Some important texts get attention today – first, the book of Ezekiel and its apparently controversial material that apparently contradicted tenets of the Torah – until Rabbi Hananya ben Hizkiyah ben Garon, one of the great scholars of his pre-Hurban (the Destruction of the Second Temple) era was tasked with deciding if it went too far. To his great credit (or where would we be), he resolved the apparent contradictions well enough to keep Yehezkel in the canon.
Plus Megillat Ta’anit, a compilation of the days that were converted from commemorating suffering to marking salvation, composed by none other than R. Hananya ben Hizkiyah ben Garon (and his son Elazar – whom we may have forgotten to mention!). The Gemara discusses why Megillat Ta’anit didn’t become a running list for all of Jewish history (yes, even 2,000 years ago), and we discuss the Gemara’s three explanations and how they encapsulate the Jewish experience.
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