Chanukah Series Ep. 1

You are listening to Jewish History from the Insight Out, an analysis of Khazal in the context of conventional history. This Khannikah series is dedicated in loving memory of Schneer-Zalman-Alevas-Salem Ben-Harrav-Manachem-Mendel-Shayikhyeh, be his memory, be a blessing. Welcome to Jewish History from the Insight Out, the Khannikah series. In this series we will lead an historical discussion about the origins of the holiday of Khannikah. Our purpose is to present an account of the Khannikah story that is consistent with our tradition as transmitted by our sages, while also considering the historical records and traditions found in external sources, to try and piece together what actually transpired and when. We may be surprised to learn that there are vastly different accounts of the Khannikah story scattered throughout the various works of Khazal, Khachamenu-Zichranum-Loruchah, our sages of blessed memory, that differ widely from the conventional record contained in external secular historical works like Josephus and the Books of Macabees. In this series we will attempt to reconcile the disparate and at times contradictory accounts of the Khannikah story into a single cohesive narrative. For the longest time, there have been two general approaches to conflicting Khazal-based and secular historical accounts, one, the traditional or Torah-based approach, unquestioningly accept the account of Khazal and write off anything else as pure fiction, two, the secular approach, trust secular sources exclusively and ignore Khazal entirely. In this podcast, I will aim to try and present a third way. While staunchly and unquestioningly aligned with the traditions of Khazal, I will attempt to demonstrate that the two records are not actually at odds with each other. This is an absolute necessity with regard to the Khannikah story as there appear to be two distinct traditions within the teachings of Khazal themselves. Join me then as we embark on an exciting journey into the history of one of the most celebrated Jewish holidays of all time. Let us resolve the mystery of Khannikah using historical clues buried in plain sight to reconstruct a story you may think you've heard before in a brand new way, weaving together three distinct accounts into a single unified story. But first a brief outline of this podcast series. In this first episode, after a short presentation describing our sources, we set out to provide some brief historical context and discuss the three seminal events that created the climate in which the Khannikah story unfolded. In the second episode, we will present a detailed story of Khannikah based mostly on external sources. This is the version most people are generally acquainted with. In the third episode, we will present two more versions of the Khannikah story that appear in our tradition as transmitted by Khazal and attempt to reconcile the two accounts with each other. In reconciled the two traditional accounts, we will proceed to episode four where we will present an original resolution aligning the traditional and conventional accounts in a new context that will leave us with an astonishing new understanding of the Khannikah story. Now a short presentation about our sources. As mentioned earlier, our primary source for all aspects of our history and tradition come from our sages, transmitted to us through the Talmud and Radrushim and other works of Khazal. Our sages, however, were not primarily historians and as such did not record a comprehensive history of the second temple era in which the Khannikah story occurred. We are therefore forced to rely on external sources for much of the information about the period. These sources were not always aligned with Khazal and like all historians, they had their own agendas and biases. Khazal-based sources we will rely on are as follows. One, Talmud, Babli and Yerushalmi, the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds. Two, Megilus Tynus, three, Midrushim, and four, Megilus Antiochus. The two Talmuds composed during the 4th and 5th centuries are primarily Halakhic works discussing all matter of Jewish law, however scattered throughout these two immense works are various accounts and snippets of history that pertain to our discussion. Megilus Tynus is the first rabbinic work to be authored during this second temple era, long before the mission. It is a description of all the days on which we are forbidden to fast on account of various miracles and salvation God brought upon the Jewish people since the destruction of the first temple. It was composed by Khannanya Benchyskiyah and his son Eliyazir of the Academy of Base Shamaid towards the end of the second temple. It is comprised of two layers, an original Aramaic layer that we may compare to the mission, which contains the date and a single sentence description of the event celebrated on it, and a second, more extensive and detailed explanation written in Hebrew, similar to the Gammar. In addition, there is an appendix that contains a list of dates on which it is recommended too fast due to various troubles that befell the Jewish people on those dates. Medrish is a general term for a collection of assorted teachings of the sages organized according to topics. There are Medrashim Antanach as well as Standalone Medrushim. We will make use mainly of a collection of short excerpts known collectively as Medrish