Here is a little Babylonian Jewish history that I find interesting and relevant, It involves Bustenai, a descendant of King David, who became leader of the Jews in Babylon (the Exilarch). The symbol of the Exilarch included the image of a fly:
Forty-Fifth Generation: Bustenai. In Seder Hadorot it is written in the name of Sefer Yohasin that in the year 4420 the matter of Bustenai and Dudava came to pass, and he was called Mar Zutra.
At that time, the Persian king decreed and killed all of the House of David, from the great to the small, and left no remnant, other than one bride. Her husband was killed on the day of their wedding, when she had just become pregnant. The king had a dream in which he was walking through a garden and cutting down all the plants, leaving neither branch nor root, except for one small branch, which he almost destroyed. An old man then came and beat him until he bled, and when he awoke, there was blood spilled on the bed wherein he was sleeping. In the morning, one of the wise men of Israel came and interpreted his dream as referring to his having killed the House of David. He asked that it be ascertained whether there were any branch or root left, and in truth, there was none other than the pregnant bride. The king regretted having decimated the House of David, and he took it upon himself to watch over the child that would be born, and so he did. And it came to pass that when she gave birth to a son, she called his name Bustenai, after the garden the king had seen, which is called bustan in Arabic. The child grew up and the king commanded that he be brought to him, and he came and stood before the king from morning until evening. He stood in fear and awe before the king, and none of his limbs moved. A fly then came and bit him in his face until he bled, but he did not raise his hand to chase away the fly. When the king saw this great thing, he was very pleased, and he appointed him to be a judge. This is the reason that the image of a fly is engraved on their seal, because of the story of Butenai. So it says in Seder Hadorot page 47.
On page 50b there is a somewhat different version: The family of the House of David was destroyed for having pained Rabbi Hanina, the Head of the Yeshiva. Rabbi Hanina went to the synagogue, and cried so much that he filled a vessel with his tears and drank it. This was the reason for the demise of the House of David, and they all died in one night. The only remnant was the daughter of the said Rabbi Hanina, who had been married to someone from the House of David. Rabbi Hanina saw in a dream that he was standing in a garden with an ax in his hand and destroying the garden. An old red-haired man came, beat him until his face turned around backwards, and he said to him, “Why are you destroying my garden?” In the morning he asked the wise men if anyone remained from the House of David, and they replied, “No one remains other than your daughter, who is pregnant.” He went and sat with her until she gave birth, and as he was watching over her, his face retuned to its normal state. Now there was an in-law of the House of David who, when he saw that the descendants of the House of David had all died, bribed the king and was appointed Prince. When Bustenai grew up, he went to the king and the pretender was demoted. A fly then entered into the nose of that in-law of the House of David, and he died. This is the reason that the House of David has the image of a fly on its seal. In The Travels of Benyamin. Page 13b, it is written that the grave of the Prince Rabbi Bustenai, the Head of the Exile, is in Pompadita of Naharda’ah.
Thanks
“Here is a little Babylonian Jewish history that I find interesting and relevant,”
That WAS interesting. Thanks for posting this.