[Avodah] midrash elei ezekarah

[Arie Folger]

RMB wrote:
> But to me that kind of dating seems compelling, since it's only from
> the perspective of centuries later that one would think to telescope
> churban bayis with the Hadrianic persecutions as a single narrative. It
> just wouldn't seem like one long story from a closer perspective.

1) Mediaeval generally means between the fall of Rome in 476 (or even
earlier, from the split between the Eatern and Western Roman empire)
and the discovery of the New World in 1492. Jewishly, this is a very
long period. When we use the adjective Mediaeval, we often think
Rishonim, but this period includes not only the Geonim and Rishonim,
but also the Savoraim and even some of the Amoraim. Hence, it doesn't
mean the Midrash is particularly late.

2) there are other texts, which sensibly identify all 10 as living at
the time of teh Hadrianic persecutions, or that do not make any claims
that the ten were contemporaries. It is only Eile Ezkera that posits
the link with Mekhirat Yossef and a discussion on the subject with the
Roman emperor or one of his officials, that would require them to be
contemporaries. According to other readings, they may have lived in
different times, but we weave their stories in one literary unit.

Accordingly, the other formulations ('Assara Harogei Malkhut beMidrash
uveFiyut lists 28 different piyutim, many of them following different
shitot!), the story need not be a high Mediaeval creation.

Also, as the author of 'Assara Harogei Malkhut beMidrash uveFiyut
argues, there were a lot more than 10 Harogei Malkhut, so in fact,
they are all true (except for Eile Ezkera. In the Yeckishe tradition,
many communities indeed skip the first stanza on Yom Kippur, which is
the stanza making the historically most difficult claim. However, I do
not know whether the reason for skipping that passage is the
chronological issue, or a reticence to publicly mention such esoteric
matters like the lasting debt of the sale of Yossef, or again because
there was a variant tradition that considers the Mekhirat Yossef part
to be a later addition - your learned comments will be most
appreciated here).

Kol tuv,
-- 
Arie Folger,
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