David Solomon examines Jewish discussions on the death of Titus, the Roman general who presided over the siege in Jerusalem which led to destruction of the Second Temple.
Unsurprisingly, many Jewish commentators throughout history have painted Titus, who followed his father into the role of emperor, in a negative light. However, others claimed that Titus was far from the worst Roman emperor or general for the Jewish people.
In this talk, David explores a Midrash which contends that Titus died from a gnat entering his brain via his nasal passage. This gnat, it suggests, was divine punishment bestowed upon Titus for his wicked behaviour towards the Jewish people.
David examines how this Midrash relates to historical accounts of Titus’ death as well as later discussions on this text. He also discusses kabbalistic ideas concerning this Midrash and the mystical power and purpose of Jewish history for the world.
This final part of David Solomon’s Jewish History overview series explores the biblical period, from Avraham to the Jewish return to Zion after the Babylonian exile. The talk covers:
the patriarchs and matriarchs
the Egyptian exile and the going out of Egypt
the settling of the land and the period of the judges
the period of the kings
the rise of the prophets of Israel
the division of the united kingdom of Judah into northern and southern kingdoms
the destruction of the northern kingdom, Israel, by the Assyrian Empire
the destruction of Judah, the southern kingdom, and the temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonian Empire
the 70-year Babylonian exile
the return to Zion and the rebuilding of the temple.
David examines this period through a historical lens. He also provides content and thematic overviews of the books of the Hebrew Bible.
This Jewish History lecture is the second talk from David Solomon’s six-part overview series. The lecture examines the first five hundred years of the common era (0 to the year 500or 3760 to 4260 in the traditional Hebraic calendar), known in Jewish History as The Talmudic Period.
This period covers the destruction of the Temple by the Romans; the failure of the Bar Kochba Revolt which destroyed any serious hope of independent Jewish Statehood; the transition to Babylonia as the centre of the Jewish world; and the formation of the Talmud – the most influential Jewish document after the Bible.
The Talmudic Period is divisible into two distinct sub-periods:
The Tannaitic, and
The Amoraic.
In exploring the Tannaitic Period, David discusses the history of the first century, leading up to the destruction of the Second Temple, as well as:
The census revolt
The founding of Tiberias
Helena of Ediebene
Greek-speaking Jewish tensions
Caligula’s idol and the delegation of Philo of Alexandria
The Great Revolt of 66CE
Zealots, sicarii, and others
The Kohanim and the Idumeans
The arrival of Vespasian and Titus
Agrippa II and Berenice
Tiberias Julius Alexander (nephew of Philo of Alexandria)
The establishment of Yavneh
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The last stand at Masada
The influence of Yavneh and the rise of Rabbi Akiva
The second Jewish revolt
The third revolt led by Bar Kochba and supported by the elderly sage Rabbi Akiva, ending in the tragedy at Beitar
The renaissance of the rabbis
The students of Rabbi Akiva
The end of the Tannaitic Period with the compilation and editing of the Mishnah by Rabbi Yehudah HaNassi.
David then explores the Amoraic Period beginning with the career of Abba Arikha (Rav) and the transition of the centrality of Jewish life to Babylonia, which included:
The academy of the Sidra
The establishment of the Mishna as the central curriculum of study
Sura, Nahardea, and Pumbedita.
David discusses the creation of the Gemara, an analytic exploration of the Mishna, and:
The importance of the Braitta and the Tosefta
The Palestinian Talmud (Talmud Yerushalmi)
Rav Ashi, Ravina, and the sealing of the Babylonian Talmud.
He also examines anti-Jewish persecutions in Babylonia at the end of the Talmudic Period and the independent state of Mehoza.
As always, David puts these elements of Jewish History into a broader framework of world history, looking at:
The rise of Christianity
The division of Rome
The adoption of Christianity by Constantine
Julian the Apostate
The fall of Western Rome and the rise of Byzantium
The Persian Empire
Zoroastrian religion
Gnosticism, Neo-Platonism, and other major ideas.
This is an edited lecture of a live talk given in 2020 for Chabad South Africa and Daminyan Shule in Melbourne. It is the second part of David’s six-part overview series of Jewish History.
In this Jewish History lecture, David Solomon follows the chronological narrative of the Tanach (Hebrew Bible), outlining the key figures and events of the biblical period, including:
the patriarchs and matriarchs
the Egyptian exile and the going out of Egypt
the settling of the land and the period of the judges
the period of the kings
the rise of the prophets of Israel
the division of the united kingdom of Judah into northern and southern kingdoms
the destruction of the northern kingdom, Israel, by the Assyrian Empire
the destruction of Judah, the southern kingdom, and the temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonian Empire
the 70-year Babylonian exile
the return to Zion and the rebuilding of the temple.
