”
- Mishna. Bikkurim 1:6
How can a Torah law (Bikkurim) be based on a
Rabbinic Holiday??
What fruit in ancient Israel
was harvested Chanukah
time?
RAMAT RACHEL
December 26th, 2011
Israeli archaeologists uncover
first artifact confirming written
Button-sized seal believed to designate ceremonially pure
record
ofTemple
Temple
worship
provisions for
worship, such
as that
described in the Hanukkah story.
“DAKA L’YA”
“PURE FOR GOD”
Shabbat 21b
• What is [the reason of] Hanukkah? For our
Rabbis taught: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev
[commence] the days of Hanukkah, which are
eight on which a lamentation for the dead
and fasting are forbidden. For when the
Greeks entered the Temple, they defiled all
the oils therein, and when the Hasmonean
dynasty prevailed against and defeated them,
they made search and found only one cruse of
oil which lay with the seal of the High
Priest, but which contained sufficient for
one day's lighting only; yet a miracle was
wrought therein and they lit [the lamp]
therewith for eight days. The following year
these [days] were appointed a Festival with
[the recital of] Hallel and thanksgiving.
Heliodoros
Stele
According to the story in Maccabees,
Heliodorus, as the representative of King
Seleucus IV, tried to steal the wealth from
the Temple in Jerusalem but instead was
severely beaten as a result of divine
intervention. Three years later Seleucus IV
was assassinated and was succeeded by
his brother Antiochus IV, who was the ruler
who according to II Maccabees eventually
issued an edict of persecution against the
Jewish people and desecrated the Temple in
Jerusalem leading to the Maccabean Revolt.
HASMONEAN FORTRESSES
MASADA
HASMONEAN FORTRESSES
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
ALEXANDRION
DOK
JERICHO
CYPRUS
HYRCANIA
MACHAREUS
MASADA
Judea under Judah Maccabee
Judea under John Hyrcanus
Judea under Alexander Yannai
MODI’IN
• Established in 1993
• Current population 80 000
• Estimated population by
MACCABEAN GRAVES
Rechavia Neighbourhood,
Jerusalem
JASON’S
TOMB
Jason the High Priest 175
BCE
Coin of Matityahu
Antigonus
the last survivor of
the Hasmonean
family
Competed
against
Herod
the Great
to
Why did Mattityahu Antigonus
use this image on his coin?
WHY?
CHANUKAH GELT!?
• Hasmonean descendants
minted national coins to
celebrate
theirtradition
freedom?
18th
C. E.European
to give
religious teachers a token of gratitude?
Eventually shifted from teachers to
children. Gelt/gift giving parallel
Christmas customs?
1920’s American candy companies first
introduced gold and silver wrapped
chocolate gelt
100 years!
One of the most important
lessons we learn from
Chanukah is to have
Maccabee/Jewish pride. The
Maccabees fought for Judaism
against Hellenism (Greek Culture)
Why do
we spin
dreidels?
Draydel House, Caesaria
A message from Hatzolah Toronto…
Cover up in order
to hide illegal
Torah Study
from Greeks, or
…
… Teetotum?
IRONIC?
the letters nun, gimmel, hey, shin represent
the four kingdoms which tried to destroy us
[in ancient times]:
N = Nebuchadnetzar = Babylon;
H = Haman = Persia = Madai;
G = Gog = Greece;
and S = Seir = Rome.
= ‫ = משיח‬358
?
First night of Chanukah in 1777
was December 24th
- Washington’s troops arrived
at Valley Forge on December
th, 1777
- Story’s
origin is from the daughter of
19
Michael Hart, a Jewish businessman from
Easton,
Pennsylvania who hosted Washington during
Chanukah of 1778. Washington
told his hosts that he already knew about
Chanukah and told the story about the
Jewish soldier in Valley Forge.
Where are the oldest synagogues
discovered in Israel?
Gamla
Migdal
Masada
Jericho
Qumran
Herodium
Modiin
Menorah engraving discovered
in 2009 in Migdal synagogue
Ancient Synagogue of Modiin
What did the original menorah of
the Temple look like?
Shmot 25:31 - 32
And you shall make a menorah of pure
gold. The menorah shall be made of
hammered work; its base and its stem,
its goblets, its knobs, and its flowers
shall [all] be [one piece] with it. . And
six branches coming out of its sides:
three menorah branches from its one
side and three menorah branches from
its second side.
Rashi (France 12th C.)
on Shmot 25:31 - 32
• BASE: This refers to the foot
on the bottom [of the
menorah], which was made
BRANCHES:
coming
outwith
of its sides:
from here
and there [in
like
a
box
three
legs
each direction] diagonally, drawn upwards until [they
reached]
the height of
the menorah,
which
is the middle stem.
coming
out
of
it
[protruding]
They came out of the middle stem, one higher than the others:
the bottom
one was longest, the one above it was shorter
downwards
than it, and the highest one shorter than that, because the
height of their ends [at their tops] was equal to the height of
the seventh, middle stem, out of which the six branches
extended.
Original
Drawing of
the
Menorah by
Maimonide
s
discovered
in the Cairo
Genizah
Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra
• In his long commentary on
Shmot 25:32 write that the
branches were half circles
Zechariah 4:1 - 3
"I saw, and
behold [there
was] a
candelabrum
all of gold, with
its oil-bowl on
top of it, and its
seven lamps
thereon; seven
tubes each to
the lamps that
The Temple
Institute
Menorah on
display next to
Kotel stairs
Height?
Six and a half feet
Weight?
•one-half ton. It
contains forty five
kilograms of twenty
four karat gold
•Value in US
Dollars?
•approximately three million dollars. Donor?
Vadim Rabinovitch, a leader of the Jewish community
of Ukraine
Discovered in 2011
in City of David
How will this presentation enhance my
Chanukah this year?
• Historical Perspective
Understanding of Chanukah Celebration
Archaeology of Chanukah
Modern State of Israel and Chanukah
Change your Chanukah Customs
(CHANUKAH CHEESECAKES!)
New Stories to share
But most importantly …
THANK YOU!
RAV SHAANAN SCHERER
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Virtual Israel Tours
“A Bible in one hand and an iphone in the other”
Rav Shaanan Scherer M.A, B.Ed. Licensed Israel Tour Guide
Buried Treasures of
the Land of Israel
A survey of Biblical Archaeology.
“Where the holy Book meets the holy
land”