דִי עֲבֵירוֹת פוּן דִי אִידעֶן (אִין דעֶר צַייט פוּן דִי יְוָנִים) זיַינעֶן געֶוועֶן: דאָס חַבֶרְ'ן זִיך מִיט דִי יְוָנִים, לעֶרנעֶן זיֵיעֶר קוּלְטוּר, חִלּוּל שַׁבָּת וּמוֹעֵד, עֶסעֶן טְרֵפוֹת, נִיט הִיטְן דִי אִידִישׁעֶ טַהֲרָה. דִי שְׁטרָאף-צָרָה אִיז געֶוועֶן דעֶר גיַיסְטִיגעֶר חוּרְבָּן פוּן בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, הֲרִיגָה אוּן שְׁקלאַפעֶרַי אִין גָלוּת. דוּרְך תְּשׁוּבָה אוּן מְסִירַת נֶפֶשׁ אִיז געֶקוּמעֶן דִי גְרוֹיסֶע ג-טלִיכֶע וואוּנְדֶער-יְשׁוּעָה, דֶער נֵס חֲנוּכָּה.

In the Hellenistic era, the Jews sinned by fraternizing with the Greeks, studying their culture, desecrating Shabbos and the festivals, eating treif food, and failing to observe the laws of Jewish family purity. The blow of retribution was the spiritual destruction of the Beis HaMikdash,1 the slaughter [of many thousands], and slavery in exile. Teshuvah2 and mesirus nefesh3 brought about the wondrous G‑dly salvation — the miracle of Chanukah.4

Living in This World

When the Greeks first occupied the Land of Israel, they did not seek to destroy the Jewish people. Rather, they stretched out their hands in friendship and shared their wisdom with the local population. Then a strange thing happened. As more and more Jews assimilated Hellenistic values, the Greeks became harsher and crueler, until ultimately, their humane approach was replaced by tyranny.

And so, an oft-repeated pattern in Jewish history was played out. When we don’t respect ourselves and our own values, others will not accept us either.