History repeats itself
Second Temple destroyed by internal Jewish conflict
The tragedy of the destruction of the Second Temple so often is illustrated with the Midrashic anecdote of Kamsa and Bar Kamsa. As the story goes, a wealthy man sends out invitations for an upcoming party. Mistakenly, an invitation is sent to the wealthy man’s nemesis, Bar Kamsa, instead of his friend, Kamsa. When Bar Kamsa arrives at the party, he is humiliated and forcibly removed by the wealthy host. This Talmudic record is used to illustrate the baseless hatred which inevitably brought on the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple.
It paints a picture perfect for educating our children. This sort of messaging is great for a simple lesson on loving one another, yet we forget the other part of the story. As Bar Kamsa is humiliated and embarrassed, everyone at the party stands by and lets it happen. Don’t forget, this was a wealthy man’s party, undoubtedly there were numerous rabbis and Jewish leaders in attendance. When Bar Kamsa sees that even the leaders of the community would not advocate on his behalf, he spitefully goes to the Roman Caesar with lies about a Jewish revolt. This incident was the starting point for the destruction of Jerusalem.
On June 11, at the Western Wall, a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews expressed intense hatred toward their fellow Jew at the most significant Jewish site. 39 Women of the Wall prayer books were grabbed, torn up and destroyed. Men of all ages jeered and laughed as dozens of holy books were vandalized. This hate crime can be likened to the baseless hatred we find in our history thousands of years ago. Sinat chinam, unfounded animosity for your fellow Jew, is unfortunately not a new problem.
That is not where the tragedy ends. The most disturbing aspect of this event was that not one Jewish leader said or did anything to stop it. In some communities, these acts of violence were encouraged. In fact, a clear correlation can be made from all the years and months of animosity leading up to this tragic occurrence were setting the stage for it to take place. Ultra-Orthodox rabbis, the Kotel rabbi included, have allowed and encouraged violence against the Women of the Wall. This event was not a one-off, and it is frightening to think of what may come after it.
It is known that the Second Temple’s destruction was caused by internal Jewish conflict. At the time, the Jewish world was plagued with intense political division and subsequent severe hostility within the community. However, what ultimately led to the end of the Temple period and what sent the Jews into exile, was the grim lack of Jewish leadership. The dissension within the Jewish nation was so tragic because the Jewish leaders of the time stood by and did nothing.
We must learn from our own history. Leaders of the Jewish community, rabbis and political figures alike, must put an end to the brutality taking place at the Western Wall. This is of absolute urgency. The only way we will continue to thrive as a nation is if our leaders step up to the plate and demand that all violence at the Western Wall will be treated as a punishable offense.