joepjs
Jerusalem
Saturday, December 12, 2020, 16:21

How interesting that we are in the third day of Hannukah, celebrating Judah Maccabee cleansing the Temple after defeating Antiochus Eppifanes, the successor to Alexander when he died. The first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, the second by Titus, who slaughtered everyone in the city and took slaves back to Rome. The visual is on the Arch of Titus, depicting the slaves and the Giant Gold Temple Candelabra. Four years later Bar Kochba revolted, and the Romans returned and were fought to the end at Masada, where the revolutionists committed suicide rather than be taken as slaves. The Crusaders came and then tMuhammed, and then the Turks. The Hebrew people are still in Israel and in Jerusalem as free men. It had to be fought for when it was necessary to fight, but it was never given up. Our freedom here was hard won and should never be given up to an ideology that defies our belief in G-d and his commandments.