We all know the story. . . or do we?
The Greeks worshiped beauty, feats of strength and physical prowess, and, of course, pleasure. They were instituting their philosophies rather forcefully on the Jewish people, and they were having a tremendous effect on the Jews. Many Jews started following their culture because it was rather enticing. Matisyahu and his sons fought them and were able to repel the Greek armies miraculously and restored the purity of the Bais Hamikdash and the Jewish people.
There seems to be one piece missing from the story. I understand that the Jews defeated the Greeks in battle, but how did they convince the Jews to not follow the Greek culture?I looked at the Rambam and this point really wasn't clear. All it says is that Hashem had mercy on the Jews and saved them.
Then I thought, maybe there isn't anything more to say, maybe there isn't any missing piece after all? You see, for the people who were entrenched in Greek culture, who were addicted to the pursuit of pleasure, there really was no way to fight it. BUT maybe they came to the realization that they were powerless to overcome this addiction, that only Hashem could restore them to sanity & they turned over their will and lives to Hashem. And as the Rambam says, Hashem had mercy on them and saved them.
And just maybe the lessons of Chanukah have never been more applicable then they are now.