The confrontation between Ancient Greece and the Jews almost 2000 years ago was more than a physical struggle between a colonialist empire and its colony. It was a spiritual confrontation. The Taz notes that on Purim we have a mitzvah to celebrate with
mishteh v'simcha,
partying and merrymaking. Yet many authorities say that on Chanuka there is no mitzvah of
mishteh.
This is because on Purim we celebrate the physical salvation of the Jews while on Chanuka we celebrate their spiritual salvation. In the struggle of Chanuka, the wisdom of ancient Greece clashed with the wisdom of the Torah.
The Shem Mishmuel explains this with the story of Noach and his sons. After Noach left the ark he became drunk. His son Cham found him unclothed and mockingly told his brothers about it. The Torah recounts how Shem and Yefet took a cloak, walked in backwards, and covered their father without looking at him. Cham sinned with his eyes and mouth, while his brothers were careful. Therefore, Hashem blessed them, "
Yaft Elokim l'Yefet v'yishkon b'oholei Shem.
May Hashem give beauty to Yefet and he will dwell in the tents of Shem." Yavan is a descendant of Yefet and the Jewish people are descendants of Shem.
The Shem Mishmuel explains the difference between the way a Jew perceives beauty and the way Yefet does. Greek culture considered the human body a work of art to be displayed freely. The Torah view stands diametrically opposed. We have a tremendous appreciation for the beauty of the world, but we seek to protect and value it. We believe that the human body is a magnificent wonder and therefore should be hidden. Our holiest place on earth, the Beit Hamikdash
,
was surrounded by walls. The more sanctity something contains, the more precious it is, and the less accessible it should be. The eye of Yavan though emphasizes outer beauty, while Torah Judaism emphasizes inner reserved beauty.
Rav Tzadok Hakohen taught, "The more a person closes his eyes, the further he can see." When we close our eyes, we can see deep within ourselves, beyond the universe to the very heavens. We can meditate and ponder the depths of our personality and the hiddenness of our soul.
In Kedusha, we say, "
Kadosh kadosh kadosh Hashem Tzvakot, melo chol haaretz kvodo
. Hashem is holy and His glory fills the world." But immediately after that we ponder, "
Ayeh mekom kevodo
? Where is the place of His glory?" Although we believe and proclaim that Hashem's glory fills the world, we know it's only a tiny glimpse of His holiness. His real place is hidden and totally beyond us.
Man reflects the divine image. Just as the essence of Hashem is hidden from us, our true selves are hidden from us. Chassidut teaches that the human soul is so much more than what we can fathom. We only see a glimpse of who we really are. Just as Hashem is hidden and modest, we should follow His example. This is the sign of a righteous person. Yavan never accepted the idea of the sanctity of the human being. In contrast, a Jew knows he is holy as Hashem is holy, and therefore his body must be concealed and protected.
The Rambam says, "
Sof yediah shein yediah
, the goal of wisdom is to know we have no wisdom." King Shlomo, the wisest of all men, said, "I thought I was wise, but I learned that it is so far away from me." Every discovery in science evokes new questions. The more we know, the more we see how much we don't know. Hashem allows us to share a miniscule part of His knowledge through the Torah, which has inspired further millions of books. It's an infinite body of knowledge. As much as we know of the Torah, it's only a fraction of what we could know. The Torah produces a scholar who is humble and admits that he doesn't know.
In contrast, the wisdom of Yavan produced arrogant scientists and philosophers who named their discoveries after themselves. Torah scholars know they are only bringing to light knowledge that belongs to Hashem. In Tehilim, King David said, "When I see your creation I say, 'What is man that you should pay attention to him? Who is man that you should remember him.' " This is the difference between the mouth of Yavan and the mouth of Torah.
In Yavan, the Olympic medal went to the winner of the competition. In Judaism there is no rivalry because there's no universal beginning or end point. We are all given our own unique path to traverse. We have a responsibility to bring out the unique potential within us in the best way we can.