Khannika. They are not from a single source and in many cases appear to be multiple versions of the same account. You will compare and contrast the various sources. Medrish Anteachis is perhaps the most important rabbinic source for the story of Khannika. It was composed sometime after the events contained therein, either before or soon after the destruction of the second temple. The work has been attributed to various authors and it contains an alternate version of the Khannika story. With an originally an Aramaic, it was translated to Arabic by Rbsadiu going in the 10th century and appended to his Arabic translation of the Bible, conferring upon it a semi-canonical status. The original Aramaic included the Trap, cantalation signs, and over the centuries was read in many synagogues as part of the Shabbos morning service during Khannika. Several sources include one, the Books of Macabees, two, Letter of Aristides, three, the works of Josephus, four, Josephun, and five, various non-Jewish Greek and Roman sources. The two Books of Macabees are completely separate works, wholly independent of each other, written by different authors at different times with different purposes. They utilize different styles, contain different content, and emphasize differing events. Although the periods covered by these two Books, mostly overlap, they sometimes contradict each other. The first book begins with the reign of Antiochus IV, Epiphanes, and covers four decades culminating with the reign of Yoykhanan Herkhanus, son of Shimon, the last of the Macabee brothers. It is written in a more dry factual tone, although there are poetic pieces interspersed throughout the work that break it up. It was composed either during or immediately preceding the reign of King Yana'i, son of Yoykhanan Herkhanus, and possibly commissioned by the royal family. Yana'i was a Tzedoyki, the Sadduce, a monster of a person, and very much opposed to Hazal. At one point, he had 800 Pharisees crucified in front of their families while he looked on. It has a nationalist bias, and as such is Suspic to the omission or the overemphasizing of events depending on whether or not they serve its ends. The second book of Macabees is in a bridged version of a longer and more detailed story of Hanukkah, written by Jason of Seranica in five volumes. It was abridged by what appears to be an Egyptian Jew in the second or first century BCE. This book covers the period from Salukus IV, who proceeded Antiochus IV, until the Mitrius I, around 25 years later. It begins around a decade earlier than Macabees I, and concludes much, much earlier before the death of any of the Macabee brothers. This work presents a more passionate, spiritualistic version of the events depicting physical events as the result of divine intervention instigated by sin and repentance. The two books present slightly different historical accounts of the Hanukkah story itself. Although early scholarly work was slanted towards Macabees I, giving it more historical weight, the current trend is to treat each of these books equally with the understanding that a nationalist bias is no more trustworthy than a religious one. The letter of Aristofalachrides is a dramatized account of the translation of the Torah into Greek by the 72 elders and was probably written a few decades before the Hanukkah story occurred, while Israel was still under Talmeic rule. It is considered pseudo-historical and although early historians, such as Josephus, certainly believed in its authenticity, the current trend is more skeptical. Babius Josephus was a first century Jewish historian, born to a family of Kohanim priests in Jerusalem. He was appointed general in the war against Vespasian, but ultimately surrendered to the Romans. Under the patronage of the Roman emperors, he compiled two large works, antiquities of the Jews and the war of the Jews. Whether or not Josephus was a traitor to his people is a question that has been hotly debated for close to two millennia. To me, it is quite obvious that although he presents himself as a religious Jew, a Pharisee, his views slant heavily towards that of the Sadducees and the Essenes, and he absolutely abhorred Hazal. As such, everything he writes must be scrutinized with seven eyes. Many times it becomes abundantly clear to us that those whom Josephus calls "honorable, just, and righteous" are actually cruel and horrible people. And the people he calls foolish and small-minded are the true heroes of our nation. Nevertheless, for better or worse, we are forced to rely on this very problematic individual for much of our history of the Second Temple Era, due to a dearth of other source material. And to us, falls the hard work of separating fact from fiction. Josephus is a book based on the writings of Josephus and others, probably compiled during the 9th or 10th century. The author appears to be an Orthodox Jew and omits a lot of the problematic content contained in Josephus. Rashi and many other rabbinic sources quote Josephus. For the centuries, many errors have crept into the text, and its current value as a historical source is questionable. Nevertheless, we will occasionally reference this work in the context of our historical investigations. In addition, we have various Greek and even Roman sources that provide supplementary information regarding the different Greek kings. And that there's not directly involved