So they contemplated killing bar Kamtza so he couldn’t report back to the Emperor about their failure to sacrifice the animal, but Rabbi Zecharia objected again that this would mislead the people about the law they would think that maiming a sacrificial animal incurred the death penalty. But, Rabbi Zecharia objected, this would mislead the people about the law they would think such a sacrifice was appropriate. The simplest solution would be to sacrifice it despite the blemish. The Emperor duly sent a calf, but bar Kamtza injured the calf while it was in transit in such a fashion as to render it unfit for sacrifice. He went to the Roman Emperor and declared that the Jews were in revolt, and, when asked for proof, said that if the Emperor sent a fatted calf to be sacrificed the Jews would refuse to sacrifice it for him. Because the other rabbinic guests at the party did not object, bar Kamtza concluded that they must have no problem with such rude treatment, and he decided to get revenge in extravagant style. Discovering his enemy there, the man expelled bar Kamtza, even in the face of bar Kamtza’s pleas not to be so dishonored, and his offers to pay for the entirety of the feast if only he were allowed to stay. A man was friends with the former and the enemy of the latter, and, because of the similarity of their names, accidentally invited the latter rather than the former to a party he was hosting. Jerusalem was destroyed, so says the text, because of Kamtza and bar Kamtza.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |