English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton once said: “The pen is mightier than the sword.“ Whether or not that’s true, Jewish history shows that both can be invaluable weapons in the struggle to maintain religious life and national identity. Never was this more clear than in the period when the Romans dominated the Holy Land, when the Temple was destroyed, and — only a couple of generations later — another failed revolt and wave of persecutions decimated the ranks of the Sages, leaving the Jewish people with few teachers and dismal prospects for Jewish continuity.