the Jews, but is useful nonetheless in understanding the political issues and geopolitical events that may have influenced their attitudes and interactions with the Jewish people. In this episode, we will discuss three critical events that drove the Hellenization of the Jews in Israel, ultimately planting the seeds and setting the ground for the calamities that befell the Jews at the time of Hanukkah. But first, let us explain what exactly Hellenism is. Alexander the Great conquered pretty much the entire civilized world and the entire Persian empire reaching as far east as India. Everywhere he went, he brought with him the culture of his native Greece with its pagan gods and customs and cultures. Although ostensibly Hellenism is a synonym for Greek culture, in reality it was a mixture of Greek and local cultures and thus it came in many varieties. There was Egyptian Hellenism, Syrian Hellenism, Macedonian Hellenism, etc. Each of these was slightly different from the others. The mythology and customs were different, but the underlying pagan thrust and the list of interchangeable deities was the common denominator of the more. Israel was under Hellenistic influence for 150 years prior to the story of Hanukkah, beginning with Alexander, then under his successors, first the Egyptian Greeks and then the Syrian Greeks. During this time, many Jews became increasingly Hellenized, which culminated in the events of the Hanukkah story under the Syrian Greek king Antiochus IV epiphanies. Although Israel's Hellenization was a slow and progressive movement, there were three events that greatly boosted and spurred along. The three events are, number one, the translation of the Torah into Greek. Number two, though usurping of the tax collection by the Tobias, and number three, the breach of normative Judaism by Tsadek and Bytes. To understand the context in which these events unfolded, a bit of a historical background is necessary. The Jews were exiled from their land during the destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon. Where the Prophet Yermia had prophesied, they would remain an exile for 70 years. A few decades after the destruction, the Babylonian Empire was conquered by the Persians under Darius the Meed and Cyrus the Great. Cyrus was kindly disposed towards the Jews, and issued a royal proclamation giving them permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. This took place exactly 52 years after the exile, and over 40,000 Jews traveled to Jerusalem with his Zerubavel Ben-Shal-Tiel, a descendant of one of the last kings of Yehudah. Their, they laid the foundation for the Second Temple, but suddenly Cyrus had a change of heart and the construction was halted. The foundations remained there for the next 18 years during which time the story of Purim occurred under Ahashverish, and finally, at the end of the 18 years, when the 70 years were up, the Jews resumed building the Temple under the guidance of the Prophet S.H.A.G.A. Yermia. All during this time, the Jews were constantly being harassed by the Samaritans, a group of people who had been transplanted in Israel by the kings of Asher, Assyria, two centuries earlier. A short digression is in order. Ever since the passing of Shlama Hamelah, King Solomon, the Jewish people had been split into two kingdoms, known as Yehudah, Judea, and Israel. Judea comprised the southern part of the Holy Land, and included mostly the tribes of Yehudah, Binyamin, members of the tribe of Leyvi, and a sprinkling of others. The Kingdom of Israel comprised the northern part of the country and the remaining ten tribes. The kings of Assyria, Sanheriv, Poole, and Sargon, exiled the Kingdom of Israel and the ten tribes, more than a century before the destruction of the first Temple. At that time, they did not want the land to remain uninhabited, and so they resettled the area by transplanting in it people from the city of Kuta, a city far north of Israel in what is probably present-day Turkey or Syria. The Cotheans or Kutim were deposited in the capital city of Samaria, and its emberans, hence their name Samaritans. These people constantly harassed the Jewish people, to the point that when the wall of Jerusalem was built by Nehemiah, the Jewish governor of Judea, under the Persian king Artaxasta or Artaxerxes, half the Jews stood by with weapons protecting the other half, which was engaged in the construction. Eventually, Israel was conquered by Alexander the Great, Alexander the Macedonian, as he was known by Hazal. Alexander's journey through Israel is described in McGillastinus, and the Samaritans feature prominently in that account. The pertinent section in McGillastinus reads as follows. The 21st day in Kislev is Mount Grizimday. On that day, the Cotheans asked Alexander the Macedonian to give them the Holy Temple. They deceptively said to him, "Sell us five core of land on Mount Moria," which just happens to be where the temple is located, and he agreed. When they came, the inhabitants of Jerusalem chased them away with sticks. They informed Shimonatsadiq, Shimon the righteous, the High Priest, who dawned and wrapped himself in the priestly garments and took with him the elders of Jerusalem and a thousand council members in white robes. Young priests were drumming on the holy vessels. The king saw this procession walking through the mountains, and he asked the slanderers, "Who are these