The Knesset’s action reminds me of an old story.
The shameful and disgusting Knesset action reminds me of a story.
The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan, 4:6:1
Now, when Vespasian came to destroy Jerusalem, he said to [the inhabitants of the city], “Idiots! Why do you want to destroy this city and burn down the sanctuary? For what do I want of you, except that you send me a bow and arrow [as marks of submission to my rule], and I shall go on my way.
They said to him, “Just as we salliled out against the first two who came before you and killed them, so shall we sally out and kill you.”
When Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai heard, he proclaimed to the men of Jerusalem, saying to them, “My sons, why do you want to destroy this city and burn the house of the sanctuary? For what does he want of you, except that you send him a bow and arrow, and then he will go on his way.”
They said to him, “Just as we sallied out against the first two who came before him and killed them, so shall we sally out and kill them.”
. . .
After Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai had spoken to them one day, a second, and a third, and the people did not accept his counsel, he sent for his disciples, R. Eliezer and R. Akiba, and said to them, go and get me out of here.”
. . .
When Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai heard that Jerusalem had been destroyed and the house of sanctuary burned in flames, he tore his garments, and his disciples tore their garments, and they wept and cried and mourned.
Author: Jonathan Zasloff
Jonathan Zasloff teaches Torts, Land Use, Environmental Law, Comparative Urban Planning Law, Legal History, and Public Policy Clinic - Land Use, the Environment and Local Government. He grew up and still lives in the San Fernando Valley, about which he remains immensely proud (to the mystification of his friends and colleagues). After graduating from Yale Law School, and while clerking for a federal appeals court judge in Boston, he decided to return to Los Angeles shortly after the January 1994 Northridge earthquake, reasoning that he would gladly risk tremors in order to avoid the average New England wind chill temperature of negative 55 degrees.
Professor Zasloff has a keen interest in world politics; he holds a PhD in the history of American foreign policy from Harvard and an M.Phil. in International Relations from Cambridge University. Much of his recent work concerns the influence of lawyers and legalism in US external relations, and has published articles on these subjects in the New York University Law Review and the Yale Law Journal. More generally, his recent interests focus on the response of public institutions to social problems, and the role of ideology in framing policy responses.
Professor Zasloff has long been active in state and local politics and policy. He recently co-authored an article discussing the relationship of Proposition 13 (California's landmark tax limitation initiative) and school finance reform, and served for several years as a senior policy advisor to the Speaker of California Assembly. His practice background reflects these interests: for two years, he represented welfare recipients attempting to obtain child care benefits and microbusinesses in low income areas. He then practiced for two more years at one of Los Angeles' leading public interest environmental and land use firms, challenging poorly planned development and working to expand the network of the city's urban park system. He currently serves as a member of the boards of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (a state agency charged with purchasing and protecting open space), the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (the leading legal service firm for low-income clients in east Los Angeles), and Friends of Israel's Environment. Professor Zasloff's other major activity consists in explaining the Triangle Offense to his very patient wife, Kathy.
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