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Why were the hosts in the Bar Kamtza story and others blamed for not being 'ro'eh et hanolad' when they acted correctly? A chiddush reframes these episodes: they did what was halachically right but failed to mitigate the collateral damage. True wisdom requires not just moral courage to act correctly, but responsibility to minimize the harm our justified actions cause others.
This shiur reexamines the famous Gemara (גמרא) about the destruction of Jerusalem, Tur Malka, and Beitar through the lens of "Ashrei adam mefached tamid" - praiseworthy is one who is constantly afraid. Rather than interpreting "lo hayu ro'eh et hanolad" (they did not see what would be born) as simple stupidity or failure to anticipate retaliation, the Rabbi presents a profound chiddush: these people acted correctly in their immediate responses but failed in their broader responsibility to consider and ameliorate the negative consequences of their righteous actions. The three stories - Bar Kamtza being ejected from the party, the soldiers taking the rooster and hen in Tur Malka, and the wagon incident in Beitar - are reframed not as examples of wrongdoing, but as situations where people did what was halachically correct yet failed to address the collateral damage. The host had every right to remove an unwanted guest, the townspeople had every right to reclaim their wedding customs from inappropriate soldiers, but they should have taken steps to minimize the humiliation and hardship these actions caused.
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Discussion of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza story and related Gemara passages about Jerusalem's destruction
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