It's a Hellenistic name. He probably initially had a Jewish name like Jacob or something like that, and when he embraced Hellenistic culture changed it to the much more Greek name, Jason.
Ben did a good job, but he didn't fully explain the spiritual significance/depth of the holiday. To elaborate; the Hellenized Jews were called 'misyavnim' (in hebrew, in english this translates to greccofied jews), the war was a culture war that was so important that we went to actual war. The war was against secularization of our culture, ie; those who said you can still be jewish but culturally greek- wear greek clothes have greek names ect. Hence - JASON. Jason is not a jewish name. The war war fought by the likes of Matisyahu and Yehuda, against the hellenized 'jews', the victory celebrates what would today be called religious zealots and radicals against the modern secular mainstream. As Ben said, there were two miricales; 1) The war of the few and weak against the mighty and many greeks. 2) The oil There were miracles that happened all the time in the temple so why do we celebrate a holiday for the miracle of the oil? Because it was like a sign that the war which preceeded it which could be explained by natural means was a miricale. That is to say, god doesn't just exist when he 'splits the sea' but god is behind everything, icnluding war, including politics, including nature. The oil represtned everything that the greeks were not. Judaism represented the union of the spiritual and the physical, the greeks said its all about the physical, its all about your body. Oil in judaism represents wisdom of god- the torah, and also the soul of man. Our message to the world as Jews is we are our souls, we aren't defined by our body, our soul is our primary identity, our soul should dominate over and correct the thoughts speech and actions of our bodies, this message is the light of channukah
I love how Ben gives historical facts and stays true to his character even when explaining a holiday. I compare this to what someone else would say if describing a holiday. The contrast is hilarious. Go Ben!
@@quintesencho2947 1 and 2 Maccabees give the account from 2 perspectives, 2 macc is a more theological account, 1 macc is more historical. Josephus also writes on it, describing it much the same as 1 macc
@@crystalhowley4259 Martin Luther removed it because the Catholics added it after he posted his 95 grievances against the Catholic Church in the 1517 and nailed it on the church doors. They were not a part of the original Bible that was approved by the Council of Nicea in 324 ad.
@@Pastor_RogerSherwood True. Martin Luther wanted the Bible handled according to its original canonized state after citing additions and compromises to the Bible's integrity. I still believe that the story of the Maccabees is essential knowledge and that other writings within the Vulgate (The Lady and the Dragon) are important to learn and can be useful, but I agree that just because something is important doesn't mean you can compromise existing literature. Especially since that literature was already established to be a specific way permanently and no one is to "add to or take away from".
Our Catholic Bible (and Orthodox Bibles) include two books on this topic. Since they were written in Alexandria in Greek, they were not included in the Tanakh. But the whole story is there (though the tradition about the oil in the menorah is not mentioned in the Dedication). If anything the Bible makes Antiochus IV even worse than Ben's description.
indeed. all our holidays are like this. there’s even a joke that every Jewish holiday can be explained as: “they tried to destroy us, but we overcame, now let’s eat!” :)
@@AndreaM77 I have a galaxy and was able to go into settings and add it to my keyboard. Now I just swipe the space bar to switch between English and עברית
Nativity is Christ's birth - not pagan 😉, though observed near the solstice & the time of an ancient Sun festival. Early Christians used this confluence to explain the True Light to the pagan culture around them. (And a bunch of them got murdered/martyred for their trouble 😬.) The Western word "Easter" is connected with a pagan rite, but the holiday (called Pascha by ancient Eastern Christians) is about Christ's (death &) resurrection, so not pagan. Pascha is Greek for Passover, and it is tied to the Jewish observance in that Christ is the sacrificial (Passover) Lamb, and He makes it clear that the Church is the fulfillment of Israel. (In the East, figuring the date of Pascha is still tied to Passover, as well, which is why Eastern Orthodox Christians often have a different "Easter" -- listed on commercial calendars -- from Western Christians.) Blessed Nativity to all! 🙏🕯☦
A Roman Catholic here offers his prayers for the Jewish people through whom all salvation comes. Happy Hanukkah and may God bless and keep you and your family throughout the year.
