When Jews Went to War

By RABBI BENJAMIN BLECH

Yes, General Sherman was right. War is hell. But at this time of the year, strangely enough, Jews remember that war is also a holiday.

Not that we’re happy that we had to fight. Peace is the highest ideal of the Bible and the Jewish people. But the Maccabees, in the second century before the Common Era, realized that King Solomon was right. “There is a time for peace and a time for war,” he wrote in his book of Ecclesiastes. So they fought against those who wanted to destroy every spiritual blessing the descendants of Abraham brought to the world – and their victory is what we still celebrate as the festival of Hanukah.

Come on, you didn’t really believe that the reason for Hanukah is to commemorate the miracle of a little cruse of oil that should only have burnt for one day but instead lasted for eight? That might have saved on Temple expenses but surely wouldn’t warrant remembering for more than two thousand years. The oil, the Rabbis taught us, is a symbol of the Jewish people. All other liquids readily dissolve and disappear when they’re mixed. Oil maintains its identity, remains recognizable and rises to the top. And that’s why it’s the perfect way to illustrate the miracle of Jewish survival. A people that by all natural law should have disappeared from the world scene remained, preached its message of ethical monotheism to humankind and brought light to the four corners of the earth.

The Maccabees realized there are some things that are worth fighting for. Love of peace isn’t always the same thing as pacifism. Peace at all costs can sometimes cost too much, if the price is every value that you hold dear. So the Maccabees, whose name comes from the Hebrew word for hammer, made use of their strength to wage war against evil.

But the Maccabees had opposition. There were those who felt that fighting was wrong. Not because Jews must never resort to violence. Their objection was simpler: “After all, we are God’s people. If God wants us to survive, God will surely fight our battles for us. Our role should be restricted to prayer. Let’s have faith and put our trust in the Lord. Having God on our side certainly frees us from going to battle.”

The argument had its followers. But, thankfully, the Maccabees rejected it. They understood what the Rabbis would subsequently incorporate into the Talmud as a basic principle of Judaism: We dare not rely solely on miracles. We aren’t meant to be passive recipients of God’s help and God’s blessings. We are commanded to be partners with God in perfecting the world.

By now it may be a cliché, but that doesn’t negate its truth: God does only help those who help themselves.

For the mystics, this idea is imbedded in the profound meaning of a number that has special relevance to the Jewish people. Eight is what defines our mission. That is the day designated for circumcision. Why? Because God created the world in seven days. That was as far as God went. God left it incomplete – so that we might have a role and continue to perfect what God didn’t finish.

Eight teaches us not to leave things for the Creator of the Universe. If we want a better world, we have to do all in our power to bring it about. Once we fulfill our obligation, then God blesses us with the miracle that allows our efforts to succeed.

So when the Maccabees found themselves victorious in the fight for their beliefs, even though they were the few against the many, they declared it a holiday for the ages. And not so coincidentally, this holiday lasts for eight days! That’s the number that is always meant to remind us that those who struggle for what is right, what is just, what is holy, as partners with God in creating a better world, will be rewarded with miracles.

What message could be more relevant for us, as Jews and as Americans, at a time when we confront the evils of terrorism and the threats of those who seek to destroy our way of life?

Reprinted with permission from the AVI CHAI Bookshelf, where birthright israel alumni can order free books and periodicals.