The Maharal on Extended Exile After the Second Temple

אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״יִרְאַת ה׳ תּוֹסִיף יָמִים וּשְׁנוֹת רְשָׁעִים תִּקְצֹרְנָה״, ״יִרְאַת ה׳ תּוֹסִיף יָמִים״ זֶה מִקְדָּשׁ רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁעָמַד אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת וְעֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים, וְלֹא שִׁמְּשׁוּ בּוֹ אֶלָּא שְׁמוֹנָה עָשָׂר כֹּהֲנִים גְּדוֹלִים, ״וּשְׁנוֹת רְשָׁעִים תִּקְצֹרְנָה״ זֶה מִקְדָּשׁ שֵׁנִי, שֶׁעָמַד אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשִׁמְּשׁוּ בּוֹ יוֹתֵר מִשְּׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת כֹּהֲנִים. צֵא מֵהֶם אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה שֶׁשִּׁמֵּשׁ שִׁמְעוֹן הַצַּדִּיק, וּשְׁמוֹנִים שֶׁשִּׁמֵּשׁ יוֹחָנָן כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, עֶשֶׂר שֶׁשִּׁמֵּשׁ יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן פִּאָבִי, וְאָמְרִי לַהּ אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה שֶׁשִּׁמֵּשׁ רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן חַרְסוֹם, מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ צֵא וַחֲשׁוֹב: כׇּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד לֹא הוֹצִיא שְׁנָתוֹ.

§ Apropos the Second Temple period, when High Priests were frequently replaced, the Gemara cites that Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened” (Proverbs 10:27)? The fear of the Lord prolongs days; that is a reference to the First Temple, which stood for four hundred and ten years and in which only eighteen High Priests served, as is written in the lists of the genealogy of the priests in the Bible. But the years of the wicked will be shortened; that is a reference to the Second Temple, which stood for four hundred and twenty years and in which over three hundred High Priests served. In calculating the tenures of the High Priests, deduct from the figure of four hundred and twenty years forty years that Shimon HaTzaddik served, and eighty years that Yoḥanan the High Priest served, ten years that Yishmael ben Pavi served, and some say eleven years that Rabbi Elazar ben Ḥarsum served. These men were all righteous and were privileged to serve extended terms. After deducting those one hundred and thirty or one hundred and forty-one years, go out and calculate from this point forward and conclude: Each and every one of the remaining High Priests did not complete his year in office, as the number of remaining High Priests is greater than the number of years remaining.

וּבַשְּׁנִיָּה מְנָלַן, דְּתַנְיָא: מְגַלְגְּלִין זְכוּת לְיוֹם זַכַּאי, וְחוֹבָה לְיוֹם חַיָּיב. אָמְרוּ: כְּשֶׁחָרַב בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה, אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב הָיָה, וּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת הָיָה, וּמוֹצָאֵי שְׁבִיעִית הָיְתָה, וּמִשְׁמַרְתָּהּ שֶׁל יְהוֹיָרִיב הָיְתָה. וְהַלְּוִיִּם הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים שִׁירָה, וְעוֹמְדִין עַל דּוּכָנָם. וּמָה שִׁירָה הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים? ״וַיָּשֶׁב עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת אוֹנָם וּבְרָעָתָם יַצְמִיתֵם״, וְלֹא הִסְפִּיקוּ לוֹמַר ״יַצְמִיתֵם ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ״, עַד שֶׁבָּאוּ נׇכְרִים וּכְבָשׁוּם. וְכֵן בַּשְּׁנִיָּה.

And the mishna further taught that the Temple was destroyed for the second time also on the Ninth of Av. The Gemara asks: From where do we derive that the Second Temple was destroyed on this date? It is taught in a baraita: A meritorious matter is brought about on an auspicious day, and a deleterious matter on an inauspicious day, e.g., the Ninth of Av, on which several tragedies had already occurred. The Sages said: When the Temple was destroyed for the first time, that day was the Ninth of Av; and it was the conclusion of Shabbat; and it was the year after a Sabbatical Year; and it was the week of the priestly watch of Jehoiarib; and the Levites were singing the song and standing on their platform. And what song were they singing? They were singing the verse: “And He brought upon them their own iniquity, and He will cut them off in their own evil” (Psalms 94:23). And they did not manage to recite the end of the verse: “The Lord our God will cut them off,” before gentiles came and conquered them. And likewise, the same happened when the Second Temple was destroyed.

רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר דְּאָמְרִי תַּרְוַויְיהוּ: רִאשׁוֹנִים שֶׁנִּתְגַּלָּה עֲוֹנָם — נִתְגַּלָּה קִצָּם. אַחֲרוֹנִים שֶׁלֹּא נִתְגַּלָּה עֲוֹנָם — לֹא נִתְגַּלָּה קִצָּם.

§ It was Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Elazar who both said: In the case of the former, the people in the First Temple era, whose sin was exposed and no attempt was made to disguise their conduct, the end of their punishment was exposed, and the prophet informed them that they would return to their land in seventy years. In the case of the latter, the people in the Second Temple era, whose sin was not exposed; rather, they attempted to disguise their conduct, the end of their punishment was not exposed.

תָּא שְׁמַע: מִשֶּׁחָרַב בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ רִאשׁוֹן בָּטְלוּ עָרֵי מִגְרָשׁ, וּפָסְקוּ אוּרִים וְתוּמִּים, וּפָסַק מֶלֶךְ מִבֵּית דָּוִד. וְאִם לְחָשְׁךָ אָדָם לוֹמַר: ״וַיֹּאמֶר הַתִּרְשָׁתָא לָהֶם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יֹאכְלוּ מִקֹּדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים עַד עֲמֹד כֹּהֵן לְאוּרִים וּלְתֻמִּים״, אֱמוֹר לוֹ: כְּאָדָם שֶׁאוֹמֵר לַחֲבֵירוֹ ״עַד שֶׁיִּחְיוּ מֵתִים וְיָבֹא מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד״.

The Gemara suggests: Come and hear a proof from a baraita (Tosefta 13:2) with regard to when the Urim VeTummim ceased: From the time when the First Temple was destroyed, the cities with fields that were allocated to the Levites were nullified, and the Urim VeTummim ceased, and the monarchy ceased from the house of David. And if a person would whisper to you saying that the Urim VeTummim was still extant, as it states with regard to when the Second Temple first stood: “And the Tirshatha said to them that they should not eat of the most sacred things, until there stood a priest with the Urim VeTummim” (Ezra 2:63), which seems to indicate that they merely had to wait until the Second Temple was built for the reappearance of the Urim VeTummim; you should say to him that this is not referring to an expectation of a short-term development, but it is like a person who says to his friend, with regard to something that will occur in the distant future: Until the dead live and the Messiah, the son of David, comes. In any case, the baraita indicates that the Urim VeTummim ceased only from the time when the First Temple was destroyed, and not in the time of Solomon.

כי כל שלשה מלכיות הראשונים ראה יעקב עלייתן, וראה גם כן ירידתן. חוץ מן המלכות הרביעית, שראה עלייתה, ולא ראה ירידתה. וזה מפני כי שאר המלכיות נתן להם השם יתברך ירידה מצד עולם הזהא, ולפיכך יעקב שהיה באותו זמן בעולם הזה, ראה הירידה שלהם. אבל מלכות הרביעית ירידתה מן העולם העליון, והשם יתברך בעצמו מוריד אותה, וכדכתיב (עובדיה א, ד) "אם תגביה כנשר וגו' משם אורידך", ואין ירידתה מצד עולם הזה כלל. לכך לא שייך לה הירידה מצד עולם הזה, רק מצד עולם העליון, אשר אין האדם שהוא בעולם הזה שולט בו.

וכאשר היה חלוק ביניהם, נחרב המקום הזה, שהוא נעשה לאחדות ישראל, ולפיכך על ידי שנאת חנם של קמצא נחרבה העיר והמקדש: ועל זה אמר (משלי ל, כז) "מלך אין לארבה", פירוש כי המלך מאחד הכלל עד שהם אחד, ואלו, לגודל רבוי שלהם הם מחולקים, ואין בהם אחדות, הוא המלך, אשר הוא מאחד את הכל.

And it said that each one was destroyed because of a matter fitting for it. As Jerusalem was destroyed because of baseless hatred, and this was explained in the previous chapter (Chapter 4) at length.

אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: הוֹי מַגִּיעֵי בַיִת בְּבַיִת.

Reish Lakish said: Like one who screams in the ear of another, not in one but in two, so, “in my ears, the Lord of hosts.” Reish Lakish said: “Woe, those who join house to house” (Isaiah 5:8) – you have caused the first destruction to affect the second destruction. Just as in the first destruction, “Zion will be plowed like a field” (Jeremiah 26:18), so too, in the second destruction, “Zion will be plowed like a field.” “Until there is no room” (Isaiah 5:8) – what caused the place to be destroyed?