You should really inform yourself of the facts. This is simply untrue - we don't go in for regressive leftist ideologies like fascism (national socialism). Joanna Bogle’s article on Cardinal von Galen ("The Bishop vs. the Nazis," February 2008) is highly welcome. So many lies have gained currency about the relationship between Nazism and the Catholic Church that it is high time to unveil undeniable historical facts. Relying upon my husband’s [Dietrich von Hildebrand] unpublished memoirs, I would like to add the following information. That very few Germans (and not only Germans) perceived the poison contained in Nazi philosophy from the very beginning cannot be contested. Only those who, fully rooted in truth, were granted the gift of intellectual and spiritual vision detected the evil that was the very core of its doctrine. I am proud to state that my husband was the very first (even though he might not have been the only first), to have denounced its viciousness. Let us face it: It is hard for people to have the courage to oppose a powerful historical movement: It is so tempting to close one’s eyes ;and endorse slogans such as: things had to change; Hitler’s doctrine has some good points; it is not all bad; he is a great patriot. Just as it is hard for parents to acknowledge that their son has fallen into grave sin, it is also hard for citizens to acknowledge that their country has fallen into the hands of a criminal. The general tendency is to close one’s eyes and fight prophets of doom. One needs courage to face certain truths. Most men choose to wear blinders. Moreover, Catholics (a minority in Germany) suffered from a deep-seated "patriotic inferiority complex." Vatican City is a state. Deeply committed Protestants escaped this criticism-Protestantism has no pope. German patriots who happened to be Catholics were anxious to prove that they too had a deep love for their country. In her article, Joanna Bogle makes a point of mentioning that Bishop von Galen, "although courteous to the incoming troops, made clear that he did not relish having foreign rulers in charge of Germany." Nobody enjoys having foreigners on one’s soil, But at that particular moment, the "foreign" troops were liberating Germany from the clutches of a man who proved to be its worst conceivable enemy. The harm that Hitler did to the German people can hardly be measured. But von Galen’s conduct was clearly intending to show to the German people that his opposition to the Fuehrer was fully compatible with his deep love for his country. Up to January 30, 1933, the German Bishops had put the sentence of excommunication upon anyone belonging to the Nazi party. This excommunication was lifted as soon as Hitler came to power. One can imagine Dietrich von Hildebrand’s grief. That was a first Nazi victory. When Hitler grabbed power, the Church was clearly concerned to protect the rights of Catholics in Nazi Germany. This is why Pope Pius XI made a contract with Hitler. When the pope was criticized for signing this concordat, he is supposed to have said "I would sign a contract with the devil himself, if thereby I could help save a single immortal soul." Franz von Papen (a Nazi in Catholic garb) was sent to Rome to conclude this pact. My husband-while understanding the underlying motives of this decision-deplored it: Given people’s unwillingness to face a fearful truth, the signing of a purely legal document (that is all a concordat is) nurtured the wishful thinking of many German Catholics. A bon mot soon gained currency: Papen papam fefellit: "von Papen tripped the Pope." Dietrich von Hildebrand feared that this accord would mislead Catholics, and unfortunately he was right. His grief was boundless. He had freely chosen exile, abandoning everything that he possessed because he refused to live in a country "headed by a criminal." He knew that the Church’s mission was to denounce evil-independently of whether the victims were Roman Catholics or Jews or anyone else. So he was shattered upon finding that at the German Bishops’ Conference in Fulda in 1933, most German bishops-betraying their God-given mission-were either slumbering (like the apostles in Gethsemane), plainly cowards, or infected by the Nazi virus. History repeats itself. In the City of God, St. Augustine laments the conduct of bishops who did not protect their sheep. The first shocking thing about this deplorable meeting was, that, against all tradition, the bishops made an explicit reference to the Nazi state, praising its "spirit of authority" and its devotion to the German nation. Not only was this a absolutely unusual procedure, but it obviously was water on the mill of the Nazis. No such praise had been given when the Weimar Republik was in power. Moreover, the words "authority" and "nation" were used in an ambiguous sense. When Hitler said "authority," he meant totalitarianism: a radical denial of the rights of the individual person. When he praised the nation, it clearly meant "statolatry." This is something that any bishop worthy of this name could have known. At this fateful meeting, two bishops’ conduct was particularly deplorable: Bishop Berning of Osnabrueck and Bishop Groeber of Freiburg. Two other bishops stood out for their courage: Bishop Bares and Bishop Preysing. Thanks to the latter, a condemnation of racism was added to the minutes. But because most bishops were slumbering, this condemnation was a bit of a footnote. When the concordat was signed, Dietrich von Hildebrand declared that this document had less worth than the piece of paper on which it was written. He was right. Soon, as expected, it was trampled upon. My husband’s great grief was that several bishops "woke up" only after the Church was persecuted. He wrote these magnificent lines: "Crimes offend God quite independently of whether the victim is a Jew, a socialist or a bishop. The spilling of innocent blood cries to heaven." Those in authoritative positions in the Church have the obligation to protest when evil is done, wherever or whenever it is done. The great moment for Bishop von Galen had come: He courageously started opposing Hitler. This was beautifully highlighted by Joanna Bogle. - Alice von Hildebrand New Rochelle, New York
Johan Ofinlohigh The only other explanation i heardabout Santa Clause is He was actually what the Catholics call a Patrioned Saint . He was souposed to be someone that tookcare of prostitutes . At least thats the story i was told.
