The priesthood as you did not know it - XNUMX: The Sabbath crowned with its old age

So far it is clear to us why President Raban Gamaliel is strengthening his ties with the priesthood and why a decision, albeit somewhat loose, to renew the temple, physically and substantially, has rewarded him in his heart.
Moreover, after the destruction, the assumption that the temple building should not be renewed except by a miraculous, miraculous action of God did not develop, not even by implication, so that the president could certainly dream of renewing the face of the temple, of course with the consent of the Romans.

It is impossible to know when the traditional, legitimate, mythological presidential dynasty returned to control Jewish society after the usurptic presidency of Ribaz, and this is because the Sage literature provides only partial and imprecise chronological information. It is likely that Raban Gamliel's presidency begins somewhere in the early XNUMXs, that is, after about ten years of leadership of Ribaz. Until then, Rabbi Gamliel had been appointed and the continuity of the presidency was not yet ripe in the minds of the Romans, and this was after the rebellion was led by Rabbi Gamliel's father, that is Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel the elder. My hypothesis is that President Hinoka was under the supervision of Ribaz, although I have not yet found the appropriate sources that support this or reject this assumption. This hypothesis is based on Roman customs and rules regarding areas that were suppressed after a rebellion. This hypothesis is supported by the very growth of Ribaz's leadership under the auspices of the Romans.

And what do we find in the sources, and at least an insinuation, that Ribaz's opinion was not so comfortable, to say the least, from his premature "kicking" of the presidency, and in the sources of many sages who stand at the head of their communities, Ribaz is listed in a secondary place. In other words, a kind of counter-revolution to the actions of Ribaz is taking place before our eyes, with Raban Gamliel recapturing his position in the leadership of the society and its institutions, and it "remains" for him, for the matter at hand, to formulate his position regarding the priesthood.

The central institution of Jewish society in the days of the Second Temple was the Sanhedrin (from the Hellenic syndreon), in terms of a leadership council in various fields - legal, halachic, executive and even political, headed by the president. Until 150 BC, when Jonathan the Hasmonean received the title of priesthood from the Syrian-Seleucid government, and since then became the leader of the Jewish society (a kind of king without a crown), two figures were listed as the head of the Sanhedrin, and they were referred to as a "pair" - one a president and the other a father - Court, and it was convenient to split their roles in light of this between the legislative leadership and the legal leadership.
Up until this time, the High Priest from the House of Zadok was considered the head of Jewish society and had the right of representation (proteasia) towards the Hellenistic government, first the Egyptian and then the Syrian, but from the time the Hasmonean leaders were appointed high priests on behalf of the Syrians, the firstborn migrated to the House of Hasmon from the Yehoirib Guard.

From the beginning of the Roman rule (63 BC onwards), when the monarchy and the priesthood of the House of Hasmoneans were abolished, there was a competition, except during the reign of the House of Herod, between the presidency and the great priesthood for the presidency of the Sanhedrin, and immediately after the destruction of the second house all the cards were destroyed and the priesthood found itself caught in a catastrophe continuous

Therefore, the fact that Rivaz headed the Sanhedrin ("the committee", as the Sage literature calls it), and he was one of the Pharisee class, greatly reduced the status of the priesthood, and the question arises, does this situation continue to be conducted even in the days of Rabbi Gamaliel?

This phenomenon did not last since Rabbi Gamliel's status and the essence of his position were different from those of the Rebbez. First - Rabbi Gamliel was granted rehabilitation by the Roman authorities, what is known in the language of the Sages as "he went to take permission from the governor in Syria" and thereby strengthened his presidential status; Second - Rabbi Gamliel enjoyed the traditional-mythological lineage of the father's/grandfather's/great-grandfather's house; Thirdly - in the days of Rabbi Gamaliel, and at least for the most part, the relationship with the Romans was established and the president could turn his mind to dealing with internal affairs.

Apparently, Rabbi Gamaliel could have continued to cut the status of the priests, on the basis of strengthening his power above, but he did not do so, and why? More on that later.

Sage sources from the days of Rabbi Gamaliel are full of information about the temple and the priesthood. Apparently this should surprise us, since the temple sword and other matters take the place of the temple procedures, but the matters of the priesthood never cease to "bother" the life of the Sanhedrin and its work routine. The discussions are about the donations given to the priests (even though the temple was destroyed), about their rights, about various events that took place in the priesthood during the time of the house, and the colorful celebrations of the pilgrimage and the holidays in general are described very succinctly. The members of the Sanhedrin discuss in all seriousness the status of a priest and a priest with the nation, the rights of the priests of the temple guard.

