Message From The Rabbi

Rabbi Max Miller

Many of us are familiar with the tale of Judah and his band of merry Maccabees: the group who repels the Assyrian Greek army from the Land of Israel and rededicates the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. While the Book of Maccabees isn’t in the Tanakh, it’s in the collection of Jewish books that didn’t make the cut, called the Apocrypha; nevertheless, we tell the story of the Maccabees every Chanukah. However, there is another Jewish book written in about the same time period that gets scant attention. I’m talking about the story of Judah’s sister, Judith Maccabee.

The Book of Judith is a part of the Apocrypha as well, though scholars debate whether the Book of Judith is a work of history or the very first Jewish historical novel. Whether Judith’s tale is true or true-ish, her story is too good to pass up.  

A warning: the story is a little gruesome. The story is set in the time of Chanukah when the Israelites were under siege by the wicked Assyrian Greek General Holofernes. So the story goes, Judith brought a heavy dairy meal into the camp of the Assyrian army as a gift to Holofernes. After the general had enjoyed Judith’s food and wine, he fell into a deep sleep. As he slept, Judith decapitated the general, then emerged from Holofernes’ tent, holding a sword in one hand and the severed head of the general in the other! With Holofernes’ death, she ended the war and saved her people. While not as popular as eating latkes and spinning the dreidel, the Book of Judith concludes with the proper way to celebrate our heroine’s victory: a great feast with cheese, baked goods, and, of course, drinking for all.  

If you’ve read this far, I want to assure you I’m not making any of this up. The story of Judith is very much a part of Jewish history and has inspired countless new versions of the tale. As we prepare to celebrate Chanukah, I wanted to bring the story of Judith to remind us that Jewish tradition is still full of surprises and new discoveries. Join us in the new year to have some moments of joy and new learning of your own.  

Rabbi Max