,the ,legends of the ,jews by ,louis ,ginzberg ,,translated ,,prom ,,the ,,german ,,manuscript ,,volume ,,iv ,,bible ,,times ,,and ,,characters ,,from ,,joshua ,,to ,,esther ,contents ,i4 ,,joshua ,the ,servant of ,moses ,entering the ,promised ,land ,conquest of the ,land ,the ,sun ,obeys ,joshua ,war with the ,armenians ,allotment of the ,land ,,ii4 ,,the ,,judges ,the ,first ,judge ,campaigns of ,kenaz ,othniel ,boaz and ,ruth ,deborah ,gideon ,jephthah ,samson ,the ,crime of the ,benjamites ,,iii4 ,,samuel ,,and ,,saul ,elkanah and ,hannah ,the ,youth of ,samuel ,eli and ,his ,sons ,the ,activities of ,samuel ,the ,reign of ,saul ,the ,court of ,saul ,,iv4 ,,david ,david's ,birth and ,descent ,anointed ,king ,encounter with ,goliath ,pursued by ,saul ,wars ,ahithophel ,joab ,david's ,piety and ,his ,sin ,absalom's ,rebellion ,david's ,atonement ,visitations ,the ,death of ,david ,david in ,paradise ,the ,family of ,david ,his ,tomb ,v4 ,,solomon ,solomon ,punishes ,joab ,the ,marriage of ,solomon ,his ,wisdom ,the ,queen of ,sheba ,solomon ,master of the ,demons ,the ,building of the ,temple ,the ,throne of ,solomon ,the ,hippodrome ,lessons in ,humility ,asmodeus ,solomon as ,beggar ,the ,court of ,solomon ,,vi4 ,,judah ,,and ,,israel ,the ,division of the ,kingdom ,jeroboam ,the ,two ,ahijabs ,asa ,jehoshaphat and ,ahab ,jezebel ,joram of ,israel ,,vii4 ,,elijah ,elijah before ,his ,translation ,after ,his ,translation ,censor and ,avenger ,intercourse with the ,sages ,god's ,justice ,vindicated ,elijah and the ,angel of ,death ,teacher of the ,kabbalah ,forerunner of the ,messiah ,,viii4 ,,elisha ,,and ,,jonah ,elisha the ,disciple of ,elijah ,the ,shunammite ,gehazi ,the ,flight of ,jonah ,jonah in the ,whale ,the ,repentance of ,nineveh ,,ix4 ,,the ,,later ,,kings ,,of ,,judah ,joash ,three ,great ,prophets ,the ,two ,kingdoms ,chastised ,hezekjah ,miracles ,wrought for ,hezekiah ,manasseh ,josiah and ,his ,successors ,x4 ,,the ,,exile ,zedekiah ,jeremiah ,nebuchadnezzar ,the ,capture of ,jerusalem ,the ,great ,lament ,jeremiah's ,journey to ,babylon ,transportation of the ,captives ,the ,sons of ,moses ,ebedmelech ,the ,temple ,vessels ,baruch ,the ,tombs of ,baruch and ,ezekie#a ,daniel ,the ,three ,men in the ,furnace ,ezekiel ,revives the ,dead ,nebuchadnezzar a ,beast ,hiram ,the ,false ,prophets ,daniel's ,piety ,,xi4 ,,the ,,return ,,of ,,the ,,captivity ,belshazzar's ,feast ,daniel under the ,persian ,kings ,the ,grave of ,daniel ,zerubbabel ,ezra ,the ,men of the ,great ,assembly ,,xii4 ,,esther ,the ,feast for the ,grandees ,the ,festivities in ,shushan ,vashti's ,banquet ,the ,fate of ,vashti ,the ,follies of ,ahasuerus ,mordecai ,esther's ,beauty and ,piety ,the ,conspiracy ,haman the ,jew-baiter ,mordecai's ,pride ,casting the ,lots ,the ,denunciation of the ,jews ,the ,decree of ,annihilation ,satan ,indicts the ,jews ,the ,dream of ,mordecai ,fulfilled ,the ,prayer of ,esther ,esther ,intercedes ,the ,disturbed ,night ,the ,fall of ,haman ,the ,edict of the ,king ,i4 ,,joshua ,,the ,,servant ,,of ,,moses ,the early history of the first ,jewish conqueror 7#a7 in some respects is like the early history of the first ,jewish legislator4 ,moses was rescued from a watery grave1 and raised at the court of ,egypt4 ,joshua1 in infancy1 was swallowed by a whale1 and 1 wonderful to relate1 did not perish4 ,at a distant point of the sea-coast the monster spewed him forth unharmed4 ,he was found by compassionate passers-by1 and grew up ignorant of his descent4 ,the government appointed him to the office of hangman4 ,as luck would have it1 he had to execute his own father4 ,by the law of the land the wife of the dead man fell to the share of his executioner1 and ,joshua was on the point of adding to parricide another crime equally heinous4 ,he was saved by a miraculous sign4 ,when he approached his mother1 milk flowed from her breasts4 ,his suspicions were aroused1 and through the inquiries he set a foot regarding his origin1 the truth was made manifest4 7#b7 ,later ,joshua1 who was so ignorant that he was called a fool1 became the minister of ,moses1 and ,god rewarded his faithful service by making him the successor to ,moses4 7#c7 ,he was designated as such to ,moses when1 at the bidding of his master1 he was carrying on war with the ,amalekites4 7#d7 ,in this campaign ,god's care of ,joshua was plainly seen4 ,joshua had condemned a portion of the ,amalekites to death by lot1 and the heavenly sword picked them out for extermination4 7#e7 ,yet there was as great a difference between ,moses and ,joshua as between the sun and the moon4 7#f7 ,god did not withdraw ,his help from ,joshua1 but ,he was by no means so close to him as to ,moses4 ,this appeared immediately after ,moses had passed away4 ,at the moment when the ,israelitish leader was setting out on his journey to the great beyond1 he summoned his successor and bade him put questions upon all points about which he felt uncertain4 ,conscious of his own industry and devotion1 ,joshua replied that he had no questions to ask1 seeing that he had carefully studied the teachings of ,moses4 ,straightway he forgot three hundred ,halakot1 and doubts assailed him concerning seven hundred others4 ,the people threatened ,joshua's life1 because he was not able to resolve their difficulties in the law4 ,it was vain to turn to ,god1 for the ,torah once revealed was subject to human1 not to heavenly1 authority4 7#g7 ,directly after ,moses' death1 ,god commanded ,joshua to go to war1 so that the people might forget its grievance against him4 7#h7 ,but it is false to think that the great conqueror was nothing more than a military hero4 ,when ,god appeared to him1 to give him instructions concerning the war1 ,he found him with the ,book of ,deuteronomy in his hand1 whereupon ,god called to him3 ,be strong and of good courage2 the book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth4 7#i7 ,,entering ,,the ,,promised ,,land ,the first step in preparation for war was the selection of spies4 ,to guard against a repetition of what had happened to ,moses1 ,joshua chose as his messengers ,caleb and ,phinehas1 on whom he could place dependence in all circumstances4 7#aj7 ,they were accompanied on their mission by two demons1 the husbands of the she-devils ,lilith and ,mahlah4 ,when ,joshua was planning his campaign1 these devils offered their services to him2 they proposed that they be sent out to reconnoitre the land4 ,joshua refused the offer1 but formed their appearance so frightfully that the residents of ,jericho were struck with fear of them4 7#aa7 ,in ,jericho the spies put up with ,rahab4 ,she had been leading an immoral life for forty years1 but at the approach of ,israel1 she paid homage to the true ,god1 lived the life of a pious convert1 and1 as the wife of ,joshua1 became the ancestress of eight prophets and of the prophetess ,huldah4 7#ab7 ,she had opportunity in her own house of beholding the wonders of ,god4 ,when the king's bailiffs came to make their investigations1 and ,rahab wanted to conceal the ,israelitish spies1 ,phinehas calmed her with the words3 ,i am a priest1 and priests are like angels1 visible when they wish to be seen1 invisible when they do not wish to be seen4 7#ac7 ,after the return of the spies1 ,joshua decided to pass over the ,jordan4 ,the crossing of the river was the occasion for wonders1 the purpose of which was to clothe him with authority in the eyes of the people4 ,scarcely had the priests1 who at this solemn moment took the place of the ,levites as bearers of the ,ark1 set foot in the ,jordan1 when the waters of the river were piled up to a height of three hundred miles4 ,all the peoples of the earth were witnesses of the wonder4 7#ad7 ,in the bed of the ,jordan ,joshua assembled the people around the ,ark4 ,a ,divine miracle caused the narrow space between its staves to contain the whole concourse4 ,joshua then proclaimed the conditions under which ,god would give ,palestine to the ,israelites1 and he added1 if these conditions were not accepted1 the waters of the ,jordan would descend straight upon them4 ,then they marched through the river4 ,when the people arrived on the further shore1 the holy ,ark1 which had all the while been standing in the bed of the river1 set forward of itself1 and1 dragging the priests after it1 overtook the people4 ,the day continued eventful4 ,unassailed1 the ,israelites marched seventy miles to ,mount ,gerizim and ,mount ,ebal1 and there performed the ceremony bidden by ,moses in ,deuteronomy3 six of the tribes ascended ,mount ,gerizim1 and six ,mount ,ebal4 ,the priests and the ,levites grouped themselves about the holy ,ark in the vale between the two peaks4 ,with their faces turned toward ,gerizim1 the ,levites uttered the words3 ,happy the man that maketh no idol1 an abomination unto the ,lord1 and all the people answered ,amen4 ,after reciting twelve blessings similar to this in form1 the ,levites turned to ,mount ,ebal1 and recited twelve curses1 counterparts of the blessings1 to each of which the people responded again with ,amen4 ,thereupon an altar was erected on ,mount ,ebal with the stones1 each weighing forty seim1 which the ,israelites had taken from the bed of the river while passing through the ,jordan4 ,the altar was plastered with lime1 and the ,torah written upon it in seventy languages1 so that the heathen nations might have the opportunity of learning the law4 ,at the end it was said explicitly that the heathen outside of ,palestine1 if they would but abandon the worship of idols1 would be received kindly by the ,jews4 ,all this happened on one day1 on the same day on which the ,jordan was crossed1 and the assembly was held on ,gerizim and ,ebal1 the day on which the people arrived at ,gilgal1 where they left the stones of which the altar had been built4 7#ae7 ,at ,gilgal ,joshua performed the rite of circumcision on those born in the desert1 who had remained uncircumcised on account of the rough climate and for other reasons4 7#af7 ,and here it was that the manna gave out4 ,it had ceased to fall at the death of ,moses1 but the supply that had been stored up had lasted some time longer4 7#ag7 ,as soon as the people were under the necessity of providing for their daily wants1 they grew negligent in the study of the ,torah4 ,therefore the angel admonished ,joshua to loose his shoes from off his feet1 for he was to mourn over the decline of the study of the ,torah1 7#ah7 and bare feet are a sign of mourning4 ,the angel reproached ,joshua in particular with having allowed the preparations for war to interfere with the study of the ,torah and with the ritual service4 ,neglect of the latter might be a venial sin1 but neglect of the former is worthy of condign punishment4 7#ai7 ,at the same time the angel assured ,joshua that he had come to aid him1 and he entreated ,joshua not to draw back from him1 like ,moses1 who had refused the good offices of the angel4 7#bj7 ,he who spoke to ,joshua was none other than the archangel ,michael4 7#ba7 ,,conquest ,,of ,,the ,,land ,joshua's first victory was the wonderful capture of ,jericho4 ,the whole of the city was declared anathema1 because it had been conquered on the ,sabbath day4 ,joshua reasoned that as the ,sabbath is holy1 so also that which conquered on the ,sabbath should be holy4 7#bb7 ,the brilliant victory was followed by the luckless defeat at ,ai4 ,in this engagement perished ,jair1 the son of ,manasseh1 whose loss was as great as if the majority of the ,sanhedrin had been destroyed4 7#bc7 ,presently ,joshua discovered that the cause of the defeat was the sinfulness of ,israel1 brought upon it by ,achan1 who had laid hands on some of the spoils of ,jericho4 ,achan was a hardened transgressor and criminal from of old4 ,during the life of ,moses he had several times appropriated to his own use things that had been declared anathema1 7#bd7 and he had committed other crimes worthy of the death penalty4 7#be7 ,before the ,israelites crossed the ,jordan1 ,god had not visited ,achan's sins upon the people as a whole1 because at that time it did not form a national unit yet4 ,but when ,achan abstracted an idol and all its appurtenances from ,jericho1 7#bf7 the misfortune of ,ai followed at once4 ,joshua inquired of ,god1 why trouble had befallen ,israel1 but ,god refused to reply4 ,he was no tale-bearer2 the evil-doer who had caused the disaster would have to be singled out by lot4 7#bg7 ,joshua first of all summoned the high priest from the assembly of the people4 ,it appeared that1 while the other jewels in his breastplate gleamed bright1 the stone representing the tribe of ,judah was dim4 7#bh7 ,by lot ,achan was set apart from the members of his tribe4 ,achan1 however1 refused to submit to the decision by lot4 ,he said to ,joshua3 ,among all living men thou and ,phinehas are the most pious4 ,yet1 if lots were cast concerning you two1 one or other of you would be declared guilty4 ,thy teacher ,moses has been dead scarcely one month1 and thou has already begun to go astray1 for thou hast forgotten that a man's guilt can be proved only through two witnesses4 ,endued with the holy spirit1 ,joshua divined that the land was to be assigned to the tribes and families of ,israel by lot1 and he realized that nothing ought to be done to bring this method of deciding into disrepute4 ,he1 therefore1 tried to persuade ,achan to make a clean breast of his transgression4 7#bi7 ,meantime1 the ,judeans1 the tribesmen of ,achan1 rallied about him1 and throwing themselves upon the other tribes1 they wrought fearful havoc and bloodshed4 ,this determined ,achan to confess his sins4 7#cj7 ,the confession cost him his life1 but it saved him from losing his share in the world to come4 7#ca7 ,in spite of the reverses at ,ai1 7#cb7 the terror inspired by the ,israelites grew among the ,canaanitish peoples4 ,the ,gibeonites planned to circumvent the invaders1 and form an alliance with them4 ,now1 before ,joshua set out on his campaign1 he had issued three proclamations3 the nation that would leave ,canaan might depart unhindered2 the nation that would conclude peace with the ,israelites1 should do it at once2 and the nation that would choose war1 should make its preparations4 ,if the ,gibeonites had sued for the friendship of the ,jews when the proclamation came to their ears1 there would have been no need for subterfuges later4 ,but the ,canaanites had to see with their own eyes what manner of enemy awaited them1 and all the nations prepared for war4 ,the result was that the thirty-one kings of ,palestine perished1 as well as the satraps of many foreign kings1 who were proud to own possessions in the ,holy ,land4 7#cc7 ,only the ,girgashites departed out of ,palestine1 and as a reward for their docility ,god gave them ,africa as an inheritance4 7#cd7 ,the ,gibeonites deserved no better fate than all the rest1 for the covenant made with them rested upon a misapprehension1 yet ,joshua kept his promise to them1 in order to sanctify the name of ,god1 by showing the world how sacred an oath is to the ,israelites4 7#ce7 ,in the course of events it became obvious that the ,gibeonites were by no means worthy of being received into the ,jewish communion1 and ,david1 following ,joshua's example1 excluded them forever1 a sentence that will remain in force even in the ,messianic time4 7#cf7 ,,the ,,sun ,,obeys ,,joshua ,the task of protecting the ,gibeonites involved in the offensive and defensive alliance made with them1 ,joshua fulfilled scrupulously4 ,he had hesitated for a moment whether to aid the ,gibeonites in their distress1 but the words of ,god sufficed to recall him to his duty4 ,god said to him3 ,if thou dost not bring near them that are far off1 thou wilt remove them that are near by4 7#cg7 ,god granted ,joshua peculiar favor in his conflict with the assailants of the ,gibeonites4 ,the hot hailstones which1 at ,moses' intercession1 had remained suspended in the air when they were about to fall upon the ,egyptians1 were now cast down upon the ,canaanites4 7#ch7 ,then happened the great wonder of the sun's standing still1 the sixth 7#ci7 of the great wonders since the creation of the world4 ,the battle took place on a ,friday4 ,joshua knew it would pain the people deeply to be compelled to desecrate the holy ,sabbath day4 ,besides1 he noticed that the heathen were using sorcery to make the heavenly hosts intercede for them in the fight against the ,israelites4 ,he1 therefore1 pronounced the ,name of the ,lord1 and the sun1 moon and stars stood still4 7#dj7 ,the sun at first refused to obey ,joshua's behest1 seeing that he was older than man by two days4 ,joshua replied that there was no reason why a free-born youth should refrain from enjoining silence upon an old slave whom he owns1 and had not ,god given heaven and earth to our father ,abraham8 7#da7 ,nay1 more than this1 had not the sun himself bowed down like a slave before ,joseph8 ,but1 said the sun1 who will praise ,god if ,i am silent8 7#db7 ,whereupon ,joshua3 ,be thou silent1 and ,i will intone a song of praise4 7#dc7 ,and he sang thus3 #a4 ,thou hast done mighty things1 ,o ,lord1 ,thou has performed great deeds4 ,who is like unto ,thee8 ,my lips shall sing unto ,thy name4 #b4 ,my goodness and my fortress1 my refuge1 ,i will sing a new song unto ,thee1 with thanksgiving ,i will sing unto ,thee1 ,thou art the strength of my salvation4 #c4 ,all the kings of the earth shall praise ,thee1 the princes of the world shall sing unto ,thee1 the children of ,israel shall rejoice in ,thy salvation1 they shall sing and praise ,thy power4 #d4 ,in ,thee1 ,o ,god1 did we trust2 we said1 ,thou art our ,god1 for ,thou wast our shelter and our strong tower against our enemies4 #e4 ,to ,thee we cried1 and we were not ashamed2 in ,thee we trusted1 and we were delivered2 when we cried unto ,thee1 ,thou didst hear our voice1 ,thou didst deliver our souls from the sword4 #f4 ,thou hast shown unto us ,thy mercy1 ,thou didst give unto us ,thy salvation1 ,thou didst rejoice our hearts with ,thy strength4 #g4 ,thou wentest forth for our salvation2 with the strength of ,thy arm ,thou didst redeem ,thy people2 ,thou did console us from the heavens of ,thy holiness1 ,thou didst save us from tens of thousands4 #h4 ,sun and moon stood still in heaven1 and ,thou didst stand in ,thy wrath against our oppressors1 and ,thou didst execute ,thy judgements upon them4 #i4 ,all the princes of the earth stood up1 the kings of the nations had gathered themselves together1 they were not moved at ,thy presence1 they desired ,thy battles4 #aj4 ,thou didst rise against them in ,thine anger1 and ,thou didst bring down ,thy wrath upon them1 ,thou didst destroy them in ,thy fury1 and ,thou didst ruin them in ,thy rage4 #aa4 ,nations raged from fear of ,thee1 kingdoms tottered because of ,thy wrath1 ,thou didst wound kings in the day of ,thine anger4 #ab4 ,thou didst pour out ,thy fury upon them1 ,thy wrathful anger took hold of them1 ,thou didst turn their iniquity upon them1 and ,thou didst cut them off in their wickedness4 #ac4 ,they spread a trap1 they fell therein1 in the net they hid their foot was caught4 #ad4 ,thine hand found all ,thine enemies1 who said1 through their sword they possessed the land1 through their arm thy dwelt in the city4 #ae4 ,thou didst fill their faces with shame1 ,thou didst bring their horns down to the ground4 #af4 ,thou didst terrify them in ,thy wrath1 and thou didst destroy them from before ,thee4 #ag4 ,the earth quaked and trembled from the noise of ,thy thunder against them2 ,thou didst not withhold their souls from earth1 and ,thou didst bring down their lives to the grave4 #ah4 ,thou didst pursue them in ,thy storm1 ,thou didst consume them in the whirlwind1 ,thou didst turn their rain into hail1 they fell in floods1 so that they could not rise4 #ai4 ,their carcasses were like rubbish cast out in the middle of the streets4 #bj4 ,they were consumed1 and they perished before ,thee1 ,thou hast delivered ,thy people in ,thy might4 #ba4 ,therefore our hearts rejoice in ,thee1 our souls exult in ,thy salvation4 #bb4 ,our tongues shall relate ,thy might1 we will sing and praise ,thy wondrous works4 #bc4 ,for ,thou didst save us from our enemies1 ,thou didst deliver us from those who rose up against us1 ,thou didst destroy them from before us1 and depress them beneath our feet4 #bd4 ,thus shall all ,thine enemies perish1 ,o ,lord1 and the wicked shall be like chaff driven by the wind1 and ,thy beloved shall be like trees planted by the waters4 7#dd7 ,,war ,,with ,,the ,,armenians ,joshua's victorious course did not end with the conquest of the land4 ,his war with the ,armenians1 after ,palestine was subdued1 marked the climax of his heroic deeds4 ,among the thirty-one kings whom ,joshua had slain1 there was one whose son1 ,shobach by name1 was king of ,armenia4 ,with the purpose of waging war with ,joshua1 he united the forty-five kings of ,persia and ,media1 and they were joined by the renowned hero ,japheth4 ,the allied kings in a letter informed ,joshua of their design against him as follow3 ,the noble1 distinguished council of the kings of ,persia and ,media to ,joshua1 peace6 ,thou wolf of the desert1 we well know what thou didst to our kinsmen4 ,thou didst destroy our palaces2 without pity thou didst slay young and old2 our fathers thou didst mow down with the sword2 and their cities thou didst turn into desert4 ,know1 then1 that in the space of thirty days1 we shall come to thee1 we1 the forty-five kings1 each having sixty thousand warriors under him1 all them armed with bows and arrows1 girt about with swords1 all of us skilled in the ways of war1 and with us the hero ,japheth4 ,prepare now for the combat1 and say not afterward that we took thee at unawares4 ,the messenger bearing the letter arrived on the day before the ,feast of ,weeks4 ,although ,joshua was greatly wrought up by the contents of the letter1 he kept his counsel until after the feast1 in order not to disturb the rejoicing of the people4 ,then1 at the conclusion of the feast1 he told the people of the message that had reached him1 so terrifying that even he1 the veteran warrior1 trembled at the heralded approach of the enemy4 ,nevertheless ,joshua determined to accept the challenge4 ,from the first words his reply was framed to show the heathen how little their fear possessed him whose trust was set in ,god4 ,the introduction to his epistle reads as follows3 ,in the ,name of the ,lord1 the ,god of ,israel1 who saps the strength of the iniquitous warrior1 and slays the rebellious sinner4 ,he breaks up the assemblies of marauding transgressors1 and ,he gathers together in council the pious and the just scattered abroad1 ,he the ,god of all gods1 the ,lord of all lords1 the ,god of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob4 ,god is the ,lord of war6 ,from me1 ,joshua1 the servant of ,god1 and from the holy and chosen congregation to the impious nations1 who pay worship to images1 and prostrate themselves before idols3 ,no peace unto you1 saith my ,god6 ,know that ye acted foolishly to awaken the slumbering lion1 to rouse up the lion's whelp1 to excite his wrath4 ,i am ready to pay you your recompense4 ,be ye prepared to meet me1 for within a week ,i shall be with you to slay your warriors to a man4 ,joshua goes on to recite all the wonders ,god had done for ,israel1 who need fear no power on earth2 and he ends his missive with the words3 ,if the hero ,japheth is with you1 we have in the midst of us the ,hero of heroes1 the ,highest above all the high4 ,the heathen were not a little alarmed at the tone of ,joshua's letter4 ,their terror grew when the messenger told of the exemplary discipline maintained in the ,isrealitish army1 of the gigantic stature of ,joshua1 who stood five ells high1 of his royal apparel1 of his crown graven with the ,name of ,god4 ,at the end of seven days ,joshua appeared with twelve thousand troops4 ,when the mother of ,king ,shobach1 who was a powerful witch1 espied the host1 she exercised her magic art1 and enclosed the ,isrealitish army in seven walls4 ,joshua thereupon sent forth a carrier pigeon to communicate his plight to ,nabiah1 the king of the trans-,jordanic tribes4 ,he urged him to hasten to his help and bring the priest ,phinehas and the sacred trumpets with him4 ,nabiah did not tarry4 ,before the relief detachment arrived1 his mother reported to ,shobach that she beheld a star arise out of the ,east against which her machinations were vain4 ,shobach threw his mother from the wall1 and he himself was soon afterward killed by ,nabiah4 ,meantime ,phinehas arrived1 and1 at the sound of his trumpets1 the wall toppled down4 ,a pitched battle ensued1 and the heathen were annihilated4 7#de7 ,,allotment ,,of ,,the ,,land ,at the end of seven years of warfare1 7#df7 ,joshua could at last venture to parcel out the conquered land among the tribes4 ,this was the way he did it4 ,the high priest ,eleazar1 attended by ,joshua and all the people1 and arrayed in the ,urim and ,thummim1 stood before two urns4 ,one of the urns contained the names of the tribes1 the other the names of the districts into which the land was divided4 ,the holy spirit caused him to exclaims ,zebulon4 ,when he put his hand into the first urn1 lo1 he drew forth the word ,zebulon1 and from the other came the word ,accho1 meaning the district of ,accho4 ,thus it happened with each tribe in succession4 7#dg7 ,in order that the boundaries might remain fixed1 ,joshua had had the ,hazubah 7#dh7 planted between the districts4 ,the rootstock of this plant once established in a spot1 it can be extirpated only with the greatest difficulty4 ,the plough may draw deep furrows over it1 yet it puts forth new shoots1 and grows up again amid the grain1 still marking the old division lines4 7#di7 ,in connection with the allotment of the land ,joshua issued ten ordinances intended1 in a measure1 to restrict the rights in private property3 ,pasturage in the woods was to be free to the public at large4 ,any one was permitted to gather up bits of wood in the field4 ,the same permission to gather up all grasses1 wherever they might grow1 unless they were in a field that had been sown with fenugreek1 which needs grass for protection4 ,for grafting purposes twigs could be cut from any plant except the olive-trees4 ,water springs belonged to the whole town4 ,it was lawful for any one to catch fish in the ,sea of ,tiberias1 provided navigation was not impeded4 ,the area adjacent to the outer side of a fence about a field might be used by any passer-by to ease nature4 ,from the close of the harvest until the seventeenth day of ,marheshwan fields could be crossed4 ,a traveler who lost his way among vineyards could not be held responsible for the damage done in the effort to recover the right path4 ,a dead body found in a field was to be buried on the spot where it was found4 7#ej7 ,the allotment of the land to the tribes and subdividing each district among the tribesmen took as much time as the conquest of the land4 7#ea7 ,when the two tribes and a half from the land beyond ,jordan returned home after an absence of fourteen years1 they were not a little astonished to hear that the boys who had been too young to go to the wars with them had in the meantime shown themselves worthy of the fathers4 ,they had been successful in repulsing the ,ishmaelitish tribes who had taken advantage of the absence of the men capable of bearing arms to assault their wives and children4 7#eb7 ,after a leadership of twenty-eight years 7#ec71 marked with success 7#ed7 in war and in peace1 ,joshua departed this life4 ,his followers laid the knives he had used in circumcising the ,israelites 7#ee7 into his grave1 and over it they erected a pillar as a memorial of the great wonder of the sun's standing still over ,ajalon4 7#ef7 ,however1 the mourning for ,joshua was not so great as might justly have been expected4 ,the cultivation of the recently conquered land so occupied the attention of the tribes that they came nigh forgetting the man to whom chiefly they owed their possession of it4 ,as a punishment for their ingratitude1 ,god1 soon after ,joshua's death1 brought also the life of the high priest ,eleazar and of the other elders to a close1 and the mount on which ,joshua's body was interred began to tremble1 and threatened to engulf the ,jews4 7#eg7 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,judges ,,the ,,first ,,judge ,after the death of ,joshua the ,israelites inquired to ,god whether they were to go up against the ,canaanites in war4 ,they were given the answer3 ,if ye are pure of heart1 go forth unto the combat2 but if your hearts are sullied with sin1 then refrain4 ,they inquired furthermore how to test the heart of the people4 ,god ordered them to cast lots and set apart those designated by lot1 for they would be the sinful among them4 ,again1 when the people besought ,god to give it a guide and leader1 an angel answered3 ,cast lots in the tribe of ,caleb4 ,the lot designated ,kenaz1 and he was made prince over ,israel4 7#a7 ,his first act was to determine by lot who were the sinners in ,israel1 and what their inward thought4 ,he declared before the people3 ,if ,i and my house be set apart by lot1 deal with us as we deserve1 burn us with fire4 ,the people assenting1 lots were cast1 and #cde of the tribe of ,judah were singled out1 #efj of ,reuben1 #gge of ,simon1 #aej of ,levi1 #ffe of ,issachar1 #ede of ,zebulon1 #chj of ,gad1 and #ffe of ,asher1 #dhj of ,manasseh1 #ddh of ,ephraim1 and #bfg of ,benhamin4 7#b7 ,so #faaj 7#c7 persons were confined in prison1 until ,god should let it be know what was to be done with them4 ,the united prayers of ,kenaz1 ,eleazar the high priest1 and the elders of the congregation1 were answered thus3 ,ask these men now to confess their iniquity1 and they shall be burnt with fire4 ,kenaz thereupon exhorted them3 ,ye know that ,achan1 the son of ,zabdi1 committed the trespass of taking the anathema1 but the lot fell upon him1 and he confessed his sin4 ,do ye likewise confess your sins1 that ye may come to life with those whom ,god will revive on the day of the resurrection4 7#d7 ,one of the sinful1 a man by the name of ,elah1 7#e7 said in reply thereto3 ,if thou desirest to bring forth the truth1 address thyself to each of the tribes separately4 7#f7 ,kenaz began with his own1 the tribe of ,judah4 ,the wicked of ,judah confessed to the sin of worshipping the golden calf1 like unto their forefathers in the desert4 ,the ,reubenites had burnt sacrifices to idols4 ,the ,levites said3 ,we desired to prove whether the ,tabernacle is holy4 ,those of the tribe of ,issachar replied3 ,we consulted idols to know what will become of us4 7#g7 ,the sinners of ,zebulon3 ,we desired to eat the flesh of our sons and daughters1 to know whether the ,lord loves them4 ,the ,danites admitted1 they had taught their children out of the books of the ,amorites1 which they had hidden then under ,mount ,abarim1 7#h7 where ,kenaz actually found them4 ,the ,naphtalites confessed to the same transgression1 only they had concealed the books in the tent of ,elah1 and there they were found by ,kenaz4 ,the ,gadites acknowledged having led an immoral life1 and the sinners of ,asher1 that they had found1 and had hidden under ,mount ,shechem1 the seven golden idols called by the ,amorites the holy nymphs the same seven idols which had been made in a miraculous way after the deluge by the seven sinners1 ,canaan1 ,put1 ,shelah1 ,nimrod1 ,elath1 ,diul1 and ,shuah4 7#i7 ,they were of precious stones from ,havilah1 which radiated light1 making night bright as day4 ,besides1 they possessed a rare virtue3 if a blind ,amorite kissed one of the idols1 and at the same time touched its eyes1 his sight was restored4 7#aj7 ,after the sinners of ,asher1 those of ,manasseh made their confession they had desecrated the ,sabbath4 ,the ,ephraimites owned to having sacrificed their children to ,moloch4 ,finally1 the ,benjamites said3 ,we desired to prove whether the law emanated from ,god or from ,moses4 ,at the command of ,god these sinners and all their possessions were burnt with fire at the brook of ,pishon4 ,only the ,amorite books and the idols of precious stones remained unscathed4 ,neither fire nor water could do them harm4 ,kenaz decided to consecrate the idols to ,god1 but a revelation came to him1 saying3 ,if ,god were to accept what has been declared anathema1 why should not man8 ,he was assured that ,god would destroy the things over which human hands had no power4 ,kenaz1 acting under ,divine instruction1 bore them to the summit of a mountain1 where an altar was erected4 ,the books and the idols were placed upon it1 and the people offered many sacrifices and celebrated the whole day as a festival4 ,during the night following1 ,kenaz saw dew rise from the ice in ,paradise and descend upon the books4 ,the letters of their writing were obliterated by it1 and then an angel came and annihilated what was left4 7#aa7 ,during the same night an angel carried off the seven gems1 and threw them to the bottom of the sea4 ,meanwhile a second angel brought twelve other gems1 engraving the names of the twelve sons of ,jacob upon them1 one name upon each4 ,no two of these gems were alike3 7#ab7 the first1 to bear the name of ,reuben1 was like sardius2 the second1 for ,simon1 like topaz2 the third1 ,levi1 like emerald2 the fourth1 ,judah1 like carbuncle2 the fifth1 ,issachar1 like sapphire2 the sixth1 ,zebulon1 like jasper2 the seventh1 ,dan1 like ligure2 the eighth1 ,naphtali1 like amethyst2 the ninth1 ,gad1 like agate2 the tenth1 ,asher1 like chrysolite2 the eleventh1 ,joseph1 like beryl2 and the twelfth1 ,benjamin1 like onyx4 ,now ,god commanded ,kenaz to deposit twelve stones in the holy ,ark1 and there they were to remain until such time as ,solomon should build the ,temple1 and attach them to the ,cherubim4 7#ac7 ,furthermore1 this ,divine communication was made to ,kenaz3 ,and it shall come to pass1 when the sin of the children of men shall have been completed by defiling ,my ,temple1 the ,temple they themselves shall build1 that ,i will take these stones1 together with the tables of the law1 and put them in the place whence they were removed of old1 and there they shall remain until the end of all time1 when ,i will visit the inhabitants of the earth4 ,then ,i will take them up1 and they shall be an everlasting light to those who love me and keep my commandments4 7#ad7 ,when ,kenaz bore the stones to the sanctuary1 they illumined the earth like unto the sun at midday4 ,,campaigns ,,of ,,kenaz ,after these preparations ,kenaz took the field against the enemy1 with three hundred thousand men4 7#ae7 ,the first day he slew eight thousand of the foe1 and the second day five thousand4 ,but not all the people were devoted to ,kenaz4 ,some murmured against him1 and calumniating him1 said3 ,kenaz stays at home1 while we expose ourselves on the field4 ,the servants of ,kenaz reported these words to him4 ,he ordered the thirty-seven 7#af7 men who had railed against him to be incarcerated1 and he swore to kill them1 if ,god would but grant him assistance for the sake of ,his people4 ,thereupon he assembled three hundred men of his attendants1 supplied them with horses1 and bade them be prepared to make a sudden attack during the night1 but to tell none of the plans he harbored in his mind4 ,the scouts sent ahead to reconnoitre reported that the ,amorites were too powerful for him to risk an engagement4 ,kenaz1 however1 refused to be turned away from his intention4 ,at midnight he and his three hundred trusty attendants advanced upon the ,amorite camp4 ,close upon it1 he commanded his men to halt1 but to resume their march and follow him when they should hear the notes of the trumpet4 ,if the trumpet was not sounded1 they were to return home4 ,alone ,kenaz ventured into the very camp of the enemy4 ,praying to ,god fervently1 he asked that a sign be given him3 ,let this be the sign of the salvation ,thou wilt accomplish for me this day3 ,i shall draw my sword from its sheath1 and brandish it so that it glitters in the camp of the ,amorites4 ,if the enemy recognize it as the sword of ,kenaz1 then ,i shall know ,thou wilt deliver them into my hand2 if not1 ,i shall understand ,thou hast not granted my prayer1 but dost purpose to deliver me into the hand of the enemy for my sins4 ,he heard the ,amorites say3 ,let us proceed to give battle to the ,israelites1 for our sacred gods1 the nymphs1 are in their hands1 and will cause their defeat4 ,when he heard these words1 the spirit of ,god came over ,kenaz4 ,he arose and swung his sword above his head4 ,scarce had the ,amorites seen it gleam in the air when they exclaimed3 ,verily1 this is the sword of ,kenaz1 who has come to inflict wounds and pain4 ,but we know that our gods1 who are held by the ,israelites1 will deliver them into our hands4 ,up1 then1 to battle6 ,knowing that ,god had heard his petition1 ,kenaz threw himself upon the ,amorites1 and mowed down forty-five thousand of them1 and as many perished at the hands of their own brethren1 for ,god had sent the angel ,gabriel 7#ag7 to his aid1 and he had struck the ,amorites blind1 so that they fell upon one another4 ,on account of the vigorous blows dealt by ,kenaz on all sides1 his sword stuck to his hand4 ,a fleeing ,amorite1 whom he stopped1 to ask him how to loose it1 advised him to slay a ,hebrew1 and let his warm blood flow over his hand4 ,kenaz accepted his advice1 but only in part3 instead of a ,hebrew1 he slew the ,amorite himself1 and his blood freed his hand from the sword4 7#ah7 ,when ,kenaz came back to his men1 he found them sunk in profound sleep1 which had overtaken them that they might not see the wonders done for their leader4 ,they were not a little astonished1 on awakening1 to behold the whole plain strewn with the dead bodies of the ,amorites4 ,then ,kenaz said to them3 ,are the ways of ,god like unto the ways of man8 ,through me the ,lord hath sent deliverance to this people4 ,arise now and go back to your tents4 ,the people recognized that a great miracle had happened1 and they said3 ,now we know that ,god hath wrought salvation for ,his people2 ,he hath no need of numbers1 but only of holiness4 ,on his return from the campaign1 ,kenaz was received with great rejoicing4 ,the whole people now gave thanks to ,god for having put him over them as their leader4 ,they desired to know how he had won the great victory4 ,kenaz only answered3 ,ask those who were with me about my deeds4 ,his men were thus forced to confess that they knew nothing1 only1 on awakening1 they had seen the plain full of dead bodies1 without being able to account for their being there4 ,then ,kenaz turned to the thirty-seven men imprisoned1 before he left for the war1 for having cast aspersions upon him4 ,well1 he said1 what charge have you to make against