(א) 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. וְצָר לָהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל מְאֹד מִפְּנֵיהֶם וּלְחָצוּם לַחַץ גָּדוֹל עַד שֶׁרִחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְהוֹשִׁיעָם מִיָּדָם וְהִצִּילָם וְגָבְרוּ בְּנֵי חַשְׁמוֹנַאי הַכֹּהֲנִים הַגְּדוֹלִים וַהֲרָגוּם וְהוֹשִׁיעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיָּדָם וְהֶעֱמִידוּ מֶלֶךְ מִן הַכֹּהֲנִים וְחָזְרָה מַלְכוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל יֶתֶר עַל מָאתַיִם שָׁנָה עַד הַחֻרְבָּן הַשֵּׁנִי:
(ב) וּכְשֶׁגָּבְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל אוֹיְבֵיהֶם וְאִבְּדוּם בְּכ''ה בְּחֹדֶשׁ כִּסְלֵו הָיָה וְנִכְנְסוּ לַהֵיכָל וְלֹא מָצְאוּ שֶׁמֶן טָהוֹר בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ אֶלָּא פַּךְ אֶחָד וְלֹא הָיָה בּוֹ לְהַדְלִיק אֶלָּא יוֹם אֶחָד בִּלְבַד וְהִדְלִיקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ נֵרוֹת הַמַּעֲרָכָה שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים עַד שֶׁכָּתְשׁוּ זֵיתִים וְהוֹצִיאוּ שֶׁמֶן טָהוֹר:
(ג) וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה הִתְקִינוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שְׁמוֹנַת הַיָּמִים הָאֵלּוּ שֶׁתְּחִלָּתָן כ''ה בְּכִסְלֵו יְמֵי שִׂמְחָה וְהַלֵּל וּמַדְלִיקִין בָּהֶן הַנֵּרוֹת בָּעֶרֶב עַל פִּתְחֵי הַבָּתִּים בְּכָל לַיְלָה וְלַיְלָה מִשְּׁמוֹנַת הַלֵּילוֹת לְהַרְאוֹת וּלְגַלּוֹת הַנֵּס. וְיָמִים אֵלּוּ הֵן הַנִּקְרָאִין חֲנֻכָּה וְהֵן אֲסוּרִין בְּהֶסְפֵּד וְתַעֲנִית כִּימֵי הַפּוּרִים. וְהַדְלָקַת הַנֵּרוֹת בָּהֶן מִצְוָה מִדִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים כִּקְרִיאַת הַמְּגִלָּה:
(ד) כָּל שֶׁחַיָּב בִּקְרִיאַת הַמְּגִלָּה חַיָּב בְּהַדְלָקַת נֵר חֲנֻכָּה
(1) During the period of the second Temple, when the Greek kings were in power, they proclaimed decrees against the Jewish people, abrogating their religion and forbidding them to study the Torah or to perform the divine precepts. They laid their hands on their wealth and their daughters; they entered the Temple and broke through it, defiling the things that were pure. The people of Israel were sorely distressed by their enemies, who oppressed them ruthlessly until the God of our fathers took pity, saved and rescued them from the hands of the tyrants. The Hasmonean great priests won victories, defeating the Syrian Greeks and saving Israel from their power. They set up a king from among the priests and Israel's kingdom was restored for a period of more than two centuries, until the destruction of the second Temple.
(2) When, on the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the Jews had emerged victorious over their foes and destroyed them, they re-entered the Temple where they found only one jar of pure oil, enough to be lit for only a single day; yet they used it for lighting the required set of lamps for eight days, until they managed to press olives and produce pure oil.
(3) Because of this, the sages of that generation ruled that the eight days beginning with the twenty-fifth of Kislev should be observed as days of rejoicing and praising the Lord. Lamps are lit in the evening over the doors of the homes, on each of the eight nights, so as to display the miracle. These days are called Hanukkah, when it is forbidden to lament or to fast, just as it is on the days of Purim. Lighting the lamps during the eight days of Hanukkah is a religious duty imposed by the sages, like the reading of the Megillah on Purim.