David provides an overview of the spiritual and geopolitical driving forces behind the events of this period. He also explains the historiographical status of the various phases of the bible.
This lecture, recorded in Israel in 2009, is an adaptation of David’s popular talk “The Whole of the Bible in One Hour.” It provides a concise historical overview of the biblical period but, unlike The Bible in One Hour, does not explore the ideas and themes of Tanach in depth.
For those interested, a video recording of “The Whole of the Bible in One Hour” can be found above and here https://youtu.be/qIu_iZzuTfM
In his fascinating lecture, David Solomon explores the timeline of Jewish History in search of a period that most resembles the current situation for the Jewish people.
Roving from biblical times to an era commonly referred to as the Dark Ages, David analyses the situation of the Jewish people during six distinct historical moments. As part of this analysis, he also compares and contrasts Jewish political and territorial autonomy in the land of Israel with that experienced in contemporary times.
Additionally, David outlines the broader geopolitical situations of these eras and how such background considerations reflect our own.
The lecture also explores ethical and philosophical factors of interest, ending with an inspiring note for a possible alternative picture for Israel and the Jewish people in the future.
David delivered this lecture in 2020 as a Zoom presentation for Chabad Glen Eira. While no visual recording of the talk was made, the Youtube video for this episode combines an audio recording of the lecture with graphics David shared during his Zoom presentation. Visit https://youtu.be/CcnddTlJdRo
In this absorbing Jewish history lecture, David examines the stories and contributions of nine remarkable, often powerful, Jewish women from the period of the second temple in Jerusalem, including:
Queen Esther
Judith (Yehudit)
Hannah and her seven sons
Hannah Maccabee
Queen Salome (Shlomtzion)
Queen Miriam
Queen Mariamne
Berenice
Drusilla.
David also explains how the changing political and cultural landscape impacted women’s rights, roles, and opportunities during a period that included:
Persian rule
Hellenic rule
Hasmonean rule
Roman rule.
Moreover, he provides historical background and context to this time in Jewish history, packed with complex political intrigue, military machinations, civil war, and regime changes.
Watch a video slideshow of the podcast lecture on Youtube below.
Beginning in the year 66 CE, the Jewish Revolt in the land of Israel launched a decades-long conflict with the Roman Empire. In this podcast episode, David examines three Roman sieges of Judean fortified towns and cities, culminating in the devastation of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70CE. He describes the key characters during this period, including the Jewish commander-turned-historian Josephus and the Roman general Vespasian, a master of siege warfare. David also creates a vivid picture of each of the battles, setting the scene, recreating the tensions, and leading us to the inevitable catastrophic end.
This Jewish history lecture includes discussions on the:
historical context leading up to the Jewish Revolt of 66 CE
political and geographical necessities for Rome in subduing the Jewish rebellion
character and military experience of Vespasian
strengths and flaws of the Jewish commanders, including Elazar ben Shimon and Josephus
devastation of Jewish factionalism and zealotry
military capabilities and technological ingenuity of the various forces, including the importance of engineering
role played by the environment and terrain in the sieges
use of military intelligence
catastrophic destruction and the enormous loss of life
implications for Jewish life in the land of Israel.
Maps
Extent of the Roman Empire under Augustus. Yellow represents the extent of the Republic in 31 BC, while green represents gradually conquered territories under the reign of Augustus, and pink areas represent client states. CC BY-SA 3.0. Images by Cristiano64. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_Romana#/media/File:Impero_romano_sotto_Ottaviano_Augusto_30aC_-_6dC.jpg
Israel relief location map-blank by Eric Gaba – Wikimedia Commons user: Sting. Additions by M Solomon – geographical placements rough depictions only https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Israel_relief_location_map-blank.jpg
Map of Lower Galil provided under a Creative Commons licence by Daniel Baránek with additions from M Solomon (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lower_Galilee_map.svg)
Map indicating progress of the Roman army during the siege by Goran tek-en. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(70_CE)#/media/File:Siege_of_Jerusalem_(70_CE)-en.svg
Archeological sites
Bethoron Elyon; Beth-Horon in 1880.Picturesque Palestine, Sinai and Egypt D. Appleton New York 1883. Public domain.
Hilltop location of ancient Yodfat (Jotapata), showing excavated remains of fortifications by Oren Dozen. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yodfat_071108_001.jpg
Gamla view. Public domain.https://ang.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ymele:Golan_Heights_-_Gamla_view.jpg#/media/Ymele:Golan_Heights_-_Gamla_view.jpg
The Second Jerusalem Temple. Model in the Israel Museum. Image provided by Ariely and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bethoron_Elyon_-_Upper_Bethoron_1880.jpg
Find more of David Solomon’s podcast, with dozens of lectures on Jewish history, the Bible, Jewish philosophy, and Kabbalah here.
This four-part series was recorded at Caulfield Shule in 2019.
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