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MIZRACHI EDUCATORS TORAT MIZRACHI

Rabbanit Shani Taragin

Cries, Crisis and Conflict:

Rabbinic Responses to Churban

oices of conflicting political lead- roll out carpets for her on Yom Kippur so like it [the Mikdash]. And what is it? Acts of
ership resound throughout the that her feet would not be soiled, only to kindness” (Avot DeRabbi Natan 4:5).
aggadot of the second Churban. In eventually be dragged through the streets,
Vcontrast, the Sages of the time, tied to the tails of horses (Eicha Rabbah 1:47). He re-established the Sanhedrin in Yavneh
dependent upon their patrons for survival, and enacted laws to replace animal sacri-
fice with prayer. He instituted that certain
were relatively silent. Three voices of reli- Rabbi Tzadok did not respond with silence practices of the Beit HaMikdash continue,
gious leadership, however, address the or passivity; he remained with the people to remember it as it once stood, while also
impending destruction of the second Beit in Yerushalayim and witnessed their moral establishing means to recall its destruction.
HaMikdash, each with a different perspective and physical decay. He admonished the
and response to times of crisis. people and priests and observed fasts for Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai’s legacy of lead-
40 years to prevent the Beit HaMikdash from ership was perpetuated by his students,
The first is the passive tone of Rabbi Zech- being destroyed. He remained hopeful of who adopted his outlook of preparing for
aria Ben Avkolus (Gittin 55b-56a). Rabbi repentance without ignoring the apparent the future in times of distress. For exam-
Yochanan, living over a century after the atrocities. ple, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya dealt
destruction, initially “blames” Kamtza and with ascetics who refused to eat meat and
Bar Kamtza for the destruction of Yerusha- drink wine after the destruction by remind-
layim, yet concludes: “The humility of Rabbi ing them that we must not overly mourn.
Zecharia ben Avkolus destroyed our Temple, Inspired by his mentor, he recommended
burned our Sanctuary and exiled us from that we engage in practices of mourning
our Land.” The most lasting and resounding only when we are most prone to forgetting

The Rabbis had wanted to either offer a voice of religious leadership is that Yerushalayim, i.e. at joyous occasions (Bava
blemished animal brought by Bar Kamtza to of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. Batra 60b).
preserve good relations with the authorities, The subsequent generation in Yavneh, led by
or to kill the informer. The most lasting and resounding voice Rabbi Akiva, began the next stage of prepa-
Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkolus said to them: of religious leadership is that of Rabbi ration – anticipating the eventual return
“People will then think that blemished ani- Yochanan ben Zakkai. Rabbi Yochanan to and rebuilding of Yerushalayim (Makkot
mals may be offered upon the altar… People harshly rebuked Sadducee distortion of hala- 24b).
will say that anyone who places a blemish on cha and the brutal methods of burning store- Polarization and conflict may depress and
a sacrifice should be killed.” So the animal houses by the Biryoni sect. Unlike Rabbi blur our understanding of the present, yet
was not sacrificed and the informer was Tzadok, who still hoped for the nation’s do not absolve us from taking responsibility
not killed. In retrospect, Rabbi Yochanan repentance and restored peace, Rabbi and providing a trajectory of religious-na-
realized how drastic times require drastic Yochanan found the anger of the besieged tional survival for the future. May religious
messages from religious leaders and not a populace to be intolerable and began plan- leadership’s voices of introspection together
response of humility. ning for the possibility of destruction. with hope for Mikdash restoration resound
and awaken us to react, repent and properly
The second voice is that of Rabbi Tzadok After surreptitiously escaping the Roman plan for the rebuilding of a “just and righ-
HaKohen who, witnessing the murder of siege and greeting Vespasian as “king,” the teous” society in Tzion.
a kohen during Mikdash worship, stood on new emperor granted Rabbi Yochanan his
the stairs of the Beit HaMikdash and cried requests: “Give me Yavneh and its wise men,
that all the people and the kohanim were and the family chain of Rabban Gamaliel
culpable (Tosefta Yoma 1). He deplored and physicians to heal R. Tzadok” (Gittin
Miriam, the daughter of wealthy Nakdimon, 56a-b). Rabbanit Shani Taragin is Educational
who demanded a ridiculously high dowry, Director of Mizrachi and the Director of
and later witnessed her during the siege Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai mourned upon the Mizrachi Matan Lapidot Educators’
of Yerushalayim eating fodder from the hearing of the Churban, but simultaneously Program.
hooves of horses (Pesikta Rabbati 21). He anticipated and prepared for a new way of
bemoaned the fate of Marta, the daughter life that would transcend the absence of the A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
of Baythus, who insisted that her servants Mikdash – “We have a form of atonement just mizrachi.org/speakers

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