This little essay of mine was originally published by my Yeshiva in our Chanukah Reader. I am hoping to highlight more interesting facts about Shlomzion, the real Jewish queen.

Women, the Hidden Heroes of Hanukkah

At certain moments in Jewish history, it is easy to confuse what is darkness and what is light. In the time of the Hasmoneans, the Jewish community faced exactly this confusion. Some Jews had fallen for the sheen of Hellenism, thinking it represented true light. But the Maccabees, supported by the courage of some extraordinary women, knew that the true light was Torah. Their job was to help the rest of the Jewish community realize it as well.

People rarely think about women as active participants in war, but the Chanukah story highlights the crucial roles that women have played in the battle for Jewish self determination.  It showcases several heroic women whose wit, courage, and perseverance played a significant part in the victory that ultimately led to more than two hundred more years of Jewish independence before Judea was finally destroyed by the Romans.

In the Mishneh Torah, the Rambam calls attention to these women, writing:

בְבַיִת שֵׁנִי כְּשֶׁמַּלְכֵי יָוָן גָּזְרוּ גְּזֵרוֹת עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבִטְּלוּ דָּתָם וְלֹא הֵנִיחוּ אוֹתָם לַעֲסֹק בְּתוֹרָה וּבְמִצְוֹת. וּפָשְׁטוּ יָדָם בְּמָמוֹנָם וּבִבְנוֹתֵיהֶם וְנִכְנְסוּ לַהֵיכָל וּפָרְצוּ בּוֹ פְּרָצוֹת וְטִמְּאוּ הַטָּהֳרוֹת

In [the era of] the Second Temple, the Greek kingdom issued decrees against the Jewish people, [attempting to] nullify their faith and refusing to allow them to observe the Torah and its commandments. They extended their hands against their property and their daughters; they entered the Sanctuary, wrought havoc within, and made the sacraments impure.

Who are these daughters whom the Rambam is referring to, and why are they so crucial to the Hanukkah story?
The first story is that of  Judith (Yehudit), which is found in two different books. The first is in the apocryphal book of Judith, which is extant only in Greek, even though it is a translation of an earlier book in Hebrew written most likely some time before 100 CE.
The second is Megillat Yehudit by an unknown author(s), written some time prior to 1402 CE.  

Although the narratives diverge in some ways, both versions tell the story of the woman-savior of her nation, Judith (a pious widow in the apocryphal Judith or “woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets” in the Megillat Judith.) She is a wise, beautiful and pious woman who asks God to grant her, “a widow, the strong hand to do what I plan”. Carefully planning her every step, Judith is able to outsmart the enemy general, playing up her attractiveness and coming right to the verge of brutal sexual assault before finally being able to cut the general’s head and bring it to her town. This leads to panic in the enemy camp, and allows Jews to pursue their enemies and be free from further persecution.

The second  female character central to the story of the war against the Greeks was “Ḥanah, the daughter of Matityahu.” Like other brides of the time, she was to spend her first night with the Greek general, according to a terrible decree issued by the ruling power. At her wedding feast she bravely stood up and tore away her clothes as a means of bringing attention to the plight of all young women that were not able to marry if they weren’t first defiled by the Greeks. Her cry is recorded by the Midrash:

וְאֵין אֲתֶּם מִתְקַנְּאִים לְמָסְר ֵנִי בְּיַד עָרֵל לְהִתְעוֹלֵל בִּי׃ הַלֹּא יֵשׁ לָכֶם לִלְמֹד מִש ִּׁמְעוֹן וְלֵוִי אֲחֵי דִינָה שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ אֶלָּא שְׁנַיִם וְקַנ ְּאוּ לַאֲחוֹתָם וְהָרְגוּ כְּרַךְ כְּשֶׁכֶם וּמָסְרוּ נַפְשָׁם ע ַל יִחוּד שֶׁלְּמָקוֹם וְעֶזְרָם יהוה וְלֹא הִכְלִימָם

And you’re not becoming incensed about sending me into the hands of an uncircumcised man who will abuse me?!! You’ve got something to learn from Shimon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah, who were just two men who became incensed/vengeful on behalf of their sister and they murdered a walled city such as Shechem and gave up their souls for the sake of God! And Hashem helped them and they were not destroyed.

