From: hillel@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (hillel.e.markowitz)
Subject: Re: Tzom Gedalia
Organization: AT&T Federal Systems
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 22:02:25 GMT

In article <9210011524.AA02189@relay1.UU.NET> MASH@WEIZMANN.WEIZMANN.AC.IL (Michael Shimshoni) writes:
>On: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 17:11:37 GMT
>allen@golem.ssc.gov (Michael Allen) asked
>
>
>>Any info (with references) on Gedalia ben Achikom and the politics of
>>what lead up to his assisination?  I haven't been able to find more
>>than a couple of sentences here and there.
>
>There  is not  much  in  the Tanakh.   Essentially  it  is in  Mlakhim
>(Kings)II 25,22-26.  In  it we read that after the  destruction of the
>first  Temple  by  the   Babylonians  and  the  exile,  Nevukhadnetzar
>appointed  Gedalyahu to  be  in  charge of  those  Jews who  remained.
>Historically one  could take a dim  view of someone who  rules for the
>enemy (names like  Quisling or Vichy of WWII come  to mind).  Yishmael
>ben Netanya of  royal blood together with ten  helpers slew  Gedalyahu
>and  all the  Jews and  Babylonians  who were  with Gedalyahu.   These
>eleven could be defined as some form of freedom fighters revenging the
>crime of collaborating with the enemy.  They were too weak and escaped
>to Egypt, the arch enemy of Babylon.
>
>The killing  of Gedalyahu meant the  end of the last,  however unreal,
>form of some Jewish authority in  Eretz Yisrael, till the return under
>Koresh (Cyrus).  This may be the reason why a fast day was established
>for  the  death of  Gedalyahu.   The  historical background  may  also
>explain why  relatively few people  fast on  that day relative  to the
>amount of fasting on other fast days.
>
>I have a  vague recollection that when the plotters  escaped to Egypt,
>they took Yirmiyahu (Jeremias) with them, but not having a concordance
>in my office I did not find where  it was mentioned (if at all) in the
>Tanakh.
>
>Michael Shimshoni


There are more details in the end of Yirmiyahu.  Yirmiyahu told the
Jews that if they settled down under Gedalyu, G-d would protect
them and that even the active fighters against the Babylonians
would be left in peace.  Yishmael was hired by the king of Aram to
assasinate Gedalyah.  One of the main generals of the Jews (I
forgot his name but I think his first name was Yonatan) warned Gedalyah,
but Gedalyah refused to listen to Loshon Harah and invited Yishmael to 
the Rosh Hashono meal. Yishmael and his ten soldiers hid swords under 
their robes and killed everyone there.

Some pilgrims were coming to Yerushalaim to mourn at the site of
the Temple and Yishmael conned them into coming to the new capital
and said he had been sent to them by Gedaliah.  He killed most of
them and said this was at the orders of Gedaliah (apparently to try
to get a rebellion started).

However, Yonatan showed up with his army and teh king of Aram did
not come to Yishmael's aid.  Yishmael grabbed the hostages
including the king's sisters and ran for Aram.  Yonatan caught up
with him and rescued the hostages but the people were scared that
the Babylonians would take revenge on them for the assassination.
They planned to run to Egypt for safety since that was far to the
south and had not been conquered.  However, they first went to
Yirmiyahu to find out what they should do.  The meaynt, how best to
go to Egypt but they said that they would do whatever G-d told
Yirmiya.

Yirmiya prayed for ten days before G-d answered him (some say it
means the 10 days between R"H and Yom Kippur not an actual wait of
10 days and that G-d answered on Y"K).  G-d told Yirmiya to tell
the people not to go to Egypt.  If they stayed in Israel under the
Babylonians, G-d would protect them and they would rebuild so that
Israel would be strong and ready for when the exile ended.  If, on
the other hand, they went to Egypt, the very thing that they feared
(attack from Babylon) would come about and they would die in the
Babylonian conquest of Egypt.

The people refused to listen to the navi and I believce dragged him
with them to Egypt and I think he is supposed to have died there
but I am not sure.

AI believe thast there is an argument about which day Gedalyah was
actually murdered.  SOme say on Rosh Hashono and some say
afterwards (the second or third of Tishrei).  However, when the
Rabbis made the Takono for the fast they made it for the third
since we cannot fast on Yom Tov.  Note that this is not like the
case of Tisha B'Av falling out on Shabbos so we fast on the tenth
(Sunday).  Rather the original takono was specifically for the
third of tishrei.  There is a difference in that if someone has a
bris on the tenth of Av which is the fast day, the father, the
sandek, and the mohel must eat the seudah.  This does not apply to
Tzom Gedaliah.

(The last bit of Halacha is from a Dvar Torah by Rabbi Kaganoff
this Yom Tov who saw this occur while he was at Ner Yisroel in
Baltimore).

Gmar Chatimah TOvah

_______________________________________________________________
| Hillel Markowitz        |    Im ain ani li mi li             |
| H_Markowitz@att.com     |    Veahavta Leraiecha Kamocha      |
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