May the name of the blessed Holy One be praised for God dwells alone in heaven and resides upon 390 firmaments (raqi’im). At each firmament there is a throne of kavod and in each God has servants (m’shartim), flaming beings (Seraphim), whirling beings (Ofanim), k’ruvim and spinning beings (Galgalim). And don’t be amazed by this, for a flesh and blood sovereign who has several places [where they dwell], has houses with upper levels and lower levels. In the same way, the blessed Holy One owns the world. So, the heavens are constructed from 390 (firmaments). When the Holy Temple was in existence, and the Yisraelites would carry out God’s will, God would dwell at the seventh firmament out of God’s great love for Yisrael. Afterwards, when Yisrael sinned, God retreated higher and higher to the 390th firmament, as it is said “I will return to my abode” (Hosea 5:15).

Mari bar Mar taught: What does it mean “For the mitsvah is a lamp, the teaching is a light” (Proverbs 6:23)? The text has connected the mitsvah to the lamp: In the case of a candle, it only lasts for a person for an hour; in the same way, carrying out a mitsvah only protects someone for an hour. The Torah is connected to the light: As light illuminates “the world,”^[1] i.e. “eternally”, since the Hebrew לעולם has both meanings.  so the Torah illuminates in this world and in the world to come. As it says “When you walk it will lead you; when you lie down it will watch over you” (Proverbs 6:24) which means that “when you walk” you “will be led” in this world, and “when you lie down” God will “watch over you” in the world to come.

Raba said: “He who loves rabbis (rabbanan) shall have sons that are rabbis; he who respects rabbis shall have sons-in-law that are rabbis; he who fears rabbis shall himself learn from rabbis; and if he is not of such a class [because of his capability] then his words will [yet] be respected like unto those of rabbis.”^[2] Cf. Shabbat 23b.6 and Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition) Shabbat 2:5.  Rav Huna said, One who is regular to light for Ḥanukkah will have children that are sages (talmidei ḥakhamim). One who is meticulous in (the mitsvah of) mezuzah merits a beautiful house; one who is meticulous in the kiddush of the day merits and fills jugs of wine.^[3] Cf. Shabbat 23b.4. 

Our rabbis taught that during the reign of the evil [Seleucid] Greeks, they decreed that any Yisraelites that had a lock on their door must engrave on the lock “the enemies of Yisrael ([more appropriately] “those who disgust [Yisrael]”) have no inheritance from the God of Yisrael”. Immediately, the Yisraelites removed the locks from their homes. Then they decreed that anyone who owned an ox must write on its horns “the enemies of Yisrael have no inheritance from the God of Yisrael”, so the Yisraelites sold their oxen. Then they decreed that the Yisraelite men must have intercourse with their wives during their menstrual period, so the men parted from their wives. They further decreed that before any [Yisraelite] man could marry a woman, she must have intercourse with the Greek ruler (Hegemon^[4] Gk. ἡγεμών — a dominating chieftain. Unrelated, an anagram of Hegemon is Gehenom. ) first.^[5] An example of the Droit du seigneur. This part of the midrash appears to derive from Midrash Ma’aseh Ḥanukkah “alef.” 

They tolerated this for three years and eight months until it came the time for the daughter of Yoḥanan the Kohen Gadol to wed. When they wanted to take her to this same Hegemon, she shaved her head, tore her clothing and stood naked before the people. Immediately, Yehudah and his brothers were filled with rage against her and shouted “take her out and burn her and don’t let the ruler know about this” because of mortal fear that she dared to be naked in front of the whole people. She said: “How is it that I am reviled by my dear ones and companions, when surely I will be reviled in the eyes of the profane and impure one with whom you want to take me to have intercourse!”^[6] Cf. Midrash Ma’aseh Ḥanukkah “alef.” 

As soon as Yehudah and his companions heard this, they decided together to kill the Hegemon. Immediately they dressed the young woman in royal garments. They made a wedding canopy (Ḥuppah) of willow from the house of the Hasmoneans in front of the Hegemon’s house. All manner of musicians and singers came to sing and dance their way to the Hegemon’s house. When the Hegemon heard all this, he said to his officers and servants: “Look how these great and highly placed Yisraelites, descendents of Aharon haKohen, are so joyful to carry out my will. They deserve great honor.” He commanded that his officers and servants leave the house and Yehudah and his companions entered the house with [Yehudah’s] sister to see the Hegemon. Then Yehudah cut off his head and took as spoil all that he had. They killed all the officers and servants. They stomped on all the Greeks and uprooted them from the kingdom.

