The Decree of the Ten Martyrs

It is told that the Roman emperor of the time, Lupinus, was studying Torah. He asked the ten great sages of that generation, among them Raban Shimon ben Gamliel, "According to your Torah, what is the law for a Jew who sells another into captivity?" He was referring to the sale of Yosef by his brothers. "The penalty is death," answered Rebbi Akiva and his colleagues.

"But Yosef's brothers were never punished for their crime," the Roman protested, and then he began to set his deadly trap. "Justice must be done, and there have been no leaders to take their places until the ten of you."

When Rebbi Nechunya ben HaKana heard of the decree, he told Rebbi Yishmael ben Elisha to ascend to Heaven to find out whether it was a heavenly decree. Rebbi Yishmael purified himself, uttered the secret Name of Hashem, and ascended. He asked the malach Gavriel about the decree, and Gavriel answered, "Accept it upon yourselves, righteous and beloved men, for I have heard from behind the partition that this is to be your destiny." Rebbi Yishmael was told that the ten sages would be given to the evil malach Samael as a punishment for the sale of Yosef. He reported this to his colleagues, and they accepted the heavenly decree.