The Gemara tells us that the second beit hamikdash was destroyed because of sinat chinam, baseless hatred1. From here, many commentators learn that the third and final beit hamikdash will be rebuilt in the merit of unconditional love. Rav Kook puts it this way: If we were destroyed, and the world was destroyed with us, because of baseless hatred, we will be rebuilt, and the world will likewise be rebuilt, through unconditional love2.
As we mourn for the destruction of peace and connection, and we long for Yerushalayim to reposition itself as the crowning jewel of the world, we encounter the very imminent role of sinat chinam in our lives. The Yerushalmi famously states that every generation in which the beit hamikdash is not rebuilt is considered responsible for its destruction3. In order to bring redemption we must understand: What is sinat chinam, the sin that brought about the current galut, and how do we rectify it?
The Paradigm Tale: Kamtza and Bar Kamtza
The Gemara tells us that the because of the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Yerushalayim was destroyed.4 The Maharsha comments that this story is an example of the prevalent sinat chinam of the time and demonstrates how such hatred brought the destruction.
Briefly, the story is about a wealthy man in Yerushalayim who made a feast and requested that his friend, Kamtza, be invited. Instead, his servant mistakenly invited his nemesis, Bar Kamtza. When the host discovered Bar Kamtza at his event, he ordered him immediately out. Bar Kamtza, mortified, begged not to be thrown out, pledging even to pay for his meal and for those of half the guests. But even when he offered to foot the entire party, the host was unmoved and refused to let him stay.
Humiliated and angered at the chachamim who witnessed his shame and did not protest, Bar Kamtza went to the Roman Caesar and alleged that the Jews were staging a rebellion. To test his claim, the Roman Emperor sent animals to be offered as sacrifices; Bar Kamtza then secretly inflicted them with minor blemishes, such that they would be considered unfit as karbanot in the beit hamikdash but still considered whole by Roman standards. The sages ultimately rejected the sacrifices and Nero marched upon Yerushalayim to destroy it.
From Anotherโs Eyes: Crossing the Divide
Rabbi David Fohrman demonstrates how we can break down the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza to find a recurring theme. At each point, you have the wronged party feeling angered and mistreated, and perhaps even rightfully indignant. The host assumed Bar Kamtza showed up just to antagonize him. On this most special night, when he gathered the nobility of Yerushalayim and all those dear to him, his foe of many years came to ruin his joy. From his perspective, he was wholly justified in wanting to put an end to such provocation.
Bar Kamtza, in turn, experienced a thoroughly different series of events. To his eyes, he was the victim of an unfortunate mistake. He did not deserve to be thus humiliated, and certainly the sages present should have stood up in the face of such public shaming. He felt utterly victimized and vowed to take his rage out on the community.
The same happened again when the Jews rejected the offerings from Rome.The emperor had provided Judea with groundbreaking infrastructure, reasonable political autonomy and religious freedom, and in deference to their G-d, offered a sacrifice in His service. Their rejection, to him, was clear evidence of their disloyalty, and made them worthy of total annihilation.
As we mourn for the destruction of peace and connection, and we long for Yerushalayim to reposition itself as the crowning jewel of the world, we encounter the very imminent role of sinat chinam in our lives. The Yerushalmi famously states that every generation in which the beit hamikdash is not rebuilt is considered responsible for its destruction. In order to bring redemption we must understand: What is sinat chinam, the sin that brought about the current galut, and how do we rectify it?
Baseless hatred never feels baseless when we experience it. There’s always a narrative, a perspective, a charm that spins sinat chinam into righteous indignation. There is nothing irrational about our insistence to dig in our heels and stand up for ourselves, against the other, when we feel annoyed or slighted.
What then, makes this story about sinat chinam? If everyone involved had good reason to respond the way they did, how is this story an example of baseless hatred? Rabbi Fohrman contends that sinat chinam is better understood as unjustified hatred, unchecked resentment. There is a reason itโs there, but if itโs allowed to fester and assert itself in consequence, that is already considered baseless.
The Antidote
What does the reverse of sinat chinam look like? How might the story have transpired if one of the wronged parties stopped to consider how things look from the other side? What happens when we are able to transcend the dimensions of our own perspective and try to put ourselves into the other partyโs shoes?
The ability to see another personโs perspective deeply, fully, enables us to mevater, to forgive; to not bear a grudge, to share compassion and empathy with others. The personification of this trait is borne by Rachel.
A Voice is Heard
In sefer Yirmiyah, we learn about how as the Jews are being led to Bavel, Yirmiyahu begged Hashem for a promise that Yerushalayimm will be rebuilt. He approached the avot and Moshe and asked them to pray. But no plea was accepted, until Rachel came.
