Bar Kochva Rebellion (Fall of Bethar)

Introduction

About 60 years after the destruction of the Second Temple, the Israelites rebelled for a second time against Rome. In contrast to the infighting that led to the destruction of the second temple, this rebellion was led by a single leader with military prowess and support of the sages of Israel. His original name was Simon bar Koseva and was changed to Bar Kochva (son of a star) by Rabbi Akiva, who claimed that he was the messiah (Lamentations Rabbah 2:4 with correction of Eitz Yosef). The latter chose this name based on Numbers 24:17, “A star has arisen from Jacob … and will undermine the children of Seth (meaning all the nations since Seth and his descendants led to Noah).” The Romans put down the rebellion on Tisha B’Av, and as a result of this crushing defeat, the Israelites did not take up arms on a national scale until the modern state of Israel, more than 1800 years after this revolt.

Details of Rebellion

The Talmud (Taanit 29a) mentions that the Romans put down the rebellion on Tisha B’Av but does not provide many details of the battles. Again there is no scriptural reference to this event because it occurred much after the completion of Hebrew scripture. Parts of the rebellion are told in Talmud Gittin 57b with more detail in the Jerusalem Talmud 4:5, and Midrash Lamentations Rabbah 2:4. Unlike secular, historical sources which describe battles, armies, generals, and dates these sources focus on the moral aspect of the war with a message for the future and may not be literal.

Both the Jerusalem Talmud (ibid.) and Midrash (ibid.) relate that Bar Kochva built up an army of 400,000 fearless warriors. Bar Kochva insisted on testing the strength of his warriors by submitting them to cutting off a finger before joining his army. Presumably, he wanted to see if they could withstand pain and the sight of blood. The rabbis objected to this test because it involved disfiguring a body given by Hashem. Rather, they suggested that each new recruit uproot a tree while riding on a horse. In this manner, he accumulated an army of 200,000 soldiers with a cut finger and an equal number who uprooted trees.

The Midrash relates that initially Bar Kochva was very successful with his campaign against Rome and was able to repel the Roman catapults with his own strength (literal reading of the Midrash) or through his military cunning (figurative interpretation of the Midrash). In any event, his success in capturing Jerusalem and driving back the Romans convinced Rabbi Akiva and most of the sages of that time that he was the Messiah (Talmud Jerusalem (ibid.) and Midrash (ibid.)). Maimonides (Laws of Kings 11:3) writes that the entire generation of sages supported Bar Kochva and considered him potentially as the messiah. However the Midrash records a dissenting view. Rabbi Yohanan ben Torta said to Rabbi Akiva, “Even after your death (literally, grass will grow on your cheeks), the messiah will not come.”  Maimonides continues (ibid.) that after Bar Kochva was killed because of his sins, the sages realized that he was not the messiah.

Grave Sin

The reader may ask, “What was the grave sin that led to his downfall?” The Jerusalem Talmud (ibid.) and Midrash (ibid.) relate that a Samaritan plotted the downfall of Bar Kochva through a ruse. He entered the fortified city of Beitar, stronghold of Bar Kochva, through a water pipe and appeared to speak to Rabbi Elazar Hamodai, the uncle of Bar Kochva. The rabbi was busy in prayer and did not pay attention to the Samaritan (Midrash) or in fact the Samaritan did not say anything (Jerusalem Talmud). In any event, the supporters of Bar Kochva suspected Rabbi Elazar of planning to make peace with the Romans.   Bar Kochva asked Rabbi Elazar, “What did the Samaritan say?” Rabbi Elazar responded that since he was deeply involved in prayer he did not hear anything. Bar Kochva was not convinced of the rabbi’s sincerity, flew into a rage, kicked the rabbi, and killed him.

A heavenly voice proclaimed that by killing Rabbi Elazar, who had fasted and prayed daily for the safety of Beitar, Bar Kochva lost divine support and was eventually killed by a snake or the Romans. The Talmud Sanhedrin 93b explains that the rabbis tested Bar Kochva and found him lacking powers of discernment, especially in the killing of Rabbi Elazar, and killed him. Many commentators explain that the rabbis did not actually kill Bar Kochva, rather they withdrew their support and he died in battle because of his sins (Maimonides Laws of Kings 11:3 with the explanation of the Radbaz).

Secular Viewpoint

In addition to the classical rabbinic sources for the rebellion, secular historians have written about these events. However these sources suffer from the following drawbacks, they were written:

• About 70 or more years after the events.
• By historians who supported Rome against the Israelites.

