Transcript Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai!!

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai!!
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*Why
was he so great??
-Who???
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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 happenedBasically, 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…
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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!!!!!!