Rabbinic strategy: preservation over revolt

The story of Masada is one that holds great weight in the collective Jewish memory. On today's episode, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions:

1. Why does Josephus emphasize that the Jews at Masada died on the first day of Passover?
2. Why might many religious Jews reading the story reject it as extreme?
3. How did the legacy of Masada influence the establishing of the modern state of Israel?

Recommended Reading: Josephus. Complete Works. Translated William Whiston, Grand Rapids Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1960.