Significance of Chanukah is Hidden in the Torah Rather than the Book of Maccabees

The festival of Chanukah marks two interconnected events in history. More than 2,100 years ago, the Seleucid Empire ruled over the Holy Land. Led by Antiochus Ephiphanes IV, the Greeks sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel by banning the Jewish faith. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews, under the leadership of Mattityahu, defeated one of the world’s most powerful armies. They reclaimed the holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to God. The details of this startling victory are outlined in the Book of Maccabees. Moreover, we are told by our sages that when the Jews sought to light the Temple’s menorah, they discovered only a single cruse of pure olive oil. Miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days. In this fascinating broadcast, Rabbi Tovia Singer explains why the Jewish people emphasize the miracle of lights and relegate the Book of Maccabees to the Apocrypha. Can the central message of Chanukah be found in the Torah?