Those Maccabee Boys...

For years I have been posting about the Maccabee Brothers, every Chanukah, I post about the Maccabees. So, if you anything about me at all, you know how much I love those Maccabee Boys. They said, no way, no how, it is not going to happen to Antiochus' men when they came to a village in Modi'in. A Greco-Syrian soldier entered the Temple and started to sacrifice a pig on the altar. Enraged by this action, an old priest named Mattathias stabbed the soldier to death and the revolt began! 

For me, this year Chanukah carries even more meaning. When I was in New York in October, as I have mentioned a few times, I went to the 'Jerusalem:1000-1400, Every People Under Heaven' exhibit at the Met. I had one of those moments when history, DNA, the resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto, and the present collided and had me completely frozen with awe. There it was, one of the Books of The Maccabees. I wanted to hug the exhibit glass, but, that would have landed me out of the museum. I wished they had had a stool or ladder for short people to see the case of these books from above. I don't know how long I stood there soaking it all in, time stood still. This book is huge, at least 2 feet or more by 18" or more. The craftsmanship, unmatched. What an incredible work of art! This is so amazing, because if it looks like sheet music, it is! Here is what the caption said, "Europeans fighting for the Holy Land considered the Maccabees, Jews of the 2nd century, B.C. as examples of the struggle for Jerusalem. The hymn that begins with this pitched battle is a plea for peace taken from the book of the Maccabees." It is strewn throughout the Bible that praise, blowing of the shofar(s), songs of worship were sung before battle, Joshua 6:1-20, being a well known example. As was custom, I learned from this exhibit, that everyone, of every religion, in the region scribed. More so, the books have survived literally thousands of years. 

Pursued by the Greco-Syrians, Mattathias and his 5 sons, known as the Maccabees fled to the hills surrounding Jerusalem. There, the resistance movement took form. Before he died, Mattathias selected his son, Judah to lead the fight, which he did, and valiantly. Through strategy and foresight, the rebels overcame all of Antiochus' forces, including an army riding elephants. In victory, the Maccabees liberated Jerusalem from the invaders, and on the 25th day of Kislev (this year, the first night is tomorrow, the 24th day of Kislev) they cleansed the temple which had been defiled. Chanukah, which means dedication, commemorates that day.

The miracle occurred, when looking for holy oil to light the Temple's candelabrum, there was just a very small cruse of sacramental oil, just enough to last a day. Knowing it would take eight days to prepare new holy oil, the Maccabee Boys, used the little bit they had and lit the menorah. Lo and behold, the oil burned for 8 days. Look at God!

To my Family and Friends who celebrate, a very joyful and blessed Chanukah!

Festival of Lights, From Generation to Generation...

 We repeat the story of Chanukah every year, from generation to generation. It is a great great story! So, again: 2200 hundred years ago, without the wonders of modern technology, and social media/networking, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, (et al), just imagine this: a small group of Jewish rebels, led by the Maccabee band of Brothers (love those boys) stood, up to the Greek kings who were forcing the Jewish people to worship their gods and Greek idols in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem....hence, the wondrous resistance and the miracle of the purified oil...given all the upheaval we see around the world, even today, this story may sound somewhat familiar...here is their story:

About 2200 years ago, Greek kings, who reigned from Damascus, ruled over the land of Judea and the Jews living there. One Greco-Syrian King, Antiochus Epiphanes, forbade the Jewish people from praying to their God, practicing their customs, and studying their Torah. Antiochus forced the Jews to worship the Greek gods. It is said that he placed an idol of the Greek God Zeus on the alter in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. In response to this persecution, Judah Maccabee and his four brothers organized a group of resistance fighters known as the Maccabees. They fought against paganism and oppression.The tenacity of the rebels, which came from their steadfast faith in one God, is one reason this military victory has been so celebrated by Jews in future generations. In one battle near Beit Horon, Judah's small army is intimidated by the size of the enemy army and Judah tells them to have faith that God is on their side:

"But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said unto Judah: 'What? shall we be able, being a small company, to fight against so great and strong a multitude? ...' And Judah said: 'It is an easy thing for many to be shut up in the hands of a few, and there is no difference in the sight of Heaven to save by many or by few; for victory in battle standeth not in the multitude of an host, but strength is from Heaven. They come unto us in fullness of insolence and lawlessness, to destroy us and our wives and our children, for to spoil us; but we fight for our lives and our laws. And He Himself will discomfort them before our face; but as for you, be yet not afraid of them."
(The First Book of Maccabees)