In tractate Shekelim XNUMX:XNUMX there is a text, somewhat anachronistic, that discusses the affairs of the temple and is rich in its colors as follows: "These are the priests who were in the temple: Yochanan ben Pinchas (a supervisor) on the seals (which were used as signs that the priest received the money donated equal to the sacrifice fees such as a calf, a ram and a goat ), Achiya on the priests, Matthia ben Shmuel on the pieces (the casting of lots among the priests regarding the division of labor among them), Petahia on the quinine (for the sale of turnips and pigeons for sacrifices) ... Ben Achiya on intestinal diseases (on the medicines and concoctions for the intestinal disease that was common among the priests) ... Gabini Koroz (the one who used to announce every morning: 'Priests stand for your work, and the mourners stand for your stand and Israel for your stand'), Ben Gaber for locking the gates (in the temple in the evening) ... Ben Arza for the tzaltzal (musical percussion instrument, after which the mourners answered with a song), Hogars for the song ( as a musical conductor) ..." (Shekels XNUMX:XNUMX).

In Tractate Tamim XNUMX:XNUMX we read as follows: "They arrived (the two donating priests, the one who won the incense and the one who won the anointment). One took the rake (a musical instrument that made sounds while throwing) and threw it between the hall and the altar. No one hears the voice of his friend in Jerusalem over the sound of the rake. And she used three things: A priest who hears her voice knows that his fellow priests are coming in to bow and he runs and comes (to bow with them). And Ben Levi, who hears her voice, knows that his fellow Levites are entering to speak in song (to stand on the platform that was placed between the aid of Israel and the aid of the priests) and he ran and came (to join the choir) and the head of the class would place the impure at the east gate (Nikanor gate to purify the impure)."

The amount of information in the Mishnah, such as above, about the temple and the priesthood during the presidency of Rabbi Gamaliel is not casual. It is true that the trend that dominated the Sanhedrin since the days of the XNUMXth century was to create a balance between continuing to live even in the absence of a temple and remembering the temple and its customs, but another trend was hidden during the presidency of Rabbi Gamaliel, and it is not known whether and to what extent it stemmed from pressure from the families of the priesthood, who were trampled during the days of Rabbi Gamliel. Ribaz, or it was integrated into Rabbi Gamaliel's tendency to renew, perhaps, the temple and the work in it.
The renewal of the temple was there to show the thawing of relations between the Jews and the Romans, to symbolize the strengthening of the position of the president and the presidency in general, and above all this move symbolized an aspiration to economically strengthen Jerusalem and Judea, since half the shekels that were poured into the temple for many hundreds of years, turned it into an astronomical economic center, And indirectly it can serve the Romans as the rulers of the region, say by raising the level of taxes and more.

That is, so far it is clear to us why President Raban Gamaliel is strengthening his ties with the priesthood and why he has rewarded in his heart a decision, albeit somewhat loose, to renew the temple, physically and substantially.
Moreover, after the destruction, the assumption that the temple building should not be renewed except by a miraculous, miraculous action of God did not develop, not even by implication, so that the president could certainly dream of renewing the face of the temple, of course with the consent of the Romans.

Did she make it through? About that in the next list.

The series of articles "The Priesthood You Didn't Know" by Dr. Yehiam Sorek

• Part I - the end of the First Temple and the exile in Babylon
• Part II - Return to Zion
• Part III - The Hellenistic period
• Part XNUMX - The priesthood in Marumiya
• Part XNUMX - The priesthood makes muscles
• Part XNUMX - Matthew turns over in his grave
• Part XNUMX - The priesthood begins to lose height
• Part VIII - The reign of Hyrcanus
• Part IX - Herod stirs up the priesthood
• Part XNUMX - The Priesthood and the Christian Jesus
• Part XNUMX - There is life after Herod
• Part XNUMX - The priesthood deals with clothes
• Part XNUMX - Bureau for Exposing Corruption
• Chapter XNUMX - The priesthood in Mim Bemol
• Chapter XNUMX - The priesthood in the worship of the sun and the war cheer
• Chapter XNUMX - Going to fight the Romans
• Chapter XNUMX - The Great Rebellion and the Priesthood
• Chapter XNUMX - A total mess in Jerusalem
• Chapter XNUMX - to the places, the school, get out!
• Chapter XNUMX - One righteous man in Sodom
• Chapter XNUMX - What is in the scrolls?
• Chapter XNUMX - So where is the priesthood?