Our Gemara on Amud Beis mentions a Tanna, Rabbi Elazar ben Parata, and actually his grandfather as well.  I could find nothing to comment on about this daf, so I’ll discuss biographical notes about Rabbi Elazar ben Parata.  He, similar to Rabbi Chaninah ben Tradiyon, was arrested for ”crimes against the state”, the age-old anti-semitic canard against Jews who taught Torah, as teaching subversive treasonous material. The Gemara in Avoda Zara 17b tells us the story, which provides obvious and more implied lessons as we shall discuss:

ת"ר כשנתפסו רבי אלעזר בן פרטא ורבי חנינא בן תרדיון א"ל ר' אלעזר בן פרטא לרבי חנינא בן תרדיון אשריך שנתפסת על דבר אחד אוי לי שנתפסתי על חמשה דברים

The Sages taught: When Rabbi Elazar ben Perata and Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon were arrested by the Romans during the time of the religious persecution of the Jewish people, Rabbi Elazar ben Perata said to Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon: Fortunate are you, as you were arrested on one charge only, of teaching Torah publicly; woe is me, as I have been arrested on five charges.

א"ל רבי חנינא אשריך שנתפסת על חמשה דברים ואתה ניצול אוי לי שנתפסתי על דבר אחד ואיני ניצול שאת עסקת בתורה ובגמילות חסדים ואני לא עסקתי אלא בתורה [בלבד]

Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon said to him: Fortunate are you, as you were arrested on five charges but you will be saved; woe is me, as I have been arrested on one charge, but I will not be saved. You will be saved because you engaged in Torah study and in acts of charity, and I engaged in Torah study alone….

אתיוהו לרבי אלעזר בן פרטא אמרו מ"ט תנית ומ"ט גנבת אמר להו אי סייפא לא ספרא ואי ספרא לא סייפא ומדהא ליתא הא נמי ליתא ומ"ט קרו לך רבי רבן של תרסיים אני

The Gemara returns to the description of the trial of the Sages. The Romans brought Rabbi Elazar ben Perata for his trial and said: What is the reason that you taught Torah, and what is the reason that you stole, as these were the crimes of which he was accused. Rabbi Elazar ben Perata said to them: If one is an armed robber [sayafa], he is not a scholar [safra], and if one is a scholar he is not an armed robber, i.e., I am accused of two mutually exclusive crimes; and from the fact that this characterization is not true, one may also conclude that that characterization is also not true.

(As an aside, the claims of subversive teachings as well as the legalistic defenses bear some similarity to the Apology of Socrates, a worthwhile read.  Socrates is accused of treason by corrupting the youth with his philosophical ideas, which also challenged their primitive idolatrous assumptions.  It seems that the Greeks, and Roman successor governments, had this penchant for show trials against “refuseniks”, and at times even conceded, while at other times because they were so obsessive about their legal records, history has shown them to be petty and totalitarian. The Germans too were so obsessive in their record keeping, that their atrocities were documented in great detail.  So many patterns repeat in history: Russian anti-semitism, Germanic legalisms and much more.)

The Shalah (Aseres HaDibros, Yoma, Derekh Chayim 104) notes Rabbi Elazar ben Parta’s argument was double entendre.  It seemed like he was talking to the magistrate, but actually he was talking to God.  He was saying to God, “If I am a scholar, then I should be zocheh to protection as you promised to scholars (Midrash Rabbah Bechukosai 35:6). If I am not a scholar, why am I being punished as one?”

Shalah notes, as in the Megillah, when Esther appears to be talking to the king, Achashveiros, she is really talking to the KING, Hashem.  He also quotes a similar Gemara in Avoda Zara (16b) where another Tanna, Rabbi Eliezer, also appears to talk to an official, but is actually talking to Hashem. Shalah advises that whenever you are in front of a government official (think of even getting pulled over by a police officer), tap into your “eimas hadin”, fear of being judged, and consider that you are really before Hashem, and it is in His power to prosecute or forgive.

This year Rabbi Yonasan Millman of Kew Gardens Hills in his Neilah Derasha spoke of a similar event that his Rebbe, Rabbi Yitschok Tuvia Weiss ZT’L experienced as a child.  Rabbi Weiss was amongst a group of Jewish children who were able to escape the Nazis by going to England.  The children were hoping that their parents might get visas, but alas, many did not and were murdered.  

One time, the Kind of England was visiting the neighborhood of the school, and the children were instructed to line up and show their respects as his entourage came through town.  One child, in an egregious breach of protocol, ran out of the line and went up to the king, begging that he grant his parents a visa. Nu, like Achashveirosh, the king, so to speak, extended his golden scepter and granted his wish.  Rabbi Weiss and his parents were not as fortunate.  Rabbi Weiss observed, this is the power of approaching Hashem and asking for something, even if it is outrageous and you do not deserve it, if you throw yourself fully on His mercy, He may grant your request.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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