The Yisraelites who were still in the city waited with fear and trembling for these young men of Yisrael. A băt ḳōl (heavenly voice) spoke and said: “The young men who went to battle against Antioch have prevailed!” Then these young men returned, closed the gates and repented. They occupied themselves with [the study of] Torah and carrying out gemilut ḥasadim (acts of lovingkindness). When the king of the Greeks heard that the Yisraelites had killed his Hegemon, he gathered all his forces, went to Jerusalem and set siege upon it. The Jews were terribly frightened.

There was a Jewish woman there, a widow, whose name was “Yehudit.”^[7] In this midrash, the story of Yehudit is moved from the context of the early 6th century CE neo-Babylonian occupation of Israel to the context of the 2nd century CE Maccabean revolt. Cf. the medieval Megillat Yehudit and other derivatives of the Book of Judith.  She took her maidservants and went to the gates of Jerusalem. She said: “Let me go out [of the city] in order that God may perform a miracle through my actions.” They opened the gate and let her out. She went before the king and he asked her what she wanted. She said: “My Lord! I am descended from the great ones of Yisrael and my brothers are prophets. I have heard them prophesy that tomorrow, Jerusalem will fall into your hands.” When the king heard this, he was extremely joyful.

One of his wise councilors who was able to see the future through reading the stars said: “I see that Yisrael has repented and that you will not be able to prevail over them. Go back to your own place.” The king became extremely angry and commanded that he be seized and that his hands and feet be bound so that he could be hanged from a tree outside Jerusalem. The king said: “Tomorrow, when Jerusalem falls, we will kill him.” The king believed what Yehudit had told him and he fell in love with her. Her asked her: “Would you like to marry me?” She replied: “My lord king, I’m not even fit for one of your servants. However, if this is what you want, I would ask that you announce throughout your encampment that anyone who see two women approaching the spring, that they not bother them because I need to go there to wash myself and to immerse myself.”

Immediately this announcement went out and [Yehudit] did as she had said. The king threw a big party and they drank and became drunk. Afterwards, everyone went to their tents and the king fell asleep in her bosom. Yehudit went, took his sword and cut off his head. Then she covered his body with a sheet and took the king’s head to the gates of Jerusalem. She said: “Open the gates for God has already performed a miracle through my actions.” They responded: “Isn’t it enough that you’ve prostituted yourself and ruined yourself, and you also want to return among us?” Immediately she showed them the king’s head. When they saw it, they opened the gates, came out of the city and cried out “Hear Yisrael: YHVH is our elo’ah, YHVH is One!”

When the Greeks heard this, they said: “They’re going to come for us tomorrow.” They went to the king and found him headless and became terribly afraid and fled. The Yisraelites chased after them and killed a number of them. This is how God took revenge on our enemies and hastened the days of salvation as it is said “And a redeemer shall come to Tsiyon [and for those from Yaaqov who repent]” (Isaiah 49:20).

‘One generation goes and another one comes but land remains forever’ (Ecclesiastes 1:4). But is it not written: “and the earth wear out like a garment” (Isaiah 51:6)? Here the referent is Yisrael for is it not written: “For you shall be the most desired of lands” (Malachi 3:12).

‘One generation goes and another one comes’ (Ecclesiastes 1:4 part): This alludes to the nations of the world^[8] ?אמות העולם= או׳ה  for in every generation [the nations] seek counsel with each other as to how to destroy Yisrael but the blessed Holy One “saves us from their hands”^[9] from the passage “Vehi She’amda,” in the Maggid section of the Pesaḥ seder Haggadah.  as it is said: “I will let him live to a ripe old age and show him My salvation” (Psalms 91:16). Rav Elazar said: Come and see how beloved Yisrael is before God, for God always provides the cure before sending the plague, as it is said: “When I would heal Yisrael [the guilt of Ephraim reveals itself]” (Hosea 7:1). The evil Greeks came and decreed, darkening the eyes of Yisrael, that anyone who pronounced the name of the Holy One would be run through with a sword. Consequently many Yisraelites became heretics.

There was one such [heretical apostate^[10] lit. “wicked Greek” — in this context a Jewish Hellenist. ], a Hellenist whose name was Titni ben Paḥat, who would give evil counsel about Yisrael. He would say that as long as they (Yisrael) can make the morning and evening sacrifices they will never fall to [the Greeks], so [the Greeks] outlawed the sacrifices. This same wicked person continued and said that the God of Yisrael abhors lewdness, so if you [the Greeks] are able to entice them with lewdness, you will be able to conquer them. So the Greeks decreed that anyone who wrote a wedding contract^[11] i.e. a ḳetubah.  for a woman would have his fingers torn apart. He continued, saying that one commandment that they must keep otherwise they would be eradicated from the world is the lighting of the candle in the Holy Temple, for (the Torah) says: “For kindling lamps regularly” (Ex. 27:20 and Lev. 24:2). [Another verse which refers to this] also says: “Distribute portions to seven or even to eight” (Kohelet 11:2). ‘Distribute portions to seven’ alludes to the fact that anyone who has a portion of the seven candles (of the Menorah) that burn constantly in the Holy Temple and also keep the eight days of the festival,^[12] For a somewhat similar set of allusions, find Kohelet Rabbah 11:2.1.  will not be vulnerable to destruction by anyone.

