Alexander and Jerusalem

Tomorrow (21st Kislev) is a day of celebration in Megillas Taanis because on this day Alexander of Macedonia acknowledged the Jewish rights to Jerusalem and the Temple. The Kutim (who seem to have tried often to cause trouble for the Jews) when to Alexander (who was the equivalent of the UN in those days) and demanded to take control over the Temple.

Alexander at first granted them this control, but then miraculously changed his mind, when he saw Shimon HaTzadik. He realised how much the Jews cared about Jerusalem, and when he realised that the Temple was used to pray for the welfare of his kingdom.

May we merit to see leaders like Shimon HaTzadik, and international leaders like Alexander (and of course Jews who care about Jerusalem), speedily in our days!

כב. בעשרין וחד ביה יום הר גרזים דילא למספד

תרגום: בעשרים ואחד בו [בכסליו] יום הר גריזים
יום ששאלו הכותים את בית המקדש מאלסכנדרוס מוקדון, ואמרו לו: מכר לנו חמשה כורים ארץ בהר המוריה. נתן להם.
כשבאו, יצאו יושבי ירושלם ודחפום במקלות. והודיעו את שמעון הצדיק. לבש בגדי כהנה ונתעטף בגדי כהנה, ויקירי ירושלם עמו, ואלף בולייטין מכסין בלבנים ופרחי כהנה מקישין בכלי שרת. וכשהם מהלכים בהרים ראו אבוקות של אור.
אמר המלך: מה זה
אמרו לו המסורות הם הם יהודאין שמרדו בך
כיון שהגיעו לאנטיפטרס זרחה החמה הגיעו למשמר הראשון
אמרו להם מי אתם אמרו להם אנו אנשי ירושלם ובאנו להקביל את פני המלך.
כיון שראה אלסכנדרוס מוקדון את שמעון הצדיק ירד ממרכבתו והשתחוה לו.
אמרו לו: לזה אתה משתחוה והלא בן אדם הוא
אמר להם דיוקנו של זה אני רואה כשארד למלחמה ונוצח.
אמר לו: מה אתה מבקש.
אמר לו: בית שאנו מתפללין בו על מלכותך התעוך גוים ונתתו להם.
אמר לו: מי הטעוני
אמר לו: הן הן הכותיים שעומדים לפניך.
אמר לו: הרי הם מסורים בידכם.
נקבום בעקביהם ותלאום בזנבי סוסיהם וגררום על הקוצים ועל הברקונים, עד שהגיעו להר גריזים. כיון שהגיעו להר גריזים חרשוהו וזרעוהו כרשינין, כדרך שחשבו לעשות לבית המקדש.
יום שעשו כן עשאוהו יום טוב.

Which translates into something like this:

On the twenty first of [Kislev] is the day of Mount Gerizim, when we may not eulogise.
This is the day that the Kutim asked for the Temple from Alexander of Macedonia. They said to him, 'sell us five portions of land on Mount Moriah'.
He gave it to them.
When they came [to take posession] the inhabitants of Yerushalayim came out and pushed them away with sticks.
They told Shimon HaTzadik who came out wearing his Cohanic clothes, and wrapped himself up in the clothes of a Cohen, and all the important people of Yerushalayim came out with him with 1000 turrets covered with bricks, and the young Cohanim came out playing their musical instruments.
When [Alexander and her entourage] were coming over the hills they saw torches of light.
The king asked, 'what is this?'
His aide said to him, 'these are the Jews who rebelled against you'.
When they reached Antipatris the sun came out. When he came to the vanguard he asked them, 'who are you?'
'We are the people of Yerushalayim who have come to greet the king'
When Alexander saw Shimon HaTzadik he dismounted from his horse and bowed down to him.
His men asked him, 'you bow down to someone like this? He is just a man!'
Alexander told them, 'when I go out to battle I see his image and am victorious'
He [Alexander] said to him [Shimon HaTzadik], 'what do you want?'
He replied, 'the house where we pray for the welfare of your kingdom. Some people have misled you and you gave it to them'
He said to him, 'who misled me?'
He said, 'these Kutim who are standing before you'
He said, 'They are yours [to do with as you wish]
They pierced their heels, tied them to the tails of horses and dragged them over thorns and brambles, until they reached Mount Gerizim. When they reached Mount Gerizim they plowed it and planted vetch, which is what they [the Kutim] had planned to do to the Temple.

Shabbat Shalom

27th Iyar - Megillat Taanit

In Megillat Taanit it says that today is a day of celebration because on this day the Chashmonaim nullified the decree of the Greeks. This is the day that they 'removed the garlands from Jerusalem.
The Greeks would put garlands of flowers (roses) outside their temples of idolatry and also outside all the stores and markets. They would sing songs to their idols. they They also wrote on the horns of oxen and the foreheads of donkeys 'the owner of this animal has no portion in the G-d above'. This is also what the Plishtim (Philistines/ Palestinians) used to do, as the verse states "no plough can be found..." (Shmuel 1 13:19-22).
Here is the original text:


בעשרין ושבעה ביה אתנטילו כלילאי מן ירושלם דילא למספד. שבימי מלכות יון היו עושין עטרות של ורד ותולין אותן על פתחי בתי עבודה זרה שלהם ועל פתחי החניות ועל פתחי החצרות ושרין בשיר לעבודה זרה וכותבין על קרניו של שור ועל מצחי חמורים אין לבעליו חלק בעליון כשם שהיו הפלשתים עושים שנאמר וחרש לא ימצא וגו' והיתה הפצירה פים למחרשות ולאתים וכשגברה יד בני חשמונאי בטלום ויום שבטלום עשאוהו יום טוב.

It seems that the purpose in putting the idolatry in the marketplace and outside the stores, as well as writing on the farm animals that they had no portion in G-d, was to drive the 'frum' Jews to bankruptcy. The only way to earn a living at that time was by acknowledging (at least externally) the validity of idols and the denial of G-d.
This was what the Philistines did in the time of Shmuel, when the Israelites were forbidden from working the land and were dependent on their oppressors for their livelihood.
The Chashmonaim abolished this practice and made the day into one of celebration, which is forbidden for mourning and eulogising (according to one version of the text, in practice we say that these laws of megillat taanit don't apply nowadays).

I wonder if there is any connection between the ancient Greeks and Philistines, who wanted to destroy Israel economically, and the EU and Palestinians, who want to boycott Israeli products and services.
Surely not.
Let's hope that we can celebrate the end of all anti Israel sentiment in the near future.