โืงึฃืึนื ืึฐึผืจึธืึธึคื ื ึดืฉึฐืืึธืขึ ื ึฐืึดืึ ืึฐึผืึดึฃื ืชึทืึฐืจืึผืจึดึืื ืจึธืึตึื ืึฐืึทืึธึผึฃื ืขึทืึพืึธึผื ึถึืืึธ ืึตืึฒื ึธึื ืึฐืึดื ึธึผืึตึฅื ืขึทืึพืึธึผื ึถึืืึธ ืึดึผึฅื ืึตืื ึถึฝื ึผืึผโฆืึดื ึฐืขึดึคื ืงืึนืึตืึฐึ ืึดืึถึผึืึดื ืึฐืขึตืื ึทึืึดืึฐ ืึดืึดึผืึฐืขึธึื ืึดึผืึฉ ืึตึจืฉื ืฉึธืืึธึคืจ ืึดืคึฐืขึปืึธึผืชึตืึฐึ ื ึฐืึปืึพืึฐืึนืึธึื ืึฐืฉึธืึืืึผ ืึตืึถึฅืจึถืฅ ืืึนืึตึฝื. A voice rings out in Heaven, wailing, crying bitterly. Rachel is crying for her children. She refuses to be comforted over her children who are goneโฆ Restrain your voice from crying and your eyes from tears, because there is reward for what youโve done -says Hashem- and they will return from foreign lands.โ5
What was the deed Rachel did that gave her this special merit? What kind of behavior is so effective in bringing geulah? The Midrash tells us: When Lavan switched Leah for Rachel to marry Yaakov, Rachel was not jealous. She was mevater. She gave her sister the signs she had made up with Yaakov, so Leah would not be humiliated.
At the very beginning of Shemot, the Midrash brings another fascinating teaching. It cites the names of the shevatim, and shows how each name became a lashon for redemption at some future point. For Yissachar, the Midrash brings this pasuk from Yirmiyahu: ืึตึจืฉื ืฉึธืืึธึคืจ ืึดืคึฐืขึปืึธึผืชึตืึฐึ.
The story of Yissacharโs birth is told in parshat vaโyeitzi. Rachel was still barren, and jealous of Leahโs family. Reuven, Leahโs eldest, returned from the field with wildflowers for his mother. Rachel asked Leah to share some of them with her. Leahโs answer is shocking and the subject of much discussion.
ืึทืชึนึผึฃืืึถืจ ืึธึืึผ ืึทืึฐืขึทืึ ืงึทืึฐืชึตึผึฃืึฐ ืึถืชึพืึดืืฉึดืึื ืึฐืึธืงึทึืึทืช ืึทึผึฅื ืึถืชึพืึผืึผืึธืึตึื ืึฐึผื ึดึื ืึทืชึนึผึฃืืึถืจ ืจึธืึตึื ืึธืึตืึ ืึดืฉึฐืืึทึผึคื ืขึดืึธึผืึฐึ ืึทืึทึผึืึฐืึธื ืชึทึผึืึทืช ืึผืึผืึธืึตึฅื ืึฐื ึตึฝืึฐ: But she (Leah) said to her, โWas it not enough for you to take away my husband, that you would also take my sonโs mandrakes?โ Rachel replied, โI promise, he shall lie with you tonight, in return for your sonโs mandrakes.โ6
Leah accused Rachel of taking her husband, after Rachel had been the one to sacrifice her future for the sake of her sisterโs dignity. Rachel was, at this point, in tremendous pain, looking over at her sisterโs joy and begging Yaakov to โืึธึฝืึธืึพืึดึผึฃื ืึธื ึดึืื ืึฐืึดืึพืึทึืึดื ืึตืชึธึฅื ืึธื ึนึฝืึดื -Give me children or I might dieโ7. The natural response to the accusation that she had taken Leahโs husband would have been disbelieving outrage, at best.
But Rachel, even in her moment of total vulnerability and agony, chose to see the other side. Leah hadn’t, after all, been given a choice on that night; she was simply the object of Lavanโs conspiracy. And to Leah, the hated wife, life might have actually settled into peace and happiness had Rachel not decided to marry Yaakov as well, seven years later. Leah didnโt have a choice, but Rachel did, and to Leah, Rachelโs choice to marry Yaakov was the root of the conflict in their home and the cause for eternal complications.
Rachel was able to see that. She took the cataclysmically difficult, ego-defying leap to the other side, to see how the conflict looked from Leahโs end. And she was mevater, proposing that Leah be with Yaakov that night, out of total goodwill and vatranut. She understood Leahโs position and effectively ended the conflict by symbolically handing Yaakov over, and no mention is made of their jealousy after this incident.
Yaakov returned from the fields to Leahโs tent; that was the night Yissachar was conceived. The Midrash is indicating the hint in the pasuk to what the deed was that Rachel is being repaid for: ืึตึจืฉื-ืฉึธืืึธึคืจ ืึดืคึฐืขึปืึธึผืชึตืึฐึ, the story behind Yissacharโs birth. For all generations, we are to remember the story that created ืืฉ-ืฉืืจ, the merit that would serve as our eternal hope, and the model of what our work is in bringing geulah closer. May we merit seeing it in its totality, soon.
- Yoma 9b โฉ๏ธ
- Orot Hakodesh โฉ๏ธ
- Mishnah Yoma 1:1 โฉ๏ธ
- Gittin 55b โฉ๏ธ
- Yirmiyahu 31:15 โฉ๏ธ
- Bereishit 30:15 โฉ๏ธ
- Bereishit 30:1 โฉ๏ธ
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