So the Greeks went and polluted all the oil in the Holy Temple and there remained just one jar that they didn’t realize had been set down below the altar. A miracle happened and they were able to keep one small jar burning for eight days. The Holy One went and established for them the eight days of Ḥanukkah which had not been a festival until now. The Holy One said: “You thought you would eradicate the seven candles [of the Holy Temple] and the eight days of the festival [Sukkot]. I will bring upon you eight days [of Ḥanukkah] and seven sons of the Maccabees who will eliminate you from the world. You said that anyone who pronounced my name would be run through with a sword. I am establishing praise for my name for eight days, as it is said: “For the leader on the Sheminit/8th [a psalm of David] (Psalms 12:1).”

“Their swords will enter their own hearts and their bows will break” (Psalms 37:15). Rabbi Shimon son of Yoḥai said, these are the Greeks who made war against Ḥashmonai and his sons. When they entered the Temple, one Greek took a Torah scroll and brought forth Ḥanah daughter of Yoḥanan the Kohen Gadol. No one in the world was as beautiful as she. Ḥanah was married to Elazar son of Ḥashmonai, but this Greek wanted to have sex with her in front of her husband and father. Yoḥanan the Kohen Gadol said to Matityahu: I and my three sons, and you and your seven sons, behold that’s twelve corresponding to the twelve tribes! I’m certain that the blessed Holy One will do a miracle by our hands. Immediately Elazar lifted the knife and killed that Greek and said “My help is in YHVH, maker of Heaven and Earth” (Psalms 121:2).

Rabbi Yitsḥaq said: Six hundred thousand military commanders there were, and each had a thousand men under him, who came with Gliskas the wicked to make war with the Ḥashmonite house. That wicked man would say, “why should we fear? They are twelve, against a mighty army! If you say ‘their god will bring out stars from their constellations to make war against us,^[13] cf. Judges 5:20  and they will plunder us as happened with Sisrah’, we could cover ourselves with the blood of a pig and the semen of a horse so they won’t be able to touch us.^[14] This detail can also be found in Midrash Ma’aseh Ḥanukkah “bet” and in the Ladino retelling of Megillat Antiokhus by Rabbi Isaac Magriso in Me’am Lo’ez.  If you say that they may bring a flood [against us], God has already sworn by God’s great name that God will never again bring a flood. If you say snakes and scorpions and dogs will be sent to us as to the Kutim, behold we’re riding elephants, which wild animals won’t touch!”

And Yisrael were standing in prayer and saying: “Master of the Universe, it’s revealed known before you that we only stand to oppose them in war for the sake of your Great Name, that it not be debased among the nations, and if You do not perform a miracle through our hands they will say ‘they have no counsel’, and it is written of You ‘Great of counsel and mighty in deed’ (Jeremiah 32:19).” Immediately the mercies of the blessed Holy One overtook and the blessed Holy One said “Silence, my children! Stand and see the vengeance of God which God shall wreak on the nations.” The blessed Holy One brought all the Sarim (ministers above)^[15] Divine entities representing each of the 70 nations in Heaven.  of the seventy nations and said to them, “Each and every one of you shall kill his own from the army of that wicked one, and if one of you flees behold his soul is in place of his soul!” As it is said, “On that day God shall punish the host of heaven in heaven [and the kings of the earth on earth]” (Isaiah 24:21). Immediately they descended to earth, and every Greek with an arrow notched to his bow to fire on Yisrael, the angel would return it and it would pierce [the archer’s] own heart, as it says “Their swords will enter their own hearts and their bows will break” (Psalms 37:15). And the sons of Ḥashmonai looked at each other and said “God will make war for you — and you, be silent” (Exodus 14:14).

It’s taught in a Tannaitic text: For three years a man could not pass there because of their smell, and for seven years Yisrael sowed their fields and vineyards without fertiliser because of their blood, and thirteen years Yisrael used as fuel their spears and bows. And regarding them the verse says “the wicked shall rot” (Proverbs 10:7); but regarding the Ḥashmonite house and those like them, “the memory of the righteous is for a blessing” (ibid.). And they returned to their houses in peace, and found no pure oil excepting one small flask which was in the channels beneath the altar, and there was only enough oil to light for one night, and a miracle was done and they lit from it for eight days, and so they established the eight days of dedication.