WHENEVER THE OUTSTANDING DISCIPLES of Rabban Jochanan ben Zakkai were enumerated, Rabbi Joshua ben Chanania was accorded second place. Rabban Jochanan himself referred to him as “the triple thread” because he combined within himself the virtues of Torah, wisdom and fear of God; on another occasion Rabban Jochanan is said to have exclaimed: “Happy is the mother who gives birth to such a son.” Rabbi Joshua’s mother well deserved this praise, for even before his birth she frequented the academies in order to influence the future of the child which she bore within herself with the spirit of the Torah. When Rabbi Joshua was still an infant, she was in the habit of bringing him in his cradle to the academy that he might absorb the words of the Torah.1)ירושלמי יבמות פרק א׳ הלכה ו׳.
Rabbi Joshua began his activities while the temple was still in existence and he served as a Levite among the “singers.” Years later he described the festival of the drawing of water which was then celebrated on the night following the first day of Succoth, and during which no one had any sleep because of the numerous ceremonies practiced. On the morning of the first day of Succoth everybody arose early to offer the daily morning sacrifice, then the Levites sang a hymn after which it was time to offer the special holiday sacrifice. Following this all went to the academy and then home to partake of the holiday repast, but before that could be consumed it was time again for the “Mincha” offering and then began the festivities of the drawing of water which passed in rejoicing and dancing until the early hours of the morning when it was time again for the morning sacrifice. Those who became exceedingly tired would lean on someone’s shoulder and nap while standing up.2)סוכה נ״ג א׳.
Rabbi Joshua was not favored with an attractive appearance3)תענית ז׳ א׳. but he was gifted with great talent for studies and his teacher found him worthy enough to confide to him the greatest mysteries of the Torah. Legend relates that Rabbi Joshua was going on a journey with his comrade Rabbi Jose Hacohen on a hot summer day. On the way Rabbi Joshua began to expound the mysteries of the Divine Chariot and the sky suddenly became overcast with clouds, a rainbow appeared and angels gathered to hear his lecture even as people gather to a wedding.
When Rabbi Jose related this to Rabban Jochanan ben Zakkai the latter exclaimed: “Happy are you and happy are the mothers that bore you. My eyes rejoice to see this. In my dreams I see us all sitting on Mount Sinai and a voice is calling to us to go farther where we will find great palaces and magnificent rugs will be spread before our feet and we shall take our place in the front rows among those who sit before the Shechina.”4)חגיגה י״ד ב׳.
Together with Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, Rabbi Joshua aided his master Rabban Jochanan ben Zakkai to flee from Jerusalem before its destruction and he then followed him wherever he went. He is always mentioned as second to Rabbi Eliezer, although he was a pupil of Rabban Jochanan before Rabbi Eliezer arrived, for when Rabban Jochanan invited Rabbi Eliezer to eat, he said that he had eaten with Rabbi Joshua.
Like his master Rabbi Joshua too did not greatly mourn the destruction of Jerusalem. Thus the Talmud relates5)בבא בתרא ס׳ ב׳. that many Jews renounced the eating of flesh and the drinking of wine after the destruction. Rabbi Eliezer asked them: “My children, why do you abstain from flesh and wine?” and the people answered: “How can we eat when flesh is no longer offered on the altar and how can we drink wine when wine is no more poured on the altar.”
To this Rabbi Joshua replied: “You are quite right, my children. But if we should do as you say then we must also give up eating bread which is made out of flour, for flour is no longer offered on the altar; and if you will say that one can do without flour by eating fruit then must we also give up eating fruit, for the offering of the first fruit to the priest has been done away with; we should also give up drinking water because it is no longer poured over the altar.”
The people then remained silent not knowing what to answer and Rabbi Joshua continued: “If I were to say that we should not mourn at all that would be impossible, but one must also not surrender himself entirely to sorrow. It is necessary to mourn in such a manner that everyone should be able to bear it and that the mourning should not interfere with people’s lives.”
Very few legal decisions are quoted in the name of Rabbi Joshua ben Chanania and whenever he did pronounce a legal opinion he credited it to Rabban Jochanan ben Zakkai or to some other teacher. Most of the time he was in opposition to Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, but despite these differences of opinion they were close friends for many years until the great dispute regarding the “winding oven” when they became separated.
