We have writings today that shed some light on how Antiochus and his followers probably viewed the Jews of their time. They believed Jews worshipped pigs and donkeys because we never ate them. They believed we viewed them as gods, having been influenced by the Egyptians, but we misunderstood which animals should be worshipped. They believed Jews were lazy because we refused to work one day a week. They believed Jews were xenophobic because we preferred to live with each other. They believed Jews hated sex because we refrained from sexual intimacy on certain days of the month. Mostly, they believed Jews were simple-minded because we believe that our God is invisible and could not take specific form.
They believed they were enlightening us and saving us from ourselves.
Hanukkah humbles us when we remember that so little has changed as we judge a stranger by seeing them only through our own experiences.
All your posts for Chanukah have been wonderful but this 7th day post is so meaningful and insightful to me.