people?" They answered, "These are the very Jews who rebelled against you." At sunrise, they all arrived at Antipatris. The king approached the first group and asked, "Who are you?" We are the men of Jerusalem who have come to welcome the king, they reply. When Alexander the Macedonian saw Shimonatsadiq, he descended from his carriage and bowed to him. His men asked, "Why do you bow to him? He is merely a human being," and Alexander replied, "an image of this man appears to me when I go out to war, and I am always victorious." And to Shimon, he said, "What do you want?" Shimon replied, "You are deceived about the house in which we pray for your welfare, and have handed it to the Gentiles. Who deceived me?" asked Alexander. "These very Cotheans who stand before you," he replied. Alexander then said to Shimon, "They are yours to do with as you wish." The Jews pierced the Cotheans' heels and tied them to the tails of their horses, and dragged them over the thorns and briars all the way to Mount Grism. When they came to Mount Grism, they plowed it over and sewed it with heveches, just as the Samaritans had intended to do to the Holy Temple. And that day was declared a holiday. Now, Alexander ruled Israel for a short time before he died of his wounds on his way back from the Far East. For the next 25 years, his empire was thrown into turmoil, as the successors, the Daya Daki as they were called, a group of Alexander's generals, fought over and divvied up his empire. Alexander had died in the year 323 BCE, without leaving an ear, although his wife was six months pregnant. Soon after his death, a great meeting took place among all of his leading generals in Babylon. The idea was to keep the empire united under a regent, a temporary ruler, who would oversee the administration of the various countries or satrapies, as they were called, until the son of Alexander would be old enough to assume rulership. The regent chosen was a man by the name of Perdicus. We are interested only in those members of the Daya Daki that laid claim to and fought over the land of Israel. These include, Talmi, King of Egypt, Selukis, King of Babylon, and Antigenis the one-eyed ruler of Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, and Syria, one of the oldest generals of Alexander, called so because he lost his eye due to a catapult. The country that lies between Syria, Babylon, and Egypt is, of course, Israel. Initially, Israel was placed under one of Alexander's lesser-known generals, but he was soon conquered by Talmi, who took control of Israel in the year 320 BCE. Perdicus was killed by a group of generals that included Selukis, and Antigenis, who was incensed by this, forced Selukis out of his satropy, and he fled to his friend Talmi in Egypt. Around 315 Antigenis took Israel along with Syria, but by 312 Talmi led a coalition that included his friend Selukis against Antigenis at the Great Battle of Gaza. As a result of this battle, Selukis was able to return to Babylon and reclaim his satropy. Eventually, each of the generals proclaimed themselves King and ruled independently. Not long thereafter Antigenis retook Israel, and it seems like it remained under his rule until 301 BCE at the decisive Battle of Ipsis, a city in central Asia Minor, when a group of Diodaki, including Selukis, destroyed Antigenis. After the battle, Syria was placed under Selukis. He considered Syria to extend all the way to the Sinai Desert, that is, to include Israel, but Talmi had already taken control of Israel and Phoenicia, which is modern day Lebanon. From that point on, the relationship between Talmi and Selukis was, shall we say, complicate. For the next 100 years, Israel would remain under the dynasty of the Talmi's, the Egyptian Greeks. Five wars were fought over the course of a century between the Salusids and the Talmi's, until Israel was eventually conquered by the Salusids under Antiochus III, Antiochus III. Although they fought, there were also marriages between the two Dynasties, which further complicated things. Old during the century, the wheels of Hellenism were turning slowly but steadily, and by the time Antiochus conquered Israel, a large swath of the population had already been Hellenized. As mentioned, we are going to discuss three critical events, all of which occurred during the century of Talmeic rule. Five Talmi's ruled Israel over the course of 100 years, from 301 to 198 BCE, at which point it was conquered by Antiochus from Talmi V. For our purposes, we will break this period into two units, unit one, the period of the first two Talmi's, Soder and Philadelphia's, and unit two, the period of the third, fourth, and fifth Talmi's, Yergetti's, Philipator and Epiphanes. Talmi I was known to Ghazal as Talmai Ben Lagos. His father Lagos was a Macedonian nobleman. It is interesting that Ghazal specifically call him by this name, since it seems he promulgated a myth that his true father was Philip II of Macedon, making him half-brother to Alexander the Great. Talmi was very anxious to attach himself to Alexander by any means possible, presenting himself as the legitimate heir to Alexander. He went so far as to steal Alexander's casket on its way back to Greece and had him buried in Alexandria. The Greek custom at the time was that the new ruler buried the old one, and Talmi hoped to gain points against his colleagues. Regarding his attitude towards the Jews, we