The Maccabaean

JERUSALEM was surrounded by mountains and fortified with a double wall; Jabneh lost its wall as soon as it became a Jewish city. Jerusalem had room for the Jews of all Palestine who sojourned there for the holidays; Jabneh had space for but a few. Jerusalem was the capital, the seat of the kings and high priests; Jabneh was only the haunt of a few poor scholars, Jerusalem had the distinction of having God's temple standing in its midst; Jabneh had no temple, and with the exception of the shrine forced upon it by Caligius, never saw an altar. Jerusalem was the mecca of the Jews; Jabneh was known to but a few. The voice of Jerusalem was law; the cry of Jabneh passed unheard.

And yet Jabneh conquered Jerusalem. Jabneh saved the cause of Judaism.

When the enemy, Rome, directed its forces against Jerusalem, the. youngest and most vigorous of "the nation rose to defend it. Hunger and thirst were defied, in an effort to save the capital, Jerusalem. When bread was no more, food was made of animals; when animals were consumed, fasting was resorted to. No enemy was strong enough for Jerusalem. Jerusalem was not to fall. As long as there was one to defend the city, it was to stand. It was a struggle for national existence. It was a fight between two cities, Rome and Jerusalem, between two philosophies, two religions. It was no petty matter the saving of Jerusalem. When one hero fell, two others arose; when one man died of starvation, two infants survived.

When Jerusalem could resist no longer, when its fall was imminent, when even the fasting of Rabbi Zodak could avail no longer, a rescuer arose who would not let the nation fall, who would not let its culture be consumed by a foreign foe. It was Rabbi Jochanan Ben Zakkai, the preserver of Jabneh.

It is not very heroic to steal through the walls of a fighting city, to disguise oneself as a corpse, but to save a nation’s ideals, to prolong national existence that and more was justified. No traitor was Rabbi Jochanan Ben Zakkai, no spy was he for the Romans. The cause of Jerusalem was just and as near to his heart as to that of the young, the fighting party. Due respect to the young Jews who were battling for their nation, due credit to the heroes, who after three years of siege were as determined as at the beginning to conquer or to die. With Rabbi Jochanan Ben Zakkai the cause of the nation not of the city was at stake, A city may be destroyed and rebuilt. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, Ezra rebuilt it. Even a temple that has been destroyed may be built anew. It is the spirit, the ideal of the nation that must be saved against destruction. Without a capitol, without a fortification, even without a temple it may be kept alive. If there are priests they will preserve the ideal, they will build for it a sanctuary, they will bring sacrifices on altar. If there are no steers they will offer up their own bodies; if there is no oil, they will pour their own blood; if there are no trumpets to sound in praise, they will raise their own voices to God. As long as there are priests there will be a temple, though it have only the heart as its sanctuary; as long as there

is an ideal, there will be a nation, and if the country is destroyed they will rebuild it in time.

So did Rabbi Jochanan plead with the young Jews who thought that only by preserving Jerusalem could they save all that was good in their nation; who feared that with the destruction of the city, the whole nation would fall, who feared that Rome with its iron hand would extinguish the last spark of Judaism. Rabbi Jochanan too, sought a center, but he cared not how far it was removed from Jerusalem, from the site of the temple, as long as it was in the holy land, he asked not for the height of its walls nor the strength of its army. Let each man but stand by his brother, each heart warm the other, and the nation cannot fall.

Why did Jochanan not plead with Vespasies for the preservation of Jerusalem? He knew such a request would be useles. He would without doubt have been shot down by the newly-elected king of Rome, who was determined to return with the heart of the Jewish nation in his hand, the vessels of the temple in his chariot. Jochanan knew that the enemy wanted Jerusalem, that Rome was determined upon the annexation of the Holy City. They could have the city, they could take the temple, provided they left a tiny center, a little town, a small Jabneh, in the land of the Tews.

N eh en” Aa Let the enemy laugh at this insignificant request of the sage of Israel, let even the learned men scoff “God put the wise men backward.” Jochanan knows that Jabneh will suit his purpose. He does not ask that all the Jews go there in order to make a center of it. Just a handful will suffice, a few learned men. They will restore the national learning, they will keep alive the national ideals. And, if in time, Jabneh, becomes too small the center may be moved elsewhere, anywhere at all

Jerusalem did fall. Rome with its military strategy broke through the strong walls, sided and abetted by some that played false to their country. Rome was jubilant. It had conquered the stronghold that had resisted Egypt and Greece, that had defied Persia and Assyria. With the Jewish nation destroyed it was now to be the ruler of the universe and Jupiter was to reign on high as its God.

re <> Vs En ie <> ee N Near 3 Away in a little corner of Jerusalem were huddled together a few, old men, with no sword in their hands, their eyes moistened with tears, their bodies wasted with hunger—a sorry remnant of the once glorious city—the decrepit father of the lion-hearted sons who had fallen in battle with Rome.

Occasionally a Roman general would pass through the town of Jabneh, and note with surprise how the old Jews would look at the stars and bless God for the new moon. Is that of any significance to .Rome? Why do the old men of Jabneh send messengers to their brethren of other towns to announce the new moon? It is of no significance, only an old, old custom, handed down by some religious fanatics. And so the general went on his way, unheeding what he saw.

And the Jews in Jabneh continued to look at the moon, to meet it each month with blessings. And they added another day to the holidays, and prayed three times daily for the preservance of the Jewish nation. One man taught the other, and learning de-