The Rise and Fall of the Hasmonean Dynasty
Rabbi Yitzchak Schwartz
Chanukah 5770
One of the greatest royal dynasties in Jewish history was the Hasmonean dynasty. The Hasmoneans were a belonged to the priestly tribe of Cohanim. The members of this illustrious family led the revolt against the mighty Greek armies for which we celebrate Hanuka. Subsequent to their miraculous victory, they assumed the role of the monarchy and sat as the ruling kings over the Jewish people for over two centuries. Their ascent to the throne was problematic from a halachic perspective. As members of the priestly tribe of Cohanim they were not entitled to the throne. The Torah clearly states that the monarchy belongs exclusively to the tribe of Yehuda. “The scepter of kingship shall not depart from Yehudah, nor the judicial staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.†(Breishit 49:10) However, since the entire Jewish people, including the members of the tribe of Yehuda agreed to this arrangement they were allowed to serve as interim kings.
This arrangement came to an abrupt end during the revolt of Herod, who eventually gained control of the monarchy. Notwithstanding the Hasmoneans’ monumental victories, the Talmud teaches that the entire Hasmonean lineage, males and females, was completely wiped out. The Ramban explains that this was punishment was decreed upon them because they violated the Torah’s explicit instructions that the monarchy is an eternal entitlement of the tribe of Yehuda. Although there was a temporary need that justified the ascent of the Hasmoneans , to the throne, nonetheless, they should have returned the glory of kingship back to its rightful heirs; the tribe of Yehuda. Because they jealously and selfishly held onto the kingship, Hashem allowed others to remove them from the kingship, and it was eventually taken away from them.
Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin offers a fascinating interpretation of these events. The Zohar states that glory of victory belongs to kings. “Hashem handed over the force of victory in war and His weaponry to kingship.†(Zohar 2:51a) Rav Tzadok explains this cryptic remark from the Zohar in the following way. The attribute of kingship is a prerequisite for victory in waging the battles of Hashem. Only those who posses the qualifications of kingship can lead the Jewish nation to victory.
Kingship, although conferred upon the tribe of Yehuda, is attainable to others as well. Rav Tzadok finds the source for this in the wording of the aforementioned verse. “The scepter of kingship shall not depart from Yehudah, nor the judicial staff from between his feet...†the “judicial staff†alludes to the Torah sages who excel in knowledge of Torah wisdom upon which they issue verdicts and deliver justice. In other words, there are two independent ways to qualify for kingship. The first is ancestry from the tribe of Yehuda. The second comes through acquiring vast Torah wisdom.
In light of this, we can better understand why the great Torah sages in every generation are considered to posses the attribute of kingship. Their breadth and depth of Torah knowledge, love for the Jewish people and fear of Hashem, qualify them to be leaders of the Jewish people.
In addition to priesthood, the Hasmoneans were outstanding Torah sages. Based upon Rav Tzadok’s explanation we can understand why the Hasmoneans were entitled to temporary kingship and ultimate victory; they were great Torah sages. However, the Hasomoneans claim to the monarchy depended upon their status as great Torah scholars. The last of the Hasmonean kings (matrilineal) was King Yanai. Towards the end of his rule, Yanai joined forces with the heretic splinter groups who denied the validity of the oral law. At that point, the kingship of Israel was supposed to have been returned to the tribe of Yehuda. But Yanai did not abdicate and stubbornly retained his claim to kingship.
Subsequent to Yanai's defiance against the sages of Israel his lineage was wiped out by Herod, who brought about the death of the last remaining person belonging to the Hasmonean lineage, a young women upon whom he attempted to force marriage. Once the Hasmonean dynasty was lacking in the prerequisite of Torah wisdom – “the judicial staff,†they were no longer entitled to the monarchy. The Hasmonean rulers, by over extending their reign and not returning it to its rightful heirs, were considred to be renegades; not kings. This is the reason that they were punished so severely. After Herod abducted the monarchy, the kingship of the Jewish people shifted to the great sages, Hillel and his desciples, who possessed the other attribute of kingship “the judicial staff.†It is interesting to note that based upon the Talmud Yerushalmi, Rav Tzadok points out that in addition to his greatness in Torah wisdom, Hillel was a [matrilineal] descendant of the tribe of Yehuda. Despite the fact that matrilineal ancestry does not halachically qualify one for full kingship, when coupled with greatness in Torah knowledge, it is the bases for the virtual kingship that Hillel and his descendants assumed.