(יב) מִצְוַת נֵר חֲנֻכָּה מִצְוָה חֲבִיבָה הִיא עַד מְאֹד וְצָרִיךְ אָדָם לְהִזָּהֵר בָּהּ כְּדֵי לְהוֹדִיעַ הַנֵּס וּלְהוֹסִיף בְּשֶׁבַח הָאֵל וְהוֹדָיָה לוֹ עַל הַנִּסִּים שֶׁעָשָׂה לָנוּ. אֲפִלּוּ אֵין לוֹ מַה יֹּאכַל אֶלָּא מִן הַצְּדָקָה שׁוֹאֵל אוֹ מוֹכֵר כְּסוּתוֹ וְלוֹקֵחַ שֶׁמֶן וְנֵרוֹת וּמַדְלִיק:
(יג) הֲרֵי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ אֶלָּא פְּרוּטָה אַחַת וּלְפָנָיו קִדּוּשׁ הַיּוֹם וְהַדְלָקַת נֵר חֲנֻכָּה מַקְדִּים לִקְנוֹת שֶׁמֶן לְהַדְלִיק נֵר חֲנֻכָּה עַל הַיַּיִן לְקִדּוּשׁ הַיּוֹם. הוֹאִיל וּשְׁנֵיהֶם מִדִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים מוּטָב לְהַקְדִּים נֵר חֲנֻכָּה שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ זִכְרוֹן הַנֵּס:
(יד) הָיָה לְפָנָיו נֵר בֵּיתוֹ וְנֵר חֲנֻכָּה אוֹ נֵר בֵּיתוֹ וְקִדּוּשׁ הַיּוֹם נֵר בֵּיתוֹ קוֹדֵם מִשּׁוּם שְׁלוֹם בֵּיתוֹ שֶׁהֲרֵי הַשֵּׁם נִמְחָק לַעֲשׂוֹת שָׁלוֹם בֵּין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ. גָּדוֹל הַשָּׁלוֹם שֶׁכָּל הַתּוֹרָה נִתְּנָה לַעֲשׂוֹת שָׁלוֹם בָּעוֹלָם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי ג יז) "דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נֹעַם וְכָל נְתִיבֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם":
(12) The precept of lighting the Hanukkah lamp is exceedingly precious, and one should carefully observe it in order to acclaim the miracle, ever praising and thanking God for the miracles which he has performed for us. Even if one has nothing to eat except what he gets from charity, he should borrow, or sell his garment, to buy oil and lamps and light them.
(13) Therefore, if one has only a limited amount of money, and the mitzvot available to him are either kiddush of Shabbat or lighting the Hanukkah candles, preference should be given to buying oil for lighting the Hanukkah candles over buying wine for kiddush, since both are mitzvot instituted by the Sages. One gives preference to Hanukkah candles, as they have an additional component of recalling the miracle.
(14) If a [poor] person must choose between Sabbath lights and Hanukkah lights, or between Sabbath lights and wine for Kiddush, the lighting of his home takes priority, so as to sustain peace in the house, since even the divine name was erased [in the oath of purgation—Numbers 5:12-31] to make peace between [a jealous] husband and his wife. Great is peace, since the entire Torah has been given to create peace in the world, as it is written: "Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace" (Proverbs 3:17).
(א) אין ענינו שלא יסור לעולם, כי כתוב (דברים כח לו): "יולך ה' אותך ואת מלכך אשר תקים עליך אל גוי אשר לא ידעת אתה ואבותיך", והנה הם ומלכם בגולה, אין להם עוד מלך ושרים, וימים רבים אין מלך בישראל, והנביא לא יבטיח את ישראל שלא ילכו בשבי בשום ענין בעבור שימלוך עליהם יהודה. אבל ענינו, שלא יסור שבט מיהודה אל אחד מאחיו, כי מלכות ישראל המושל עליהם ממנו יהיה, ולא ימשול אחד מאחיו עליו.
