Introduction
Most Jews do not know why Tzom Gedaliah was instituted. Some are aware that we fast to mourn the death of Gedaliah ben Achikam, a Tzaddik. However, this is hardly a convincing reason to fast on an annual basis; after all, many Tzaddikim have died on a wide variety of days, and we do not fast for them. Many might respond that Gedaliah was a Tzaddik who was assassinated by another Jew. Sadly, this is also an inadequate response, as the Tanach is bloodied with many civil wars and assassinations. Sefer Shofetim, Sefer Shmuel, and Sefer Melachim each record tragic instances of internecine warfare, where many a Tzaddik was killed by the hand of a fellow Jew. What is so unique about Gedaliah’s death that merits the dedication of a fast day?
Yishmael ben Netaniah’s Motivation
To arrive at a satisfying explanation for Tzom Gedaliah, we must delve into the motivations of the assassin, as outlined in Melachim II 25:22-26, and paralleled in Yirmiyahu 41. The assassin, Yishmael ben Netaniah, is described as a member of the royal family. It is not difficult to discern why Yishmael ben Netaniah is deeply disturbed by Gedaliah ben Achikam’s actions.
Gedaliah is appointed by the Nevuchadnetzar-led Babylonian Empire to govern the few Jews who were permitted to remain in Eretz Yisrael after the Churban Beit HaMikdash. He tells this remnant not to fear the servants of the Chaldeans, settle in the land, and serve the king of Babylonia, and he guarantees that “all will be well” with them (Melachim II 25:24 and Yirmiyahu 41:9). Yishmael ben Netaniah views Gedaliah ben Achikam as a traitor who disgracefully capitulates to the evil Nevuchadnetzar.
Moreover, Gedaliah’s seat of government was in Mitzpah, a few miles north of Jerusalem. The Babylonians likely relocated the Jewish seat of leadership from Jerusalem to Mitzpah to demonstrate their continued control over the region, and that the days of Jewish sovereignty in Eretz Yisrael had ended. Yishmael ben Netaniah is utterly revolted by Gedaliah’s cooperation in this act of denigration directed towards Jerusalem and Jewish people.
Gedaliah is also not part of the Davidic line. The Jews had preserved the passing of the leadership from son to son for twenty-two successive generations, all the way back to David HaMelech. Unlike the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which was under the rule of at least five different dynasties, the Southern Kingdom fervently preserved the Davidic line.320Even after the assassinations of Yeho’ash, Amatziah, and Amon. Yishmael ben Netaniah finds Gedaliah’s rise to power utterly intolerable and therefore decides to assassinate him.
Why Yishmael ben Netaniah was Wrong
After learning all of this background, one might readily be convinced that Yishmael was correct in his decision to assassinate Gedaliah! However, this obviously is not true. If Gedaliah truly disgraced our people by submitting to Babylonian rule, then we should not mourn his assassination by fasting. Indeed, Chazal (Rosh HaShanah 18b) refer to Gedaliah as a Tzaddik.
Rather, Yishmael ben Netaniah was entirely incorrect. None other than Yirmiyahu HaNavi proclaimed (Yirmiyahu 25 and 29) seventy years of Babylonian rule over Eretz Yisrael due to the Bnei Yisrael’s sinful behavior. The Bnei Yisrael were supposed to submit to Babylonian rule. These seventy years would serve as an opportunity for the performance of the Teshuvah needed to merit the future Jewish sovereign control over Eretz Yisrael.
Unfortunately, Yirmiyahu’s message was rejected by many, and he was even derided (see Yirmiyahu 7 and 26) as a false prophet. However, Yirmiyahu had repeatedly proven his authenticity, as his predictions of the failures of the Jewish rebellions against Nevuchadnetzar sadly materialized in full force. The Jewish rebellions ended in ruinous defeat with the exile of Yehoyachin in 597 B.C.E. This was followed by the exile of the Jewish leadership and prime vessels of the Beit HaMikdash, the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, and exile of most of Judea in 586 B.C.E.
By the time Gedaliah assumed the role of governor in 586 B.C.E., it was established beyond a reasonable doubt that Yirmiyahu was indeed communicating the authentic and accurate message of Hashem. Thus, while Yishmael ben Netaniah had noble intentions, his actions were in direct contradiction with the teachings of Yirmiyahu HaNavi. There was no reasonable excuse for Yishmael ben Netaniah’s actions. Although he might have had noble intentions, he is rightfully regarded as a Rasha, an evildoer.
