In the Torah portion of Eikev we read about the Mitzvah to thank G-d after eating (bread) by saying the Grace of Meals, as the verse says, “[When] you will eat and be satisfied, and you should bless the L-rd, your G-d, for the good land He has given you.” While this may very well be the only blessing that is mandated by Biblical law, the later sages enacted the recitation of many other blessings and composed the texts of those blessings.
The text of the Grace after Meals was composed by Moshe Rabeinu, Yehoshua, King David, and King Solomon. The text of most of the other brachot was composed by the Men of the Great Assembly (אנשי כנסת הגדולה/Anshei Knesset HaGedolah), that is, the Sanhedrin in the beginning of the Second Temple era.
This article will focus on the Great Assembly and their unique accomplishments.
Men of the Great Assembly – How Many Were There?
According to the Babylonian Talmud there were 120 sages in the Great Assembly. The Jerusalem Talmud, however, says that there were 85 sages including “30 something” prophets in this assembly. To resolve the seeming discrepancy, the commentaries say that the text of the Jerusalem Talmud should be amended to say “85 sages as well as 30 something prophets” and that there were 35 prophets which would total of 120.
It has been suggested that the 120 members of the great assembly are the same men who oversaw the declaration to uphold the Torah as enumerated in the Book of Nechemiah, chapter 10, as well as those who signed the declaration. This is based on the Talmudic teaching that the Assembly was called “Great” because they referred to G-d as “the Great One” (see below), an expression used by Ezra (one of the heads of this Assembly) when he made the above declaration.
Who Were They?
The Rambam writes that the following sages were members of the Great Assembly: Chagai, Zechariah, Malachi, Daniel, Chanayah, Mishael, Azaryah, Nechemiah ben Chachalya, Mordechai, Zerubavel, and Shimon HaTzadik. Some disagree with this list. (See below, in the postscript for a [possible] full list.)
Why Were They Called Great?
The Talmud says that this assembly was called “Great” because they went back to describing G-d as “great, mighty and awesome.” Although Moshe had described G-d as “great, mighty, and awesome,” subsequent prophets had dropped the descriptions “awesome” and (then later) “mighty,” considering that the pagan nations had danced in His sanctuary during the Temple’s destruction and His people had been scattered among the nations. (Of course they knew that G-d was awesome and mighty, but they were describing Him insofar as His present interactions with the world.) The Men of the Great Assembly, however, “returned the crown to its place” and once again described G-d as “great, mighty, and awesome.” In fact, they incorporated these descriptions into our daily prayers. Their reasoning was that the fact that G-d held back His anger and didn’t immediately destroy the pagan nations who were in His sanctuary is a sign of His might. And the fact that the Jewish people weren’t destroyed in exile despite their being like one sheep among 70 wolves is a sign of His awesomeness.
The Machzor Vitry (By Rabbi Shmuel ben Simcha of 11th-century France, a student of Rashi) adds that they were called “great” because they were a great, important, and holy group of people (in addition to the reason given above).
Rabbi Yekutiel Yehudah Greenwald of Columbus, Ohio, (1888 -1955) suggests that they were called a “great” assembly as they were the largest body in Jewish history to formulate laws since the highest Sanhedrin usually had only 71 members.
Why 120?
It has been suggested that the Men of the Great Assembly chose to include 120 members to represent 10 members for each of the 12 tribes. (Although most of the tribes had already been exiled for several centuries, they chose this number as it symbolized this national participation.) Alternately, since the governing bodies in Persia were comprised of 120 men, the sages borrowed this model for themselves.
Rabbi Reuven Margaliyot explained that up until the destruction of the first Beit HaMikdash no one questioned the authority of the Sanhedrin as they were considered a continuum of the Sanhedrin established by Moshe. After the destruction and exile, however, when this chain was broken, if they had only chosen a group of 71, the authority of that group could be questioned by the Torah scholars who were left out. As such, it was decided to include all of the worthy men of that generation (who had come back to Israel) whose total number was 120.
What Were Their Innovations?
Realizing that the power of prophecy was in its waning days, the men of the Great Assembly felt an urgent need to enact laws and rules that would strengthen the observance of the Torah for many years to come. Some of these enactments were:
- The text of the blessings and prayers
- Kiddush and Havdalah
- They compiled the list of commoners and kings who had lost their portion in the World to Come.
- They prayed that the (excessive) desire for idol worship be lost from the Jewish people. This request was granted. They also prayed that the desire for improper intimacy be minimized. This prayer was answered in terms of the desire for incestuous relationships being minimized.
- They wrote the books of Ezekiel, Trei Assar (the Twelve [so-called] Minor Prophets), Daniel, and Esther.
- They decided which books should be considered part of the Kitvei Kodesh (Holy Scriptures), otherwise known as the Tanach.
May We Soon Have a Restored Sanhedrin with Moshiach, Speedily in our Time!
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMevorach!
Copyright 2023 by Rabbi Aryeh Citron