me8 ,seeing that death was inevitable1 they confessed they were of the sort of sinners whom ,kenaz and the people had executed1 and ,god had now surrendered them to him on account of their misdeeds4 ,they1 too1 were burnt with fire4 ,kenaz reigned for a period of fifty-seven years4 ,when he felt his end draw nigh1 he summoned the two prophets1 ,phinehas and ,jabez1 7#ai7 together with the priest ,phinehas1 the son of ,eleazar4 ,to these he spake3 ,i know the heart of this people1 it will turn from following after the ,lord4 ,therefore do ,i testify against it4 ,phinehas1 the son of ,eleazar1 replied3 ,as ,moses and ,joshua testified1 so do ,i testify against it2 for ,moses and ,joshua prophesied concerning the vineyard1 the beautiful planting of the ,lord1 which knew not who had planted it1 and did not recognize ,him who cultivated it1 so that the vineyard was destroyed1 and brought forth no fruit4 ,these are the words my father commanded me to say unto this people4 ,kenaz broke out into loud wailing1 and with him the elders and the people1 and they wept until eventide1 saying3 ,is it for the iniquity of the sheep that the shepherd must perish8 ,may the ,lord have compassion upon ,his inheritance that it may not work in vain4 ,the spirit of ,god descended upon ,kenaz1 and he beheld a vision4 ,he prophesied that this world would continue to exist only seven thousand years1 to be followed then by the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,these words spoken1 the prophetical spirit departed from him1 and he straightway forgot what he had uttered during his vision4 ,before he passed away1 he spoke once more1 saying3 ,if such be the rest which the righteous obtain after their death1 it were better for them to die than live in this corrupt world and see its iniquities4 7#bj7 ,as ,kenaz left no male heirs1 ,zebul was appointed his successor4 ,mindful of the great service ,kenaz had performed for the nation1 ,zebul acted a father's part toward the three unmarried daughters of his predecessor4 ,at his instance1 the people assigned a rich marriage portion to each of them2 they were given great domains as their property4 ,the oldest of the three1 ,ethema by name1 he married to ,elizaphan2 the second1 ,pheila1 to ,odihel2 and the youngest1 ,zilpah1 to ,doel4 ,zebul1 the judge1 instituted a treasury at ,shiloh4 ,he bade the people bring contributions1 whether of gold or of silver4 ,they were only to take heed not to carry anything thither that had originally belonged to an idol4 ,his efforts were crowned with success4 ,the free-will offerings to the temple treasure amounted to twenty talents of gold and two hundred and fifty talents of silver4 ,zebul's reign lasted twenty-five years4 ,before his death he admonished the people solemnly to be ,god-fearing and observant of the law4 7#ba7 ,,othniel ,othniel was a judge of a very different type4 ,his contemporaries said1 that before the sun of ,joshua went down1 the sun of ,othniel1 his successor in the leadership of the people 1 appeared on the horizon4 ,the new leader's real name was ,judah2 ,othniel was one of his epithets1 as ,jabez was another4 7#bb7 ,among the judges1 ,othniel represents the class of scholars4 ,his acumen was so great that he was able1 by dint of dialect reasoning1 to restore the seventeen hundred traditions 7#bc7 which ,moses had taught the people1 and which had been forgotten in the time of mourning for ,moses4 ,nor was his zeal for the promotion of the study of the ,torah inferior to his learning4 ,the descendants of ,jethro left ,jericho1 the district assigned to them1 and journeyed to ,arad1 only that thy might sit at the feed to ,othniel4 7#bd7 ,his wife1 the daughter of his half-brother ,caleb1 was not so well pleased with him4 ,she complained to her father that her husband's house was bare of all earthly goods1 and his only possession was knowledge of the ,torah4 7#be7 ,the first event to be noted in ,othniel's forty years' reign 7#bf7 is his victory over ,adoni-bezek4 ,this chief did not occupy a prominent position among the ,canaanitish rulers4 ,he was not even accounted a king1 nevertheless he had conquered seventy foreign kings4 7#bg7 ,the next event was the capture of ,luz by the ,israelites4 ,the only way to gain entrance into ,luz was by a cave1 and the road to the cave lay through a hollow almond tree4 ,if the secret approach to the city had not been betrayed by one of its residents1 it would have been impossible for the ,israelites to reach it4 ,god rewarded the informer who put the ,israelites in the way of capturing ,luz4 ,the city he founded was left unmolested both by ,sennacherib and ,nebuchadnezzar1 and not event the ,angel of ,death has power over its inhabitants4 ,they never die1 unless1 weary of life1 they leave the city4 7#bh7 ,the same good fortune did not mark ,othniel's reign throughout4 ,for eight years ,israel suffered oppression at the hands of ,cushan1 the evil-doer who in former days had threatened to destroy the patriarch ,jacob1 as he was now endeavoring to destroy the descendants of ,jacob1 for ,cushan is only another name for ,laban4 7#bi7 ,othniel1 however1 was held so little answerable for the causes that had brought on the punishment of the people1 that ,god granted him eternal life2 he is one of the few who reached ,paradise alive4 7#cj7 ,,boaz ,,and ,,ruth ,the story of ,ruth came to pass a hundred 7#ca7 years after ,othniel's reign4 ,conditions in ,palestine were of such a nature that if a judge said to a man1 ,remove the mote from thine eye1 his reply was1 ,do thou remove the beam from thine own4 7#cb7 ,to chastise the ,israelites ,god sent down them one of the ten seasons of famine which ,he had ordained1 as disciplinary measures for mankind1 from the creation of the world until the advent of ,messiah4 7#cc7 ,elimelech 7#cd7 and his sons1 7#ce7 who belonged to the aristocracy of the land1 attempted neither to improve 7#cf7 the sinful generation whose transgressions had called forth the famine1 nor alleviated the distress that prevailed about them4 ,they left ,palestine1 and thus withdrew themselves from the needy who had counted upon their help4 ,they turned their faced to ,moab4 7#cg7 ,there1 on account of their wealth and high descent1 they were made officers in the army4 7#ch7 ,mahlon and ,chilion1 the sons of ,elimelech1 rose to still higher distinction1 they married the daughters of the ,moabite king ,eglon 7#ci7 ,but this did not happen until after the death of ,elimelech1 who was opposed to intermarriage with the heathen4 7#dj7 ,neither the wealth nor the family connections of the two men helped them before ,god4 ,first they sank into poverty1 and1 as they continued in their sinful ways1 ,god took their life4 7#da7 ,naomi1 their mother1 resolved to return to her home4 ,her two daughters-in-law were very dear to her on account of the love they had borne her sons1 a love strong even in death1 for they refused to marry again4 7#db7 ,yet she would not take them with her to ,palestine1 because she foresaw contemptuous treatment in store for them as ,moabitish women4 7#dc7 ,orpah was easily persuaded to remain behind4 ,she accompanied her mother-in-law a distance of four miles1 and then she took leave of her1 shedding only four tears as she bade her farewell4 ,subsequent events showed that she had not been worthy of entering into the ,jewish communion1 for scarcely had she separated from ,naomi when she abandoned herself to an immoral life4 ,but with ,god nothing goes unrewarded4 ,for the four miles which ,orpah travelled with ,naomi1 she was recompensed by bringing forth four giants1 ,goliath and his three brothers4 7#dd7 ,ruth's bearing and history were far different4 ,she was determined to become a ,jewess1 and her decision could not be shaken by what ,naomi1 in compliance with the ,jewish injunction1 told her of the difficulties of the ,jewish law4 ,naomi warned her that the ,israelites had been enjoined to keep ,sabbaths and feast days1 7#de7 and that the daughters of ,israel were not in the habit of frequenting the threatres and circuses of the heathen4 ,ruth only affirmed her readiness to follow ,jewish customs4 7#df7 ,and when ,naomi said3 ,we have one ,torah1 one law1 one command2 the ,eternal our ,god is one1 there is none beside ,him1 ,ruth answered3 ,thy people shall be my people1 thy ,god my ,god4 7#dg7 ,so the two women journeyed together to ,bethlehem4 ,they arrived there on the very day on which the wife of ,boaz was buried1 and the concourse assembled for the funeral saw ,naomi as she returned to her home4 7#dh7 ,ruth supported herself and her mother-in-law sparsely with the ears of grain which she gathered in the fields4 ,association with so pious a woman as ,naomi 7#di7 had already exercised great influence upon her life and ways4 ,boaz was astonished to notice that if the reapers let more than two ears fall1 in spite of her need she did not pick them up1 for the gleaning assigned to the poor by law does not refer to quantities of more than two ears inadvertently dropped at one time4 7#ej7 ,boaz also admired her grace1 her decorous conduct1 her modest demeanor4 7#ea7 ,when he learned who she was1 he commended her for her attachment to ,judaism4 ,to his praise she returned3 ,thy ancestors found no delight even in ,timna1 7#eb7 the daughter of a royal house4 ,as for me1 ,i am a member of a low people1 abominated by thy ,god1 and excluded from the assembly of ,israel4 ,for the moment ,boaz failed to recollect the ,halakah bearing on the ,moabites and ,ammonites4 ,a voice from heaven reminded him that only their males were affected by the command of exclusion4 7#ec7 ,this he told to ,ruth1 and he also told her of a vision he had had concerning her descendants4 ,for the sake of the good she had done to her mother-in-law1 kings and prophets would spring from her womb4 7#ed7 ,boaz showed kindness not only to ,ruth and ,naomi1 but also to their dead4 ,he took upon himself the decent burial of the remains of ,elimelech and his two sons4 7#ee7 ,all this begot in ,naomi the thought that ,boaz harbored the intention of marrying ,ruth4 ,she sought to coax the secret1 if such there was1 from ,ruth4 7#ef7 ,when she found that nothing could be elicited from her daughter-in-law1 she made ,ruth her partner in a plan to force ,boaz into a decisive step4 ,ruth adhered to ,naomi's directions in every particular1 except that she did not wash and anoint herself and put on fine raiment1 until after she had reached her destination4 ,she feared to attract the attention of the lustful1 if she walked along the road decked out in unusual finery4 7#eg7 ,the moral conditions in those days were very reprehensible4 ,though ,boaz was high-born and a man of substance1 yet he slept on the threshing-floor1 so that his presence might act as a check upon profligacy4 ,in the midst of his sleep1 ,boaz was startled to find some one next to him4 ,at first he thought it was a demon4 ,ruth calmed his disquietude 7#eh7 with these words3 ,thou art the head of the court1 thy ancestors were princes1 thou art thyself an honorable man1 and a kinsman of my dead husband4 ,as for me1 who am in the flower of my years1 since ,i left the home of my parents where homage is rendered unto idols1 ,i have been constantly menaced by the dissolute young men around4 7#ei7 ,so ,i have come hither that thou1 who art the redeemer1 mayest spread out thy skirt over me4 7#fj7 ,boaz gave her the assurance that if his older brother ,tob 7#fa7 failed her1 he would assume the duties of a redeemer4 ,the next day he came before the tribunal of the ,sanhedrin 7#fb7 to have the matter adjusted4 ,tob soon made his appearance1 for an angel led him to the place where he was wanted1 7#fc7 that ,boaz and ,ruth might not have long to wait4 ,tob1 who was not learned in the ,torah1 did not know that the prohibition against the ,moabites had reference only to males4 ,therefore1 he declined to marry ,ruth4 7#fd7 ,so she was taken to wife 7#fe7 by the octogenarian 7#ff7 ,boaz4 ,ruth herself was forty years old 7#fg7 at the time of her second marriage1 and it was against all expectations that her union with ,boaz should be blessed with offspring1 a son ,obed the pious4 7#fh7 ,ruth lived to see the glory of ,solomon1 but ,boaz died on the day after the wedding4 7#fi7 ,,deborah ,not long after ,ruth1 another ideal woman arose in ,israel1 the prophetess ,deborah4 ,when ,ehud died1 there was none to take his place as judge1 and the people fell off from ,god and ,his law4 ,god1 therefore1 sent an angel to them with the following message3 ,out of all the nations on earth1 ,i chose a people for ,myself1 and ,i thought1 so long as the world stands1 ,my glory will rest upon them4 ,i sent ,moses unto them1 ,my servant1 to teach them goodness and righteousness4 ,but they strayed from ,my ways4 ,and now ,i will arouse their enemies against them1 to rule over them1 and they will cry out3 ',because we forsook the ways of our fathers1 hath this come over us4' ,then ,i will send a woman unto them1 and she will shine for them as a light for forty years4 7#gj7 ,the enemy whom ,god raised up against ,israel was ,jabin1 7#ga7 the king of ,hazor1 who oppressed him sorely4 ,but worse than the king himself was his general ,sisera1 one of the greatest heroes know to history4 ,when he was thirty years old1 he had conquered the whole world4 ,at the sound of his voice the strongest of walls fell in a heap1 and the wild animals in the woods were chained to the spot by fear4 ,the proportions of his body were vast beyond description4 ,if he took a bath in the river1 and dived beneath the surface1 enough fish were caught in his beard to feed a multitude1 and it required no less than nine hundred horses to draw the chariot in which he rode4 7#gb7 ,to rid ,israel of this tyrant1 ,god appointed ,deborah and her husband ,barak4 ,barak was an ignoramus1 like most of his contemporaries4 ,it was a time singularly deficient to scholars4 7#gc7 ,in order to do something meritorious in connection with the ,divine service1 he carried candles1 at his wife's instance1 to the sanctuary1 wherefrom he was called ,lipidoth1 ,flames4 ,deborah was in the habit of making the wicks on the candles very thick1 so that they might burn a long time4 ,therefore ,god distinguished her4 ,he said3 ,thou takest pains to shed light in ,my house1 and ,i will let thy light1 thy flame1 shine abroad in the whole land4 ,thus it happened that ,deborah became a prophetess and a judge4 ,she dispensed judgement in the open air1 for it was not becoming that men should visit a woman in her house4 7#gd7 ,prophetess though she was1 she was yet subject to the frailties of her sex4 ,her self-consciousness was inordinate4 ,she sent for ,barak 7#ge7 to come to her instead of going to him1 7#gf7 and in her song she spoke more of herself than was seemly4 ,the result was that the prophetical spirit departed from her for a time while she was composing her song4 7#gg7 ,the salvation of ,israel was effected only after the people1 assembled on the ,mount of ,judah1 had confessed their sins publicly before ,god and besought ,his help4 ,a seven days' fast was proclaimed for men and women1 for young and old4 ,then ,god resolved to help the ,israelites1 not for their sakes1 but for the sake of keeping the oath he had sworn to their forefathers1 never to abandon their seed4 ,therefore ,he sent ,deborah unto them4 7#gh7 ,the task allotted to ,deborah and ,barak1 to lead the attack upon ,sisera1 was by no means slight4 ,it is comparable with nothing less than ,joshua's undertaking to conquer ,canaan4 ,joshua had triumphed over only thirty-one of the sixty-two kings of ,palestine1 leaving at large as many as he had subdued4 ,under the leadership of ,sisera these thirty-one unconquered kings opposed ,israel4 7#gi7 ,no less than forty thousand armies1 each counting a hundred thousand warriors1 were arrayed against ,deborah and ,barak4 7#hj7 ,god aided ,israel with water and fire4 ,the river ,kishon and all the fiery hosts of heaven 7#ha7 except the star ,meros 7#hb7 fought against ,sisera4 ,the ,kishon had long before been pledged to play its part in ,sisera's overthrow4 ,when the ,egyptians were drowned in the ,red ,sea1 ,god commanded the ,angel of the ,sea to cast their corpses on the land1 that the ,israelites might convince themselves of the destruction of their foes1 and those of little faith might not say afterward that the ,egyptians like the ,israelites had reached dry land4 ,the ,angel of the ,sea complained of the impropriety of withdrawing a gift4 ,god mollified him with the promise of future compensation4 ,the ,kishon was offered as security that he would received half as many bodies again as he was now giving up4 ,when ,sisera's troops sought relief from the scorching fire of the heavenly bodies in the coolness of the waters of the ,kishon1 ,god commanded the river to redeem its pledge4 ,and so the heathen were swept down into the ,sea by the waves of the river ,kishon1 whereat the fishes in the ,sea exclaimed3 ,and the truth of the ,lord endureth forever4 7#hc7 ,sisera's lot was no better than the lot of the men4 ,he fled from the battle on horseback 7#hd7 after witnessing the annihilation of his vast army4 ,when ,jael saw him approach1 she went to meet him arrayed in rich garments and jewels4 ,she was unusually beautiful1 and her voice was the most seductive ever a woman possessed4 7#he7 ,these are the words she addressed to him3 ,enter and refresh thyself with food1 and sleep until evening1 and then ,i will send my attendants with thee to accompany thee1 for ,i know thou wilt not forget me1 and thy recompense will not fail4 ,when ,sisera1 on stepping into her tent1 saw the bed strewn with roses which ,jael had prepared for him1 he resolved to take her home to his mother as his wife1 as soon as his safety should be assured4 ,he asked her for milk to drink1 saying3 ,my soul burns with the flame which ,i saw in the stars contending for ,israel4 ,jael went forth to milk her goat1 meantime supplicating ,god to grant her ,his help3 ,i pray to ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 to strengthen ,thy maid-servant against the enemy4 ,by this token shall ,i know that ,thou wilt aid me if1 when ,i enter the house1 ,sisera will awaken and ask for water to drink4 ,scarcely had ,jael crossed the threshold when ,sisera awakened and begged for water to quench his burning thirst4 ,jael gave him wine mixed with water1 which caused him to drop into a sound sleep again4 ,the woman then took a wooden spike in her left hand1 approached the sleeping warrior1 and said3 ,this shall be the sign that ,thou wilt deliver him into my hand if ,i draw him from the bed down on the ground without awaking him4 ,she tugged at ,sisera1 and in very truth he did not awaken even when he dropped from the bed to the floor4 ,then ,jael prayed3 ,o ,god1 strengthen the arm of ,thy maid-servant this day1 for ,thy sake1 for the sake of ,thy people1 and for the sake of those that hope in ,thee4 ,with a hammer she drove the spike into the temple of ,sisera1 who cried out as he was expiring3 ,o that ,i should lose my life by the hand of a woman6 ,jael's mocking retort was3 ,descend to hell and join thy fathers1 and tell them that thou didst fall by the hand of a woman4 7#hf7 ,barak took charge of the body of the dead warrior1 and he sent it to ,sisera's mother1 ,themac1 7#hg7 with the message3 ,here is thy son1 whom thou didst expect to see returning laden with booty4 ,he had in mind the vision of ,themac and her women-in-waiting4 ,when ,sisera went forth to battle1 their conjuring tricks had shown him to them as he lay on the bed of a ,jewish woman4 ,this they had interpreted to mean that he would return with ,jewish captives4 ,one damsel1 two damsels for ever man4 7#hh7 they had said4 ,great1 therefore1 was the disappointment of ,sisera's mother4 ,no less than a hundred cries did she utter over him4 7#hi7 ,deborah and ,barak thereupon intoned a song of praise1 thanking ,god for the deliverance of ,israel out of the power of ,sisera1 and reviewing the history of the people since the time of ,abraham4 7#ij7 ,after laboring for the weal of her nation for forty years1 ,deborah departed this life4 ,her last words to the weeping people were an exhortation not to depend upon the dead4 ,they can do nothing for the living4 ,so long as a man is alive1 his prayers are efficacious for himself and for others4 ,they avail naught once he is dead4 ,the whole nation kept a seventy days' period of mourning in honor of ,deborah1 and the land was at peace for seven years4 7#ia7 ,,gideon ,elated by the victory over ,sisera1 ,israel sang a hymn of praise1 the song of ,deborah1 and ,god1 to reward them for their pious sentiments1 pardoned the transgression of the people4 7#ib7 ,but they soon slipped back into the old ways1 and the old troubles harassed them4 ,their backsliding was due to the witchcraft of a ,midianite priest named ,aud4 ,he made the sun shine at midnight1 and so convinced the ,israelites that the idols of ,midian were mightier than ,god1 and ,god chastised them by delivering them into the hands of the ,midianties4 7#ic7 ,they worshipped their own images reflected in the water1 7#id7 and they were stricken with dire poverty4 ,they could not bring so much as a meal offering1 the offering of the poor4 7#ie7 ,on the eve of one ,passover1 ,gideon uttered the complaint3 ,where are all the wondrous works which ,god did for our fathers in this night1 when he slew the first-born of the ,egyptians1 and ,israel went forth from slavery with joyous hearts8 ,god appeared unto him1 and said3 ,thou who art courageous enough to champion ,israel1 thou art worthy that ,israel should be saved for thy sake4 7#if7 ,an angel appeared1 and ,gideon begged him for a sign1 that he would achieve the deliverance of ,israel4 ,he excused his petition with the precedent of ,moses1 the first prophet1 who likewise has asked for a sign4 ,the angel bade him pour water on the rock1 and then gave him the choice of how he would have the water transformed4 ,gideon desired to see one-half changed into blood1 and one-half into fire4 ,thus it happened4 ,the blood and the fire mingled with each other1 yet the blood did not quench the fire1 nor did the fire dry out the blood4 ,encouraged by this and other signs1 7#ig7 ,gideon undertook to carry on the war against the ,midianites with a band of three hundred ,god-fearing men1 and he was successful4 ,of the enemy one hundred and twenty thousand corpses covered the field1 and all the rest fled precipitately4 7#ih7 ,gideon enjoyed the privilege of bringing salvation to ,israel because he was a good son4 ,his old father feared to thresh his grain on account of the ,midianites1 and ,gideon once went out to him in the field and said3 ,father1 thou art too old to do this work2 go thou home1 and ,i shall finish thy task for thee4 ,if the ,midianites should surprise me out here1 ,i can run away1 which thou canst not do1 on account of thy age4 7#ii7 ,the day on which ,gideon gained his great victory was during the ,passover1 and the cake of barley bread that turned the camp of the enemy upside down1 of which the ,midianite dreamed1 was a sign that ,god would espouse the cause of ,his people to reward them for bringing a cake of barley bread as an ',omer offering4 7#ajj7 ,after ,god had favored ,israel with great help through him1 ,gideon had an ephod made4 ,in the high priest's breastplate1 ,joseph was represented among the twelve tribes by ,ephraim alone1 not by ,manasseh1 too4 ,to wipe out this slight upon his own tribe1 ,gideon made an ephod bearing the name of ,manasseh4 ,he consecrated it to ,god1 but after his death homage was paid to it as an idol4 7#aja7 ,in those days the ,israelites were so addicted to the worship of ,beelzebub that they constantly carried small images of this god with them in their pockets1 and every now and then they were in the habit of bringing the image forth and kissing it fervently4 7#ajb7 ,of such idolaters were the vain and light fellows who helped ,abimelech1 the son of ,gideon by his concubine from ,shechem1 to assassinate the other sons of his father4 ,but ,god is just4 ,as ,abimelech murdered his brothers upon a stone1 so ,abimelech himself met his death through a millstone4 ,it was proper1 then1 that ,jotham1 in his parable1 should compare ,abimelech to a thorn-bush1 while he characterized his predecessors1 ,othniel1 ,deborah1 and ,gideon1 as an olive-tree1 or a fig-tree1 or a vine4 ,this ,jotham1 the youngest of the sons of ,gideon1 was more than a teller of parables4 ,he knew then that long afterward the ,samaritans would claim sanctity for ,mount ,gerizim1 on account of the blessing pronounced from it upon the tribe4 ,for this reason he chose ,gerizim from which to hurl his curse upon ,shechem and it inhabitants4 7#ajc7 ,the successor to ,abimelech equalled1 if he did not surpass1 him in wickedness4 ,jair erected an altar unto ,baal1 and on penalty of death he forced the people to prostrate themselves before it4 ,only seven men remained firm in the true faith1 and refused to the last to commit idolatry4 ,their names were ,deuel1 ,abit ,yisreel1 ,jekuthiel1 ,shalom1 ,ashur1 ,jehonadab1 and ,shemiel4 7#ajd7 ,they said to ,jair3 ,we are mindful of the lessons given us by our teachers and our mother ,deborah4 ',take ye heed1' they said1 'that your heart lead you not astray to the right or to the left4 ,day and night ye shall devote yourselves to the study of the ,torah4' ,why1 then1 dost thou seek to corrupt the people of the ,lord1 saying1 ',baal is ,god1 let us worship him'8 ,if he really is what thou sayest1 then let him speak like a god1 and we will pay him worship4 ,for the blasphemy they had uttered against ,baal1 ,jair commanded that the seven men be burnt4 ,when his servants were about to carry out his order1 ,god sent the angel ,nathaniel1 the lord over the fire1 and he extinguished the fire though not before the servants of ,jair were consumed by it4 ,not only did the seven men escape the danger of suffering death by fire1 but the angel enabled them to flee unnoticed1 by striking all the people present with blindness4 ,then the angel approached ,jair1 and said to him3 ,hear the words of the ,lord ere thou diest4 ,i appointed thee as prince over my people1 and thou didst break ,my covenant1 seduce ,my people1 and seek to burn ,my servants with fire1 but they were animated and freed by the living1 the heavenly fire4 ,as for thee1 thou wilt die1 and die by fire1 a fire in which thou wilt abide forever4 ,thereupon the angel burnt him with a thousand men1 whom he had taken in the act of paying homage to ,baal4 7#aje7 ,,jephthah ,the first judge of any importance after ,gideon was ,jephthah4 ,he1 too1 fell short of being the ideal ,jewish ruler4 ,his father had married a woman of another tribe1 an unusual occurrence in a time when a woman who left her tribe was held in contempt47#ajf7 ,jephthah1 the offspring of this union1 had to bear the consequences of his mother's irregular conduct4 ,so many annoyances were put upon him that he was forced to leave his home and settle in a heathen district4 7#ajg7 ,at first ,jephthah refused to accept the rulership which the people offered him in an assembly at ,mizpah1 for he had not forgotten the wrongs to which he had been subjected4 ,in the end1 however1 he yielded1 and placed himself at the head of the people in the war against ,getal1 the king of the ,ammonites4 ,at his departure1 he vowed before ,god to sacrifice to ,him whatsoever came forth out of the doors of his house to meet him when he returned a victor from the war4 ,god was angry and said3 ,so ,jephthah has vowed to offer unto me the first thing that shall meet him6 ,if a dog were the first to meet him1 would a dog be sacrificed to me8 ,now shall the vow of ,jephthah be visited on his first-born1 on his own offspring1 yea1 his prayer shall be visited on his only daughter4 ,but ,i assuredly shall deliver my people1 not for ,jephthah's sake1 but for the sake of the prayers of ,israel4 ,the first to meet him after his successful campaign was his daughter ,sheilah4 ,overwhelmed by anguish1 the father cried out3 ,rightly was the name ,sheilah1 the one who is demanded1 given to thee1 that thou shouldst be offered up as a sacrifice4 ,who shall set my heart in the balance and my soul as the weight1 that ,i may stand and see whether that which happened to me is joy or sorrow8 ,but because ,i opened my mouth to the ,lord1 and uttered a vow1 ,i cannot take it back4 ,then ,sheilah spoke1 saying3 ,why dost thou grieve for my death1 since the people was delivered8 ,dost thou not remember what happened in the day of our forefathers1 when the father offered his son as a burnt offering1 and the son did not refuse1 but consented gladly1 and the offerer and the offered were both full of joy8 ,therefore1 do as thou hast spoken4 ,but before ,i die ,i will ask a favor of thee4 ,grant me that ,i may go with my companions upon the mountains1 sojourn among the hills1 and tread upon the rocks to shed my tears and deposit there the grief for my lost youth4 ,the trees of the field shall weep for me1 and the beasts of the field mourn for me4 ,i do not grieve for my death1 nor because ,i have to yield up my life1 but because when my father vowed his heedless vow1 he did not have me in mind4 ,i fear1 therefore1 that ,i may not be an acceptable sacrifice1 and that my death shall be for nothing4 ,sheilah and her companions went forth and told her case to the sages of the people1 but none of them could give her any help4 ,then she went up to ,mount ,telag1 where the ,lord appeared to her at night1 saying unto her3 ,i have closed the mouth of the sages of my people in this generation1 that they cannot answer the daughter of ,jephthah a word2 that my vow be fulfilled and nothing of what ,i have thought remain undone4 ,i know her to be wiser than her father1 and all the wise men1 and now her soul shall be accepted at her request1 and her death shall be very precious before ,my face all the time4 ,sheilah began to bewail her fate in these words3 ,hearken1 ye mountains1 to my lamentations1 and ye hills1 to the tears of my eyes1 and ye rocks1 testify to the weeping of my soul4 ,my words will go up to heaven1 and my tears will be written in the firmament4 ,i have not been granted the joy of wedding1 nor was the wreath of my betrothal completed4 ,i have not been decked with ornaments1 nor have ,i been scented with myrrh and with aromatic perfumes4 ,i have not been anointed with the oil that was prepared for me4 ,alas1 ,o mother1 it was in vain thou didst give birth to me1 the grave was destined to be my bridal chamber4 ,the oil thou didst prepare for me will be spilled1 and the white garments my mother sewed for me1 the moth will eat them2 the bridal wreath my nurse wound for me will wither1 and my garments in blue and purple1 the worms will destroy them1 and my companions will all their days lament over me4 ,and now1 ye trees1 incline your branches and weep over my youth2 ye beasts of the forest1 come and trample upon my virginity1 for my years are cut off1 and the days of my life grow old in darkness4 7#ajh7 ,her lamentations were of as little avail as her arguments with her father4 ,in vain she sought to prove to him from the ,torah that the law speaks only of animal sacrifices1 never of human sacrifices4 ,in vain she cited the example of ,jacob1 who had vowed to give ,god a tenth of all the possessions he owned1 and yet did not attempt later to sacrifice one of his sons4 ,jephthah was inexorable4 ,all he would yield was a respite during which his daughter might visit various scholars1 who were to decide whether he was bound by his vow4 ,according to the ,torah his vow was entirely invalid4 ,he was not even obliged to pay his daughter's value in money4 ,but the scholars of his time had forgotten this ,halakah1 and they decided that he must keep his vow4 ,the forgetfulness of the scholars was of ,god1 ordained as a punishment upon ,jephthah for having slaughtered thousands of ,ephraim4 ,one man there was living at the time who1 if he had been questioned about the case1 would have been able to give a decision4 ,this was the high priest ,phinehas4 ,but he said proudly3 ,what6 ,i1 a high priest1 the son of a high priest1 should humiliate myself and go to an ignoramus6 ,jephthah on the other hand said3 ,what6 ,i1 the chief of the tribes of ,israel1 the first prince of the land1 should humiliate myself and go to one of the rank and file6 ,so only the rivalry between ,jephthah and ,phinehas caused the loss of a young life4 ,their punishment did not miss them4 ,jephthah dies a horrible death4 ,limb by limb his body was dismembered4 ,as for the high priest1 the holy spirit departed from him1 and he had to give up his priestly dignity4 7#aji7 ,as it had been ,jephthah's task to ward off the ,ammonites1 so his successor ,abdon was occupied with protecting ,israel against the ,moabites4 ,the king of ,moab sent messengers to ,abdon1 and they spoke thus3 ,thou well knowest that ,israel took possession of cities that belonged to me4 ,return them4 ,abdon's reply was3 ,know ye not how the ,ammonites fared8 ,the measure of ,moab's sins1 it seems1 out against the enemy1 slew forty-five thousand of their number1 and routed the rest4 7#aaj7 ,,samson ,the last judge but one1 ,samson1 was not the most important of the judges1 but he was the greatest hero of the period and1 except ,goliath1 the greatest hero of all times4 ,he was the son of ,manoah of the tribe of ,dan1 and his wife ,zelalponit 7#aaa7 of the tribe of ,judah1 7#aab7 and he was born to them at a time when they had given up all hope of having children4 ,samson's birth is a striking illustration of the shortsightedness of human beings4 ,the judge ,ibzan had not invited ,manoah and ,zelalponit to any of the one hundred and twenty feasts in honor of the marriage of his sixty children1 which were celebrated at his house and at the house of their parents-in-law1 because he thought that the sterile she-mule would never be in a position to repay his courtesy4 ,it turned out that ,samson's parents were blessed with an extraordinary son1 while ,ibzan saw his sixty children die during his lifetime4 7#aac7 ,samson's strength was superhuman1 7#aad7 and the dimensions of his body were gigantic he measured sixty ells between the shoulders4 ,yet he had one imperfection1 he was maimed in both feet4 7#aae7 ,the first evidence of his gigantic strength he gave when he uprooted two great mountains1 and rubbed them against each other4 ,such feats he was able to perform as often as the spirit of ,god was poured out over him4 ,whenever this happened1 it was indicated by his hair4 ,in began to move and emit a bell-like sound1 which could be heard far off4 ,besides1 while the spirit rested upon him1 he was able with one stride to cover a distance equal to that between ,zorah and ,eshtaol4 7#aaf7 ,it was ,samson's supernatural strength that made ,jacob think that he would be the ,messiah4 ,when ,god showed him ,samson's latter end1 then he realized that the new era would not be ushered in by the hero-judge4 7#aag7 ,samson won his first victory over the ,philistines by means of the jawbone of the ass on which ,abraham had made his way to ,mount ,moriah4 ,it had been preserved miraculously4 7#aah7 ,after this victory a great wonder befell4 ,samson was at the point of perishing from thirst1 when water began to flow from his own mouth as from a spring4 7#aai7 ,besides physical prowess1 ,samson possessed also spiritual distinctions4 ,he was unselfish to the last degree4 ,he had been of exceeding great help to the ,israelites1 but he never asked the smallest service for himself4 7#abj7 ,when ,samson told ,delilah that he was a ,nazarite unto ,god1 she was certain that he had divulged the true secret of his strength4 ,she knew his character too well to entertain the idea that he would couple the name of ,god with an untruth4 ,there was a weak side to his character1 too4 ,he allowed sensual pleasures to dominate him4 ,the consequences was that he who went astray after his eyes1 lost his eyes4 ,even this severe punishment produced no change of heart4 ,he continued to lead his old life of profligacy in prison1 and he was encouraged thereto by the ,philistines1 who set aside all considerations of family purity in the hope of descendants who should be the equals of ,samson in giant strength and stature4 7#aba7 ,as throughout life ,samson had given proofs of superhuman power1 so in the moment of death4 ,he entreated ,god to realize in him the blessing of ,jacob1 7#abb7 and endow him with ,divine strength4 7#abc7 ,he expired with these words upon his lips3 ,o ,master of the world6 ,vouchsafe unto me in this life a recompense for the loss of one of my eyes4 ,for the loss of the other ,i will wait to be rewarded in the world to come4 ,even after his death ,samson was a shield unto the ,israelites4 ,fear of him had so cowed the ,philistines that for twenty years they did not dare attack the ,israelites4 7#abd7 ,,the ,,crime ,,of ,,the ,,benjamites ,a part of the money which ,delilah received from the ,philistine lords as the price of ,samson's secret1 she gave to her son ,micah1 and he used it to make an idol for himself4 7#abe7 ,this sin was the more unpardonable as ,micah owed his life to a miracle performed by ,moses4 ,during the times of the ,egyptian oppression1 if the prescribed number of bricks was not furnished by the ,israelites1 their children were used as building material4 ,such would have been ,micah's fate1 if he had not been saved in a miraculous way4 ,moses wrote down the ,name of ,god1 and put the words on ,micah's body4 ,the dead boy came to life1 and ,moses drew him out of the wall of which he made a part4 7#abf7 ,micah did not show himself worthy of the wonder done for him4 ,even before the ,israelites left ,egypt1 he made his idol1 7#abg7 and it was he who fashioned the golden calf4 ,at the time of ,othniel the judge1 7#abh7 he took up his abode at a distance of not more than three miles from the sanctuary at ,shiloh1 7#abi7 and won over the grandson of ,moses 7#acj7 to officiate as priest before his idol4 ,the sanctuary which ,micah erected harbored various idols4 ,he had three images of boys1 and three of calves1 one lion1 an eagle1 a dragon1 and a dove4 ,when a man came who wanted a wife1 he was directed to appeal to the dove4 ,if riches were his desire1 he worshipped the eagle4 ,for daughters both1 to the calves2 to the lion for strength1 and to the dragon for long life4 ,sacrifices and incense alike were offered to these idols1 and both had to be purchased with cash money from ,micah1 even didrachms for a sacrifice1 and one for incense4 7#aca7 ,the rapid degeneration in the family of ,moses may be accounted for by the fact that ,moses had married the daughter of a priest who ministered to idols4 ,yet1 the grandson of ,moses was not an idolater of ordinary calibre4 ,his sinful conduct was not without a semblance of morality4 ,from his grandfather he had heard the rule that a man should do ,abodah ,zarah for hire rather than be dependent upon his fellow-creatures4 ,the meaning of ,abodah ,zarah here naturally is strange1 in the sense of unusual work1 but he took the term in its ordinary acceptation of service of strange gods4 7#acb7 ,so far from being a whole-souled idolater1 he adopted methods calculated to harm the cause of idol worship4 ,whenever any one came leading an animal with the intention of sacrificing it1 he would say3 ,what good can the idol do thee8 ,it can neither see nor hear nor speak4 ,but as he was concerned about his won livelihood1 and did not want to offend the idolaters too grossly1 he would continue3 ,if thou bringest a dish of flour and a few eggs1 it will suffice4 ,this offering he would himself eat4 ,under ,david he filled the position of treasurer4 ,david appointed him because he thought that a man who was willing to become priest to an idol only in order to earn his bread1 must be worthy of confidence4 ,however sincere his repentance may have been1 he relapsed into his former life when he was removed from his office by ,solomon1 who filled all position with new incumbents at his accession to the throne4 ,finally he abandoned his idolatrous ways wholly1 and became so pure a man that the was favored by ,god with the gift of prophecy4 ,this happened on the day on which the man of ,god out of ,judah came to ,jeroboam1 for the grandson of ,moses is none other than the old prophet at ,beth-el who invited the man of ,god out of ,judah to come to his house4 7#acc7 ,the mischief done by ,micah spread further and further4 ,especially the ,benjamites distinguished themselves for their zeal in paying homage to his idols4 ,god therefore resolved to visit the sins of ,israel and ,benjamin upon them4 ,the opportunity did not delay to come4 ,it was not long before the ,benjamites committed the outrage of ,gibeah4 ,before the house of ,bethac1 a venerable old man1 they imitated the disgraceful conduct of the ,sodomites before the house of ,lot4 ,when the other tribes exacted amends from the ,benjamites1 and were denied satisfaction1 bloody combats ensued4 ,at first the ,benjamites prevailed1 in spit of the fact that the ,urim and ,thummim questioned by ,phinehas had encouraged the ,israelites to take up the conflict1 with the words3 ,up to war1 ,i shall deliver them into your hands4 ,after the tribes had again and again suffered defeat1 they recognized the intention of ,god1 to betray them as a punishment for their sins4 ,they therefore ordained a day of fasting and convocation before the holy ,ark1 and ,phinehas the son of ,eleazar entreated ,god in their behalf3 ,what means this1 that ,thou leadest us astray8 ,is the deed of the ,benjamites right in ,thine eyes8 ,then why didst ,thou not command us to desist from the combat8 ,but if what our brethren have done is evil in ,thy sight1 then why dost ,thou cause us to fall before them in battle8 ,o ,god of our fathers1 hearken unto my voice4 ,make it known this day unto ,thy servant whether the war waged with ,benjamin is pleasing in ,thine eyes1 or whether thou desirest to punish ,thy people for its sins4 ,then the sinners among us will amend their ways4 ,i am mindful of what happened in the days of my youth1 at the time of ,moses4 ,in the zeal of my soul ,i slew two for the sin of ,zimri1 and when his well-wishers sought to kill me1 ,thou didst send an angel1 who cut off twenty-four thousand of them and delivered me4 ,but now eleven of ,thy tribes have gone forth to do ,thy bidding1 to avenge and slay1 and1 lo1 they have themselves been slain1 so that they are made to believe that ,thy revelations are lying and deceitful4 ,o ,lord1 ,god of our forefathers1 naught is hidden before ,thee4 ,make it manifest why this misfortune has overtaken us4 ,god replied to ,phinehas at great length1 setting forth why eleven tribes had suffered so heavily4 ,the ,lord had wanted to punished them for having permitted ,micah and his mother ,delilah to pursue their evil ways undisturbed1 though they were zealous beyond measure in avenging the wrong done to the woman at ,gibeah4 ,as soon as all those had perished who were guilty of having aided and abetted ,micah in his idolatrous practices1 whether directly or indirectly1 ,god was willing to help them in their conflicts with the ,benjamites4 ,so it came4 ,in the battle fought soon after1 seventy-five thousand ,benjamites fell slain4 ,only six hundred of the tribe survived4 7#acd7 ,fearing to remain in ,palestine1 the small band emigrated to ,italy and ,germany4 7#ace7 ,at the same time the punishment promised them by ,god overtook the two chief sinners4 ,micah lost his life by fire1 and his mother rotted alive2 worms crawled from her body4 7#acf7 ,in spite of the great mischief caused by ,micah1 he had one good quality1 and ,god permitted it to plead for him when the angel stood up against him as his accusers4 ,he was extremely hospitable4 ,his house always stood wide open to the wanderer1 and to his hospitality he owed it that he was granted a share in the future world4 7#acg7 ,in hell ,micah is the first in the sixth division1 which is under the guidance of the angel ,hadriel1 and he is the only one in the division who is spared hell tortures4 7#ach7 ,micah's sons was ,jeroboam1 whose golden calves were sinful far beyond anything his father had done4 7#aci7 ,in those days ,god spake to ,phinehas3 ,thou art one hundred and twenty years old1 thou hast reached the natural term of man's life4 ,go now1 betake thyself to the mountain ,danaben1 and remain there many years4 ,i will command the eagles to sustain thee with food1 so that thou returnest not to men until the time when thou lockest fast the clouds and openest them again4 ,then ,i will carry thee to the place where those are who were before thee1 and there thou wilt tarry until ,i visit the world1 and bring thee thither to taste of death4 7#adj7 ,,iii4 ,,samuel ,,and ,,saul ,,elkanah ,,and ,,hannah ,the period of the ,judges is linked to the period of the ,kingdom by the prophet ,samuel1 who anointed both ,saul and ,david as kings4 ,not only was ,samuel himself a prophet1 but his forebears also has been prophets1 7#a7 and both his parents1 ,elkanah and ,hannah1 were endowed with the gift of prophecy4 7#b7 ,aside from this gift1 ,elkanah possessed extraordinary virtue4 ,he was a second ,abraham1 the only pious man of his generation1 who saved the world from destruction when ,god1 made wroth by the idolatry of ,micah1 was on the point of annihilating it utterly4 7#c7 ,his chief merit was that he stimulated the people by his example to go on pilgrimages to ,shiloh1 the spiritual centre of the nation4 ,accompanied by his whole household1 including kinsmen1 he was in the habit of making the three prescribed pilgrimages annually1 and though he was a man of only moderate means1 7#d7 his retinue was equipped with great magnificence4 ,in all the towns through which it passed1 the procession caused commotion4 ,the lookers-on invariably inquired into the reason of the rare spectacle1 and ,elkanah told them3 ,we are going to the house of the ,lord at ,shiloh1 for thence come forth the law4 ,why should you not join us8 ,such gentle1 persuasive words did not fail of taking effect4 ,in the first year five households undertook the pilgrimage1 the next year ten1 and so on until the whole town followed his example4 ,elkanah chose a new route every year4 ,thus he touched at many towns1 and their inhabitants were led to do a pious deed4 7#e7 ,in spite of his ,god-fearing ways1 ,elkanah's domestic life was not perfectly happy4 ,he had been married ten years1 and his union with ,hannah had not been blessed with offspring4 7#f7 ,the love he bore his wife compensated him for his childlessness1 but ,hannah herself insisted upon his taking a second wife4 ,peninnah embraced every opportunity of vexing ,hannah4 ,in the morning her derisive greeting to ,hannah would be3 ,dost thou not mean to rise and wash thy children1 and send them to school8 7#g7 ,such jeers were to keep ,hannah mindful of her childlessness4 ,perhaps ,peninnah's intentions were laudable3 she may have wanted to bring ,hannah to the point of praying to ,god for children4 7#h7 ,however it may have been forced from her1 ,hannah's petition for a son was fervent and devout4 ,she entreats ,god3 ,lord of the world6 ,hast ,thou created aught in vain8 ,our eyes ,thou hast destined for sight1 our ears for hearing1 our mouth for speech1 our nose to smell therewith1 our hands for work4 ,didst ,thou not create these breasts above my heart to give suck to a babe8 7#i7 ,o grant me a son1 that he may draw nourishment therefrom4 ,lord1 ,thou reignest over all beings1 the mortal and the heavenly beings4 ,the heavenly beings neither eat nor drink1 they do not propagate themselves1 nor do they die1 but they live forever4 ,mortal man eats1 drinks1 propagates his kind and dies4 ,if1 now1 ,i am of the heavenly beings1 let me live forever4 ,but if ,i belong to mortal mankind1 let me do my part in establishing the race4 7#aj7 ,eli the high priest1 who at first misinterpreted ,hannah's long prayer1 dismissed her with the blessing3 ,may the son to be born unto thee acquire great knowledge in the law4 7#aa7 ,hannah left the sanctuary1 and at once her grief-furrowed countenance changes4 ,she felt beyond a doubt that the blessing of ,eli would be fulfilled4 7#ab7 ,,the ,,youth ,,of ,,samuel ,hannah's prayer was heard4 ,at the end of six months and a few days 7#ac7 ,samuel was born to her1 in the nineteenth year of her married life1 7#ad7 and the one hundred and thirtieth of her age4 7#ae7 ,samuel was of a frail constitution1 7#af7 and required tender care and nurture4 ,for this reason he and his mother could not accompany ,elkanah on his pilgrimages4 ,hannah withheld her boy from the sanctuary for some years4 ,before ,samuel's birth a voice from heaven had proclaimed that in a short time a great man would be born1 whose name would be ,samuel4 ,all men children of that time were accordingly named ,samuel4 ,as they grew up1 the mothers were in the habit of getting together and telling of their children's doings1 in order to determine which of them satisfied the expectations the prophecy had aroused4 ,when the true ,samuel was born1 and by his wonderful deed excelled all his companions1 it became plain to whom the word of ,god applied4 7#ag7 ,his preeminence now being undisputed1 ,hannah was willing to part with him4 ,the following incident is an illustration of ,samuel's unusual qualities manifested even in infancy4 ,he was two years old when his mother brought him to ,shiloh to leave him there permanently4 ,an occasion at once presented itself for the display of his learning and acumen1 which were so great as to arouse the astonishment of the high priest ,eli himself4 ,on entering the sanctuary ,samuel noticed that they were seeking a priest to kill the sacrificial animal4 ,samuel instructed the attendants that a non-priest was permitted to kill the sacrifice4 ,the high priest ,eli appeared at the moment when1 by ,samuel's directions1 the sacrifice was being killed by a non-priest4 ,angered by the child's boldness1 he was about to have him executed1 regardless of ,hannah's prayer for his life4 ,let him die1 7#ah7 he said1 ,i shall pray for another in his place4 ,hannah replied3 ,i lent him to the ,lord4 ,whatever betide1 he belongs neither to thee nor to me1 but to ,god4 7#ai7 ,only then1 after ,samuel's life was secure1 ,hannah offered up her prayer of thanksgiving4 ,beside the expression of her gratitude1 it contains also many prophecies regarding ,samuel's future achievements1 and it recited the history of ,israel from the beginning until the advent of ,messiah4 7#bj7 ,her prayer incidentally brought relief to the ,sons of ,korah4 ,since the earth had swallowed them1 they had been constantly sinking lower and lower4 ,when ,hannah uttered the words1 ,god bringeth down to ,sheol1 and bringeth up1 7#ba7 they came to a standstill in their downward course4 ,hannah was spared to witness1 not only the greatness of her son1 but also the undoing of her rival4 ,every time ,hannah bore a child1 ,peninnah lost two of hers1 until eight of her ten children had died1 and she would have had to surrender all1 had not ,hannah interceded for her with prayer4 7#bb7 ,,eli ,,and ,,his ,,sons ,shortly 7#bc7 before ,samuel entered upon his novitiate in the sanctuary1 ,eli succeeded to the three highest offices in the land3 he was made high priest1 president of the ,sanhedrin1 and ruler over the political affairs of ,israel4 ,eli was a pious man1 and devoted to the study of the ,torah1 wherefore he attained to a good old age and to high honors4 7#bd7 ,in his office as high priest he was successor to no less a personage than ,phinehas1 who had lost his high-priestly dignity on account of his haughty bearing toward ,jephthah4 ,with ,eli the line of ,ithamar rose to power instead of the line of ,eleazar4 7#be7 ,however1 the iniquitous deed of his two sons brought dire misfortune upon ,eli and upon his family1 though the ,scriptural account of their conduct may not be taken literally4 ,the sons of ,eli transgressed only in that they sometimes kept the women waiting who came to the sanctuary to bring the purification offerings1 and so they retarded their return to their families4 7#bf7 ,this was bad enough for priest of ,god4 ,their misdeeds recoiled upon their father1 who was not strict enough in rebuking them4 ,eli's punishment was that he aged prematurely1 and1 besides1 he had to give up his various offices4 ,during his lifetime1 his youngest son ,phinehas1 the worthier of the two1 7#bg7 officiated as high priest4 ,the only reproach to which ,phinehas laid himself open was that he made no attempt to mend his brother's ways4 ,the worst of ,god's decree against ,eli he learned from ,elkanah1 7#bh7 the man of ,god who came unto ,eli1 and who announced that the high-priestly dignity would be wrested from his house1 and once more conferred upon the family of ,eleazar1 and1 furthermore1 his descendant would all die in their prime4 ,the latter doom can be averted by good deeds1 devotion in prayer1 and zealous study of the ,torah4 ,these means were often employed successfully4 7#bi7 ,but against the loss of the high priest's office there is no specific4 ,the house of ,eli forfeited it irrevocably4 ,abiathar1 the great-grandson of ,eli's son ,phinehas1 7#cj7 the last of the high priest of the line of ,ithamar1 had to submit to the fate of seeing ,david transfer his dignity to ,zadok1 in whose family it remained forever4 ,the sons of ,eli brought misfortune also upon the whole of ,israel4 ,to their sins and the ease with which the people condoned them was attributed the unhappy issue of the war with the ,philistines4 ,the holy ,ark1 the receptacle for the broken table of the law1 which accompanied the people to the camp1 7#ca7 did not have the expected effect of compelling victory for the ,israelites4 ,what ,eli feared happened4 ,he enjoined upon his sons not to appear before him if they should survive the capture of the ,ark4 7#cb7 ,but they did not survive it2 they died upon the battlefield on which their nation had suffered bitter defeat4 ,the ,philistines1 to be sure1 had to pay dearly for their victory1 especially those who had spoken contemptuous words when the holy ,ark had appeared in the ,israelitish camp3 ,the ,god of the ,israelites had ten plagues1 and those he expended upon the ,egyptians4 ,he no longer has it in ,his power to do harm4 ,but ,god said3 ,do ye but wait to see4 ,i shall bring plague down upon you like of which hath never been4 7#cc7 ,this new plague consisted in mice crawling forth out of the earth1 and jerking the entrails out of the bodies of the ,philistines while they eased nature4 ,if the ,philistines sought to protect themselves by using brass vessels1 the vessels burst at the touch of the mice1 and1 as before1 the ,philistines were at their mercy4 7#cd7 ,after some months of suffering1 when they realized that their god ,dagon was the victim instead of the victor1 they resolved to send the ,ark back to the ,israelites4 ,many of the ,philistines1 7#ce7 however1 were not yet convinced of ,god's power4 ,the experiment with the milch kine on which there had come no yoke was to establish the matter for them4 ,the result was conclusive4 ,scarcely had the cows begun to draw the cart containing the ,ark when they raised their voices in song3 ,arise thou1 ,o ,acacia6 ,soar aloft in the fulness of thy splendor1 ,thou who art adorned with gold embroidery1 ,thou who art reverenced within the ,holiest of the palace1 ,thou who art covered by the two ,cherubim6 7#cf7 ,when the holy ,ark was thus brought into the ,israelitish domain1 there was exceeding great rejoicing4 ,yet the people were lacking in due reverence4 ,they unloaded the holy vessel while doing their usual work4 ,god punished them severely4 7#cg7 ,the seventy members of the ,sanhedrin perished1 and with them fifty thousand of the people4 7#ch7 ,the punishment was meet for another reason4 ,at first sight of the ,ark some of the people had exclaimed3 ,who vexed these that thou didst feel offended1 and what had mollified thee now8 7#ci7 ,,the ,,activities ,,of ,,samuel ,in the midst of the defeats and other calamities that overwhelmed the ,israelites1 ,samuel's authority grew1 and the respect for him increased1 until he was acknowledged the helper of his people4 ,his first efforts were directed toward counteracting the spiritual decay in ,israel4 ,when he assembled the people at ,mizpah for prayer1 he sought to distinguish between the faithful and the idolatrous1 in order to mete out punishment to the disloyal4 ,he had all the people drink water1 whose effect was to prevent idolaters from opening their lips4 7#dj7 ,the majority of the people repented of their sins1 and ,samuel turned to ,god in their behalf3 ,lord of the world6 ,thou requirest naught of man but that he should repent of his sins4 ,israel is penitent1 do ,thou pardon him4 7#da7 ,the prayer was granted1 and when1 after his sacrifice1 ,samuel led an attack upon the ,philistines1 victory was not withheld from the ,israelites4 ,god terrified the enemy first by an earthquake1 and then by thunder and lightning4 ,many were scattered and wandered about aimlessly2 many were precipitated into the rents torn in the earth1 the rest had their faces scorched1 and in their terror and pain their weapons dropped from their hands4 7#db7 ,in peace as in war ,samuel was the type of a disinterested1 incorruptible judge1 who even refused compensation for the time1 trouble1 and pecuniary sacrifices entailed upon him by his office4 7#dc7 ,his sons fell far short of resembling their father in these respects4 ,instead of continuing ,samuel's plan of journeying from place to place to dispense judgment1 they had the people come to them1 and they surrounded themselves with a crew of officials who preyed upon the people for their maintenance4 7#dd7 ,in a sense1 therefore1 the curse with which ,eli threatened ,samuel in his youth was accomplished3 both he and ,samuel had sons unworthy of their fathers4 7#de7 ,samuel at least had the satisfaction of seeing his sons mend their ways4 ,one of them is the prophet ,joel1 whose prophecy forms a book of the ,bible4 7#df7 ,though1 according to this account1 the sons of ,samuel were by no means so iniquitous as might be inferred from the severe expressions of the ,scripture1 still the demand for a king made by the leaders of the people was not unwarranted4 ,all they desired was a king in the place of a judge4 ,what enkindled the wrath of ,god and caused ,samuel vexation1 was the way in which the common people formulated the demand4 ,we want a king1 they said1 that we may be like the other nations4 7#dg7 ,,the ,,reign ,,of ,,saul ,there were several reasons for the choice of ,saul as king4 ,he had distinguished himself as a military hero in the unfortunate engagement of the ,philistines with ,israel under the leadership of the sons of ,eli4 ,goliath captured the tables of the law4 ,when ,saul heard of this in ,shiloh1 he marched sixty miles to the camp1 wrested the tables from the giant1 and returned to ,shiloh on the same day1 bringing ,eli the report of the ,israelitish misfortune4 7#dh7 ,besides1 ,saul possessed unusual beauty1 7#di7 which explains why the maidens whom he asked about the seer in their city sought to engage him in a lengthy conversation4 7#ej7 ,at the same time he was exceedingly modest4 ,when he and his servant failed to find the asses they were looking for1 he said1 ,my father will take thought of us1 putting his servants on a level with himself1 7#ea7 and when he was anointed king1 he refused to accept the royal dignity until the ,urim and ,thummin were consulted4 7#eb7 ,his chief virtue1 however1 was his innocence4 ,he was as free from sin as a one year old child4 7#ec7 ,no wonder1 then1 he was held worthy of the prophetic gift4 ,the prophecies he uttered concerned themselves with the war of ,gog and ,magog1 the meting out of reward and punishment at the last judgment4 7#ed7 ,finally1 his choice as king was due also to the merits of his ancestors1 especially his grandfather ,abiel1 a man interested in the public welfare1 who would have the streets lighted so that people might go to the houses of study after dark4 7#ee7 ,saul's first act as king was his successful attack upon ,nahash1 king of the ,ammonites1 who had ordered the ,gileadites to remove the injunction from the ,torah barring the ,ammonites from the congregation of ,israel4 7#ef7 ,in his next undertaking1 the campaign against the ,philistines1 he displayed his piety4 ,his son ,jonathan had fallen under the severe ban pronounced by ,saul against all who tasted food on a certain day1 and ,saul did not hesitate to deliver him up to death4 ,jonathan's trespass was made know by the stones in the breastplate of the high priest4 ,all the stones were bright1 only the one bearing the name ,benjamin had lost its brilliancy4 ,by lot it was determined that its dimmed lustre was due to the ,benjamite ,jonathan4 ,saul desisted from his purpose of executing ,jonathan only when it appeared that he had transgressed his father's command by mistake4 ,a burnt offering and his weight in gold paid to the sanctuary were considered an atonement for him4 7#eg7 ,in the same war ,saul had occasion to show his zeal for the scrupulous observance of the sacrificial ordinances4 ,he reproached his warriors with eating the meat of the sacrifices before the blood was sprinkled on the altar1 7#eh7 and he made it his task to see to it that the slaughtering knife was kept in the prescribed condition4 ,as recompense1 an angel brought him a sword1 there being none beside ,saul in the whole army to bear one4 7#ei7 ,saul manifested a different spirit in the next campaign1 the war with the ,amalekites1 whom1 at the bidding of ,god1 he was to exterminate4 ,when the message of ,god's displeasure was conveyed to ,saul by the prophet ,samuel1 he said3 ,if the ,torah ordains that a heifer of the herd shall be beheaded in the valley as an atonement for the death of a single man1 how great must be the atonement required for the slaughter of so many men8 ,and granted they are sinners1 what wrong have their cattle done to deserve annihilation8 ,and granted that the adults are worthy of their fate1 what have the children done8 ,then a voice proclaimed from heaven1 ,be not overjust4 ,later on1 when ,saul commissioned ,doeg to cut down the priests at ,nob1 the same voice was heard to say1 ,be not overwicked4 7#fj7 ,it was this very ,doeg1 destined to play so baleful a part in his life1 who induced ,saul to spare ,agag1 the king of ,amalekites4 ,his argument was the law prohibits the slaying of an animal and its young on the same day4 ,how much less permissible is it to destroy at one time old and young1 men and children4 7#fa7 ,as ,saul had undertaken the war of extermination against ,amalek only because forced into it1 he was easily persuaded to let the people keep a part of the cattle alive4 ,as far as he himself was concerned1 he could have had no personal interest in the booty1 for he was so affluent that he took a census of the army by giving a sheep to every one of his soldiers1 distributing not less than two hundred thousand sheep4 7#fb7 ,compared with ,david's sins1 ,saul's were not sufficiently grievous to account for the withdrawal of the royal dignity from him and his family4 ,the real reason was ,saul's too great mildness1 a drawback in a ruler4 ,moreover1 his family was of such immaculate nobility that his descendants might have become too haughty4 7#fc7 ,when ,saul disregarded the ,divine command about the ,amalekites1 ,samuel announced to him that his office would be bestowed upon another4 ,the name of his successor was not mentioned on that occasion1 but ,samuel gave him a sign by which to recognize the future king3 he who would cut off the corner of ,saul's mantle1 would reign in his stead4 ,later on1 when ,david met ,saul in the cave and cut off a piece of the king's skirt1 ,saul knew him for a certainty to be his destined successor4 7#fd7 ,so ,saul lost his crown on account of ,agag1 and yet did not accomplish his purpose of saving the life of the ,amalekite king1 for ,samuel inflicted a most cruel death upon ,agag1 and that not in accordance with ,jewish1 but with heathen1 forms of justice4 ,no witnesses of ,agag's crime could be summoned before the court1 nor could it be proved that ,agag1 as the law requires1 had been warned when about to commit the crime4 7#fe7 ,though due punishment was meted out to ,agag1 in a sense it came too late4 ,had he been killed by ,saul in the course of the battle1 the ,jews would have been spared the persecution devised by ,haman1 for1 in the short span of time that elapsed between war and his execution1 ,agag became the ancestor of ,haman4 7#ff7 ,the ,amalekite war was the last of ,saul's notable achievements4 ,shortly afterward he was seized by the evil spirit1 and the rest of his days were passed mainly in persecuting ,david and his followers4 ,saul would have died immediately after the ,amalekite war1 if ,samuel had not interceded for him4 ,the prophet prayed to ,god that the life of the disobedient king be spared1 at least so long as his own years had not come to their destined close3 ,thou regardest me equal to ,moses and ,aaron4 7#fg7 ,as ,moses and ,aaron did not have their handiwork destroyed before their eyes during their life1 so may my handiwork not cease during my life4 ,god said3 ,what shall ,i do8 ,samuel will not let me put an end to ,saul's days1 and if ,i let ,samuel die in his prime1 people will speak ill of him 7#fh7 ,meanwhile ,david's time is approaching1 and one reign may not overlap the time assigned to another by his hairbreadth4 ,god determined to let ,samuel age suddenly1 and when he died at fifty-two1 7#fi7 the people were under the impression the days of an old man had come to an end4 ,so long as he lived1 ,saul was secure4 7#gj7 ,scarcely was he dead1 when the ,philistines began to menace the ,israelites and their king4 ,soon it appeared how well justified had been the mourning services for the departed prophet in all the ,israelitish towns4 7#ga7 ,it was not remarkable that the mourning for ,samuel should have been universal4 ,during his active administration as judge1 he had been in the habit of journeying through every part of the country1 and so he was known personally to all the people4 ,this practice of his testifies not only to the zeal with which he devoted himself to his office1 but also to his wealth1 for the expenses entailed by these journeys were defrayed from his own purse4 ,only one person in all the land took no part in the demonstrations of grief4 ,during the very week of mourning ,nabal held feasts4 ,what6 ,god exclaimed1 all weep and lament over the death of the pious1 and this reprobate engages in revelry6 ,punishment was not withheld4 ,three days after the week of mourning for ,samuel ,nabal dies4 7#gb7 ,there was none that felt the death of ,samuel more keenly than ,saul4 ,left alone and isolated1 he did not shrink from extreme measures to enter into communication with the departed prophet4 ,with his two adjutants1 7#gc7 ,abner and ,amasa1 he betook himself to ,abner's mother1 the witch of ,en-dor4 7#gd7 ,the king did not reveal his identity1 but the witch had no difficulty in recognizing her visitor4 ,in necromancy the peculiar rule holds good that1 unless it is summoned by a king1 a spirit raised from the dead appears head downward and feet in the air4 7#ge7 ,accordingly1 when the figure of ,samuel stood upright before them1 the witch knew that the king was with her4 ,though the witch saw ,samuel1 she could not hear what he said1 while ,saul heard his words1 but could not see his person another peculiar phenomenon in necromancy3 the conjuror sees the spirit1 and he for whom the spirit had been raised only hears it4 ,any other person present neither sees nor hears it4 ,the witch's excitement grew when she perceived a number of spirits arise by the side of ,samuel4 ,the dead prophet1 when he was summoned back to earth1 thought that the judgement day had arrived4 ,he requested ,moses to accompany him and testify to his always having executed the ordinances of the ,torah as ,moses had established them4 ,with these two great leaders a number of the pious arose1 all believing that the day of judgment was at hand4 ,samuel was apparelled in the upper garment his mother had made for him when she surrendered him to the sanctuary4 ,this he had worn throughout his life1 and in it he was buried4 ,at the resurrection all the dead wear their grave clothes1 and so it came about that ,samuel stood before ,saul in his well-known upper garment4 ,only fragments of the conversation between ,samuel and ,saul have been preserved in the ,scriptures4 ,samuel reproached ,saul with having disturbed him4 ,was it not enough1 he said1 for thee to enkindle the wrath of thy ,creator by calling up the spirits of the dead1 must thou need change me into an idol8 ,for is it not said that like unto the worshippers so shall the worshipped be punished8 ,samuel then consented to tell the king ,god's decree1 that he had resolved to rend the kingdom out of his hand1 and invest ,david with the royal dignity4 ,whereupon ,saul3 ,these are not the words thou spakest to me before4 7#gf7 ,when we dwelt together1 rejoined ,samuel1 ,i was in the world of lies4 ,now ,i abide in the world of truth1 and thou heardest lying words from me1 for ,i feared thy wrath and thy revenge4 ,now ,i abide in the world of truth1 and thou hearest words of truth from me4 ,as to the thing the ,lord hath done unto thee1 thou hast deserved it1 for thou didst not obey the voice of the ,lord1 nor execute his fierce wrath upon ,amalek4 ,saul asked3 ,can ,i still save myself by flight8 ,yes1 replied ,samuel1 if thou fleest1 thou art safe4 ,but if thou acceptest ,god's judgment1 by to-morrow thou wilt be united with me in ,paradise4 ,when ,abner and ,amasa questioned ,saul about his interview with ,samuel1 he replied3 ,samuel told me ,i should go into battle to-morrow1 and come forth victorious4 ,more than that1 my sons will be given exalted positions in return for their military prowess4 ,the next day his three sons went with him to the war1 and all were stricken down4 ,god summoned the angels and said to them3 ,behold the being ,i have created in my world4 ,a father as a rule refrains from taking his sons even to a banquet1 lest he expose them to the evil eye4 ,saul goes to war knowing that he will lose his life1 yet he takes his sons with him1 and cheerfully accepts the punishment ,i ordain4 7#gg7 ,so perished the first ,jewish king1 as a hero and a saint4 ,his latter days were occupied with regrets on account of the execution of the priest of ,nob1 7#gh7 and his remorse secured pardon for him4 7#gi7 ,indeed1 in all respects his piety was so great that not even ,david was his equal3 ,david had many wives and concubines2 ,saul had but on wife4 ,david remained behind1 fearing to lose his life in battle with his son ,absalom2 ,saul went into the combat knowing he should not return alive4 ,mild and generous1 ,saul led the life of a saint in his own house1 observing even the priestly laws of purity4 ,therefore ,god reproached ,david with having pronounced a curse upon ,saul in his prayer4 7#hj7 ,also1 ,david in his old age was punished for having cut off the corner of ,saul's mantle1 for no amount of clothing would keep him warm4 7#ha7 ,finally1 when a great famine fell upon the land during the reign of ,david1 ,god told him it had been inflicted upon him because ,saul's remains had not been buried with the honor due to him1 and at that moment a heavenly voice resounded calling ,saul the elect of ,god4 7#hb7 ,,the ,,court ,,of ,,saul ,the most important figure at the court of ,saul was his cousin ,abner1 the son of the witch of ,en-dor4 7#hc7 ,he was a giant of extraordinary size4 ,a wall measuring six ells in thickness could be moved more easily than one of ,abner's feet4 7#hd7 ,david once chanced to get between the feet of ,abner as he lay asleep1 and he was almost crushed to death1 when fortunately ,abner moved them1 and ,david made his escape4 7#he7 ,conscious of his vast strength he once cried out3 ,if only ,i could seize the earth at some point1 ,i should be able to shake it4 ,even in the hour of death1 wounded mortally by ,joab1 he grasped his murderer like a worsted ball4 ,he was about to kill him1 but the people crowded round them1 and said to ,abner3 ,if thou killest ,joab1 we shall be orphaned1 and our wives and children will be prey to the ,philistines4 ,abner replied3 ,what can ,i do8 ,he was about to extinguish my light4 ,the people consoled him3 ,commit thy cause to the true ,judge4 ,abner thereupon loosed his hold upon ,joab1 who remained unharmed1 while ,abner fell dead instantly4 ,god had decided against him4 7#hf7 ,the reason was that ,joab was in a measure justified in seeking to avenge the death of his brother ,asahel4 ,asahel1 the supernaturally swift runner1 7#hg7 so swift that he ran through a field without snapping the ears of wheat 7#hh7 had been the attacking party4 ,he had sough to take ,abner's life1 and ,abner contended1 that in killing ,asahel he had but acted in self-defense4 ,before inflicting the fatal wound1 ,joab held a formal court of justice over ,abner4 ,he asked3 ,why didst thou no render ,asahel harmless by wounding him rather than kill him8 ,abner replied that he could not have done it4 ,what1 said ,joab1 incredulous1 if thou wast able to strike him under the fifth rib1 dost thou mean to say thou couldst not have made him innocuous by a wound1 and saved him alive8 7#hi7 ,although ,abner was a saint1 7#ij7 even a lion in the law1 7#ia7 he perpetrated many a deed that made his violent death appear just4 ,it was in his favor that he had refused to obey ,saul's command to do away with the priests of ,nob4 7#ib7 ,yet a man of his stamp should not have rested content with passive resistance4 ,he should have interposed actively1 and kept ,saul from executing his blood design4 ,and granted that ,abner could not have influenced the king's mind in this matter1 7#ic7 at all events he is censurable for having frustrated a reconciliation between ,saul and ,david4 ,when ,david1 holding in his hand the corner of the king's mantle which he had cut off1 sought to convince ,saul of his innocence1 it was ,abner who turned the king against the suppliant fugitive4 ,concern not thyself about it1 he said to ,saul4 ,david found the rag on a thornbush in which thou didst catch the skirt of thy mantle as thou didst pass it4 7#id7 ,on the other hand1 no blame attaches to ,abner for having espoused the cause of ,saul's son against ,david for two years and a half4 ,he knew that ,god had designated ,david for the royal office1 but1 according to an old tradition1 ,god had promised two kings to the tribe of ,benjamin1 and ,abner considered it his duty to transmit his father's honor to the son of ,saul the ,benjamite4 7#ie7 ,another figure of importance during ,saul's reign1 but a man of radically different character1 was ,doeg4 ,doeg1 the friend of ,saul from the days of his youth1 7#if7 died when he was thirty-four years old1 7#ig7 yet at that early age he had been president of the ,sanhedrin and the greatest scholar of his time4 ,he was called ,edomi1 which means1 not ,edomite1 but he who causes the blush of shame1 because by his keen mind and his learning he put to shame all who entered into argument with him4 7#ih7 ,but his scholarship lay only on his lips1 his heart was not concerned in it1 and his one aim was to elicit admiration4 7#ii7 ,small wonder1 then1 that his end was disastrous4 ,at the time of his death he had sunk so low that he forfeited all share in the life to come4 7#ajj7 ,wounded vanity caused his hostility to ,david1 who had got the better of him in a learned discussion4 7#aja7 ,from that moment he bent all his energies to the task of ruining ,david4 ,he tried to poison ,saul's mind against ,david1 by praising the latter inordinately1 and so arousing ,saul's jealousy4 7#ajb7 ,again1 he would harp on ,david's ,moabite descent1 and maintain that on account of it he could not be admitted into the congregation of ,israel4 ,samuel and other prominent men had to bring to bear all the weight of their authority to shield ,david against the consequences of ,doeg's sophistry4 7#ajc7 ,doeg's most grievous transgression1 however1 was his informing against the priests of ,nob1 whom he accused of high treason and executed as traitors4 ,for all his iniquitous deeds he pressed the law into his service1 and derived justification of his conduct from it4 ,abimelech1 the high priest at ,nob1 admitted that he had consulted the ,urim and ,thummim for ,david4 ,this served ,doeg as the basis for the charge of treason1 and he stated it as an unalterable ,halakah that the ,urim and ,thummim may be consulted only for a king4 ,in vain ,abner and ,amasa and all the other members of the ,sanhedrin demonstrated that the ,urim and ,thummim may be consulted for any on whose undertaking concerns the general welfare4 ,doeg would not yield1 and as no one could be found to execute the judgement1 he himself officiated as hangman4 7#ajd7 ,when the motive of revenge actuated him1 he held cheap alike the life and honor of his fellow-man4 ,he succeeded in convincing ,saul that ,david's marriage with the king's daughter ,michal had lost its validity from the moment ,david was declared a rebel4 ,as such1 he said1 ,david was as good as dead1 since a rebel was outlawed4 ,hence his wife was no longer bound to him4 7#aje7 ,doeg's