Gittin 56a — the Talmud in English

He said to him,

the master of the feast:

No,

I agree that you remain at my feast!

He went back and

said to him,

Bar Kamtza:

I will give you the cost of half your feast. He said to him,

the master of the feast:

No!

[Bar Kamtza went back and said to the master of the feast: I will add and give you the cost of half the entire feast, provided that you let me remain; the master of the feast said to him: No, I do not agree!].

He went back and

said to him,

Bar Kamtza:

I will give you the cost of your entire feast. He said to him: No!

[Bar Kamtza went back and said to the master of the feast: I will add and give you the cost of the entire feast, provided that you let me go in peace; the master of the feast said to him: No!].

The master of the feast seized

Bar Kamtza

by the hand

of Bar Kamtza,

stood him up and expelled him.

[The master of the feast grasped Bar Kamtza by his hand, stood him up, and expelled him from the feast].

Bar Kamtza said

in his heart:

Since the Sages were sitting there and did not protest against him

the master of the feast,

infer from this that the matter was agreeable to them.

[Bar Kamtza said in his heart: Since the Sages were sitting there and did not protest against the master of the feast for humiliating me, it follows that the act he committed was agreeable in their eyes].

And since that was so:

I will go and inform against them before the king.

[I will go and slander them before the king].

Bar Kamtza went

and

said to the emperor: The Jews have rebelled against you!

[Bar Kamtza went and said to the Roman emperor: The Jews have rebelled against you!].

The emperor said to him,

the emperor to Bar Kamtza:

Who says so!? [

The emperor said to Bar Kamtza: Who will say so—that is, how will you prove to me that the Jews indeed rebelled against me!?].

Bar Kamtza said to him,

Bar Kamtza to the emperor:

Send them a sacrifice, and see whether they offer it!

[Bar Kamtza said to the emperor: Come and I will prove to you that the Jews indeed rebelled against you; send them a sacrifice, and see whether they offer it].

He went, sent in his hand a three-year-old calf, [

excellent]

and while it was coming, he inflicted a blemish upon it in the lip; and some say: in the membrane of the eye,

a place that for us

on the altar

was a blemish, but for them —

for a gentile on his private altar —

it is not a blemish,

since there is no loss of a limb here.

[The emperor went and sent, in the hand of Bar Kamtza, a three-year-old calf as a sacrifice; while he was coming to Jerusalem with the sacrifice in his hand, Bar Kamtza inflicted a blemish upon the sacrifice in the calf’s lips. And some say that he inflicted a blemish in the pupil of the eye, for a blemish in these places is considered a blemish with regard to Israel, whereas with regard to a gentile who offers a sacrifice on a private altar it is not considered a blemish, since there is no loss of a limb here].

The Sages considered offering it,

even though it was blemished,

because of the peace of the kingdom.

[The Sages in Jerusalem thought to offer the sacrifice, despite the blemish in it, because of the peace of the kingdom].

Rabbi Zechariah ben Avkulas said to them,

to the Sages: If you indeed offer it,

they will say: Blemished animals are offered upon the altar,

and the Sages accepted his words.

And since that was so:

the Sages considered

the Sages

killing

Bar Kamtza,

so that Bar Kamtza would not go

Bar Kamtza

and say

to the king.

[The Sages wanted to kill Bar Kamtza, so that he would not go and tell the emperor that they had not offered his sacrifice].

Rabbi Zechariah said to them: Do not do this either, lest

they say:

One who inflicts a blemish upon consecrated animals shall be killed,

for they will think that Bar Kamtza was killed for this reason: because he inflicted a blemish upon consecrated animals and transgressed, “There shall be no blemish in it.”

Rabbi Zechariah thought that the emperor would not be particular, for he thought that the emperor intended the honor of Heaven and would be able to understand that they had refrained from offering it because of the honor of Heaven. The Sages accepted the words and did not know that the king was testing their loyalty to him through this sacrifice.

Bar Kamtza went and told the emperor that they had not offered his sacrifice because they were rebelling against him. As a result, the emperor commanded that the Temple be destroyed, that its Sanctuary be burned, and that the people of Israel be exiled from their land.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The humility of Rabbi Zechariah ben Avkulas, [

his patience, that he tolerated Bar Kamtza and did not kill him ]

destroyed our House, burned our Sanctuary, and exiled us from our land.

