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After one such effort at the beginning of the sixth century B.C.E., Nebuchadnezzar , the Babylonian king, responded with a punitive campaign against Judah. When Jerusalem surrendered, Nebuchadnezzar seized the palace and Temple treasures and exiled members of the upper classes, including young King Jehoiachin, who had ascended to the throne during the siege. Jerusalem, however, was spared, and Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah, Jehoiachin's uncle, as king of Judah (2 Kings 24:8-17).
It was not long, however, before Zedekiah also rebelled. In 586 B.C.E., Nebuchadnezzar returned to the region. This time, neither Jerusalem nor the Temple was spared. Zedekiah attempted to flee but was captured. He was brought before Nebuchadnezzar and forced to witness his children's execution, before his eyes were poked out. Again, booty and prisoners were carried off to Babylon (2 Kings 25:1-21; Jeremiah 39:1-7).
The physical losses suffered by the Hebrews at this time were indeed great. Psychologically, however, the losses were greater. The Davidic dynasty, which God promised would be eternal, now sat in exile in Babylon. Moreover, the Temple itself had been a symbol of God's presence among God's people. Its destruction thus suggested that God had abandoned the Hebrew people, thereby making them all the more vulnerable (see, for example, 2 Kings 24:20). It is in this setting that we encounter Gedaliah.
The earliest attestation of Gedaliah appears to come from an extra-biblical source. A seal impression found at Lachish (southwest of Jerusalem), dating to roughly 600 B.C.E., bears the inscription, "Gedalyahu, who is over the house." The title refers to a chief cabinet position within the king's court. The name, a variant of the name Gedaliah, has been taken by some as a reference to the subject of the Fast of Gedaliah. Thus Gedaliah, in his early career, appears to have held a high position in the Judahite royal court.
 | Found at Lachish | Drawing of a seal impression reading: `Gedaliah who is over the house.' [`Biblical Archaeology', Mar 1984, p. 57; A very instructive article] |
Another potential reference to our Gedaliah is found in the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible dating roughly to the second century B.C.E.). In the Septuagint's rendering of Jeremiah 36:25, we find a group of men protesting the Judahite king's burning of a scroll containing the prophecies of Jeremiah. One of these men, identified in the Hebrew text as Delaiah, is identified as Gedaliah in the Septuagint . If the Greek text preserves an authentic reading, it would suggest that Gedaliah long had sympathy for the opinions of the prophet Jeremiah who advocated a conciliatory approach to the Babylonians.
Gedaliah's story is told in 2 Kings 25:22-26 and Jeremiah 39:13-14; 40:1-41:18. He is introduced as Gedaliah son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, a prominent scribe of the period and the head of a household that supported both Josiah's religious reforms and the prophet Jeremiah. Immediately following the assault on Jerusalem, the Babylonians charged Gedaliah with the care of Jeremiah, who was previously imprisoned for opposing King Zedekiah's anti-Babylonian policies.
King Nebuchadnezzar then appointed Gedaliah ben [son of] Achikam to serve as Jewish governor of those who remained. Many Hebrews who had fled to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other neighboring lands returned to Judah, tended the vineyards again, and enjoyed a new respite after their earlier suffering. The conqueror, Nebuchadnezzar, eventually eased some of his harsh restrictions and allowed some Hebrews to remain in the Land of Judea. He even appointed a righteous Hebrew named Gedaliah to administrate the territory. Gradually, more Hebrews who'd escaped from the horrors of the war into neighboring countries began to return to their homes in Judah.
Gedaliah was realistic about the limitations of Hebrew sovereignty. He understood that for their own self-preservation, the Jews in Israel needed to fully cooperate with the nation who had conquered their land
Gedaliah was soon murdered, however, by Yishmael ben Netaniah, commissioned by the king of neighboring Ammon. But this political subservience was intolerable to some Hebrews. Yishmael ben Netaniah, spurred on by jealousy and foreign influence, arose and ignored the King of Babylon. As a result, the final vestiges of Jewish autonomy in the Holy Land were destroyed, many more thousands of Hebrews were slain, and the rest were driven into exile. Only 70 years later would the some Hebrews return and build the Second Temple.
The events are described in the Bible in Kings II 25 and Jeremiah 40-41.
The events are briefly recounted in the TaNaK in 2 Kings 25:25-26
- '' And as for the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler. And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. And Gedaliah swore to them, and to their men, and said to them, Do not fear to be the servants of the Chaldeans; live in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you. But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of royal seed, came, and ten men with him, and struck Gedaliah, and he died, and the men of Judah and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.''
