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What if the Second Temple Hadn’t Been Destroyed?
Tisha B’Av — the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av — is referred to as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It marks the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, the first in 586 BCE and the latter in 70 CE.
This Tisha B’Av — 10 months after the October 7 atrocity and the resulting war — finds many Jews worried about our Jewish future. This is true both with respect to the survival of Israel, a country beset by determined enemies, as well as in the context of Jewish life in the Diaspora, with the outburst of antisemitism that has occurred in Europe and North America.
The online Chabad description of Tisha B’Av makes a curious point about the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. According to the contemporary Jewish-Roman historian Josephus, the Romans would have preferred to leave the Temple standing to reflect on the glory of Rome. Apparently, its destruction was an accident — a rogue act by a Roman soldier, who threw a firebrand into the Temple. Titus, the Roman commander, tried to put out the fire, but was unsuccessful.
The question of how the Jewish world would have evolved if the Temple had not been destroyed has intrigued René Bloch, Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Bern.
To my mind, the destruction of the Temple meant the end of Temple Judaism and the ascendancy of rabbinic Judaism, the rabbis being the successors of the Pharisees. Bloch points to a more nuanced history between the Temple and synagogue ritual and services.
For one thing, the Temple was not a central fixture for Jews in the Diaspora, which existed even then. Moreover, synagogues were an established feature in much of the Jewish world, even in Jerusalem. He adds that Temple practices were changing in any case. For example, animal sacrifices would likely have ended if the temple had continued to exist. Bloch quotes the prophet Isaiah saying, “I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats … learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”
Moreover, scriptural interpretations and commentary, and the idea of using scripture in religious services, were common before the destruction of the Temple. However, much of the Mishna, written after the destruction, deals with details of Temple service as a means of keeping the memory of the Temple alive.
Without the destruction of the Temple, there would be no Mishna or Gemara and no Talmud, at least not in the form that we are familiar with today. Bloch writes, “If rabbinic Judaism had not emerged or had manifested itself in a much less consequential form, Judaism’s long-term development would have been profoundly affected.”
Bloch also points out that if the Temple was not destroyed, Christianity today would be very different as well, because the destruction of the Temple is central to the Christian concept of supersession, wherein Christianity is seen as the successor to Judaism. To early Christians, the Temple’s destruction confirmed God’s displeasure with the Jewish people for their rejection of Jesus Christ. Without its destruction, the theological underpinnings of Christianity and Judaism might have been more difficult to separate.
The Jewish defeat by the Romans took place irrespective of whether or not the Temple survived. Josephus’ writings point a finger at Jewish disunity and infighting. We do not know if a unified Jewish front would have made a difference. We do know that by the time of the The Bar-Kochba Revolt just 65 years later (132-136 CE), the Jews had learned their lesson. Nevertheless, even though the Jews fought as a united force, this war also resulted in defeat. The only difference was that the Roman victory cost them more.
There are those who worry that history will repeat itself, and that disunity and internal disputes will jeopardize Jewish survival. Perhaps. However, at this point, the important lesson from Jewish history is that a small Jewish State needs the backing of a great power.
Jacob Sivak, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, is a retired professor, University of Waterloo.
The post What if the Second Temple Hadn’t Been Destroyed? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.