Yishmael Kohen Gadol's Space Travel by Rabbi Asher Schechter Congregation Ohr Moshe

One of the most poignant and moving pieces of the liturgy in the Machzor is "Aileh Ezkera" - the story of the Asarah Harugei Malchus - the ten great martyrs of the Roman Persecutions that took place after the destruction of the second Bais HaMikdash. Some of the greatest Tanna'im, including , Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol & Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel were included in this tragic story. A similar Kinnah (poetic dirge) is found in the Tisha B'Av Kinnos. It is clear why we should focus on this tragedy on Tisha B'Av as we focus on all the tragedies that have occurred throughout Jewish History, but why do we emphasize this story on Yom Kippur?

The poem describes a Roman Ruler who sadistically plans to execute ten of the greatest of all time. His "excuse" is that he wants to atone for the ten brothers who sold Yosef HaTzaddik into slavery some 1500+ years before. Since the punishment for kidnapping is the death penalty, and the ten brothers are no longer available to receive their punishment, he was more than happy to mete out that punishment to these ten great Rabbis who would be standing in their stead. The condemned Chachamim asked for three days to respond. During those three days, they asked Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol (who knew Hashem's Secret Holy Name that was used during the Avodah in the Bais HaMikdash) to utter Hashem's Secret Holy Name and with that Spiritual Power travel to the Heavens to find out what was going on.

One of the most powerful passages of this Piyut (poem) and one of the most famous Cantorial portions of the Yom Kippur Machzor tells the story:

(I have heard from many Chazzanim who go for a Pruba - a "try out" for positions in Shuls to lead the Davening for Yomim Nora'im, that they are often asked to chant the "Tihair Rabbi Yishmael" section...) טהר רבי ישמעאל עצמו והזכיר את השם בסלודים ועלה למרום ושאל מאת האיש לבוש הבדים ונם לו קבלו עליכם צדיקים וידידים כי שמעתי מאחורי הפרגוד כי בזאת אתם נלכדים ירד והגיד לחבריו מאמר א-ל וצוה בליעל להרגם בכח ולאל ושנים מהם הוציאו תחלה שהם גדולי ישראל רבי ישמעאל כהן גדול ורבן שמעון בן גמליאל

Rabbi Yishmael purified himself and mentioned the Secret Holy Name of Hashem with reverence and he ascended to the Heavens and he asked (this question) of the man who was wearing linen (a reference to the Malach Gavriel) and his response was: accept this verdict you Righteous and Beloved ones because I have heard from "behind the curtain" (a reference to his listening in to the decisions of Hashem's Court on High) that this will be your destiny. He descended and told his colleagues the word of Hashem and then the evil tyrant commanded that they be killed with force and brutality and the first two who were taken out to be killed were the greatest leaders of Klal Yisrael, they were Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol and Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel.

Why did the Rabbis feel that they needed a trip to Heaven to find out what was happening? The use of Hashem's Secret Holy Name should be allowed only in cases of extreme necessity. How would it make a difference for them whatever the answer was? When someone's life is threatened, he needs to do Teshuvah, Daven hard, and connect to Hashem through & Mitzvos. One is never allowed to give up hope and must always put his trust and faith in Hashem. We must always beg Hashem for mercy no matter what the circumstance. So what difference would it make if they were told that it was Hashem's decree or if it was not Hashem's decree? In both cases, their response would have to be the same. What benefit did they anticipate and actually get from Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol's "trip to the Heavens". If the answer would have been that it was not Hashem's decree, would they have slackened off their Spiritual Activities? Now that they were told that it was Hashem's decree is that a legitimate reason to give up hope and stop looking for mercy? Of course not...

Another famous story regarding Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol is told in Brachos (7a):

תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף ז עמוד א תניא, אמר רבי ישמעאל בן אלישע: פעם אחת נכנסתי להקטיר קטורת לפני ולפנים, וראיתי אכתריא-ל י-ה ה' צבאו-ת שהוא יושב על כסא רם ונשא ואמר לי: ישמעאל בני, ברכני! - אמרתי לו: יהי רצון מלפניך שיכבשו רחמיך את כעסך ויגולו רחמיך על מדותיך ותתנהג עם בניך במדת הרחמים ותכנס להם לפנים משורת הדין, ונענע לי בראשו. וקמשמע לן שלא תהא ברכת הדיוט קלה בעיניך. It was taught in a Beraisa: Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol told over, "once I entered the Kodesh HaKodashim (within the Bais HaMikdash on Yom Kippur) to offer the Ketores and I saw an image of Hashem sitting on an exalted seat and He said to me, 'Yishmael, my son, bless me'. I responded, 'May it be Your will that Your mercy should override Your anger and that You will utilize Your attribute of mercy whenever You deal with Your children (Klal Yisrael) and that You will treat them with favor, giving them more than they deserve'. And He shook his head (in approval)." From here we learn that even a simple person's Bracha should not be discounted (since Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol was obviously "simple" in relation to Hashem). Hashem's acceptance of Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol's Bracha and His apparent approval appears to contradict the events that were occurring to Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol at the end of his life. If Hashem had agreed to treat Klal Yisrael (and especially Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol and the other Chachamim) with Rachmanus, why was this happening now? The only thought that they could come up with was that this was not strict justice or a punishment for their Averos but rather a concept of Kapparah - atonement. A Kapparah is a positive thing that brings blessings to Klal Yisrael. So despite the harsh appearance, it is actually in accordance with Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol's Bracha that he gave to Hashem in the Kodesh HaKodashim years before.

The idea that the passing of Tzadikim is a Kapparah is found in the Gemara Moed Kattan 28a:

מועד קטן דף כח עמוד א אמר רבי אמי: למה נסמכה מיתת מרים לפרשת פרה אדומה - לומר לך: מה פרה אדומה מכפרת - אף מיתתן של צדיקים מכפרת. אמר רבי אלעזר: למה נסמכה מיתת אהרן לבגדי כהונה? - מה בגדי כהונה מכפרין - אף מיתתן של צדיקים מכפרת. Rabbi Ami taught: Why does the Torah mention the passing of Miriam next to the Parsha of the Parah Adumah? To teach us that just as the Parah Adumah brings about atonement, so too the passing of Tzadikim brings about atonement. Rabbi Elazar taught: Why does the Torah mention the passing of Aharon next to the Parsha of the Bigdei Kehunah (Priestly Garments) to teach us that just as the Bigdei Kehunah bring about atonement, so too the passing of Tzadikim brings about atonement.

More on how this works coming up.

In the Mishna at the beginning of the 2nd Perek of Nega'im (the Mesichta of Mishnayos where the laws of Tzoraas are taught) Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol makes a very unusual side comment:

משנה מסכת נגעים פרק ב משנה א בהרת עזה נראית בגרמני כהה והכהה בכושי עזה רבי ישמעאל אומר בני ישראל אני כפרתן הרי הן כאשכרוע לא שחורים ולא לבנים אלא בינוניים A vividly colored Baheres (a type of white Tzoraas) will appear weak on the skin of a Germani (a very light-skinned person) and a softly colored (Baheres) will appear vivid on the skin of a Cushi (a very dark-skinned person). Rabbi Yishmael says, "The Jewish People, may I be their Kapparah, are colored like Cedar Tree wood not very dark and not very light, but rather they are medium-colored."

The first opinion in the Mishna believes that different colored skins have different rulings regarding the rules of Baheres. A light-skinned person can be declared Tahor and a dark-skinned person can be declared Tamei for the exact same colored Baheres. The Torah requires that the Baheres needs to be "vivid" in order to be determined as Tamei and if the background skin brings out the vividness of the Baheres it is enough to declare the person Tamei. On the other hand, if someone is very light-skinned, that same Baheres may not be vividly visible on his skin and he remains Tahor. Rabbi Yishmael disagrees. He says that all Baheres viewings by the Kohen have to be considered for how they would look with a medium- colored skin background. He argues that since the Jewish People (to whom Hashem gave the Torah and the laws of Tzoraas) are generally medium-colored, then that is the intended background that needs to be considered when ruling on a Baheres. A Kohen viewing a Baheres on a person who is not medium-colored should place a swatch, with a medium-color on it, next to the Baheres to decide upon its Tamei/Tahor status. [Obviously, this discussion is strictly Halachik - no political or racial implication is intended in any way shape, or form.]

