[Avodah] Kamtza BaKamtza - Has anyone seen Meforshim who comment on this perspective?

[Arie Folger]

R' Meir Rabbi, pondering anvetanuto shel Rabbi Zecharya Ben Avkulos
hecheriva et beiteitnu etc., wrote:

> perhaps this is true but it still fails to be attentive to their
insensitivity,
> their indifference and quite likely their jaundiced perspective of their
> duties and relationship with HKBH and with the people they seem to
> have fallen into the trap of believing that not crossing the rich a
> powerful was the best way to lead the community

If we want to understand Rabbi Zekharya Ben Avkulos, shouldn't we analyze
his position from a perspective that he's right, even if just for the
moment we try to understand him?

Who says RZbA didn't realise the possible consequences of inaction? I think
that there is ample historical precedent in the prophecy of Yirmeyahu for
assuming that at some point the writing is on the wall and it is either
futile to fight the coming destruction or we needed to willingly submit to
the Romans total victory.

If so, RZbA wouldn't not be thinking of how to avert tragedy, as tragedy
was surely coming - even if it could be momentarily averted by killing Bar
Qamtsa or by bringing the invalid sacrifice -, but rather how not to leave
any permanent false teaching into the world. In fact, could it be that RZbA
saw the destruction coming and saw in either of the two options something
that would blunt the lesson of the Destruction and thereby requiring it to
be all the greater and more terrible? By bringing the sacrifice, he'd
enshrine in precedent that the laws regulating our interactions with the
holy are fungible; by killing Bar Qamtsa, we'd convey that what made us
merit the eventual inevitable destruction of the BhM was bringing invalid
sacrifices, when in fact it was sinat chinnam.

What made the Destruction inevitable, isn't teshuva always an option? Well,
if you peruse Sefer Yirmeyahu (and Yechezqel) one gathers that at some
point Destruction was inevitable and the people had to learn they could
lose the BhM. In a sense, that was a necessary step to learn to adapt to
the coming new reality of galut, to inspire a Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai to
conceive to Yavneh as a refuge from the Destruction to ensure there will be
Jews and Judaism that one day will merit the reconstruction of the BhM.

In fact, in YU I learned something similar from Rav Bleich, that RZbA
considered it ziyuf haTorah, and that that was prohibited even at the great
cost of losing the BhM.

Thoughts?
-- 
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Yours sincerely,

Arie Folger
Visit my blog at http://rabbifolger.net/
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