have two conflicting reports by two Greek historians, both recorded by Josephus. According to one, the Jews were so heartened by Talmi that many Jews willingly left their homes and settled in Egypt, including the Coyhenguddle, the High Priest Khiskyah. According to another tradition, Talmi entered the city of Jerusalem, on Shabbos, ostensibly to offer a sacrifice in the Holy Temple. Once inside the city, he crushed its inhabitants and brought many tens of thousands of Jews into captivity in Egypt. Which account is the true account? Some scholars tried to reconcile the two accounts by saying that they occurred at two different times, one in 320 and one in 301 BCE, and they argue over which account occurred when. Other scholars accept one account and completely reject the other as fictitious. We have no tradition about this in Hazal, so you are free to believe whatever you like. One of the great accomplishments of Talmi bin Lagus was the construction of the great library of Alexandria, which was expanded by his son Talmi II. After Talmi I's death, in 282 BCE, his son Talmi II Philadelphia, which means sibling lover since he married his sister, something unheard of in Greek circles up to that point, assumed the throne. According to his reign, the first two of the Syrian wars were fought, with Talmi winning the first against Antiochus I and losing the second to Antiochus II. After which Antiochus married Talmi's daughter and Talmi was required to pay a large dowry as part of the terms of the peace treaty. Talmi II ruled for approximately 40 years until the year 246 BCE. What was going on in Israel during this time? As mentioned earlier, the Coyin Godel at the time of Alexander was Shimonatsadik, Shimon the righteous. Shimon was Coyin Godel for 40 years, and after he passed away, the high priesthood went to his brother El Azar, this according to Josephus, and then to his uncle Menasha. After Menasha, it went to Yoychanan, the son of Shimonatsadik. Now there were a number of high priests by that name, but if we are correct, this would be the famous Yoychanan Coyin Godel, mentioned in the Mishnah, who introduced the number of Halachic institutions and who served as Coyin Godel for 80 years. The Nasi, the leader of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Court, after Shimonatsadik, was Antignois Isshsechoy, and it was during this period, during the reign of the first two tombs, that the first of the three critical events, the translation of the Torah to Greek, occurred. The Bryson known as Misechis Seufrim, describes the account of the translation of the Torah into Greek, "Five sages once translated the Torah into Greek for King Tolmi, and that day was as harsh for the Jews as the day in which the golden calf was made, for the Torah could not be adequately translated. Now there is another incident with King Tolmi, in which he gathered 72 sages and placed them in 72 rooms and did not reveal to them why he gathered them. He went to each one of them and said, "Translate for me the Torah of your teacher Moshe." Hashem gave the same counsel to each of them, and they all produced identical translations, each one of them translating the Torah all on his own. And there were 13 imendations, the all miraculously concurred upon. This event is also described in Nugielus Times. Now a plain reading of Misechis Seufrim would imply that the Torah was translated twice into Greek during the reign of Tolmi. But how different the two translations were? The first one was as harsh as the day in which the golden calf was made, while the second one was inspired with Ruh-Hakadish, with divine inspiration. What's going on here? It appears that the original translation of the Torah was extremely flawed and mistranslated in a way. The second translation, on the other hand, was an accurate one, to the extent that that was possible. The fact of an earlier faulty translation that preceded the translation by the 72 elders is also found in the letter of Aristides, section 314, where he writes, "Fiopampus, a Greek historian, intended to include in his history a number of accounts from the Torah that had been improperly translated earlier, and he went insane for 30 days." It would appear that the first translation took place during the reign of Tolmi Soder, Tolmi I, Tolmi Ben-Libus. This is also the opinion of the Yavits, the Biyak of Emden. Whether the translation that he initiated was part of a broader plan to Hellenize the Jews or was done merely to enhance his library, can be debated. The second translation most certainly took place during the reign of Tolmi II, Philadelphia, as described at link in the letter of Aristides. He writes in great detail, regarding the gifts Tolmi sent to a Luzer, the Kohing Godel, and how he freed the 100,000 Jewish slaves brought into captivity by his father Tolmi I. So the historical accuracy of that letter has been questioned and some anachronisms were discovered. It is hard to dismiss it, as some scholars would have us do, as completely and utterly fictitious. It is quite certain that the second translation occurred under Tolmi II, through the efforts of a Luzer, the Kohing Godel, Yavits agrees. It was so problematic with the first translation that it was as harsh as the day in which the golden calf was made. Perhaps the most egregious issue was that it presented Hashem in the same way Lahavdil that the Greeks described their own