The Martyrdom of Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon
Rome sentences Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon and his wife to death and his daughter to disgrace. The Gemara explains each one's fate and his wife's acceptance of it.
One of their stories, discussed in this week’s daf, was that of Rabi Chanina ben Tradyon. He was captured by the Romans and accused of violating their edict against teaching Torah. He had no defense and was summarily sentenced to death. To inflict greater punishment, they sentenced his wife to death as well. They further decreed that his daughter be publicly degraded. The Gemara considers all of them to be tzaddikim, so why did they deserve such a fate?
The Gemara explains that Rabi Chanina ben Tradyon pronounced the Ineffable Name of Hashem during the course of learning. According to Rashi, this was actually permitted, but a tzaddik of the caliber of Rabi Chanina ben Tradyon should not have employed this leniency. Rashi explains that Hashem holds tzaddikim to a much higher standard. Since they have approached the pinnacle of perfection, any slight deviation is magnified.
Why did Rabi Chanina’s daughter deserve her fate? One time she was walking in front of some important Romans and she overheard one saying to another, “Look how nice the gait is of that young girl.” Upon hearing that, she attempted to make her gait even nicer. Her actions were a breach in modesty necessary for a bas Yisrael. The Gemara refers to her as a tzadeikes, so she likewise was judged on a much higher standard.