Rabbi Joshua visited Rome and Alexandria several times together with Rabban Gamliel and other scholars on behalf of the Jewish people. It seems that he was favored by the Gentile scholars and rulers who disputed with him regarding Judaism. His wisdom was also appreciated and the emperor once asked him to tell him the dream which he saw that night. Knowing that the emperor was planning a war with the Persians Rabbi Joshua said: “In your dream you saw the Persians dragging you into captivity; they forced you to do hard labor and they beat you with a golden rod.” The emperor may not have had such a dream the previous night but after he brooded over this all day he saw this dream the following night.6)ברכות נ״ו א׳.
Another time the emperor asked him why the Sabbath foods have such a pleasing aroma. Rabbi Joshua said to him: “We have a herb the name of which is Sabbath; this herb we mix with food and it improves its flavor.” “Will you not give me some of these herbs,” the emperor asked him, but Rabbi Joshua replied: “Whoever does not observe the Sabbath will get no benefit out of these herbs.”7)שבת קי״ט א׳.
Like Rabban Gamliel and other scholars, Rabbi Joshua also knew the languages of the neighboring peoples, and for this reason he was frequently chosen to represent the Jews before the rulers. Once it became necessary to gain the intercession of a matron who was influential among the Roman rulers. The scholars then asked: “Who will go to that matron?” and Rabbi Joshua volunteered.
He went accompanied by several of his disciples and when they approached within a distance of four ells of the house, Rabbi Joshua removed his phylacteries and, entering the house, he closed the door behind himself and his disciples remained outside. When he emerged he bathed and then he went to finish the studies for that day.
Thinking that his disciples might suspect him of some evil he asked them: “When you saw me remove the phylacteries before entering the house, what did you think of it?” and they replied: “We thought, that you did not want to bring a holy object into an unclean place.” “And what did you think when you saw me close the door and leave you outside?” he further asked. His disciples replied: “We thought that you wished to discuss some political question.” “And when you saw me bathe after I left the house, what did you think?” he asked, and they answered him: “We thought you bathed because of the possibility that while speaking to her a particle of her saliva may have fallen on your clothes.” Then Rabbi Joshua said to them: “I swear to you that I did all these things even for the same reasons that you thought.”8)שבת קכ״ז א׳.
The emperor once said to Rabbi Joshua: “It is written in the Torah that God is just and that he rewards each one according to his deeds, then why are there so many blind, deaf and lame people who suffer without cause because they were born crippled before they had an opportunity to sin?” And Rabbi Joshua answered him: “God knows what he does and if he creates a person with some disability it is a sign that such a man is wicked and he is therefore punished in advance for his sins.” “But how can this be proved?” the emperor asked. “Give me,” Rabbi Joshua said to him, “two of your men as witnesses and a thousand golden coins and I will prove to you that what I say is true.” The emperor then gave him what he asked and Rabbi Joshua went together with the two men to a person who was born blind and he said to him: “The emperor commanded that I be put to death and I have a thousand golden coins which I want you to keep for me. If I will be killed the money will be yours, but if my life will be spared then you will return it to me.” The blind man answered: “It shall be even as you say.”
Then Rabbi Joshua gave the money to the man and three months later he returned together with the witnesses and said to him: “The emperor has spared my life and now I want you to return to me the money which I gave you to guard for me.” But the blind man answered: “What money have you given me? I know of none.”
Rabbi Joshua appeared to be angry and he brought the man before the emperor for trial, but even there the blind man denied that he had received money and when the witnesses testified against him he claimed that they were false witnesses. Then Rabbi Joshua said to him: “Woe to you, blind man, that you will in no way have any use of the money, for I have seen your wife entertaining another man and saying to him that as soon as the emperor will put you to death she will spend the money together with him.”
Upon hearing this the blind man immediately ran home and brought the money which he placed before the emperor. Rabbi Joshua then said to him: “Now you can see that our God was just when he made this man blind, for even in his blindness he is a criminal; how much more so would he have been if he could see.”9)תנא דבי אליהו זוטא פ׳ כ״ג.
