Tonight we not only light the sixth light of Chanukah, but we also light Shabbat candles and on top of it it’s Rosh Chodesh Tevet. What a super charged spiritual Shabbat!!!
The Syrian-Greeks specifically focused on eradicating three mitzvot of the Torah: Shabbat observance, Brit Milah (circumcision), and the celebration of Rosh Chodesh (the new month).
They could not accept the idea that a group of people would follow Supra-rational laws. They couldn’t deal with Jews keeping Torah and Mitzvahs for the only reason that this is G-d’s will.
Shabbat testifies that H”S not only created the world, but he recreates it at every instance. By doing this we give sovereignty to the one and only King H”S.
Brit Milah is a permanent physical sign that one is part of the Jewish people and that we have a covenant with G-d. It also sets us apart from the rest of the world as a different people. The Greeks wanted to assimilate us and needed to get rid of this commandment to be able to do it.
Rosh Chodesh symbolizes the belief in a spiritual model of the calendar. Once the new moon was declared, the new month would begin and the holidays of the month would follow. Rosh Chodesh therefore symbolizes a spiritual system and this the Syrian/Greeks could not tolerate, that man has the power to affect the spiritual dimension, “for everything comes FROM you.” The Syrian-Greeks believed in a set destiny and that we could not create change. Judaism, however teaches that spirituality and the service of G-D is a two way street. We could see it as a partnership in which there is a system of cause and effect.
So the Macabees stood up for these three truths: there is only One G-d above, that we are a distinct nation with a personal mission and purpose, and that mankind carries an important role in the functioning of the world by bringing light and kindness to every corner.
#shabbatshalom #happychanukah #roshchodesh
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