Hayom Yom 2 Teves - The war of the Greeks was against G-dliness

The daily Hayom Yom with Rabbi Yosef Katzman

"מִלְחֶמֶת הַיְוָנִים הָיְתָה “לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּוֹרָתֶךָ וּלְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחוּקֵּי רְצוֹנֶךָ

The campaign of the Greeks was intended “to make [the Jews] forget Your Torah and have them violate the decrees of Your will.”

וּכְמַאֲמָר (בראשית רבה פרשה ט"ז) כִּתְבוּ כו' שֶׁאֵין לָכֶם חֵלֶק בֵּאלֹקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

In the words of Bereishis Rabbah, ch. 16[:4], [the Greeks challenged the Jews to] “write… that you have no share in the G‑d of Israel.”

כָּל הַמִּלְחָמָה הָיְתָה נֶגֶד אֱלֹקוּת

Their entire war was directed against G‑dliness.

זאָל מעֶן לעֶרנעֶן תּוֹרָה, זאָל מעֶן מְקַיֵּים זיַין מִצְוֹת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים וְהָעֵדוֹת

They would have allowed the Jews to study Torah and observe mitzvos — the mishpatim and the eduyos —

רַק שֶׁלֹּא לְהַזְכִּיר שֶׁהִיא תּוֹרַת ה' וְשֶׁהַמִּצְוֹת הֵם חֻקֵּי רְצוֹנוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ

so long as they did not mention that the Torah was G‑d’s and that the mitzvos were “the decrees of His will.”

נִיט דעֶרמאָנעֶן אִין תּוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹת דעֶם עִנְיָן פוּן ג-טלִכְקַייט

[Their objective was that the Jews] refrain from associating G‑dliness with the Torah and its mitzvos.

Text and Translation courtesy of Sichos in English