gods. This would help us understand why it was as harsh as the day in which the golden calf was made, the golden calf after all is a graven image meant to represent Hashem. This possibly also emerges from the first of the 13 imendations that the Sages made in their translation. The first thing the Sages amended was the opening verse of the Torah. The first verse begins "Beracious Bar-A-L-E-Kim" in the beginning God created. Today transposed the words "As Eloy-Kim Bar-A-Beracious" God created in the beginning. The explanation for this, given by the commentaries, is that the Greeks would always begin their books with the names of their deities. If the Torah would have been translated as "Beracious Bar-A-L-E-Kim" it might be taken as "Beracious" the first God created Eloy-Kim the second God, khashvashallim. This aspect of polytheism is perhaps akin to the sin of the A-Gel, the golden calf, which interposed a "intermediate helper" between the creator and creation. Although the second translation sought to remedy some of the issues of the first, it appears that the damage had already been done. The translation of the Torah to Greek brought Greek sensibilities along with it, and the Greek, read Hellenist, ideas, began to seep into the Jewish community, both in Alexandria as well as in Israel. By the way, the Labab-Tureb has an entire talk devoted to the translation of the Torah into Greek, see the Cutezichis, volume 24, the Varim Alef. There he focuses on the unique expression, "Kiyoyim Shenaseboi ho Ego, like the day in which the golden calf was made," rather than "Kiyoyim Shenovdues ho Ego, the day in which they served the golden calf." The Rebbe explains that just as on the day the golden calf was made, the Jews had not yet sinned, in fact, iron declared, "Tomorrow is a holiday for God," and had they refrained from sinning, it would indeed have been so, and nothing negative would have resulted from it. To the contrary, Moisha would have returned, would have crushed the golden calf, and from that time on the incident would serve as no more than a reminder that there is no room for any intermediary between man and God, or for the creation of any image, except by Hashem's express command, as with the Cruven. All that happened on the day the calf was made, was that now the potential had been created for something to go wrong, as it ultimately did. Similarly, with the translation of the Torah to Greek, although there may have been no immediate harm, the potential for misuse had been created. In a note to the talk, the Rebbe quotes the Khidah, the Khay'im-Yoysif David Azuloy, to the effect of what we have here positive, that due to the issues and inadequacies of the original translation by the five sages, told me, ordered the second translation, which resolved the issues of the first. The Rebbe also contends with the various opinions of which translation came first. Interestingly, the Rebbe also quotes the Brysah, known as Masechus Safer Torah, which speaks of a translation of the Torah by 70, not 72, sages, which was also as harsh as the day in which the golden calf was made. It is highly recommended to learn this sikhah in depth. Now, it is well known that there were many, many translations of the Torah into Greek, all of which vary widely. It is also known that what we call today the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the entire Tanakh and the Pakrfah, known as the translation of the 70, is most certainly not the one Khazal described as the translation of the 72 sages. As there are thirteen unique imendations mentioned in Khazal that appear in the translation of the 72 sages, none of which appear in the Septuagint. Accordingly, this Brysah, Masechus Safer Torah, may be referring to yet a third translation, perhaps even that of the Septuagint, who knows. Either way, the translation of the Torah to Greek was the first major incident that contributed to the Hellenization of the Jews. We now move on to the second unit of Tomeyuk rule in Israel under Talmyz 3, 4, and 5, your Gettys, Philipator, and Epiphanies. Tomey III, your Gettys, ruled for 24 years until the year 221 BCE, during which time he fought the Third Syrian War against the Solution. This war was a decisive victory for Talmy, who conquered Syria and Babylon, expanding the Tomeyuk kingdom to its greatest height, but was forced to return to Egypt to suppress a revolt that had broken out there. The revolt was a result of economic hardship faced by the local population due to heavy taxes levied by the King to finance his war and a famine that had struck at the same time. Tomey IV, Philipator, ruled for 17 years until 204 BCE and fought the Fourth Syrian War against Antiochus III at Rafiach, one of the largest battles of the time, involving upwards of 150,000 soldiers between the two sides. Tomey emerged the victor and received huge sums of money from Salugus. Ancient historians accused Tomey IV of being more interested in luxury than government. Towards the end of his life, revolts broke out in Egypt, which some attribute, again, to heavy taxation of the populace. After Tomey IV's death, the kingdom passed to his young son Tomey V, Epiphanies. One Tiochus III took advantage of this a few years later and eventually conquered Israel first in the year 200 and then again decisively in the year 198 BCE. How were the Jews fearing all during this time? The leaders of the Jewish people