punishment accorded with his misdeeds4 ,he who had made impious use of his knowledge of the law1 completely forgot the law1 and even his disciples rose up against him1 and drove him from the house of study4 ,in the end he died a leper4 ,dreadful as this death was1 it was not accounted an atonement for his sins4 ,one angel burned his soul1 and another scattered his ashes in all the house of study and prayer4 7#ajf7 ,the son of ,doeg was ,saul's armor-bearer1 who was killed by ,david for daring to slay the king even though he longed for death4 7#ajg7 ,along with ,abner and ,doeg1 ,jonathan distinguished himself in the reign of his father4 ,his military capacity was joined to deep scholarship4 ,to the latter he owed his position as ,ab ,bet ,din4 7#ajh7 ,nevertheless he was one of the most modest men known in history4 7#aji7 ,abinadab was another one of ,saul's sons who was worthy of his father1 wherefore he was sometimes called ,ishvi4 7#aaj7 ,as for ,saul's grandson ,mephibosheth4 ,he1 too1 was reputed a great man4 ,david himself did not scorn to sit at his feet1 and he revered ,mephibosheth as his teacher4 7#aaa7 ,the wrong done him by ,david in granting one-half his possessions to ,ziba1 the slave of ,mephibosheth1 did not go unavenged4 ,when ,david ordered the division of the estate of ,mephibosheth1 a voice from heaven prophesied3 ,jeroboam and ,rehoboam shall divide the kingdom between themselves4 7#aab7 ,,iv4 ,,david ,,david',s ,,birth ,,and ,,descent ,david1 the elect of ,god1 7#a7 was descended from a family which itself belonged to the elect of ,israel4 ,those ancestors of his who are enumerated in the ,bible by name are all of them men of distinguished excellence4 ,besides1 ,david was a descendant of ,miriam1 7#b7 the sister of ,moses1 and so the strain of royal aristocracy was reinforced by the priestly aristocracy4 ,nor was ,david the first of his family to occupy the throne of a ruler4 ,his great-grandfather ,boaz was one and the same person with ,ibzan1 the judge of ,bethlehem4 7#c7 ,othniel1 too1 the first judge in ,israel after the death of ,joshua1 and ,caleb1 7#d7 the brother of ,othniel1 were connected with ,david's family4 ,as examples of piety and virtue1 ,david had his grandfather and more particularly his father before him4 ,his grandfather's whole life was a continuous service of ,god1 7#e7 whence his name ,obed1 the servant1 and his father ,jesse was one of the greatest scholars of his time1 7#f7 and one of the four who died wholly untainted by sin4 7#g7 ,if ,god had not ordained death for all the descendants of our first parents after their fall1 ,jesse would have continued to live forever4 ,as it was1 he died at the age of four hundred1 7#h7 and then a violent death1 by the hand of the ,moabite king1 7#i7 in whose care ,david1 trusting in the ties of kinship between the ,moabites and the seed of ,ruth1 left his family when he was fleeing before ,saul4 ,jesse's piety will not go unrewarded4 ,in the ,messianic time he will be one of the eight princes to rule over the world4 7#aj7 ,in spite of his piety1 ,jesse was not always proof against temptation4 ,one of his slaves caught his fancy1 and he would have entered into illicit relations with her1 had his wife1 ,nazbat1 the daughter of ,adiel1 not frustrated the plan4 ,she disguised herself as the slave1 and ,jesse1 deceived by the ruse1 met his own wife4 ,the child borne by ,nazbat was given out as the son of the freed slave1 so that the father might not discover the deception practiced upon him4 ,this child was ,david4 7#aa7 ,in a measure ,david was indebted for his life to ,adam4 ,at first only three hours of existence had been allotted to him4 ,when ,god caused all future generations to pass in review before ,adam1 he besought ,god to give ,david seventy of the thousand years destined for him4 ,a deed of gift1 signed by ,god and the angel ,metatron1 was drawn up4 ,seventy years were legally conveyed from ,adam to ,david1 and in accordance with ,adam's wishes1 beauty1 dominion1 and poetical gift 7#ab7 went with them4 ,,anointed ,,king ,beauty and talent1 ,adam's gifts to ,david1 did not shield their possessor against hardship4 ,as the supposed son of a slave1 he was banished from association with his brothers1 and his days were passed in the desert tending his father's sheep4 7#ac7 ,it was his shepherd life that prepared him for his later exalted position4 ,with gentle consideration he led the flocks entrusted to him4 ,the young lambs he guided to pastures of tender grass2 the patches of less juicy herbs he reserved for the sheep2 and the full-grown sturdy rams were given the tough weeds for food4 ,then ,god said3 ,david knows how to tend sheep1 therefore he shall be the shepherd of my flock ,israel4 7#ad7 ,in the solitude of the desert ,david had opportunities of displaying his extraordinary physical strength4 ,one day he slew four lions and three bears1 7#ae7 though he had no weapons4 ,his most serious adventure was with the reem4 ,david encountered the mammoth beast asleep1 and taking it for a mountain1 he began to ascend it4 ,suddenly the reem awoke1 and ,david found himself high up in the air on its horns4 ,he vowed1 if he were rescued1 to build a temple to ,god one hundred ells in height1 as high as the horns of the reem4 ,thereupon ,god sent a lion4 ,the king of beasts 7#af7 inspired even the reem with awe4 ,the reem prostrated himself1 and ,david could easily descend from his perch4 ,at that moment a deer appeared4 ,the lion pursued after him1 and ,david was saved from the lion as well as the reem4 7#ag7 ,he continued to lead the life of a shepherd until1 at the age of twenty-eight1 7#ah7 he was anointed king by ,samuel1 who was taught by a special revelation that the despised youngest son of ,jesse was to be king4 ,samuel's first charge had been to anoint one of the sons of ,jesse1 but he was not told which one4 ,when he saw the oldest1 ,eliab1 he thought him the king of ,god's choice4 ,god had allowed him to be deceived1 in order to punish ,samuel for his excessive self-consciousness in calling himself the seer4 ,it was thus proved to him that he could not foresee all things4 7#ai7 ,however1 ,samuel's error was pardonable4 ,god's first choice had rested upon ,eliab4 ,only on account of his violent nature1 his swiftness to anger against ,david1 the position destined for him was transferred to his youngest brother4 7#bj7 ,eliab was in a sense compensated by seeing his daughter become the wife of ,rehoboam4 ,thus he1 too1 enjoys the distinction of being among the ancestors of the ,judaic kings1 and ,samuel's vision of ,eliab as king was not wholly false4 7#ba7 ,the election of ,david was obvious from what happened with the holy oil with which he was anointed4 7#bb7 ,when ,samuel had tried to pour the oil on ,david's brothers1 it had remained in the horn1 but at ,david's approach it flowed of its own accord1 and poured itself out over him4 ,the drops on his garments changed into diamonds and pearls1 and after the act of anointing him1 the horn was as full as before4 ,the amazement was great that the son of a slave should be made king4 ,then the wife of ,jesse revealed her secret1 and declared herself the mother of ,david4 7#bc7 ,the anointing of ,david was for a time kept a secret1 but its effect appeared in the gift of prophecy which manifested itself in ,david1 7#bd7 and in his extraordinary spiritual development4 ,his new accomplishments naturally earned envy for him4 ,none was more bitterly jealous than ,doeg1 the greatest scholar of his time4 ,when he heard that ,saul was about to have ,david come to court as his attendant1 ,doeg began to praise ,david excessively1 with the purpose of arousing the king's jealousy and making ,david hateful in his eyes4 ,he succeeded1 7#be7 yet ,saul did not relinquish his plan of having ,david at court4 ,david had become known to ,saul in his youth1 and at that time the king had conceived great admiration for him4 ,the occasion was one on which ,david had shown cleverness as well as love of justice4 ,a rich woman had had to leave her home temporarily4 ,she could not carry her fortune with her1 nor did she wish to entrust it to any one4 ,she adopted the device of hiding her gold in honey jars1 and these she deposited with a neighbor4 ,accidentally he discovered what was in the jars1 and he abstracted the gold4 ,on her return the woman received her vessels1 but the gold concealed in them was gone4 ,she had no evidence to bring up against her faithless neighbor1 and the court dismissed her complaint4 ,she appealed to the king1 but he was equally powerless to help4 ,when the woman came out of the palace of the king1 ,david was playing with his companions4 ,seeing her dejection1 he demanded an audience of the king1 that truth might prevail4 ,the king authorized him to do as he saw fit4 ,david ordered the honey jars to be broken1 and two coins were found to adhere to the inner side of the vessels4 ,the thief had overlooked them1 and they proved his dishonesty4 7#bf7 ,,encounter ,,with ,,goliath ,david was not long permitted to enjoy the ease of life at court4 ,the aggressive manner assumed by ,goliath drove him to the front4 ,it was a curious chance that designated ,david to be the slayer of ,goliath1 who was allied with him by the ties of blood4 ,goliath1 it will be remembered1 was the son of the ,moabitess ,orpah1 7#bg7 the sister-in-law of ,david's ancestress ,ruth1 and her sister as well1 both having been the daughters of the ,moabite king ,eglon4 7#bh7 ,david and ,goliath differed as widely as their grandams1 for in contrast to ,ruth1 the pious1 religious ,jewess1 ,orpah had led a life of unspeakable infamy4 ,her son ,goliath was jeered at as the son of a hundred fathers and one mother4 7#bi7 ,but ,god lets naught go unrewarded1 even in the wicked4 ,in return for the forty steps ,orpah had accompanied her mother-in-law ,naomi1 7#cj7 ,goliath the ,philistine1 her son1 was permitted to display his strength and skill for forty days1 and in return for the four tears ,orpah had shed on parting from her mother-in-law1 she was privileged to give birth to four giant sons4 7#ca7 ,of the four1 ,goliath was the strongest and greatest4 ,what the ,scriptures tell about him is but a small fraction of what might have been told4 ,the ,scriptures refrain intentionally from expatiating upon the prowess of the miscreant4 ,nor do they tell how ,goliath1 impious as he was1 dared challenge the ,god of ,israel to combat with him1 and how he tried by every means in his power to hinder the ,israelites in their ,divine worship4 ,morning and evening he would appear in the camp at the very time when the ,israelites were preparing to say the ,shema4 7#cb7 ,all the more cause1 then1 for ,david to hate ,goliath and determine to annihilate him4 ,his father encouraged him to oppose ,goliath1 for he considered it ,david's duty to protect ,saul the ,benjamite against the giant1 as ,judah1 his ancestor1 had in ancient days pledged himself for the safety of ,benjamin1 the ancestor of ,saul4 7#cc7 ,for ,goliath was intent upon doing away with ,saul4 ,his grievance against him was that once1 when1 in a skirmish between the ,philistines and the ,israelites1 ,goliath had succeeded in capturing the holy tables of the law1 ,saul had wrested them from the giant4 7#cd7 ,in consequence of his malady1 ,saul could not venture to cross swords with ,goliath1 and he accepted ,david's offer to enter into combat in his place4 ,david put on ,saul's armor1 and when it appeared that the armor of the powerfully-built king fitted the erstwhile slender youth1 ,saul recognized that ,david had been predestined for the serious task he was about to undertake1 but at the same time ,david's miraculous transformation did not fail to arouse his jealousy4 7#ce7 ,david1 for this reason1 declined to array himself as a warrior for his contest with ,goliath4 ,he wanted to meet him as a simple shepherd4 ,five pebbles came to ,david of their own accord1 7#cf7 and when he touched them1 they all turned into one pebble4 7#cg7 ,the five pebbles stood for ,god1 the three ,patriarchs1 and ,aaron4 ,hophni and ,phinehas1 the descendants of the last1 had only a short time before been killed by ,goliath4 7#ch7 ,scarcely did ,david begin to move toward ,goliath1 when the giant became conscious of the magic power of the youth4 ,the evil eye ,david cast on his opponent sufficed to afflict him with leprosy1 7#ci7 and in the very same instant he was rooted to the ground1 unable to move4 7#dj7 ,goliath was so confused by his impotence that he scarcely knew what he was saying1 and he uttered the foolish threat that he would give ,david's flesh to the cattle of the field1 as though cattle ate flesh4 ,one can see1 ,david said to himself1 that he is crazy1 and there can be no doubt he is doomed4 7#da7 ,sure of victory1 ,david retorted that he would cast the carcass of the ,philistine to the fowls of the air4 ,at the mention of fowls1 ,goliath raised his eyes skyward1 to see whether there were any birds about4 ,the upward motion of his head pushed his visor slightly away from his forehead1 and in that instant the pebble aimed by ,david struck him on the exposed spot4 7#db7 ,an angel descended and cast him to the ground face downward1 so that the mouth that had blasphemed ,god might be choked with earth4 ,he fell in such wise that the image of ,dagon which he wore on his breast touched the ground1 and his head came to lie between the feet of ,david1 who now had no difficulty in dispatching him4 7#dc7 ,goliath was encased1 from top to toe1 in several suits of armor1 and ,david did not know how to remove them and cut off the head of the giant4 ,at this juncture ,uriah the ,hittite offered him his services1 but under the condition that ,david secure him an ,israelitish wife4 ,david accepted the condition1 and ,uriah in turn showed him how the various suits of armor were fastened together at the heels of the giant's feet4 ,david's victory naturally added fuel to the fire of ,saul's jealousy4 ,saul sent ,abner1 his general1 to make inquiry whether ,david1 who1 he knew1 was of the tribe of ,judah1 belonged to the clan of the ,perez or to the clan of the ,zerah4 ,in the former case his suspicion that ,david was destined for kingship would be confirmed4 ,doeg1 ,david's enemy from of old1 observed that ,david1 being the descendant of the ,moabitess ,ruth1 did not even belong to the ,jewish communion1 and ,saul need entertain no fears from that quarter4 ,a lively discussion arose between ,abner and ,doeg1 as to whether the law in ,deuteronomy regarding ,moabites affected women as well as men4 ,doeg1 an expert dialectician1 brilliantly refuted all of ,abner's arguments in favor of the admission of ,moabitish women4 ,samuel's authority had to be appealed to in order to establish for all times the correctness of ,abner's view4 7#dd7 ,indeed1 the dispute could be settled only by recourse to threats of violence4 ,ithra1 the father of ,amasa1 in ,arab fashion1 for which reason he was sometimes called the ,ishmaelite1 threatened to hew down any one with his sword who refused to accept ,samuel's interpretation of the law1 that male ,moabites and male ,ammonites are forever excluded from the congregation of ,israel1 but not ,moabite and ,ammonite women4 7#de7 ,,pursued ,,by ,,saul ,as ,god stood by ,david in his duel with ,goliath1 so he stood by him in many other of his difficulties4 ,often when he thought all hope lost1 the arm of ,god suddenly succored him1 and in unexpected ways1 not only bringing relief1 but also conveying instruction on ,god's wise and just guidance of the world4 ,david once said to ,god3 ,the world is entirely beautiful and good1 with the one exception of insanity4 ,what use does the world derive from a lunatic1 who runs hither and thither1 tears his clothes1 and is pursued by a mob of hooting children8 ,verily1 a time will come1 said ,god in reply1 when thou wilt supplicate me to afflict thee with madness4 ,now1 it happened when ,david1 on his flight before ,saul1 came to ,achish1 the king of the ,philistines1 who lived in ,gath1 that the brothers of ,goliath formed the heathen king's body-guard1 and they demanded that their brother's murderer be executed4 ,achish1 though a heathen1 was pious1 for which reason he is called ,abimelech in the ,psalms1 after the king of ,gerar1 who also was noted for piety4 ,he therefore sought to pacify ,david's enemies4 ,he called their attention to the fact that ,goliath had been the one to challenge the ,jews to combat1 and it was meet1 therefore1 that he should be left to bear the consequences4 ,the brothers rejoined1 if that view prevailed1 then ,achish would have to give up his throne to ,david1 for1 according to the conditions of the combat1 the victor was to have dominion over the vanquished as his servants4 ,in his distress1 ,david besought ,god to let him appear a madman in the eyes of ,achish and his court4 ,god granted his prayer4 ,as the wife and daughter of the ,philistine king were both bereft of reason1 we can understand his exclamation3 ,do ,i lack madmen1 that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence8 ,thus it was that ,david was rescued4 ,thereupon he composed the ,psalm beginning with the words1 ,i will bless the ,lord at all times1 which includes even the time of lunacy4 7#df7 ,on another occasion ,david expressed his doubt of ,god's wisdom in having formed such apparently useless creatures as spiders are4 ,they do nothing but spin a web that has no value4 ,he was to have striking proof that even a spider's web may serve an important purpose4 ,on one occasion he had taken refuge in a cave1 and ,saul and his attendants1 in pursuit of him1 were about to enter and seek him there4 ,but ,god sent a spider to weave its web across the opening1 and ,saul told his men to desist from fruitless search in the cave1 for the spider's web was undeniable proof that no one had passed through its entrance4 7#dg7 ,similarly1 when ,david became indebted to one of them for his life1 he was cured of his scorn for wasps4 ,he had thought them good for nothing but to breed maggots4 ,david once surprised ,saul and his attendants while they were fast asleep in their camp1 and he resolved to carry off1 as proof of his magnanimity1 the cruse that stood between the feet of the giant ,abner1 who like the rest was sleeping4 ,fortunately his knees were drawn up1 so that ,david could carry out his intention unhindered4 ,but as ,david was retiring with the cruse1 ,abner stretched out his feet1 and pinned ,david down as with two solid pillars4 ,his life would have been forfeit1 if a wasp had not stung ,abner1 who mechanically1 in his sleep1 moved his feet1 and released ,david4 7#dh7 ,there were still other miracles that happened to ,david in his flight4 ,once1 when ,saul and his men compassed ,david round about1 an angel appeared and summoned him home1 to repulse the raid of the ,philistines upon the land4 ,saul gave up the pursuit of ,david1 but only after a majority had so decided1 for some had been of the opinion that the seizure of ,david was quite as important as the repulse of the ,philistines4 7#di7 ,again1 in his battle with the ,amalekites1 ,david enjoyed direct intervention from above4 ,lightning in flashes and sheets illumined the dark night1 so enabling him to carry on the struggle4 7#ej7 ,,wars ,david's first thought after ascending the throne was to wrest ,jerusalem1 sacred since the days of ,adam1 ,noah1 and ,abraham1 from the grasp of the heathen4 ,the plan was not easy of execution for various reasons4 ,the ,jebusites1 the possessors of ,jerusalem1 were the posterity of those sons of ,heth who had ceded the ,cave of ,machpelah to ,abraham only on condition that their descendants should never be forcibly dispossessed of their capital city ,jerusalem4 ,in perpetuation of this agreement between ,abraham and the sons of ,heth1 monuments of brass were erected1 and when ,david approached ,jerusalem with hostile intent1 the ,jebusites pointed to ,abraham's promise engraven upon them and still plainly to be read4 7#ea7 ,they maintained that before ,david could take the city1 which they had surrounded with a high wall1 he would have to destroy the monuments4 ,joab devised a plan of getting into ,jerusalem4 ,he set up a tall cypress tree near the wall1 bent it downward1 and standing on ,david's head1 he grasped the very tip of the tree4 ,when the tree rebounded1 ,joab sat high above the wall1 and could jump down upon it4 ,once in the city1 he destroyed the monuments1 and possessed himself of ,jerusalem4 7#eb7 ,for ,david a miracle had happened2 the wall had lowered itself before him so that he could walk into the city without difficulty4 ,david1 however1 was not desirous of using forcible means4 ,he therefore offered the ,jebusites six hundred shekels1 fifty shekels for each ,israelitish tribe4 ,the ,jebusites accepted the money1 and gave ,david a bill of sale4 7#ec7 ,jerusalem having been acquired1 ,david had to prepare for war with the ,philistines1 in which the king gave proof at once of his heroic courage and his unshakable trust in ,god4 ,the latter quality he displayed signally in the battle that took place in the ,valley of the ,giants4 ,god had commanded ,david not to attack the host of the ,philistines until he heard the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees4 ,god desired to pass judgment upon the tutelary angels of the heathen1 before surrendering the heathen themselves to the pious1 7#ed7 and the motion of the tops of the trees was to indicate that the battle could proceed4 ,the enemy advanced until there were but four ells between them and the ,israelites4 ,the latter were about to throw themselves against the ,philistines1 but ,david restrained them1 saying3 ,god forbade me to attack the ,philistines before the tops of the trees begin to move4 ,if we transgress ,god's command1 we shall certainly die4 ,if we delay1 it is probable that we shall be killed by the ,philistines1 but1 at least1 we shall die as pious men that keep ,god's command4 ,above all1 let us have confidence in ,god4 ,scarcely had he ended his speech when the tops of the trees rustled1 and ,david made a successful assault upon the ,philistines4 ,whereupon ,god said to the angels1 who were constantly questioning him as to why he had taken the royal dignity from ,saul and given it to ,david3 ,see the difference between ,saul and ,david4 7#ee7 ,of ,david's other campaigns1 the most notable is his war with ,shobach the ,aramean1 whom he conquered in spite of his gigantic size and strength4 ,shobach was very tall1 as tall as a dove-cote1 and one look at him sufficed to strike terror to the heart of the beholder4 7#ef7 ,the ,aramean general indulged in the belief that ,david would treat the ,syrians gently on account of the monument1 still in existence at that time1 which ,jacob and ,laban had erected on the frontier between ,palestine and ,aram as a sign of their covenant that neither they nor their descendants should wage war with each other4 ,but ,david destroyed the monument4 7#eg7 ,similarly1 the ,philistines had placed trust in a relic from ,isaac1 the bridle of a mule which the ,patriarch had given to ,abimelech1 the king of the ,philistines1 as a pledge of the covenant between ,israel and his people4 ,david took it from them by force4 7#eh7 ,however1 ,david was as just as he was bold4 ,disregard of the covenants made by the ,patriarchs was far removed from his thoughts4 ,indeed1 before departing for the wars with the ,arameans and the ,philistines1 he had charged the ,sanhedrin to investigate carefully the claims of the two nations4 ,the claims of the ,philistines were shown to be utterly unfounded4 ,in no sense were they the descendants of those ,philistines who had concluded a treaty with ,isaac2 they had immigrated from ,cyprus at a much later date4 ,the ,arameans1 on the other hand1 had forfeited their claims upon considerate treatment1 because under the ,aramean ,balaam1 and later again1 in the time of ,othniel1 under their king ,cushan-rishathaim1 they had attacked and made war upon the ,israelites4 7#ei7 ,,ahithophel ,among ,david's courtiers and attendants1 a prominent place is occupied by his counsellor ,ahithophel1 7#fj7 with whom the king was connected by family ties1 ,bath-sheba being his granddaughter4 7#fa7 ,ahithophel's wisdom was supernatural1 for his counsels always coincided with the oracles rendered by the ,urim and ,thummim1 and great as was his wisdom1 it was equalled by his scholarship4 ,therefore ,david did not hesitate to submit himself to his instruction1 7#fb7 even though ,ahithophel was a very young man1 at the time of his death not more than thirty-three years old4 7#fc7 ,the one thing lacking in him was sincere piety1 7#fd7 and this it was that proved his undoing in the end1 for it induced him to take part in ,absalom's rebellion against ,david4 ,thus he forfeited even his share in the world to come4 7#fe7 ,to this dire course of action he was misled by astrologic and other signs1 which he interpreted as prophecies of his own kingship1 when in reality they pointed to the royal destiny of his granddaughter ,bath-sheba4 7#ff7 ,possessed by his erroneous belief1 he cunningly urged ,absalom to commit an unheard-of crime4 ,thus ,absalom would profit nothing by his rebellion1 for1 though he accomplished his father's ruin1 he would yet be held to account and condemned to death for his violation of family purity1 and the way to the throne would be clear for ,ahithophel1 the great sage in ,israel4 7#fg7 ,the relation between ,david and ,ahithophel had been somewhat strained even before ,absalom's rebellion4 ,ahithophel's feelings had been hurt by his being passed over at the time when ,david1 shortly after ascending the throne1 invested1 on a single day1 no less than ninety thousand functionaries with positions4 ,on that day a remarkable incident occurred4 ,when the ,ark was to be brought up from ,geba to ,jerusalem1 the priests who attempted to take hold of it were raised up in the air and thrown violently to the ground4 ,in his despair the king turned for advice to ,ahithophel1 who retorted mockingly3 ,ask thy wise men whom thou hast but now installed in office4 ,it was only when ,david uttered a curse on him who knows a remedy and withholds it from the sufferer1 that ,ahithophel advised that a sacrifice should be offered at every step taken by the priests4 ,although the measure proved efficacious1 and no further disaster occurred in connection with the ,ark1 yet ,ahithophel's words had been insincere4 ,he knew the real reason of the misadventure1 and concealed it from the king4 ,instead of following the law of having the ,ark carried on the shoulders of priests1 ,david had had it put on a wagon1 and so incurred the wrath of ,god4 7#fh7 ,ahithophel's hostility toward ,david showed itself also on the following occasion4 ,when ,david was digging the foundations of the ,temple1 a shard was found at a depth of fifteen hundred cubits4 ,david was about to lift it1 when the shard exclaimed3 ,thou canst not do it4 ,why not8 asked ,david4 ,because ,i rest upon the abyss4 ,since when8 ,since the hour in which the voice of ,god was heard to utter the words from ,sinai1 ',i am the ,lord thy ,god1' causing the earth to quake and sink into the abyss4 ,i lie here to cover up the abyss4 ,nevertheless ,david lifted the shard1 and the waters of the abyss rose and threatened to flood the earth4 ,ahithophel was standing by1 and he thought to himself3 ,now ,david will meet with his death1 and ,i shall be king4 ,just then ,david said3 ,whoever knows how to stem the tide of waters1 and fails to do it1 will one day throttle himself4 7#fi7 ,thereupon ,ahithophel had the ,name of ,god inscribed upon the shard1 and the shard thrown into the abyss4 ,the waters at once commenced to subside1 but they sank to so great a depth that ,david feared the earth might lose her moisture1 and he began to sing the fifteen ,songs of ,ascents1 to bring the waters up again4 7#gj7 ,nevertheless ,david's curse was realized4 ,ahithophel ended his days by hanging himself4 ,his last will contained the following three rules of conduct3 7#ga7 #a4 ,refrain from doing aught against a favorite of fortune4 #b4 ,take heed not to rise up against the royal house of ,david4 #c4 ,if the ,feast of ,pentecost falls on a sunny day1 then sow wheat4 7#gb7 ,posterity has been favored with the knowledge of but a small part of ,ahithophel's wisdom1 and that little through two widely different sources1 through ,socrates1 7#gc7 who was his disciple1 and through a fortune-book written by him4 7#gd7 ,,joab ,joab1 the warrior1 was a contrast to ,ahithophel in every essential4 ,he was ,david's right hand4 ,it was said1 if ,joab had not been there to conduct his wars1 ,david would not have had leisure to devote himself to the study of the ,torah4 ,he was the model of a true ,jewish hero1 distinguished at the same time for his learning1 piety1 and goodness4 ,his house stood wide open for all comers1 and the campaigns which he undertook redounded invariably to the benefit of the people4 ,they were indebted to him for luxuries even1 7#ge7 and more than that1 he took thought for the welfare of scholars1 he himself being the president of the ,sanhedrin4 7#gf7 ,it interested ,joab to analyze the character of men and their opinions4 ,when he heard ,king ,david's words3 ,like as a father pitieth his children1 so the ,lord pitieth them that fear him1 he expressed his astonishment that the comparison should be made with the love of a father for a child1 and not with the love of a mother2 mother love as a rule is considered the stronger and the more self-sacrificing4 ,he made up his mind to keep his eyes open1 and observe whether ,david's idea was borne out by facts4 ,on one of his journeys he happened into the house of a poor old man who had twelve children1 all of whom the father supported1 however meagrely1 with the toil of his own hands4 ,joab proposed that he sell him one of the twelve children2 he would thus be relieved of the care of one1 and the selling-price could be applied to the better support of the rest4 ,the good father rejected the proposition brusquely4 ,then ,joab approached the mother1 offering her a hundred gold denarii for one of the children4 ,at first she resisted the temptation1 but finally she yielded4 ,when the father returned in the evening1 he cut the bread1 as was his wont1 into fourteen pieces1 for himself1 his wife1 and his twelve children4 ,in allotting the portions he missed a child1 and insisted upon being told its fate4 ,the mother confessed what had happened during his absence4 ,he neither ate nor drank1 and next morning he set out1 firmly resolved to return the money to ,joab and to slay him if he should refuse to surrender the child4 ,after much parleying1 and after the father had threatened him with death1 ,joab yielded the child to the old man1 with the exclamation3 ,yes1 ,david was right when he compared ,god's love for men to a father's love for his child4 ,this poor fellow who has twelve children to support was prepared to fight me to the death for one of them1 which the mother1 who calmly stayed at home1 had sold to me for a price4 ,among all the heroic achievements of ,joab1 the most remarkable is the taking of the ,amalekite capital4 ,for six months the flower of the ,israelitish army1 twelve thousand in number1 under the leadership of ,joab1 had been besieging the capital city of the ,amalekites without result4 ,the soldiers made representations to their general1 that it would be well for them to return home to their wives and children4 ,joab urged that this not only would earn for them contempt and derision1 but also would invite new danger4 ,the heathen would be encouraged to unite against the ,israelites4 ,he proposed that they hurl him into the city by means of a sling1 and then wait forty days4 ,if at the end of this period they saw blood flow from the gates of the fortress1 it should be a sign to them that he was still alive4 ,his plan was executed4 ,joab took with him one thousand pieces of money and his sword4 ,when he was cast from the sling1 he fell into the courtyard of a widow1 whose daughter caught him up4 ,in a little while he regained consciousness4 ,he pretended to be an ,amalekite taken prisoner by the ,israelites1 and thrown into the city by his captors1 who thus wished to inflict death4 ,as he was provided with money1 which he dispensed lavishly among his entertainers1 he was received kindly1 and was given the ,amalekite garb4 ,so apparelled1 he ventured1 after ten days1 on a tour of inspection through the city1 which he found to be of enormous size4 ,his first errand was to an armorer1 to have him mend his sword1 which had been broken by his fall4 ,when the artisan scanned ,joab's weapon1 he started back--he had never seen a sword like it4 ,he forged a new one1 which snapped in two almost at once when ,joab grasped it firmly4 ,so it happened with a second sword1 and with a third4 ,finally he succeeded in fashioning one that was acceptable4 ,joab asked the smith whom he would like him to slay with the sword1 and the reply was1 ,joab1 the general of the ,israelitish king4 ,i am he1 said ,joab1 and when the smith in astonishment turned to look at him1 ,joab ran him through so skillfully that the victim had no realization of what was happening4 ,thereupon he hewed down five hundred ,amalekite warriors whom he met on his way1 and not one escaped to betray him4 ,the rumor arose that ,asmodeus1 the king of demons1 was raging among the inhabitants of the city1 and slaying them in large numbers4 ,after another period of ten days1 which he spent in retirement with his hosts1 ,joab sallied forth a second time1 and caused such bloodshed among the ,amalekites that his gory weapon clave to his hand1 and his right hand lost all power of independent motion1 it could be made to move only in a piece with his arm4 ,he hastened to his lodging place to apply hot water to his hand and free it from the sword4 ,on his way thither the woman who had caught him up when he fell into the city called to him3 ,thou eatest and drinkest with us1 yet thou slayest our warriors4 ,seeing himself betrayed1 he could not but kill the woman4 ,scarcely had his sword touched her1 when it was separated from his hand1 and his hand could move freely1 for the dead woman had been with child1 and the blood of the unborn babe loosed the sword4 ,after ,joab had slain thousands1 the ,israelites without1 at the very moment when they were beginning to mourn their general as dead1 saw blood issue from the city1 and joyfully they cried out with one accord3 ,hear1 ,o ,israel1 the ,lord is our ,god1 the ,lord is ,one4 ,joab mounted a high tower1 and in stentorian tones shouted3 ,the ,lord will not forsake his people4 ,inspired with high and daring courage1 the ,israelites demanded permission to assault the city and capture it4 ,as ,joab turned to descend from the tower1 he noticed that six verses of a ,psalm were inscribed on his foot1 the first verse running thus3 ,the ,lord answers thee in the day of trouble1 the name of the ,god of ,jacob is thy defense4 ,later ,david added three verses and completed the ,psalm4 ,thereupon the ,israelites took the ,amalekite capital1 destroyed the heathen temples in the city1 and slew all its inhabitants1 except the king1 whom1 with his crown of pure gold on his head1 they brought before ,david4 7#gg7 ,,david',s ,,piety ,,and ,,his ,,sin ,neither his great achievements in war nor his remarkable good fortune moved ,david from his pious ways1 or in aught changed his mode of life4 ,even after he became king he sat at the feet of his teachers1 ,ira the ,jairite 7#gh7 and ,mephibosheth4 ,to the latter he always submitted his decisions on religious questions1 to make sure that they were in accordance with law4 7#gi7 ,whatever leisure time his royal duties afforded him1 he spent in study and prayer4 ,he contented himself with sixty breaths of sleep4 7#hj7 ,at midnight the strings of his harp1 7#ha7 which were made of the gut of the ram sacrificed by ,abraham on ,mount ,moriah1 7#hb7 began to vibrate4 ,the sound they emitted awakened ,david1 and he would arise at once to devote himself to the study of the ,torah4 7#hc7 ,besides study1 the composition of psalms naturally claimed a goodly portion of his time4 ,pride filled his heart when he had completed the ,psalter1 and he exclaimed3 ,o ,lord of the world1 is there another creature in the universe who like me proclaims thy praise8 ,a frog came up to the king1 and said3 ,be not so proud2 ,i have composed more psalms than thou1 and1 besides1 every psalm my mouth has uttered ,i have accompanied with three thousand parables4 7#hd7 ,and1 truly1 if ,david indulged in conceit1 it was only for a moment4 ,as a rule he was the exemplar of modesty4 ,the coins which were stamped by him bore a shepherd's crook and pouch on the obverse1 and on the reverse the ,tower of ,david4 7#he7 ,in other respects1 too1 his bearing was humble1 as though he were still the shepherd and not the king4 7#hf7 ,his great piety invested his prayer with such efficacy that he could bring things in heaven down to earth4 7#hg7 ,it is natural that so godly a king should have used the first respite granted by his wars to carry out his design of erecting a house of worship to ,god4 ,but in the very night in which ,david conceived the plan of building the ,temple1 ,god said to ,nathan the prophet3 ,hasten to ,david4 ,i know him to be a man with whom execution follows fast upon the heels of thought1 and ,i should not like him to hire laborers for the ,temple work1 and then1 disappointed1 complain of me4 ,i furthermore know him to be a man who obligates himself by vows to do good deeds1 and ,i desire to spare him the embarrassment of having to apply to the ,sanhedrin for absolution from his vow4 7#hh7 ,when ,david heard ,nathan's message for him1 he began to tremble1 and he said3 ,ah1 verily1 ,god hath found me unworthy to erect ,his sanctuary4 ,but ,god replied with these words3 ,nay1 the blood shed by thee ,i consider as sacrificial blood1 but ,i do not care to have thee build the ,temple1 because then it would be eternal and indestructible4 ,but that would be excellent1 said ,david4 ,whereupon the reply was vouchsafed him3 ,i foresee that ,israel will commit sins4 ,i shall wreak ,my wrath upon the ,temple1 and ,israel will be saved from annihilation4 ,however1 thy good intentions shall receive their due reward4 ,the ,temple1 though it be built by ,solomon1 shall be called thine4 7#hi7 ,david's thinking and planning were wholly given to what is good and noble4 ,he is one of the few pious men over whom the evil inclination had no power4 7#ij7 ,by nature he was not disposed to commit such evil-doing as his relation to ,bath-sheba involved4 ,god ,himself brought him to his crime1 that ,he might say to other