“The crown of our head has fallen; woe to us, for we have sinned” (Lamentations 5:16).“The crown of our head has fallen.” Rabbi Yirmeya of Shavshav took an olive branch crown and tied it on his head.21After the destruction of the Temple, the Sages had decreed that one was not permitted to wear a golden crown at a wedding (Sota 49a). Rabbi Yirmeya understood that it was still permitted to wear this other type of crown. Shmuel heard and said: ‘It would be better for him to have his head removed and not to do so.’ It was “like an error that emerges from before the ruler” (Ecclesiastes 10:5); so it was for him.22Rabbi Yirmeya was decapitated. Therefore it is stated: “The crown of our head has fallen; woe to us, for we have sinned.”
“The crown of our head has fallen; woe to us, for we have
Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team
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