Class 1: Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai – Choosing Jewish Community over Jewish Structure

The Sages said about Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai, ןn his days he never engaged in idle conversation; and he never walked four cubits without engaging in Torah study and without donning phylacteries; and no person ever preceded him into the study hall; and he never slept in the study hall, neither substantial sleep nor a brief nap; and he never contemplated in alleyways filthy and he never left anyone in the study hall and exited; and no person ever found him sitting and silent, rather, he was always sitting and studying; and only he opened the door for his students, and he never said anything that he did not hear from his teacher; and he never said the time has arrived to arise and leave the study hall except on Passover eves, Yom Kippur eves. And Rabbi Eliezer, his student, accustomed after his.

They said about Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai that no one ever preceded him in issuing a greeting, not even a non-Jew in the marketplace.

The Sages taught: An incident occurred involving Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai, who was riding on a donkey and was traveling along the way, and his student, Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh, was riding a donkey behind him. Rabbi Elazar said to him: My teacher, teach me one chapter in the Design of the Divine Chariot. He said to him: Have I not taught you: And one may not to an individual, unless he is a Sage who understands on his own accord? Rabbi Elazar said to him: My teacher, allow me to say before you one thing that you taught me. He said to him: Speak.

Immediately, Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai alighted from the donkey, and wrapped and sat on a stone under an olive tree. said to him: My teacher, for what reason did you alight from the donkey? He said: Is it possible that you are expounding the Design of the Chariot, and the Divine Presence is with us, and the ministering angels are accompanying us, that I should ride on a donkey? Immediately, Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh began the Design of the Chariot and expounded, and fire descended from heaven and encircled all the trees in the field, and all began reciting song.

What song did they recite? “Praise the Lord from the earth, sea monsters and all depths…fruit trees and all cedars…praise the Lord” (Psalms 148:7–14). An angel responded from the fire, saying: This is the very Design of the Chariot. Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai stood and kissed on his head, and said: Blessed be God, Lord of Israel, who gave our father Abraham a son, who knows to understand, investigate, and expound the Design of the Chariot. There are some who expound well but do not fulfill its imperatives well, who fulfill well but do not expound well, you expound well and fulfill well. Happy are you, our father Abraham, that Elazar ben Arakh came from your loins.

And when these matters, were recounted before Rabbi Yehoshua, he was walking along the way with Rabbi Yosei the Priest. They said: We too shall expound the Design of the Chariot. Rabbi Yehoshua began expounding. And that was the day of the summer solstice, heavens became filled with clouds, and there was the appearance of a kind of rainbow in a cloud. And ministering angels gathered and came to listen, like people gathering and coming to see the rejoicing of a bridegroom and bride.

Rabbi Yosei the Priest went and recited these matters before Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai, said Happy are you, and happy are who gave birth to you; happy are my eyes that saw this. As for you and I, I saw in my dream that we were seated at Mount Sinai, and a Divine Voice came to us from heaven: Ascend here, ascend here, for large halls [teraklin] and pleasant couches are made up for you. You, your students, and the students of your students are invited to the third group.

When Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakkai fell ill his students entered to visit him. When he saw them, he began to cry. His students said to him: Lamp of Israel, the right pillar, the mighty hammer, for what reason are you crying?

He said to them: If they were leading me before a flesh and blood king, who is here today and in the grave tomorrow; if he is angry with me, his anger is not eternal if he incarcerates me, his incarceration is not an eternal incarceration. If he kills me, his killing is not for eternity, I am able to appease him with words and bribe him with money, and even so I would cry. Now that they are leading me before the supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who lives and endures forever and all time; if He is angry with me, His anger is eternal; if He incarcerates me, His incarceration is an eternal incarceration; and if He kills me, His killing is for eternity. I am unable to appease Him with words and bribe him with money. Moreover, but I have two paths before me, one of the Garden of Eden and one of Gehenna, and I do not know on which they are leading me; and will I not cry?

said to him: Our teacher, bless us. He said to them: May it be His will that the fear of Heaven shall be upon you like the fear of flesh and blood. His students were puzzled and said: To that point? He said to them: Would that Know that when one commits a transgression, he says that no man will see me.

at the time of his death, he said to them: Remove the vessels due to the ritual impurity. And prepare a chair for Hezekiah, the King of Judea, who is coming.

