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Why did three great Jewish cities fall to Rome despite their righteousness? The Talmud (תלמוד) in Gittin reveals that all three tragedies shared a common flaw: the inability to see consequences (ro'eh es hanolad). This means failing to consider how others view your actions, focusing only on your own perspective rather than living with objective wisdom in God's unified world.
Rabbi Zweig analyzes three stories from Masechta Gittin about the destruction of Jerusalem, Tur Malcha, and Betar, exploring the Talmud (תלמוד)'s claim that all three tragedies shared a unifying thread. The Talmud states that the people in these cities were not 'ro'eh es hanolad' - they didn't see consequences. Rashi (רש"י) explains this as a lack of wisdom in not foreseeing the results of their actions. But Rabbi Zweig questions this interpretation, arguing that Jews were never accused of being stupid. Beating up Roman soldiers in occupied territory seems so obviously foolish that it requires a deeper explanation than mere lack of intelligence.
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Why were three major Jewish cities destroyed despite their high levels of righteousness and scholarship? The shiur explains that true wisdom (chochmah) isn't intelligence but the moral quality of seeing consequences - understanding how others perceive our actions. The lack of this perspective led to the destruction.
Why was Jerusalem destroyed for 'not criticizing each other' when hatred typically increases criticism? The mitzvah of tochecha isn't about criticizing but about l'hachziro l'musar — bringing someone back to the right path. True constructive criticism says 'you're hurting yourself' rather than 'you're a sinner.'
Gittin (destruction stories)
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