[Avodah] Fables and Lies

[Arie Folger]

RAMiller wrote:
> And then, one Yom Kippur, during Ayleh Ezk'rah, I chanced upon a comment by
> ArtScroll. The same who is so often derided on these pages for taking a
> sanitized version of history, and passing it off as true. And even Rabbi
> Scroll had to admit:   
> > that while all ten of these righteous men were murdered by the
> > Romans, their executions did not take place simultaneously, as
> > described here, nor could they have, since two of the ten did
> > not even live in the same generation as the other eight.
> > ...
> > The liturgical accounts of the martyrdom were not meant as
> > historical records, but as dramatic accounts of the story, in
> > order to evoke feelings of loss and repentance on the part of
> > the congregation.

This is not universally agreed upon. For an extensive treatment, see the book 
(published by Mossad haRav Kook) 'Assarah Harugei Malkhut beMidrash uvePiyut.

First of all, there are at least twenty eight different texts (piyutim), some 
of which are old, others newer. All of them contain details not in the Talmud 
and/or Midrash. The twenty eight different piyutim presented in that book are 
based on underlying sources which aren't sufficiently clear. I am talking 
about the Talmudim and Midrashim. In the Bavli, the ten don't appear 
together, in none of the underlying texts do we have all ten.

Now the issue of interpretation: we are used to Eleh Ezkera, which is indeed 
hard to maintain historically. However, the ten people aren't unambiguously 
identified. For example, who is this Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol? Who is 
Rabban Shim'on? Were they contemporaries of Rabbi 'Aqivah? Hence, some 
authorities maintain that all died in the Hadrianic persecutions (that being 
the closest to Eleh Ezkerah), others say in the aftermath of the 'Hurban. A 
third group says that which you saw from Rebbe Arthur Scroll ;-). More 
distinct interpretations are possible.

Interestingly, we don't say Eleh Ezkerah on YK (but do say it during 
selichot), while we do have in our minhag a kinah on the 10 harugei malkhut. 
I bothered comparing the texts and they don't accord with each other. Perhaps 
that is the reason why we skip the perhaps textually more problematic Eleh 
Ezkerah.

Do note also, that while Eleh Ezkerah's first paragraph refers to the 
listening behind the pargod and hearing that the whole matter is a heavenly 
decree, and the connection with Yossef's sale, are both based on a Midrash, 
but not known from elsewhere. Indeed, many versions of the 10 martyrs do not 
have that part. In Ashkenaz, even those who did say Eleh Ezkera were more 
likely to skip that first paragraph, and IIRC Rödelehim doesn't even print 
it.

So, I wouldn't call the general story of the 10 martyrs either a fable or a 
lie, but some versions are indeed difficult.

I pray that textually, I have rescued [the story of] the 10 harugei malkhut a 
little bit ;-),
-- 
Arie Folger
http://www.ariefolger.googlepages.com