Our Man of Bei Lapat: The Tale of The Prison Warden of Khuzistan (Taanit 22a)

Outline

1. Elijah Reveals the Hidden Righteousness of a non-Jewish-looking person in the Market of Bei Lapat in Khuzistan¹

2. The Selfless Deeds of the Disguised Jew, Head of Prison: A Hidden Protector of Jewish Women

3. The Secret Strategy of the Jewish Prison Warden: Disguise, Deception, and Defending the Community

The Passage

Taanit.22a.4-6

Elijah Reveals the Hidden Righteousness of an Unassuming Stranger in the Market of Bei Lapat in Khuzistan 

In this story from the Talmud, R' Beroka of Khuzistan² often encountered Elijah in the market of Bei Lapat.³ Curious about who in the market might be worthy of the World-to-Come, R' Beroka asked Elijah, who initially said no one was.

However, Elijah pointed out a man dressed unusually in black shoes and without ritual fringes,⁴ saying he was worthy.⁵ R' Beroka pursued the man to inquire about his occupation. 

רבי ברוקא חוזאה הוה שכיח בשוקא דבי לפט. 

הוה שכיח אליהו גביה, 

אמר ליה: איכא בהאי שוקא בר עלמא דאתי? 

אמר ליה: לא. 

אדהכי והכי חזא לההוא גברא דהוה סיים מסאני אוכמי, ולא רמי חוטא דתכלתא בגלימיה. 

אמר ליה: האי בר עלמא דאתי הוא.

רהט בתריה, אמר ליה: מאי עובדך? 

אמר ליה: זיל האידנא, ותא למחר. 

R' Beroka Ḥoza’a was often found in the market of Bei Lefet, 

and Elijah the Prophet would often appear to him. 

Once R' Beroka said to Elijah: Of all the people who come here, is there anyone in this market worthy of the World-to-Come? 

He said to him: No. 

In the meantime, R' Beroka saw a man who was wearing black shoes, contrary to Jewish custom, and who did not place the sky-blue, dyed thread of ritual fringes on his garment. 

Elijah said to R' Beroka: That man is worthy of the World-to-Come.

R' Beroka ran after the man and said to him: What is your occupation? 

The man said to him: Go away now, as I have no time, but come back tomorrow and we will talk. 

The Selfless Deeds of a Disguised Jew, Head of Prison: A Hidden Protector of Jewish Women

The man explained that he was the head of the prison.⁶ 

He separates men and women in the prison and places his bed between them to prevent any sexual transgressions. He also risks his life to save Jewish women from the unwanted sexual attention of gentiles. 

One time, to protect a betrothed woman (נערה מאורסה), he threw wine dregs on her dress to make it appear she was menstruating,⁷ deterring the gentiles. 

למחר אמר ליה: מאי עובדך? 

אמר ליה: 

זנדוקנא אנא, 

ואסרנא גברי לחוד ונשי לחוד, 

ורמינא פורייאי בין הני להני, 

כי היכי דלא ליתו לידי איסורא. 

כי חזינא בת ישראל דיהבי נכרים עלה עינייהו, 

מסרנא נפשאי, ומצילנא לה. 

יומא חד, הוות נערה מאורסה גבן, דיהבו בה נכרים עינייהו, 

שקלי דורדייא דחמרא, ושדאי לה בשיפולה, 

ואמרי: דשתנא היא.

The next day, R' Beroka arrived and again said to him: What is your occupation? 

The man said to him: 

I am a prison guard [zandukana], 

and I imprison the men separately and the women separately, 

and I place my bed between them 

so that they will not come to transgression. 

When I see a Jewish woman upon whom gentiles have set their eyes, 

I risk my life to save her. 

One day, there was a betrothed young woman among us, upon whom the gentiles had set their eyes. 

I took dregs [durdayya] of red wine and threw them on the lower part of her dress, 

and I said: She is menstruating [dastana], so that they would leave her alone.

