the chanukah tale, as told in the books of the macabees, is not part of the hebrew bible. did the ten commandments play a role in such decision?
one of the bible’s themes is that the children of israel place themselves in danger when they abandon religious practices. the chanukah story includes a disturbing moment which does not fall within this notion. in the first book of macabees, there is a passage involving the sabbath. beginning in chapter 2:34, the passage recounts a group of individuals who are part of the rebellion, who are slaughtered as they resolved themselves to not fight on the sabbath. how could those who adhere to the sabbath suffer?
the macabee tale confronts this tragedy. it is said that
“whosoever shall come to make battle with us on the sabbath day, we will fight against him.” macabees 2:41 this declaration renders itself to some form of biblical interpretation. should one be able to defend themselves on the sabbath? this question is best addressed by post-biblical commentary.
thus, this, as well as other reasons, is why the story of chanukah is best suited to not be part of the bible.
the passage, however, is discussion worthy. how do we reconcile bad things happening to observant individuals? this chanukah story moment bares similarity the observant who perished in the holocaust. how could this have happened? how is the theme of observance leading to good things rest in times when those observant suffer as a result of their devotion?
be well!!
if you enjoyed this post, please “like”
if you would like to read more posts, click here
if you find this post meaningful, please share
The Ten Commandments Project 