And the Gemara relates how the conquest of Jerusalem took place:

He sent against them Nero Caesar.

[The emperor sent his army against Jerusalem, under the command of Nero Caesar ].

When

Nero Caesar

was coming, he shot an arrow to the east, and it came and fell in Jerusalem;

he shot an arrow

to the west, and it came and fell in Jerusalem;

he shot an arrow

to the four directions of the heavens, and it came and fell in Jerusalem.

[When Nero Caesar arrived close to Jerusalem and shot an arrow toward the east, the arrow went and fell in Jerusalem; and likewise, when he shot an arrow toward the west and toward the other directions of the heavens, the arrow went and fell in Jerusalem].

Nero Caesar said to him

Nero Caesar

to a child [

a child]:

Recite your verse to me!

That child said to him: “

And I will bring My vengeance upon Edom by the hand

through

of

My people Israel,”

that is: They destroyed the House of the Holy One, blessed be He, and I will take vengeance upon them through the people of Israel.

Nero Caesar said

in his heart:

The Holy One, blessed be He, desires to destroy His House, and desires to wipe His hands on that man.

[Nero Caesar said in his heart: The will of the Holy One, blessed be He, is to destroy His Temple and wipe His hands on that man, namely, Nero; that is, ultimately the Holy One, blessed be He, will take His vengeance upon me].

Nero Caesar fled

Nero Caesar

and went and converted, and Rabbi Meir emerged from him.

[Nero Caesar fled from the campaign and converted, and Rabbi Meir descended from him].

He sent him —

the emperor of Rome —

against them, Vespasian Caesar. He came and besieged it for three years.

[And because of his flight, the Roman emperor sent Vespasian Caesar in his place, and he laid siege to the city of Jerusalem for three years].

There were in it those three wealthy men:

[At that time there were in Jerusalem three wealthy men, whose names were]:

Nakadimon ben Guryon, Ben Kalba Savua, and Ben Tzitzit HaKesset.

And the Gemara explains for what reason they were called by these names:

Nakadimon ben Guryon:

This was not his name; rather, his name was “Buni,” and for this reason he was called Nakadimon:

because the sun pierced [

pierced through the clouds; shone]

for him on his account,

and his father’s name was Guryon [Ta'anit 20a].

Once Israel went up to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage, and they had no water to drink. Nakadimon went to a certain master and said to him: Lend me twelve springs of water, and if I do not give you [the water] by the appointed date, I will give you twelve talents of silver in exchange for them. And he set a time for repayment for the water. When the time they had set arrived, and rain had not fallen until toward evening, Nakadimon entered the Temple and stood in prayer. Immediately the heavens became covered with clouds, and rain fell until the twelve springs of water were filled. That master said to Nakadimon: “I still have an opening to speak against you, that I may collect my money from you, for the sun has already set and the rain fell in my domain.” Nakadimon went back and entered the Temple and stood in prayer, and immediately the clouds dispersed and the sun shone [there, 19b].

Ben Kalba Savua: For

he used to bring in guests, and

everyone who entered his house hungry as a dog left his house satiated.

Ben Tzitzit HaKesset: For his ritual fringe [

the ritual fringe of his tallit]

was dragged over cushions,

for he did not walk upon the ground but upon them.

Some say: “Ben Tzitzit” was his name, and why was he called “HaKesset”?

“Ben Tzitzit” was his name, and why was he called “HaKesset”:

because his cushion [

his chair]

was placed among the great men of Rome

when he would go to Rome to greet the emperor.

One

of those wealthy men

said to them

to the people of Jerusalem:

I will feed them with wheat and barley.

[One of these wealthy men said: I will feed all the inhabitants of the city with wheat and barley].

And one

of those wealthy men

said to them:

I will feed them

with wine, salt, and oil.

[And one of the wealthy men said: I will feed the inhabitants of the city with wine, salt, and oil].

And one said to them: With wood.

[And the third said: I will supply wood for everyone].

And the Sages praised the one who provided wood, [

the Sages praised that wealthy man who said: I will supply wood].

