Akiva and Yohanan Ben-Zakai were great scholars and great leaders operating during the Judean rebellions against Rome, but their approaches to defense and diplomacy differed widely.
In Passover, we honor our origin story as a people when we became a nation centered in the Land of Israel as well as the land itself.
The discovery is now on exhibit at the Israel Museum, and it shows evidence of the destruction of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.
Currently, the official Vatican position is that it neither confirms nor denies possession of Herodian Temple objects such as the golden Menorah, sacred tables, altars, and priestly garments.
The excavation efforts also led to the discovery of a coin from 67/68 CE, during the first Jewish revolt against the Roman occupying forces.
The most obvious reason why a good Jew thinks often about the Roman Empire is, of course, historical trauma.
During the Second Temple period, it was customary to use tools made of stone and indeed stone tools are being discovered at almost every site in the region.
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