during the period of the later Tomey's were Yoyce Ben-Yoyezer and Yoyce Ben-Yoyhanon, the first of the two Zugues, peers, with Yoyce Ben-Yoyezer serving as leader of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Court, and Yoyce Ben-Yoyhanon in the capacity of Av-Basting. The Coyangodal, the high priest at the time, was still Yoyhanon, the son of Shimon Hatsadik. Now there is an account contained in an apocryphal work known as Maka-Bees III, a misnomer since the book predates the Maka-Bees by half a century, in which Tomey Philippator, after the Battle of Rafiach, visits the Holy Temple and wishes to enter the Holy of Holtens. There he is struck down by God and prevented from entering. When he returns home, he vents his anger at the Jews. First, he turns them into slaves, unless they convert to paganism, then he rounds them up in his hippodrome, and orders 500 elephants to be intoxicated and set upon the Jews. Elephants turn against their masters, trampling them instead, and the Jews are spirit. This account is not found in the works of Hazal, and most scholars consider it "completely fictitious". Even Josephus makes no mention of it. I included here, merely as an aside, whether it actually occurred or not, is immaterial to our story. All through the first temple era, the Jews were ruled by kings. After the exile and returned to Israel with his rubble, and then later with Ezra-Nachemia, the leadership passed from the tribe of Yehudah to the high priests. These were the de facto religious and political leaders of the Jews. They served two functions, one, religious leadership, and two, political representation. As mentioned, Israel at the time was a vassal state under foreign powers who exacted tribute i.e. taxes from them, first the Persians, and then the Greeks. Rather than deal with the collection of taxes themselves, the ruling powers would set an amount that was expected from the vassal state, and left it up to the state to collect the taxes however they saw fit. As long as the ruling power got its money, it was satisfied. During the time of Yehren on Koyen Godl, there was an incident that transpired, which caused the taxation right to be taken away from him and transferred to his nephew, a Hellenist by the name of Yoysef Ben-Tuvio. It is unclear whether this happened during the reign of Talmy III, the fourth, or even as some sources indicate, Talmy V. Now unfortunately, the only source we have for this story is Josephus. The problem with Josephus is that he himself was part of the secularized aristocracy at the end of the Second Temple, and like all historians allowed his biases to color his description of events. So although for the most part we may trust him when he says an event occurred, we do not care what about his attributions to the players involved in any given event. Any motivations he ascribes can be treated as fake news. Josephus impuens Yehren on the Koyen Godl, as a quote, "small minded individual and lover of money, for which reason he did not pay the 20 silver talent tax imposed by Talmy Your Gettys. This incensed King Talmy, and he threatened the Jews that if he would not receive the money, he would send his armies against him. But none of this perturbed Yehren on due to his great love of money." In Josephus' account, Yehren on nephew, Yoysef, a quote, "Young get righteous man, known for his dignity and level-headedness," end quote, "rebuke to Yehren on and recommend that he travel to Egypt to try and appease King Talmy." According to Josephus, Yehren on refused, and said he was even ready to give up the high priesthood for he had no interest in ruling. Near upon, Yehsef asked him for permission to travel to Alexandria and speak to Talmy, which Yehren on granted. Yehsef borrowed money from the Samaritans and traveled to Egypt. The end of the story was that Yehsef bought the taxation rights of all of Syria, Phoenicia and Judea for twice the amount of the highest bidder. He then asked the King for military support and said about ruthlessly collecting the money by killing anyone who stood in his way. Listen to how Josephus cold-bloodedly describes Yehsef's quote, wisdom. I quote, "And so he gathered much wealth and made much profit from the collection of taxes, and he used the money to support the army he established, for he believed that it was wise to guard the source of his income by means of the wealth he had accumulated. Therefore he would privately send gifts to the king and queen and all people of influence in the royal court." He doesn't take a rocket scientist to decipher what really went on since the story as described by Josephus makes zero sense. First of all, let us assume that it was as Josephus describes that Yehren unloved money, what was his plan, to collect taxes and keep the money for himself, that he think he would get away with it, that the people would let him get away with it, all of this makes no sense. Secondly, as Josephus himself tells us a few paragraphs later, collecting taxes was a very lucrative business indeed. If Yehren un-truly loved money, as Josephus indicates, he would have paid the king and raised taxes as much as he wanted, exactly as his nephew subsequently did. Thirdly, according to my monides, Yehren on the high priest, son of Shimonat Sadik was a saintly man, and a great sage who introduced many halakhic institutions. Joseph in Tuviyan, on the other hand, was a ruthless