Evergreen

The Maccabees: Heroes or Fanatics?

The Maccabees triumphed over the Syrian Greeks and liberated the Temple, but their legacy is not so clear.

It was actually a Sukkot celebration.

Their rule falls short of expectations.

The Maccabean revolt and the miracle of the oil.

How the festival of lights became a holiday, and how it has evolved in modern times.

From candle-lighting to Maccabees and latkes to dreidels.

The founder of Hasidism is shrouded in legend and mystery.

Scholars disagree over whether Heikhalot texts are chronicles of mystical adventures or literary creations.

Early Jewish mystics tried to achieve visions of the Divine.

Though Hasidism is not a homogenous philosophy, there are certain ideas common to its many subgroups.