Mourning for Jerusalem

t. Sotah 15:10–15

70–300

10. Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel said: From the day that the Temple was destroyed, it has been logical for us not to eat meat or drink wine, but the court does not impose decrees on the community except those that they are able to withstand. He would say: Since they are imposing a prohibition on learning Torah on us, we should impose a decree on Israel that they may not marry women. Then Israel will be desolate and the seed of Abraham destroyed. Rather, let Israel be. It is better that they act unknowingly than transgress purposefully.

11. From the time when the Temple was destroyed, the number of ascetics increased in Israel, and they would not eat meat or drink wine. R. Joshua joined their discussion and said to them, “My children, why do you not eat meat?” They said, “Should we eat meat when the regular sacrifice that was offered on the altar every day is now nullified?” He said to them, “Why do you not drink wine?” They said to him, “Should we drink wine when the [wine] libations that would be poured on the altar are nullified?”

12. He said to them, “We should not even eat figs and grapes, because firstfruits were brought from them on Shavuot. We should not eat bread, because the two loaves of bread [on Shavuot] and the showbread were brought from it. We should not drink water, because water libations were offered from it on Sukkot.” They became quiet. He said to them, “Not to mourn at all is not possible because the decree has already been decreed. And moreover, to mourn too much is not possible. Rather, our sages said as follows: A person should plaster his house in plaster and leave a little bit [without plaster] as a remembrance of Jerusalem.

13. A person should do all the preparation for his meal and leave over a little in remembrance of Jerusalem.

14. A woman should do all her ornamentation and leave out a little bit in remembrance of Jerusalem. As it says: If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither; let my tongue stick to my palate if I cease to think of you, if I do not keep Jerusalem in memory even at my happiest hour (Psalm 137:5–6, NJPS).

15. Whoever mourns for Jerusalem merits to see its joy, as it says: Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, All you who love her! Join in her jubilation, all you who mourned over her (Isaiah 66:10, NJPS).

Translated by Matthew Goldstone.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.

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About Mourning for Jerusalem

The text of t. Sotah 15 reflects how the first generations after the destruction of the Temple struggled to determine appropriate ways to mourn both its loss and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Some Jews stopped eating meat or drinking wine, fearing these acts dishonored the lost sacrifices. In t. Sotah 15:11–12, Rabbi Joshua challenges this practice by taking their logic to the extreme: if meat and wine are forbidden, so must be bread, figs, grapes, and even water. His argument shows the danger of excessive mourning. Instead, he counsels balance: there could be small reminders of loss in houses, meals, and adornment. This passage illustrates how the ancient rabbis guided Jews to grieve without abandoning life and reframed holiness in a world without a Temple, preserving the continuity of tradition and practice across time.

Discussion Questions

Articulate Rabbi Joshua’s concern in t. Sotah 15:11–12, explaining the underlying reason for his warning against mourning too much.
What does the shift to small daily reminders of the Temple’s absence signal about rabbinic understanding of the psychology of mourning?
How do paragraphs 14 and 15 support the rabbis’ suggestions throughout this passage? What balance between grief and life does this text suggest?

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Mourning for Jerusalem

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