Against great odds, after three years of fighting, the Maccabees succeeded to drive the Greco-Syrians out of Judea. Chanukah proclaims the message of the prophet Zachariah: "Not by might, not by power, but by My spirit." Chapter 4:6

The Maccabees reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. They cleaned the Temple, removing the Greek symbols and statues. When Judah and his followers finished cleaning the temple, they rededicated it. On the 25th day of the month of Kislev in 164 BCE, the Temple was purified and rededicated. According to tradition, when the Maccabees entered the Holy Temple, they discovered that the Greco-Syrians had defiled the oil which was used to Temple's menorah. Only one vat of purified oil remained - enough for only one day. It would take the Jews a week to process more purified oil. Then a miracle occurred. The Maccabees lit the menorah and it burned for not one, but eight days, by which time the new, purified oil was ready. This is why the Chanukah Menorah has eight candles (not including the shamash candle used to light the others) and one reason why Jews celebrate Chanukah for eight days!!!

Happy Chanukah!

Happy Festival of Lights!!

This is our Menorah, which holds the drippings from the candles of Chanukah past, as we prepare the light the first candle tonight @ sundown!

From Sylvia's House, Waldo Canyon Almost 2 Years Later...

Everything around their house was torched by the Waldo Canyon fire. The 346 homes which were burned to ash, many in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood, were around her. The 2 people who perished in the blaze, were in the house down the hill. Sylvia and her husband's house was not touched. A couple of pieces of outdoor furniture were scorched, a couple of windows blew out, but miracle of miracles, their house stood. Jimmy and I spent the afternoon w/ Sylvia yesterday. Now, it is close to 2 years after the fires. Here is a reminder of the day the fire exploded over the mountain into the Mountain Shadows neighborhood:

'On June 26, 2012, Colorado Springs experienced a record high temperature of 101 °F (38 °C), which aided the fire's rapid expansion. By 3:45 p.m. strong winds following a dry thunderstorm west of the blaze caused the fire to jump the containment line on Rampart Range Road and enter into Queen's Canyon. At 4:21 p.m., smoke billowed in the distance and Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach interrupted a news conference with an evacuation order. The fire crested Queen's Canyon and winds from the west nearing 65 mph gusts (the cyclonic winds of the collapsing pyrocumulus cloud from the fire storm) pushed the fire down the slope and into the Mountain Shadows, Oak Valley Ranch, and Peregrine neighborhoods. By late afternoon and evening, multiple structures were burned including the Flying W Ranch, a Colorado Springs landmark built in 1953. Within the time span of twelve hours, 346 homes in western Colorado Springs had burned to the ground, and hundreds more were reported as damaged by fire and smoke.'

We literally saw the fire jump over the range that day, and by evening, neighbors had gathered @ the end of our street, w/ a powerful telescope and we watched homes burn. It was horrifying. By the time the fire was contained, over 18,000 acres or 29 square miles had burned. As far as the eye could see. Now, almost 2 years later, we stood on Sylvia's deck and looked @ our house, which is 27 minutes away. If you remember, we had a birds eye view, although at the time, I did not understand the terrain or the distance. The fire was so enormous, it felt like it was as close as the Black Forest fire actually was. The amazing thing, the wonderful thing, is that nature comes back. Yes, the reminder is looking @ the charred mountain, daily, and worth repeating, as far as the eye can see. For those who live in the neighborhoods, many of whom have re-built, clearly, it is much more personal. It is the trees and bushes which still stand blackened, charred. They will never come back. But, the mountain is green now, in parts, and trees are being re-planted. Even yesterday, Sylvia was having dead trees pulled out, and 7 new trees planted.

We ache for the families near San Diego. We understand all too well the fear and the loss. Those feelings, I do not think will ever go away. But, looking @ the hillside near Sylvia's house, I am filled w/ enormous hope and awe. The resilience of the human spirit to re-build and nature saying, I'll be back, just watch....here is the proof of the pudding!

Looking West to a small, yet huge portion of the burn scar, with new trees just planted yesterday!

Looking South

Down the hill a closer view

Such a contrast of the charred remains and the life bursting forth from the Earth!

An amazing and beautiful landscape!

 'There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

   a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
   a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build, 
   a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them..'
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-5

Those Macabee Brothers...

Judah Maccabee was a Kohen and a son of the Jewish priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire and is acclaimed as one of the greatest warriors in Jewish history alongside Joshua, Gideon and David.

The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society. 

More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated. 

According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory.

Happy Chanukah...the Festival of Lights!!

