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What
to do on Chanukah Judaism
vs. Hellenism
Virtual
Postcards
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CHANUKAH
Judaism vs Hellenism
Why
did the interaction of the Greeks and the Jews create such problems? What
was there about Hellenism that lured so many Jews to assimilate and at
the same time, aroused in other Jews such staunch opposition?
Ironically, Greek culture and Judaism are the roots of modern Western
civilization. And, in fact, they are similar in that both cultures put
great value on understanding the world and the use of one's intellect.
The Greeks nurtured the great philosophers and gave the world Plato and
Aristotle. The Jews gave the world the Torah, the Talmud, and the basic
concept of ethical monotheism. If both sought "Truth" in the world, why
were they hostile to one another?
In order to understand the Chanukah story, it is necessary to understand
the differences between these two cultures. Here is a basic outline of
Judaism versus Hellenism:
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Judaism
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Hellenism
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One G-d The
belief in one G-d is the first of the Ten Commandments. Judaism
believes not only that there is only one G-d who created everything,
but that G-d is actively involved in ruling the world. |
Gods,
Goddesses and
Who Knows What! The Greeks believed in a multitude of gods. For each object or state of nature there was a different god or goddess, such as Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Poseidon, the god of the sea. |
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Man
in the Image of G-d
The Jewish view of the Divine is that G-d has no physical form. The Torah does, however, often speak of G-d in human terms, such as "a jealous G-d" or G-d took us out of Egypt with "an outstretched arm." These are all, however, understood to be metaphors used to help humans relate to G-d by speaking in familiar terms. One of the Thirteen Principle of Faith laid out by Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam) is that G-d has no corporeal form. |
Gods in the Image of Man The
Greeks gods were almost all conceptualized as humans with supernatural
powers. Not only did they possess the same physical image as humankind,
but the Greek deities even had human lusts and passions. Greek mythology
is filled with images of gods fighting in jealous rivalries, plotting
against one another and innocent mortals, and pursuing human lovers.
In fact, numerous gods in mythology are born out of god-human relationships.
By creating gods who were as spoiled and egocentric as humans, it
was easy for a person to negate the will of a god by saying it was
the will of a rival god. |
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The Beauty of Balance Judaism
views the physical body as a partner with the soul. Humankind was
created from the physical and from the spiritual (And the L-rd G-d
formed the human being of the dust of the ground, and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life. Genesis 2:7). This dual level of
creation distinguishes humans from animals (completely of the lower
world) and angels (completely of the upper worlds), neither of which
have free-will. It is the Jewish belief that people must work throughout
their lives to synthesize the physical and the spiritual. Finding
this balance is, in Judaism's view, true beauty. Since the Jewish
view is that humankind was created in the image of G-d (Genesis
1:27), it is impossible to come to a conclusion that a human may
supplement the Divine. |
Beauty as Ideal Greek
culture placed the highest value on the physical and gave the world
the idea that beauty is, in itself, a supreme ideal. Epitomizing
this worship of the physical was the Greek passion for athletics.
Among their first actions, the Greeks built gymnasiums in every
city they conquered. The Greek athletics were held in the nude,
highlighting the beauty of the human being. This physical glorification
is one example of the Hellenistic view of nature as supreme. The
attitude that the greatness of the human being ruled over the belief
in the power of their gods, culminated in Plato's view that there
was a Divine creation, and and then the world was left to run itself.
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These differences created a clash of cultures. The Greeks could not understand why the Jews did not instantly embrace their culture, which catered to the human's physical desires. They were infuriated by the Jewish refusal to accept Hellenism. In their need to rid the world of Judaism, they singled out three mitzvot (commandments): The sanctification of the new month, the Sabbath, and circumcision. Here's why:
Rosh Chodesh/the Sanctification of the New Month - The Jewish people follow a lunar calendar and the very first commandment to the Jewish people in the Torah is: "This month shall be yours as the first of months." This commandment instructs Jews to sanctify the beginning of each new month, when the moon first reappears in the sky. In ancient times, when there was a Temple and a Sanhedrin (High Jewish Court), witnesses would come and declare that the new moon had been seen and the sages would then declare the month sanctified.
What then could be the problem with setting a calendar? When the Jews sanctified the new moon, it, in effect, stated to the world that G-d is in control of time. The month was not declared based on the counting of days, but rather based on the appearance of the new moon, according to G-d's commandment of how the months should be calculated. Since the Greeks wished to show that humankind was in control of nature, they felt threatened by the Jewish concept of Divinely ordained time. Also, by denying the Jews the ability to sanctify the new month, they inhibited the proper celebration of the Jewish holidays, which are based on dates which start with the declaration of the start of each new month.