Pt2 Herod, the Hasmonean Princess, and Bava ben Buta: Illegitimate Power, Rabbinic Prudence, and the Renovation of the Second Temple (Bava Batra 3b-4a)

This is the second and final part of a two-part series. Part 1 is here; the outline of the series can be found at Part 1.

Part 2

When Herod revealed himself, remorseful for his crimes, he asked how to atone

אמר ליה:

אנא הוא!

אי הואי ידענא דזהרי רבנן כולי האי --

לא הוה קטילנא להו;

השתא מאי תקנתיה דההוא גברא?

Herod said to him:

I am he!

Had I known that the rabbis were so cautious --

I would not have killed them.

Now, what is that man’s remedy,¹ i.e., what can I do to repent for my sinful actions?

Bava ben Buta advises that Herod, who extinguished or blinded the “light” or “eye” of the world (the rabbis), should now occupy himself with the “light” or “eye” of the world (the Temple) - Proverbs 6:23; Isaiah 2:2; Numbers 15:24; Ezekiel 24:21

אמר ליה:

• הוא כבה אורו של עולם,

  • דכתיב: ״כי נר מצוה, ותורה אור״,

• ילך ויעסוק באורו של עולם,

  • דכתיב: ״ונהרו אליו כל הגוים״.

איכא דאמרי, הכי אמר ליה:

• הוא סימא עינו של עולם,

  • דכתיב: ״והיה אם מעיני העדה״,

• ילך ויתעסק בעינו של עולם,

  • דכתיב: ״הנני מחלל את מקדשי, גאון עזכם מחמד עיניכם״.

Bava ben Buta said to him:

• He who extinguished the light of the world by killing the Torah rabbis,

  • as it is written: “For the mitzva is a lamp, and the Torah is light” (Proverbs 6:23),

• should go and occupy himself with the light of the world, the Temple,

  • as it is written with regard to the Temple: “And all the nations shall flow [ve-naharu] unto it” (Isaiah 2:2), the word ve-naharu alluding to light [nehora].

There are those who say that this is what he said to him:

• He who blinded the eye of the world,

  • as it is written in reference to the rabbis: “And if it be committed through ignorance by the eyes of the congregation” (Numbers 15:24),

• should go and occupy himself with the eye of the world, the Temple,

  • as it is written: “I will desecrate my Temple, the pride of your strength, the delight of your eyes” (Ezekiel 24:21).

Fearing Rome, Herod hesitated, but Bava ben Buta counseled him to delay permission by sending messengers for three years, rebuilding in the interim; Herod followed the advice

אמר ליה: מסתפינא ממלכותא.

אמר ליה:

שדר שליחא;

1. וליזיל שתא,

2. וליעכב שתא,

3. ולהדר שתא;

אדהכי והכי --

סתרית [ליה] ובניית [ליה].

עבד הכי.

Herod said to him: I am afraid of the Roman government, that they will not permit me to make changes in the Temple.

Bava ben Buta said to him:

Send a messenger

1. who will travel there for a year,

2. and remain there for another year,

3. and take yet another year to return.

In the meantime --

you can demolish the Temple and rebuild it.

He did so.

Rome rebukes Herod for rebuilding the Temple without permission

שלחו ליה:

1. אם לא סתרתה –

   1. אל תסתור;

2. ואם סתרתה –

   1. אל תבני;

3. ואם סתרתה ובנית –

   1. עבדי בישא, בתר דעבדין מתמלכין.

Eventually, they sent a message to Herod from Rome:

1. If you have not yet demolished it --

   1. do not demolish it;

2. and if you have already demolished it --

   1. do not rebuild it;

3. and if you have demolished it and already rebuilt it --

   1. you shall be counted among those who act wickedly, seeking counsel only after they have already acted.

... calls him “Herod the slave who made himself a freeman”

אם זיינך עלך --

ספרך כאן

לא רכא ולא בר רכא,

הורדוס [עבדא] קלניא מתעביד.

Even if you are armed (זיינך) and in command of a military force --

your book, i.e., your genealogical record, is here.

You are neither a king² nor the son of a king,

but rather Herod the slave who has made himself a freeman [kelonya].

Herod’s Temple was beautiful

אמרי:

מי שלא ראה בנין הורדוס --

לא ראה בנין נאה [מימיו].

The rabbis say:

One who has not seen Herod’s building --

has never seen a beautiful (נאה) building in his life.

The materials and appearance of Herod’s Temple: Built of alternating rows of blue, white, and green marble

במאי בנייה?

אמר רבה: באבני שישא ומרמרא.

איכא דאמרי:

באבני כוחלא, שישא ומרמרא.

אפיק שפה ועייל שפה,

כי היכי דנקביל סידא.

The Talmud asks: With what did he build it?

Rabba said: With stones of white and green marble³

There are those who say that

he built it with stones of blue, white, and green marble.

Alternate rows of stones sent out an edge (שפה) a bit and drew in an edge a bit,

so that they would better receive and hold the plaster.

... its waves of stone gleamed like the sea

סבר למשעייה בדהבא,

אמרו ליה רבנן:

שבקיה!

