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Why does the Gemara (גמרא) specifically mention that Ishmael killed Gedaliah when teaching that the death of tzadikim equals the burning of the Beis Hamikdash? The Maharsha and Yeshuos Yaakov explain that this wasn't merely a tzaddik's death, but a murder by a fellow Jew that extinguished the remaining Jewish presence in Eretz Yisrael. When a tzaddik is killed by another Jew, the nation loses both the merit of his righteousness and gains the sin of his murder.
This shiur examines the significance of Tzom Gedaliah through the lens of a Gemara (גמרא) that discusses why we fast on this day. The Gemara states that the death of Gedaliah ben Ahikam teaches us that the death of tzadikim is equivalent to the burning of the Beis Hamikdash. However, Rabbi Zweig raises several important questions about this teaching. The first major question concerns why the Gemara specifically mentions that Ishmael was the one who killed Gedaliah. If the point is simply that we fast because a tzaddik died, why is the identity of the killer relevant? The Gemara could have simply stated that Gedaliah was killed without elaborating on who killed him.
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