Last week, we discussed the martyrdom of Rebbe Shimon ben Gamliel, the first of the asarah harguei malchut. Hazal tell us (Otzer Midrashim, Asarah Harugei Malchut) that the brutal beheading of Rebbe Shimon occurred in front of Rebbe Yishmael, the great sage and high priest in Jerusalem, as he himself awaited his execution. Rebbe Yishmael wept bitterly over his dear friend and colleague, bemoaning the fate of such a pure Torah scholar. The daughter of the local Roman ruler overheard Rebbe Yishmael’s wails; when she beheld his physical beauty, she requested that her father spare him. Her father refused. Instead, she made a sickening request: that Rebbe Yishmael’s face be peeled away so it could be preserved for her “b’makom mareh,” in place of a mirror. The midrash describes that as the torturous flaying of his face occurred, Rebbe Yishmael was silent. But when the Roman’s reached the place of his tefillin shel rosh, he screamed so powerfully that the heavens and earth began to shake. As he screamed again, the heavenly throne began to tremble as well. A heavenly voice rang out saying that the world will return to chaos and nothingness if the cry of Rebbe Yishmael continues. Rebbe Yishmael fell silent. Without ever losing faith, his soul departed in purity. 

The Romans’ barbaric preservation of Rebbe Yishmael’s face represents far more than just sadistic torture. Rebbe Yishmael was the high priest in Jerusalem. He was pure and beautiful, both physically and spiritually. Bedecked in the vestments of the high priesthood, the Kohen Gadol was the ultimate expression of kavod and tifaret, “and you shall make holy garments for your brother Aaron, for honor and beauty” (Shemot 28:2). As we have noted in the past, the Rambam explains that the Kohen Gadol must always remain within Yerushalayim. His moral and spiritual purity necessitates him always remaining within the environs of the mikdash, the most beautiful city of spiritual perfection.  

But as Jerusalem drew closer to her destruction, the Romans were ready to declare a “new Jerusalem.” After the capture of the spiritual capital of monotheism, the Romans refashioned Rome as the new city of God. Christianity was soon to become the adopted religion of Rome, and the pope claimed the mantle of the high priest. As we have noted in the past, Eisav and his descendants obsess over superficial expressions of purity and beauty while remaining corrupt at their core. This is the symbolism of the Roman’s peeling away the face of Rebbe Yishmael and bringing it back to Rome; the descendants of Edom were attempting to lay claim to the beauty of Rebbe Yishmael by preserving and flaunting his outermost layer. But the moral clarity and spiritual magnificence of Rebbe Yishmael would (and could) never be theirs. 

The Vatican became a stunningly beautiful place “dedicated to God” while the popes wore their beautiful garments of priesthood. Rome had “replaced Jerusalem” and the popes metaphorically donned the face of Rebbe Yishamel. But underneath the luxury and beauty laid a rotting immoral bankruptcy. These “high priests” became embroiled in petty pursuits of power, possibly fathering dozens of illegitimate children while projecting vacuous moral purity. Not to mention their blind eye towards, or open encouragement of, the brutal persecution of the Jewish people. The beauty of Rebbe Yishmael’s facemask stood b’makom mareh, in place of a mirror; instead of sincerely looking into a mirror and recognizing their hypocrisy and moral failings, the Vatican’s leaders instead pointed to their dominance and the ruins of Jerusalem as ultimate proof of their ascendancy.