Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai!! ______________________ * Why was he so great??

- Who??? Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, the greatest Jewish sage of the time, (and Bnei Yisroel) and Emporer Vespasian (and the Romans). So, as war with the Romans broke out, the Jews were not all on the same page. One group of Jews, named the Pharisees, only wanted to live peacefully, so they could study and transmit the Torah (this group was mainly rabbis…Rabbi Yochanan included). Others, the Saducees, wanted to become allied with the Romans. Some Jews, called the Zealots, wanted all-out war. They were unhappy with the Sages’ idea that proposed sending a peace-treaty to the Romans. Wanting to force the Jews to fight and NOT create a peace treaty, they imposed the siege on Jerusalem (that the Romans had already made) not letting their fellow Jews in or out. …and what did the Romans want? Well, as Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said himself: “They enforce the siege and wait patiently while brothers destroy brothers.” And the leader of the Romans? Well, in the beginning, the Emporer was Emporer Nero, but he died in the middle of the destruction and his army general, Vespasian, soon took his place.

Continuing on WHO… Rabbi Yochanan ben Zaikki: Emporer Vespasian:

WHAT happened- Basically, there was a Roman siege over Jerusalem, and the Jewish people were split, fighting amongst themselves. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, the greatest sage of his time, figured out a plan with his students on how he could stop this madness. He faked his death so that he could be carried OUT of the city to be buried, despite the blockade. His students (Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshhua) carried his coffin to the gates. One of the Roman guards, though, insisted on making sure that the Rabbi was really dead. As he lifted his sword preparing to stab the body, his students argued back: “The Romans will say that the guards violated a body and thereby disgraced their revered master!” …they got away. One they got out of the gates and out of sight, Rabbi Yochanan ran towards the Roman camp. He demanded the guards let him see (at the time) GENREAL Vespasian. When he entered the room, he addressed Vespasian as “Your Majesty.” The General answered back that the Rabbi is deserving of death: he is not the emperor, only his general. At that moment, a guard ran in and informed Vespasian that Emperor Nero had just died in battle and he has been appointed the new Roman emperor. DUN DUN DUN…

Continuing on WHAT… Vespasian was so impressed with Rabbi Yochanan’s wisdom, that he granted him three wishes. He chose: a) that the family of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamaliel be spared. b) that Rabbi Tzadok who was extremely sick get medical attention/help…(he was fasting for 40 days!!!) c) that he spare the town of Yavne (so that the Jews could still learn Torah) which would become the new home of the Sanhedrin. By this last wish, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai ensured Jewish scholarship after the fall of Jerusalem. Even though they would no longer have a Temple or a homeland, the Jews would always have a spiritual place in which they could learn and practice the Torah. *People ask why didn’t he ask the emperor to spare Jerusalem altogether?? The Talmud answers this question, saying that he he knew this would never happen. The Talmud Yerushalmi says that he did indeed ask, but he was refused.

WHEN- At the time of the destruction of the Second Temple, 70 CE.

Now…… QUIZ TIME!!!!!!