King Yannai

History

King Yannai, or Alexander Jannaeus, was a Hasmonean king who expanded the kingdom of Judea but left a legacy of war and terrible treatment of Jewish scholars. The exception to this vicious treatment was his brother-in-law Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach, from whom he received counsel.

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The Divergent Paths of King Yannai and Yoḥanan

TALMUD

King Yannai and Yoḥanan had starkly different moral trajectories, with Yannai being wicked from the beginning and Yoḥanan righteous from the outset. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Berakhot records a debate between Abaye and Rava about these historical figures and their attitudes toward the Sadducees.

Abaye responded: He is Yannai he is Yoḥanan. In other words, from its inception, the entire Hasmonean dynasty had the same positive attitude toward the Sadducees, and there was no distinction between Yoḥanan Hyrcanus and Alexander Yannai. Yoḥanan the High Priest had Sadducee leanings from the outset. Rava said: Yannai is distinct and Yoḥanan is distinct. They did not share the same position in this regard. Yannai was wicked from the outset and Yoḥanan was righteous from the outset…

Berakhot 29a:7

Divine Justice and Political Power

HALAKHAH

The story of King Yannai and Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach showcases divine intervention and the severe consequences faced by those who opposed the demand for justice. This Talmudic narrative from Sanhedrin 19a highlights the tension between religious authority and political power in ancient Jewish history.

Rabbi Emanuel also cites an anecdote recorded in Sanhedrin 19a. A slave of King Yanai committed an act of homicide. Thereupon Shimon ben Shetaḥ summoned Yanai to appear before the Bet Din. Upon Yanai's demurrer, the colleagues of Shimon ben Shetaḥ refused to support the demand that the trial of the king proceed. They were obviously afraid of incurring the wrath of Yanai. Shimon ben Shetaḥ called on God to punish his colleagues. The Gemara concludes the narrative by stating that the angel Gabriel cast them to the ground and they died.

Contemporary Halakhic Problems, Vol II, Part I, Chapter VI Business and Commerce 50

The Strategic Shift in the Sanhedrin

REFERENCE

Simeon ben Shetach's strategic efforts to replace Sadducee leadership with Pharisees in the Sanhedrin were pivotal in shaping Jewish religious and political history. This historical account details the methods used by Simeon ben Shetach to challenge decisions and demand Torah-based authentication in the presence of King Yannai and Queen Salome Alexandra.

They both lived in an unsettled period. The Sadducees were strongly entrenched in the government of Judea and the struggle with them was difficult and protracted. After the death of the High Priest Jochanan, the throne was assumed by his son Aristobulus and shortly after that it was ascended by his widow who married Alexander Jannai. This marked the beginning of a new epoch for the Pharisees. The new king, who is always referred to under the name of Jannai, was too preoccupied with matters of state to devote himself to the religious problems of the country during the first years of his reign…

The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, Volume I; The Creators of the Mishna, Judah ben Tabbai and Simeon ben Shetach 2

The Separation of Powers in Judaism

COMMENTARY

The Hasmonean kings, like Alexander Yannai, breached the critical separation of religious and political authority in Judaism. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in his essays on the weekly Torah portion, discusses the historical and religious implications of this breach.

Hence the radical break, signalled in Parashat Shofetim, from the almost universal practice in the ancient world to identify the head of state with the head of the national religion. In Judaism, a king is not a high priest, and a high priest is not a king. This rule was later breached by some of the Hasmonean kings, who also had themselves appointed high priests. The sages objected. Their attitude was best expressed in their critique of the Hasmonean king and high priest, Alexander Yannai: “O King Yannai, let the royal crown be sufficient for you…

Covenant and Conversation; Deuteronomy; Renewal of the Sinai Covenant, Shoftim, The Three Crowns 28

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