See also: Johanan (name).
Yohanan ben Zakkai (Hebrew: יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי|Yōḥānān ben Zakkaʾy; 1st century CE), sometimes abbreviated as for Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, was a tanna, an important Jewish sage during the late Second Temple period during the transformative post-destruction era. He was a primary contributor to the core text of Rabbinic Judaism, the Mishnah. His name is often preceded by the honorific title Rabban. He is widely regarded as one of the most important Jewish figures of his time, and his escape from the Roman destruction of Jerusalem (which allowed him to continue teaching) may have been instrumental in Rabbinic Judaism's survival post-Temple. His tomb is located in Tiberias within the Maimonides burial compound.
Yohanan was the first Jewish sage attributed the title of rabbi in the Mishnah.[1]
The Talmud reports that, in the mid-first century, he was particularly active in opposing the Sadducees' interpretations of Jewish law,[2] [3] and produced counter-arguments to the Sadducees' objection to the Pharisees.[4] So dedicated was he to opposing the Sadducee view of Jewish law, that he prevented the Jewish high priest, who was a Sadducee, from following the Sadducee interpretation of the Red Heifer ritual.[5] His home, at this time, was in Arav, a village in the Galilee, where he spent eighteen years.[6] [7] However, although living among them, he found the attitude of Galileans to be objectionable, allegedly exclaiming that they hated the Torah and would therefore "fall into the hands of robbers."[6] During the outbreak of hostilities, he settled in Jerusalem. During the siege of Jerusalem in the First Jewish–Roman War, he argued in favour of peace; according to the Talmud, when he found the anger of the besieged populace to be intolerable, he arranged a secret escape from the city inside a coffin, helped by his nephew and Zealot leader Ben Batiach, so that he could negotiate with Vespasian (who, at this time, was still just a military commander).[6] [8] Yochanan correctly predicted that Vespasian would become Emperor, and that the temple would soon be destroyed; in return, Vespasian granted Yochanan three wishes: the salvation of Yavne and its sages, the descendants of Rabban Gamliel, who was of the Davidic dynasty, and a physician to treat Rabbi Tzadok, who had fasted for 40 years to stave off the destruction of Jerusalem.[9]
Upon the destruction of Jerusalem, Yochanan converted his school at Yavne into the Jewish religious centre, insisting that certain privileges, given by Jewish law uniquely to Jerusalem, should be transferred to Yavne.[10] His school functioned as a re-establishment of the Sanhedrin, so that Judaism could decide how to deal with the loss of the sacrificial altars of the temple in Jerusalem, and other pertinent questions. Referring to a passage in the Book of Hosea, "I desired mercy, and not sacrifice",[11] he helped persuade the council to replace animal sacrifice with prayer,[12] a practice that continues in today's worship services; eventually Rabbinic Judaism emerged from the council's conclusions.
In his last years he taught at Bror Hayil, a location near Yavne.[13] His habitude was to wear his Tefillin (phylacteries) all throughout the day, both in summer and winter.[14] However, during the hot summer months, he only wore his arm phylactery.[14] His students were present at his deathbed, and were requested by him, in his penultimate words, according to the Talmudic record, to reduce the risk of ritual contamination conveyed by a corpse:
More enigmatic were the Talmud's record of his last words, which seem to relate to Jewish messianism:
According to the Talmud, Yochanan ben Zakkai lived 120 years.[15] His students returned to Yavneh upon his death, and he was buried in the city of Tiberias; eleven centuries later, Maimonides was buried nearby. In his role as leader of the Jewish Council, he was succeeded by Gamliel II.
The following story is related in the Jewish classic, Avoth deRabbi Nathan (version B, chapter 4:5), concerning the war with Rome.
Jewish tradition records Yohanan ben Zakkai as being extremely dedicated to religious study, claiming that no one ever found him engaged in anything but study.[16] He is considered to be someone who passed on the teachings of his predecessors; on the other hand, numerous homiletic and exegetical sayings are attributed to him[17] and he is known for establishing a number of edicts in the post-destruction era:[18]
If you are holding a sapling in your hand and someone tells you, 'Come quickly, the Messiah is here!', first finish planting the tree and then go to greet the Messiah.[19]
If you have been studious in learning the Torah, do not take credit to yourself, since it is to this end that you were created.[20] [21]
Some of Rabbi Yohanan's comments were of an esoteric nature. On one occasion he advises that mankind should seek to understand the infinity of God, by imagining the heavens being extended to unthinkable distances.[22] He argued that Job's piety was not based on the love of God, but on the fear of Him.[23]
He was challenged to resolve several biblical curiosities by a Roman commander, who was familiar with the Torah, but whose name has been lost in confusion. Among the issues were the fact that the numbers[24] [25] [26] in the Book of Numbers didn't add up to their totals,[27] [28] and the reasoning behind the ritual of the red heifer;[29] on this latter question the answer he gave didn't satisfy his own students, so he decreed that the ritual was one that shouldn't be questioned.[30]
He is buried in HaRambam compound / complex in Tiberias / Tveria.
Other notable rabbis also buried in HaRambam compound / complex:
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