We remarked before that Rabbi Joshua did not possess a pleasing appearance but he was very wise, and the king’s daughter, who admitted knowledge, enjoyed discussing matters with him. Unable to restrain herself she once said to him: “Is it possible that such wisdom should be contained in such an ungainly vessel?” Rabbi Joshua said to her: “Why is it that your father, who is an emperor, keeps his wine in a clay vessel the same as all other people? Why does he not keep it in a silver or golden vessel?” The princess inquired of her father and he explained to her that good wine would soon spoil in a silver or golden vessel. She then understood what Rabbi Joshua meant to tell her.
Rabbi Joshua’s debates with the emperor are frequently mentioned in various Midrashim and the name of the emperor is given as Hadrian, who later permitted the rebuilding of the temple. According to the Midrash, this permission was obtained by Rabbi Joshua.
It is told that the emperor once said to Rabbi Joshua: “I am greater than your master Moses, for he is dead but I am alive.” To this Rabbi Joshua responded: “Can you decree that people should not light fires in their houses for three consecutive days?” “Yes, I can do so,” the emperor answered and he immediately issued such a decree. That same evening the emperor and Rabbi Joshua went out of the gates of the palace for a stroll and they saw smoke issuing out of a chimney. Rabbi Joshua said to him: “Look, even while you live, your commandments are ignored while our teacher Moses commanded many centuries ago that no fire be lit on the Sabbath and to this day no Jew will make a fire on Sabbath.”10)קהלת רבה פּרשה ב׳ פּיסקא ח׳.
At that time disputes frequently occurred in a place called “Bei Avidan.”*)The place of disputes between Jews and their opponents that was named “Bei Avidan” is mentioned in the Talmud a number of times. (Shabbath, 116; Avoda Zara, 17, etc.) The meaning of the name is not clear and it is also uncertain who the opponents were. Some would have it that ״אבידן״ is an erroneous form of ״אביון״ and that the disputes were with the Christians who were then called “Ebionim.” Others say it is the name of a Persian sect and the disputes were held with Persians. The aim of these was to dissuade Jews from their faith. Rabbi Joshua attended these a number of times but later he stopped going. When the emperor once came to the disputing ground and did not find Rabbi Joshua there he later asked him why he was absent. In his usual allegorical fashion Rabbi Joshua answered him: “My mountain is already covered with snow and the foot of the mountain is bedecked with ice. My dogs no longer bark, nor do my grindstones turn, and when I walk it seems as if I search for that which I have not lost.” With these words Rabbi Joshua implied that he feels his age; his head is white as snow and his beard and moustache are grey as ice; his voice is hoarse and he has difficulty in speaking; his teeth can no longer chew and when he walks he is bent as if in search of something.
Hadrian, who later became relentless in his persecution of the Jews, once wanted to permit the Jews to restore the temple. This permission is said to have been obtained by Rabbi Joshua ben Chanania. But the emperor later changed his mind and rescinded his permission. Some historians maintain that the intervention of the Samaritans was responsible for this but others advance different reasons. The rescinding of this permission almost caused a new uprising but Rabbi Joshua calmed the enraged mob with an allegoric tale.
“The lion,” he related, “once choked with a bone which became lodged in his throat. He therefore announced throughout the land that whoever will remove the bone will be richly rewarded. The stork came and with its long bill it extracted the bone. When the stork demanded its reward the lion said to it: ‘You want reward? Is it not enough for you that you have been within the mouth of the lion and you have come out alive?’”
Hearing this story the people understood its moral and their rebellious mood was calmed.
From what we know of the activities of Rabbi Joshua ben Chanania we may conclude that he made friends easily; he reserved his decisions and based them on a desire for peace; he was ready to arrive at compromises with the other scholars in order to avoid disputes. Speaking of the disputes between the opposing schools of Hillel and Shammai he said that these were being carried too far and were like “filling a barrel full of oil and then pouring water into it to spoil the oil.”
Following the death of Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Joshua apparently became the spiritual leader of the people. It is possible that because of his poverty he was not chosen Nasi, but since he headed his own academy in Pekiin and the Nasi of Jabneh was dead we may conclude that his importance was then of the highest.
