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The Tana Raban
Shimon Ben Gamliel
Born:
Eretz Yisrael
Died: 115 CE.
Served as the fourth Nassi [president] (in
the fourth generation after Hillel) from the family
of Hillel. He was the Nassi of Sanhedrin in the generation of the destruction
of the second Holy Temple. R' Shimon was the first of the Ten Martys
killed.
Very few of the teachings of Raban Gamliel have been recorded in his name;
many
have been recorded in the name of the school of Hillel.
He said: "All my days I have been raised among the sages and I have found
nothing
better for the body than silence; not study but practice is the chief thing;
he who is profuse of words causes sin (Misnah Avot 1:17).
During the celebrations of Simchat Beit HaShoava ("Festival of the Water
Drawing")
on the holiday of Sukkot, R' Shimon Ben Gamliel "would juggle eight burning
torches and not one of them fell to the ground, and when he prostrated
himself he placed his finger on the ground, bowed, kissed the ground,
and immediately stood upright' (Tosefta Sukkot 4:4 ; Sukkot 53a).
When there was a large increase in the price for certain birds that were used
as
sacrifices for women after childbirth, R' Shimon Ben Gamliel swore that he
would
not go to sleep that night until the price was reduced (Misnah Keritot 1:7).
R' Shimon had two sons and one daughter by the name of Imma-Shalom
who married
Rabbi
Eliezer Ben Horkenus
(R' Akiva's teacher) (Bava Metzia 59)
The Ten Martyrs
Lupinus the Roman Emperor at the time was studying Torah and asked
the ten
great
sages of that time: "What is the law according to your Torah, for a Jew
who
sells another into captivity?" (referring to the sale of Joseph by his
brothers)
"Capital Punishment," answered Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues. "But,
Yosef's
brothers were never punished for their crime!" the Roman protested, and
then began to set his deadly trap. "Justice must be done, and there has
been
no leaders to take their places until the ten of you!".
When R' Nechunya ben HaKana heard of this decree, he told R'
Yishmael Ben Elisha
to asend to Heaven to ascertain whether this was the result of heavenly
decree. R' Yishmael purified himself, uttered God's secret name, and ascended
to Heaven. He asked the angel Gavriel about the decree, and Gavriel responded,
"Accept it upon yourselves, righteous and beloved men, for I have heard
behind the partition that this is to be your destiny," and R' Yishmael
was
told that the ten sages would be given to the evil angel Samael as a punishment
for the selling of Yoseph. R' Yishmael reported to his colleagues what
he had been told, and they accepted the heavenly decree.
R' Yishmael and Raban Shimon ben Gamliel were imprisoned together,
and R' Shimon
began to weep. R' Yishmael said to him, "Soon you will be among the saints
in the next world. Why are you crying?" R' Shimon answered, "I am not
crying
because I am going to die, but because I am being executed like a Shabbat
desecrator or an idol worshiper or ...a murderer." R' Yishmael suggested
that maybe while he was eating or napping a women came to ask if she
was considered a niddah and his attendants did not allow her to come in
and
disturb him...or a beggar may have knocked on the door while R' Shimon
was eating and his was not allowed in...R' Shimon asserted that he was extremely
careful in these matters. R' Yishmael suggested that maybe he felt pride
while he was teaching...and R' Shimon once again asserted that he was
careful not to have proud thoughts after he preached. (Some reverse the roles
and
say that R' Yishamel was crying and R' Shimon said these things to him).
When R' Shimon and R' Yishmael were taken out to be killed, R'
Yishmael fell
at the feet of the executioner and begged, "I am a Kohen Gadol, the
son of
Kohanim Gedolim; kill me first so that I will not see the death of my
fellow."
R' Shimon pleaded, "I am a Nassi, the son of a Nassi; kill me first so
that I will not see the death of my fellow." The executioner cast lots,
and
the lot fell on R' Shimon to be killed first. The executioner immediately
decapitated
R' Shimon. R' Yishmael hugged the head to himself and placed his eyes
against the eyes of R' Shimon and his mouth against R' Shimon's mouth.
In a loud voice he cried out, "You holy lips; you never spoke anything but
secrets
of the Torah. How can you be made to lick the dust?"
When
Rabbi
Akiva
and Rabbi
Yehudah ben Bava
(or
Betairah)
heard about the
deaths
of Rabbi Shimon and R' Yishmael, they arose, put on a sackcloth, tore their
garments
in mourning, and said, "If there was any good in the world, it was
in the merit of R' Shimon & R' Yishmael. Great misfortunes will befall the
world"
Their deaths had been previously prophesied by Shmuel
HaKatan,
who
predicted
before he died (before the Temple was destroyed), "Shimon and Yishmael
will die by the sword, and their colleagues are destined to be murdered..."(Sota
48)
According to the Ari
(R' Yitzchak Luria), R' Shimon was the reincarnation of
one of the brothers of Yosef
HaTzaddik
(Joseph) who sold him. R' Shimon's death
was an atonement for that sin.
May the merit of the
Tana Raban Shimon Ben Gamliel,
protect us all, Amen
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