Jerusalem was destroyed on account of Kamtza and bar Kamtza. This is as there was a certain man whose friend was named Kamtza and whose enemy was named bar Kamtza. He once made a large feast and said to his servant: Go bring me my friend Kamtza. The servant went brought him bar Kamtza. came and found sitting. said to bar Kamtza. That man is the enemy [ba’al devava] of that man. What do you want here? Arise and leave. Bar Kamtza said to him: Since I have already come, let me stay and I will give you money for whatever I eat and drink.

said to him: No. said to him: I will give you money for half of the feast; said to him: No, said to him: I will give you money for the entire feast; said to him: No, took by his hand, stood him up, and took him out. said Since the Sages were sitting and did not protest learn from it that they were content. I will go and inform [eikhul kurtza] against them to the king. He went and said to the emperor: The Jews have rebelled against you. said to him: Who says? said to him; send them an offering see whether they sacrifice it. went and sent with him a choice three-year-old calf. While bar Kamtza was coming, he made a blemish on the calf’s upper lip. And some say on its eyelids, a place where according to us, is a blemish, but according to them, is not a blemish.

the Sages thought to sacrifice due to peace with the government. Rabbi Zekharya ben Avkolas said to them: will say that blemished may be sacrificed as offerings on the altar. thought to kill him so that he would not go and speak . Rabbi Zekharya said to them: will say one who makes a blemish on sacrificial is to be killed. Rabbi Yoḥanan says: The humility of Rabbi Zekharya ben Avkolas destroyed our Temple, burned our Sanctuary, and exiled us from our land.

sent Vespasian Caesar against the Jews. He came and laid siege to Jerusalem for three years. There were at that time in Jerusalem these three wealthy people: Nakdimon ben Guryon, ben Kalba Savua, and ben Tzitzit HaKesat. : Nakdimon ben Guryon because the sun shined [nakad] on his behalf. Ben Kalba Savua was called this because anyone who entered his house when he was hungry as a dog [kelev] would leave satiated [save’a]. Ben Tzitzit HaKesat was referred to by that name because his ritual fringes [tzitzit] dragged along on blankets [keset]. There are those who say that his seat [kiseh] was found among the nobles of Rome. One of them said to the leaders of the city: I will feed the residents with wheat and barley. And one of them said to with wine, salt, and oil. And one of them said to with wood.

And the Sages gave praise to he who gave the woodAs Rav Ḥisda would give all of the keys [aklidei] to his servant, except to for wood. As Rav Ḥisda said: One storehouse [akhleva] of wheat requires sixty storehouses of wood had to sustain for twenty-one years. There were certain zealots among. The Sages said to them: Let us go out and make peace with did not allow them said to: Let us go out and engage in battle against the Sages said to them: You will not be successful. arose and burned down these storehouses [ambarei] of wheat and barley, and there was famine. Marta bat Baitos was one of the wealthy women of Jerusalem. She sent out her agent and said to him: Go bring me fine flour [semida]. By the time he went, the fine flour was already sold. He came and said to her: There is no fine flour, but there is ordinary flour. She said to him: Go then and bring me ordinary flour. By the time he went, the ordinary flour was also sold. He came and said to her: There is no ordinary flour, but there is coarse flour [gushkera]. She said to him: Go then and bring me coarse flour. By the time he went, the coarse flour was already sold. He came and said to her: There is no coarse flour, but there is barley flour. She said to him: Go then and bring me barley flour. But once again, by the time he went, the barley flour was also sold. She had just removed her shoes, but she said: I will go out myself and see if I can find something to eat. She stepped on some dung, which stuck to her foot, and, overcome by disgust, she died. Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai read concerning her “The tender and delicate woman among you who would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground” (Deuteronomy 28:56). There are those who say that she did not step on dung, but rather she ate a fig of Rabbi Tzadok, and became disgusted and died. What are these figs? Rabbi Tzadok observed fasts for forty years, praying that Jerusalem would not be destroyed. that when he would eat something it was visible from the outside of his body. And when he would eat after a fast they would bring him figs and he would suck out their liquid and cast the rest away. as she was dying, she took out all of her gold and silver and threw it in the marketplace. She said: Why do I need this? And this is as it is written: “They shall cast their silver in the streets.

