Into this desperate situation stepped Shimon ben Shetach. Under the protection of his sister Shlomtzion, he took the necessary measures to restore the supremacy of Torah among the Jewish people.
First, he used extraordinary tact and skill to reverse the trend by ensuring a Perushi majority in the Sanhedrin.
A halachic issue once arose that no one knew how to answer – no one except an old [Tzadukki] man. The man said, “Give me time. By tomorrow, I will have an answer.” [Overnight] he meditated about the issue. When the next day arrived and he still had no proof from the Torah, he was too embarrassed to come and sit in the Sanhedrin. At that, Shimon ben Shetach summoned one of his disciples and seated him in the man’s place, explaining: “The Sanhedrin may not have fewer than seventy-one men.” He kept doing this day after day, until all the Tzadukkim were removed, and a Sanhedrin of Perushim was seated in authority. [Megillas Ta’anis 10]
“The world was desolate until Shimon ben Shetach came and restored the Torah to its pristine glory” (Kiddushin 66a). Shimon also strengthened Torah learning in the land. He worked to establish a universal system of education that provided free Torah learning to Jewish youths beginning at age six. The number of students increased greatly during his tenure.
Jewish education is rooted in the responsibility the Torah places upon the father to educate his child in Torah (“VeShenantam LeVanecha” – “And you shall teach them to your children,” Devarim 6:7.). Prior to the development of a formal educational system, only those privileged students whose fathers were capable of teaching them were able to learn. A child without such a father did not learn at all.
During the early years of Shimon ben Shetach, the first public schooling in Jewish history was introduced. Schools were established in Jerusalem for older students, aged sixteen or seventeen. When that proved insufficient, teachers were appointed in each district of the country as well. By the year 65 BCE, the high priest Yehoshua ben Gamla had extended educational opportunities to younger students as well. These students were well prepared to accept the discipline of their teachers, unlike earlier students who had only been introduced to formal education at an older age.
“The name of Yehoshua ben Gamla is to be blessed, for without him the Torah would have been forgotten from Israel” (Bava Basra 21a).
Shimon ben Shetach was the most prominent scholar of his time. He and Yehudah ben Tabbai formed the third zug (pair of sages who headed the Sanhedrin), though there is a debate in the Talmud (Chagigah 16b) as to which of the two served as the nasi and which as the av beis din. In any case, they succeeded Yehoshua ben Perachya and Nittai HaArbeili as leaders of the Jewish people and transmitters of the Torah tradition.
As noted above, Shimon’s sister was Queen Shlomtzion, who had married Alexander Yannai. A personal tension arose between Shimon and his brother-in-law, one that reflected the greater ongoing struggle between the Pharisees and Sadducees.
At times the hostility subsided, due in no small part to the influence of Shlomtzion. In the wake of these eased tensions, those Pharisaic scholars who had fled for fear of persecution returned. Shimon was able to take advantage of his relations with the royal house, not to mention his own personal stature, to strengthen the standing of the Pharisees among the people. Later, when Shlomtzion succeeded Yannai as ruler upon his death, the Pharisees’ power increased.
Shimon possessed great personal courage and moral fortitude. On one occasion, Yannai was summoned to the Sanhedrin in connection with an incident in which his slave had killed another man. Shimon boldly instructed Yannai to stand in the presence of the court, stating that “It is not before us that you stand, but before Him who spoke and the world came into being.”