'' 1 In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king's officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, 2 Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land. 3 Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian soldiers who were there.
4 The day after Gedaliah's assassination, before anyone knew about it, 5 eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of the Lord. 6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he met them, he said, "Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam." 7 When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern. 8 But ten of them said to Ishmael, "Don't kill us! We have wheat and barley, oil and honey, hidden in a field." So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. 9 Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa had made as part of his defense against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.
10 Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah—the king's daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.
11 When Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, 12 they took all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool in Gibeon. 13 When all the people Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad. 14 All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah . 15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.
16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led away all the survivors from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after he had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had brought from Gibeon. 17 And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt 18 to escape the Babylonians. They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.''Baalis king of Ammon, however, hostile and envious of the Judean remnant, sent and encouraged a Jew, Yishmael Ben Netaniah, who was a descended from the royal family of Judah, to assassinate Gedaliah. In the seventh month (Tishrei), a group of Jews led by Yishmael came to Gedaliah in the town of Mizpah and was received cordially. Gedaliah had been warned of his guest's murderous intent, but refused to believe his informants, having the belief that their report was mere slander. Yishmael murdered Gedaliah, together with most of the Jews who had joined him and many Babylonians whom the Babylonian King had left with Gedaliah. The remaining Jews feared the vengeance of the Babylonian King (seeing as his chosen ruler, Gedaliah, had been killed by a Jew) and fled to Egypt.
Out of fear for a Babylonian reprisal, the loyalists subsequently headed for Egypt. Jeremiah, who had often prophesied against going to Egypt, was reluctantly dragged along. Thus, the occupation of the land that began with an exodus from Egypt ended with a self-imposed exile to Egypt.
In the aftermath of Gedaliah's murder, the Hebrews feared reprisal from the King of Babylon. They thought to flee to Egypt to save themselves. But since Egypt was a morally corrupt society, the Hebrews were in a quandary -- weighing the physical threat against the spiritual danger. So they turned to the prophet Jeremiah, who was secluded in mourning, to ask for advice.
For an entire week, Jeremiah pleaded with God for an answer. Finally, on Yom Kippur, he was answered. Jeremiah called the Hebrews and told them to stay in Judea and everything would be alright. God was planning to make the Babylonians act mercifully toward the Hebrews, and before long, all the exiled Hebrews would be permitted to return to their own soil. But, Jeremiah told them, if the Hebrews decided to go to Egypt, the sword from which they were running would kill them there.
Unfortunately, the prophet's words did not penetrate, and the people refused to believe. All the Hebrews remaining in Judah packed their bags and went down to Egypt. They even kidnapped Jeremiah and took him with them! Now the destruction was complete; the Land of Judah was completely barren.
A few years later, Babylon conquered Egypt and tens of thousands of Hebrew exiles were completely wiped out. The lone survivor of this massacre was Jeremiah. His prophecy had become painfully true
It is worth taking a moment to examine the reasons for Gedaliah's assassination. Since the coup was instigated by the king of Ammon (in modern-day Jordan), it is worth noting that there are hints of Ammon's resistance to the Babylonians elsewhere in the biblical text (Jeremiah 27:1-11; Ezekiel 21:23-34). Moreover, Ishmael was himself a member of the royal family, and being a member of the Davidic line, he may have felt a rightful claim to the leadership of what remained of Judah. Thus, the assassination of Gedaliah may have been the result of an effort to renew the anti-Babylonian effort and restore the throne of Judah to the Davidic family.
The surviving remnant of Hebrews was thus dispersed and the land remained desolate. In remembrance of these tribulations, the Jewish sages in the Talmud instituted the 'Fast of the Seventh' (see Zechariah 8:19) on the day of Gedaliah's assassination in the seventh month.The initial event -- the murder of Gedalia -- has been likened to the destruction of the Holy Temple, because it cost Hebrew lives and brought the end of Hebrew settlement in Judea for many years. The Talmudic sages therefore declared that the anniversary of this tragedy should be a day of fasting. This day is the third of Tishrei, the day immediately after Rosh Hashana.
The earliest commemoration of Gedaliah's death might be said to have occurred immediately after his assassination, with the pilgrimage of those who had come to mourn him only to be stricken down by Ishmael.