And similarly we find with Rav Ḥisda, who valued wood very greatly:

For Rav Ḥisda would hand over every key to his attendant except the key to the wood,

because

Rav Ḥisda said: One storehouse of wheat requires sixty storehouses of wood.

[He would hand all the keys to his storehouses to his attendant, except the keys to the wood storehouses; and he would say: For every storehouse of wheat, sixty storehouses of wood are needed].

It was sufficient for them

for those wealthy men

to feed

the people of Jerusalem

for twenty-one years.

[The provisions possessed by those wealthy men were sufficient to feed all the inhabitants of the city for twenty-one years].

There were among them

among the people of Jerusalem

those violent men.

[There were among the people of Jerusalem violent men, that is, empty and reckless men eager for war].

The Sages said to them

to those violent men:

Let us go out and make peace with them.

[The Sages said to those violent men: Come, let us go out and make peace with the Romans].

They did not let them

the violent men

go out and make peace.

They said to them

those violent men to the Sages: On the contrary,

let us go out and wage war against them.

[The violent men said to the Sages: Come, let us go out and wage war against the Romans].

The Sages said to them

to those violent men:

The matter will not succeed.

[The Sages said to the violent men: We will not succeed in defeating them].

Those violent men arose

and

burned those storehouses of wheat and barley, and there was famine.

[The violent men went and burned the storehouses of wheat and barley, so that they would be forced to fight].

And there was famine in Jerusalem! And the Gemara relates how severe the famine was:

Marta daughter of Baitos was a wealthy woman of Jerusalem.

[There was a woman in Jerusalem named Marta daughter of Baitos, and she was “the wealthy woman of Jerusalem”].

She sent her agent and said to him: Go, bring me fine flour.

[Marta sent her agent to buy fine flour for making refined bread].

By the time he went, it was sold; he came

the agent

and said to her

to Marta:

There is no white flour,

but

there is coarse flour.

[By the time the agent reached the marketplace, all the fine flour had already been sold. The agent returned and said to Marta: Fine flour for making refined bread is gone, but flour for making coarse bread can still be obtained; shall I go and bring it?].

She said to him: Go, bring it to me. By the time he went, it was sold; he came and said to her: There is no coarse flour, but barley flour is available. She said to him: Go, bring it to me; by the time he went, it was sold.

[Marta said to her agent: Go and bring me that flour, but by the time he went to bring the flour, even this flour had been sold. He returned and said to Marta: The flour you requested is gone, but flour made from barley is still available. She said to him: Go and bring me this flour, but by the time the agent arrived to buy it, even it was gone].

Marta had removed

her

shoe and said: I will go and see whether I can find something to eat.

[At that time Marta had removed her shoes and was barefoot, and she said: I will go myself to see whether I can find something to eat].

A mass of animal excrement stuck to her foot, and she died.

[A mass of animal dung stuck to Marta’s bare foot, and because she was fastidious, she died].

Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai recited concerning her

concerning Marta

the verse stated in the rebuke [Deuteronomy 28:56]: “

The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot

upon the ground, because of her delicateness and tenderness.”

[The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot upon the ground, because of her delicateness and tenderness].

Some say

that the incident that caused her death did not happen this way; rather, because of her hunger,

she found the dried figs of Rabbi Tzadok [

who was ill, as explained below, and he would suck their liquid from the dried figs and throw them away] lying on the ground, and

she ate them, became fastidious, and died [

she died because of her fastidiousness], for they contained the odor of Rabbi Tzadok’s illness.

The Gemara explains what “the dried figs of Rabbi Tzadok” were:

For Rabbi Tzadok

was

sitting in a fast for forty years, so that Jerusalem would not be destroyed.

[Rabbi Tzadok sat in a fast — before the destruction — for forty years,

so that Jerusalem would not be destroyed].

And as a result of the many fasts:

When

Rabbi Tzadok

would eat something, it could be seen from outside.

[When Rabbi Tzadok would eat something, the food could be seen through his emaciated throat, weakened by hunger].

And when he became well, they would bring him dried figs, he would suck out their moisture, and throw them away.

And when he finished his fasts and wished to restore himself, they would bring him dried figs, and he would suck out the moisture in them, and throw them away.