Johan Ofinlohigh I have heard about practicing Pagan traditions inside of Catholic Churches before an i once knew a Guy who studied The Bible non stop an He also believes that Jesus Christ was born well before Winter.
Thank you Ben. My children asked me the other day and I found myself struggling to give a confident answer. I know more now. Thank you for sharing this.
While I am a Christian (I consider myself a Messianic Jew), I genuinely appreciate the attempt to return Judaism from a cultural identity to a Holy one. Good on you for letting your conviction push your actions, and encouraging others to do the same.
As a newcomer to Orthodox Christianity, I asked my priest if we're not basically the grafted-in gentile converts to the original Messianic Jews (or, basically, the "Jesus cult"). Basically, yes, only a couple thousand years downstream....😉
BTW Protestants, this is another reason why Catholics like to keep the book of Maccabees in the Bible. Historical significance right there. Not trying to throw you under the bus, just explaining Catholic thought
The issue of the canon has nothing to do whether a book is historical (although if it's inspired it must be historical). Jews never considered the book of Maccabees as inspired. Nevertheless, as a Roman Catholic you should know that Pope Gregory the Great did not consider the book of Maccabees as inspired. Cardinal Cajetan, one of the scholars that debated Luther did not view Maccabees as inspired either. Lastly, realize that the Council of Trent declared the Deuterocanonnical books as inspired in response to the Protestant Reformation. In light of modern Catholic claims, it took the church 1500+ years to "know" what was scripture. So yeah in light of history there's legitimate basis to reject the alleged of authority of Rome's claims.
Wasn't really interested in this but who can resist a 2 minute history lesson? Thanks much, Ben, and best wishes to you and yours over the holidays and through the new year. I look forward to your plain speak over the next year as we are going to be in serious need of it as things continue to unwind from the economy to foreign policies gone wrong... we are in for a long one. Also, who the "f" down votes something like this?
He didn't say most important or most holy, he said least secular. Chanukah is the only major Jewish holiday that discourages taking off work, and does not require feasting. It is literally the most spiratual.
For us Cat'licks out there, it *is* about bagels and latka. But we don't hate you at all, and here's to miracles all 'round. Happy Hanukka, and a Merry Christmas.
I would like to understand more about Orthodox Jewish beliefs. I understand that this is a brief high level view. Where can I find more information and be able to ask questions? There is a Jewish community about 80 miles from me and it is reform Jewish. I don’t even know what that means.
I'm going to stick with the Kamala Harris version of Hanukkah. It's about light and lighting a light and light filling up light or something like that. Sounds much more pleasant.
It became so secularized because it falls somewhere between Thanksgiving & Christmas (it shifts due to the differences between the Jewish calendar & the Roman one), so Jews living in Christian countries were surrounded by the increasingly pagan Christmas celebrations (the celebration of the birth of Jesus was set for the date of the Roman Saturnalia so that early Christian celebrations could be hidden within the revelry of that Roman holiday). Jewish kids saw their Christian neighbors getting all these gifts from Santa so Jewish parents gave their kids gifts for Chanukkah so they wouldn't be tempted by baubles to leave the faith. I don't know where the much earlier tradition of giving money (Chanukkah "gelt" or "gold") came from...
0:10s in and had to speed it up to 1.25x speed, so Ben’s voice + facial expressions match the speed of Ben voice that I’m used to 😂. Just finished his commentary video on the Harris+Husband’s ultra cringe video; and, Ben said to check this one out too! Thank you for sharing your history and faith with us! *resumes watching this video *
I feel like I need to translate the names every time I hear something like "hasmonian dynasty" into chashmonaim in hebrew. It would be great if you put the hebrew names on the screen
They can't explain real Hanukkah because they don't want people having knowledge of it and the history, to fight against those oppressing or trying to remove their beliefs and religious practice...because that's what they are trying to do. They need people to view religion as something nice and an option and not something to fight for. And they definitely won't ever mention God..because they don't want to keep God in anything and the foundation of America's history. I am a Christian and am always pro Israel and appreciate your views and video properly explaining Hanukah, I have also learned things I was not aware of. Keep fighting the fight Ben!
I would argue that it's more of a political holiday, much like Cinco de mayo (which threw off Maximillian III's rule in mexico. The jews wanted their country back so that they could freely practice judaism. that's definitely more political than religious.
