He did not understand the nature of the Jews and their fierce desire for independence and even more so for religious freedom. The Jews began to prepare for war. They were, at first, pacified by the words of one of the leading rabbis, Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah, who urged restraint against the powerful enemy and discouraged another revolt, but soon they could take no more.
The commander of this revolt was a man known as Shimon Bar Kochba. His original name was Shimon Ben (or bar, son of) Kosba (pronounced Kosiba). Rabbi Akiva believed that Shimon was the Messiah, the anointed one, and called him Bar Kochba, Son of Star, as in the biblical verse “There shall come a star (kochab) out of Ya’akov (Jacob) and shall arise a tribe from Israel who shall smite the corners of Moav and destroy all the children of Sheth” (Numbers 24:17). Bar Kochba was a descendant of King David. According to Jewish tradition, all kings must be from the line of King David. Years later, some would…show more content… In one tied bag, nineteen different cooking utensils (pots and pans) were found. What surprised the archaeologists was that they had pagan images on them—clearly prohibited by Jewish law! “Thou shalt not make for thyself any carved idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath” (Exodus, Shemoth, 20:3). Upon closer examination, it was determined that all the images had been scratched, or partially rubbed out. In some cases, the rubbing out was very clear, in other cases only the nose of the creature was wiped out. All this fits in perfectly with the laws written in the Talmud, that one may use a utensil belonging to any idol worshipper as long as it is deformed. “How does one erase it? Broke the edge of the ear, the head of the nose, the head of a finger, even if not complete—it is ‘canceled’” (Talmud, Tractate Idol Worship, Avodah Zara).
