Years ago, I read about a student who told his history teacher that he was jealous of George Washington. The teacher asked him if he was jealous of all that George Washington had accomplished as an enduring leader, remembered for his integrity and as the founding president of the United States. The student replied that it had nothing to do with any of that. He was jealous of George Washington because he didn’t have to sit in a boring American History class, since American history wasn’t “invented” yet.
It’s been said that history is always written from the vantage point of the victor. Whoever wins the wars dictates how the facts and details about the war are to be remembered. Somehow, the victor is always the good guy while the loser deserves what came to him.
The Founding Fathers of this country are hailed as courageous visionaries. But if the British had been victorious, those men would have all been hanged for treason and remembered as traitors to the crown. Benedict Arnold, on the other hand, would likely have been remembered as an unyielding loyal hero.
Similarly, if Native Americans would teach American History, it would be very different. For example, Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States was destined to stretch from sea to shining sea, would be viewed as an evil scheme to uproot and displace the Natives from their familial homes and communities.
My rebbi, Rabbi Berel Wein zt”l, noted that at the end of Parshas VaYeishev, after Yosef interpreted the dreams of the sar ha’mashkim, Yosef asked the sar ha’mashkim to remember him before the Pharaoh.
The Torah notes that the sar ha’mashkim did not remember Yosef. But then the Torah adds the final word of Parshas VaYeishev: vayishkacheihu – he forgot Yosef. He didn’t remember Yosef because he didn’t want to remember him!
Rabbi Wein noted that the sar ha’mashkim is the perfect representation of our society. What’s news today is obsolete tomorrow. The brilliant predictions of the experts are almost always inaccurate. Just try reading last week’s paper. That’s v’lo zachar – the facts and predictions are hardly remembered.
What’s worse, however, is vayishkacheihu, the purposeful distortion of what occurred. In the very recent past, it didn’t take long before the world forgot October 7. But far worse was vayishkacheihu – they distorted what occurred; shockingly, the victim was accused of being the perpetrator. That’s the world of the sar ha’mashkim, where one purposely forgets so that he can distort what occurred.
The one notable exception to the rule that history is written from the vantage point of the victor is Jewish history. Despite the fact that the Jewish people have been repeatedly persecuted and discriminated against, we have endured to tell the story. The collective Jewish mind does not forget.
Rabbi Shlomo Brevda noted that we are the only ones who refer to the Y’vanim as wicked. While the world views the ancient Greeks and Romans as progressives who enlightened the world in mathematics, philosophy, engineering, and drama, the Jewish people remember them as aggressors and implacable enemies.
Perhaps there is no other holiday that suffers as many historical distortions as Chanukah. Everyone molds the Chanukah story in its image, to fit its agenda and narrative.
This is the ensuing legacy of the Y’vanim, who sought “l’hashkicham Torasecha” – to cause us to forget Your Torah. They weren’t out to cause us to necessarily forget the actual words of Torah. Rather, they wished to distort its eternal message of connection with the Divine and of living a transcendent life.
Chanukah contains the story of those who were willing to give all to remain faithful to the Torah. It’s about those who felt loyalty to Torah was more valuable than their physical lives.
We celebrate that selfless devotion on Chanukah and commit ourselves to follow their lead to uphold the Torah even when it’s challenging to do so. That’s a history lesson we dare not forget!
Rabbi Dani Staum is a popular speaker, columnist, and author. He is a rebbi in Heichal HaTorah in Teaneck, New Jersey, principal of Mesivta Orchos Yosher in Spring Valley, New York, and a member of the administration of Camp Dora Golding. His writings can be found at www.strivinghigher.com. Looking for an inspirational speaker or scholar-in-residence? Contact Rabbi Staum at 845-641-5094 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..