וענין שאול היה, כי בעבור שדבר שאלת המלכות בעת ההיא נתעב אצל הקדוש ברוך הוא, לא רצה להמליך עליהם מן השבט אשר לו המלכות שלא יסור ממנו לעולמים, ונתן להם מלכות שעה.
ולפי דעתי, היו המלכים המולכים על ישראל משאר השבטים אחרי דוד עוברים על דעת אביהם ומעבירים נחלה... וזה היה עונש החשמונאים, שמלכו בבית שני, כי היו חסידי עליון, ואלמלא הם נשתכחו התורה והמצות מישראל, ואף על פי כן נענשו עונש גדול, כי ארבעת בני חשמונאי הזקן החסידים המולכים זה אחר זה, עם כל גבורתם והצלחתם, נפלו ביד אויביהם בחרב, והגיע העונש בסוף למה שאמרו רז"ל (בבא בתרא ג א): "כל מאן דאמר מבית חשמונאי קאתינא עבדא הוא", שנכרתו כלם בעון הזה. ואף על פי שהיה בזרע שמעון עונש מן הצדוקים, אבל כל זרע מתתיה חשמונאי הצדיק לא עברו אלא בעבור זה שמלכו ולא היו מזרע יהודה ומבית דוד, והסירו השבט והמחוקק לגמרי, והיה עונשם מדה כנגד מדה, שהמשיל הקדוש ברוך הוא עליהם את עבדיהם והם הכריתום. ואפשר גם כן שהיה עליהם חטא במלכותם מפני שהיו כהנים, ונצטוו (במדבר יח ז): "תשמרו את כהונתכם לכל דבר המזבח ולמבית לפרכת ועבדתם עבודת מתנה אתן את כהונתכם", ולא היה להם למלוך, רק לעבוד את עבודת ה'.
(1) Its matter is not that it should never depart, as it is written (Deuteronomy 28:36), "The Lord will drive you, and the king you have set over you, to a nation unknown to you or your fathers" - and behold [according to that], they and their king are in exile, [and] they do not have a king and ministers; and for many days, there is no king in Israel. And the prophet did not promise Israel that they should no go into captivity in any way, so that Yehudah will reign over them. But [rather] its matter is that the scepter should not depart from Yehudah to one of his brothers; since the monarchy of Israel that rules over them will be from him, and none of his brothers will rule over him
And the matter of Shaul was that because the matter of the request for monarchy at that time was disgusting for the Holy One, blessed be He, He did not want to crown [someone] from the tribe that has the monarchy that should not depart from it forever; and He gave them a temporary monarchy.
And according to my opinion, the kings from the other tribes that ruled in Israel after David transgressed the will of their father (Yaakov) and transferred the inheritance...And that was [the cause for] the punishment of the Hasmoneans who reigned during [the time] of the second Temple - as they were [otherwise] lofty pious ones; and, but for them, the Torah and the commandments would have been forgotten from Israel. And nonetheless they were punished a great punishment; as four of the sons of the elder Hasmonean who reigned one after the other - [in spite] all of their strength and their success - fell to the hands of their enemies by the sword. And in the end, the punishment reached to that which the rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Batra 3a), "Anyone who says, 'I come from the Hasmonean dynasty' is a slave" - as they were all excised from this sin. And even though there was a punishment to the seed of Shimon [the Hasmonean] due [to their being] Sadducees, the entire seed of Mattatyahu the righteous Hasmonean was only removed because of this - that they ruled and they were not from the seed of Yehudah and from the House of David, and [that] they removed the scepter and the law-inscriber from Yehudah completely. And their punishment was poetic justice, as the Holy One, blessed be He, had their slaves rule over them, and [these slaves] cut them off. And it is also possible that their reign was a sin for them because they were priests (Kohanim) and they were commanded (Numbers 18:7), "guard your priesthood in everything pertaining to the altar and to what is behind the curtain; I make your priesthood a service of dedication" - and they should not have reigned, [bur rather, just] served the service of the Lord.