Parchment Burning

The title of this blog, Parchment Burning,  comes from the story about the martyring of Rabbi Chanina ben Teradion, who was one of the Ten Martyrs killed by the Romans in the time of the Mishna. Despite Roman decrees against the teaching of Torah in public, Chanina continued to do so: "He would sit and learn Torah and gather groups around him, with a Torah scroll on his lap." (Babylonian Talmud, Avoda Zara 18a)  In one version, he is sitting in a Beit Ulam , and I think the expression and the setting must have been akin to a synagogue or house of study. The Romans barged into this gathering, grabbed the Torah and wrapped it around Chanina. They stuffed in tufts of damp wool stuffed between to keep the fire from consuming him immediately. Chanina took comfort in being burned together with a Torah scroll. As the flames consumed him, his students asked him what he saw, and he replied: "Parchment burning and letters flitting in the air."  The story of the deat...

October, 67 CE Gamla, Judaea The synagogue in Gamla is the earliest known synagogue in Israel. It is among a handful of ruined synagogues that pre-date the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. It was Gamla's only public building. (Lee Levine, The Ancient Synagogue , 54) Gamla was one of the Jewish military strongholds during the Great Revolt. (Josephus, The Jewish War , IV:1-83) As the Roman army led by Vespasian and Titus approached the city, refugees from the countryside flocked there for protection. Lacking adequate housing, many of these asylum-seekers were housed in the synagogue. Remains of cooking equipment and fire pits were discovered by archaeologists, testifying to the situation during the siege. The townspeople fortified the synagogue as best they could, reinforcing the walls which also served as a section of the city's fortifications.  The area of the synagogue was one of the focuses of the Roman assault, with over 350 ballista stones uncovered in and ar...