In an astonishing turn of events, after the Babylonian top general Nevuzadran murdered massive numbers of Jews in the wake of Churban Bayit Rishon, he converted to Judaism (Gittin 57b). The Gemara even refers to him as a Ger Tzedek, a righteous convert! This situation seems to be the equivalent of Adolf Eichmann, Yimach Shemo, converting to Judaism after committing his heinous actions. How are we to grasp the meaning of this astounding development?
The Gemara relates: “With regard to the Babylonian exile following the destruction of the First Beit HaMikdash, Rabbi Chiyya bar Avin says that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha says: An old man from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem related to me: In this valley that lies before you, Nevuzaradan, captain of the guard of the Babylonian king Nevuchadnezzar, killed 2,110,000 people. And in Jerusalem itself he killed almost 1 million people on one stone until the blood of his victims flowed and touched the blood of Zechariah to fulfill “וְדָמִ֥ים בְּדָמִ֖ים נָגָֽעוּ,” “And blood touches blood” (הושע 4:2).”
The Gemara clarifies the details of what happened: Nevuzaradan found the blood of Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the Kohein, and saw that it was bubbling up from the ground, and he said: What is this? Those in the Temple said to him: It is sacrificial blood that had been poured there. He brought animal blood, compared it to the blood bubbling up from the ground, and saw that they were not similar.
Nevuzaradan told them: If you tell me whose blood this is, it will be well for you. But if not, I will comb your flesh with iron combs. They said to him: What shall we say to you? He was a prophet among us, who used to rebuke us about heavenly matters, and we rose up against him and killed him (דברי הימים ב’ - 24:20–22), and for many years now, his blood has not settled.
Nevuzaradan said to them: I will appease Zechariah. He brought the Great Sanhedrin members and a lesser Sanhedrin and killed them alongside the bubbling blood, but it still did not settle. He then brought young men and virgins and killed them alongside it, but it still did not settle. He brought schoolchildren and killed them alongside it, but it still did not settle. Finally, Nevuzaradan said to him: “Zechariah, Zechariah, I have killed the best of them. Would it please you if I destroyed them all?” When he said this, the blood at last settled.
At that moment, Nevuzaradan contemplated the idea of Teshuvah and said to himself: If, for the death of one soul, that of Zechariah, God punishes the Jewish people in this manner, then that man, that is to say, I, who has killed all of those souls, all the more so will be I be subject to great punishment from God. He fled, sent to his house a document detailing what was to be done with his property, and converted to Judaism.
A Sage taught a Beraita relating to this matter: Na’aman, commander of the army of the king of Aram (see ‘מלכים ב, chapter 5), was not a convert, as he did not accept all of the mitzvot, but rather he was a Ger Toshav, a gentile who resides in Eretz Israel and observes the seven Noahide Mitzvot. Nevuzaradan, by contrast, was a convert, as explained previously.
The Gemara adds that some of Haman’s descendants studied Torah in Bnei Brak, and some of Sisera’s descendants taught children Torah in Jerusalem, and some of Sennacherib’s descendants taught Torah in public. Who are they? They are Shemaya and Avtalyon, the teachers of Hillel HaZakein.
Defining Horrific Crimes as Righteous
Most people wish to feel good about themselves and their actions. Sadly, humans have a significant capacity for rationalization, often in bizarre manners. Thus, it is not uncommon for people to bizarrely define a horrible action as righteous. Zecharia’s unrelenting boiling blood offered the bloodthirsty Nevuzadran the opportunity to feel justified in murdering Jews en masse.
Nevuzadran’s Conversion
After Zecharia’s blood finally settled, Nevuchadnetzar was struck by his visceral encounter with divine justice. He realized that he, too, would be held accountable for his extreme actions. It is reasonable to assume that Nevuzadran envisioned the sort of retribution that awaited him, the likes of which the Gemara (Gittin 56a) describes Titus enduring.
To the great credit of Nevuzadran, he did not conveniently ignore the sobering reality he encountered. His willingness to forego his position of extraordinary power as lead general to Nevuchadnetzar, the world’s most powerful person, is remarkable. He was willing to sever ties to his family and his fortune. He encountered truth and made a lifetime commitment to live in full accordance with it, no matter the sacrifices.
Tanach vs. Gemara
The Talmud in Gittin 55b - 58a presents stories from Churban Bayit Sheini. There is no need to give accounts from Churban Bayit Rishon since the scenes from that time are depicted in the Tanach by Yirmiyahu, Yechezkel, and even Tehillim. The story of Nevuzadran avenging the blood of Zecharia and his subsequent conversion is the only incident from Bayit Rishon presented in this Sugya (Talmudic section).
Why is this story not recorded in Tanach? We suggest that the Tanach avoids violation of Ona’at Devarim (verbal abuse) by reminding a convert of his less-than-stellar past (Bava Metzia 58b). While the Gemara tells the story, inclusion in Tanach would have spread the word far more than its mention in the Talmud.
Three Lessons
Why, then, do Chazal include the Nevuzadran story in the Gemara? Chazal do so because of the crucial lessons that emerge.
First, the story teaches that we must accept a worthy candidate for conversion despite a terrible past. We are forbidden to withhold access to our people to someone who is committed to Hashem, Torah U’Mitzvot, and Am Yisrael. I heard Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik declare that genuine non-Jews enjoy a right to convert. Nevuzadran is an extreme case that starkly illustrates this principle.
Second, the Nevuzadran story is presented after the Gemara describes the massive casualties we suffered in the fall of Beitar. The Nevuzadran incident shows that large-scale Jewish losses are not limited to the Churban Bayit Sheini period and its aftermath. Instead, it is very sadly an ongoing theme in Jewish life, as was most horrifically expressed during the Shoah.
Megillah 16a describes the Jewish people as a people of extremes. When we rise, we ascend as tall as the stars, but when we fall, we descend as low as dust. The Chizkuni understands Devarim 4:25-35 as teaching that no nation has suffered as much as the Jews. Amos 3:2 teaches that since Hashem has developed a unique relationship with us, we are punished more severely than any other nation if we betray Hashem and our responsibilities to Him. Very sadly, these teachings are not a matter of theoretical discussion. Our people have lived this reality for millennia.
A third lesson is expressed by what Jews said as they were being led to the Nazi gas chambers (as reported by Rav Avraham Pam), Mir Veln Zey Ibberleben, we shall outlive them. Our Gemara concludes the Nevudzadran story with a postscript listing the many villains who sought to destroy us and had descendants who became great Torah teachers. Despite staggering losses, the fire of the eternal people continues to burn brightly, with the descendants of our worst oppressors leading the Torah charge. Nevuzadran exemplifies this phenomenon with his stunning shift from a great oppressor to a devoted Jew. Nevuzadran’s dramatic transformation expresses our people's lasting and indomitable spiritual energy and power.
Conclusion
Shemot 1:12 teaches that the more they harmed us, the greater we became. After he recognizes that the truth resides with the militarily powerless, the conversion of one of our greatest oppressors provides us with added resilience and grit to withstand whatever challenges we face throughout the generations. As much as Nevudzadran opposed and harmed us, his conversion strengthened us even more.
For footnotes from this article, please email koltorah@koltorah.org