LEARNING FROM HISTORY
We are in a period of three weeks– from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th day of the month of Ab (August 6th at night and 7th– which is known by the Hebrew name: “Ben haMetsarim”, “Between the tragedies”, alluding to the tragic events we remember on these two fast days. In this period of time, we observe some traditions of mourning that increase in kind and degree as we approach the 9th of Ab: the National Day of mourning for the Jewish People. These are also days of reflection, aiming not just at commemorating and remembering our history, but especially to learning from the mistakes our ancestors have made in the past. The philosophy of our Tora is that there is a direct relationship between our behavior and the level of Divine Protection that we deserve, particularly at the collective level, that is, as a people. As the Tora explicitly says in Parashat Bechuqotay (Leviticus 26:14-46) and Ki-Tabo (28:15-69)that when we fulfill our part of the Covenant, honoring God’s commandments, the Almighty honors His part of the Covenant, protecting us from our enemies.
TOXIC INFIGHTING
When our Sages analyzed, for example, what led to the destruction of the Second Temple (year 68 CE), they did not attribute our defeat to the enormous military power of the Romans. The Sages, instead, taught us to “look in the mirror” and ask ourselves what did WE do wrong to not deserve the Divine assistance. In this case, the answer they gave us is very specific: our main sin was “sinat chinam”. “Irrational hatred, internal divisions among Jews themselves; political, religious, social sectarianism”. Something that, I believe, we have not yet completely recovered from. This intolerance of one for the other is irrational and dangerous (suicidal!). Because it causes the Divine Presence (and protection) to abandon us, and because divisions weaken us politically, and motivate our implacable persecutors to pursue their goal.
THE PERFECT BAD EXAMPLE
Actually, everything that needs to be known about the disastrous consequences of “sinat chinam” can be learned from the story of two brothers” Yochanan Hyrcanus and Yehuda Aristobulus. What happened between them 130 years before the destruction of Jerusalem is what “literally” triggered it…
How did it happen that the Jewish people, after having freed themselves from the Greeks through the Hashmonayim (165 BCE) and after establishing a glorious independent Jewish State in 141 BCE, ended up invaded and then destroyed by the Romans in 68CE? Let us remember that when we had our political independence, our “Jewish army” was very powerful and famous for the bravery of its soldiers. But everything changed after three generations, about the year 65 BCE.
WHO BROUGHT THE ROMANS TO JERUSALEM?
Hyrcanus and Aristobulus claimed the throne after the death of Alexander Yanai and queen Shlomzion. The enmity and hatred between the two brothers grew and was also reflected in the divisions between their followers and political adepts, who did not hesitate to seek alliances with pagans in order to fight against each other. Briefly, the situation became so bad that the Jewish state was on a civil war. In those years, the Romans sent the famous general Pompey to the Mediterranean to protect their ships from the pirates who attacked and looted them. During the festival of Pesach of 63BCE, Aristobulus and his supporters were besieged in Jerusalem by Hyrcanus and his allies. Aristobulus managed to send an envoy to Pompey’s representative in Syria, promising him 8,000 kg of silver, for his help. When Pompey arrived on the scene, he received even more bribes. But after a while and to deliberately worsen the in-fight, the astute Roman general sided with Hyrcanus and had Aristobulus arrested. Hyrcanus and Aristobulus soldiers began a bloody battle against each other that ended up with 12.000 Jewish soldiers dead, and with the Romans in control of Jerusalem. With the Jewish army greatly weakened, Pompey displaced Yochanan, seized the Holy city and annexed the Jewish state to the Roman Empire. The Romans settled in Jerusalem, and WE opened the doors for them…
מקדש שני, שהיו עוסקין בתורה ובמצות וגמילות חסדים, מפני מה חרב? מפני שהיתה בו שנאת חינם!
For more historical details about this period of time
see this article