dictator who milked the Jewish people to fill his own coffers. There must have been another very simple reason Yehren un-refused to pay the king. And finally, Joseph borrowed money from the Samaritans, sworn enemies of the Jews, and especially of the Pharisees, the sages we call Khazal. The only reason the Samaritans would have lent him money was because they counted him as one of their own. The obvious truth of the story must be as follows. At that point, King Tomey must have raised the taxes against the Jewish people, and Yehren un, their curing righteous leader, wanted to prevent that from happening, from having his brethren full under the heavy load of taxation. And so he opposed the king, probably saying that the Jews could not afford such high taxes. Had Joseph not involved himself, the king would have probably eventually relented, and would have relaxed the taxes on the Jewish people. The conniving, money-loving, Yehsev convinced his uncle that he would travel to the king and petition on behalf of his people to lower the taxes. Once he got the green light, he used the opportunity to rest power from his uncle by levying much heavier taxes against his Jewish brothers. This event created an oligarchy of Hellenized Jews with political backing and military strength behind them. They squeezed their brothers and grew rich off of their positions. This became the new aristocracy. The money became centralized in their control, and as their ill-gotten wealth grew so did their influence. Many Jews joined their ranks in order to get a slice of the pie, and there was no one who could stand in their way and stop them due to their arrogance. The third critical event that fractured the leadership and greatly contributed to the process of Hellenization was the apostasy of Tzadik and Baithus, two of the greatest disciples of Antigny's ishsafely. In truth, this topic, the defection of Tzadik and Baithus, deserves a podcast all its own, as it had ramifications for centuries to come. One may even argue that its effects reverberate until today. I will present here only a brief outline of what happened. Probably around the time of Antigny's passing, or shortly thereafter, two of his disciples, Baithus, succumbed to Heresy. According to Rambam, they did not believe in the truth of the Torah at all, but because they knew they would not have a following if they set so openly, they pretended that it was only the oral law they disputed, opening up their own schools and splintering the base of Torah Judaism. It appears that their Heresy stemmed at least in part from an acquaintance with certain schools of Greek philosophy that rejected the principle of Tchias-Hamesim, Resurrection of the Dead, one of the basic principles of Judaism. When they heard Antigny's preach that one must serve Ashyem without concern for physical reward at the Resurrection, they took that as a confirmation of their heretical beliefs and became apostates. Obviously of Nusun, a work of Chazal based on Perky-Avice, ethics of our fathers, describes the two as Tal-Midim-Shahyushaynim-Latal-Midim-Latal-Midim-Latal-Midihem, disciples who taught other disciples who in turn taught other disciples, implying that their influence was quite extensive. They must have had large followings. It appears that Sadiq led this a session with Baitus playing a supporting role. The separatists were known as Sadiqim-Rasajussis. Later, after Sadiq's death, Baitus created his own faction, a cult known as the Ascenes, or in the language of Chazal, Baitusin. Although Yoi-Se-Ben-Yezir, who was known as Khosid-Shabik-Huno, the Pious-Koi-Hame, and the Torah-True Jews fought them valiantly, many confused Jews were unfortunately ensneared by these two scoundrels. Sadiq claimed to be the "beerer" of a lost secret tradition. He declared that the true Torah had been revealed to him, and that this had been prophesied by Echeskal Hanovi, the prophet Ezekiel centuries earlier. To add to the consternation, according to Sederakabolo, a work by Rabbi Rambindovid, the first rivet who lived in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, the adherence of Sadiqim-Baitus cozyed up to the Samaritans, those sworn enemies of the Torah-True Judaism and its leaders, the Pharisees. This breach played right into the hands of the Hellenists. With the Torah leadership weakened, Confusion abounded, and they had a much easier time insinuating themselves into society. It didn't help that Yehren and Koyangotl at the end of his life associated with Sederakim, although there is much discussion and many opinions as to how that manifested itself. These three events, then, in the first century of Greek rule, under the Tomeik Empire. The translation of the Tomeik to Greek, the usurping of the taxing right by Yosef Ben-Tuvio, and the defection of Sadiqim-Baitus, were watershed moments for the Jewish people in their descent towards Hellenism, and ultimately set the stage for what was to come in the next century under the solutions. Although the overwhelming majority of Jews were still faithfully following the sages and adhering to Tehran Witzviz, the Hellenists were steadily growing in both numbers and influence. In the next episode, we will present the history of Israel under Solusid rule. From its conquest by Antiochus III, all the way through the story of Hanukkah, as described in the books of Macabees and Josephus' antiquities of the Jews.