Events from the Second Temple Era are unfolding before our eyes with breathtaking speed. The leaders of mighty empires permitted us a return to the land of our fathers, only to rescind that invitation and outlaw Jewish entry into the land. Whilst jailed in the lands of the nations, we were attacked by Amalek who tragically achieved a far greater success than Haman ever managed.
Meanwhile, exile infected the Jewish leadership in Eretz Yisrael who turned on their brethren, aiding and abetting a foreign regime that afflicted the Judean populace without mercy – until the Maccabees banded together and drove them from the land in an awesome uprising. They were shown a sign of Divine favour when the war predicted to last for many days lasted only six.
But our Hasmonean dynasty was not fated to last for long and our newfound allies from Edom soon turned against us, utilising our ambivalence and internal strife to gain a powerful hold on us. They breached our defensive wall, split up the land among themselves and transformed the once-independent state of Israel into the vassal state of Judea.
So how does one extricate oneself from Roman rule without bringing the Jewish state to ruin in the process? Is this the next great challenge of Jewish history?