Politically the period was one of commotion. This was the time of Trajan (Trachinus in the Talmud and Midrash) and Hadrian (Adrianus in the Talmud and Midrash) to whose name there was always added the curse ״שחיק טמיא״ (may his dead bones be ground). This period was therefore marked by constant decrees against the Jews and it was necessary to intercede continually in order to counteract their effects and also to keep a vigilant eye on what was going on among the Jews among whom rebellious moods began to rise as a result of these decrees.
As long as Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus lived his superiority was recognized by Rabbi Joshua as well as by the other scholars. But differences of opinion existed regarding the interpretation of various texts which deal with metaphysical matters or with the explanation of certain events in the history of the people as well as regarding future events during the advent of the Messiah and concerning the creation of the world, whether that took place in the month of Nisan or Tishri.
The belief was then accepted that every Jew is entitled to a share in the world to come and in the resurrection after he will pass the great Day of Judgment which will occur during the next redemption of the Jewish people. This belief grew out of observation that the fulfillment of some commandments, which is to be rewarded with long life, often entailed the immediate death of the observant.
Thus the Torah commands that “if you find on your way a nest of birds on a tree or on the ground containing birds or eggs you shall not take the mother with her offspring but you shall send the mother away and the offspring you may take for yourself in order that you may live long years. (Deut. 27:6, 7.) The same reward is also held out for the fulfillment of the commandment of honoring one’s father and mother: “Your years will be long and your portion will be good.” (Deut. 8:16.)
But it once occurred that a father said to his son: “Go to the pigeon roost and bring me some young doves.” The son did as his father commanded him and he also sent away the mother bird but on his way back he slipped and was killed. Then many people asked: “How could God do this since he promised in the Torah that these two commandments were to be rewarded with long life?” It was then explained that the reward was to be given in the future life and the text was interpreted to mean, “you shall enjoy this world which is perfect without pain and you shall live long years in the world which is eternal.”11)קדושין ל״ט ב׳, חולין קמ״ב א׳.
The belief that all Jews have a share in the world to come or in the resurrection, Rabbi Eliezer interpreted to exclude non-Jews. Non-Jews, he said, were not even to be called for the Day of Judgment; but Rabbi Joshua maintained that the just men among the Gentiles would have a share in the world to come. According to Rabbi Eliezer, the people of Sodom, the generation of desert wanderers and the congregation of Korah were to be excluded from the resurrection and from the Day of Judgment but Rabbi Joshua was more generous to these sinners and although he conceded that they were ruled out from the world to come he claimed that they would be called to the Judgment Day.
A saying of Rabbi Joshua which he frequently repeated stated that an evil eye, an evil thought and hatred of mankind drive a man out of the world. He particularly believed in the importance of peaceful relations between people and he also said that “a pious fool, a clever wicked man, an abstaining woman and the plague of Pharisaism—these four types spoil the world.” It was asked, what is a pious fool? The answer was given that a pious fool is one who sees a woman drowning and would not save her for fear of touching her body. A pious fool was also one who sees a child drowning and does not save it because he has not yet removed his phylacteries. An abstaining woman was defined as one who renounces her husband and the joys of the world; the plague of Pharisaism was explained to mean such Pharisees who strike their heads against a wall to show their piety.
When Hadrian permitted the restoration of the temple there were found human bones in the place where the wood chamber of the temple used to stand and some scholars wanted to declare all Jerusalem to be unclean. But Rabbi Joshua said: “It would be a shame for us to declare our sanctuary unclean. What if dead bones were found? Can anyone tell where the victims of the flood came to rest? Or those slaughtered by Nebuchadnezzar? Or the bodies of those killed in all the wars that took place to this day? The sanctity of the Land of Israel has been declared for all times and even when Jews are in exile, it cannot be profaned by dead bones.”12)זבחים קי״ג א׳.
The frequent debates of Rabbi Joshua with the emperor and the philosophers (one group of these philosophers is referred to in the Talmud as the Elders of Athens) are embellished by all sorts of legends. Nevertheless they contain an important religious significance. The Elders of Athens, it is told, once asked Rabbi Joshua: “Where is the middle of the world?” Pointing to the place where he stood, Rabbi Joshua declared it to be the middle of the world, and when they asked him how he knew this, he told them to take a line and measure the distance to convince themselves. Attempting to confuse him the Elders said to him: “We have a well in the desert and we want you to bring it into the city.” But Rabbi Joshua said: “For that I need a rope of bran, for only such a rope can be used for moving wells.”
