The Talmud in Gittin 55b states: Because of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Jerusalem was destroyed.
It happened this way: A certain man had a friend named Kamtza and an enemy called Bar Kamtza. He once made a party and said to his servant, “Go and bring Kamtza.” The man went and brought Bar Kamtza.
When the host noticed Bar Kamtza there he said, “See, you are my enemy; what are you doing here? Get out!” Said the other: “Since I am already here, let me stay, and I will pay you for whatever I eat and drink.”
Said the host: “Absolutely not.”
“Then let me pay you for half the cost of the entire party.”
The host refused.
“Please let me stay, and I'll pay you for the whole party.”
Still the host stubbornly refused, and took him by the hand and threw him out.
Said Bar Kamtza, “Since the Rabbis were sitting there and did not stop him, this means they consented with this happening. I will go and libel against them to the government.”
He went and said to the emperor, “The Jews are rebelling against you.”
Said the emperor, “How can I know that this is true?”
“Send them an offering,” said Bar Kamtza, “and see whether they will offer it on their altar.”
So he sent with him a fine calf. While on the way he made a blemish on its upper lip (or as some say, on the white of its eye)—in a place where we consider it to be a blemish but the Romans did not.
The rabbis were inclined to offer it in order not to offend the government. Said Rabbi Zechariah ben Avkulas to them: “People will say that blemished animals are offered on the altar.”
They then proposed to kill Bar Kamtza so that he should not go and inform against them, but Rabbi Zechariah ben Avkulas said to them, “Is one who makes a blemish on consecrated animals to be put to death?”
Rabbi Yochanan thereupon remarked: “Because of the scrupulousness of Rabbi Zechariah ben Avkulas our House has been destroyed, our Temple burnt, and we ourselves exiled from our land.”
The emperor dispatched Nero the Caesar against the Jews. As he was approaching he shot an arrow towards the east, and it fell towards Jerusalem. He then shot one towards the west, and it again fell towards Jerusalem. He shot towards all four points of the compass, and each time it fell towards Jerusalem.
He said to a passing Jewish child: “Repeat to me a verse of Scripture you have learnt.” The child quoted: “And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel” (Ezekiel 25:14). Said Nero: “G-d desires to lay waste his House and to lay the blame on me . . .” So he fled and converted to Judaism and ultimately Rabbi Meir descended from him.
The Emperor then dispatched Vespasian the Caesar, who came and besieged Jerusalem for three years.
There were in Jerusalem three men of great wealth: Nakdimon ben Gurion, Ben Kalba Savua, and Ben Tzitzit Hakeseth. Nakdimon ben Gurion was so called because the sun continued shining for his sake (as it is related elsewhere (see Ta'anit 19b) that the sun once continued to shine in order to prevent him from suffering a substantial loss). Ben Kalba Savua was so called because one would go into his house hungry as a dog (kalba) and come out full and satiated (savua). Ben Tzitzit Hakeseth was so called because his fringes (tzitzit) used to trail on cushions (keseth). Others say he derived the name from the fact that his seat (kisei) was amongst those of the nobility of Rome.
One of these three rich men said of the people of Jerusalem, “I will sustain them with wheat and barley.” A second said, “I will sustain them with wine, oil and salt.” The third said, “I will sustain them with wood for fuel.” The rabbis considered the offer of wood the most generous, since Rabbi Chisda used to hand all his keys to his servant save that of the wood, for Rabbi Chisda used to say, “A storehouse of wheat requires the fuel of sixty stores of wood.” These men were wealthy enough to sustain the entire city for twenty-one years!
The biryoni (Zealot bands) were then in the city. The rabbis said to them: “Let us go out and make peace with the Romans.” The Zealots would not let them, but countered by saying, “Let us go out and fight them.” The rabbis said: “You will not succeed.” The Zealots then rose up and burnt the stores of wheat and barley (so as to force the inhabitants into fighting the Romans). A famine henceforth ensued.
– To Be Continued –
Source: Talmud, Gittin 55b–56a
