While doing research for a paper recently, I came across a few sources mentioning a certain incident: the emperor Julian wished to have the Temple rebuilt, but flames miraculously erupted from the ruined foundation whenever workers began construction. There’s reason (of course) to be skeptical of these claims, but the idea of the Divine being so insistent the Temple remain ruined made me curious what Jews tend to think of the Diaspora and destruction of the Temple: particularly, did God actively wish or cause these to happen? If so, why?
I’d be interested in both opinions from Jewish posters here, and any articles or books dealing with this.
Thank you in advance.
For me, the diaspora was simply part two of the destruction of the temple. Perhaps others don't see it in that light. But for me they just seem to go together.
The Talmud says that the Second Temple was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam: baseless hatred.
I read somewhere that the murder rate in Jerusalem at the time was extraordinarily high -- we were so killing off each other that we were unsuccessful at killing off the Roman army attacking us. I'm not sure how accurate this is -- it's just something I remember reading and now I can't find the source.
But you have to ask yourself, what does the Talmud mean by baseless hatred? I mean, people don't go around randomly hating people. They always have a reason. I think what it actually means is that the reasons are stupid beyond imagination. The Talmud gives one story to illustrate Sinat Chinam--the story of Kamza and Bar Kamza.
In Jerusalem there once lived a man who had a friend named Kamza and an enemy named Bar Kamza. One day the man held a banquet, and he sent his servant to invite his friend Kamza. But the servant became confused and brought Bar Kamza instead.
“Get out of my house!” shouted the host when he saw his enemy seated among his guests.
Bar Kamza’s face turned bright red. “If you will only let me stay,” he said, “I will gladly pay for all the food and drink I consume.” “
No!” said the host.
“I will pay for the entire banquet!”
Without another word, the host stormed over to his uninvited guest, picked him up by the scruff of the neck, and tossed him into the street.
Bar Kamza thought to himself, “Not even the rabbis who were there tried to prevent my humiliation! I will teach them all a lesson!”
So he went to the Romans to inform on his countrymen. “The Jews are rebelling against Rome,” he said.
“Prove it,” said the Roman governor.
“Send them a sacrifice,” said Bar Kamza, “and see if they will offer it on the Temple altar.”
So the Roman governor selected a calf without blemish and sent it with Bar Kamza. But on the way, Bar Kamza made a small mark on the white of its eye, which made it unfit for Jewish sacrifice although still acceptable to the Romans.
The Rabbis wanted to offer it anyway, so as not to offend Rome, but Zechariah ben Avkulus objected and said, “People will say that it is now fine to offer animals with blemishes. It sets a bad precedent!”
So they decided not to sacrifice it.
But then they began to worry about Bar Kamza. When he reported their actions to the Roman governor, would not the governor’s wrath come down upon their heads?
“Let us kill Bar Kamza so that he doesn’t inform on us,” they said.
But Zechariah ben Avkulus again objected and asked, “Do we now kill people simply because they blemish a sacrifice?”
Again they bent to his will.
And the wrath of Rome did indeed come down upon their heads. Jerusalem was destroyed, the Temple burned, and the Jews exiled from their land.
So the hatred between Kamza and Bar Kamza was not completely without reason, it simply was without good reason. It was stupid. Idiotic. Petty.
There is still plenty of this to go around. It is in the hearts of Jews, and in the hearts of all mankind. It is in the bigotry and racism and anti-semitism that we see growing in the world. It is in the narcissistic choice to kill one's whole family rather than to file for divorce. I can think of a thousand things. But it doesn't even half to be violent. It can be found in the silent treatment or the subtle sarcasm that warps too many relationships.
The Torah commands, "You shall not hate your fellow in your heart." Leviticus 19:17 It even instructs us of our enemies, "Do not despise an Edomite, because he is your brother. Do not despise the Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land.” Deuteronomy 23:8 Hate eats us up. It destroys us from the inside out. It makes it so we can't see straight. There is a Hebrew proverb that says, "Hate makes crooked what was straight."
This is why the Second Temple was destroyed.
Thanks to the following website for its inspiration:
https://templebethornj.org/wp-conte...-Noah-Fabricant---Yom-Kippur-Morning-5778.pdf