What I find most interesting, are the two words that Rabbi Yishmael adds to his may I be their Kapparah. When Rabbi Yehuda - אני כפרתן :Halachik teaching HaNasi redacted the Mishna (and removed many extraneous words to consolidate the Mishna's wording), he felt that it was appropriate to leave these two seemingly unrelated words in the Mishna. Rabbi Yishmael had an intense love for Klal Yisrael. He loved everything about them including their skin color (Rambam). He was extremely proud of their-middle-of-the-road (stay away from extremes) attitude which he felt was symbolized by their medium-color skin (Rav MiBartenura). So when he spoke about a fellow Jew suffering from a Baheres, he says - "may I be their Kapparah" - in essence, offering to accept their punishment upon himself - to serve as an atonement for a fellow Jew! (Tosfos Yom-Tov in the name of the Maharam). It is not surprising that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi chose to include those two words to show what kind of an Ohaiv Yisroel (lover of Klal Yisrael) Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol was. It was a subtle way to teach all of us what we should aspire to.

We have now established that Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol and his colleagues figured out that this challenge that they were confronted with was a Kapparah opportunity. This is what Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol had expressly offered to do in the past and he was ready willing and able to accept this role for the benefit of Klal Yisrael. However, there was one problem. If they were going to serve as a Kapparah, they would be like a Korban. The main power and efficacy of a Korban is the Kavanos - intentions - of the one who offers it. In general, a Korban is brought by an individual (or a representative of a group) and Semicha (leaning) and Viddui (confessions) are made by him at the time of the offering. Commitments are made and improvements are promised... Just look at the Avodah section that immediately precedes this Piyut - it is full of the texts of the declarations that the Kohen Gadol makes when he offers the various Korabanos for himself, the Kohanim and Klal Yisrael. Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol and his colleagues figured out that they were being called upon to serve as Korbanos - Kapparah. But they didn't know for what? Should they believe the evil Roman Tyrant that this was a Kapparah for the ten brothers who sold Yosef? Or was there another issue for which Klal Yisrael needed a Kapparah? If they don't know the reason, then they can't have the proper Kavanos at the time of the Korban and the Kapparah may not be complete. To resolve this issue they decided to send Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol to the Heavens and get the proper answer. This was a very necessary trip in order to ensure that their Kapparah mission would be most successful.

Below is one of the Midrashim (broken down into several segments for ease of reading) that the poet used when describing these events: אוצר המדרשים עשרה הרוגי מלכות

א"ל גבריאל ישמעאל בני חי נפשך שכך שמעתי מאחורי הפרגוד שעשרה חכמי ישראל נמסרו להריגה ביד מלכות הרשעה. א"ל ר"י למה, א"ל על מכירת יוסף שמכרוהו אחיו, שמידת הדין מקטרגת בכל יום לפני כסא הכבוד ואומרת כלום כתבת בתורתך אות אחת לבטלה, הרי השבטים שמכרו את יוסף ולא פרעת עדיין מהם או מזרעם, לפיכך נגזרה גזרה על עשרה חכמי ישראל למסרם להריגה ביד מלכות הרשעה. א"ל ר' ישמעאל עד עתה לא מצא הקב"ה פריעה במכירתו אלא בנו? א"ל גבריאל חי נפשך ישמעאל בני שמיום שמכרו השבטים את יוסף לא מצא הקב"ה בדור אחד עשרה צדיקים וחסידים כמו השבטים, לפיכך הקב"ה פורע מכם

(The Malach) Gavriel told Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol, my son, I swear that this is what I heard from "behind the curtain" that ten Jewish Chachamim are being given over to the evil Roman Government for execution. Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol asked, "Why?". To this Gavriel responded, "because of the selling of Yosef by his brothers. The Midas HaDin (Prosecutor in the Heavenly Court) has been prosecuting every day before the Kisei HaKavod (Hashem's Heavenly throne) and asking, "Is there anything, even one letter, that is superfluous in Your Torah? The brothers sold Yosef, and You have not yet collected (that debt of guilt) from them or their descendants (why have you not enforced the Torah's law against kidnapping?)". Gavriel continued, "therefore, a decree was issued against ten Chachamim to be executed by the evil Roman Government." Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol asked, "and until now there has not been any opportunity for Hashem to 'collect ' for that selling, only now from us?" To this Gavriel responded, "I swear, my son Yishmael, that since the days of the selling of Yosef, Hashem has not found in any one generation ten great Tzadikim and Chassidim as great as the ten brothers of Yosef till now . Therefore he is 'collecting ' from you."

