For this Tiyul we went to one of the sites of the Bar Kochba revolt, specifically a place called Horvat Midras. The Bar Kochba revolt took place from 132-135 CE. It is known as the Third great Jewish-Roman war. Bar Kochba was born with the name Koseva but was later tabbed by Rabbi Akiva as the possible Messiah. Bar Kochba literally means "Son of the Stars". The Jews were being oppressed but he Romans, who were surprising their traditions and assimilating them into Roman culture. Bar Kochba the proceeded to lead a massive military revolt. It was fought mainly using guerrilla warfare in tunnels. Along the way the jews wiped out the almost entire 9th and 12th legion. The Romans overcame this through he use of total warfare, which means they destroyed everything in their path, including women and children. After their crushing loss in this revolt, the Jews would be submissive for almost 2 thousand years after. Beitar was the last stronghold of the Revolt and was destroyed on the fun date of the 9th of Av.
This comes years after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, but the Jewish society was allowed to survive because of the heroic actions of Rebas, in which he moved the Sen Hedrin to Yavne as Jersulam was in the midst of being destroyed. He was able to escape by playing dead inside of a coffin and escaping the city.
It was a very grassy place that was lined with many tunnels. The tunnels were very tight and at some points I was in disbelief as to how anyone could live down there. The tunnels were used for food storage and for hiding. They would his in this tunnels for weeks at a time. There was also this cool pyramid that is apparently the only pyramid of this size in Israel, it was used as a memorial for the bodies buried underneath.
After this we moved to a place with sandstone buildings that were from the Byzantine. The Arches that we saw were from over 1000 years ago. They were built with no mortar, which means that stating under them was more than a little bit sketchy, kind of like the relationship between Kim Kardashian and Yeezy. It was here that we learned about Rabbi Akiva. He did not start studying Judaism until age 40. he had 12000 students, came home and heard his wife talking about how she wanted him to study for 12 more years, and then he got 24000 students. He was killed by raking hot coals over his body, and was one of the Ten Martyrs.
Then we went to the cool hill called Tel Hatermosim. It had cool flowers and we had cool coffee at the top. Evan told us at the top that if we do the full Israel trail, that we can bum at his house for a week, and he will buy us food and drinks.
Now after learning about the Bar kochba Revolt, were the fighters heroes, or were they stupid because of the great cost that came with the war?
I think this is a really interesting question. Firstly, I think that the two are not mutually exclusive. You can easily have a stupid hero. They were absolutely heroes- it's no small achievement to have wiped out an entire roman legion, let alone two. However, as the romans could easily be deemed one of the most successful military machines in history, the Jewish people unfortunately would have to have lost at some point, and I think some of the fighters even knew that. However, I don't necessarily think it's stupid to fight a battle you know you'll lose. Yes, it may not have a long-term effect (although this one did), but to increase the life spans of your family and friends is incredibly important. I believe the fighters were absolutely heroes.
ReplyDeleteWonderful blog friend! Those flowers are remarkable. I think that the revolt wasn't bad even though it was unsuccessful, that's what happens, but I think what they were able to do in the time the were above the Romans, was pretty amazing. Heroic, I'm not sure, but magnificent, absolutely. And getting my butt stuck in the caves were totally worth it, because it was such a beautiful day.
ReplyDeleteI think the term hero is difficult to use. Although they stood up for the Jewish people and for their own values, many consequences came with the revolt. However, you do have to weigh this against the possibility that things could have been much worse if nothing had been done. Were they stupid? No. Were they successful heroes? Depends. But for one thing, as Jenna said, they for sure did a great job lasting for so long.
ReplyDeleteI think that even though the Barkochva fighters were destined to lose, it was worth the fight. It at least gained some traction for their cause and if they thought so strongly in their beliefs, it is worth the fight anyways. Isn't it better to stand up for what you believe in rather than submit to unjust powers?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the fight was somewhat necessary for everything to progress. It caused a chain reaction, which led to changes and reaffirmed how strongly they believed in what they fought for. I'm not sure if they should really be considered heroes, but they certainly acted in a very brave way. It definitely took a lot of courage and just shows how much it mattered to them, they certainly impacted history.
ReplyDeleteWonderful blog filled with even better pictures! I believe the fighters were not heroes but did what they had to do to try and win but we know that was not the case. They did a good job fighting off the people for so long and working hard with all the complex tunnels.
ReplyDeleteAwesome blog post, I wish I could have been there but at least I got to hear about it. I think the fighters were more heroic than stupid. Even though it was futile, at least they put up a fight and had some small victories. It also showed the determination of the Jews and how much they would fight to stay free.
ReplyDeleteI also wouldn't say that they're stupid. They did what the needed to do, and it was their only option. They could have died on the spot or fought. The outcome was predictable considering the size and skill of the Romans, but hey was still did them some damage. That's somewhat heroic.
ReplyDeleteI think that they are heroes. They believed that what the Romans were doing to the Jewish people was wrong and that they could successfully gain independence through a revolt. This may have been a little naive but we also have to remember that they lost because the Romans relocated troops, when it was just the Roman troops tasked with keeping Judea, the Revolt was doing pretty well. The fact that they fought for their ideas through adversity and died for them is heroic. The aftermath of the Revolt is by no means not their fault but the total war tactic used by the Romans is a shocking reaction, even today knowing it happened.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't call them stupid, but the cost of this revolt was very high. The Jews had good intentions and this revolt is part of the reason that Judaism is still around today. However, there comes a point where it might just be better to give up.
ReplyDeletethe revolt caused many set backs for the jews but it also showed that the jewish people can go through pretty much anything and still prevail.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Joey! This was a really good question. I do not think that they were stupid but I do not think what they did was necessary. I would not call them hero's either though. I think they just simply did what they thought they had to do.
ReplyDeleteFor any reward, you must take a risk. The risk in this situation was not worth the reward. I can not call them stupid for I have not learned to balance risk and reward in my own life. Risking the lives of this many seems like to much of a risk for anything, so I must say I do not agree with their choice but I admire their courage.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! In your question, I don't think that hero is a term that can be used. Some wars or revolts aren't won, but that doesn't mean that it was a sacrifice that they knew would happen and could prevent it, just that they did what they could and it didn't end the best for them. I think it's a mix of both for them.
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