Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Tuesday Tel Aviv Torah: Rabbinic 'Meekness' and the Destruction of the Temple

Why is the Second Temple ultimately destroyed? And how can we prevent further national disasters?

In this week's Shiur, we focused on the story describing the Roman siege of Jerusalem and the city's ultimate destruction. Despite the usual suspects who hold responsibility for the tragedy - the Romans, Bar Kamtza or the Jewish zealots who burned down the storehouses as Jerusalem was under siege - Rabbi Yochanan chooses to pin the blame on one of the Rabbis – Zecharia Ben Avkulus and his 'anvetanut', generally translated as 'meekness'.

Through studying the story in the Gemara in context, as well as looking at some recent articles on Zecharia Ben Avkulus, its possible to suggest an understanding of what 'anvetanut' could mean and its contemporary relevance for us today.

Click here for the
audio recording. Click here for the source sheet.

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