PMF
Jewish Section - Rabbi Brandwein's Essays
Talk from Heh B'Av, the Yarzheit of the Holy Ari (z"l)
This week also includes Tish'a B'Av, the day commemorating
the destruction of both Temples. The Gmarah [Gittin 55b]
tells of the period of the Destruction. Jerusalem was
laid waste because of two Jews whose names were Kamtsa
and Bar Kamtsa. Owing to a confusion of names, Bar
Kamtsa was mistakenly invited to a feast and,
consequently, forcibly ejected by the host. Yet the rabbis
present failed to protest.
In rancor, Bar Kamtsa slandered the Jews, before the
Caesar, as being disloyal. To support his allegations,
Bar Kamtsa counseled the Caesar to bring a sacrifice
to the Temple claiming that priests would reject his
sacrifice. Bar Kamtsa then clandestinely created a
blemish in the sacrificial animal provoking a controversy
as to whether the animal should be sacrificed or not.
One proposal was to assassinate the royal emissary so
as to preempt a negative report. One of the rabbis named
"Zecharia Ben Avkilus" objected to this strategy claiming
that there would be those who would later believe that the
sacrifice of a blemished animal called for the death
penalty. Accordingly, when the news of the rejected
sacrifice reached Rome, the outraged Caesar dispatched
the army that destroyed Jerusalem.
The same Gmarah tells of the city of Har HaMelech (Tur
Malka) that was destroyed because of a rooster and a hen. A
wedding custom of the time was to present a rooster and a
hen, as symbols of fertility, to the groom and the bride.
A passing Roman garrison commandeered these birds whereupon
the celebrants revolted. The incident escalated until a
force was sent to destroy the town. A similar incident
led to the destruction of Beitar. Trees that were planted,
according to custom, at the birth of a groom and bride were
cut down to make their Chupah. The daughter of the Caesar
happened to pass by the wedding ceremony when her carriage
broke down. Her retinue commandeered the trees for the
repairs and the celebrants revolted. Beitar was destroyed
in retaliation.
The common denominator in these stories is short-sightedness
in particular, the short-sightedness of leaders who fail to
be impartial. If the rabbis had protested the public
humiliation of Bar Kamtsa, he would not have slandered the
Jews and if Zecharia had been more far-sighted, Jerusalem
would not have been destroyed. Tur Malka and Beitar
would not have been destroyed had the Jews been able to
tolerate the Roman affront to their honor.
In Megilat Eichah [3,10] (Book of Lamentations) is written,
"The Aryeh is hidden in the Nistarim" (Yirah, R'iyah and
Aryeh are written with the same letters). This suggests
that he who has Yirah (awe) also has R'iyah (far-sightedness)
and, by virtue of vision, the Aryeh (the lion) is not intimidated.
It is interesting to note that the Yarzheit of the Holy Ari (z"l),
in the month of Av (the sign of Leo), comes before Tish'a B'Av which
is a time of Hester (obscurity). Where "Aryeh" is written in
Megilat Eicha [3,10], we are instructed to pronounce it as
"Ari." This is an allusion to the Holy Ari (z"l) (Rabbi
Yitschak Luria) the master of Kabbalah who revealed
the Nistar (hidden) in order that we become more foresighted
as a Tikkun (emendation) for the destruction of the two Temples.
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