This following article originally appeared in the Mitteilungen Dec. Mar. 1984-85. It can also be found in Selected Writings
pages 232-235. It is posted here with permission of the Breuers Kehillah.

The story of Chanukah is described in detail in the Book of Maccabees. In the Gemorah and Midrash there are only a few scant references to this epic drama in our ancient history. Why is it that this great tale of heroism is so poorly treated by our Sages? The Book of Maccabees belongs to the Apocrypha, the Sefarim Chitzonim, which are not authentic and which are outside of our sacred literature. Why do our Chazal, who were the eyewitnesses of these tumultuous events of their era, not describe in detail the frivolities of the Hellenists, the ravings of the insane Antiochus and the rebellion of the Hasmoneans, as well as the miraculous victories of the "few over the many," of the weak over the multitude of the strong and the final triumph over the powerful army of Greco-Syria? Why did our Chachomim not leave us an account of the glory and of the final decay of the Maccabees? We have to glean almost every little bit from secular sources. Only a few sprinklings here and there are preserved for us in the words of our Chazal.

The question goes much further. We have no authentic description by our Tanaim of the period of the Churban, the Jewish war against the Romans, the destruction of the Jewish state, the revolt and the downfall of Bar Kochba, except for a few Haggadic sayings in Talmud and Midrash. For our historical knowledge we have to rely on the renegade, Josephus Flavius, who was a friend of Rome and a traitor to his people.

Come to think of it, since the close of the Tanach at the beginning of the Second Beis Hamikdash, we have no Jewish history book composed by our Sophrim, Tanaim and Amoraim. The prophets and the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah have recorded all the events of their days as well as all previous periods. When prophecy ceased, the recording of Jewish history stopped at the same time. Why did our great Torah leaders not deem it necessary to register in detail all the events of their period just as the Neviim had done before them?

We are bidden by the Torah to remember the days of yore and to contemplate the years of every generation. "Go ask your father and he shall tell you, and your elders and they shall speak about it." This Divine injunction was observed by our forefathers in Biblical times and the result is the Jewish history preserved in the Tanach. It is extremely difficult to understand why this was stopped.

There is a vast difference between history and storytelling. History must be truthful, otherwise it does not deserve its name. A book of history must report the bad with the good, the ugly with the beautiful, the difficulties and the victories, the guilt and the virtue. Since it is supposed to be truthful, it cannot spare the righteous if he fails, and it cannot skip the virtues of the villain. For such is truth, all is told the way it happened. Only a Navi mandated by his Divine calling has the ability to report history as it really happened, unbiased and without prejudice.

Suppose one of us today would want to write a history of Orthodox Jewish life in pre-holocaust Germany. There is much to report but not everything is complimentary. Not all of the important people were flawless as one would like to believe and not all the mores and lifestyles of this bygone generation were beyond criticism. An historian has no right to take sides. He must report the stark truth and nothing but the truth. Now, if an historian would report truthfully what he witnessed, it would make a lot of people rightfully angry. He would violate the prohibition against spreading Loshon Horah which does not only apply to the living, but also to those who sleep in the dust and cannot defend themselves any more.

What ethical purpose is served by preserving a realistic historic picture? Nothing but the satisfaction of curiosity. We should tell ourselves and our children the good memories of the good people, their unshakeable faith, their staunch defense of tradition, their life of truth, their impeccable honesty, their boundless charity and their great reverence for Torah and Torah sages. What is gained by pointing out their inadequacies and their contradictions? We want to be inspired by their example and learn from their experience.

When Noach became intoxicated, his two sons Shem and Japhet, took a blanket and walked into his tent backwards to cover the nakedness of their father. Their desire was to always remember their father as the Tzaddik Tomim in spite of his momentary weakness. Rather than write the history of our forebears, every generation has to put a veil over the human failings of its' elders and glorify all the rest which is great and beautiful. That means we have to do without a real history book. We can do without. We do not need realism, we need inspiration from our forefathers in order to pass it on to posterity. And Torah-true "historians" do just that. There are very few Jewish history books on the market written in the spirit of Yiras Shomayim. They had to glean from the few available sacred sources enough material to teach us the important lessons of the past which should guide our actions and illuminate our Hashkofo.

In this connection, it is important to point out that we are speaking here only of Jewish history. The knowledge of world history is certainly extremely advantageous to the student. It shows clearly the workings of divine Hashgocho in the unfolding of the historical process.

As to the study of Biblical history, we have to learn the Tanach, which is part of the written Torah, together with the Oral Torah preserved in Talmud and Midrash. Reading the "Bible" without the commentaries of our Sages is like studying astronomy with the naked eye--without the use of a telescope. We are bound to misunderstand everything.

The "Author" of all human history is the Master of the world, steering mankind to the ultimate goal of Bias HaMashiach. The miracle of Chanukah was the first spark of this light which we pray shall soon rise upon Tzion.