2022/5782

Risk Management

Managing risk is a central aspect of planning in all areas of life. Knowing when it is appropriate to take a risk and when it is not is crucial to achieving success.

Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai deemed it too risky to request from Vespasian that he spare the Beit HaMikdash (Gittin 56b). Some have criticized Rabban Yochanan for failing to take this bold step. However, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai deemed it far too risky. He sought “Hatzalah Purta,” small gains that would keep Judaism alive, instead of what he deemed to be overly ambitious, to leave the Beit HaMikdash intact.

Inconsistency?

However, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai took enormous risks before he met the Roman emperor. The manner in which he cleverly slipped out of Yerushalayim easily could have led to his death both from the Biryonim who refused to let anyone leave Yerushalayim and the Roman guards on the other end. In addition, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai very narrowly avoided death with his bold gambit to greet the conquering head Roman general Vespasian “greetings to the king”. Why was Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai willing to take great risks to leave Yerushalayim and greet Vespasian but not to save the Beit HaMikdash? 

Leaving Yerushalayim

In order to answer our question we must try to understand why he took these enormous risks. While Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai could not control the Biryonim, he could reframe the Roman attitude to the besieged Jews in Yerushalayim. Rabban Yochanan’s role is reminiscent of the episode in Shmuel II Perek 20 where the wise woman of Avel Beit Ma’achah reached out to Yo’av Ben Tzeruyah clarifying that only Sheva Ben Bichri and his group of rebels threatened Yo’av. The rest of the town opposes Sheva Ben Bichri and should be spared from Yo’av.

Similarly, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai informs the besieging Romans that the consensus of Jewish Yerushalayim opposes the Biryonim and are noncombatants who should be spared. 

Greeting Vespasian as King

Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai’s greeting Vespasian as the king was a ploy to empower the otherwise powerless Jewish rabbinic leader. If granted some power, Rabban Yochanan could use the power to the benefit of Am Yisrael.

Rabban Yochanan also sought to raise the prestige of the Jewish people in the eyes of both the Romans and ourselves during our low point of the Churban by saying that the Churban will occur only by the hands of an extremely powerful leader. Even at our worst moment, we realize we fall only to major figures and powers. Nothing less is fitting for the “Mamlechet Kohanim,” our priestly nation who are spared the indignity of falling to a “nobody”.

In his gambit, Rabban Yochanan gains the respect of Vespasian not only for himself, but also respect for the entire Jewish people.

Interestingly, during the episode related by our Gemara regarding Vespasian’s shoes becoming too big for him, Rabban Yochanan advised him to look at someone he disliked to balance his emotions. Most interestingly, Vespasian did not look at Rabban Yochanan, indicating that on a certain level he liked Rabban Yochanan. This positive attitude likely is the reason Vespasian agreed to carry out Rabban Yochanan’s requests.

Rabi Akiva vs. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai

Rabi Akiva and other critics of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai could argue that the fact that Rabban Yochanan leaving Yerushalayim and greeting the general gambits worked so well despite the enormous odds against them, as is an indication that Hashem is tilting the events in favor of Rabban Yochanan. If so, then Rabban Yochanan should have also asked for the Beit HaMikdash to be saved because he was on a proverbial “roll” (i.e. he had a Chazakah of successful requests) and Hashem would have brought this request to a successful conclusion as well. 

Distinguishing between the Cases

Rabban Yochanan, however, did not arrive at this conclusion, and instead distinguished between the situations. Rav Zion Vaanunu notes the difference between Rabban Yochanan risking his own life as opposed to risking the survival of the Jewish people. 

The Jewish people could not survive without a Torah center and Torah leadership – therefore it was worth it for Rabban Yochanan to risk his own life to ensure that we would be able to transfer the Sanhedrin to Yavneh. However, had Rabban Yochanan asked for the Beit HaMikdash, Vespasian would have likely declined any request, endangering the very survival of our people, which was too great of risk for Rabban Yochanan to take.

Another suggestion, at least to explain the greeting, is that Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai felt supremely confident in the Torah and that it teaches that the Beit HaMikdash would fall only to a great leader. Thus, no risk was involved by greeting Vespasian as king.

Maccabim vs. Biryonim

I believe that we can reconcile Rabban Yochanan’s choices by drawing a crucial distinction between the Maccabim and Biryonim. The Biryonim likely supported their quixotic resistance to the Romans based on the Maccabees' most unlikely victory against the Syrian-Greeks. However, there is a major difference between the two rebellions.

The Torah makes very few guarantees. One of them is that the Jewish people, as a whole, will survive. We are referred to by the Tanach (Shmuel I 15:29) as Netzach Yisrael, eternal Israel. The Torah also guarantees (Devarim 31:21  with Rashi) that “Lo Tishakach MiPi Zaro,” the Torah will never be completely forgotten by our people. The eternal Torah and the eternal people are inextricably linked and the Torah guarantees that they will both survive together forever.

In stark contrast, not only does the Torah not guarantee the survival of the Beit HaMikdash, it even warns of its destruction if we sin (VaYikra  26:31). Thus, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai deems it reasonable to take great risks to save Am Yisrael and its connection to Torah. Since the Torah guarantees both the Torah and Am Yisrael’s survival, Rabban Yochanan is confident his efforts to save both us and the Torah will succeed. He feels assured that Hashem will help him overcome all odds. 

However, no such promise exists for the Beit HaMikdash, and there is every indication that Hashem is following his warning to bring about its destruction. Thus Rabban Yochanan decides that it is imprudent to make an extraordinary risk to save the Beit HaMikdash.

Conclusion- The Perspective of Time

The passage of years shows that Rabban Yochanan made the correct choices. In retrospect, it is clear that he, with Hashem’s help, facilitated the survival of our people.  We all must take risks to accomplish anything in life.  However, we must know when we are crossing the line from prudent risk taking to reckless behavior.  May we merit divine assistance similar to Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai when determining the limits of our risk taking when making critical personal and communal decisions.