The Hallmark Channel has started playing non-stop Christmas episodes, so it is officially "the season" of the 25th. For Christians, the 25th is clearly Christmas Day in December. For the Jew, it is the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev, when Hanukkah begins.
Soon the internet air waves will be filled with Christmas songs and videos. Jews have to do a bit more seeking. I love the Hanukkah songs by acapella groups such as the Maccabeats and Six13.
My favorite Hebrew song which speaks Hanukkah more than any for me is Maoz Tzur, Rock of Ages, and my favorite performance is by Hadassah Berne.
Lyrics to Ma'oz Tzur by Hadassah Berne:
Hebrew Chorus:
Ma'oz Tzur Yeshu'ati, lekha na'eh leshabe'ah.
Tikon beit tefilati, vesham toda nezabe'ah.
Le'et takhin matbe'ah mitzar hamnabe'ah.
Az egmor beshir mizmor hanukat hamizbe'ah.
Ma'oz Tzur Yeshu'ati, lekha na'eh leshabe'ah.
Tikon beit tefilati, vesham toda nezabe'ah.
Le'et takhin matbe'ah mitzar hamnabe'ah.
Az egmor beshir mizmor hanukat hamizbe'ah.
English Chorus:
Rock of Ages, let our song, praise Thy saving power;
Thou, amidst the raging foes, wast our sheltering tower.
Furious they assailed us, but Thine arm availed us,
And Thy Word broke their sword, when our own strength failed us.
And Thy Word broke their sword, when our own strength failed us.
Rock of Ages, let our song, praise Thy saving power;
Thou, amidst the raging foes, wast our sheltering tower.
Furious they assailed us, but Thine arm availed us,
And Thy Word broke their sword, when our own strength failed us.
And Thy Word broke their sword, when our own strength failed us.
English Verse
Children of the Maccabees, whether free or fettered,
Wake the echoes of the songs where ye may be scattered.
Yours the message cheering that the time is nearing
When will see, all people free, tyrants disappearing.
When will see, all people free, tyrants disappearing.
Children of the Maccabees, whether free or fettered,
Wake the echoes of the songs where ye may be scattered.
Yours the message cheering that the time is nearing
When will see, all people free, tyrants disappearing.
When will see, all people free, tyrants disappearing.
A Lot of History in a Little Poem
The original Ma'oz Tzur was a poem written about 900 years ago which speaks of Jews being saved from the recurring experience of Jewish persecution and oppression throughout the ages. The poem is a call to be strong and a prayer for Redemption.
The hymn retells specific Jewish history in poetic form and celebrates deliverance from four ancient enemies: Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Haman and Antiochus. Like much medieval Jewish liturgical poetry, it is full of allusions to Biblical literature and rabbinic interpretation.
Catholics celebrate a "Jubilee Year," also called a "Holy Year," ever 25 years. This year is a Jubilee Year. The Jubilee is a designated period of spiritual renewal, forgiveness, and grace, rooted in the biblical concept from Leviticus 25:8–13, where every 50th year was a time of liberation, debt forgiveness, and rest for the land. The Church adapted this tradition starting in 1300, not long after Ma'oz Tzur was written.
Ma'oz Tzur was composed in the 13th century by Mordechai ben Isaac ha-Levi, likely during a time of Crusader persecution in medieval Europe.
Stay with me, this is where it gets interesting...
The first letters of the first five verses spell the name Mordechai. Obviously, "Mordechai" is the first name of the author, however, there is another interesting connection to the name Mordechai and the general theme of the song.
In 2 Maccabees (one of the primary historical sources for the Maccabean Revolt and Hanukkah's origins), is the account of the victory over the Seleucid general Nicanor—led by Judah Maccabeus. It explicitly links the great battle on the 13th of Adar, which resulted in the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem (Hanukkah) to "Mordecai Day," a reference to Purim from the Book of Esther. That association is reflected in Ma'oz Tzur.
This reference occurs at the climax of the second Book of (2) Maccabees, after the decisive battle at which, Judah, the great leader of the Maccabees forces triumph through faith and divine aid.
2 Maccabees 15:36 establishes a decree by public vote to never let to Mordecai Day go uncelebrated. "This day" is the day after the actual great battle on the 13th day of 12th month. The 13th of Adar is celebrated still by some religious Jews in Israel. It is called "Nicanor Day" to remember the defeat of the Seleucid General Nicanor.
Again, the text of Ma'oz Tzur draws a parallel between those two miraculous Jewish survivals, Purim and Hanukkah—centuries apart—emphasizing recurring divine intervention against enemies.
Now, I'm taking it to a another level...
Here's what I think is the most wild aspect to this relationship and why I titled this post "It's Officially the Season of the 25th."
The original Hebrew books of Maccabees were lost, but the Catholic church preserved them in the Septugent translation, which was then translated to English. In both the Greek and English translation the 12th month would be December in the Gregorian calendar, NOT the 25th Day of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, the date of Hanukkah. That is why Hanukkah and Christmas fall of on different days most years.
