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Topics Covered
An explanation of Rebbi Chanina ben Teradyon’s martyrdom in sanctification of Hashem’s Name
Why Rebbi Chanina didn’t agree to hasten his own death
Why he agreed to allow the gentile executioner to hasten his death
His fear that his torments would lead him to question Hashem
Tisha B’Av : ונהפוך הוא “And it was reversed“
I
Explaining the martyrdom and death of Rebbi Chanina ben Teradyon
One of the most moving parts of the services of Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av is the account of the cruel executions of the famous ten martyrs (on Yom Kippur in the piyyut, “Eileh Ezkerah” and on Tisha B’Av in the kinah, “Arzei Halevanon”). One of these martyrs was Rebbi Chanina ben Teradyon, whose “crime” was to teach Torah publicly. The Romans paid him back in kind by publicly burning him with the Torah scroll that he taught from.
The source of the story is in Maseches Avodah Zarah 18a:
[The Romans] found Rebbi Chanina ben Teradyon, who was sitting and learning Torah and gathering public groups, with a Torah scroll in his lap.
They brought him [to be sentenced] and wrapped him in the Torah scroll and surrounded him with bundles of branches and set fire to them. They brought tufts of wool and soaked them in water and placed them on his heart so that his soul would not leave him quickly.
His daughter told him, “Father, must I see you like this?” He told her, “If I alone were being burned, the matter would have been difficult for me. But now that I am being burned together with a Torah scroll, He Who seeks [retribution for] the insult to the Torah scroll will seek [retribution] for the insult to me.”
His students said to him, “Our Rebbi, what do you see?” He told them, “The parchment is burning, and the letters are flying.” [They said to him,] “Open your mouth, and let the fire enter [you].” He told them, “Better that He Who gave it should take it and I not harm myself.”
The executioner said to him, “My Rebbi, if I increase the flame and take the tufts of wool off your heart, will you promise me life in the World to Come?” He told him, “Yes.” [The executioner said to him,] “Swear to me!” He swore to him. Immediately, [the executioner] increased the flame and removed the tufts of wool on [Rebbi Chanina ben Teradyon’s] heart. His soul left quickly. [The executioner] leaped into the fire. A heavenly voice proclaimed, “Rebbi Chanina ben Teradyon and the executioner are destined for the life of the World to Come.”
Rebbi [Rebbi Yehudah Hanasi] wept and said, “There is a person who acquires his World [to Come] in [only] one hour and someone who acquires his World [to Come only] after a number of years.”
Why Rebbi Chanina didn’t agree to hasten his own death but agreed to have a gentile do so?
Rebbi Chanina ben Teradyon was prepared to suffer to sanctify Hashem’s name, and to that end he refused to hasten his own death. Nevertheless, he agreed to allow a gentile to do so and, furthermore, promised that gentile the life of the World to Come. But why did he agree?
One may say that when Rebbi Chanina ben Teradyon said that he saw the parchment burning and the letters flying, he was referring not only to the Torah scroll, but to himself as well: as his body was being burned, his soul, which is compared to the letters of the Torah, flew up to its Father in heaven, and he wanted his soul to rise with holiness and purity, like letters of the Torah, to eternal life.
However, Rebbi Chanina feared that as a result of the severe torments he was suffering, he would soon question the justice of Hashem and regret having taught the people Torah. He would lose his merits and damage his soul. He feared his soul would no longer be comparable to the lights and letters of the Torah, and he would lose his share in the World to Come. Thus, he found himself caught in a dilemma. To actively take his life was forbidden, but to continue suffering without a degradation of his spirituality, was no longer possible.
The executioner resolved a dilemma similar to the ram at “Akeidas Yitzchak“
One may say that Hashem opened the eyes and heart of the executioner to see Rebbi Chanina ben Teradyon’s holiness and greatness (see Tosafos ibid. s.v. Mah Atah Roeh on the executioner’s exalted spiritual attainment) and in contrast the vanities of this world, and he yearned for truth and the life of the World to Come. That insight is similar to Avraham gaining sight of the ram caught in the thicket, which made it possible for him to consummate the Akeidah, thus sanctifying Hashem’s Name completely and with all the necessary pure intentions. To that end, in order that he be spared casting any doubt on Hashem’s justice or regretting his earlier good deeds, he was prepared to hasten his death via the agency of another person, and even at the cost of promising a gentile the World to Come.
Proof from Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah
When I related this idea to my teacher and dear friend, the gaon Rabbi Yochanan Bechhofer, author of Even Shesiyah, he agreed that this is certainly the straightforward meaning of this story. He added that this idea is consistent with the Sages’ statement about Chanania, Mishael and Azariah, who willingly entered a fiery furnace in sanctification of Hashem’s name: “Had Chanania, Mishael, and Azariah been given lashes, they would have worshipped the graven image” (Kesubos 33b). In other words, severe torment is a greater test of faith than a martyr’s death that only lasts an instant. Rebbi Chanina ben Teradyon wanted to be spared that fate.
Faith for the generations
Rebbi Chanina ben Teradyon defied the Romans by openly teaching Torah to his students, ignoring their edict prohibiting Torah study. The Romans arrested and then subjected him to a public tortured slow death, wishing to show the Jews the consequences for disobedience. In the end, the Romans did not break Rebbi Chanina’s spirit. Instead, it was Rebbi Chanina in his martyrdom who prevailed. This Jewish hero, through his sacrifice and act of Kiddush Hashem, profoundly affected and inspired those around him and countless others in future generations. Remarkably, this tzaddik‘s great spiritual presence even sparked a transformation in his Roman executioner who unexpectedly turned from and repented his wicked acts and suddenly desired to enter the World to Come.