Chanukah 5770
One of the greatest royal dynasties in Jewish history was the Hasmonean dynasty. The Hasmoneans were a belonged to the priestly tribe of Cohanim. The members of this illustrious family led the revolt against the mighty Greek armies for which we celebrate Hanuka. Subsequent to their miraculous victory, they assumed the role of the monarchy and sat as the ruling kings over the Jewish people for over two centuries. Their ascent to the throne was problematic from a halachic perspective. As members of the priestly tribe of Cohanim they were not entitled to the throne. The Torah clearly states that the monarchy belongs exclusively to the tribe of Yehuda. “The scepter of kingship shall not depart from Yehudah, nor the judicial staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.†(Breishit 49:10) However, since the entire Jewish people, including the members of the tribe of Yehuda agreed to this arrangement they were allowed to serve as interim kings.
This arrangement came to an abrupt end during the revolt of Herod, who eventually gained control of the monarchy. Notwithstanding the Hasmoneans’ monumental victories, the Talmud teaches that the entire Hasmonean lineage, males and females, was completely wiped out. The Ramban explains that this was punishment was decreed upon them because they violated the Torah’s explicit instructions that the monarchy is an eternal entitlement of the tribe of Yehuda. Although there was a temporary need that justified the ascent of the Hasmoneans , to the throne, nonetheless, they should have returned the glory of kingship back to its rightful heirs; the tribe of Yehuda. Because they jealously and selfishly held onto the kingship, Hashem allowed others to remove them from the kingship, and it was eventually taken away from them.
Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin offers a fascinating interpretation of these events. The Zohar states that glory of victory belongs to kings. “Hashem handed over the force of victory in war and His weaponry to kingship.†(Zohar 2:51a) Rav Tzadok explains this cryptic remark from the Zohar in the following way. The attribute of kingship is a prerequisite for victory in waging the battles of Hashem. Only those who posses the qualifications of kingship can lead the Jewish nation to victory.
Kingship, although conferred upon the tribe of Yehuda, is attainable to others as well. Rav Tzadok finds the source for this in the wording of the aforementioned verse. “The scepter of kingship shall not depart from Yehudah, nor the judicial staff from between his feet...†the “judicial staff†alludes to the Torah sages who excel in knowledge of Torah wisdom upon which they issue verdicts and deliver justice. In other words, there are two independent ways to qualify for kingship. The first is ancestry from the tribe of Yehuda. The second comes through acquiring vast Torah wisdom.
In light of this, we can better understand why the great Torah sages in every generation are considered to posses the attribute of kingship. Their breadth and depth of Torah knowledge, love for the Jewish people and fear of Hashem, qualify them to be leaders of the Jewish people.
In addition to priesthood, the Hasmoneans were outstanding Torah sages. Based upon Rav Tzadok’s explanation we can understand why the Hasmoneans were entitled to temporary kingship and ultimate victory; they were great Torah sages. However, the Hasomoneans claim to the monarchy depended upon their status as great Torah scholars. The last of the Hasmonean kings (matrilineal) was King Yanai. Towards the end of his rule, Yanai joined forces with the heretic splinter groups who denied the validity of the oral law. At that point, the kingship of Israel was supposed to have been returned to the tribe of Yehuda. But Yanai did not abdicate and stubbornly retained his claim to kingship.
Subsequent to Yanai's defiance against the sages of Israel his lineage was wiped out by Herod, who brought about the death of the last remaining person belonging to the Hasmonean lineage, a young women upon whom he attempted to force marriage. Once the Hasmonean dynasty was lacking in the prerequisite of Torah wisdom – “the judicial staff,†they were no longer entitled to the monarchy. The Hasmonean rulers, by over extending their reign and not returning it to its rightful heirs, were considred to be renegades; not kings. This is the reason that they were punished so severely. After Herod abducted the monarchy, the kingship of the Jewish people shifted to the great sages, Hillel and his desciples, who possessed the other attribute of kingship “the judicial staff.†It is interesting to note that based upon the Talmud Yerushalmi, Rav Tzadok points out that in addition to his greatness in Torah wisdom, Hillel was a [matrilineal] descendant of the tribe of Yehuda. Despite the fact that matrilineal ancestry does not halachically qualify one for full kingship, when coupled with greatness in Torah knowledge, it is the bases for the virtual kingship that Hillel and his descendants assumed.