sinners3 ,go to ,david and learn how to repent4 7#ia7 ,nor1 indeed1 may ,david be charged with gross murder and adultery4 ,there were extenuating circumstances4 ,in those days it was customary for warriors to give their wives bills of divorce1 which were to have validity only if the soldier husbands did not return at the end of the campaign4 ,uriah having fallen in battle1 ,bath-sheba was a regularly divorced woman4 ,as for the death of her husband1 it cannot be laid entirely at ,david's door1 for ,uriah had incurred the death penalty by his refusal to take his ease in his own house1 according to the king's bidding4 7#ib7 ,moreover1 from the first1 ,bath-sheba had been destined by ,god for ,david1 but by way of punishment for having lightly promised ,uriah the ,hittite an ,israelitish woman to wife1 in return for his aid in unfastening the armor of the prostrate ,goliath1 the king had to undergo bitter trials before he won her4 7#ic7 ,furthermore1 the ,bath-sheba episode was a punishment for ,david's excessive self-consciousness4 ,he had fairly besought ,god to lead him into temptation1 that he might give proof of his constancy4 ,it came about thus3 ,he once complained to ,god3 ,o ,lord of the world1 why do people say ,god of ,abraham1 ,god of ,isaac1 ,god of ,jacob1 and why not ,god of ,david8 ,the answer came3 ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob were tried by me1 but thou hast not yet been proved4 ,david entreated3 ,then examine me1 ,o ,lord1 and try me4 ,and ,god said3 ,i shall prove thee1 and ,i shall even grant thee what ,i did not grant the ,patriarchs4 ,i shall tell thee beforehand that thou wilt fall into temptation through a woman4 ,once ,satan appeared to him in the shape of a bird4 ,david threw a dart at him4 ,instead of striking ,satan1 it glanced off and broke a wicker screen which hid ,bath-sheba combing her hair4 ,the sight of her aroused passion in the king4 7#id7 ,david realized his transgression1 and for twenty-two years he was a penitent4 ,daily he wept a whole hour and ate his bread with ashes4 7#ie7 ,but he had to undergo still heavier penance4 ,for a half-year he suffered with leprosy1 and even the ,sanhedrin1 which usually was in close personal attendance upon him1 had to leave him4 ,he lived not only in physical1 but also in spiritual isolation1 for the ,shekinah departed from him during that time4 7#if7 ,,absalom',s ,,rebellion ,of all the punishments1 however1 inflicted upon ,david1 none was so severe as the rebellion of his own son4 ,absalom was of such gigantic proportions that a man who was himself of extraordinary size1 standing in the eye-socket of his skull1 sank in down to his nose4 7#ig7 ,as for his marvellous hair1 the account of it in the ,bible does not convey a notion of its abundance4 ,absalom had taken the vow of a ,nazarite4 ,as his vow was for life1 and because the growth of his hair was particularly heavy1 the law permitted him to clip it slightly every week4 7#ih7 ,it was of this small quantity that the weight amounted to two hundred shekels4 ,absalom arranged for his audacious rebellion with great cunning4 ,he secured a letter from his royal father empowering him to select two elders for his suite in every town he visited4 ,with this document he travelled through the whole of ,palestine4 ,in each town he went to the two most distinguished men1 and invited them to accompany him1 at the same time showing them what his father had written1 and assuring them that they had been chosen by him because he had a particular affection for them4 ,so he succeeded in gathering the presidents of two hundred courts about him4 ,this having been accomplished1 he arranged a large banquet1 at which he seated one of his emissaries between every two of his guests1 for the purpose of winning them over to his cause4 ,the plan did not succeed wholly1 for1 though the elders of the towns stood by ,absalom1 in their hearts they hoped for ,david's victory4 7#ii7 ,the knowledge that a part of ,absalom's following sided with him in secret1--that1 though he was pursued by his son1 his friends remained true to him1--somewhat consoled ,david in his distress4 ,he thought that in these circumstances1 if the worst came to the worst1 ,absalom would at least feel pity for him4 7#ajj7 ,at first1 however1 the despair of ,david knew no bounds4 ,he was on the point of worshipping an idol1 when his friend ,hushai the ,archite approached him1 saying3 ,the people will wonder that such a king should serve idols4 ,david replied3 ,should a king such as ,i am be killed by his own son8 ,it is better for me to serve idols than that ,god should be held responsible for my misfortune1 and ,his ,name thus be desecrated4 ,hushai reproached him3 ,why didst thou marry a captive8 ,there is no wrong in that1 replied ,david1 it is permitted according to the law4 ,thereupon ,hushai3 ,but thou didst disregard the connection between the passage permitting it and the one that follows almost immediately after it in the ,scriptures1 dealing with the disobedient and rebellious son1 the natural issue of such a marriage4 7#aja7 ,hushai was not the only faithful friend and adherent ,david had4 ,some came to his rescue unexpectedly1 as1 for instance1 ,shobi1 the son of ,nahash1 who is identical with the ,ammonite king ,hanun1 the enemy of ,david at first1 and later his ally4 7#ajb7 ,barzillai1 another one of his friends in need1 also surprised him by his loyalty1 for on the whole his moral attitude was not the highest conceivable4 7#ajc7 ,absalom's end was beset with terrors4 ,when he was caught in the branches of the oak-tree1 he was about to sever his hair with a sword stroke1 but suddenly he saw hell yawning beneath him1 and he preferred to hang in the tree to throwing himself into the abyss alive4 7#ajd7 ,absalom's crime was1 indeed1 of a nature to deserve the supreme torture1 for which reason he is one of the few ,jews who have no portion in the world to come4 7#aje7 ,his abode is in hell1 where he is charged with the control of ten heathen nations in the second division4 ,whenever the avenging angels sit in judgment on the nations1 they desire to visit punishment on ,absalom1 too1 but each time a heavenly voice is heard to call out3 ,do not chastise him1 do not burn him4 ,he is an ,israelite1 the son of ,my servant ,david4 ,whereupon ,absalom is set upon his throne1 and is accorded the treatment due to a king4 7#ajf7 ,that the extreme penalties of hell were thus averted from him1 was on account of ,david's eightfold repetition of his son's name in his lament over him4 ,besides1 ,david's intercession had the effect of re-attaching ,absalom's severed head to his body4 7#ajg7 ,at his death ,absalom was childless1 for all his children1 his three sons and his daughter1 died before him1 as a punishment for his having set fire to a field of grain belonging to ,joab4 7#ajh7 ,,david',s ,,atonement ,all these sufferings did not suffice to atone for ,david's sin4 ,god once said to him3 ,how much longer shall this sin be hidden in thy hand and remain unatoned8 ,on thy account the priestly city of ,nob was destroyed1 7#aji7 on thy account ,doeg the ,edomite was cast out of the communion of the pious1 and on thy account ,saul and his three sons were slain4 ,what dost thou desire now--that thy house should perish1 or that thou thyself shouldst be delivered into the hands of thine enemies8 ,david chose the latter doom4 ,it happened one day when he was hunting1 ,satan1 in the guise of a deer1 enticed him further and further1 into the very territory of the ,philistines1 where he was recognized by ,ishbi the giant1 the brother of ,goliath1 his adversary4 ,desirous of avenging his brother1 he seized ,david1 and cast him into a winepress1 where the king would have suffered a torturous end1 if by a miracle the earth beneath him had not begun to sink1 and so saved him from instantaneous death4 ,his plight1 however1 remained desperate1 and it required a second miracle to rescue him4 ,in that hour ,abishai1 the cousin of ,david1 was preparing for the advent of the ,sabbath1 for the king's misfortune happened on ,friday as the ,sabbath was about to come in4 ,when ,abishai poured out water to wash himself1 he suddenly caught sight of drops of blood in it4 ,then he was startled by a dove that came to him plucking out her plumes1 and moaning and wailing4 ,abishai exclaimed3 ,the dove is the symbol of the people of ,israel4 ,it cannot be but that ,david1 the king of ,israel1 is in distress4 ,not finding the king at home1 he was confirmed in his fears1 and he determined to go on a search for ,david on the swiftest animal at his command1 the king's own saddle-beast4 ,but first he had to obtain the permission of the sages to mount the animal ridden by the king1 for the law forbids a subject to avail himself of things set aside for the personal use of a king4 ,only the impending danger could justify the exception made in this case4 ,scarcely had ,abishai mounted the king's animal1 when he found himself in the land of the ,philistines1 for the earth had contracted miraculously4 ,he met ,orpah1 the mother of the four giant sons4 ,she was about to kill him1 but he anticipated the blow and slew her4 ,ishbi1 seeing that he now had two opponents1 stuck his lance into the ground1 and hurled ,david up in the air1 in the expectation that when he fell he would be transfixed by the lance4 ,at that moment ,abishai appeared1 and by pronouncing the ,name of ,god he kept ,david suspended 'twixt heaven and earth4 ,abishai questioned ,david how such evil plight had overtaken him1 and ,david told him of his conversation with ,god1 and how he himself had chosen to fall into the hands of the enemy1 rather than permit the ruin of his house4 ,abishai replied3 ,reverse thy prayer1 plead for thyself1 and not for thy descendants4 ,let thy children sell wax1 and do thou not afflict thyself about their destiny4 ,the two men joined their prayers1 and pleaded with ,god to avert ,david's threatening doom4 ,abishai again uttered the ,name of ,god1 and ,david dropped to earth uninjured4 ,now both of them ran away swiftly1 pursued by ,ishbi4 ,when the giant heard of his mother's death1 his strength forsook him1 and he was slain by ,david and ,abishai4 7#aaj7 ,,visitations ,among the sorrows of ,david are the visitations that came upon ,palestine during his reign1 and he felt them all the more as he had incurred them through his own fault4 ,there was first the famine1 which was so desolating that it is counted among the ten severest that are to happen from the time of ,adam to the time of the ,messiah4 7#aaa7 ,during the first year that it prevailed1 ,david had an investigation set on foot to discover whether idolatry was practiced in the land1 and was keeping back the rain4 ,his suspicion proved groundless4 ,the second year he looked into the moral conditions of his realm1 for lewdness can bring about the same punishment as idolatry4 ,again he was proved wrong4 ,the third year1 he turned his attention to the administration of charity4 ,perhaps the people had incurred guilt in this respect1 for abuses in this department also were visited with the punishment of famine4 7#aab7 ,again his search was fruitless1 and he turned to ,god to inquire of ,him the cause of the public distress4 ,god's reply was3 ,was not ,saul a king anointed with holy oil1 did he not abolish idolatry1 is he not the companion of ,samuel in ,paradise8 ,yet1 while you all dwell in the land of ,israel1 he is 'outside of the land4' ,david1 accompanied by the scholars and the nobles of his kingdom1 at once repaired to ,jabesh-gilead1 disinterred the remains of ,saul and ,jonathan1 and in solemn procession bore them through the whole land of ,israel to the inheritance of the tribe of ,benjamin4 ,there they were buried4 ,the tributes of affection paid by the people of ,israel to its dead king aroused the compassion of ,god1 and the famine came to an end4 7#aac7 ,the sin against ,saul was now absolved1 but there still remained ,saul's own guilt in his dealings with the ,gibeonites1 who charged him with having killed seven of their number4 ,david asked ,god why ,he had punished ,his people on account of proselytes4 ,god's answer to him was3 ,if thou dost not bring near them that are far off1 thou wilt remove them that are near by4 ,to satisfy their vengeful feelings1 the ,gibeonites demanded the life of seven members of ,saul's family4 ,david sought to mollify them1 representing to them that they would derive no benefit from the death of their victims1 and offering them silver and gold instead4 ,but though ,david treated with each one of them individually1 the ,gibeonites were relentless4 ,when he realized their hardness of heart1 he cried out3 ,three qualities ,god gave unto ,israel2 they are compassionate1 chaste1 and gracious in the service of their fellow-men4 ,the first of these qualities the ,gibeonites do not possess1 and therefore they must be excluded from communion with ,israel4 7#aad7 ,the seven descendants of ,saul to be surrendered to the ,gibeonites were determined by letting all his posterity pass by the ,ark of the law4 ,those who were arrested before it were the designated victims4 ,mephibosheth would have been one of the unfortunates1 had he not been permitted to pass by unchecked in answer to the prayer of ,david1 7#aae7 to whom he was dear1 not only as the son of his friend ,jonathan1 but also as the teacher who instructed him in the ,torah4 7#aaf7 ,the cruel fate that befell the descendants of ,saul had a wholesome effect4 ,all the heathen who saw and heard exclaimed3 ,there is no ,god like unto the ,god of ,israel1 there is no nation like unto the nation of ,israel2 the wrong inflicted upon wretched proselytes has been expiated by the sons of kings4 ,so great was the enthusiasm among the heathen over this manifestation of the ,jewish sense of justice that one hundred and fifty thousand of them were converted to ,judaism4 7#aag7 ,as for ,david1 his wrong in connection with the famine lay in his not having applied his private wealth to the amelioration of the people's suffering4 ,when ,david returned victorious from the combat with ,goliath1 the women of ,israel gave him their gold and silver ornaments4 ,he put them aside for use in building the ,temple1 and even during the three years' famine this fund was not touched4 ,god said3 ,thou didst refrain from rescuing human beings from death1 in order to save thy money for the ,temple4 ,verily1 the ,temple shall not be built by thee1 but by ,solomon4 7#aah7 ,david is still more blameworthy on account of the census which he took of the ,israelites in defiance of the law in the ,pentateuch4 ,when he was charged by the king with the task of numbering the people1 ,joab used every effort to turn him away from his intention4 ,but in vain4 ,incensed1 ,david said3 ,either thou art king and ,i am the general1 or ,i am king and thou art the general4 ,joab had no choice but to obey4 ,he selected the tribe of ,gad as the first to be counted1 because he thought that the ,gadites1 independent and self-willed1 would hinder the execution of the royal order1 and ,david would be forced to give up his plan of taking a census4 ,the ,gadites disappointed the expectations of ,joab1 and he betook himself to the tribe of ,dan1 hoping that if ,god's punishment descended1 it would strike the idolatrous ,danites4 ,disliking his mission as he did1 ,joab spent nine months in executing it1 though he might have dispatched it in a much shorter time4 ,nor did he carry out the king's orders to the letter4 ,he himself warned the people of the census4 ,if he saw the father of a family of five sons1 he would bid him conceal a few of them4 ,following the example set by ,moses1 he omitted the ,levites from the enumeration1 likewise the tribe of ,benjamin1 because he entertained particularly grave apprehensions in behalf of this greatly decimated tribe4 7#aai7 ,in the end1 ,david was not informed of the actual number obtained4 ,joab made two lists1 intending to give the king a partial list if he found that he had no suspicion of the ruse4 7#abj7 ,the prophet ,gad came to ,david and gave him the choice of famine1 oppression by enemies1 or the plague1 as the penalty for the heavy crime of popular census-taking4 ,david was in the position of a sick man who is asked whether he prefers to be buried next to his father or next to his mother4 ,the king considered3 ,if ,i choose the calamities of war1 the people will say1 ',he cares little1 he has his warriors to look to4' ,if ,i choose famine1 they will say1 ',he cares little1 he has his riches to look to4' ,i shall choose the plague1 whose scourge strikes all alike4 7#aba7 ,although the plague raged but a very short time1 7#abb7 it claimed a large number of victims4 ,the most serious loss was the death of ,abishai1 whose piety and learning made him the counterpoise of a host of seventy-five thousand4 7#abc7 ,david raised his eyes on high1 and he saw the sins of ,israel heaped up from earth to heaven4 ,in the same moment an angel descended1 and slew his four sons1 the prophet ,gad1 and the elders who accompanied him4 ,david's terror at this sight1 which was but increased when the angel wiped his dripping sword on the king's garments1 settled in his limbs1 and from that day on they never ceased to tremble4 7#abd7 ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,david ,david once besought ,god to tell him when he would die4 ,his petition was not granted1 for ,god has ordained that no man shall foreknow his end4 ,one thing1 however1 was revealed to ,david1 that his death would occur at the age of seventy on the ,sabbath day4 ,david desired that he might be permitted to die on ,friday4 ,this wish1 too1 was denied him1 because ,god said that ,he delighted more in one day passed by ,david in the study of the ,torah1 than in a thousand holocausts offered by ,solomon in the ,temple4 ,then ,david petitioned that life might be vouchsafed him until ,sunday2 this1 too1 was refused1 because ,god said it would be an infringement of the rights of ,solomon1 for one reign may not overlap by a hairbreadth the time assigned to another4 ,thereafter ,david spent every ,sabbath exclusively in the study of the ,torah1 in order to secure himself against the ,angel of ,death1 who has no power to slay a man while he is occupied with the fulfillment of ,god's commandments4 ,the ,angel of ,death had to resort to cunning to gain possession of ,david4 7#abe7 ,one ,sabbath day1 which happened to be also the ,pentecost holiday1 7#abf7 the king was absorbed in study1 when he heard a sound in the garden4 ,he rose and descended the stairway leading from his palace to the garden1 to discover the cause of the noise4 ,no sooner had he set foot on the steps than they tumbled in1 and ,david was killed4 ,the ,angel of ,death had caused the noise in order to utilize the moment when ,david should interrupt his study4 ,the king's corpse could not be moved on the ,sabbath1 which was painful to those with him1 as it was lying exposed to the rays of the sun4 ,so ,solomon summoned several eagles1 and they stood guard over the body1 shading it with their outstretched pinions4 7#abg7 ,,david ,,in ,,paradise ,the death of ,david did not mean the end of his glory and grandeur4 ,it merely caused a change of scene4 ,in the heavenly realm as on earth ,david ranks among the first4 ,the crown upon his head outshines all others1 and whenever he moves out of ,paradise to present himself before ,god1 suns1 stars1 angels1 seraphim1 and other holy beings run to meet him4 ,in the heavenly court-room a throne of fire of gigantic dimensions is erected for him directly opposite to the throne of ,god4 ,seated on this throne and surrounded by the kings of the house of ,david and other ,israelitish kings1 he intones wondrously beautiful psalms4 ,at the end he always cites the verse3 ,the ,lord reigns forever and ever1 to which the archangel ,metatron and those with him reply3 ,holy1 holy1 holy1 is the ,lord of hosts6 ,this is the signal for the holy ,hayyot and heaven and earth to join in with praise4 ,finally the kings of the house of ,david sing the verse3 ,and the ,lord shall be king over all2 in that day shall the ,lord be one1 and ,his name one4 7#abh7 ,the greatest distinction to be accorded ,david is reserved for the judgment day1 when ,god will prepare a great banquet in ,paradise for all the righteous4 ,at ,david's petition1 ,god ,himself will be present at the banquet1 and will sit on ,his throne1 opposite to which ,david's throne will be placed4 ,at the end of the banquet1 ,god will pass the wine cup over which grace is said1 to ,abraham1 with the words3 ,pronounce the blessing over the wine1 thou who art the father of the pious of the world4 ,abraham will reply3 ,i am not worthy to pronounce the blessing1 for ,i am the father also of the ,ishmaelites1 who kindle ,god's wrath4 ,god will then turn to ,isaac3 ,say the blessing1 for thou wert bound upon the altar as a sacrifice4 ,i am not worthy1 he will reply1 for the children of my son ,esau destroyed the ,temple4 ,then to ,jacob3 ,do thou speak the blessing1 thou whose children were blameless4 ,jacob also will decline the honor on the ground that he was married to two sisters at the same time1 which later was strictly prohibited by the ,torah4 ,god will then turn to ,moses3 ,say the blessing1 for thou didst receive the law and didst fulfil its precepts4 ,moses will answer3 ,i am not worthy to do it1 seeing that ,i was not found worthy to enter the ,holy ,land4 ,god will next offer the honor to ,joshua1 who both led ,israel into the ,holy ,land1 and fulfilled the commandments of the law4 ,he1 too1 will refuse to pronounce the blessing1 because he was not found worthy to bring forth a son4 ,finally ,god will turn to ,david with the words3 ,take the cup and say the blessing1 thou the sweetest singer in ,israel and ,israel's king4 ,and ,david will reply3 ',yes1 ,i will pronounce the blessing1 for ,i am worthy of the honor4' 7#abi7 ,then ,god will take the ,torah and read various passages from it1 and ,david will recite a psalm in which both the pious in ,paradise and the wicked in hell will join with a loud ,amen4 ,thereupon ,god will send his angels to lead the wicked from hell to ,paradise4 7#acj7 ,,the ,,family ,,of ,,david ,david had six wives1 including ,michal1 the daughter of ,saul1 who is called by the pet name ,eglah1 ,calfkin1 in the list given in the ,bible narrative4 7#aca7 ,michal was of entrancing beauty1 7#acb7 and at the same time the model of a loving wife4 ,not only did she save ,david out of the hands of her father1 but also1 when ,saul1 as her father and her king1 commanded her to marry another man1 she acquiesced only apparently4 ,she entered into a mock marriage in order not to arouse the anger of ,saul1 who had annulled her union with ,david on grounds which he thought legal4 ,michal was good as well as beautiful2 she showed such extraordinary kindness to the orphan children of her sister ,merab that the ,bible speaks of the five sons of ,michal whom she bore to ,adriel4 ,adriel1 however1 was her brother-in-law and not her husband1 but she had raised his children1 treating them as though they were her own4 7#acc7 ,michal was no less a model of piety4 ,although the law exempted her1 as a woman1 from the duty1 still she executed the commandment of using phylacteries4 7#acd7 ,in spite of all these virtues1 she was severely punished by ,god for her scorn of ,david1 whom she reproached with lack of dignity1 when he had in mind only to do honor to ,god4 ,long she remained childless1 and at last1 when she was blessed with a child1 she lost her own life in giving birth to it4 7#ace7 ,but the most important among the wives of ,david was ,abigail1 in whom beauty1 wisdom1 and prophetical gifts were joined4 ,with ,sarah1 ,rahab1 and ,esther1 she forms the quartet of the most beautiful women in history4 ,she was so bewitching that passion was aroused in men by the mere thought of her4 7#acf7 ,her cleverness showed itself during her first meeting with ,david1 when1 though anxious about the life of her husband ,nabal1 she still1 with the utmost tranquility1 put a ritual question to him in his rage4 ,he refused to answer it1 because1 he said1 it was a question to be investigated by day1 not by night4 ,thereupon ,abigail interposed1 that sentence of death likewise may be passed upon a man only during the day4 ,even if ,david's judgment were right1 the law required him to wait until daybreak to execute it upon ,nabal4 ,david's objection1 that a rebel like ,nabal had no claim upon due process of law1 she overruled with the words3 ,saul is still alive1 and thou art not yet acknowledged king by the world4 ,her charm would have made ,david her captive on this occasion1 if her moral strength had not kept him in check4 ,by means of the expression1 ,and this shall not be unto thee1 she made him understand that the day had not yet arrived1 but that it would come1 when a woman1 ,bath-sheba1 would play a disastrous part in his life4 ,thus she manifested her gift of prophecy4 ,not even ,abigail was free from the feminine weakness of coquetry4 ,the words remember thine handmaid should never have been uttered by her4 ,as a married woman1 she should not have sought to direct the attention of a man to herself4 7#acg7 ,in the women's ,paradise she supervises the fifth of the seven divisions into which it is divided1 and her domain adjoins that of the wives of the ,patriarchs1 ,sarah1 ,rebekah1 ,rachel1 and ,leah4 7#ach7 ,among the sons of ,david1 ,adonijah1 the son of ,haggith1 must be mentioned particularly1 the pretender to the throne4 ,the fifty men whom he prepared to run before him had fitted themselves for the place of heralds by cutting out their spleen and the flesh of the soles of their feet4 ,that ,adonijah was not designated for the royal dignity1 was made manifest by the fact that the crown of ,david did not fit him4 ,this crown had the remarkable peculiarity of always fitting the legitimate king of the house of ,david4 7#aci7 ,chileab was a son worthy of his mother ,abigail4 ,the meaning of his name is like the father1 which had been given him because of his striking resemblance to ,david in appearance1 a circumstance that silenced the talk against ,david's all too hasty marriage with the widow of ,nabal4 7#adj7 ,intellectually1 too1 ,chileab testified to ,david's paternity4 ,in fact1 he excelled his father in learning1 as he did even the teacher of ,david1 ,mephibosheth1 the son of ,jonathan4 7#ada7 ,on account of his piety he is one of the few who have entered ,paradise alive4 7#adb7 ,tamar cannot be called one of the children of ,david1 because she was born before her mother's conversion to ,judaism4 ,consequently1 her relation to ,amnon is not quite of the grave nature it would have been1 had they been sister and brother in the strict sense of the terms4 ,to the immediate household of ,david belonged four hundred young squires1 the sons of women taken captive in battle4 ,they wore their hair in heathen fashion1 and1 sitting in golden chariots1 they formed the vanguard of the army1 and terrified the enemy by their appearance4 7#adc7 ,,his ,,tomb ,when ,david was buried1 ,solomon put abundant treasures into his tomb4 ,thirteen hundred years later the high priest ,hyrcanus took a thousand talents of the money secreted there to use it in preventing the siege of ,jerusalem by the ,greek king ,antiochus4 ,king ,herod also abstracted great sums4 ,but none of the marauders could penetrate to the resting-place of the kings1--next to ,david his successors were interred1--for it was sunk into the earth so skillfully that it could not be found4 7#add7 ,once on a time1 a ,moslem pasha visited the mausoleum1 and as he was looking through the window in it1 a weapon of his ornamented with diamonds and pearls dropped into the tomb4 ,a ,mohammedan was lowered through the window to fetch the weapon4 ,when he was drawn up again1 he was dead1 and three other ,mohammedans who tried to enter in the same way met the fate of their comrade4 ,at the instigation of the kadi1 the pasha informed the ,rabbi of ,jerusalem that the ,jews would be held responsible for the restoration of the weapon4 ,the ,rabbi ordered a three days' fast1 to be spent in prayer4 ,then lots were cast to designate the messenger who was to be charged with the perilous errand4 ,the lot fell upon the beadle of the synagogue1 a pious and upright man4 ,he secured the weapon1 and returned it to the pasha1 who manifested his gratitude by kindly treatment of the ,jews thereafter4 ,the beadle later told his adventures in the tomb to the ,hakam ,bashi4 ,when he had descended1 there suddenly appeared before him an old man of dignified appearance1 and handed him what he was seeking4 7#ade7 ,another miraculous tale concerning the tomb of ,david runs as follows3 ,a poor but very pious ,jewish washerwoman was once persuaded by the keeper of the tomb to enter it4 ,hardly was she within1 when the man nailed up the entrance1 and ran to the kadi to inform him that a ,jewess had gone in4 ,incensed1 the kadi hastened to the spot1 with the intention of having the woman burnt for her presumptuousness4 ,in her terror the poor creature had begun to weep and implore ,god for help4 ,suddenly a flood of light illumined the dark tomb1 and a venerable old man took her by the hand1 and led her downward under the earth until she reached the open4 ,there he parted from her with the words3 ,hasten homeward1 and let none know that thou wert away from thy house4 ,the kadi had the tomb and its surroundings thoroughly searched by his bailiffs1 but not a trace of the woman could be discovered1 although the keeper again and again swore by the ,prophet that the woman had entered4 ,now the messengers whom the kadi had sent to the house of the woman returned1 and reported they had found her washing busily1 and greatly astonished at their question1 whether she had been at the tomb of ,david4 ,the kadi accordingly decided that for his false statements and his perjury1 the keeper must die the very death intended for the innocent woman1 and so he was burnt4 ,the people of ,jerusalem suspected a miracle1 but the woman did not divulge her secret until a few hours before her death4 ,she told her story1 and then bequeathed her possessions to the congregation1 under the condition that a scholar recite ,kaddish for her on each anniversary of her death4 7#adf7 ,v4 ,,solomon ,,solomon ,,punishes ,,joab ,at the youthful age of twelve 7#a7 ,solomon succeeded his father ,david as king4 ,his real name was ,jedidiah1 the friend of ,god1 but it was superseded by the name ,solomon on account of the peace that prevailed throughout the realm during his reign4 ,he bore three other names besides3 ,ben1 ,jakeh1 and ,ithiel4 ,he was called ,ben because he was the builder of the ,temple2 ,jakeh1 because he was the ruler of the whole world2 and ,ithiel1 because ,god was with him4 7#b7 ,the rebellion ,adonijah intended to lead against the future king was suppressed during ,david's lifetime1 by having ,solomon anointed in public4 ,on that occasion ,solomon rode upon a remarkable she-mule1 remarkable because she was not the product of cross-breeding1 but of a special act of creation4 7#c7 ,as soon as he ascended the throne1 ,solomon set about executing the instructions his father had given him on his death-bed4 ,the first of them was the punishment of ,joab4 7#d7 ,notwithstanding all his excellent qualities1 which fitted him to be not only ,david's first general1 but also the president of the ,academy1 7#e7 ,joab had committed great crimes1 which had to be atoned for4 ,beside the murder of ,abner 7#f7 and ,amasa of which he was guilty1 he had incurred wrong against ,david himself4 ,the generals of the army suspected him of having had ,uriah the ,hittite put out of the way for purposes of his own1 whereupon he showed them ,david's letter dooming ,uriah4 ,david might have forgiven ,joab1 but he wanted him to expiate his sins in this world1 so that he might be exempt from punishment in the world to come4 7#g7 ,when ,joab perceived that ,solomon intended to have him executed1 he sought the protection of the ,temple4 ,he knew full well that he could not save his life in this way1 for the arm of justice reaches beyond the doors of the sanctuary1 to the altar of ,god4 ,what he wished was to be accorded a regular trial1 and not suffer death by the king's order4 ,in the latter case he would lose fortune as well as life1 and he was desirous of leaving his children well provided for4 ,thereupon ,solomon sent word to him that he had no intention of confiscating his estates4 7#h7 ,though he was convinced of ,joab's guilt1 ,solomon nevertheless granted him the privilege of defense4 ,the king questioned him3 ,why didst thou kill ,abner8 ,joab3 ,i was the avenger of my brother ,asahel1 whom ,abner had slain4 ,solomon3 ,why1 it was ,asahel who sought to kill ,abner1 and ,abner acted in self-defense4 ,joab3 ,abner might have disabled ,asahel without going to extremes4 ,solomon3 ,that ,abner could not do4 ,joab3 ,what6 ,abner aimed directly at ,asahel's fifth rib1 and thou wouldst say he could not have managed to wound him lightly8 ,solomon3 ,very well1 then1 we shall drop ,abner's case4 ,but why didst thou slay ,amasa8 ,joab3 ,he acted rebelliously toward ,king ,david4 ,he omitted to execute his order to gather an army within three days2 for that offense he deserved to suffer the death penalty4 ,solomon3 ,amasa failed to obey the king's order1 because he had been taught by our sages that even a king's injunctions may be set at defiance if they involve neglect of the study of the ,torah1 which was the case with the order given to ,amasa4 ,and1 indeed1 continued ,solomon1 it was not ,amasa but thou thyself who didst rebel against the king1 for thou wert about to join ,absalom1 and if thou didst refrain1 it was from fear of ,david's strong-fisted troops4 7#i7 ,when ,joab saw that death was inevitable1 he said to ,benaiah1 who was charged with the execution of the king's order3 ,tell ,solomon he cannot inflict two punishments upon me4 ,if he expects to take my life1 he must remove the curse pronounced by ,david against me and my descendants on account of the slaying of ,abner4 ,if not1 he cannot put me to death4 ,solomon realized the justness of the plea4 ,by executing ,joab1 he transferred ,david's curse to his own posterity3 ,rehoboam1 his son1 was afflicted with an issue2 ,uzziah suffered with leprosy2 ,asa had to lean on a staff when he walked2 the pious ,josiah fell by the sword of ,pharaoh1 and ,jeconiah lived off charity4 ,so the imprecations of ,david were accomplished on his own family instead of ,joab's4 7#aj7 ,,the ,,marriage ,,of ,,solomon ,the next to suffer ,joab's fate was ,shimei ben ,gera1 whose treatment of ,david had outraged every feeling of decency4 ,his death was of evil portent for ,solomon himself4 ,so long as ,shimei1 who was ,solomon's teacher1 was alive1 he did not venture to marry the daughter of ,pharaoh4 ,when1 after ,shimei's death1 ,solomon took her to wife1 the archangel ,gabriel descended from heaven1 and inserted a reed in the sea4 ,about this reed more and more earth was gradually deposited1 and1 on the day on which ,jeroboam erected the golden calves1 a little hut was built upon the island4 ,this was the first of the dwelling-places of ,rome4 7#aa7 ,solomon's wedding-feast in celebration of his marriage with the ,egyptian princess came on the same day as the consecration of the ,temple4 7#ab7 ,the rejoicing over the king's marriage was greater than over the completion of the ,temple4 ,as the proverb has it3 ,all pay flattery to a king4 ,then it was that ,god conceived the plan of destroying ,jerusalem4 ,it was as the prophet spoke3 ,this city hath been to me a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day4 ,in the nuptial night ,pharaoh's daughter had her attendants play upon a thousand different musical instruments1 which she had brought with her from her home1 and as each was used1 the name of the idol to which it was dedicated was mentioned aloud4 ,the better to hold the king under the spell of her charms1 she spread above his bed a tapestry cover studded with diamonds and pearls1 which gleamed and glittered like constellations in the sky4 ,whenever ,solomon wanted to rise1 he saw these stars1 and thinking it was night still1 he slept on until the fourth hour of the morning4 ,the people were plunged in grief1 for the daily sacrifice could not be brought on this very morning of the ,temple dedication1 because the ,temple keys lay under ,solomon's pillow1 and none dared awaken him4 ,word was sent to ,bath-sheba1 who forthwith aroused her son1 and rebuked him for his sloth4 ,thy father1 she said1 was known to all as a ,god-fearing man1 and now people will say1 ',solomon is the son of ,bath-sheba1 it is his mother's fault if he goes wrong4' ,whenever thy father's wives were pregnant1 they offered vows and prayed that a son worthy to reign might be born unto them4 ,but my prayer was for a learned son worthy of the gift of prophecy4 ,take care1 'give not thy strength unto women nor thy ways to them that destroy kings1' for licentiousness confounds the reason of man4 ,keep well in mind the things that are necessary in the life of a king4 7#ac7 ',not kings1 ,lemuel4' ,have naught in common with kings who say3 ',what need have we of a ,god8' ,it is not meet that thou shouldst do like the kings who drink wine and live in lewdness4 ,be not like unto them4 ,he to whom the secrets of the world are revealed1 7#ad7 should not intoxicate himself with wine4 7#ae7 ,apart from having married a ,gentile1 whose conversion to ,judaism was not dictated by pure motives1 ,solomon transgressed two other ,biblical laws4 ,he kept many horses1 which a ,jewish king ought not to do1 and1 what the law holds in equal abhorrence1 he amassed much silver and gold4 ,under ,solomon's rule silver and gold were so abundant among the people that their utensils were made of them instead of the baser metals4 7#af7 ,for all this he had to atone painfully later on4 ,,his ,,wisdom ,but ,solomon's wealth and pomp were as naught in comparison with his wisdom4 ,when ,god appeared to him in ,gibeon1 in a dream by night1 and gave him leave to ask what he would1 a grace accorded to none beside except ,king ,ahaz of ,judah1 and promised only to the ,messiah in time to come1 7#ag7 ,solomon chose wisdom1 knowing that wisdom once in his possession1 all else would come of itself4 7#ah7 ,his wisdom1 the ,scriptures testify1 was greater than the wisdom of ,ethan the ,ezrahite1 and ,heman1 and ,calcol1 and ,darda1 the three sons of ,mahol4 ,this means that he was wiser than ,abraham1 7#ai7 ,moses1 7#bj7 ,joseph1 7#ba7 and the generation of the desert4 7#bb7 ,he excelled even ,adam4 7#bc7 ,his proverbs which have come down to us are barely eight hundred