אבל אגיד לך האמת, כיון שראה סמאל הרשע שבקש הקב"ה לחתום את החתימה למסור עשרה צדיקים ביד מלכות הרשעה שמח שמחה גדולה, והיה מתפאר לומר נצחתי את מיכאל השר. מיד חרה אפו של הקב"ה על סמאל הרשע וא"ל אי סמאל! או רצונך לפטור עשרה חכמי ישראל מהריגה או תקבל עליך צרעת לעולם הבא, אחד משנים תקבל. א"ל סמאל הרשע לא אפטור עשרה צדיקים מהריגה ואקבל עלי גזרתך כאשר דברת. מיד חרה אפו של הקב"ה על סמאל ולא הספיק את דבריו עד שקרא הקב"ה למטטרון הסופר השר הגדול ואמר לו כתוב וחתום ששה חדשים נגע צרעת שאת וספחת ובהרת וירקון ושחין רע על אדום הרשעה, וגפרית ואש על האדם ועל הבהמה ועל הכסף ועל הזהב ועל כל אשר להם, עד שיאמר איש לחבירו הא לך רומי וכל אשר בה בפשוט וחברו משיב אין לי חפץ בהם כי אין לי הנאה מהם

Gavriel continued, "Now, I will tell you the truth (something very interesting and related to this event), when the angel Sama'el - the guardian angel of the evil Roman Empire (Rashi Sotah 10b) - saw Hashem's verdict, he was ecstatic and he was boasting that he was victorious over Officer Gavriel (who was advocating for Klal Yisrael). At that time Hashem got very angry at Sama'el and He said, "Where is Sama'el? You have two choices. Either free the ten Jewish Chachamim from execution, or you will be afflicted with Tzoraas for the future (for the entire Roman Empire). You must choose one or the other." To this, the evil Sama'el responded, "I will not release the ten Tzadikim from execution, rather, I will accept Your decree as you spoke." Immediately, Hashem got extremely angry and He called the great Angel named Metatron who serves as an Officer and Scribe for Hashem and He commanded him to write down and seal (Sama'el's verdict) for six months of all the horrible variations of Tzoraas for the evil Roman Empire and fire and brimstone on all their people, animals, silver, gold, and all their possessions, and when a person offers his friend items from Rome for free, he will respond, "I have no interest in them because I cannot derive any pleasure from them (they are ruined and worthless)."

וכיון ששמע ר"י כך מיד נתקררה דעתו והיה מהלך ברקיע אנה ואנה והיה רואה מזבח סמוך לכסא הכבוד, אמר לגבריאל מה זה, אמר מזבח היא, א"ל ומה אתם מקריבים עליו בכל יום, וכי פרים ואשים למעלה? א"ל נפשות של צדיקים אנו מקריבים עליו בכל יום, א"ל מי מקריב אותם, א"ל מיכאל השר הגדול

Upon hearing these words (from Gavriel) Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol was satisfied. He then visited other locations in Heaven and noticed what appeared to be an Altar set up near Hashem's Heavenly Throne. He asked Gavriel, "what is this?" Gavriel responded, "it is an Altar". Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol continued to ask, "And what exactly do you offer upon this Altar? Do you have oxen and other fire-offerings in Heaven?" To this Gavriel responded, "we offer the Neshamos of the Tzadikim on this Altar every day". Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol asked, "who does the offering on the Altar?". To this Gavriel responded, "Gavriel the great Officer of Hashem".

מיד ירד ר"י והגיע לארץ והגיד לחביריו שכבר נגזרה גזרה ונכתב ונחתם, והיו מתאוננים בימין על שנגזרה עליהם גזרה קשה כזאת ושמחים בשמאל על ששקלן הקב"ה בצדקות ובחסידות נגד השבטים, והיו יושבים זוגות זוגות רבי ישמעאל ורבן שמעון בן גמליאל, רבי עקיבא ורבי חנניה בן תרדיון, רבי אלעזר בן שמוע ורבי ישבב הסופר, רבי חנינא בן חכינאי ורבי יהודה בן בבא, רבי חוצפית המתורגמן ורבי .יהודה בן דמא

Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol immediately went back down to earth and reported to his colleagues that the decree was signed and sealed. They were sad on one hand because of the harsh decree, but happy on the other hand since Hashem had equated them in their righteousness and devotion to Hashem to the ten (originators of the) tribes - Yosef's brothers. They were sitting in pairs: Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol and Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Chananiah ben Tradion, Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua and Rabbi Yishevav HaSofer, Rabbi Chanina ben Chakinai and Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava, and Rabbi Chutztpis HaMeturgaman and Rabbi Yehuda ben Dama. What a fascinating Medrash. I would like to focus on a few items. First, it becomes clear that Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol was not questioning "How could it be? We don't deserve such a punishment", but rather, he was questioning, "Why? For what purpose is Hashem requiring us to serve as a Kapparah?" When he was ultimately told the purpose he and his colleagues were "satisfied"... Also, the fact that there is a Mizbayach (Altar) near the Kisei HaKavod is fascinating. And the fact that Hashem accepts the "offering" of the Neshamos of the Tzadikim there is very intriguing. This dovetails nicely with our explanation, that these martyrs were being called upon to provide Kapparah for Klal Yisrael at that time. By serving as a Kapparah for Klal Yisrael, these ten Chachamim had risen to the loftiest level of Kedusha. They had become G-dly and they had attained the highest spiritual attainment possible - to be as close to Hashem as possible. That is why Hashem keeps that Altar right near his seat indicating that the closest mankind can get to G-dliness is to be willing to sacrifice themselves when called upon to better the world that Hashem created through their selfless Kapparah. This explains why it is so poignant to mention this story on Yom Kippur. At a time that we are seeking Kapparah from Hashem (hopefully without the ultimate self-sacrifice), we should be focusing on the lofty level of these ten martyrs and what they did for Klal Yisrael. A lesson for us on what to aspire to. We in our small way can also provide Kapparah for ourselves and our communities and Klal Yisrael through self-sacrificing some of our Mishegasim (silliness) in our lives and committing ourselves to a more Spiritual Lifestyle... This year we lost quite a few Gedolei Yisrael who were taken from us during the pandemic. May their sacrifice be a Kapparah fo all of Klal Yisrael...

I also find it very interesting that Hashem felt compelled by the "Midas HaDin" to bring about the verdict requiring this Kaparah. Apparently, He couldn't just shrug it off and look the other way. Hashem must follow the rules He laid down even if it brings about harsh verdicts against His beloved children. Nevertheless, if Sama'el, the Guardian Angel Representative of the Roman Empire, would have "forgiven" this iniquity, then the verdict could have been eliminated. I believe that since the Romans were in control of Eretz Yisrael and Klal Yisrael at that time, they were given the power to execute Hashem's verdict if they desired to do so. They also had the power to forgive and waive the executions and Hashem would have been very appreciative. Why were the Romans so much involved in this issue of the selling of Yosef? The Romans were the descendants of Eisav and Edom. Yehuda (who was the most responsible for the selling of Yosef) was the ancestor of David HaMelech who decimated Edom during his reign. Thus the Roman Empire was in now in a position to exact revenge or to forgive... (based upon Rashi Sotah 10b). If the Roman Court would have forgiven and waived the executions, then Hashem would be able to tell the Heavenly Court that despite His verdict (which had granted permission, not an obligation, to execute these Chachamim), the ultimate decision of whether or not to execute His verdict was given to the human courts of the Roman Empire. If they would choose to set it aside and forgive Yehuda, the leader of the brothers, the matter would then be closed. However, Sama'el, representing the evil Roman Empire, refused to forgive and instead accepted a severe punishment for the entire Roman Empire (bringing about its ultimate demise). A great example of the hatred that Eisav (and his descendants) have for Klal Yisrael. Even at their own huge expense, they still went ahead with the execution of the Asarah Harugei Malchus ultimately bringing about their own demise. What a lesson of how low human beings can descend and what we should stay far far away from...

How interesting it is that the punishment that Hashem chose for Sama'el and the Roman Empire was that of Tzoraas. The very same Halacha where Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol expressed his love for Klal Yisrael and his desire to serve as their Kapparah. Was that a coincidence? Of course not! Hashem was comparing the hero and the villain of the story. He said, "Look, Sama'el, at how Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol expressed his love for Klal Yisrael and his desire to be a Kapparah for them within the laws of Tzoraas and look at yourself - you vindictive unforgiving creature, may you be afflicted with that same Tzoraas as a punishment".

So now we know what can bring us closer to Hashem and what can take us further away. Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol's and his colleague's midos of Ahavas Yisrael and seeking to bring Kapparah to the Jewish People even at their own expense are the ultimate tickets to closeness to Hashem. Sama'el and the Roman Empire's midos of vindictiveness and hatred and their unforgiving nature brought about their demise. Let's choose the former rather than the latter...

Gmar Chasimah Tovah, Rabbi Asher Schechter