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Kamtza and Bar Kamtza and The Siege Begins - Gittin 55a, Uganda Shiur

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Meeting Purpose

To study the Gemara's account of the Second Temple's destruction.

Key Takeaways

• The Bar Kamsa incident: A personal slight escalated into a national catastrophe. The rabbis' failure to protest Bar Kamsa's public humiliation led directly to his revenge—slandering the Jews to the Roman emperor—which triggered the war.
• The zealots' self-sabotage: Jerusalem's zealots burned the city's food stores (enough for a 21-year siege) to force a war with Rome, rejecting the sages' counsel to make peace and ensuring the city's fall.
• The principle of non-punishment: General Nero converted to Judaism after receiving a divine sign that he would be punished for destroying the Temple, even though God had decreed its destruction. This illustrates that one should not be the agent of another's punishment.

Topics

The Bar Kamsa Incident: A Spark Ignites a War

• The Gemara (Gittin 55b) attributes the Temple's destruction to the Bar Kamsa incident, a chain of events starting with a personal slight.
• The Slight: A host mistakenly invited his enemy, Bar Kamsa, to a feast instead of his friend, Kamsa.
  • The host publicly humiliated Bar Kamsa, rejecting his escalating offers to pay for the meal (from his own portion to the entire feast) and physically ejecting him.
• The Rabbis' Inaction: The sages present at the feast did not protest the host's actions.
  • Bar Kamsa interpreted their silence as approval, fueling his desire for revenge against the Jewish leadership.
• The Revenge: Bar Kamsa slandered the Jews to the Roman emperor, claiming they were rebelling.
  • The Test: To prove his claim, Bar Kamsa suggested the emperor send a sacrifice. He then secretly blemished the calf, knowing Jewish law would forbid its use while Roman law would not.
• The Rabbis' Dilemma: The priests refused the blemished calf, as Jewish law forbids it. This confirmed Bar Kamsa's slander to the emperor.
  • Proposed Solutions:
    1. Sacrifice the calf: Rejected by Rabbi Zechariah ben Avkulus, who argued it would distort Torah law and teach the public that blemished animals are acceptable offerings.
    2. Kill Bar Kamsa: Rejected by Rabbi Zechariah, who argued it would distort Torah law and teach the public that making a blemish on a sacrifice is a capital offense.
  • Outcome: The rabbis, persuaded by Zechariah's arguments, did nothing. This inaction allowed Bar Kamsa's slander to stand, triggering the Roman war that led to the Temple's destruction.

The Zealots' Self-Sabotage

• The war began with a three-year Roman siege led by Vespasian.
• Jerusalem's Resources: The city had immense food and fuel stores, enough to last 21 years.
• The Conflict: The sages advised making peace, believing the war was unwinnable due to the people's sins. The zealots insisted on fighting.
• The Catastrophe: To force a war, the zealots burned the city's food and fuel stores, creating a famine that left the population no choice but to fight or starve.

Tisha B'Av Observances

• Timing: A 25-hour fast, from sunset on the 8th of Av to nightfall on the 9th.
• Restrictions:
  • No eating or drinking.
  • No leather shoes.
  • No washing (except for ritual hand-washing after the bathroom).
  • No oils or perfumes.
  • No marital relations.
  • No sitting on chairs until noon.
• Morning Prayers: No tallit or tefillin. Both are worn during the afternoon Mincha service.
• Pre-Fast Week (after Shabbat): No meat, wine, or freshly laundered clothes