Rabbi David Kastor is deaf, resides in Maryland. He received his Rabbinic semicha (degree) from Ner Yisrael Rabbinical College in Baltimore specializing in general Torah issues. Rabbi David will be happy to answer any questions relating to Judaism at [email protected]
Do you know the meaning of “Maccabee”? It is a hebrew word, popularly known as Tel Aviv’s sport team name or Olympic team game event. What does Maccabee mean? There are three different meanings:
1) It means hammer.
2) It is a word composed from the first letters of the words in the verse Parshat Bshalach (Exodus 15:11) “Mi Kamocha Baelim Hashem (Who is like You among the mighty, Hashem?”)
3) The initial letters of the name “Mattityahu Kohen Ben Yochanan) (Mattathius the High Priest, son of Yochanan.”)
Greece was highly recognized civilization of the world during the time of Chanukah and its culture is called Hellenism. Many Jewish people left Judaism and joined Hellenism. The assimilation grew dramatically.
So, a small group of Jews led by a family Kohanim, the sons of Mattiyahu Ben Yochanan HaKohen known as the Maccabees and they fought like hammer against Hellenists and Jews who left Judaism. Even more than that, the Greeks used their elephants (ancient tanks) in order to uproot the Maccabees!
Before the Maccabee started to fight, the elderly Mattiyahu died within a year and never saw the success of the war he began. Then, his son Judah started with other 4 brothers and later on more people joined in order to preserve the Torah. G-d helped them to win like we say that G-d delivered the “strong into the hands of the weak”. So it is clear that the Maccabees were “weak”. In fact, they had no military training at all because they are Kohen serving in the Temple!!! We can see from that G-d gave them strength because they dedicated themselves to G-d and protected the Torah for future generations to come.
At last, the Maccabee finally rested from the war on the 25th day of the month of Kislev (Hebrew month for Nov/Dec). The origin name of Hanukah started like this:
Hanu = they rested or they camped.
Kah = the Hebrew value is 25; K=20, H=5 equals 25.
