Pt2 Debates and Miracles: Logic, Exorcism, and the Repeal of Roman Anti-Jewish Laws (Meilah 17a-b)
This is the second part of a two-part series. The first part is here.
R’ Shimon ben Yohai and R’ Shimon bar R’ Yosi
A short time later, the authorities realized that R' Reuven ben Isterobeli was a Jew and had deceived them for the benefit of the Jewish people. In response, they reinstated all their decrees against the Jews. The Sages decided to send someone to Rome to nullify these decrees and chose R' Shimon ben Yoḥai, known for experiencing miracles (מלומד בנסים), to go. They also suggested R' Elazar bar R' Yosei accompany him.
R' Yosei, R' Elazar's father, protested, asking if they would have asked his father, Ḥalafta, to risk his son's life. R' Shimon, willing to risk his own life, insisted R' Elazar should still join him. R' Yosei then volunteered to go instead of his son, fearing R' Shimon's temper might harm Elazar, who was young and outspoken. R' Shimon promised not to punish Elazar, but the Talmud notes that despite this, he did punish Elazar during their journey, as described in the next section.
הכירו בו שהוא יהודי, החזירום.
אמרו: מי ילך ויבטל הגזרות?
ילך רבי שמעון בן יוחאי, שהוא מלומד בנסים.
ואחריו מי ילך? רבי אלעזר בר רבי יוסי.
אמר להם רבי יוסי: ואילו היה אבא חלפתא קיים, יכולין אתם לומר לו: תן בנך להריגה?!
אמר להם ר׳ שמעון: אילו היה יוחאי אבא קיים, יכולין אתם לומר לו: תן בנך להריגה?!
אמר להו רבי יוסי: אנא אזלין, דלמא עניש ליה רבי שמעון, דקא מסתפינא.
קביל עליה דלא ליענשיה.
אפילו הכי, ענשיה.
A short time later they recognized that R' Reuven ben Isterobeli was a Jew, and they realized that he had fooled them to the advantage of the Jewish people. They therefore arose and reinstated all of their decrees.
The Sages then said: Who will go and nullify these decrees?
Let R' Shimon ben Yoḥai go to Rome, as he is accustomed to experiencing miracles.
And who shall go after him, i.e., with him? R' Elazar bar R' Yosei.
When R' Yosei, R' Elazar’s father, heard this suggestion, he said to the Sages: But if Abba Ḥalafta, my father, were alive, would you be able to say to him: Give your son to be killed?! If so, how can you ask me to send my son to Rome, where he is likely to be killed?
R' Shimon said to the Sages: If Yoḥai, my father, were alive, would you be able to say to him: Give your son to be killed?! Nevertheless, I am prepared to risk my life and go to Rome, and if so, R' Elazar bar R' Yosei should accompany me.
Upon hearing this, R' Yosei said to the Sages: If so, I will go in place of my son. I do not want him to go with R' Shimon ben Yoḥai, as this is what I fear: My son Elazar is young and quick to answer, and I am concerned lest R' Shimon, who is hot-tempered, will become angry with him and punish him.
R' Shimon accepted upon himself that he would not punish R' Elazar.
The Gemara notes that even so, R' Shimon did punish him while they were on their journey.
R' Shimon curses R' Elazar with death
R' Shimon punished R' Elazar for issuing a halakhic ruling in his presence, which is prohibited for students: While they were walking, a halachic question was asked of them, and R' Elazar whispered the answer, revealing his scholarly knowledge.1
R' Shimon acknowledged his wisdom but cursed him that he should die before returning from the journey, for his disrespect: “the son will not return from this journey to his father".
כשהיו מהלכין בדרך, נשאלה שאלה זו בפניהם: מנין לדם השרץ שהוא טמא?
עקם פיו רבי אלעזר בר רבי יוסי, ואמר: ״וזה לכם הטמא״.
אמר ליה רבי שמעון: מעקימת שפתיך אתה ניכר שתלמיד חכם אתה, אל יחזור הבן אצל אביו.
Why did R' Shimon end up punishing R' Elazar? When they were walking on the road, this following question was asked before them: From where is it derived with regard to blood of a creeping animal that it is impure?
R' Elazar bar R' Yosei twisted his mouth to whisper and said: It is derived from the verse: “And these are they that are impure for you among the creeping animals” (Leviticus 11:29).
Although R' Elazar tried to whisper so that R' Shimon would not hear, R' Shimon said to him: From the twisting of your mouth and your answer it is clear that you are a Torah scholar. Nevertheless, it is prohibited for a student to issue a ruling of halakha in the presence of his teacher. Therefore, I curse you that the son will not return from this journey to his father.
R’ Shimon performs exorcism
During their journey, a demon named Ben-Temalyon (בן תמליון) offered to help them nullify the decrees against the Jewish people. R' Shimon lamented needing a demon's help instead of an angel (מלאך), but accepted the assistance.