The Secret Strategy of a Jewish Prison Guard: Disguise, Deception, and Defending the Community

Rabbi Beroka asked why the guard did not wear ritual fringes or why he wore black shoes. The guard explained that this was to disguise his Jewish identity among gentiles. This allowed him to overhear decrees (גזירתא) against Jews and inform the rabbis (רבנן), who could then pray to annul them.

When the guard initially told Rabbi Beroka to come back the next day, it was because he needed to inform the Sages of a newly issued decree.⁸

אמר ליה: מאי טעמא לית לך חוטי, ורמית מסאני אוכמי? 

אמר ליה: 

עיילנא ונפיקנא ביני נכרים, 

כי היכי דלא לידעו דיהודאה אנא. 

כי הוו גזרי גזירתא, 

מודענא להו לרבנן 

ובעו רחמי, ומבטלי לגזירתייהו. 

ומאי טעמא כי אמינא לך אנא מאי עובדך, ואמרת לי: זיל האידנא ותא למחר? 

אמר ליה: בההיא שעתא גזרי גזירתא, ואמינא: ברישא איזיל ואשמע[ה], ואשלח להו לרבנן, דלבעו רחמי עלה דמילתא.

R' Beroka said to him: What is the reason that you do not have threads of ritual fringes, and why do you wear black shoes? 

The man said to him: 

Since I come and go among gentiles, 

I dress this way so that they will not know that I am a Jew. 

When they issue a decree, 

I inform the Sages, 

and they pray for mercy and annul the decree. 

R' Beroka further inquired: And what is the reason that when I said to you: What is your occupation, you said to me: Go away now but come tomorrow? 

The man said to him: At that moment, they had just issued a decree, and I said to myself: First I must go and inform the Sages, so that they will pray for mercy over this matter.

1. For an in-depth analysis of this story, see the monumental recent article by Yakir Paz, "Elam is Dying: The Babylonian Talmud and the Jews of Khuzestan in the Sasanian Period", in S. Naeh and Y. Rosental (eds.), Mehkarei Talmud 4, Jerusalem 2023, pp 519-607 (Hebrew).

I draw on his analysis throughout.

This story appears after the story of Abba Umna, see my previous piece on that.

2. רבי ברוקא חוזאה - an otherwise unknown sage. 

See Paz, pp. 528-9; all hyperlinks are mine: 

בתלמוד הבבלי מוזכרים לא מעט חכמים שמוצאם מבי חוזאי: רב חנינא חוזאה, אברם חוזאה, רבנאי חוזאה ואביו רב תחליפא, ר׳ ברוקה חוזאה, רב אחא מבי חוזאה, רב חייא מהורמיז־ארדשיר, וכן רבנן ששוכנים בבית לפט. לאלה אפשר להוסיף חכמים שככל הנראה מוצאם מבי חוזאי, לאור העובדה שקרוביהם משם: רב נתן בר אמי, שאמו מבי חוזאי ומרי בר איסק או חנא בר איסק שאחיו מבי חוזאי.

3. בי לפט - Gundeshapur - Wikipedia > “Name”: “In Classical Syriac, the town was called ܒܝܬ ܠܦܛ Bēth Lapaṭ”.

4. חוטי - referring to tzitzit.

5. On Jews not wearing black shoes, see my previous piece on Eliezer Ze’ira here. And see Paz’s fascinating archelogical discussion.

6. זנדוקנא - see Paz’s discussion of this word at length, where he shows that it stems from a Persian word - zēndān⁠ - and it means “head of prison”

Paz also explains that the prison it’s referring to is likely the well-known Castle of Oblivion - Wikipedia:

“The Castle of Oblivion (Old Armenian: բերդ Անուշ berd Anush), also known as the “Prison of Oblivion” or the “Fortress of Oblivion”, was a castle and political prison of the Sasanian Empire located in Khuzestan in southwestern Iran. According to the Buzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ and Procopius' Persian War, the name referred to the fact that it was forbidden to mention the name of the castle or its prisoners.”

7. דשתנא - dashtan - a Persian word.

8. On Zoroastrian persecution against Jews and Christians in talmudic Persia, see Paz there.