Interesting …

Murder! Two brothers brought gifts to the King each one hoping his gift would be accepted. As things turned out only one of the brother’s gifts was accepted. The other brother — yes you guessed it we’re talking about Kayin — was rejected by the King of kings Hashem. Burning with jealousy at Hashem’s acceptance of his brother Hevel’s offering Kayin killed Hevel. The first murder in history took place on the 25^th day of the month of Kislev in the very first year of Creation.

Jealousy destroys friendships and even gets in the way of love between siblings. Beware!

Horrific!

Chillul Hashem: On Antiochus’s orders pigs were offered as sacrifices on our Mizbeiyach in the Beis HaMikdash — sacrifices not made to Hashem but to a Greek idol that had been placed in Hashem’s Temple! Imagine the feelings of the Jewish People when they heard about this great tragedy that happened on … the 25^th of Kislev — 3594 years after creation. How many tears were shed; how many tefillos they must have said.

Hashem answered them. On the same date exactly three years after the tragedy the Chashmonaim in a miraculous battle recaptured the Beis HaMikdash and lit the Menorah. An amazing instance of Hashgachah pratis!

The Mizbeiyach had to be taken apart and replaced with a new one. Once used for idols it could never again be used for sacrifices to Hashem. The holy stones of the defiled Mizbeiyach were not thrown away. They were kept in a room in the Templeand remained in genizah there for hundreds of years until the Churban.

To read the rest of this story please buy this issue of Mishpacha. To sign up for a weekly subscription click here.