Reasons for the Rebellion

Although rabbinic sources did not discuss the reasons for the rebellion, secular historians have advanced the following ideas:

• Resentment – Emperor Hadrian had promised the Israelites that he would allow them to build a temple in Jerusalem and later reneged on the promise.
• Oppression – The Roman governor of Judea, Tineius Rufus, treated his subjects harshly.
• Outrage – Hadrian either planned or started construction of an idolatrous temple on the temple mount in Jerusalem.
• Decrees – Hadrian banned observance of Judaism (e.g. Torah study, circumcision, and Sabbath). It is not clear from the secular viewpoint if these decrees preceded the rebellion (i.e. the cause) or were a result of the rebellion (i.e. effect). It is possible that both views are correct, meaning that some decrees were initiated before the rebellion and some afterwards as Rome imposed its authority through increasingly harsh, retaliatory measures.
• Rumours – After Hadrian left Israel in 132 AD (3892), rumours had circulated that Hadrian had died providing a window of opportunity for a rebellion.

Failure of the Rebellion 

In addition to the moral failures of Bar Kochva, secular historians explain the victory of Rome in terms of:

• Size of the army – Initially the success of Bar Kochva was against smaller Roman armies. Then Rome increased the size of their army by drawing trained men from different parts of the empire.
• Military tactics – Rather than confronting Bar Kochva’s forces directly, the Romans fought methodically laying siege town by town thereby weakening his forces.
• Leadership – The Roman army was led by Julius Severus an experienced commander of large armies and many battles.

Catastrophic Loss of Life

The losses from the rebellion were catastrophic because the Romans killed both soldiers and civilians, even women and children. The brutality of the Romans was intentional to send a message to the Israelites to abandon any thoughts of future rebellion. In addition the Romans did not allow the burial of the dead until a new emperor was appointed. Although the number of casualties reported by the Talmud – Babylonian and Jerusalem, may not be literal the devastation in Israel was felt for generations. The numbers are listed below and may reflect the potential loss of future population or the intense grief felt by the surviving population:

• 4 million or 40 million (Gittin 57b)
• 800 million (Taanit 4:5)

Maimonides (Laws of Fasts 5:3) puts the number in the hundreds of thousands and accepts that these numbers are not literal. In any event Jerusalem was lost and the Romans banished the Israelites from this city and its environs.

Aftermath of Rebellion

Following the failed Bar Kochva rebellion, the sages adopted a cautious attitude towards Rome and rebellion. They expounded verses in Deuteronomy Chapter 2 which advised the Israelites in the desert to avoid warring against Edom (ibid. 5) and therefore bypass their land (ibid. 8). They extended this lesson of dealing with Edom to accepting Roman rule viewing this empire as a successor of Edom.

Specifically, the Midrash (Deuteronomy Rabbah 1:19) expounds upon Deuteronomy 2:3, “Turn yourselves northward (צפנה)”, with word and concept association. Even though the word (צפנה) literally means northward this Midrash develops the following strategy for dealing with Rome:

• Avoid confrontation – If Edom wants to provoke the Israelites then hide until the danger passes. Esau (father of Edom) was blessed by his father Isaac (Genesis 27:40): “By your sword you shall live.” In this case the root word צפן means to hide, or in the vernacular, “Keep a low profile.”
• Study the Torah assiduously – If Edom wants to join with you (i.e. assimilation or intermarriage) then flee to the protection of Torah study and observance as the verse states (Proverbs 2:7), “He lays up (וצפן) sound wisdom for the upright, a shield for those who walk in integrity.” The word וצפן is similar to the word “northward (צפנה)” hence the word and subsequent concept association. The importance of Torah study and observance as a bulwark against the influence of Esau is found in Genesis Rabbah (65:16), “When Jacob weakens his voice (in Torah study and prayer), then the hands of Esau rule. When Jacob strengthens his voice, then the hands of Esau do not rule (i.e. are weakened).” Isaac’s remark when feeling the hands of the disguised Jacob (Genesis 27:22), “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are Esau’s hands.” This verse alludes to the relation between the voice of Jacob and the hands of Esau. In addition, the word הקל is written without the letter vav “ו” and can be read as light or weak, implying that when the voice of Jacob is weak then the hands of Esau will prevail.
• Wait until the Messiah – After two catastrophic defeats against Rome, the rabbis advised the Israelites to bide their time until the advent of the messiah when the Israelites will be permitted to fight against Rome (and allies) with divine approval and aid. This Midrash selects Psalms 31:20 for the word and concept association of the great bounty (i.e. peace, prosperity, and freedom to serve Hashem) at the time of the messiah. The verse reads, “How great is Your (divine) goodness that You have laid away (צפנת) for those who fear You.”

Plowing of Temple Mount

Following the defeat of Bar Kochva, the Romans consolidated their power in Israel. They plowed the temple mount and surrounding areas (Maimonides Law of Fasts 5:3), on Tisha B’Av to discourage any attempt to build a third temple under Roman rule. This date is similarly known by tradition (Taanit 29a).

Rashi (ibid.) comments that this plowing, which included the city of Jerusalem, fulfilled Micah’s prophecy (Micah 3:12), “Zion will be plowed like a field; Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the Temple Mount like the high places of a forest.”

Lessons: Avoid confrontation, study the Torah, expect full victory with the messiah.