Don't Miss the Maccabean Message

Alerting all Maccabees!

History has just sent us an ominous message from the ancient past.

A sling stone [1] was recently discovered near Hebron. It bears the name of a Seleucid tyrant, Diodotus Tryphon [2], who tyrannized our Judean ancestors and executed Judah Maccabee's brother and successor, Yonatan the High Priest. It also bears an idolatrous symbol of Zeus, "king" of the Greek deities.

Just in time for Chanukah, which just so happens to marks the 2,160th anniversary of the miraculous victory [3] of the Maccabees over their Seleucid oppressors after the latter had despotically trampled religious freedom in attempt to impose their pagan public policies.

It was this very tyrant who reigned during the vicious persecution, bloody battles, wondrous liberation of Jerusalem, and the epic miracle of the Temple’s rededication.

The irony of this timely discovery cannot be overstated.

Is history pelting us with the same deadly projectile that was hurled at our Maccabean ancestors in their struggle for freedom?

Is it a wake-up call? Are the Ancients trying to warn us that we are under attack by depraved tyrants once again who wish to destroy our precious religious liberties and subjugate us to their pagan “public-health” agenda?

Is it beckoning us to rise up like Mattathias and his sons who boldly flaunted the tyrant’s public policies and fought back fearlessly in defense of their religious freedom?

Is this little sling stone reminding us that freedom is a value worth fighting for?

Is it urging us to heed the call of Judah Maccabee and his brothers who cherished liberty as a value that transcends life itself?

Are we heeding the call?

Have we complacently forgotten the timeless message of Chanukah, that religious freedom, individual rights, and essential human liberties, must be prioritized before all else, including (alleged) public health?

Isn’t it high-time for all modern-day Maccabees to mobilize and end the tyranny?

Can we muster the moral fortitude and selfless courage of our ancestors and reassert our sacrosanct freedoms?

Isn’t it time to liberate the Sanctuary and rekindle the lights of freedom?

Let’s act NOW. G-d is on our side. History is on our side, and so is the future.

Together, you and I, we will be part of the new unfolding Chanukah miracle in the making. בימים ההם בזמן הזה – in those days and in THIS time.

Amen.

 

Notes:

[1] See image below.

[2] Diotodus Tryphon was an ancient Greek king who reigned over the Seleucid Empire between 142 and 138 BC.

[3] In the year 139 BCE.

The 3cm. lead projectile discovered at a South Hebron Hills archaeological site

(photo credit: COGAT SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The historic projectile was discovered at Zif, an archaeological site in South Hebron Hills
(credit: COGAT SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)