Gittin 56: War Stories; Extremism as a Problem

Yesterday's daf ended with the beginning of a story about how the second Temple was destroyed.  This Gemara continues (following a new Mishna regarding the Sicari and how land might be stolen and transferred rather than inherited) with the incredible tale of two Kamtzas: a friend named Kamtza and an enemy named Ben Kamtza.  

A wealthy man intended that his servant invite, Kamtza a good friend, to his feast but the servant invited Bar Kamtza instead.  Realizing that the wrong Kamtza was at his party, the host refused three times to allow Bar Kamtza to stay and avoid humiliation.  Bar Kamtza offered to pay for his own meal, and then for half of the feast, and then for all of the feast.  When he was ignored and thrown out, humiliated, he took revenge by going to the emperor to say that the Jews were planning to revolt against the Romans.

The emperor asked that his animal be sacrificed at the Temple to check on Bar Kamtza's claim.  That animal was blemished either on the lip or the eyelid along the journey.  Such a blemish made the animal disqualified for sacrifice for Jews while it was still worthy of sacrifice by Gentiles.  The Sages considered their options: turn away the offering and insult the government or sacrifice the offering and set a president regarding blemished animals.  Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkolas convinced the Sages to worry more about influencing the Jewish people than alienating the government.  

The government then sent Nero Ceasar against the Jews.  He was afraid, and shot arrows to the  four different differing directions as a test.  Each landed in Jerusalem.  He then asked a schoolchild which verse was studied that day.  The child quoted a verse that suggested a Jewish attack.  We are told that Nero Ceasar fled, eventually converting to Judaism.  

Following this, Vespasian Ceasar was sent against Jerusalem, which began the three year siege on Jerusalem.  The Jews were saved because of three rich people who provided basic food items and wood for cooking.  While the Sages wished to make peace with the Romans, some zealots would not allow this, opting for violent retaliation instead. In the end, they burned the Jewish storehouses of food and supplies, causing a great famine.

We are told of Marta Bat Baitos, one of the wealthiest and most powerful women of her time, who sent her servant out to find flour - first fine flour, then regular flour, then coarse flour, and then barley flour.  Each time he returned, telling her that that flour had already been sold.  She had taken off her shoes and did not endeavour to put them back on before going outside to find food for herself.  One tale suggests that she stepped in dung which stuck to her foot; she died of disgust.  Another suggests that she was poisoned by a date that had already been sucked dry by Rabbi Tzadok.  Rabbi Tzadok was fasting for decades for the sake of Jerusalem and was unable to digest solid food.

The leader of the zealots was Abba Sikkara, the nephew of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai.  Rabban Yochanan met with Abba Sikkara secretly.  Abba explained that he could not change the ways of the zealots, for he would be killed. Instead, he helped his uncle escape by having him pose as a corpse.  After posing as sick and then using a rotting item to demonstrate that he was decomposing, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua carried Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai out of his home.  At the gates of the city, the guards - zealots - wished to ensure he was dead by piercing him with a sword or pushing him.  Abba Sikkara told them that Romans should not be encouraged to think that Jews treated their teachers with such disrespect.  In this way Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was able to speak with Vespasian Ceasar.

The two had a disagreement immediately - first about Vespasian's title (I'm not yet the king!) and then about whether or not to destroy Jerusalem.  Shouldn't we destroy the barrel containing honey in order to kill the snake wrapped around the barrel, he asked.  Rabban Yochanan was quick, but not quick enough - this is the first time that Isaiah 44:25 is used to describe him: "... Who turns wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish."

At that point in time, Vespasian was informed that Ceasar had died and that he was to be the new Ceasar.  Vespasian was unable to fit into one of his shoes and leave for Rome -- Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai twice instructed him how to heal his foot.  And instead of negotiating for the lives of the Jewish people, he asked for two things: to maintain Yavne and its Sages, and to have a doctor to heal Rabbi Tzadok.  Again, we are taught his description: "Who turns wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish."

The Gemara details treatment for Rabbi Tzadok, which included one day of water with bran, one day of water with bran and flour, and one day of water with flour alone to very slowly ready his stomach for eating again.  My guess is that this is included here to demonstrate how simple was Rabban Yochana's request.  The rabbis suggest that Rabban Yochanan believe his larger wish, for the safety of the Jews, would not be granted.  Thus these simpler requests might be granted.

The Gemara then tells us about Titan and his siege, which replaced that of Vespasian's rule.  Titan was said to be young, promiscuous, and vengeful.  We are told that he brought a prostitute into the Holy of Holies and had sexual intercourse on an opened Torah scroll.  He cut into the curtain separating this holy place, and believe that he had killed G-d when blood poured from the curtain.  

We then learn about the death of Titus.  He was said to challenge G-d to kill him on land, for he noticed that G-d had killed other enemies of Israel in the sea.  G-d then told him about the creation of the gnat, described by Steinsaltz as having a place for food to enter but no place for food to be excreted.  A gnat was then said to enter Titus's brain through his ear, where it caused great pain and suffering for years.  For thirty days Titus found relief in by listening to hammering, which caused the gnat to stop moving.  But then the gnat became familiar with the hammering , and the pain continued.    It is said that when Titus died, his skull was cut open and a gnat was found of either the size of a sparrow or the size of a pigeon.

We end our daf with the start of the story of Onkelos, Titus's nephew.  Apparently Titus wished for his ashes to be spread far and wide so as to avoid the judgement of G-d.  Onkelos, however, wished to convert to Judaism.  He is said to have raised Titus from the dead to speak with him about the afterlife.  jews were now important people, he was told, and one should not become Jewish and try (and fail) to adhere to our commandments.  Instead, one should become a leader of the adversaries of the Jews so that their ashes might be scatters "across the seven seas" after their death.