ИСТИНА

In the Second Temple period, a new genre (a quasi-Gospel) appeared to deliver the “good news” of salvation, translation, etc. But after the collapse of the uprisings, this genre disappeared from Jewish literature. The Talmudic and Mishnaic allusions to Hanukkah and pre-Hanukkah events look “concealed.” Such an allusion is found in Bavli Sukkah. The story of Miriam bat Bilga tells us about the desecration of the Temple followed by the punishment of Bilga. The leitmotiv of the Tractate is the theme of marital defense (sukkah/huppah) provided by God for Israel. In the last days, messiah comes to bring protection to the daughter of Zion. In this world, however, God’s marital protection is sometimes lacking. God’s protection is but one side of a dual opposition that governs the Tractate. The other side is the absence of God’s protection, the experience of loneliness and failure.