Historians blame warring factions of Jews and the proliferation of Zealots.
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The Destruction of the Second Temple
The destruction of the Temple, and the subsequent destruction of the national entity of the Jewish people, occurred to a great degree because of warfare among the Jews themselves. The warring groups besieged in Jerusalem destroyed all hopes of victory.
In the midst of all the carnage, the leadership of the Jewish people passed, on a permanent basis, from the hands of political leaders to the hands of religious leaders. And the primary religious leader at the time was the famous Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, who though a disciple of the great Hillel was not a descendant of Hillel.
The Talmud says that for forty years he was a business man; for forty years he studied Torah; and for forty years he led the Sanhedrin. He served together with Rabbi Shimon ben Gamaliel, who was a descendant of Hillel. Rabbi Shimon disappeared at the beginning of the war. We do not know exactly what happened to him. Most authorities say that he died during the war. It is not clear if he died of natural causes or because of the war. Either way, to a certain extent he abdicated his powers as Nasi (“prince” or “leader”) to Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai.
Greetings to the Emperor
While Jerusalem was under siege there was an agreement between the Zealots and Romans that every night the dead would be allowed to be taken out of the city to be buried. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai had himself placed in a coffin to cross the lines and come to the Roman general Vespasian. The Zealot guard, suspecting a trick, actually ran a sword through the coffin, but Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai miraculously survived.
He came before Vespasian and informed him that he was about to become the emperor of Rome. At that moment, a messenger arrived telling Vespasian that he was indeed appointed the emperor. In his elation over the good news he granted Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai three wishes.
According to the Babylonian Talmud, he asked a) that the family of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamaliel be spared, b) that the great holy man of the era, Rabbi Tzadok, who had fasted on a regular basis for forty years, be given medical attention, and c) that he spare Yavne (Jamnia). This last request was immortalized in the Talmud with the words, “Give me Yavne and its sages.” In other words, with this last request he asked Vespasian to spare the Sanhedrin and let it be reconstituted as an academy in the town of Yavne, promising him that they would not mix in military matters.
The question arose why he didn’t ask for something grander. For instance, why didn’t he ask that the Temple or Jerusalem be spared? The Talmud is of the opinion that he knew such a wish would not be granted, since it flew in the face of Vespasian’s entire campaign. Consequently, he did not want to waste his wish, so to speak. The Jerusalem Talmud seems to indicate that he did ask him – and he was refused. Vespasian refused it but granted him three other wishes.
continued
The Destruction of the Second Temple
The destruction of the Temple, and the subsequent destruction of the national entity of the Jewish people, occurred to a great degree because of warfare among the Jews themselves. The warring groups besieged in Jerusalem destroyed all hopes of victory. In the midst of all the carnage, the...
www.jewishhistory.org
The Destruction of the Second Temple
The destruction of the Temple, and the subsequent destruction of the national entity of the Jewish people, occurred to a great degree because of warfare among the Jews themselves. The warring groups besieged in Jerusalem destroyed all hopes of victory.
In the midst of all the carnage, the leadership of the Jewish people passed, on a permanent basis, from the hands of political leaders to the hands of religious leaders. And the primary religious leader at the time was the famous Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, who though a disciple of the great Hillel was not a descendant of Hillel.
The Talmud says that for forty years he was a business man; for forty years he studied Torah; and for forty years he led the Sanhedrin. He served together with Rabbi Shimon ben Gamaliel, who was a descendant of Hillel. Rabbi Shimon disappeared at the beginning of the war. We do not know exactly what happened to him. Most authorities say that he died during the war. It is not clear if he died of natural causes or because of the war. Either way, to a certain extent he abdicated his powers as Nasi (“prince” or “leader”) to Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai.
Greetings to the Emperor
While Jerusalem was under siege there was an agreement between the Zealots and Romans that every night the dead would be allowed to be taken out of the city to be buried. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai had himself placed in a coffin to cross the lines and come to the Roman general Vespasian. The Zealot guard, suspecting a trick, actually ran a sword through the coffin, but Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai miraculously survived.
He came before Vespasian and informed him that he was about to become the emperor of Rome. At that moment, a messenger arrived telling Vespasian that he was indeed appointed the emperor. In his elation over the good news he granted Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai three wishes.
According to the Babylonian Talmud, he asked a) that the family of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamaliel be spared, b) that the great holy man of the era, Rabbi Tzadok, who had fasted on a regular basis for forty years, be given medical attention, and c) that he spare Yavne (Jamnia). This last request was immortalized in the Talmud with the words, “Give me Yavne and its sages.” In other words, with this last request he asked Vespasian to spare the Sanhedrin and let it be reconstituted as an academy in the town of Yavne, promising him that they would not mix in military matters.
The question arose why he didn’t ask for something grander. For instance, why didn’t he ask that the Temple or Jerusalem be spared? The Talmud is of the opinion that he knew such a wish would not be granted, since it flew in the face of Vespasian’s entire campaign. Consequently, he did not want to waste his wish, so to speak. The Jerusalem Talmud seems to indicate that he did ask him – and he was refused. Vespasian refused it but granted him three other wishes.
continued
