The story of Chanukah by Benjamin Sacks
The story of Chanukah by Benjamin Sacks is a brief historical and religious account written in the early 20th century. The book explains the origins and meaning of the Jewish festival of Chanukah, focusing on the Maccabean revolt and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. The narrative traces events from the breakup of Alexander the Great’s empire through Seleucid rule over Judea, highlighting the corruption of the High Priesthood under Jason
and Menelaus and the brutal persecutions of Antiochus IV. It recounts the attempted plunder of the Temple by Heliodorus, the decrees banning Jewish practice, and the martyrdoms of Eleazar and of Hannah’s seven sons. Resistance begins with Mattathias and his five sons, especially Judas Maccabeus, who leads daring victories over Apollonius, Seron, Nicanor, and Gorgias, forcing Lysias to retreat. The rebels purify and rededicate the defiled Temple, and the Talmudic miracle of the single cruse of oil burning eight days affirms divine favor. The account concludes with the establishment of the eight-day festival of dedication, marked by lights and thanksgiving. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Sacks, Benjamin, 1903-2007 |
|---|---|
| Title | The story of Chanukah |
| Original Publication | Pittsburgh: Hebrew Institute, 1913. |
| Credits | Charlene Taylor, Matthew Everett and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 68.1 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | BM: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Judaism |
| Subject | Hanukkah |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 76482 |
| Release Date | Jul 11, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 238 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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