King Yannai’s Advice to His Wife Shelamzion
King Yannai said to his wife [before he died]: Do not be afraid of the Pharisees, and neither [should you fear] from those who are not Pharisees [i.e., the Sadducees]; rather, [beware] of the hypocrites who appear like Pharisees, as their actions are like the act of [the wicked] Zimri and they request [a] reward like [that of the righteous] Phinehas [see Numbers 25].
Notes
Words in brackets appear in the original translation.
Credits
From Koren Talmud Bavli, Noé Edition, trans. Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz (Jerusalem: Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2019). Accessed via the William Davidson digital edition, sefaria.org. Adapted with permission of Koren Publishers Ltd.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.
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In contrast to other rabbinic texts about King Yannai, the Babylonian Talmud’s account of Yannai’s advice to his wife before he dies suggests a positive attitude toward Pharisees, although he warns her against those who claim to be Pharisees but do not behave accordingly. Josephus also relates that Janneus advised his wife to favor the Pharisees on his deathbed.
Related Guide
Ancient Rabbinic Constructions of the Past
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