There's more than one reason to have taxes and finances on our minds as we light the menorah tonight. A newly reconstructed stele at the Israel Museum gives some details and archaeological support for the Hanukkah story told in the book of 2 Maccabees. Like the American Revolution (think Tea Party, "No Taxation Without Representation!" etc.), the Maccabee revolt was sparked as much by government policies as anything.
The Jerusalem Post reports: "The reconstituted stele, or inscribed tablet, yielded a text from the king [Seleucus IV] dated 178 BCE, eleven years before the Maccabean Revolt. It set out instructions to his chief minister Heliodorus concerning the appointment of one Olympiodorus to begin collecting money from all of the temples in the region, marking the start of a significant, negative shift in Seleucid policy on Jewish autonomy. That shift culminated in a vicious Seleucid crackdown on the Jews of Judea and the looting of the Temple in 168-167 BCE, which prompted the Maccabean Revolt as memorialized in the Hanukkah story. " I wouldn't go so far as to say we have a Maccabean revolt brewing in America these days, but those Goldman Sachs executives might have a different opinion than mine (not to mention the AIG execs who've had to hire personal security guards for themselves and their families). There is good reason the Talmud emphasized the miracle of the oil over the military actions of the Maccabees.
Gil Shefler of JTA has a good piece from yesterday that points out many challenging facts about the "real" Maccabees. The historian in me loves this stuff, the kid in me still wants to pick up a plastic sword, stuff a few latkes in my mouth and run around the house playing Judah. Is that so wrong?
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