Abba Sikkara was the leader of the zealots [biryonei] of Jerusalem and the son of the sister of Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai. sent a message to him: Come to me in secret. He came, said to him: Until when will you do this and kill everyone through starvation? Abba Sikkara said to him: What can I do, for if I say something to them they will kill me. Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai said to him: Show me a method so that I will be able to leave the city, and it is possible that through this there will be some small salvation. Abba Sikkara said to him: This is what you should do: Pretend to be sick, and have everyone come and ask bring something putrid and place it near you, so that people will say that you have died. And then, have your students enter, and let no one else come in so that the zealots not notice that you are still light. As know that a living is lighter than a dead did this. Rabbi Eliezer entered from one side and Rabbi Yehoshua from the other side to take him out. When they arrived at the entrance wanted to pierce him. said to them: The Romans will say that they pierce even their teacher. wanted to push him. Abba Sikkara said to them: They will say that they push even their teacher. The guards then opened the gate and he was taken out. When Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai reached there, i.e., the Roman camp, he said: Greetings to you, the king; greetings to you, the king. Vespasian said to him: You are liable for two death penalties, one because I am not a king and yet you call me king, and furthermore, if I am a king, why didn’t you come to me until now? Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai said to him: As for what you said about yourself: I am not a king,

in truth, you are a king, if not now, then in the future. As if you are not a king, Jerusalem will not be handed over into your hand, as it is written: “And the Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one” (Isaiah 10:34). And “mighty one” means only a king, as it is written: “And their mighty one shall be of themselves, ” And “Lebanon” means only the Temple, as it is stated: “That good mountain and the Lebanon” (Deuteronomy 3:25). And as for what you said with your second comment: If I am a king why didn’t you come to me until now, there are zealots among us who did not allow us said to him: If there is a barrel of honey and a snake [derakon] is wrapped around it, wouldn’t they break the barrel in order to kill the snake? was silent, Rav Yosef later read about him, and some say Rabbi Akiva Who turns wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish” (Isaiah 44:25). As Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai should have said the following to Vespasian in response: In such a case, we take tongs, remove the snake, and kill it, and in this way we leave the barrel. In the meantime, as they were talking, a messenger [feristaka] arrived from Rome, and said to him: Rise, for the emperor has died, and the noblemen of Rome plan to appoint you as their leader was wearing only one shoe, he tried to put on the other one, it would not go on . He then tried to remove the other it would not come off. He said: What is this? Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai said to him: Be not distressed or troubled, for good tidings have reached you, as it is written: “Good tidings make the bone fat” (Proverbs 15:30). But what is the remedy? said to him: Have someone with whom you are displeased come and pass before you, as it is written: “A broken spirit dries the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). He did this, and his shoe went on his foot. Vespasian said to him: Since you are so wise, why didn’t you come to see me until now? Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai said to him: But didn’t I already tell you? Vespasian said to him: I also told you what I had to say. Vespasian then said to Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai: I will be going and I will send someone else in my place to continue besieging the city and waging war against it. But before I leave, ask something of me that I can give you. Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai said to him: Give me Yavne and its Sages and do not destroy it, and spare the dynasty of Rabban Gamliel and do not kill them as if they were rebels, and lastly give me doctors to heal Rabbi Tzadok. Rav Yosef read the following verse about him, and some say that it was Rabbi Akiva "Who turns wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish” (Isaiah 44:25), as he should have said to him to leave the Jews alone this time. And He maintained that Vespasian might not do that much for him, and there would not be even a small amount of salvation.

What doctors to heal Rabbi Tzadok? The first day they gave him water to drink bran [parei]. The next day they gave him water containing flour mixed with bran [sipuka]. The following day they gave him water containing flour. his stomach to broaden little by little.