The demon possessed the daughter of the Roman emperor (קיסר - caesar), and when R' Shimon performed an exorcism, the demon left her, curing her.
יצא לקראתו בן תמליון,
רצונכם אבוא עמכם?
בכה רבי שמעון ואמר: מה שפחה של בית אבא, נזדמן לה מלאך שלש פעמים. ואני, לא פעם אחת?! יבא הנס מכל מקום.
קדים הוא, על בברתיה דקיסר.
כי מטא התם, אמר: בן תמליון, צא! בן תמליון, צא!
וכיון דקרו ליה, נפק אזל.
The Gemara continues the story: As they were journeying, a demon named ben Temalyon emerged to greet them.
He said to them: Do you wish that I will join you and come with you in order to help nullify this decree?
When he saw that a demon was coming to help save the Jewish people, R' Shimon cried and said: What, even for a maidservant of my father’s home, Hagar the Egyptian, who was Abraham’s handmaid, an angel was made available to appear to her three times to help her. Each of the three mentions of “and the angel of the Lord said unto her” (Genesis 16:9–11) in the story of Hagar is understood as a reference to a different angel. But I apparently do not deserve assistance from an angel even one time, but only help from a demon. In any case, let the miracle come and save the Jewish people, even if only through a demon.
The demon ben Temalyon went before them and ascended into the emperor’s daughter and possessed her.
When R' Shimon ben Yoḥai arrived there, the emperor’s palace, he said: Ben Temalyon, emerge! Ben Temalyon, emerge!
And once R' Shimon called to him, ben Temalyon emerged and left the emperor’s daughter, and she was cured.
The emperor granted a reward, leading them to his treasury where they found and destroyed the decree against the Jews
Grateful, the emperor offered any reward, leading them to his treasury (גנזיה) where they found and tore up the letter (איגרא) of the decree against the Jews.2
In the treasury, R' Elazar saw the Curtain of the Sanctuary from the Temple in Rome, stained with blood from Yom Kippur sacrifices.
אמר להון: שאילו כל מה דאית לכון למישאל.
ועיילינהו לגנזיה לשקול כל דבעו.
אשכחו ההוא איגרא, שקלוה וקרעוה.
והיינו דאמר רבי אלעזר בר רבי יוסי: אני ראיתיה בעיר רומי, והוו עליה כמה טיפי דמים.
When the emperor saw that R' Shimon had cured his daughter, he said to them: Ask from me any reward that you want to ask.
And he took them up to his treasury to take whatever they wanted.
They found that letter there that contained the decrees against the Jewish people, and they took it and tore it up, and thereby nullified the decrees.
The Gemara adds: And this is the background for that which R' Elazar bar R' Yosei said (Yoma 57a): I saw the Curtain of the Sanctuary in the city of Rome, and on the Curtain were several drops of blood from the bull and the goat of Yom Kippur. When the emperor took them into his treasury R' Elazar saw the Temple vessels that the Romans had captured when they conquered Jerusalem, including the Curtain.
The question and answer are identical to the ones in the introduction to the story, see the beginning of the first part. This halachic question is the ostensible reason for the quoting of the whole story.
See the similar story of Gabriel physically destroying a Persian decree of a head-tax on the Jews, which I discuss in a previous piece. There, too, the decree is referred to as an iggra (איגרא - literally: “a letter”):
אשכחיה לדוביאל, דנקט ליה לאיגרתיה בידיה,
בעא למרמא מיניה,
בלעה.
He came and found Dubiel the ministering angel of the Persians holding the letter in his hand.
Gabriel wanted to take the letter from him,
but Dubiel swallowed it.
See there for discussion of the exact state of the physical degree, when it was swallowed by Dubiel.
On the word iggra, see Wiktionary, that the word is found in Persian as well:
“letter, epistle”. Perhaps borrowed from Aramaic אִגַּרְתָּא (ʾiggartā). Cognates exist in many Semitic languages. The ultimate origin may be Iranian (compare Persian انگاره (engâre)).
The word may be cognate with Greek angelos (messenger, angel) as well, see Hebrew Wiktionary. And see Wiktionary on Greek ángelos:
Cognate with Mycenaean Greek […] (a-ke-ro), with further origin uncertain. Probably a loanword, likely related to ἄγγᾰρος (ángaros, “Persian mounted courier”) (whence Latin angarius), which is perhaps from an Asian language.[1] Klein suggests a Semitic origin; […] (’engirtā, “missive, letter; contract”) and ܐܓܪܬܐ (ˀeggarṯā, “letter, document”, from Akkadian […] (egertu, “inscribed tablet; contract”)). Compare also Sanskrit […] (ajira, “agile, swift”), Sanskrit […] (añji, “commander, sender”) and Sanskrit […] (añjas, “speed, velocity”).
The religious sense is a semantic loan from Biblical Hebrew מַלְאָךְ (malʾāḵ).