The Battle That Never Ends: Ptolemy III and the Threat to the Jews of the Land of Israel

In the year 246 BCE, 316 years before the destruction of the Second Temple, Ptolemy II, ruler of Egypt and the Land of Israel, died. His son, Ptolemy III, ascended the throne. He began his career, which lasted about 24 years, with war, and wars continued throughout his life. As long as Ptolemy II lived, peace was maintained between the Greek kingdoms, the successors of Alexander. Ptolemy ruled in Egypt and the Land of Israel, while Seleucus and his heirs ruled in Syria, Babylon, Persia, and all the East. Ptolemy II received a promise from the Seleucid king that Princess Berenice would be the wife of Ptolemy III. But after the death of Ptolemy II, the promise was not fulfilled, and Ptolemy III went to war against Syria to claim his promised wife.

War brings instability, leads to more wars, and incurs many expenses. The Jews of the Land of Israel fell between a rock and a hard place. Ptolemy III demanded more taxes from them to finance his war campaigns, where he 'defends' his territory. This was his legal right, of course, but it caused much resentment. On the other hand, the Seleucids sent envoys to the Sanhedrin to shift their support to them and gain many benefits. The High Priest Onias II, who was from the seed of Zadok the Priest, whose descendants served from the time of King David, thought the Seleucids were going to win and stopped the tax payments to Ptolemy. In response, Ptolemy sent a garrison with a message that if the tax did not arrive immediately, he would confiscate Jerusalem and divide it among his soldiers.

Into this dire situation stepped a talented and wicked man. His name was Joseph of the Tobiah family. The Tobiah family was a distinguished and ancient Jewish family living beyond the Jordan. He was an appointee of the king beyond the Jordan and now saw an opportunity: he sent a runner to Ptolemy III and offered to be the tax collector of the Land of Israel instead of the High Priest, who was not doing his job. According to him, the revenue would be twice as much. The financially pressured king immediately agreed. He dispatched him with a company of two thousand soldiers to enforce the new arrangement. Thus, Joseph ben Tobiah became a frightening figure in the Land of Israel. He arrived with his soldiers and demanded a sum he set from every landowner, vineyard owner, or any person he wanted, with no option for appeal or discussion. Pay, or the soldiers would harm you. Joseph served in this role for twenty-two years, and the Jews of the Land of Israel saw that the Greeks were not just looking out for the Jews' welfare.

Even in Alexandria, the situation deteriorated. When conditions are tough, it's much harder to observe the commandments. Jews were forced to integrate into Greek society. They did not educate their children in the study of Torah and Hebrew, and thus had to read the Torah on Shabbat from a book written in Greek. They distanced themselves from traditional study halls and incorporated Greek ideas as interpretations of the Torah. Their intentions were good, but in reality, they were far from the spirit of tradition. One of the famous scholars of Alexandria was Yedidia, known as Philo of Alexandria, about whom we have told on another occasion.

In the year 222 BCE, Ptolemy IV ascended the throne in Egypt. He continued his father's way in wars against the Seleucid kingdom. The wars harmed the inhabitants of the Land of Israel, and some took place within its territory. One of the famous battles was the Battle of Raphia. Ptolemy prepared for five years for the big battle against Antiochus III, known as 'Antiochus the Great,' king of the Seleucids, and in 217 BCE, they met in the city of Raphia by the sea. Ptolemy approached from the south, from Egypt, leading a regiment of seventy thousand soldiers, six thousand cavalry, and 73 African elephants. Antiochus brought only 62 thousand foot soldiers, five thousand cavalry, and 102 Indian elephants. It was the only time in history that two fighting armies used two species of elephants.

Ptolemy inflicted a crushing defeat on Antiochus. Ten thousand of Antiochus's soldiers were killed, as well as some elephants. He was forced to flee the battlefield to avoid being utterly destroyed. However, Antiochus III did not give up. For twenty years, the armies prepared for various battles, and in 202 BCE, Antiochus III defeated Ptolemy V, and the Land of Israel became part of the Seleucid kingdom.

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