OU TORAH Chanukah: Just a Little Bit of Light By Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb

ere is so much to say about Chanukah. One hardly knows where to begin. First of all, there is the history. It is recorded in the Talmud, but the historical details contained there are scant: a persecution, a military campaign, a victory, a miracle. Much more is recorded in the extra-biblical texts known as the Books of the Maccabees, of which there are four. These texts are not at all part of our Tanach, and although the first two were definitely written in Hebrew, the original texts were lost and were preserved by non-Jews in Greek translation. Because these works are part of their Bible, many Christians, particularly Roman Catholics, are much more familiar with these works than are most Jews.