In the Talmud, specifically in the midrash Lamentations Rabbah, repeated in the Babylonian Talmud Gittin 55b to 56a, the rabbis told how a wealthy man had instructed his servant to invite Kamza to a party, but the servant mistakenly invited Bar Kamza, whom the host hated. Bar Kamza shows up at the party, and the host demands that he leave. Bar Kamza begs the man not to humiliate him in front of all the guests; he offers to pay for his food and drink, he even offers to pay for the entire party, but the host drives him away. Many of Jerusalem's greatest rabbis were in attendance, but they said nothing.
Bar Kamza is so upset with the rabbis for not intervening that he travels to Rome, and visits the Emperor. He tells the Emperor that the rabbis are plotting to rebel. As proof, Bar Kamza asks the Emperor to send a kosher animal to be sacrificed at the Temple. If the Jews accept the sacrifice, the Emperor will know he is lying, but if they refuse, the Emperor will know he is telling the truth. The Emperor agrees and gives Bar Kamza a calf to take to Jerusalem, but on the way Bar Kamza wounds the animal creating a scar and thus a blemish. The Temple priests and rabbis know they have been set up - some of the rabbis beg the priests to sacrifice the animal anyway, but the priests refuse - the Torah states a blemished animal shall not be offered as a sacrifice, no exceptions. Some of the priests propose to kill Bar Kamza so he will not bring his evil report back to the Emperor, but the rabbis said no - the Torah does not permit us to kill a human being merely for bringing a blemished animal to the Temple. So Bar Kamza returned to Rome to report that the Jews had refused to accept the Emperor's sacrifice, and the Emperor sent in his army to punish and destroy the Jewish people of Israel.
So, in a fit of anger because he wasn’t admitted into the banquet to which he had mistakenly been invited, Bar Kamza committed treason against the Jewish people and caused the destruction of the Temple and the persecution by the Romans of the Jewish people. Bar Kamza placed his loyalty to the Roman Emperor and his personal peeve over his loyalty to the Jewish people.
Today we wonder whether we have another traitor in our midst — a disgraceful human being in the office of President who seems to place his loyalty to Russia and to Putin ahead of any loyalty he may feel to the American people. Whether he is being blackmailed, or simply admires despots such as Putin because he wants to be one, is anyone’s guess.
Bar Kamza’s treason led to a disaster for which we still mourn this Tisha B’av. Will Trump’s treason have the same consequences? We need to do more than pray that it won’t. As patriots, we need to act and to resist.
For those keeping this fast, may our fast be easy, and may our fast be meaningful.