The placement of the tefillah of the ten martyrs on Yom Kippur at the end of reenactment of the priestly avodah service is most fitting because the avodah service is considered one of the holiest parts of the Yom Kippur service. The most moving martyrs’ tefillah is a parallel to the binding of Yitzchak – Akeidas Yitzchak by our founding forefather Avraham, a theme which is also prominently featured in the Yom Kippur liturgy.
We will soon encounter the forefather who is most famous for forging the path of faith and emunah for the Jewish people. In Sefer Bereishis, Avraham’s unwavering faith and emunah in Hashem and the ten tests of faith he achieved establish the foundation of faith and resilience for his children, the Jewish people.
Rebbi Chanina’s story and that of the other ten martyrs remain a testament to the unbreakable spirit and faith of the Jewish people. We are a nation of steadfast faith in Hashem which sustains us through trials and tribulations, persecutions, and attacks throughout the generations. This unbreakable faith is the bedrock of our resilience.
II
Tisha B’Av : ונהפוך הוא “And it was reversed“
The shared destiny of Purim and Tishah B’Av
One of the most stirring and moving halachos of Tishah B’Av is that Tachanun (prayer of supplication) is not recited on that day (Orach Chaim 559:4). How surprising! Tishah B’Av is the saddest, most painful, and most bitter day on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Beis HaMikdash and the beginning of our long and bitter exile. How is it possible that specifically on a day of such profound, heavy, and tearful mourning, we omit Tachanun?
The answer lies in the remarkable destiny of this day. Even at the time of the destruction, the prophet refers to Tishah B’Av as a מוֹעֵד “moed” (holiday) (Eicha 1:15). Chazal reveal to us the Divine secret, namely that the prophet Zechariah already foretold:צוֹם הָרְבִיעִי וְצוֹם הַחֲמִישִׁי וְצוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וְצוֹם הָעֲשִׂירִי יִהְיֶה לְבֵית יְהוּדָה לְשָׂשׂוֹן וּלְשִׂמְחָה וּלְמֹעֲדִים טוֹבִים. “The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth month, the fast of the seventh month, and the fast of the tenth month will become occasions of joy and gladness and joyous festivals for the House of Yehudah” (Zechariah 8:19). Because this day is destined to be transformed from a day of fasting and profound mourning into a day of tremendous joy, even amid our deep sorrow we already carry within our hearts the burning hope of our ultimate destiny. The omission of Tachanun expresses our complete bitachon and our fierce emunah that the day will come when Tishah B’Av will truly become a moed, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu comforts His people and rebuilds Yerushalayim.
This future transformation reminds us of another chag whose entire essence is וְנַהֲפוֹךְ הוּא, “reversal”, namely, Purim! Purim commemorates the tremendous and miraculous transformation from the brink of the annihilation of the entire Jewish people to a wondrous salvation, brought about through the hidden hashgacha (providence) of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. What appeared to be the end of the Jewish people became the beginning of their redemption.
The Talmud Yerushalmi teaches that in the future, the days of Purim will never cease to be celebrated, even when the other yomim tovim become overshadowed by the arrival of the complete Redemption. (This is cited as halachah by the Rambam at the end of Hilchos Megillah.) How moving it is to see that Tishah B’Av will also endure, because of the future transformation already concealed within the nature of the day itself. Tishah B’Av is destined to blossom into a day of joy and great celebration.
In this profound and exalted sense, Purim and Tishah B’Av are linked by a remarkable shared destiny. Chazal alluded to this when they said: “Rabbi Yehudah, the son of Rabbi Shmuel bar Sheilas, said in the name of Rav: “Just as we decrease joy when Av begins, so do we increase joy when Adar begins” (Taanis 29a). Both embody the Divine principle of וְנַהֲפוֹךְ הוּא, “And it was reversed.” Purim celebrates the sudden transformation from imminent annihilation to the joy of salvation. Tishah B’Av, the day on which Moshiach Tzidkeinu is destined to be born, will celebrate the greatest and most complete transformation of all: from nearly two thousand years of exile, destruction, and bitter tears to the redemption we long for with all our heart, the building of the Third Beis HaMikdash, and eternal consolation. We will then celebrate with tremendous joy, כִּי בָא מוֹעֵד “For the appointed time has come!” (Tehillim 102:14).
Purim and Tishah B’Av mirror one another. Each embodies the profound principle of וְנַהֲפוֹךְ הוּא, “And it was reversed.” Purim celebrates the sudden transformation from imminent annihilation to the celebration of our salvation, a joy that we have celebrated for more than two thousand years and will continue to celebrate in the era of Redemption. Tishah B’Av, by contrast, recalls nearly two thousand years of mourning over the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash. Yet it too will ultimately be transformed into a festival of eternal joy when the long exile gives way to the complete Redemption and the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash. Both days bear the imprint of וְנַהֲפוֹךְ הוּא, “And it was reversed,” Purim from its very inception, and Tishah B’Av in its remarkable destiny.
We eagerly look forward and wait, with burning hearts and yearning souls, for that great day, the great revelation of כִּי בָא מוֹעֵד “For the appointed time has come,” when the hidden quality of Tishah B’Av as a מוֹעֵד will be revealed for all to see, amid joy and great celebration for all eternity, speedily in our days. Amen, may it be His will.