The Fallout from Yishmael ben Netaniah’s Actions
The price we paid for Yishmael ben Netaniah’s evil murder of Gedaliah was steep indeed. In the short term, the remaining Jews felt compelled to leave Eretz Yisrael out of fear for the retributive wrath of Nebuchadnezzar and his forces. Chazal express the resulting utter desolation in Eretz Yisrael:
R. Yosi explained: for fifty-two years a bird was not seen flying in the land of Israel (Yerushalmi Ta'anit 4:5; end of Eichah Rabba Petichta).
However, there was a long term price to be paid as well. The Jews who returned to Eretz Yisrael after the termination of the seventy years of Babylonian rule returned to a desolate land. They had to rebuild the Jewish population from scratch. Moreover, the Jewish settlement of the Second Temple era never truly established a strong and long-lasting hold on Eretz Yisrael. This may be attributed to a great extent due to the fact that the first generation of returnees had to begin from scratch.
If only Yishmael ben Netaniah and his band had heeded the words of Yirmiyahu HaNavi, spared the life of Gedaliah, and followed the latter’s prudent counsel. Jewish history may have turned out dramatically different. The Jews from Bavel would have returned to an Eretz Yisrael already blessed with a significant Jewish population and infrastructure. The Jewish settlement during the time of Bayit Sheini would have been far more viable and stable. Perhaps, the second Beit HaMikdash would not have been destroyed.321Our explanation for Tzom Gedaliah is implied by Rambam (Hilchot Ta’aniot 5:2), who writes that the murder of Gedaliah extinguished the last ember of hope for the Jews in Eretz Yisrael and sealed the result of the Exile.
Lessons to Ponder on Tzom Gedaliah
Thus, the assassination of Gedaliah is most certainly worth commemorating with a fast day. It is most noteworthy that a well-meaning action led to such disastrous large scale consequences. We are reminded to heed the words of the “Yirmiyahus” of our time, the Torah leaders of our people. It is well worth fasting and internalizing this vital message with the hope that the mistake of the assassination not be repeated.
Tzom Gedaliah in Light of the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah
It is especially appropriate to commemorate the assignation of Gedaliah during the Asseret Yemei Teshuvah, the ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.322Tzom Gedaliah is commemorated the day after Rosh HaShanah. Gedaliah’s assassination is a potent example of the opening Pasuk of the Haftarah read on Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur— “Shuvah Yisrael Ad Hashem Ki Chashaleta Ba’Avonecha,” “Return Israel to Hashem, for you have fallen because of your sin” (Hoshea 14:2). The terrible sin of Gedaliah’s assassination led to terrible consequences. Our fasting on Tzom Gedaliah strongly supports this message, which is vital during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah.
Moreover, focusing on the assassination of Gedaliah and its terrible short and long-term consequences serves to communicate a major recurring theme in Sefer Melachim. The recurring message is that adherence to the words of Hashem communicated by the Navi brings prosperity, and ignoring the divine direction as relayed by a prophet leads only to disaster.
Sefer Melachim and Sefer Yirmiyahu record how the last kings of Yehudah ignore Yirmiyahu’s repeated pleas to refrain from rebelling against Bavel, thereby setting our people on the path of exile, and causing the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. Similarly, Yoshiyahu’s defiance of Yirmiyahu’s directive to refrain from confronting the Egyptian army on its way to assist the Assyrian army at the battle of Carchemish leads to his death. Another example is Achav’s fall (recorded in Melachim I 22) in the wake of his refusal to heed the instruction of the Navi Michah to refrain from entering a battle with Aram.
By contrast, Rechav’am twice averts disaster by heeding the words of Shemayah the Navi to refrain from war. By doing so, Rechav’am avoids the terrible consequences of a disastrous civil war (see Melachim I 12) and complete destruction at the hands of the Egyptian Paroh Shishak (at the end of Melachim I 14). Similarly, the army of Yehoshafat fares well after it heeds the direction of the prophet Elisha (Melachim II 3).
The utter destruction wrought by Yishmael ben Netaniah’s brazen disregard for the words of the Navi is a most poignant message during the time of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. The vital message of the critical importance of clinging closely to the direction of Hashem is a key theme to strike at this most spiritually intense time of the Jewish year.