Serving Hashem with Joy Creates Victory over the Yevanim

From Rav Elimelech Biderman's, shlita, "Torah Wellsprings"

     The Yevanim desired to extinguish Jews’ inner fires and didn’t want the Yidden to be happy. 

     The Gemara (Taanis 28) says that, “The Yevanim forbade donating wood for the mizbeiach, and they banned bringing bikurim to Yerushalayim.” 

   The Maharsha explains that the Greeks forbade those two mitzvos because they were performed amidst joy and celebration.

    As the Mishnah in Bikurim states, "the flute played before them."

   The Yevanim valued and appreciated "culture," so they had no problem with Yidden keeping Torah and mitzvos: as long as they were taught intellectually: without simcha and without connections to Hashem.

    But Jewish people keeping mitzvos with passion and joy was what the Yevanim could not tolerate or allow.

   The Greeks, therefore, strove to banish any mitzvah that was done with true happiness and kedusha.

   Unfortunately, the Yevanim were somewhat successful in stealing our simcha. 

   The Shem MiShmuel (680) explains that the Jews at the time kept the halachos of the Beis HaMikdash, but the Bach (670) teaches the Jews had became lax with the korbanos.

   What this contradiction means is that while the Yidden were actually scrupulous with all their obligations, sadly, the Jews did so without happiness or enthusiasm, which is what allowed the Greeks to destroy the Beis Hamikdash.

   The four elements that comprise the world are: fire, water, wind, and earth. 

    David HaMelech said (Tehillim 40:3), ויעלני... מטיט היון, "Hashem saved me from the mud of Yavan…" 

    In explaining this line, the Sfas Emes says that mud is made from earth and water, but no fire, which is up to us to spark when we light our menorahs with chayus, bren, and simcha.