Chanuka: In the Bible?

Why were the Maccabees excluded from the TeNaK?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question!

Let’s begin by understanding why Chanuka is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah.

The obvious reasons for this, is because the story of Chanuka happened over 1000 years after the Torah was written! (The Torah was written in 1273 BCE while the Chanuka story happened in 140 BCE)

Nevertheless, our sages teach us that G-d, who is aware of all things that will ever happen for all time, planted some “hints” to the future miracle of Chanuka in the Torah.

For example, the 25th word in the Torah is “light” and Chanuka, the “Festival of Lights” is observed on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev. Another “hint” is the fact that the 25th stop that the Jewish people made in the desert during their 40 years of wandering was a place called “Chashmonah” which sounds strikingly familiar to the family name of the heroes of Chanuka: The “Chashmonaim.” There are other such hidden allusions, as well.

Now the reason why a book was not added to the Tanach about the Chanuka story as there was regarding the Purim story is because our Sages taught us that the Tanach should not exceed 24 books (Kohelet Rabba 12:2) and this number of books was reached before the Chanuka story.

Finally, the Chatam Sofer explains that the reason there is no Tractate in the Talmud about the Chanuka story (though it is mentioned in passing among other passages) is because although the Maccabees were righteous individuals the did something that was forbidden, namely, after the battles were fought and Jewish religious independence restored, the took the Jewish monarchy for themselves. The monarchy is to be kept within the tribe of Judah, while the Maccabees were from the tribe of Levi. Due to this error, no Tractate of the Talmud was dedicated to Chanuka.