Thursday, July 30, 2009

When was the Temple Destroyed

Version 1

[2 Kings 25:8-11] And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem: And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.

Version 2

[Jeremiah 52:12-15] Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, And burned the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire: And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about. Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.

So what's pshat? Was there a scribal error? Or what?

These passages, aside for the date are remarkably similar in their details and descriptions. In every sense, save the date-discrepancy, these are parallels texts. So why don't they agree on the date of the destruction? What happened? And, if nothing happened, and no error was introduced, how should we understand the passages?

Did the destruction occur on the 7th or the 10th? Is the Torah telling us what happened, or is the Torah deliberately making a false statement?

If I went back in a time machine, would I see the Temple being set on fire on 7 Av or 10 Av? (and try not to worry that we commentate the fire being set on 9 Av)

Search for more information about this at 4torah.com.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ignorance is the curse of God, knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.

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