Christians began celebrating Christmas—the feast commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ—as a formalized annual observance in the early 4th century CE, with the first recorded instance occurring on December 25, 336 CE, in Rome during the reign of Emperor Constantine. Ever wonder why Constantine picked that specific number, 25?
Consider this possibility...
Constantine played a significant role in separatng the relationship of Christianity from Judaism! In the epilogue of this post I included some historical facts about this.
This separation presented an interesting problem for the new Roman Catholic church formed by Constantine. How were they going to honor the decree in the Book of Maccabees which they preserved?! How would the new Roman Catholic Church remember the Maccaabees' decree concerning the "25th Day of the Twelfth Month" while still respecting Constantine's edict? Hmmm....do you see it??
I've blogged about other interesting connections between Hanukkah and Christmas. Here is one such post I titled, "It Takes A Hammer To Drive A Nail."
The opening lyric of Ma'oz Tzur, both the modern and original version praise the "saving power" of the "Rock of Ages." Coincidences? What do you think?
Here are the original lyrics of Moaz Tzur (Rock of Ages). There was a 6th stanza added in the 18th century which I have left out.
O mighty stronghold of my salvation (Yeshua),
to praise You is a delight.
Restore my House of Prayer
and there we will bring a thanksgiving offering.
When You will have prepared the slaughter
for the blaspheming foe,
Then I shall complete with a song of hymn
the dedication of the Altar.
My soul had been sated with troubles,
my strength has been consumed with grief.
They had embittered my life with hardship,
with the calf-like kingdom's bondage.
But with His great power
He brought forth the treasured ones,
Pharaoh's army and all his offspring
Went down like a stone into the deep.
my strength has been consumed with grief.
They had embittered my life with hardship,
with the calf-like kingdom's bondage.
But with His great power
He brought forth the treasured ones,
Pharaoh's army and all his offspring
Went down like a stone into the deep.
To the holy abode of His Word He brought me.
But there, too, I had no rest
And an oppressor came and exiled me.
For I had served aliens,
And had drunk benumbing wine.
Scarcely had I departed
At Babylon's end Zerubabel came.
At the end of seventy years I was saved.
But there, too, I had no rest
And an oppressor came and exiled me.
For I had served aliens,
And had drunk benumbing wine.
Scarcely had I departed
At Babylon's end Zerubabel came.
At the end of seventy years I was saved.
To sever the towering cypress
sought the Aggagite, son of Hammedatha,
But it became [a snare and] a stumbling block to him and his arrogance was stilled.
The head of the Benjaminite You lifted
and the enemy, his name You obliterated
His numerous progeny - his possessions -
on the gallows You hanged.
sought the Aggagite, son of Hammedatha,
But it became [a snare and] a stumbling block to him and his arrogance was stilled.
The head of the Benjaminite You lifted
and the enemy, his name You obliterated
His numerous progeny - his possessions -
on the gallows You hanged.
Greeks gathered against me
then in Hasmonean days.
They breached the walls of my towers
and they defiled all the oils;
And from the one remnant of the flasks
a miracle was wrought for the roses.
Men of insight - eight days
established for song and jubilation
then in Hasmonean days.
They breached the walls of my towers
and they defiled all the oils;
And from the one remnant of the flasks
a miracle was wrought for the roses.
Men of insight - eight days
established for song and jubilation
Epilogue:
The Divide Edict of Milan (313 CE): Shortly after his conversion (symbolized by the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 CE), Constantine co-issued this decree with Licinius, granting Christianity legal status and ending Roman state persecution. This empowered the Church to organize independently but also fostered anti-Jewish rhetoric among Christian leaders, framing Judaism as an obsolete "parent" faith to be superseded. It laid the groundwork for Christianity's dominance, indirectly pressuring Jews through economic and social disadvantages.
Council of Nicaea (325 CE): Convened by Constantine to resolve theological disputes (like Arianism), the council issued the first ecumenical creed and crucially decided to calculate Easter's date independently of the Jewish Passover calendar. Constantine's letter to the churches emphasized this to avoid "following the custom of the Jews," calling their practices "unseemly" and urging unity in a separate Christian observance. This was a deliberate liturgical decoupling, symbolizing Christianity's break from Jewish roots.
Promotion of Anti-Jewish Policies: Constantine enacted laws restricting Jewish rights, such as banning conversions to Judaism (339 CE, under his son Constantius II) and prohibiting Jews from owning Christian slaves, while elevating Sunday as the Christian day of rest to supplant the Sabbath. These measures, rooted in his vision of a unified Christian empire, deepened the rift and contributed to centuries of Christian antisemitism.
On last tidbit: Their was a 6th stanza added to Ma'oz Tzur in the 18th century. In this stanza was coded an appeal for saving the Jews from Christians.