Observation ·
The Maccabean Menorah: Spiritual Lights in the Smoke of War
By Ido HevroniArchaeological evidence suggests that the original Hanukkah menorah was made from the spear tips of the Maccabees.
Hanukkah
Latest Mosaic Content for Hanukkah
Observation ·
The Maccabees, the Greeks, and the Origins of the Conflict Between Hellenism and Hebraism
By PhilologosWhat the Maccabees called their enemies reveals much about how both cultures saw themselves and what the conflict between them meant for the world.
Observation ·
Jonathan Sacks and the Case of the Suppressed Stanza
By PhilologosThe final, often-skipped stanza of the popular Hanukkah candle-lighting song Ma’oz Tsur presented the late rabbi with an unusual challenge.
Observation ·
Did the Rabbis Think the Maccabees Were Too Militaristic?
By Atar HadariThe problem was not that the stars of the Hanukkah story were too heroic, but that they confused their military heroism for the capacity of communal leadership.
Observation ·
What Zionist Historians Have Thought about Hanukkah
By Asael Abelman"It was one of the decisive events in human history. Never before had men been convinced, as they were then, that an idea was something to fight for and to die for."
Observation ·
Why There Are So Many Ways to Spell Hanukkah
By PhilologosEnglish is a language notorious for its strange spellings, and its speakers are more willing to tolerate aberrations than are speakers of other languages.
Observation ·
The Narrow Bridge
By Alan RubensteinSome end-of-year remarks on the path of life, spoken in honor of those who do end-of-life work.
Observation ·
Why “Hanukkah Gelt” and not “Hanukkah Money”?
By PhilologosIt sounds less mercenary—which is probably also why real coins eventually gave way to chocolate ones.
Observation ·
The Intellectual Struggle Hidden in Hanukkah’s Best-Known Song
By Lewis H. GlinertThe Maccabean revolt wasn’t just about independence. It was a culture war between those who embraced "Greek wisdom" and those who believed in transcendent, divine knowledge.
Observation ·
Judah the Maccabee, Judah the Mace-Man
By PhilologosA modest suggestion for a new way of thinking about the original meaning of the word "Maccabee."
Observation ·
The Jewish Tradition Unfolds in Fire. Here’s How, and Why
By Eric Cohen, Mitchell RocklinWhat are we to make of the fiery images, stories, and rituals that inform Jewish liturgy and Jewish self-understanding?
Observation ·
The Anxieties of Purim
By Atar HadariThe book of Esther and the festival of Purim mark the beginnings of the exilic world, in which the battle to remain Jewish never really goes away.
