The Ashkenazi Revolution

25Even more so: The conservatives, who comprised a unified block of theJewish peoples – as will be explained later in this book – also rebelledagainst Aspasinus (probably Vespasian – translator) and later still they hadwars with the Byzantines.These tragic rebellions are faithful expressions of the character of thePeople of Israel, that yearned to make itself equal to those of great stature,in its struggle for eternal life and in its struggle with its God. In encounterswith small peoples, that would oppress and terrorize it, there was nochallenge for the People of Israel. Therefore, it was apathetic about theirconspiracies. Not so with the giant nations of the ancient world. Thesepeoples demanded subjugation from the People of Israel, a bending of theknee and humiliation. Were it to comply with them, it would have negateditself, and it came to the conclusion that the crowns of the chosen people,with which it had coronated itself, were based on falsehood. Thepsychological situation of the People of Israel required it to oppose thegiants no matter what. And the opposition was not late in coming. Thewars between the tiny Jewish nation and the great empires were tragicwars, in which the Jews struggled with their national honor and with theirstatus – which is no less than that of the giants and even rises above it.A researcher will find many parallels in the course of history that precededthe Jewish wars and rebellions, beginning with the wars of Samaria andAssyria and ending with the war of Bar Kochba with Rome. This is theway of the People of Israel from the beginning: war with the giants which,despite its small physical dimensions is a historical giant and it thereforemust stand against other historical giants and come into conflict with them.11The prophets, especially the great prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, opposedthis trait of Israel and they leveled sharp criticism against it. Isaiah calledfor neutrality. Jeremiah preached staunchly in favor of a vassal status withBabylon. Isaiah and Jeremiah saw the danger in taking the path of “apeople that dwells alone and considers not the other nations” which causes