in number4 ,nevertheless the ,scripture counts them equal to three thousand1 for the reason that each verse in his book admits of a double and a triple interpretation4 ,in his wisdom he analyzed the laws revealed to ,moses1 and he assigned reasons for the ritual and ceremonial ordinances of the ,torah1 which without his explanation had seemed strange4 7#bd7 ,the forty-nine gates of wisdom were open to ,solomon as they had been to ,moses1 but the wise king sought to outdo even the wise legislator4 ,he had such confidence in himself that he would have dispensed judgment without resort to witnesses1 had he not been prevented by a heavenly voice4 7#be7 ,the first proof of his wisdom was given in his verdict in the case of the child claimed by two mothers as their own4 ,when the women presented their difficulty1 the king said that ,god in ,his wisdom had foreseen that such a quarrel would arise1 and therefore had created the organs of man in pairs1 so that neither of the two parties to the dispute might be wronged4 on hearing these words from the king1 ,solomon's counsellors lamented3 ,woe to thee1 ,o land1 when thy king is a youth4 ,in a little while they realized the wisdom of the king1 and then they exclaimed3 ,happy art thou1 ,o land1 when thy king is a free man4 ,the quarrel had of set purpose been brought on by ,god to the end that ,solomon's wisdom might be made known4 ,in reality the two litigants were not women at all1 but spirits4 ,that all doubt about the fairness of the verdict might be dispelled1 a heavenly voice proclaimed3 ,this is the mother of the child4 7#bf7 ,during the lifetime of ,david1 when ,solomon was still a lad1 he had settled another difficult case in an equally brilliant way4 ,a wealthy man had sent his son on a protracted business trip to ,africa4 ,on his return he found that his father had died in the meantime1 and his treasures had passed into the possession of a crafty slave1 who had succeeded in ridding himself of all the other slaves1 or intimidating them4 ,in vain the rightful heir urged his claim before ,king ,david4 ,as he could not bring witnesses to testify for him1 there was no way of dispossessing the slave1 who likewise called himself the son of the deceased4 ,the child ,solomon heard the case1 and he devised a method of arriving at the truth4 ,he had the father's corpse exhumed1 and he dyed one of the bones with the blood first of one of the claimants1 and then of the other4 ,the blood of the slave showed no affinity with the bone1 while the blood of the true heir permeated it4 ,so the real son secured his inheritance4 7#bg7 ,after his accession to the throne1 a peculiar quarrel among heirs was brought before ,solomon for adjudication4 ,asmodeus1 the king of demons1 once said to ,solomon3 ,thou art the wisest of men1 yet ,i shall show thee something thou hast never seen4 ,thereupon ,asmodeus stuck his finger in the ground1 and up came a double-headed man4 ,he was one of the ,cainites1 who live underground1 and are altogether different in nature and habit from the denizens of the upper world4 7#bh7 ,when the ,cainite wanted to descend to his dwelling-place again1 it appeared that he could not return thither4 ,not even ,asmodeus could bring the thing about4 ,so he remained on earth1 took unto himself a wife1 and begot seven sons1 one of whom resembled his father in having two heads4 ,when the ,cainite died1 a dispute broke out among his descendants as to how the property was to be divided4 ,the double-headed son claimed two portions4 ,both ,solomon and the ,sanhedrin were at a loss2 they could not discover a precedent to guide them4 ,then ,solomon prayed to ,god3 ,o ,lord of all1 when ,thou didst appear to me in ,gibeon1 and didst give me leave to ask a gift of ,thee1 ,i desired neither silver nor gold1 but only wisdom1 that ,i might be able to judge men in justice4 ,god heard his prayer4 ,when the sons of the ,cainite again came before ,solomon1 he poured hot water on one of the heads of the double-headed monster1 whereupon both heads flinched1 and both mouths cried out3 ,we are dying1 we are dying6 ,we are but one1 not two4 ,solomon decided that the double-headed son was after all only a single being4 7#bi7 ,on another occasion ,solomon invented a lawsuit in order to elicit the truth in an involved case4 ,three men appeared before him1 each of whom accused the others of theft4 ,they had been travelling together1 and1 when the ,sabbath approached1 they halted and prepared to rest and sought a safe hiding-place for their money1 for it is not allowed to carry money on one's person on the ,sabbath4 ,they all three together secreted what they had in the same spot1 and1 when the ,sabbath was over1 they hastened thither1 only to find that it had been stolen4 ,it was clear one of the three must have been the thief1 but which one8 ,solomon said to them3 ,i know you to be experienced and thorough business men4 ,i should like you to help me decide a suit which the king of ,rome has submitted to me4 ,in the ,roman kingdom there lived a maiden and a youth1 who promised each other under oath never to enter into a marriage without obtaining each other's permission4 ,the parents of the girl betrothed their daughter to a man whom she loved1 but she refused to become his wife until the companion of her youth gave his consent4 ,she took much gold and silver1 and sought him out to bribe him4 ,setting aside his own love for the girl1 he offered her and her lover his congratulations1 and refused to accept the slightest return for the permission granted4 ,on their homeward way the happy couple were surprised by an old highwayman1 who was about to rob the young man of his bride and his money4 ,the girl told the brigand the story of her life1 closing with these words3 ',if a youth controlled his passion for me1 how much more shouldst thou1 an old man1 be filled with fear of ,god1 and let me go my way4' ,her words took effect4 ,the aged highwaymen laid hands neither on the girl nor on the money4 ,now1 ,solomon continued to the three litigants1 ,i was asked to decide which of the three persons concerned acted most nobly1 the girl1 the youth1 or the highwayman1 and ,i should like to have your views upon the question4 ,the first of the three said3 ,my praise is for the girl1 who kept her oath so faithfully4 ,the second3 ,i should award the palm to the youth1 who kept himself in check1 and did not permit his passion to prevail4 ,the third said3 ,commend me to the brigand1 who kept his hands off the money1 more especially as he would have been doing all that could be expected of him if he had surrendered the woman he might have taken the money4 ,the last answer sufficed to put ,solomon on the right track4 ,the man who was inspired with admiration of the virtues of the robber1 probably was himself filled with greed of money4 ,he had him cross-examined1 and finally extorted a confession4 ,he had committed the theft1 and he designated the spot where he had hidden the money4 7#cj7 ,even animals submitted their controversies to ,solomon's wise judgment4 ,a man with a jug of milk came upon a serpent wailing pitifully in a field4 ,to the man's question1 the serpent replied that it was tortured with thirst4 ,and what art thou carrying in the jug8 asked the serpent4 ,when it heard what it was1 it begged for the milk1 and promised to reward the man by showing him a hidden treasure4 ,the man gave the milk to the serpent1 and was then led to a great rock4 ,under this rock1 said the serpent1 lies the treasure4 ,the man rolled the rock aside1 and was about to take the treasure1 when suddenly the serpent made a lunge at him1 and coiled itself about his neck4 ,what meanest thou by such conduct8 exclaimed the man4 ,i am going to kill thee1 replied the serpent1 because thou art robbing me of all my money4 ,the man proposed that they put their case to ,king ,solomon1 and obtain his decision as to who was in the wrong4 ,so they did4 ,solomon asked the serpent to state what it demanded of the man4 ,i want to kill him1 answered the serpent1 because the ,scriptures command it1 saying3 ',thou shalt bruise the heel of man4' ,solomon said3 ,first release thy hold upon the man's neck and descend2 in court neither party to a lawsuit may enjoy an advantage over the other4 ,the serpent glided to the floor1 and ,solomon repeated his question1 and received the same answer as before from the serpent4 ,then ,solomon turned to the man and said3 ,to thee ,god's command was to bruise the head of the serpent do it6 ,and the man crushed the serpent's head4 7#ca7 ,sometimes ,solomon's assertions and views1 though they sprang from profound wisdom1 seemed strange to the common run of men4 ,in such cases1 the wise king did not disdain to illustrate the correctness of his opinions4 ,for instance1 both the learned and the ignorant were stung into opposition by ,solomon's saying3 ,one man among a thousand have ,i found2 but a virtuous woman among all those have ,i not found4 ,solomon unhesitatingly pledged himself to prove that he was right4 ,he had his attendants seek out a married couple enjoying a reputation for uprightness and virtue4 ,the husband was cited before him1 and ,solomon told him that he had decided to appoint him to an exalted office4 ,the king demanded only1 as an earnest of his loyalty1 that he murder his wife1 so that he might be free to marry the king's daughter1 a spouse comporting with the dignity of his new station4 ,with a heavy heart the man went home4 ,his despair grew at sight of his fair wife and his little children4 ,though determined to do the king's bidding1 he still lacked courage to kill his wife while she was awake4 ,he waited until she was tight asleep1 but then the child enfolded in the mother's arms rekindled his parental and conjugal affection1 and he replaced his sword in its sheath1 saying to himself3 ,and if the king were to offer me his whole realm1 ,i would not murder my wife4 ,thereupon he went to ,solomon1 and told him his final decision4 ,a month later ,solomon sent for the wife1 and declared his love for her4 ,he told her that their happiness could be consummated if she would but do away with her husband4 ,then she should be made the first wife in his harem4 ,solomon gave her a leaden sword which glittered as though fashioned of steel4 ,the woman returned home resolved to put the sword to its appointed use4 ,not a quiver of her eyelids betrayed her sinister purpose4 ,on the contrary1 by caresses and tender words she sought to disarm any suspicion that might attack to her4 ,in the night she arose1 drew forth the sword1 and proceeded to kill her husband4 ,the leaden instrument naturally did no harm1 except to awaken her husband1 to whom she had to confess her evil intent4 ,the next day both man and wife were summoned before the king1 who thus convinced his counsellors of the truth of his conviction1 that no dependence can be placed on woman4 7#cb7 ,the fame of ,solomon's wisdom spread far and wide4 ,many entered the service of the king1 in the hope of profiting by his wisdom4 ,three brothers had served under him for thirteen years1 and1 disappointed at not having learnt anything1 they made up their minds to quit his service4 ,solomon gave them the alternative of receiving one hundred coins each1 or being taught three wise saws4 ,they decided to take the money4 ,they had scarcely left the town when the youngest of the three1 regardless of the protests of his two brothers1 hastened back to ,solomon and said to him3 ,my lord1 ,i did not take service under thee to make money2 ,i wanted to acquire wisdom4 ,pray1 take back thy money1 and teach me wisdom instead4 ,solomon thereupon imparted the following three rules of conduct to him3 ,when thou travellest abroad1 set out on thy journey with the dawn and turn in for the night before darkness falls2 do not cross a river that is swollen2 and never betray a secret to a woman4 ,the man quickly overtook his brothers1 but he confided nothing to them of what he had learned from ,solomon4 ,they journeyed on together4 ,at the approach of the ninth hour three hours after noon they reached a suitable spot in which to spend the night4 ,the youngest brother1 mindful of ,solomon's advice1 proposed that they stop there4 ,the others taunted him with his stupidity1 which1 they said1 he had begun to display when he carried his money back to ,solomon4 ,the two proceeded on their way1 but the youngest arranged his quarters for the night4 ,when darkness came on1 and with it nipping cold1 he was snug and comfortable1 while his brothers were surprised by a snow storm1 in which they perished4 ,the following day he continued his journey1 and on the road he found the dead bodies of his brothers4 ,having appropriated their money1 he buried them1 and went on4 ,when he reached a river that was very much swollen1 he bore ,solomon's advice in mind1 and delayed to cross until the flood subsided4 ,while standing on the bank1 he observed how some of the king's servants were attempting to ford the stream with beasts laden with gold1 and how they were borne down by the flood4 ,after the waters had abated1 he crossed and appropriated the gold strapped to the drowned animals4 ,when he returned home1 wealthy and wise1 he told nothing of what he had experienced even to his wife1 who was very curious to find out where her husband had obtained his wealth4 ,finally1 she plied him so closely with questions that ,solomon's advice about confiding a secret to a woman was quite forgotten4 ,once1 when his wife was quarrelling with him1 she cried out3 ,not enough that thou didst murder thy brothers1 thou desirest to kill me1 too4 ,thereupon he was charged with the murder of their husbands by his two sisters-in-law4 ,he was tried1 condemned to death1 and escaped the hangman only when he told the king the story of his life1 and was recognized as his former retainer4 ,it was with reference to this man's adventures that ,solomon said3 ,acquire wisdom2 she is better than gold and much fine gold4 7#cc7 ,another of his disciples had a similar experience4 ,annually a man came from a great distance to pay a visit to the wise king1 and when he departed ,solomon was in the habit of bestowing a gift upon him4 ,once the guest refused the gift1 and asked the king to teach him the language of the birds and the animals instead4 ,the king was ready to grant his request1 but he did not fail to warn him first of the great danger connected with such knowledge4 ,if thou tellest others a word of what thou hearest from an animal1 he said1 thou wilt surely suffer death2 thy destruction is inevitable4 ,nothing daunted1 the visitor persisted in his wish1 and the king instructed him in the secret art4 ,returned home1 he overheard a conversation between his ox and his ass4 ,the ass said3 ,brother1 how farest thou with these people8 ,the ox3 ,as thou livest1 brother1 ,i pass day and night in hard and painful toil4 ,the ass3 ,i can give thee relief1 brother4 ,if thou wilt follow my advice1 thou shalt live in comfort1 and shalt rid thyself of all hard work4 ,the ox3 ,o brother1 may thy heart be inclined toward me1 to take pity on me and help me4 ,i promise not to depart from thy advice to the right or the left4 ,the ass3 ,god knows1 ,i am speaking to thee in the uprightness of my heart and the purity of my thoughts4 ,my advice to thee is not to eat either straw or fodder this night4 ,when our master notices it1 he will suppose that thou art sick4 ,he will put no burdensome work upon thee1 and thou canst take a good rest4 ,that is the way ,i did to-day4 ,the ox followed the advice of his companion4 ,he touched none of the food thrown to him4 ,the master1 suspecting a ruse on the part of the ass1 arose during the night1 went to the stable1 and watched the ass eat his fill from the manger belonging to the ox4 ,he could not help laughing out loud1 which greatly amazed his wife1 who1 of course1 had noticed nothing out of the way4 ,the master evaded her questions4 ,something ludicrous had just occurred to him1 he said by way of explanation4 ,for the sly trick played upon the ox1 he determined to punish the ass4 ,he ordered the servant to let the ox rest for the day1 and make the ass do the work of both animals4 ,at evening the ass trudged into the stable tired and exhausted4 ,the ox greeted him with the words3 ,brother1 hast thou heard aught of what our heartless masters purpose8 ,yes1 replied the ass1 ,i heard them speak of having thee slaughtered1 if thou shouldst refuse to eat this night1 too4 ,they want to make sure of thy flesh at least4 ,scarcely had the ox heard the words of the ass when he threw himself upon his food like a ravenous lion upon his prey4 ,not a speck did he leave behind1 and the master was suddenly moved to uproarious laughter4 ,this time his wife insisted upon knowing the cause4 ,in vain she entreated and supplicated4 ,she swore not to live with him any more if he did not tell her why he laughed4 ,the man loved her so devotedly that he was ready to sacrifice his life to satisfy her whim1 but before taking leave of this world he desired to see his friends and relations once more1 and he invited them all to his house4 ,meantime his dog was made aware of the master's approaching end1 and such sadness took possession of the faithful beast that he touched neither food nor drink4 ,the cock1 on the other hand1 gaily appropriated the food intended for the dog1 and he and his wives enjoyed a banquet4 ,outraged by such unfeeling behavior1 the dog said to the cock3 ,how great is thy impudence1 and how insignificant thy modesty6 ,thy master is but a step from the grave1 and thou eatest and makest merry4 ,the cock's reply was3 ,is it my fault if our master is a fool and an idiot8 ,i have ten wives1 and ,i rule them as ,i will4 ,not one dares oppose me and my commands4 ,our master has a single wife1 and this one he cannot control and manage4 ,what ought our master to do8 asked the dog4 ,let him take a heavy stick and belabor his wife's back thoroughly1 advised the cock1 and ,i warrant thee1 she won't plague him any more to reveal his secrets4 ,the husband had overheard this conversation1 too1 and the cock's advice seemed good4 ,he followed it1 and death was averted4 7#cd7 ,on many occasions1 ,solomon brought his acumen and wisdom to bear upon foreign rulers who attempted to concoct mischief against him4 ,solomon needed help in building the ,temple1 and he wrote to ,pharaoh1 asking him to send artists to ,jerusalem4 ,pharaoh complied with his request1 but not honestly4 ,he had his astrologers determine which of his men were destined to die within the year4 ,these candidates for the grave he passed over to ,solomon4 ,the ,jewish king was not slow to discover the trick played upon him4 ,he immediately returned the men to ,egypt1 each provided with his grave clothes1 and wrote3 ,to ,pharaoh6 ,i suppose thou hadst no shrouds for these people4 ,herewith ,i send thee the men1 and what they were in need of4 7#ce7 ,hiram1 king of ,tyre1 the steadfast friend of the dynasty of ,david1 who had done ,solomon such valuable services in connection with the building of the ,temple1 was desirous of testing his wisdom4 ,he was in the habit of sending catch-questions and riddles to ,solomon with the request that he solve them and help him out of his embarrassment about them4 ,solomon1 of course1 succeeded in answering them all4 ,later on he made an agreement with ,hiram1 that they were to exchange conundrums and riddles1 and a money fine was to be exacted from the one of them who failed to find the proper answer to a question propounded by the other4 ,naturally it was ,hiram who was always the loser4 ,the ,tyrians maintain that finally ,solomon found more than his match in one of ,hiram's subjects1 one ,abdamon1 who put many a riddle to ,solomon that baffled his wit4 7#cf7 ,of ,solomon's subtlety in riddle guessing only a few instances have come down to us1 all of them connected with riddles put to him by the ,queen of ,sheba4 7#cg7 ,the story of this queen1 of her relation to ,solomon1 and what induced her to leave her distant home and journey to the court at ,jerusalem forms an interesting chapter in the eventful life of the wise king4 ,,the ,,queen ,,of ,,sheba ,solomon1 it must be remembered1 bore rule not only over men1 but also over the beasts of the field1 the birds of the air1 demons1 spirits1 and the spectres of the night4 ,he knew the language of all of them and they understood his language4 7#ch7 ,when ,solomon was of good cheer by reason of wine1 he summoned the beasts of the field1 the birds of the air1 the creeping reptiles1 the shades1 the spectres1 and the ghosts1 to perform their dances before the kings1 his neighbors1 whom he invited to witness his power and greatness4 ,the king's scribes called the animals and the spirits by name1 one by one1 and they all assembled of their own accord1 without fetters or bonds1 with no human hand to guide them4 ,on one occasion the hoopoe 7#ci7 was missed from among the birds4 ,he could not be found anywhere4 ,the king1 full of wrath1 ordered him to be produced and chastised for his tardiness4 ,the hoopoe appeared and said3 ,o lord1 king of the world1 incline thine ear and hearken to my words4 ,three months have gone by since ,i began to take counsel with myself and resolve upon a course of action4 ,i have eaten no food and drunk no water1 in order to fly about in the whole world and see whether there is a domain anywhere which is not subject to my lord the king4 7#dj7 and ,i found a city1 the city of ,kitor1 in the ,east4 ,dust is more valuable than gold there1 and silver is like the mud of the streets4 ,its trees are from the beginning of all time1 and they suck up water that flows from the ,garden of ,eden4 ,the city is crowded with men4 ,on their heads they wear garlands wreathed in ,paradise4 ,they know not how to fight1 nor how to shoot with bow and arrow4 ,their ruler is a woman1 she is called the ,queen of ,sheba4 ,if1 now1 it please thee1 ,o lord and king1 ,i shall gird my loins like a hero1 and journey to the city of ,kitor in the land of ,sheba4 ,its kings ,i shall fetter with chains and its rulers with iron bands1 and bring them all before my lord the king4 ,the hoopoe's speech pleased the king4 ,the clerks of his land were summoned1 and they wrote a letter and bound it to the hoopoe's wing4 ,the bird rose skyward1 uttered his cry1 and flew away1 followed by all the other birds4 ,and they came to ,kitor in the land of ,sheba4 ,it was morning1 and the queen had gone forth to pay worship to the sun4 ,suddenly the birds darkened his light4 ,the queen raised her hand1 and rent her garment1 and was sore astonished4 ,then the hoopoe alighted near her4 ,seeing that a letter was tied to his wing1 she loosed it and read it4 ,and what was written in the letter8 ,from me1 ,king ,solomon6 ,peace be with thee1 peace with the nobles of thy realm6 ,know that ,god has appointed me king over the beasts of the field1 the birds of the air1 the demons1 the spirits1 and the spectres4 ,all the kings of the ,east and the ,west come to bring me greetings4 ,if thou wilt come and salute me1 ,i shall show thee great honor1 more than to any of the kings that attend me4 ,but if thou wilt not pay homage to me1 ,i shall send out kings1 legions1 and riders against thee4 ,thou askest1 who are these kings1 legions1 and riders of ,king ,solomon8 ,the beasts of the field are my kings1 the birds my riders1 the demons1 spirit1 and shades of the night my legions4 ,the demons will throttle you in your beds at night1 while the beasts will slay you in the field1 and the birds will consume your flesh4 ,when the ,queen of ,sheba had read the contents of the letter1 she again rent her garment1 and sent word to her elders and her princes3 ,know you not what ,solomon has written to me8 ,they answered3 ,we know nothing of ,king ,solomon1 and his dominion we regard as naught4 ,but their words did not reassure the queen4 ,she assembled all the ships of the sea1 and loaded them with the finest kinds of wood1 and with pearls and precious stones4 ,together with these she sent ,solomon six thousand youths and maidens1 born in the same year1 in the same month1 on the same day1 in the same hour all of equal stature and size1 all clothed in purple garments4 ,they bore a letter to ,king ,solomon as follows3 ,from the city of ,kitor to the land of ,israel is a journey of seven years4 ,as it is thy wish and behest that ,i visit thee1 ,i shall hasten and be in ,jerusalem at the end of three years4 ,when the time of her arrival drew nigh1 ,solomon sent ,benaiah the son of ,jehoiada to meet her4 ,benaiah was like unto the flush in the eastern sky at break of day1 like unto the evening star that outshines all other stars1 like unto the lily growing by brooks of water4 ,when the queen caught sight of him1 she descended from her chariot to do him honor4 ,benaiah asked her why she left her chariot4 ,art thou not ,king ,solomon8 she questioned in turn4 ,benaiah replied3 ,not ,king ,solomon am ,i1 only one of his servants that stand in his presence4 ,thereupon the queen turned to her nobles and said3 ,if you have not beheld the lion1 at least you have seen his lair1 and if you have not beheld ,king ,solomon1 at least you have seen the beauty of him that stands in his presence4 ,benaiah conducted the queen to ,solomon1 who had gone to sit in a house of glass to receive her4 ,the queen was deceived by an illusion4 ,she thought the king was sitting in water1 and as she stepped across to him she raised her garment to keep it dry4 ,on her bared feet the king noticed hair1 and he said to her3 ,thy beauty is the beauty of a woman1 but thy hair is masculine2 hair is an ornament to a man1 but it disfigures a woman4 7#da7 ,then the queen began and said3 7#db7 ,i have heard of thee and thy wisdom2 if now ,i inquire of thee concerning a matter1 wilt thou answer me8 ,he replied3 ,the ,lord giveth wisdom1 out of ,his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding4 ,she then said to him3 #a4 ,seven there are that issue and nine that enter2 two yield the draught and one drinks4 ,said he to her3 ,seven are the days of a woman's defilement1 and nine the months of pregnancy2 two are the breasts that yield the draught1 and one the child that drinks it4 ,whereupon she said to him3 ,thou art wise4 #b4 ,then she questioned him further3 ,a woman said to her son1 thy father is my father1 and thy grandfather my husband2 thou art my son1 and ,i am thy sister4 ,assuredly1 said he1 it was the daughter of ,lot who spake thus to her son4 #c4 ,she placed a number of males and females of the same stature and garb before him and said3 ,distinguish between them4 ,forthwith he made a sign to the eunuchs1 who brought him a quantity of nuts and roasted ears of corn4 ,the males1 who were not bashful1 seized them with bare hands2 the females took them1 putting forth their gloved hands from beneath their garments4 ,whereupon he exclaimed3 ,those are the males1 these the females4 #d4 ,she brought a number of men to him1 some circumcised and others uncircumcised1 and asked him to distinguish between them4 ,he immediately made a sign to the high priest1 who opened the ,ark of the covenant1 whereupon those that were circumcised bowed their bodies to half their height1 while their countenances were filled with the radiance of the ,shekinah2 the uncircumcised fell prone upon their faces4 ,those1 said he1 are circumcised1 these uncircumcised4 7#dc7 ,thou art wise1 indeed1 she exclaimed4 #e4 ,she put other questions to him1 to all of which he gave replies4 ,who is he who neither was born nor has died8 ,it is the ,lord of the world1 blessed be ,he4 #f4 ,what land is that which has but once seen the sun8 ,the land upon which1 after the creation1 the waters were gathered1 and the bed of the ,red ,sea on the day when it was divided4 #g4 ,there is an enclosure with ten doors1 when one is open1 nine are shut2 when nine are open1 one is shut8 ,that enclosure is the womb2 the ten doors are the ten orifices of man his eyes1 ears1 nostrils1 mouth1 the apertures for the discharge of the excreta and the urine1 and the navel2 when the child is in the embryonic state1 the navel is open and the other orifices are closed1 but when it issues from the womb1 the navel is closed and the others are opened4 #h4 ,there is something which when living moves not1 yet when its head is cut off it moves8 ,it is the ship in the sea4 7#dd7 #i4 ,which are the three that neither ate1 nor did they drink1 nor did they have bread put into them1 yet they saved lives from death8 ,the signet1 the cord1 and the staff are those three4 #aj4 ,three entered a cave and five came forth therefrom8 ,lot and his two daughters and their two children4 #aa4 ,the dead lived1 the grave moved1 and the dead prayed3 what is that8 ,the dead that lived and prayed1 ,jonah2 and the fish1 the moving grave4 #ab4 ,who were the three that ate and drank on the earth1 and yet were not born of male and female8 ,the three angels who visited ,abraham4 7#de7 #ac4 ,four entered a place of death and came forth alive1 and two entered a place of life and came forth dead8 ,the four were ,daniel1 ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah1 and the two were ,nadab and ,abihu4 #ad4 ,who was he that was born and died not8 ,elijah and the ,messiah4 #ae4 ,what was that which was not born1 yet life was given to it8 ,the golden calf4 #af4 ,what is that which is produced from the ground1 yet man produces it1 while its food is the fruit of the ground8 ,a wick4 #ag4 ,a woman was wedded to two1 and bore two sons1 yet these four had one father8 ,tamar4 #ah4 ,a house full of dead2 no dead one came among them1 nor did a living come forth from them8 ,it is the story of ,samson and the ,philistines4 #ai4 ,the queen next ordered the sawn trunk of a cedar tree to be brought1 and she asked ,solomon to point out at which end the root had been and at which the branches4 ,he bade her cast it into the water1 when one end sank and the other floated upon the surface of the water4 ,that part which sank was the root1 and that which remained uppermost was the branch end4 ,then she said to him3 ,thou exceedest in wisdom and goodness the fame which ,i heard1 blessed be thy ,god6 7#df7 ,the last three riddles which the ,queen of ,sheba put to ,solomon were the following3 #bj4 ,what is this8 ,a wooden well with iron buckets1 which draw stones and pour out water4 ,the king replied3 ,a rouge-tube4 #ba4 ,what is this8 ,it comes as dust from the earth1 its food is dust1 it is poured out like water1 and lights the house4 ,naphtha4 #bb4 ,what is this8 ,it walks ahead of all2 it cries out loud and bitterly2 its head is like the reed2 it is the glory of the noble1 the disgrace of the poor2 the glory of the dead1 the disgrace of the living2 the delight of birds1 the distress of fishes4 ,he answered3 ,flax4 7#dg7 ,,solomon ,,master ,,of ,,the ,,demons ,never has there lived a man privileged1 like ,solomon1 to make the demons amenable to his will4 ,god endowed him with the ability to turn the vicious power of demons into a power working to the advantage of men4 ,he invented formulas of incantation by which diseases were alleviated1 and others by which demons were exorcised so that they were banished forever4 7#dh7 ,as his personal attendants he had spirits and demons whom he could send hither and thither on the instant4 ,he could grow tropical plants in ,palestine1 because his ministering spirits secured water for him from ,india4 7#di7 ,as the spirits were subservient to him1 so also the animals4 ,he had an eagle upon whose back he was transported to the desert and back again in one day1 to build there the city called ,tadmor in the ,bible 7#ej7 ,this city must not be confounded with the later ,syrian city of ,palmyra1 also called ,tadmor4 ,it was situated near the mountains of darkness1 7#ea7 the trysting-place of the spirits and demons4 ,thither the eagle would carry ,solomon in the twinkling of an eye1 and ,solomon would drop a paper inscribed with a verse among the spirits1 to ward off evil from himself4 ,then the eagle would reconnoitre the mountains of darkness1 until he had spied out the spot in which the fallen angels ',azza and ',azzael 7#eb7 lie chained with iron fetters a spot which no one1 not even a bird1 may visit4 ,when the eagle found the place1 he would take ,solomon under his left wing1 and fly to the two angels4 ,through the power of the ring having the ,holy ,name graven upon it1 which ,solomon put into the eagle's mouth1 ',azza and ',azzael were forced to reveal the heavenly mysteries to the king4 7#ec7 ,the demons were of greatest service to ,solomon during the erection of the ,temple4 ,it came about in this wise3 ,when ,solomon began the building of the ,temple1 it once happened that a malicious spirit snatched away the money and the food of one of the king's favorite pages4 ,this occurred several times1 and ,solomon was not able to lay hold on the malefactor4 ,the king besought ,god fervently to deliver the wicked spirit into his hands4 ,his prayer was granted4 ,the archangel ,michael appeared to him1 and gave him a small ring having a seal consisting of an engraved stone1 and he said to him3 ,take1 ,o ,solomon1 king1 son of ,david1 the gift which the ,lord ,god1 the highest ,zebaot1 hath sent unto thee4 ,with it thou shalt lock up all the demons of the earth1 male and female2 and with their help thou shalt build up ,jerusalem4 ,but thou must wear this seal of ,god2 and this engraving of the seal of the ring sent thee is a ,pentalpha4 7#ed7 ,armed with it1 ,solomon called up all the demons before him1 and he asked of each in turn his or her name1 as well as the name of the star or constellation or zodiacal sign and of the particular angel to the influence of which each is subject4 ,one after another the spirits were vanquished1 and compelled by ,solomon to aid in the construction of the ,temple4 ,ornias1 the vampire spirit who had maltreated ,solomon's servant1 was the first demon to appear1 and he was set to the task of cutting stones near the ,temple4 ,and ,solomon bade ,ornias come1 and he gave him the seal1 saying3 ,away with thee1 and bring me hither the prince of all the demons4 ,ornias took the finger-ring1 and went to ,beelzeboul1 who has kingship over the demons4 ,he said to him3 ,hither6 ,solomon calls thee4 ,but ,beelzeboul1 having heard1 said to him3 ,tell me1 who is this ,solomon of whom thou speakest to me8 ,then ,ornias threw the ring at the chest of ,beelzeboul1 saying3 ,solomon the king calls thee4 ,but ,beelzeboul cried aloud with a mighty voice1 and shot out a great1 burning flame of fire2 and he arose and followed ,ornias1 and came to ,solomon4 ,brought before the king1 he promised him to gather all the unclean spirits unto him4 ,beelzeboul proceeded to do so1 beginning with ,onoskelis1 that had a very pretty shape and the skin of a fair-hued woman1 and he was followed by ,asmodeus2 both giving an account of themselves4 ,beelzeboul reappeared on the scene1 and in his conversation with ,solomon declared that he alone survived of the angels who had come down from heaven4 ,he reigned over all who are in ,tartarus1 and had a child in the ,red ,sea1 which on occasion comes up to ,beelzeboul and reveals to him what he has done4 ,next the demon of the ,ashes1 ,tephros1 appeared1 and after him a group of seven female spirits1 who declared themselves to be of the thirty-six elements of the darkness4 ,solomon bade them dig the foundation of the temple1 for the length of it was two hundred and fifty cubits4 ,and he ordered them to be industrious1 and with one united murmur of protest they began to perform the tasks enjoined4 ,solomon bade another demon come before him4 ,and there was brought to him a demon having all the limbs of a man1 but without a head4 ,the demon said to ,solomon3 ,i am called ,envy1 for ,i delight to devour heads1 being desirous to secure for myself a head2 but ,i do not eat enough1 and ,i am anxious to have such a head as thou hast4 ,a hound-like spirit1 whose name was ,rabdos1 followed1 and he revealed to ,solomon a green stone1 useful for the adornment of the ,temple4 ,a number of other male and female demons appeared1 among them the thirty-six world-rulers of the darkness1 whom ,solomon commanded to fetch water to the ,temple4 ,some of these demons he condemned to do the heavy work on the construction of the ,temple1 others he shut up in prison1 and others1 again1 he ordered to wrestle with fire in the making of gold and silver1 sitting down by lead and spoon1 and to make ready places for the other demons1 in which they should be confined4 ,after ,solomon with the help of the demons had completed the ,temple1 the rulers1 among them the ,queen of ,sheba1 who was a sorceress1 came from far and near to admire the magnificence and art of the building1 and no less the wisdom of its builder4 7#ee7 ,one day an old man appeared before ,solomon to complain of his son1 whom he accused of having been so impious as to raise his hand against his father and give him a blow4 ,the young man denied the charge1 but his father insisted that his life be held forfeit4 ,suddenly ,solomon heard loud laughter4 ,it was the demon ,ornias1 who was guilty of the disrespectful behavior4 ,rebuked by ,solomon1 the demon said3 ,i pray thee1 ,o king1 it was not because of thee ,i laughed1 but because of this ill-starred old man and the wretched youth1 his son4 ,for after three days his son will die untimely1 and1 lo1 the old man desires to make away with him foully4 ,solomon delayed his verdict for several days1 and when after five days he summoned the old father to his presence1 it appeared that ,ornias had spoken the truth4 ,after some time1 ,solomon received a letter from ,adares1 the king of ,arabia4 ,he begged the ,jewish king to deliver his land from an evil spirit1 who was doing great mischief1 and who could not be caught and made harmless1 because he appeared in the form of wind4 ,solomon gave his magic ring and a leather bottle to one of his slaves1 and sent him into ,arabia4 ,the messenger succeeded in confining the spirit in the bottle4 ,a few days later1 when ,solomon entered the ,temple1 he was not a little astonished to see a bottle walk toward him1 and bow down reverently before him2 it was the bottle in which the spirit was shut up4 ,this same spirit once did ,solomon a great service4 ,assisted by demons1 he raised a gigantic stone out of the ,red ,sea4 ,neither human beings nor demons could move it1 but he carried it to the ,temple1 where it was used as a cornerstone4 ,through his own fault ,solomon forfeited the power to perform miraculous deed1 which the ,divine spirit had conferred upon him4 ,he fell in love with the ,jebusite woman ,sonmanites4 ,the priests of ,moloch and ,raphan1 the false gods she worshiped1 advised her to reject his suit1 unless he paid homage to these gods4 ,at first ,solomon was firm1 but1 when the woman bade him take five locusts and crush them in his hands in the name of ,moloch1 he obeyed her4 ,at once he was bereft of the ,divine spirit1 of his strength and his wisdom1 and he sank so low that to please his beloved he built temples to ,baal and ,raphan4 7#ef7 ,,the ,,building ,,of ,,the ,,temple ,among the great achievements of ,solomon first place must be assigned to the superb ,temple built by him4 ,he was long in doubt as to where he was to build it4 ,a heavenly voice directed him to go to ,mount ,zion at night1 to a field owned by two brothers jointly4 ,one of the brothers was a bachelor and poor1 the other was blessed both with wealth and a large family of children4 ,it was harvesting time4 ,under cover of night1 the poor brother kept adding to the other's heap of grain1 for1 although he was poor1 he thought his brother needed more on account of his large family4 ,the rich brother1 in the same clandestine way1 added to the poor brother's store1 thinking that though he had a family to support1 the other was without means4 ,this field1 ,solomon concluded1 which had called forth so remarkable a manifestation of brotherly love1 was the best site for the ,temple1 and he bought it4 7#eg7 ,every detail of the equipment and ornamentation of the ,temple testifies to ,solomon's rare wisdom4 ,next to the required furniture1 he planted golden trees1 which bore fruit all the time the building stood4 ,when the enemy entered the ,temple1 the fruit dropped from the trees1 but they will put forth blossoms again when it is rebuilt in the days of the ,messiah4 7#eh7 ,solomon was so assiduous that the erection of the ,temple took but seven years1 about half the time for the erection of the king's palace1 in spite of the greater magnificence of the sanctuary4 ,in this respect1 he was the superior of his father ,david1 who first built a house for himself1 and then gave thought to a house for ,god to dwell in4 ,indeed1 it was ,solomon's meritorious work in connection with the ,temple that saved him from being reckoned by the sages as one of the impious kings1 among whom his later actions might properly have put him4 7#ei7 ,according to the measure of the zeal displayed by ,solomon were the help and favor shown him by ,god4 ,during the seven years it took to build the ,temple1 not a single workman died who was employed about it1 nor even did a single one fall sick4 ,and as the workmen were sound and robust from first to last1 so the perfection of their tools remained unimpaired until the building stood complete4 ,thus the work suffered no sort of interruption4 ,after the dedication of the ,temple1 however1 the workmen died off1 lest they build similar structures for the heathen and their gods4 ,their wages they were to receive from ,god in the world to come1 7#fj7 and the master workman1 ,hiram1 7#fa7 was rewarded by being permitted to reach ,paradise alive4 7#fb7 ,the ,temple was finished in the month of ,bul1 now called ,marheshwan1 but the edifice stood closed for nearly a whole year1 because it was the will of ,god that the dedication take place in the month of ,abraham's birth4 ,meantime the enemies of ,solomon rejoiced maliciously4 ,was it not the son of ,bath-sheba1 they said1 who built the ,temple8 ,how1 then1 could ,god permit ,his ,shekinah to rest upon it8 ,when the consecration of the house took place1 and the fire came down from heaven1 they recognized their mistake4 7#fc7 ,the importance of the ,temple appeared at once1 for the torrential rains which annually since the deluge had fallen for forty days beginning with the month of ,marheshwan1 for the first time failed to come1 and thenceforward appeared no more4 7#fd7 ,the joy of the people over the sanctuary was so great that they held the consecration ceremonies on the ,day of ,atonement4 ,it contributed not a little to their ease of mind that a heavenly voice was heard to proclaim3 ,you all shall have a share in the world to come4 ,the great house of prayer reflected honor not only on ,solomon and the people1 but also on ,king ,david4 ,the following incident proves it3 ,when the ,ark was about to be brought into the ,holy of ,holies1 the door of the sacred chamber locked itself1 and it was impossible to open it4 ,solomon prayed fervently to ,god1 but his entreaties had no effect until he pronounced the words3 ,remember the good deeds of ,david thy servant4 ,the ,holy of ,holies then opened of itself1 and the enemies of ,david had to admit that ,god had wholly forgiven his sin4 7#fe7 ,in the execution of the ,temple work a wish cherished by ,david was fulfilled4 ,he was averse to having the gold which he had taken as booty from the heathen places of worship during his campaigns used for the sanctuary at ,jerusalem1 because he feared that the heathen would boast1 at the destruction of the ,temple1 that their gods were courageous1 and were taking revenge by wrecking the house of the ,israelitish ,god4 ,fortunately ,solomon was so rich that there was no need to resort to the gold inherited from his father1 and so ,david's wish was fulfilled4 7#ff7 ,,the ,,throne ,,of ,,solomon ,next to the ,temple in its magnificence1 it is the throne of ,solomon that perpetuates the name and fame of the wise king4 ,none before him and none after him could produce a like work of art1 and when the kings1 his vassals1 saw the magnificence of the throne they fell down and praised ,god4 ,the throne was covered with fine gold from ,ophir1 studded with beryls1 inlaid with marble1 and jewelled with emeralds1 and rubies1 and pearls1 and all manner of gems4 ,on each of its six steps there were two golden lions and two golden eagles1 a lion and an eagle to the left1 and a lion and an eagle to the right1 the pairs standing face to face1 so that the right paw of the lion was opposite to the left wing of the eagle1 and his left paw opposite to the right wing of the eagle4 ,the royal seat was at the top1 which was round4 ,on the first step leading to the seat crouched an ox1 and opposite to him a lion2 on the second1 a wolf and a lamb2 on the third1 a leopard and a goat2 7#fg7 on the fourth perched an eagle and a peacock2 on the fifth a falcon 7#fh7 and a cock2 and on the sixth a hawk and a sparrow2 all made of gold4 ,at the very top rested a dove1 her claws set upon a hawk1 to betoken that the time would come when all peoples and nations shall be delivered into the hands of ,israel4 ,over the seat hung a golden candlestick1 with golden lamps1 pomegranates1 snuff dishes1 censers1 chains1 and lilies4 ,seven branches extended from each side4 ,on the arms to the right were the images of the seven patriarchs of the world1 ,adam1 ,noah1 ,shem1 ,job1 ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob2 and on the arms to the left1 the images of the seven pious men of the world1 ,kohath1 ,amram1 ,moses1 ,aaron1 ,eldad1 ,medad1 and the prophet ,hur4 ,attached to the top of the candlestick was a golden bowl filled with the purest olive oil1 to be used for the candlestick in the ,temple1 and below1 a golden basin1 also filled with the purest olive oil1 for the candlestick over the throne4 ,the basin bore the image of the high priest ,eli2 those of his sons ,hophni and ,phinehas were on the two faucets protruding from the basin1 and those of ,nadab and ,abihu on the tubes connection the faucets with the basin4 ,on the upper part of the throne stood seventy golden chairs for the members of the ,sanhedrin1 and two more for the high priest and his vicar4 ,when the high priest came to do homage to the king1 the members of the ,sanhedrin also appeared1 to judge the people1 and they took their seats to the right and to the left of the king4 ,at the approach of the witnesses1 the machinery of the throne rumbled the wheels turned1 the ox lowed1 the lion roared1 the wolf howled1 the lamb bleated1 the leopard growled1 the goat cried1 the falcon screamed1 the peacock gobbled1 the cock crowed1 the hawk screeched1 the sparrow chirped all to terrify the witnesses and keep them from giving false testimony4 ,when ,solomon set foot upon the first step to ascend to his seat1 its machinery was put into motion4 ,the golden ox arose and led him to the second step1 and there passed him over to the care of the beasts guarding it1 and so he was conducted from step to step up to the sixth1 where the eagles received him and placed him upon his seat4 ,as soon as he was seated1 a great eagle set the royal crown upon his head4 ,thereupon a huge snake rolled itself up against the machinery1 forcing the lions and eagles upward until they encircled the head of the king4 ,a golden dove flew down from a pillar1 took the sacred scroll out of a casket1 and gave it to the king1 so that he might obey the injunction of the ,scriptures1 to have the law with him and read therein all the days of his life4 ,above the throne twenty-four vines interlaced1 forming a shady arbor over the head of the king1 and sweet aromatic perfumes exhaled from two golden lions1 while ,solomon made the ascent to his seat upon the throne4 7#fi7 ,it was the task of seven heralds to keep ,solomon reminded of his duties as king and judge4 ,the first one of the heralds approached him when he set foot on the first step of the throne1 and began to recite the law for kings1 ,he shall not multiply wives to himself4 ,at the second step1 the second herald reminded him1 ,he shall not multiply horses to himself2 at the third1 the next one of the heralds said1 ,neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold4 ,at the fourth step1 he was told by the fourth herald1 ,thou shalt not wrest judgment2 at the fifth step1 by the fifth herald1 ,thou shalt not respect persons1 and at the sixth1 by the sixth herald1 ,neither shalt thou take a gift4 ,finally1 when he was about to seat himself upon the throne1 the seventh herald cried out3 ,know before whom thou standest4 7#gj7 ,the throne did not remain long in the possession of the ,israelites4 ,during the life of ,rehoboam1 the son of ,solomon1 it was carried to ,egypt4 ,shishak1 the father-in-law of ,solomon1 appropriated it as indemnity for claims which he urged against the ,jewish state in behalf of his widowed daughter4 ,when ,sennacherib conquered ,egypt1 he carried the throne away with him1 but1 on his homeward march1 during the overthrow of his army before the gates of ,jerusalem1 he had to part with it to ,hezekiah4 ,now it remained in ,palestine until the time of ,jehoash1 when it was once more carried to ,egypt by ,pharaoh ,necho4 ,his possession of the throne brought him little joy4 ,unacquainted with its wonderful mechanism1 he was injured in the side by one of the lions the first time he attempted to mount it1 and forever after he limped1 wherefore he was given the surname ,necho1 the hobbler4 7#ga7 ,nebuchadnezzar was the next possessor of the throne4 ,it fell to his lot at the conquest of ,egypt1 but when he attempted to use it in ,babylonia1 he fared no better than his predecessor in ,egypt4 ,the lion standing near the throne gave him so severe a blow that he never again dared ascend it4 ,through ,darius the throne reached ,elam1 but1 knowing what its other owners had suffered1 he did not venture to seat himself on it1 and his example was imitated by ,ahasuerus4 ,the latter tried to have his artificers fashion him a like artistic work1 but1 of course1 they failed4 7#gb7 ,the ,median rulers parted with the throne to the ,greek monarchs1 and finally it was carried to ,rome4 7#gc7 ,,the ,,hippodrome ,the throne was not the only remarkable sight at the court of the magnificent king4 ,solomon attracted visitors to his capital by means of games and shows4 ,in every month of the year the official who was in charge for the month1 was expected to arrange for a horse race1 and once a year 7#gd7 a race took place in which the competitors were ten thousand youths1 mainly of the tribes of ,gad and ,naphtali1 who lived at the court of the king year in1 year out1 and were maintained by him4 ,for the scholars1 their disciples1 the priests1 and the ,levites1 the races were held on the last of the month2 on the first day of the month the residents of ,jerusalem were the spectators1 and1 on the second day1 strangers4 ,the hippodrome occupied an area of three parasangs square1 with an inner square measuring one parasang on each side1 around which the races were run4 ,within were two grilles ornamented with all sorts of animals4 ,out of the jaws of four gilded lions1 attached to pillars by twos1 perfumes and spices flowed for the people4 ,the spectators were divided into four parties distinguished by the color of their garb3 the king and his attendants1 the scholars and their disciples1 and the priests and ,levites were attired in light blue garments2 all the rest from ,jerusalem wore white2 the sight-seers from the surrounding towns and villages wore red1 and green marked the heathen hailing from afar1 who came laden with tribute and presents4 ,the four colors corresponded to the four seasons4 ,in the autumn the sky is brilliantly blue2 in winter the white snow falls2 the color of spring is green like the ocean1 because it is the season favorable to voyages1 and red is the color of summer1 when the fruits grow red and ripe4 7#ge7 ,as the public spectacles were executed with pomp and splendor1 so the king's table was royally sumptuous4 ,regardless of season and climate1 it was always laden with the delicacies of all parts of the globe4 ,game and poultry1 even of such varieties as were unknown in ,palestine1 were not lacking1 and daily there came a gorgeous bird from ,barbary and settled down before the king's seat at the table4 ,the ,scriptures tell us of great quantities of food required by ,solomon's household1 and yet it was not all that was needed4 ,what the ,bible mentions1 covers only the accessories1 such as spices and the minor ingredients4 ,the real needs were far greater1 as may be judged from the custom that all of ,solomon's thousand wives arranged a banquet daily1 each in the hope of having the king dine with her4 7#gf7 ,,lessons ,,in ,,humility ,great and powerful as ,solomon was1 and wise and just1 still occasions were not lacking to bring home to him the truth that the wisest and mightiest of mortals may not indulge in pride and arrogance4 ,solomon had a precious piece of tapestry1 sixty miles square1 on which he flew through the air so swiftly that he could eat breakfast in ,damascus and supper in ,media4 ,to carry out his orders he had at his beck and call ,asaph ben ,berechiah 7#gg7 among men1 ,ramirat among demons1 the lion among beasts1 and the eagle among birds4 ,once it happened that pride possessed ,solomon while he was sailing through the air on his carpet1 and he said3 ,there is none like unto me in the world1 upon whom ,god has bestowed sagacity1 wisdom1 intelligence1 and knowledge1 besides making me the ruler of the world4 ,the same instant the air stirred1 and forty thousand men dropped from the magic carpet4 ,the king ordered the wind to cease from blowing1 with the word3 ,return6 ,whereupon the wind3 ,if thou wilt return to ,god1 and subdue thy pride1 ,i1 too1 will return4 ,the king realized his transgression4 ,on one occasion he strayed into the valley of the ants in the course of his wanderings4 ,he heard one ant order all the others to withdraw1 to avoid being crushed by the armies of ,solomon4 ,the king halted and summoned the ant that had spoken4 ,she told him that she was the queen of the ants1 and she gave her reasons for the order of withdrawal4 ,solomon wanted to put a question to the ant queen1 but she refused to answer unless the king took her up and placed her on his hand4 ,he acquiesced1 and then he put his question3 ,is there any one greater than ,i am in all the world8 ,yes1 said the ant4 ,solomon3 ,who8 ,ant3 ,i am4 ,solomon3 ,how is that possible8 ,ant3 ,were ,i not greater than thou1 ,god would not have led thee hither to put me on thy hand4 ,exasperated1 ,solomon threw her to the ground1 and said3 ,thou knowest who ,i am8 ,i am ,solomon1 the son of ,david4 ,not at all intimidated1 the ant reminded the king of his earthly origin1 and admonished him to humility1 and the king went off abashed4 ,next he came to a magnificent building1 into which he sought to enter in vain2 he could find no door leading into it4 ,after long search the demons came upon an eagle seven hundred years old1 and he1 unable to give them any information1 sent him to his nine hundred years old brother1 whose eyrie was higher than his own1 and who would probably be in a position to advise them4 ,but he in turn directed them to go to his still older brother4 ,his age counted thirteen hundred years1 and he had more knowledge than himself4 ,this oldest one of the eagles reported that he remembered having heard his father say there was a door on the west side1 but it was covered up by the dust of the ages that had passed since it was last used4 ,so it turned out to be4 ,they found an old iron door with the inscription3 ,we1 the dwellers in this palace1 for many years lived in comfort and luxury2 then1 forced by hunger1 we ground pearls into flour instead of wheat but to no avail1 and so1 when we were about to die1 we bequeathed this palace to the eagles4 ,a second statement contained a detailed description of the wonderful palace1 and mentioned where the keys for the different chambers were to be found4 ,following the directions on the door1 ,solomon inspected the remarkable building1 whose apartments were made of pearls and precious stones4 ,inscribed on the doors he found the following three wise proverbs1 dealing with the vanity of all earthly things1 and admonishing men to be humble3 #a4 ,o son of man1 let not time deceive thee2 thou must wither away1 and leave thy place1 to rest in the bosom of the earth4 #b4 ,haste thee not1 move slowly1 for the world is taken from one and bestowed upon another4 #c4 ,furnish thyself with food for the journey1 prepare thy meal while daylight lasts1 for thou wilt not remain on earth forever1 and thou knowest not the day of thy death4 7#gh7 ,in one of the chambers1 ,solomon saw a number of statues1 among them one that looked as though alive4 ,when he approached it1 it called out in a loud voice3 ,hither1 ye satans1 ,solomon has come to undo you4 ,suddenly there arose great noise and tumult among the statues4 ,solomon pronounced the ,name1 and quiet was restored4 ,the statues were overthrown1 and the sons of the satans ran into the sea and were drowned4 ,from the throat of the lifelike statue he drew a silver plate inscribed with characters which he could not decipher1 but a youth from the desert told the king3 ,these letters are ,greek1 and the words mean3 ',i1 ,shadad ben ,ad1 ruled over a thousand thousand provinces1 rode on a thousand thousand horses1 had a thousand thousand kings under me1 and slew a thousand thousand heroes1 and when the ,angel of ,death approached me1 ,i was powerless4' 7#gi7 ,,asmodeus ,when ,solomon in his wealth and prosperity grew unmindful of his ,god1 and1 contrary to the injunctions laid down for kings in the ,torah1 multiplied wives unto himself1 and craved the possession of many horses and much gold1 the ,book of ,deuteronomy stepped before ,god and said3 ,lo1 ,o ,lord of the world1 ,solomon is seeking to remove a ,yod from out of me1 7#hj7 for ,thou didst write3 ',the king shall not multiply horses unto himself1 nor shall he multiply wives to himself1 neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold'2 but ,solomon has acquired many horses1 many wives1 and much silver and gold4 ,hereupon ,god said3 ,as thou livest1 ,solomon and a hundred of his kind shall be annihilated ere a single one of thy letters shall be obliterated4 7#ha7 ,the charge made against ,solomon was soon followed by consequences4 ,he had to pay heavily for his sins4 ,it came about in this way3 ,while ,solomon was occupied with the ,temple1 he had great difficulty in devising ways of fitting the stone from the quarry into the building1 for the ,torah explicitly prohibits the use of iron tools in erecting an altar4 ,the scholars told him that ,moses had used the shamir1 7#hb7 the stone that splits rocks1 to engrave the names of the tribes on the precious stones of the ephod worn by the high priest4 ,solomon's demons could give him no information as to where the shamir could be found4 ,they surmised1 however1 that ,asmodeus1 7#hc7 king of demons1 was in possession of the secret1 and they told ,solomon the name of the mountain on which ,asmodeus dwelt1 and described also his manner of life4 ,on this mountain there was a well from which ,asmodeus obtained his drinking water4 ,he closed it up daily with a large rock1 and sealed it before going to heaven1 whither he went every day1 to take part in the discussions in the heavenly academy4 ,thence he would descend again to earth in order to be present1 though invisible1 7#hd7 at the debates in the earthly houses of learning4 ,then1 after investigating the seal on the well to ascertain if it had been tampered with1 he drank of the water4 ,solomon sent his chief man1 ,benaiah the son of ,jehoiada1 to capture ,asmodeus4 ,for this purpose he provided him with a chain1 the ring on which the ,name of ,god was engraved1 a bundle of wool1 and a skin of wine4 ,benaiah drew the water from the well through a hole bored from below1 and1 after having stopped up the hole with the wool1 he filled the well with wine from above4 ,when ,asmodeus descended from heaven1 to his astonishment he found wine instead of water in the well1 although everything seemed untouched4 ,at first he would not drink of it1 and cited the ,bible verses that inveigh against wine1 to inspire himself with moral courage4 ,at length ,asmodeus succumbed to his consuming thirst1 and drank till his senses were overpowered1 and he fell into a deep sleep4 ,benaiah1 watching him from a tree1 then came1 and drew the chain about ,asmodeus' neck4 ,the demon1 on awakening1 tried to free himself1 but ,benaiah called to him3 ,the ,name of thy ,lord is upon thee4 ,though ,asmodeus now permitted himself to be led off unresistingly1 he acted most peculiarly on the way to ,solomon4 ,he brushed against a palm-tree and uprooted it2 he knocked against a house and overturned it2 and when1 at the request of a poor woman1 he was turned aside from her hut1 he broke a bone4 ,he asked with grim humor3 ,is it not written1 ',a soft tongue breaketh the bone8' ,a blind man going astray he set in the right path1 and to a drunkard he did a similar kindness4 ,he wept when a wedding party passed them1 and laughed at a man who asked his shoemaker to make him shoes to last for seven years1 and at a magician who was publicly showing his skill4 ,having finally arrived at the end of the journey1 ,asmodeus1 after several days of waiting1 was led before ,solomon1 who questioned him about his strange conduct on the journey4 ,asmodeus answered that he judged persons and things according to their real character1 and not according to their appearance in the eyes of human beings4 ,he cried when he saw the wedding company1 because he knew the bridegroom had not a month to live1 and he laughed at him who wanted shoes to last seven years1 because the man would not own them for seven days1 also at the magician who pretended to disclose secrets1 because he did not know that a buried treasure lay under his very feet2 the blind man whom he set in the right path was one of the perfect pious1 and he wanted to be kind to him2 on the other hand1 the drunkard to whom he did a similar kindness was known in heaven as a very wicked man1 but he happened to have done a good deed once1 and he was rewarded accordingly4 ,asmodeus told ,solomon that the shamir was given by ,god to the ,angel of the ,sea1 and that ,angel entrusted none with the shamir except the moor-hen1 7#he7 which had taken an oath to watch the shamir carefully4 ,the moor-hen takes the shamir with her to mountains which are not inhabited by men1 splits them by means of the shamir1 and injects seeds1 which grow and cover the naked rocks1 and then they can be inhabited4 ,solomon sent one of his servants to seek the nest of the bird and lay a piece of glass over it4 ,when the moor-hen came and could not reach her young1 she flew away and fetched the shamir and placed it on the glass4 ,then the man shouted1 and so terrified the bird that she dropped the shamir and flew away4 ,by this means the man obtained possession of the coveted shamir1 and bore it to ,solomon4 ,but the moor-hen was so distressed at having broken her oath to the ,angel of the ,sea that she committed suicide4 ,although ,asmodeus was captured only for the purpose of getting the shamir1 ,solomon nevertheless kept him after the completion of the ,temple4 ,one day the king told ,asmodeus that he did not understand wherein the greatness of the demons lay1 if their king could be kept in bonds by a mortal4 ,asmodeus replied1 that if ,solomon would remove his chains and lend him the magic ring1 he would prove his own greatness4 ,solomon agreed4 ,the demon stood before him with one wing touching heaven and the other reaching to the earth4 ,snatching up ,solomon1 who had parted with his protecting ring1 he flung him four hundred parasangs away from ,jerusalem1 and then palmed himself off as the king4 ,,solomon ,,as ,,beggar ,banished from his home1 deprived of his realm1 ,solomon wandered about in far-off lands1 among strangers1 begging his daily bread4 ,nor did his humiliation end there2 people thought him a lunatic1 because he never tired of assuring them that he was ,solomon1 ,judah's great and mighty king4 ,naturally that seemed a preposterous claim to the people4 7#hf7 ,the lowest depth of despair he reached1 however1 when he met some one who recognized him4 ,the recollections and associations that stirred within him then made his present misery almost unendurable4 ,it happened 7#hg7 that once on his peregrinations he met an old acquaintance1 a rich and well-considered man1 who gave a sumptuous banquet in honor of ,solomon4 ,at the meal his host spoke to ,solomon constantly of the magnificence and splendor he had once seen with his own eyes at the court of the king4 ,these reminiscences moved the king to tears1 and he wept so bitterly that1 when he rose from the banquet1 he was satiated1 not with the rich food1 but with salt tears4 ,the following day it again happened that ,solomon met an acquaintance of former days1 this time a poor man1 who nevertheless entreated ,solomon to do him the honor and break bread under his roof4 ,all that the poor man could offer his distinguished guest was a meagre dish of greens4 ,but he tried in every way to assuage the grief that oppressed ,solomon4 ,he said3 ,o my lord and king1 ,god hath sworn unto ,david ,he would never let the royal dignity depart from his house1 but it is the way of ,god to reprove those ,he loves if they sin4 ,rest assured1 ,he will restore thee in good time to thy kingdom4 ,these words of his poor host were more grateful to ,solomon's bruised heart than the banquet the rich man had prepared for him4 ,it was to the contrast between the consolations of the two men that he applied the verse in ,proverbs3 ,better is a dinner of herbs where love is1 than a stalled ox and hatred therewith4 ,for three long years ,solomon journeyed about1 begging his way from city to city1 and from country to country1 atoning for the three 7#hh7 sins of his life by which he had set aside the commandment laid upon kings in ,deuteronomy not to multiply horses1 and wives1 and silver and gold4 ,at the end of that time1 ,god took mercy upon him for the sake of his father ,david1 and for the sake of the pious princess ,naamah1 the daughter of the ,ammonite king1 destined by ,god to be the ancestress of the ,messiah4 ,the time was approaching when she was to become the wife of ,solomon 7#hi7 and reign as queen in ,jerusalem4 ,god therefore led the royal wanderer to the capital city of ,ammon4 7#ij7 ,solomon took service as an underling with the cook in the royal household1 and he proved himself so proficient in the culinary art that the king of ,ammon raised him to the post of chief cook4 ,thus he came under the notice of the king's daughter ,naamah1 who fell in love with her father's cook4 ,in vain her parents endeavored to persuade her to choose a husband befitting her rank4 ,not even the king's threat to have her and her beloved executed availed to turn her thoughts away from ,solomon4 ,the ,ammonite king had the lovers taken to a barren desert1 in the hope that they would die of starvation there4 ,solomon and his wife wandered through the desert until they came to a city situated by the sea-shore4 ,they purchased a fish to stave off death4 ,when ,naamah prepared the fish1 she found in its belly the magic ring belonging to her husband1 which he had given to ,asmodeus1 and which1 thrown into the sea by the demon1 had been swallowed by a fish4 ,solomon recognized his ring1 put it on his finger1 and in the twinkling of an eye he transported himself to ,jerusalem4 ,asmodeus1 who had been posing as ,king ,solomon during the three years1 he drove out1 and himself ascended the throne again4 ,later on he cited the king of ,ammon before his tribunal1 and called him to account for the disappearance of the cook and the cook's wife1 accusing him of having killed them4 ,the king of ,ammon protested that he had not killed1 but only banished them4 ,then ,solomon had the queen appear1 and to his great astonishment and still greater joy the king of ,ammon recognized his daughter4 7#ia7 ,solomon succeeded in regaining his throne only after undergoing many hardships4 ,the people of ,jerusalem considered him a lunatic1 because he said that he was ,solomon4 ,after some time1 the members of the ,sanhedrin noticed his peculiar behavior1 and they investigated the matter4 ,they found that a long time had passed since ,benaiah1 the confidant of the king1 had been permitted to enter the presence of the usurper4 ,furthermore the wives of ,solomon and his mother ,bath-sheba informed them that the behavior of the king had completely changed it was not befitting royalty and in no respect like ,solomon's former manner4 ,it was also very strange that the king never by any chance allowed his foot to be seen1 for fear1 of course1 of betraying his demon origin4 7#ib7 ,the ,sanhedrin1 therefore1 gave the king's magic ring to the wandering beggar who called himself ,king ,solomon1 and had him appear before the pretender on the throne4 ,as soon as ,asmodeus caught sight of the true king protected by his magic ring1 he flew away precipitately4 ,solomon did not escape unscathed4 ,the sight of ,asmodeus in all his forbidding ugliness had so terrified him that henceforth he surrounded his couch at night with all the valiant heroes among the people4 7#ic7 ,,the ,,court ,,of ,,solomon ,as ,david had been surrounded by great scholars and heroes of repute1 so the court of ,solomon was the gathering-place of the great of his people4 ,the most important of them all doubtless was ,benaiah the son of ,jehoiada1 who had no peer for learning and piety either in the time of the first or the second ,temple4 7#id7 ,in his capacity as the chancellor of ,solomon1 he was the object of the king's special favor4 ,he was frequently invited to be the companion of the king in his games of chess4 ,the wise king naturally was always the winner4 ,one day ,solomon left the chess-board for a moment1 ,benaiah used his absence to remove one of the king's chess-men1 and the king lost the game4 ,solomon gave much thought to the occurrence4 ,he came to the conclusion that his chancellor had dealt dishonestly with him1 and he was determined to give him a lesson4 ,some days later ,solomon noticed two suspicious characters hanging about the palace4 ,acting at once upon an idea that occurred to him1 he put on the clothes of one of his servants and joined the two suspects4 ,the three of them1 he proposed1 should make the attempt to rob the royal palace1 and he drew forth a key which would facilitate their entrance4 ,while the thieves were occupied in gathering booty1 the king roused his servants1 and the malefactors were taken into custody4 ,next morning ,solomon appeared before the ,sanhedrin1 which was presided over by ,benaiah 7#ie7 at the time1 and he desired to know from the court what punishment was meted out to a thief4 ,benaiah1 seeing no delinquents before him1 and unwilling to believe that the king would concern himself about the apprehension of thieves1 was convinced that ,solomon was bent on punishing him for his dishonest play4 ,he fell at the feet of the king1 confessed his guilt1 and begged his pardon4 ,solomon was pleased to have his supposition confirmed1 and also to have ,benaiah acknowledge his wrong-doing4 he assured him he harbored no evil designs against him1 and that when he asked this question of the ,sanhedrin1 he had had real thieves in mind1 who had broken into the palace during the night4 7#if7 ,another interesting incident happened1 in which ,benaiah played a part4 ,the king of ,persia was very ill1 and his physician told him he could be cured by nothing but the milk of a lioness4 ,the king accordingly sent a deputation bearing rich presents to ,solomon1 the only being in the world who might in his wisdom discover means to obtain lion's milk4 ,solomon charged ,benaiah to fulfil the ,persian king's wish4 ,benaiah took a number of kids1 and repaired to a lion's den4 ,daily he threw a kid to the lioness1 and after some time the beasts became familiar with him1 and finally he could approach the lioness close enough to draw milk from her udders4 ,on the way back to the ,persian king the physician who had recommended the milk cure dreamed a dream4 ,all the organs of his body1 his hands1 feet1 eyes1 mouth1 and tongue1 were quarrelling with one another1 each claiming the greatest share of credit in procuring the remedy for the ,persian monarch4 ,when the tongue set forth its own contribution to the cause of the king's service1 the other organs rejected its claim as totally unfounded4 ,the physician did not forget the dream1 and when he appeared before the king1 he spoke3 ,here is the dog's milk which we went to fetch for you4 ,the king1 enraged1 ordered the physician to be hanged1 because he had brought the milk of a bitch instead of the milk of a lion's dam4 ,during the preliminaries to the execution1 all the limbs and organs of the physician began to tremble1 whereupon the tongue said3 ,did ,i not tell you that you all are of no good8 ,if you will acknowledge my superiority1 ,i shall even now save you from death4 ,they all made the admission it demanded1 and the physician requested the executioner to take him to the king4 ,once in the presence of his master1 he begged him as a special favor to drink of the milk he had brought4 ,the king granted his wish1 recovered from his sickness1 and dismissed the physician in peace4 ,so it came about that all the organs of the body acknowledge the supremacy of the tongue4 7#ig7 ,besides ,benaiah1 ,solomon's two scribes1 ,elihoreph and ,ahijah1 the sons of ,shisha1 deserve mention4 ,they both met their death in a most peculiar way4 ,solomon once upon a time noticed a care-worn expression on the countenance of the ,angel of ,death4 ,when he asked the reason1 he received the answer1 that he had been charged with the task of bringing the two scribes to the next world4 ,solomon was desirous of stealing a march upon the ,angel of ,death1 as well as keeping his secretaries alive4 ,he ordered the demons to carry ,elihoreph and ,ahijah to ,luz1 the only spot on earth in which the ,angel of ,death has no power4 7#ih7 ,in a jiffy1 the demons had done his bidding1 but the two secretaries expired at the very moment of reaching the gates of ,luz4 ,next day1 the ,angel of ,death appeared before ,solomon in very good humor1 and said to him3 ,thou didst transport those two men to the very spot in which ,i wanted them4 ,the fate destined for them was to die at the gates of ,luz1 and the ,angel of ,death had been at a loss how to get them there4 7#ii7 ,a most interesting incident in ,solomon's own family circle is connected with one of his daughters4 ,she was of extraordinary beauty1 and in the stars he read that she was to marry an extremely poor youth4 ,to prevent the undesirable union1 ,solomon had a high tower erected in the sea1 and to this he sent his daughter4 ,seventy eunuchs were to guard her1 and a huge quantity of food was stored in the tower for her use4 ,the poor youth whom fate had appointed to be her husband was travelling one cold night4 ,he did not know where to rest his head1 when he espied the rent carcass of an ox lying in the field4 ,in this he lay down to keep warm4 ,when he was ensconced in it1 there came a large bird1 which took the carcass1 bore it1 together with the youth stretched out in it1 to the roof of the tower in which the princess lived1 and1 settling down there1 began to devour the flesh of the ox4 ,in the morning1 the princess1 according to her wont1 ascended to the roof to look out upon the sea1 and she caught sight of the youth4 ,she asked him who he was1 and who had brought him thither8 ,he told her that he was a ,jew from ,accho1 and had been carried to the tower by a bird4 ,she showed him to a chamber1 where he could wash and anoint himself1 and array himself in a fresh garb4 ,then it appeared that he possessed unusual beauty4 ,besides1 he was a scholar of great attainments and of acute mind4 ,so it came about that the princess fell in love with him4 ,she asked him whether he would have her to wife1 and he assented gladly4 ,he opened one of his veins1 and wrote the marriage contract with his own blood4 ,then he pronounced the formula of betrothal1 taking ,god and the two archangels ,michael and ,gabriel as witnesses1 and she became his wife1 legally married to him4 ,after some time the eunuchs noticed that she was pregnant4 ,their questions elicited the suspected truth from the princess1 and they sent for ,solomon4 ,his daughter admitted her marriage1 and the king1 though he recognized in her husband the poor man predicted in the constellations1 yet he thanked ,god for his son-in-law1 distinguished no less for learning than for his handsome person4 7#ajj7 ,,vi4 ,,judah ,,and ,,israel ,,the ,,division ,,of ,,the ,,kingdom ,the division of the kingdom into ,judah and ,israel1 which took place soon after the death of ,solomon1 had cast its shadow before4 ,when ,solomon1 on the day after his marriage with the ,egyptian princess1 disturbed the regular course of the ,temple service by sleeping late with his head on the pillow under which lay the key of the ,temple1 ,jeroboam with eighty thousand ,ephraimites approached the king and publicly called him to account for is negligence4 ,god administered a reproof to ,jeroboam2 ,why dost thou reproach a prince of ,israel8 ,as thou livest1 thou shalt