Rebuilding after Tisha b'Av

Background

In the year 66C.E. the vast Roman Empire stretched over 2,500 miles and comprised nearly the entire Western civilized world. For the previous 100 years, Rome’s armies had spread out, conquering virtually the entire Mediterranean area, including most of southern Europe, northern Africa, and large parts of Asia Minor. Many countries had surrendered without a fight, recognizing Rome’s superior forces. Others fought back and suffered extreme consequences. For example, after the Roman army conquered Carthage, an ancient city in North Africa, it killed all its citizens, levelled the city, and sowed salt in the ground so nothing would grow there.

Yet the Romans had never fully conquered Israel. For many decades, they had occupied Israel, but when they tried to force the Jews to obey Roman laws and follow the Roman religion, the Jews rebelled. The emperor Nero, fearful that revolution might spread outside Israel, sent one of his best generals, Vespasian, to quash the uprising.

The Jews fought back fiercely for four years, but the Roman army had more soldiers, better arms, and superior military knowledge. The Romans laid waste to much of the countryside, and in the year 69 C.E. the Romans demanded that the Jews surrender unconditionally or suffer the consequences.

How Jews Faced the Crisis

The Jewish people reacted to the Romans’ thread in three ways. The first group of Jews, called collaborators, believed that they should comply with the Romans. They feared the Romans would kill all the Jews unless they surrendered. A second group of Jews, called Zealots, believed that they should resist the Roman demands at all costs. These Jews felt that nothing was more important than remaining free Jews, even if doing so meant death.

A third group of Jews were known as compromisers. They argued that it was important to remain Jewish but that the only chance for the survival of the people was to work out some arrangement with Rome.

There were many Zealots in Jerusalem.

The Rabbis said to the Zealots, “We must go out and make peace with the Romans.”

The Zealots refused and said to the contrary, “We must go out and fight them.” Then the Zealots went out and burned up all the wheat and barley that had been stored in order to create a famine, so that the people would be desperate and would fight the Romans.

Now the leader of the Zealots in Jerusalem was named Abba Sikra. He was the nephew of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. The rabbi sent for his nephew, saying, “Come visit me secretly.” When Abba Sikra arrived, his uncle Rabbi Yochanan turned to him and said, “How long are you going to carry on in this way and kill everybody by starving them?”

Abba Sikra replied, “What can I do? If I object, the other Zealots will kill me.”

Rabbi Yochanan then said, “Come up with a plan for me to escape from this city. Maybe I can still save something.”

Abba Sikra thought of a scheme and replied, “Pretend to be very sick. Put something under you that smells awful, so that people will say that you have died and your corpse is rotting. When they are ready to carry you out, ask two of your closest disciples to hide underneath, so the people will think that the coffin is heavy with a dead man.”

Rabbi Yochanan did as he was told, but when the men who carried him out of the house in the coffin came to the city gates to leave Jerusalem, some guards wanted to make sure he was dead by stabbing the coffin. Abba Sikra said to them, “Do you want the Romans to see such a disrespectful act, stabbing your teacher?” Then they wanted to push and drop the coffin. He said to them, “Do you want the Romans to see such a disrespectful act, pushing your teacher’s coffin?” So they went through the city’s gate. And so Rabbi Yochanan escaped.

Rabbi Yochanan reached the Roman camp and was brought to the commanding general, Vespasian. He said to the general, “Peace to you, O king, peace to your, O king.”

Vespasian replied, “You deserve to die for calling me king, because I am not the emperor.” But just at that moment a messenger came to Vespasian and said, “Arise, for the emperor is dead, and yo have been elected the new ruler!”

Vespasian turned and said to Rabbi Yochanan, “I am going now and will send someone to take my place. But you can make one request of me, and I will grant it to you.”

Rabbi Yochanan said, “Give me Yavneh and its sages…so that we have a place to keep our heritage alive.”