The Miracle of the Oil, Happy Chanukah

Happy Chanukah!

2200 hundred years ago, without the wonders of modern technology, and social networks, like Facebook and Twitter, a small group of Jewish rebels, led by the Maccabee band of Brothers (love those boys) stood up to the Greek kings who were forcing the Jewish people to worship their gods and Greek idols in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem....hence, the wondrous resistance and the miracle of the purified oil...given all the upheaval we have seen in the mid-East this past year, this story may sound somewhat familiar...here is their story:

About 2200 years ago, Greek kings, who reigned from Damascus, ruled over the land of Judea and the Jews living there. One Greco-Syrian King, Antiochus Epiphanes, forbade the Jewish people from praying to their God, practicing their customs, and studying their Torah. Antiochus forced the Jews to worship the Greek gods. It is said that he placed an idol of the Greek God Zeus on the alter in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. In response to this persecution, Judah Maccabee and his four brothers organized a group of resistance fighters known as the Maccabees. They fought against paganism and oppression.

The tenacity of the rebels, which came from their steadfast faith in one God, is one reason this military victory has been so celebrated by Jews in future generations. In one battle near Beit Horon, Judah's small army is intimidated by the size of the enemy army and Judah tells them to have faith that God is on their side:

"But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said unto Judah: 'What? shall we be able, being a small company, to fight against so great and strong a multitude? ...' And Judah said: 'It is an easy thing for many to be shut up in the hands of a few, and there is no difference in the sight of Heaven to save by many or by few; for victory in battle standeth not in the multitude of an host, but strength is from Heaven. They come unto us in fullness of insolence and lawlessness, to destroy us and our wives and our children, for to spoil us; but we fight for our lives and our laws. And He Himself will discomfort them before our face; but as for you, be yet not afraid of them."
(The First Book of Maccabees)

Against great odds, after three years of fighting, the Maccabees succeeded to drive the Greco-Syrians out of Judea. Chanukah proclaims the message of the prophet Zachariah: "Not by might, not by power, but by My spirit." Chapter 4:6

The Maccabees reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. They cleaned the Temple, removing the Greek symbols and statues. When Judah and his followers finished cleaning the temple, they rededicated it. On the 25th day of the month of Kislev in 164 BCE, the Temple was purified and rededicated. According to tradition, when the Maccabees entered the Holy Temple, they discovered that the Greco-Syrians had defiled the oil which was used to Temple's menorah. Only one vat of purified oil remained - enough for only one day. It would take the Jews a week to process more purified oil. Then a miracle occurred. The Maccabees lit the menorah and it burned for not one, but eight days, by which time the new, purified oil was ready. This is why the Chanukah Menorah has eight candles (not including the shamash candle used to light the others) and one reason why Jews celebrate Chanukah for eight days!!!

The Fish and the Loaves, The Traveling Plate!!

I was having dinner at the DC Coast restaurant, in Washington D.C., last Monday night, with some dear friends I had not seen in many years. While catching up a bit, we began talking about Israel and how they were thinking about going next year. I shared with them this story (among others) about our traveling plate. This is from the archives, but, certainly bears repeating!

This plate of the Fish and the Loaves was given to us by our friend, Iddo in 1995. Iddo was our tour guide when we went to Israel in 1990. Edward was an infant at the time and Iddo helped make our visit so special and forever memorable. We connected with him, not just for the 10 days we traveled together, but now, 19 years later, we still have a story to tell. This plate, the miracle of the Fish and the Loaves, represents feeding the multitudes. Jesus blessed the two fish and fives loaves, and miracle of miracles, 'there were about 5000 men who ate aside from the women and children.' (Mat.14:21). Iddo and his beautiful wife, Irit, gave us the plate to bless our household, and it did. But then, a few years later, his household needed a blessing, with tourism in Israel at an all time low, he needed some help. I thought, let's make a deal. We'll send him the plate for 7 years and then wherever we are in the world each of us would share the plate for 7 years at a time. Well, his time was up, (and then some), but, yet again, miracle of miracles, Iddo was coming to the States, New York City, to be specific. Lo and behold, my husband had to be in New York City at the same time! Jimmy and Iddo met in mid-town Manhattan and had a wonderful reunion over coffee @ Starbucks, catching up like two old friends who had known one another forever! Our household has had many blessings now that we have our plate back, and we are certainly always expectant! Iddo's business of tourism and lecturing is thriving. He loves telling the story about the traveling plate! We all realize that the plate is just a plate, but, it has great meaning to us and it's ours until 2015!!!