דהכי שפיר טפי,

דמיחזי כי אידוותא דימא.

He considered covering it (למשעייה) with gold,

but the rabbis said to him:

Leave it, and do not cover it,

since it is more beautiful this way,

as it looks like the waves (אידוותא) of the sea

Appendix - Advising Wicked Rulers and Its Limits (Bava Batra 4a)

Bava_Batra.4a.7-9

Rav Yehuda citing Rav / R’ Yehoshua ben Levi - Daniel was punished for advising Nebuchadnezzar

The Talmud questions how Bava ben Buta could advise Herod, given a tradition that Daniel was punished for advising Nebuchadnezzar.

ובבא בר בוטא היכי עבד הכי?

והאמר רב יהודה, אמר רב,

ואיתימא רבי יהושע בן לוי:

מפני מה נענש דניאל?

מפני שהשיא עצה לנבוכדנצר,

The Talmud asks: And how did Bava ben Buta do this, i.e., give advice to Herod the wicked?

But doesn’t Rav Yehuda say that Rav says,

and some say it was R’ Yehoshua ben Levi who says:

For what reason was Daniel punished?

Because he offered advice to Nebuchadnezzar,

Prooftext - Daniel 4:24–26

Daniel’s counsel to Nebuchadnezzar to mitigate punishment through charity delayed the decree by 12 months (which the Talmud treats as grounds for his punishment).

שנאמר:

״להן מלכא,

מלכי ישפר עלך,

וחטאיך בצדקה פרק,

ועויתך במחן ענין,

הן תהוי ארכא לשלותך וגו׳״,

וכתיב: ״כלא מטא על נבוכדנצר מלכא״,

וכתיב: ״ולקצת ירחין תרי עשר וגו׳״

as after sharing a harsh prophecy with him, it is stated:

“Therefore, O king,

let my counsel be acceptable to you,

redeem your sins with charity

and your iniquities with graciousness to the poor,

that there may be a lengthening of your prosperity” (Daniel 4:24).

And it is written: “All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar” (Daniel 4:25).

And it is written: “And at the end of 12 months” (Daniel 4:26).

Only after a year was the prophecy fulfilled but not before that, apparently because Nebuchadnezzar heeded Daniel’s advice.

Two resolutions are offered as to how Bava ben Buta could advise Herod: Either Herod, as a slave obligated in mitzvot, was different (i.e eligible for guidance toward repentance); or the Temple’s construction justified cooperation with political power, since without royal support it could not be built

• איבעית אימא:

  • שאני עבדא, דאיחייב במצות.

• ואיבעית אימא:

  • שאני בית המקדש, דאי לא מלכות – לא מתבני

The Talmud answers:

• If you wish, say that

  • a slave like Herod is different, since he is obligated in the mitzvot, and therefore Bava ben Buta had to help him repent.

• And if you wish, say

  • the Temple is different, as without the help of the government — it would not have been built.

Clarifying Daniel’s punishment: “cut down” from greatness, or cast into the lions’ den; Rav - Hatach = Daniel - Esther 4:5

ודניאל מנלן דאיענש?

אילימא משום דכתיב: ״ותקרא אסתר להתך״,

ואמר רב: התך זה דניאל;

הניחא למאן דאמר: ״שחתכוהו מגדולתו״,

אלא למאן דאמר: ״שכל דברי מלכות נחתכין על פיו״,

מאי איכא למימר?

דשדיוהו לגובא דארייוותא.

The Talmud asks: And from where do we derive that Daniel was punished?

If we say we know this because it is written: “And Esther called for Hatach, one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her” (Esther 4:5),

and Rav said: Hatach is Daniel.

This works out well according to the one who says Daniel was called Hatach because they cut him down [ḥatakh] from his greatness and turned him into a minor attendant.

But according to the one who says he was called Hatach because all governmental matters were determined [ḥatakh] according to his word,⁴

what is there to say? What punishment did he receive?

The Talmud answers: His punishment was that they threw him into the den of lions.

1. תקנתיה - literally: “his fix”.

2. רכא - ‘reikha’, from Latin rex’ (“king”).

The Talmud here (Bava_Batra.4a.5) interjects a gloss, explaining that ‘reikha’ means malkhuta (מלכותא - “monarchy, kingship”), based on II Samuel 3:39 and Genesis 41:43:

מאי ״רכא״?

מלכותא

דכתיב: ״אנכי היום רך ומשוח מלך״.

ואי בעית אימא, מהכא:

״ויקראו לפניו אברך״.

The Talmud explains: What is the meaning of the word reikha?

It denotes royalty,

as it is written: “I am today a tender [rakh] and anointed king” (II Samuel 3:39).

And if you wish, say that the meaning of the word is learned from here,

from the term describing Joseph after he was appointed viceroy to the king: “And they cried before him, Avrekh” (Genesis 41:43).

3. מרמרא - ‘marmara’, from Greek mármăros (“marble“).

4. These two opinions are cited in the main sugya discussing the Book of Esther, see my “Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 4:1-5:2 (Megillah 15a-b)“, section “Identifying Hathach (Esther 4:5): Daniel; his name reflects his fall from a previous high position, or refers to his central role in state decisions“.