1) Remove EGO! NOT about you 2) Slow down your temp and speak from your heart with meaning. 3) Reciting 25 factual events as fast as possible is of no value . Slow down and explain as if your talking to your grand mother or 10 year olds son
Um, what Ben described wasn't inherent "secularism" more like Fascism or dogmatism from another faith...more broadly, any oppressive group that seeks to annihilate another based on faith or race should always be taken down - hence why I appreciate Hanukah for what it is...which is, at its core, a story of survival and (literal) perseverance in darkness...Ergo, I'll continue observing in my OWN way thank you very much Mr. Shapiro. granted credit is given where it's due and I fully acknowledge that from his experience, Ben obviously knows more about it than I do (given his level of orthodoxy) , but he should be careful in how he frames/contextualizes these narratives...
Yeah, that's what king Herod was, a king of Judea in the restored kingdom. Of course, Judea created an alliance with Rome, and eventually became a Roman puppet state, but they were still technically independent at the time of Jesus.
there's a guy who kills an elephant with a sword from underneath and then gets crushed by it. Josephus makes him sound cool as heck, like he would choose glory over life without a thought.
and so is he-the oil lasting 8 days is a myth-it took 8 days to rededicate the temple after Antiochus sacrificed a pig on the altar and of course about the Maccabees!
I don't always agree with Ben, we're from two different religious backgrounds, though some of those roots intertwine at times, but he's one intelligent hombre I respect and love his videos.
Ben, As a proud white protestant Christian American I respect our Jewish brethren and roots through Jesus Christ! Happy Hanukkah my young friend! Peace on earth and good will toward ALL men! I hope you have a blessed Christmas to all who read this! 😅👍👍🎁🇺🇸
Read the Bible. It never says "peace on earth and good will towards all men." It says... Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will. - Luke 2:14 Read more commentaries at catenabible.com/lk/2/14
Even as a Christian who isn’t a fan of what Ben’s political views are, my man couldn’t have explained this any better himself. Even the lessons he took at the end where ones I can get behind. Hats of to you man 👍
Kamala Harris sent me! 😆 Joking aside though, thank you for this comprehensive overview. Only by understanding the past can we prepare for the future. Me and mine are ready to fight by your side. Religious freedom for ALL!
I like the speed of his speech. I hate it when someone speaks too slowly. But if he is too fast for you, just change the playback speed to 0.75. That should work.
Ben, I'm a big fan of your conservative viewpoints. I'm not Jewish rather a Christian (Presbyterian). I really appreciate the quick video explaining the history and meaning of Hanukkah. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.
Not sure if it was intentional, but the description of of this video opens the same way the Talmud does when describing the holiday ("Mai Chanukkah?", or "What is Hanukkah?")
For those that don't know, Jesus actually celebrated Hanukkah, which at the time was referred to as the Festival of Lights. It was necessary for the Judaic law and worship to be intact when the Messiah would come, therefore the Maccabees retaking and cleansing the Holy Temple was absolutely necessary and prophetic for the Messiah's foretold presence to take place in Jesus.
@cameroncowles6232 Absolutely true about the temple and its practices at the first coming of the Messiah, but it was also critical that Jews were observing Shavuot, the feast of weeks, when the Holy Spirit was first poured out on believers. Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur are the remaining pilgrimage festivals to be fulfilled. Yom Teruah Is the festival of trumpets. Scripture says that the second coming will come like a trumpet blast. Teruah!
This is so, and why you should not try to ban it. We took on one of the Great Powers and defeated it, and took on the Roman empire and came close to defeating it. Both over circumcision. Don't try - it's not worth what it will cost you to try to stop it.
Noah Sabin That's funny but seriously circumcision is important part of our tradition, our religion. One of the main ideas behind circumcision is that you pass it from father to son!
Attempting to destroy religion is not secularism. What Ben describes is called oppression. I know SJWs overuse that word, but it's appropriate in this context.
Miranox he didn't say secularism always means trying to destroy religion, but that when it does try destroying religion, it must be fought. See Soviet Union
All secularism demands is separation of religion from the state. If you do more than that, it is not secularism. As for the dictatorships such as North Korea or the Soviets, they are as dogmatic as any religion. The dictator replaces the church as the ruler of people's lives, that's the only difference.
Secularism means nothing more than the absence of religion. That's totally fair until one party becomes oppressive. I don't think Ben was attacking secularists, but bias does exist and it's a bias I share as well. Sometimes we could do better specify our positions.
and what should happen when religion attempts to destroy another religion? For some reason Ben fails to mention that. Maybe Ben shouldnt be virtue signalling seeing how he complains about it so much.
Amen to that. BTW, the word translated from the Greek as "meek" (as in "the meek shall inherit the earth) actually means "one who carries his weapon sheathed but knows how to use it"--per Dr. Jordan Peterson.
@patriciakimball8150 Interesting. I learned from Dr. Matt Friedman that it was an equestrian term used to describe a horse that was well trained to respond to the lead of its rider.