And Marta ate those discarded dried figs, and as a result she fell ill, and ultimately died.

When her soul was departing

of Marta,

she brought out all the gold and silver and threw it in the marketplace,

because

she said: “For what do I need this?”

When Marta inclined toward death, she brought out all her gold and silver and threw them into the marketplace, because she said: “What need have I of all this!?”].

And this is what is written

[Ezekiel 7:19]: “

They shall throw their silver in the streets,

and their gold shall be for an abomination; their silver and their gold shall not be able to save them on the day of the wrath of the Lord; their soul shall not be satisfied, and their innards shall not be filled, for it was the stumbling block of their iniquity.”

The Gemara continues to recount the developments in Jerusalem on account of the siege and the famine: “

Abba Sikkara”—

the head of the brigands of Jerusalem—

was the son of the sister of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai.

The head of the brigands of Jerusalem—his name was “Abba Sikkara” —

was the son of the sister of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai.

He sent to him—

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai—a messenger with a request:

Come secretly to me.

Come to me secretly, so that the other brigands would not notice you.

He came

[he came,] “Abba Sikkara” to Rabbi Yohanan;

he said to him

Rabbi Yohanan:

Until when will you act this way and kill the world through famine!?

Until when will you do this, killing this entire congregation through famine!?

Abba Sikkara said to him

to Rabbi Yohanan:

But

what can I do!?

For if I say anything to them, they will kill me!

But what can I possibly do? For if I merely say something to them about this matter, they will kill me.

Rabban Yohanan said to him

to Abba Sikkara:

Devise a stratagem for me, so that I may go out,

and

perhaps there will be a little salvation.

Find some stratagem for me by which I can leave the city without the brigands preventing me, for perhaps through this there will be a little salvation for the inhabitants of the city.

He said to him

[he gave him advice,] Abba Sikkara:

Pretend to be ill, and let everyone come and inquire after you, and bring something putrid and place it beside you, and let them say that you have died.

Spread a rumor about yourself that you are ill, and as a result people will come to inquire after your welfare, and it will become known that you are ill; and after some time place some putrid thing beside you,

so that the report will spread that Rabban Yohanan has died.

And let your disciples enter to you, and let no other person enter to you, so that they will not notice that you are light, for they know that a living person is lighter than a dead person;

and indeed

he did

Rabbi Yohanan

so.

Issue an instruction that only your disciples should carry your bier, and no other person, so that they would not notice that you are light when they come, for those engaged in burial know that the living are lighter than the dead, and they would understand that you are not dead; and Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai did so.

They entered him,

that is, they took up his bier,

Rabbi Eliezer from one side and Rabbi Yehoshua from the other side.

When they reached the entrance, they wished

those brigands

to stab him, he said to them

Abba Sikkara:

“They will say: They stabbed their master.”

When the funeral procession reached the gate of Jerusalem—the place where the brigands guarded, so that no one would dare leave and make peace with the Romans—the brigands wished to stab the “dead man” with spears, to make certain that he was indeed dead and was not deceiving them;

Abba Sikkara said to them: Do not do this, for they will say: “They stabbed their master.”

They wished

the brigands

to push him, he said to them

Abba Sikkara:

“They will say: They pushed their master.”

The brigands at least wished to push the “dead man,” so that he would cry out if he were alive; Abba Sikkara said to them: Do not do even this, because they will say: “They pushed their master.”

They opened for him

the brigands

the gate, and he went out.

The brigands opened the gate, and Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai left the city on the bier.

When he reached

[when he arrived,] Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai

there,

to the place of Vespasian,

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai said

to Vespasian:

“Peace be upon you, king!”

[Peace be upon you, king!]

“Peace be upon you, king!”

Vespasian said to him

to Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai:

You are liable for two executions:

One, that

this

I am not a king, and you call me king; and furthermore, if I am a king, why until now did you not come to me!?

You are liable for two deaths:

The first: I am not a king, and you mock me when you call me “king.”

The second: if I am indeed a king, as you say, why did you not come to me until today!?

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai said to him

to Vespasian, I will answer you concerning your claims one by one:

a.

Concerning what you said, “I am not a king”:

what you said: “I am not a king.”