When Brotherly Feuds Turn Deadly: A Distant Tale with Modern Lessons

These days, as we find ourselves in the midst of a challenging period marked by division and baseless hatred, hoping b'ezrat Hashem (with Hashem's help) for salvation against our fierce adversaries and internal fractures, it's worth reflecting on the outcomes of internal strife in the Hasmonean kingdom. We all know brotherly wars ultimately led to the destruction of the Temple and our exile, but the seeds of division were sown long before.

Our story unfolds in 104 BCE, a hundred and seventy years before the Temple's destruction, over two millennia ago.

Sixty years after Judah Maccabee's victory over the Greeks and the rededication of the Holy Temple, his nephew, Yochanan the High Priest, passed away, leaving three sons: Aristobulus, Antigonus, and Alexander Jannaeus. Aristobulus, as the eldest, naturally assumed the throne and high priesthood.

Fearful of rebellion, Aristobulus imprisoned his mother (!) and his younger brother Alexander Jannaeus to safeguard his reign. However, he spared his beloved brother Antigonus any restrictions.

One Sukkot, Aristobulus was bedridden with a cold. Antigonus stepped in, performing his duties at the Temple during the festival.

And so began a horrible spiral.

Gossips and mischief-makers began whispering in Aristobulus's ear, claiming Antigonus was pretending to be king to usurp, kill, and replace him.

While initially dismissive, Aristobulus eventually succumbed to these tales, a victim of the destructive nature of slander.

Subsequently, his 'well-meaning' advisors persuaded him: At least don't let him come armed to the palace, just in case.

Aristobulus agreed, instructing messengers to inform Antigonus to come unarmed. Guards were told to kill him if he arrived ready for battle, as it would signify rebellion.

What did the advisors do?

They rushed to Antigonus and falsely relayed that the king requested he show up in full armor, wishing to see his weapons firsthand.

Antigonus arrived happily to the palace, decked out in his weapons, only to be killed on sight by the guards.

Grieved by his folly, Aristobulus succumbed to further illness, afflicted by festering wounds.

A servant carrying blood-soaked bandages from the palace stumbled where Antigonus's blood once lay, spilling their contents, causing the brothers' blood to mingle.

Seeing this, Aristobulus wished for death in anguish, weeping until his heart failed him, ending his reign of barely a year.

His brother Alexander Jannaeus succeeded him, allied with the Sadducees, and persecuted the Sages of Israel.

Such are the devastating outcomes of division, incitement, slander, and baseless hatred.