We next hear of this as a day of mourning connected with three other fast days in the Book of Zechariah. In an oracle dating to the end of the sixth century B.C.E. in Zechariah 7-8, we find a group coming to the prophet to ask whether it is still necessary to solemnly commemorate the destruction of the Temple now that the people have been permitted to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. In an extended response that never directly answers the question, but does assure them that God has plans for their future prosperity, Zechariah informs them that these four holidays will one day be celebrated with joy and gladness. Perhaps Zechariah's response was intended to mean that these solemn commemorations were still necessary, but would not be so forever.
It should also be noted that Zechariah makes reference to four fast days associated with the demise of Judah (Zechariah 8:19), but he is only asked about one fast, the one commemorating the destruction of the Temple (Zechariah 7:3). In his response, Zechariah refers to all four fast days. This may suggest that not all Jews or Hebrews observed the other three fast days.
It is suggested that Gedaliah was slain on the first day of Tishrei but the fast was postponed till after Rosh Hashanah, since fasting is prohibited during a festival. Concerning this fast day, the Rabbis have said that its aim is to establish that the death of the righteous is likened to the burning of the house of God. Just as they ordained a fast upon the destruction of the Hebrew Temple , likewise they ordained a fast upon the death of Gedaliah.
The next reference to the Fast of Gedaliah comes in the Babylonian Talmud. In Tractate Rosh Hashanah 18b, the rabbis assign the third day of Tishrei as the date the Fast of Gedaliah is to be observed; the biblical text (Zechariah 7:5; 8:19) simply refers to the month of its observance but not the date. The rabbis add that the fact that a fast day is designated to commemorate Gedaliah's death suggests that the death of a righteous man was just as tragic as the burning of the Temple.
The fast day begins at dawn and ends at sundown. The special penitential prayers, known as Selichot, that are recited from before Rosh HaShanah until Yom Kippur, are augmented on this day. Passages are recited on the concepts of Teshuvah (repentance), God's acceptance of repentance, the special Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son Isaac, the destruction of the Temple, Israel's longing for Redemption, and more. The fast is observed from daybreak until the stars appear at night. As a minor fast day, other laws of mourning are not required. Selichot are recited during Shachrit by orthodox communities. The cantor includes the prayer Aleinu in the repetition of the Shachrit and in private recitation of the Mincha amidah . The Avinu Malkeinu prayer is recited. A Torah scroll is taken from the ark, the Thirteen Divine Attributes are said, and the Passages of Vayechal are read from the Torah (Exodus 32:11-14 and 34:1-10). The same Torah reading and also a Haftarah reading are added at Mincha .
What spiritual lessons are we to learn from the fast of Gedaliah?
The Hebrew people had sunk to one of their lowest levels in history. The Temple was destroyed, the ten northern tribes were lost, the majority of the remained two tribes were exiled, and things looked hopeless. But God changed their desperate situation and had the righteous Gedaliah appointed. Yet Gedaliah was murdered by a jealous Hebrew and all hope was wiped out.
It was at this point that Jeremiah prayed to God for some insight and assurance. This was during the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This story is memorialized to teach us an important message for these days: No matter how far away we are from God or our Judaism, we can do Jewish Spiritual Renewal.
The Hebrews who went to ask Jeremiah for advice were subconsciously sure that God would give the answer they wanted to hear. So when God answered differently, they rebelled.
Yet these were not evil people. What happened?
These Hebrews allowed their ego and fears to be dependent on the will of the Babylonians. They were unwilling to be dependent on the will of God and to trust in God. The lesson is that attaching oneself to God means following Him at all times, not just when it happens to coincide with what you want.
A good rule in life, when faced with a tricky moral dilemma, is to ask yourself: "What would God say? What does He want me to do?" This is why we teach in Jewish Spiritual Renewal prayer and meditation so that we can have a personal relationship with God, to get correct Guidance throughout the day.
When one Jew murders another, even with loshan ha ra, disrespect, lack of chesed, etc., it is a deep, terrible tragedy, which can have enormous historical repercussions. There is no excuse for such violence or behavior. Of course we will have philosophical and political differences. We must work them out with calm and tolerance. It is the only acceptable way as for this is what Judaism's God of ahavah, chesed, and forgiveness calls.
L'Shana Tova,
Rabbi Arthur Segal
Hebrew College, Newton Centre, MA, USA
JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL
JEWISH RENEWAL
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC
BLUFFTON, SC
SAVANNAH, GA
(thanks to Wiki,OU,other web sites)
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