Again they said to him: “We have a torn mill and we want you to patch it,” but he answered that for this a thread of sand was needed. The Elders then asked him: “What should one use to cut a labyrinth of knives?” and he replied: “With the horn of a donkey.” Once two eggs were brought to Rabbi Joshua and he was asked which egg was laid by a white hen and which by a black one. Another time the Elders of Athens said to him: “When a bird dies, where does its soul leave it?” and Rabbi Joshua replied: “The soul leaves through the same place that it enters at birth.” And when they asked: “Is there a case of something being brought into a house with great effort and the effort should cause damage?” he said, “When you bring a rug into the house and in doing so you break the door.”
To the debates between Rabbi Joshua and Hadrian the following may be added. Hadrian said: “You say that God creates new angels every day to praise him and after they finish their praise they go away; I would like to know whither they go.” And Rabbi Joshua answered, “They go to the place where they were created. They go to the River of Fire which flows day and night even as the Jordan flows day and night, and this River of Fire comes from the perspiration of the sacred animals which carry the throne of Glory.”
Then Hadrian said: “I have noticed that God’s name is mentioned in the first five of the Ten Commandments but it does not occur in the other five. How can you explain that?” Rabbi Joshua retorted: “Why is it, that wherever one looks he sees your statue, but in those places where a person goes to relieve himself he does not find your statue?” The emperor answered, “It is not fitting to place my image in unclean places.” “Neither is it fitting to mention God’s name together with murderers, adulterers, thieves, false witnesses and other sinners who are the refuse of humanity,” Rabbi Joshua replied.
Once Hadrian said to Rabbi Joshua: “I would believe in your God if you would only show him to me that I might know Him better.” “I can do that easily,” Rabbi Joshua said, “If you would see my God I will show him to you.” He then led the emperor outside on a hot summer day and told him to look at the sun, but the latter declared that he could not do so, for the sun blinds his eyes. Then Rabbi Joshua said, “If you cannot look at the face of the least servant of God, how can you expect to see Him?”13)חולין נ״ט ב׳.
Brilliant as were the retorts of Rabbi Joshua to the emperor and to the philosophers of Athens, he admitted that he was confounded—not by the emperor or a Gentile philosopher—but by a woman, a small boy and a girl.
Of how he was confounded by a woman Rabbi Joshua related in the following words: “Once I was lodging in a hostelry and the proprietress gave me beans to eat. I ate them all the first day and likewise on the second day. On the third day she put so much salt into the beans that I could not eat them. When she saw that I do not eat she asked why I don’t. I answered that I already ate. But the woman said to me: ‘If it is true, that you already ate, you would not have eaten the bread. There must be another reason for your not eating. You probably remembered that yesterday and the day before you left no “Peah”*)Peah was set aside from the food eaten from plates as well as from the grain in the fields. When eating everyone was supposed to leave some of the food which was later given to the cook or to poor people. from your food and you undoubtedly know that the scholars ruled that it is not necessary to offer Peah from the pot but from the plate.’”
“A little girl confounded me,” Joshua continued to relate, “when I was once going on my way and I had to cross a field. The little girl asked me: ‘Rabbi, is not this a field that you allow yourself to walk on it?’ But I said, it is a worn road. She said to me, “If this be a worn road then wicked people like you have made it so.’”
“A small boy confounded me,” Rabbi Joshua told, “when I was going on my way and I came to a place where the road separated. I asked the boy which way I should go to arrive at the city and he replied, ‘One way is shorter but longer, the other way is longer but shorter.’ I followed the road which the boy said was shorter but longer. When I approached the city I came to a place of gardens which I could not cross and I had to retrace my steps to follow the other road which the boy said was longer but shorter.”
With the death of Rabbi Joshua there ceased “wise counsel and good thoughts.” Rabbi Joshua was always victorious in his disputes with the opponents of the Jewish faith, and as he was dying the scholars said to each other: “Who will lead our disputes now that Rabbi Joshua is leaving us?”14)חגיגה ה׳ ב׳.