According to the Midrash, after Hannah’s speech,the Jews rose up to defend the honor of their daughters, and ultimately their religion and way of life. This Midrash states that the Hasmoneans decided to kill the Greek general and go to war after many years of subjugation because they were galvanized by Hannah’s cry.

Finally, II Maccabees tells a story of an unnamed mother of seven sons being tortured and killed at the hand of the king, Antiochus IV. Not only does the mother refuse to plead for her sons’ release, she actually encourages them to withstand all the horrors of the torture with the promise of a place in the World to Come: “Do not fear this butcher, but prove worthy of your brothers, says she speaking to her youngest, – Accept death, so that in God’s mercy I may get you back again with your brothers.”  

With all these tragic stories in front of us, where and how can we see light? While these women changed the course of Jewish history, ultimately we know that the independence that Hasmonean brothers brought was short lived. Was it worth the sacrifices made by these brave women? Why do we focus on the light of Chanukah still shining when it reflects so much tragedy?

The answer comes in the story of what lies in between. Before the end of the Hasmonean kingdom of Judah, there was a period of Judean independence that even the rabbis, usually scarce on praise for women, deem as a golden age, stating:

 
מעשה בימי שמעון בן שטח בימי שלמניציה (ס”א שלמצו) המלכה שהיו גשמים יורדים מלילי שבת ללילי שבת עד שנעשו חטים ככליות ושעורים כגרעיני זיתים ועדשים כדינרי זהב

 It happened in the days of Shimon b. Shetach and in the days of Queen Shlomzion that the rains descended from the nights of Sabbath to the nights of Sabbath until the wheat became like kidneys, and the barley like olive-stones, and the lentils like golden dinars.

According to the Talmud, Shlomzion’s brother Shimon ben Shetah, instituted some of the laws and ordinances that have kept the Jewish people alive to this day:

וְהוּא הִתְקִין שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן שֶׁטַח שְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים. שֶׁיְּהֵא אָדָם נוֹשֵׂא וְנוֹתֵן בִּכְתוּבַּת אִשְׁתּוֹ. וְשֶׁיְּהוּ הַתִּינּוֹקוֹת הוֹלְכִין לְבֵית הַסֵּפֶר. וְהוּא הִתְקִין טוּמְאָה לִכְלֵי זְכוּכִית

Simeon ben Sheṭaḥ decreed three things: That a person should use his wife’s ketubah in his business dealings. And that children have to go to school. Also, he decreed impurity for glassware

Even though Shimon ben Shetach is credited with these achievements, one can understand that no decision involving the whole nation would ever be possible to implement had it not been supported by the ruling monarch, Salome Alexandra – Shulamit or queen Shlomzion (peace of Zion) named this way by her people.

Even Josephus, who like the Rabbis is not known for his praise of women, says, “this woman kept the dominion, by the opinion that the people had of her piety; for she chiefly studied the ancient customs of her country and cast those men out of the government that offended against their holy laws.”

At the time of her husband’s reign, the wars between Saddusees and Pharisees were brutal, and King Yannai executed many sages, forcing the remnant of them into hiding. Once fully in power, Shlomzion brought back those sages, including her brother, reinstituted Sanhedrin, and ultimately brought the rabbis to power, helping to create the foundation for the Judaism we follow to this day.

Through so many tragedies and so much darkness, these women fostered the system of learning and laws that outlived the short sovereignty and the long exiles, and helped our nation survive both spiritually and physically. One can hope and pray that women like Judith, Chana and Shlomzion can rise up again and guide our nation to real lasting peace with the help and guidance of God of Israel.