For 2 Maccabees, in contrast, Jews suffer because their sins caused God “to hide His face” (see Deuteronomy 31:17 and 32:20, paraphrased in 2 Maccabees 5:17, i.e., to suspend his providence.

But the Maccabees’ story did not go away. Even the ancient rabbis who may have deemphasized the military victory did not erase it entirely. The al hanisim (“for the miracles”) prayer recited ...

The Maccabees teach us to stand up for religious liberty.” Sis said another lesson to be learned from the story is to be aware of the ways in which the example of one’s actions affects others.