Jose ben Joezer
Rabbinical eras |
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Jose ben Joezer (also spelt Yose ben Yoezer) was a rabbi of the early
Biography
With him and
Jose belonged to the party of the Ḥasidim, and was a decided adversary of
Jose ben Joezer was distinguished for his piety, and is called "the most pious in the priesthood" ("hasid shebikechunnah").[4] He professed great veneration for scholars, one of his sayings being: "Let thy house be a meeting-place for the wise; powder thyself in the dust of their feet, and drink their words with eagerness" [5]
Death
Jose was probably among the sixty pious men who, at the instigation of the high priest Alcimus, the son of his sister, were crucified by the Syrian general Bacchides.[6] The Midrash reports the following dialogue between Alcimus and Jose ben Joezer while the latter was on the way to execution:
- Alcimus: "See the profit and honors that have fallen to my lot in consequence of what I have done, whilst thou, for thy obstinacy, hast the misfortune to die as a criminal."
- Yose, quietly: "if such is the lot of those who anger God, what shall be the lot of those who accomplish His will?"
- Alcimus: "Is there any one who accomplished His will more than thou?"
- Yose: "If this is the end of those who accomplish His will, what awaits those who anger Him?"
On this Alcimus was seized with remorse and committed suicide: "He went and subjected himself to all four modes of execution inflicted by the Beth Din: stoning, burning, beheading, and strangulation. What did he do [to accomplish this]? He took a beam and stuck it in the ground, attached a rope to it, set up logs [in front of it], and built a stone wall around it. He then made a bonfire [with the logs] and stuck a sword in the middle. He then hanged himself with the rope, and while he was strangling the rope burnt through and snapped, he fell on the sword, while the wall [of stones] fell upon him and he burned [in the fire]."[7] Jose ben Joezer left a son, whom he had disinherited for bad conduct.[8]
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Schechter, Solomon; Broydé, Isaac (1904). "Jose ben Joezer of Zeredah". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 242.
- Shabbat46a
- Eduyot. viii. 4; Pesachim15a
- Haggigahii. 2
- ^ Haggigah 2:7
- Abot1:4
- ^ I Maccabees 7:16
- Genesis Rabba65:22
- ^ Bava Batra 133b