have a taste of his rulership1 and thou wilt see thou are not equal to its responsibilities4 7#a7 ,on another occasion a clash occurred between ,jeroboam and ,solomon4 ,the latter ordered his men to close the openings ,david had made in the city wall to facilitate the approach of the pilgrims to ,jerusalem4 ,this forced them all the walk through the gates and pay toll4 ,the tax thus collected ,solomon gave to his wife1 the daughter of ,pharaoh1 as pin-money4 ,indignant at this1 ,jeroboam questioned the king about it in public4 ,in other ways1 too1 he failed to pay ,solomon the respect due to royal position1 as his father before him1 ,sheba the son of ,bichri1 had rebelled against ,david1 misled by signs and tokens which he had falsely interpreted as pointing to his own elevation to royal dignity1 when in reality they concerned themselves with his son4 7#b7 ,it was when ,jeroboam was preparing to depart from ,jerusalem forever1 in order to escape the dangers to which ,solomon's displeasure exposed him1 7#c7 that ,ahijah of ,shilo met him with the ,divine tidings of his elevation to the kingship4 ,the prophet ,ahijah1 of the tribe of ,levi1 was venerable1 not only by reason of his hoary age1 his birth occurred at least sixty years before the exodus from ,egypt1 7#d7 but because his piety was so profound that a saint of the exalted standing of ,simon ben ,yohai associated ,ahijah with himself4 ,simon once exclaimed3 ,my merits and ,ahijah together suffice to atone for the iniquity of all sinners from the time of ,abraham until the advent of the ,messiah4 7#e7 ,,jeroboam ,jeroboam was the true disciple 7#f7 of this great prophet1 ,his doctrine was as pure as the new garment ,ahijah wore when he met ,jeroboam near ,jerusalem1 and his learning exceeded that of all the scholars of his time except his own teacher ,ahijah alone4 ,the prophet was in the habit of discussing secret love with ,jeroboam and subjects in the ,torah whose existence was wholly unknown to others4 7#g7 ,had ,jeroboam proved himself worthy of his high position1 the length of his reign would have equalled ,david's4 7#h7 ,it was his pride that led him into destruction4 ,he set up the golden calves as objects to be worshipped by the people1 in order to wean them from their habit of going on pilgrimages to ,jerusalem4 ,he knew that in the ,temple only members of the royal house of ,david were privileged to sit down4 ,no exception would be made in favor of ,jeroboam1 and so he would have to stand while ,rehoboam would be seated4 ,rather than appear in public as the subordinate of the ,judean king1 he introduced the worship of idols1 which secured him full royal prerogatives4 ,in the execution of his plan he proceeded with great cunning1 and his reputation as a profound scholar and pious saint stood him in good stead4 ,this was his method3 ,he seated an impious man next to a pious man1 and then said to each couple3 ,will you put your signature to anything ,i intend to do8 ,the two would give an affirmative answer4 ,do you want me as king8 he would then ask1 only to receive and affirmative answer again4 ,and you will do whatever ,i order8 he continued4 ,yes1 was the reply4 ,i am to infer1 then1 that you will even pay worship to idols if ,i command it8 said ,jeroboam4 ,god forbid 6 the pious member of the couple would exclaim1 whereupon his impious companion1 who was in league with the king1 would turn upon him3 ,canst thou really suppose for an instant that a man like ,jeroboam would serve idols8 ,he only wishes to put our loyalty to the test4 ,through such machinations he succeeded in obtaining the signatures of the most pious1 even the signature of the prophet ,ahijah4 ,now ,jeroboam had the people is his power4 ,he could exact the vilest deeds from them4 7#i7 ,so entrenched1 ,jeroboam brought about the division between ,judah and ,israel1 a consummation which his father1 ,sheba the son of ,bichri1 had not been able to compass under ,david1 because ,god desired to have the ,temple erected before the split occurred4 7#aj7 ,not yet satisfied1 ,jeroboam sought to involve the ,ten ,tribes in a war against ,judah and ,jerusalem4 ,but the people of the northern kingdom refused to enter into hostilities with their brethren1 and with the ruler of their brethren1 a descendant of ,david4 ,jeroboam appealed to the elders of the ,israelites1 and they referred him to the ,danites1 the most efficient of their warriors2 but they swore by the head of ,dan1 the ancestor of their tribe1 that they would never consent to shed blood of their brethren4 ,they were even on the point of rising against ,jeroboam1 and the clash between them and the followers of ,jeroboam was prevented only because ,god prompted the ,danites to leave ,palestine4 ,their first plan was to journey to ,egypt and take possession of the land4 ,they gave it up when their princes reminded them of the ,biblical prohibition 7#aa7 against dwelling in ,egypt4 ,likewise they were restrained from attacking the ,edomites1 ,ammonites1 and ,moabites1 for the ,torah commands considerate treatment of them4 ,finally they decided to go to ,egypt1 but not to stay there1 only to pass through to ,ethiopia4 ,the ,egyptians were in great terror of the ,danites1 and their hardiest warriors occupied the roads travelled by them4 ,arrived in ,ethiopia1 the ,danites slew a part of the population1 and exacted tribute from the rest4 7#ab7 ,the departure of the ,danites relieved ,judah from the apprehended invasion by ,jeroboam1 but danger arose from another quarter4 ,shishak1 7#ac7 the ruler of ,egypt1 who was the father-in-law of ,solomon1 came to ,jerusalem and demanded his daughter's jointure4 ,he carried off the throne of ,solomon1 7#ad7 and also the treasure which the ,israelites had taken from the ,egyptians at the time of the exodus4 ,so the ,egyptian money returned to its source4 7#ae7 ,,the ,,two ,,abijahs ,jeroboam did not entirely forego his plan of a campaign against ,judah1 but it was not executed until ,abijah had succeeded his father ,rehoboam on the throne of ,jerusalem4 ,the ,judean king was victorious4 ,however1 he could not long enjoy the fruits of his victory4 ,shortly after occurred his death1 brought on by his own crimes4 ,in his war against ,jeroboam he had indulged in excessive cruelty2 he ordered the corpses of the enemy to be mutilated1 and permitted them to be buried only after putrefaction had set in4 ,such savagery was all the more execrable as it prevented many widows from entering into a second marriage4 ,mutilating the corpses had made identification impossible1 and so it was left doubtful whether their husbands were among the dead4 ,moreover1 ,abijah used most disrespectful language about the prophet ,abijah the ,shilonite2 he called him a son of ,belial in his address to the people on ,mount ,zemaraim4 ,that in itself merited severe punishment4 ,finally1 his zeal for true worship of ,god1 which ,abijah had urged as the reason of the war between himself and ,jeroboam1 cooled quickly4 ,when he obtained possession of ,beth-el1 he failed to do away with the golden calves4 7#af7 ,in this respect his namesake1 the ,israelitish king ,abijah1 the son of ,jeroboam1 was by far his superior4 ,by removing the guards stationed at the frontier1 he bade defiance to the command of his father1 who had decreed the death penalty for pilgrimages to ,jerusalem4 ,more than this1 he himself ventured to go up to ,jerusalem in fulfilment of his religious duty4 7#ag7 ,,asa ,asa1 the son of ,abijah of ,judah1 was a worthier and a more pious ruler than his father had been4 ,he did away with the gross worship of ,priapus1 7#ah7 to which his mother was devoted4 ,to reward him for his piety1 ,god gave him the victory over ,zerah1 the king of the ,ethiopians4 ,as a result of this victory he came again into possession of the throne of ,solomon and of the treasures ,shishak had taken from his grandfather1 which ,zerah in turn had wrested form ,shishak4 7#ai7 ,asa himself did not long keep them4 ,baasha1 the king of ,israel1 together with ,ben-hadad1 the ,aramean king1 attacked ,asa1 who tried to propitiate ,ben-hadad by giving him his lately re-acquired treasures4 7#bj7 ,the prophet justly rebuked him for trusting in princes rather than in ,god1 and that in spite of the fact that ,divine help had been visible in his conflicts with the ,ethiopians and the ,lubim2 for there had been no need for him to engage in battle with them2 in response to his mere prayer ,god had slain the enemy4 7#ba7 ,in general1 ,asa showed little confidence in ,god2 he rather trusted his own skill4 ,accordingly1 he made even the scholars of his realm enlist in the army sent out against ,baasha4 ,he was punished by being afflicted with gout1 he of all men1 who was distinguished on account of the strength residing in his feet4 7#bb7 ,furthermore1 the division between ,judah and ,israel was made permanent1 though ,god had at first intended to limit the exclusion of ,david's house from ,israel to only thirty-six years4 ,had ,asa shown himself deserving1 he would have been accorded dominion over the whole of ,israel4 7#bc7 ,in point of fact1 ,asa1 through his connection by marriage with the house of ,omri1 contributed to the stability of the ,israelitish dynasty1 for as a result of the support given by the southern ruler ,omri succeeded in putting his rival ,tibni out of the way4 ,then it was that ,god resolved that the descendants of ,asa should perish simultaneously with the descendants of ,omri4 ,this doom was accomplished when ,jehu killed the king of ,judah on account of his friendship and kinship with ,joram the king of ,samaria4 7#bd7 ,,jehoshaphat ,,and ,,ahab ,the successors of ,omri and ,asa1 each in his way1 were worthy of their fathers4 ,jehoshaphat1 the son of ,asa1 was very wealthy4 ,the treasures which his father had sent to the ,aramean ruler reverted to him in consequence of his victory over the ,ammonites1 themselves the conquerors of the ,arameans1 whom they had despoiled of their possessions4 7#be7 ,his power was exceedingly great2 each division of his army counted no less than one hundred and sixty thousand warriors4 7#bf7 ,yet rich and powerful as he was1 he was so modest that he refused to don his royal apparel when he went to the house of the prophet ,elisha to consult him2 he appeared before him in the attire of one of the people4 7#bg7 ,unlike his father1 who had little consideration for scholars1 ,jehoshaphat was particularly gracious toward them4 ,when a scholar appeared before him1 he arose1 hastened to meet him1 and kissing and embracing him1 greeted him with ,rabbi1 ,rabbi6 7#bh7 ,jehoshaphat concerned himself greatly about the purity and sanctification of the ,temple4 ,he was the author of the ordinance forbidding any one to ascend the ,temple mount whose term of uncleanness had not expired1 even though he had taken the ritual bath4 7#bi7 ,his implicit trust in ,god made him a complete contrast to his skeptical father4 ,he turned to ,god and implored ,his help when to human reason help seemed an utter impossibility4 ,in the war with the ,arameans1 an enemy held his sword at ,jehoshaphat's very throat1 ready to deal the fatal blow1 but the king entreated help of ,god1 and it was granted4 7#cj7 ,in power and wealth1 ,ahab1 king of ,samaria1 outstripped his friend ,jehoshaphat1 for ,ahab is one of that small number of kings who have ruled over the whole world4 7#ca7 ,no less than two hundred and fifty-two kingdoms acknowledged his dominion4 7#cb7 ,as for his wealth1 it was so abundant that each of his hundred and forty children possessed several ivory palaces1 summer and winter residences4 7#cc7 ,but what gives ,ahab his prominence among the ,jewish kings is neither his power nor his wealth1 but his sinful conduct4 ,for him the gravest transgressions committed by ,jeroboam were slight peccadilloes4 ,at his order the gates of ,samaria bore the inscription3 ,ahab denies the ,god of ,israel4 ,he was so devoted to idolatry1 to which he was led astray by his wife ,jezebel1 that the fields of ,palestine were full of idols4 ,but he was not wholly wicked1 he possessed some good qualities4 ,he was liberal toward scholars1 and he showed great reverence for the ,torah1 which he studied zealously4 ,when ,ben-hadad exacted all he possessed his wealth1 his wives1 his children he acceded to his demands regarding everything except the ,torah2 that he refused peremptorily to surrender4 7#cd7 ,in the war that followed between himself and the ,syrians1 he was so indignant at the presumptuousness of the ,aramean upstart that he himself saddled his warhorse for the battle4 ,his zeal was rewarded by ,god2 he gained a brilliant victory in a battle in which no less than a hundred thousand of the ,syrians were slain1 as the prophet ,micaiah had foretold to him4 7#ce7 ,the same seer 7#cf7 admonished him not to deal gently with ,ben-hadad4 ,god's word to him had been3 ,know that ,i had to set many a pitfall and trap to deliver him into thy hand4 ,if thou lettest him escape1 thy life will be forfeit for his4 7#cg7 ,nevertheless the disastrous end of ,ahab is not to be ascribed to his disregard of the prophet's warning for he finally liberated ,ben-hahad1 but chiefly to the murder of his kinsman ,naboth1 whose execution on the charge of treason he had ordered1 so that he might put himself in possession of ,naboth's wealth4 7#ch7 ,his victim was a pious man1 and in the habit of going on pilgrimages to ,jerusalem on the festivals4 ,as he was a great singer1 his presence in the ,holy ,city attracted many other pilgrims thither4 ,once ,naboth failed to go on his customary pilgrimage4 ,then it was that his false conviction took place a very severe punishment for the transgression1 but not wholly unjustifiable4 7#ci7 ,under ,jehoshaphat's influence and counsel1 ,ahab did penance for his crime1 and the punishment ,god meted out to him was thereby mitigated to the extent that his dynasty was not cut off from the throne at this death4 7#dj7 ,in the heavenly court of justice1 7#da7 at ,ahab's trial1 the accusing witnesses and his defenders exactly balanced each other in number and statements1 until the spirit of ,naboth appeared and turned the scale against ,ahab4 ,the spirit of ,naboth it had been1 too1 that had let astray the prophets of ,ahab1 making them all use the very same words in prophesying a victory at ,ramothgilead4 ,this literal unanimity aroused ,jehoshaphat's suspicion1 and caused him to ask for a prophet of the ,lord1 for the rule is3 ,the same thought is revealed to many prophets1 but no two prophets express it in the same words4 7#db7 ,jehoshaphat's mistrust was justified by the issue of war4 ,ahab was slain in a miraculous way by ,naaman1 at the time only a common soldier of the rank and file4 ,god permitted ,naaman's missile to penetrate ,ahab's armor1 though the latter was harder than the former4 7#dc7 ,the mourning for ,ahab was so great that the memory of it reached posterity4 7#dd7 ,the funeral procession was unusually impressive2 no less than thirty-six thousand warriors1 their shoulders bared1 marched before his bier4 7#de7 ,ahab is one of the few in ,israel who have no portion in the world to come4 7#df7 ,he dwells in the fifth division of the nether world1 which is under the supervision of the angel ,oniel4 ,however1 he is exempt from the tortures inflicted upon his heathen associates4 7#dg7 ,,jezebel ,wicked as ,ahab was1 his wife ,jezebel was incomparably worse4 ,indeed1 she is in great part the cause of his suffering1 and ,ahab realized it4 ,once ,rabbi ,levi expounded the ,scriptural verse in which the iniquity of ,ahab and the influence of his wife over him are discussed1 dwelling upon the first half for two months4 ,ahab visited him in a dream1 and reproached him with expatiating on the first half of the verse to the exclusion of the latter half4 ,thereupon the ,rabbi took the second half of the verse as the text of his lectures for the next two months1 demonstrating all the time that ,jezebel was the instigator of ,ahab's sins4 7#dh7 ,her misdeed are told in the ,scriptures4 ,to those there recounted must be added her practice of attaching unchaste images to ,ahab's chariot for the purpose of stimulating his carnal desires4 ,therefore those parts of his chariot were spattered with his blood when he fell at the hand of the enemy4 7#di7 ,she had her husband weighed every day1 and the increase of his weight in gold she sacrificed to the idol4 7#ej7 ,jezebel was not only the daughter and the wife of a king1 she was also co-regent with her husband1 the only reigning queen in ,jewish history except ,athaliah4 7#ea7 ,hardened sinner though ,jezebel was1 even she had good qualities4 ,one of them was her capacity for sympathy with others in joy and sorrow4 ,whenever a funeral cortege passed the royal palace1 ,jezebel would descend and join the ranks of the mourners1 and1 also1 when a marriage procession went by1 she took part in the merry-making in honor of the bridal couple4 ,by way of reward the limbs and organs with which she had executed these good deeds were left intact by the horses that trampled her to death in the portion of ,jezreel4 7#eb7 ,,joram ,,of ,,israel ,of ,joram1 the son of ,ahab1 it can only be said that he had his father's faults without his father's virtues4 ,ahab was liberal1 ,joram miserly1 nay1 he even indulged in usurious practices4 ,from ,obadiah1 the pious protector of the prophets in hiding1 he exacted a high rate of interest on the money needed for their support4 ,as a consequence1 at his death he fell pierced between his arms1 the arrow going out at his heart1 for he had stretched out his arms to receive usury1 and had hardened his heart against compassion4 7#ec7 ,in his reign only one event deserves mention1 his campaign against ,moab1 undertaken in alliance with the kings of ,judah and ,edom1 and ending with a splendid victory won by the allied kings4 ,joram and his people1 it need hardly be said1 failed to derive the proper lesson from the war4 ,their disobedience to ,god's commands went on as before4 ,the king of ,moab1 on the other hand1 in his way sought to come nearer to ,god4 ,he assembled his astrologers and inquired of them1 why it was that the ,moabites1 successful in their warlike enterprises against other nations1 could not measure up to the standard of the ,israelites4 ,they explained that ,god was gracious to ,israel1 because his ancestor ,abraham had been ready to sacrifice ,isaac at ,his bidding4 ,then the ,moabite king reasoned1 that if ,god set so high a value upon mere good intention1 how much greater would be the reward for its actual execution1 and he1 who ordinarily was a sun worshipper1 proceeded to sacrifice his son1 the successor to the throne1 to the ,god of ,israel4 ,god said3 ,the heathen do not know ,me1 and their wrong-doing arises from ignorance2 but you1 ,israelites1 know ,me1 and yet you act rebelliously toward ,me4 7#ed7 ,as a result of the seven years' famine1 conditions in ,samaria were frightful during the great part of ,joram's reign4 ,in the first year everything stored in the houses was eaten up4 ,in the second1 the people supported themselves with what they could scrape together in the fields4 ,the flesh of the clean animals sufficed for the third year2 in the fourth the sufferers resorted to the unclean animals2 in the fifth1 the reptiles and insects2 and in the sixth the monstrous thing happened that women crazed by hunger consumed their own children as food4 ,but the acme of distress was reached in the seventh year1 when men sought to gnaw the flesh from their own bones4 7#ee7 ,to these occurrences the prophecies of ,joel apply1 for he lived in the awful days of the famine in ,joram's reign4 ,luckily1 ,god revealed to ,joel at the same time how ,israel would be rescued from the famine4 ,the winter following the seven years of dearth brought no relief1 for the rain held back until the first day of the month of ,nisan4 ,when it began to fall1 the prophet said to the people1 ,go forth and sow seed6 ,but they remonstrated with him1 ,shall one who hath saved a measure of wheat or two measures of barely not use his store for food and live1 rather than for seed and die8 ,but the prophet urged them1 ,nay1 go forth and sow seed4 ,and a miracle happened4 ,in the ant hills and mouse holes1 they found enough grain for seed1 and they cast it upon the ground on the second1 the third1 and the fourth day of ,nisan4 ,on the fifth day of the month rain fell again4 ,eleven days later the grain was ripe1 and the offering of the ',omer could be brought at the appointed time1 on the sixteenth of the month4 ,of this the ,psalmist was thinking when he said1 ,they that sow in tears shall reap in joy4 7#ef7 ,,vii4 ,,elijah ,,elijah ,,before ,,his ,,translation ,the ,biblical account of the prophet ,elijah1 7#a7 of his life and work during the reigns of ,ahab and his son ,joram1 gives but a faint idea of a personage whose history begins with ,israel's sojourn in ,egypt1 and will end only when ,israel1 under the leadership of the ,messiah1 shall have taken up his abode again in ,palestine4 ,the ,scripture tells us only the name of ,elijah's home1 7#b7 but it must be added that he was a priest1 identical with ,phinehas1 7#c7 the priest zealous for the honor of ,god1 who distinguished himself on the journey through the desert1 and played a prominent role again in the time of the ,judges4 7#d7 ,elijah's first appearance in the period of the ,kings was his meeting with ,ahab in the house of ,hiel1 the ,beth-elite1 the commander-in-chief of the ,israelitish army1 whom he was visiting to condole with him for the loss of his sons4 ,god ,himself had charged the prophet to offer sympathy to ,hiel1 whose position demanded that honor be paid him4 ,elijah at first refused to seek out the sinner who had violated the ,divine injunction against rebuilding ,jericho1 for he said that the blasphemous talk of such evil-doers always called forth his rage4 ,thereupon ,god promised ,elijah that fulfilment should attend whatever imprecation might in his wrath escape him against the godless for their unholy speech4 ,as the prophet entered the general's house1 he heard ,hiel utter these words3 ,blessed be the ,lord ,god of the pious1 who grants fulfilment to the words of the pious4 ,hiel thus acknowledged that he had been justly afflicted with ,joshua's curse against him who should rebuild ,jericho4 ,ahab mockingly asked him3 ,was not ,moses greater than ,joshua1 and did he not say that ,god would let no rain descend upon the earth1 if ,israel served and worshipped idols8 ,there is not an idol known to which ,i do not pay homage1 yet we enjoy all that is goodly and desirable4 ,dost thou believe that if the words of ,moses remain unfulfilled1 the words of ,joshua will come true8 ,elijah rejoined3 ,be it as thou sayest3 ',as the ,lord1 the ,god of ,israel liveth1 before whom ,i stand1 there shall not be dew nor rain these years1 but according to my word4' ,in pursuance of ,his promise1 ,god could not but execute the words of ,elijah1 and neither dew nor rain watered the land4 7#e7 ,a famine ensued1 and ,ahab sought to wreak his vengeance upon the prophet4 ,to escape the king's persecutions1 ,elijah hid himself4 ,he was sustained with food brought from the larder of the pious king ,jehoshaphat by ravens1 7#f7 which at the same time would not approach near to the house of the iniquitous ,ahab4 7#g7 ,god1 who has compassion even upon the impious1 tried to induce the prophet to release ,him from ,his promise4 ,to influence him ,he made the brook run dry 7#h7 whence ,elijah drew water for his thirst4 ,as this failed to soften the inflexible prophet1 ,god resorted to the expedient of causing him pain through the death of the son of the widow with whom ,elijah was abiding1 and by whom he had been received with great honor4 ,when her son1 who was later to be known as the prophet ,jonah1 7#i7 died1 she thought ,god had formerly been gracious to her on account of her great worthiness as compared with the merits of her neighbors and of the inhabitants of the city1 and now ,he had abandoned her1 because her virtues had become as naught in the presence of the great prophet4 7#aj7 ,in his distress ,elijah supplicated ,god to revive the child4 7#aa7 ,now ,god had the prophet in ,his power4 ,he could give heed unto ,elijah's prayer only provided the prophet released ,him from the promise about a drought1 for resuscitation from death is brought about by means of dew1 and this remedy was precluded so long as ,elijah kept ,god to ,his word withholding dew and rain from the earth4 7#ab7 ,elijah saw there was nothing for it but to yield4 ,however1 he first betook himself to ,ahab with the purpose of overcoming the obduracy of the people1 upon whom the famine had made no impression4 ,manifest wonders displayed before their eyes were to teach them wisdom4 ,the combat between ,god and ,baal took place on ,carmel4 ,the mount that had esteemed itself the proper place for the greatest event in ,israelitish history1 the revelation of the law1 was compensated1 by the many miracles now performed upon it1 for its disappointment at ,sinai's having been preferred to it4 7#ac7 ,the first wonder occurred in connection with the choice of the bullocks4 ,according to ,elijah's arrangement with ,ahab1 one was to be sacrificed to ,god1 and then one to ,baal4 ,a pair to twins1 raised together1 were brought before the contestants1 and it was decided by lot which belonged to ,god and which to ,baal4 ,elijah had no difficulty with his offering2 quickly he led it to his altar4 ,but all the priests of ,baal1 eight hundred and fifty in number1 could not make their victim stir a foot4 ,when ,elijah began to speak persuasively to the bullock of ,baal1 urging it to follow the idolatrous priests1 it opened its mouth and said3 ,we two1 yonder bullock and myself1 came forth from the same womb1 we took our food from the same manger1 and now he has been destined for ,god1 as an instrument for the glorification of the ,divine ,name1 while ,i am to be used for ,baal1 as an instrument to enrage my ,creator4 ,elijah urged3 ,do thou but follow the priests of ,baal that they may have no excuse1 and then thou wilt have a share in that glorification of ,god for which my bullock will be used4 ,the bullock3 ,so dost thou advise1 but ,i swear ,i will not move from the spot1 unless thou with thine own hands wilt deliver me up4 ,elijah thereupon led the bullock to the priests of ,baal4 7#ad7 ,in spite of this miracle1 the priests sought to deceive the people4 ,they undermined the altar1 and ,hiel hid himself under it with the purpose of igniting a fire at the mention of the word ,baal4 ,but ,god sent a serpent to kill him4 7#ae7 ,in vain the false priests cried and called1 ,baal6 ,baal6 the expected flame did not shoot up4 ,to add to the confusion of the idolaters1 ,god had imposed silence upon the whole world4 ,the powers of the upper and of the nether regions were dumb1 the universe seemed deserted and desolate1 as if without a living creature4 ,if a single sound had made itself heard1 the priests would have said1 ,it is the voice of ,baal4 7#af7 ,that all preparations might be completed in one day1 the erection of the altar1 the digging of the trench1 and whatever else was necessary1 ,elijah commanded the sun to stand still4 ,for ,joshua1 he said1 thou didst stand still that ,israel might conquer his enemies2 now stand thou still1 neither for my sake1 nor for the sake of ,israel1 but that the ,name of ,god may be exalted4 ,and the sun obeyed his words4 7#ag7 ,toward evening ,elijah summoned his disciple ,elisha1 and bade him pour water over his hands4 ,a miracle happened4 ,water flowed out from ,elijah's fingers until the whole trench was filled4 7#ah7 ,then the prophet prayed to ,god to let fire descend1 but in such wise that the people would know it to be a wonder from heaven1 and not think it a magician's trick4 7#ai7 ,he spoke3 ,lord of the world1 ,thou wilt send me as a messenger 'at the end of time1' but if my words do not meet with fulfilment now1 the ,jews cannot be expected to believe me in the latter days4 7#bj7 ,his pleading was heard on high1 and fire fell from heaven upon the altar1 a fire that not only consumed what it touched1 but also licked up the water4 7#ba7 ,nor was that all2 his prayer for rain was also granted4 ,scarcely had these words dropped from his lips1 ,though we have no other merits1 yet remember the sign of the covenant which the ,israelites bear upon their bodies1 when the rain fell to earth4 7#bb7 ,in spite of all these miracles1 the people persisted in their idolatrous ways and thoughts4 ,even the seven thousand who had not bowed down unto ,baal were unworthy sons of ,israel1 for they paid homage to the golden calves of ,jeroboam4 7#bc7 ,the misdeeds of the people had swelled to such number that they could no longer reckon upon the merits of the fathers to intercede for them2 they had overdrawn their account4 7#bd7 ,when they sank to the point of degradation at which they gave up the sign of the covenant1 ,elijah could control his wrath no longer1 and he accused ,israel before ,god4 7#be7 ,in the cleft of the rock in which ,god had once aforetimes appeared to ,moses1 and revealed ,himself as compassionate and long-suffering1 ,he now met with ,elijah1 7#bf7 and conveyed to him1 by various signs1 that it had been better to defend ,israel than accuse him4 ,but ,elijah in his zeal for ,god was inexorable4 ,then ,god commanded him to appoint ,elisha as his successor1 for ,he said3 ,i cannot do as thou wouldst have me4 7#bg7 ,furthermore ,god charged him3 ,instead of accusing ,my children1 journey to ,damascus1 where the ,gentiles have an idol for each day of the year4 ,though ,israel hath thrown down ,my altars and slain ,my prophets1 what concern is it of thine8 7#bh7 ,the four phenomena that ,god sent before ,his appearance wind1 7#bi7 earthquake1 fire1 and a still small voice were to instruct ,elijah about the destiny of man4 ,god told ,elijah that these four represent the worlds through which man must pass3 the first stands for this world1 fleeting as the wind2 the earthquake is the day of death1 which makes the human body to tremble and quake2 fire is the tribunal in ,gehenna1 and the still small voice is the ,last ,judgment1 when there will be none but ,god alone4 7#cj7 ,about three years 7#ca7 later1 ,elijah was taken up into heaven1 7#cb7 but not without first undergoing a struggle with the ,angel of ,death4 ,he refused to let ,elijah enter heaven at his translation1 on the ground that he exercised jurisdiction over all mankind1 ,elijah not excepted4 ,god maintained that at the creation of heaven and earth ,he had explicitly ordered the ,angel of ,death to grant entrance to the living prophet1 but the ,angel of ,death insisted that by ,elijah's translation ,god had given just cause for complaint to all other men1 who could not escape the doom of death4 ,thereupon ,god3 ,elijah is not like other men4 ,he is able to banish thee from the world1 only thou dost not recognize his strength4 ,with the consent of ,god1 a combat took place between ,elijah and the ,angel of ,death4 ,the prophet was victorious1 and1 if ,god had not restrained him1 he would have annihilated his opponent4 ,holding his defeated enemy under his feet1 ,elijah ascended heavenward4 7#cc7 ,in heaven he goes on living for all time4 7#cd7 ,there he sits recording the deeds of men 7#ce7 and the chronicles of the world4 7#cf7 ,he has another office besides4 ,he is the ,psychopomp1 whose duty is to stand at the cross-ways in ,paradise and guide the pious to their appointed places2 7#cg7 who brings the souls of sinners up from ,gehenna at the approach of the ,sabbath1 and leads them back again to their merited punishment when the day of rest is about to depart2 and who conducts these same souls1 after they have atoned for their sins1 to the place of everlasting bliss4 7#ch7 ,elijah's miraculous deeds will be better understood if we remember that he had been an angel from the very first1 even before the end of his earthly career4 ,when ,god was about to create man1 ,elijah said to ,him3 ,master of the world6 ,if it be pleasing in ,thine eyes1 ,i will descend to earth1 and make myself serviceable to the sons of men4 ,then ,god changed his angel name1 and later1 under ,ahab1 ,he permitted him to abide among men on earth1 that he might convert the world to the belief that the ,lord is ,god4 ,his mission fulfilled1 ,god took him again into heaven1 and said to him3 ,be thou the guardian spirit of ,my children forever1 and spread the belief in ,me abroad in the whole world4 7#ci7 ,his angel name is ,sandalphon1 7#dj7 one of the greatest and mightiest of the fiery angel host4 ,as such it is his duty to wreathe garlands for ,god out of the prayers sent aloft by ,israel4 7#da7 ,besides1 he must offer up sacrifices in the invisible sanctuary1 for the ,temple was destroyed only apparently2 in reality1 it went on existing1 hidden from the sight of ordinary mortals4 7#db7 ,,after ,,his ,,translation ,elijah's removal from earth1 so far being an interruption to his relations with men1 rather marks the beginning of his real activity as a helper in time of need1 as a teacher and as a guide4 ,at first his intervention in sublunar affairs was not frequent4 ,seven years after his translation1 7#dc7 he wrote a letter to the wicked king ,jehoram1 who reigned over ,judah4 ,the next occasion on which he took part in an earthly occurrence was at the time of ,ahasuerus1 when he did the ,jews a good turn by assuming the guise of the courtier ,harbonah1 7#dd7 in a favorable moment inciting the king against ,haman4 7#de7 ,it was reserved for later days1 however1 for ,talmudic times1 the golden age of the great scholars1 the ,tannaim and the ,amoraim1 to enjoy ,elijah's special vigilance as protector of the innocent1 as a friend in need1 who hovers over the just and the pious1 ever present to guard them against evil or snatch them out of danger4 ,with four strokes of his wings ,elijah can traverse the world4 7#df7 ,hence no spot on earth is too far removed for his help4 ,as an angel 7#dg7 he enjoys the power of assuming the most various appearances to accomplish his purposes4 ,sometimes he looks like an ordinary man1 sometimes he takes the appearance of an ,arab1 sometimes of a horseman1 now he is a ,roman court-official1 now he is a harlot4 ,once upon a time it happened that when ,nahum1 the great and pious teacher1 was journeying to ,rome on a political mission1 he was without knowledge robbed of the gift he bore to the ,emperor as an offering from the ,jews4 ,when he handed the casket to the ruler1 it was found to contain common earth1 which the thieves had substituted for the jewels they had abstracted4 ,the ,emperor thought the ,jews were mocking at him1 and their representative1 ,nahum1 was condemned to suffer death4 ,in his piety the ,rabbi did not lose confidence in ,god2 he only said3 ,this too is for good4 7#dh7 ,and so it turned out to be4 ,suddenly ,elijah appeared1 and1 assuming the guise of a court-official1 he said3 ,perhaps the earth in this casket is like that used by ,abraham for purposes of war4 ,a handful will do the work of swords and bows4 ,at his instance the virtues of the earth were tested in the attack upon a city that had long resisted ,roman courage and strength4 ,his supposition was verified4 ,the contents of the casket proved more efficacious than all the weapons of the army1 and the ,romans were victorious4 ,nahum was dismissed1 laden with honors and treasures1 and the thieves1 who had betrayed themselves by claiming the precious earth1 were executed1 for1 naturally enough1 ,elijah works no wonder for evil-doers4 7#di7 ,another time1 for the purpose of rescuing ,rabbi ,shila1 ,elijah pretended to be a ,persian4 ,an informer had announced the ,rabbi with the ,persian ,government1 accusing him of administering the law according to the ,jewish code4 ,elijah appeared as witness for the ,rabbi and against the informer1 and ,shila was honorably dismissed4 7#ej7 ,when the ,roman bailiffs were pursuing ,rabbi ,meir1 ,elijah joined him in the guise of a harlot4 ,the ,roman emissaries desisted from their pursuit1 for they could not believe that ,rabbi ,meir would choose such a companion4 7#ea7 ,a contemporary of ,rabbi ,meir1 ,rabbi ,simon ben ,yohai1 who spent thirteen years in a cave to escape the vengeance of the ,romans1 was informed by ,elijah of the death of the ,jew-baiting emperor1 so that he could leave his hiding-place4 7#eb7 ,equally characteristic is the help ,elijah afforded the worthy poor4 ,frequently he brought them great wealth4 ,rabbi ,kahana was so needy that he had to support himself by peddling with household utensils4 ,once a lady of high standing endeavored to force him to commit an immoral act1 and ,kahana1 preferring death to iniquity1 threw himself from a loft4 ,though ,elijah was at a distance of four hundred parasangs1 he hastened to the post in time to catch the ,rabbi before he touched the ground4 ,besides1 he gave him means enough to enable him to abandon an occupation beset with perils4 7#ec7 ,rabba bar ,abbahu likewise was a victim of poverty4 ,he admitted to ,elijah that on account of his small means he had no time to devote to his studies4 ,thereupon ,elijah led him into ,paradise1 bade him remove his mantle1 and fill it with leaves grown in the regions of the blessed4 ,when the ,rabbi was about to quit ,paradise1 his garment full of leaves1 a voice was heard to say3 ,who desires to anticipate his share in the world to come during his earthly days1 as ,rabba bar ,abbahu is doing8 ,the ,rabbi quickly cast the leaves away2 nevertheless he received twelve thousand denarii for his upper garment1 because it retained the wondrous fragrance of the leaves of ,paradise4 7#ed7 ,elijah's help was not confined to poor teachers of the law2 all who were in need1 and were worthy of his assistance1 had a claim upon him4 ,a poor man1 the father of a family1 in his distress once prayed to ,god3 ,o ,lord of the world1 ,thou knowest1 there is none to whom ,i can tell my tale of woe1 none who will have pity upon me4 ,i have neither brother nor kinsman nor friend1 and my starving little ones are crying with hunger4 ,then do ,thou have mercy and be compassionate1 or let death come and put an end to our suffering4 ,his words found a hearing with ,god1 for1 as he finished1 ,elijah stood before the poor man1 and sympathetically inquired why he was weeping4 ,when the prophet had heard the tale of his troubles1 he said3 ,take me and sell me as a slave2 the proceeds will suffice for thy needs4 ,at first the poor man refused to accept the sacrifice1 but finally yielded1 and ,elijah was sold to a prince for eighty denarii4 ,this sum formed the nucleus of the fortune which the poor man amassed and enjoyed until the end of his days4 ,the prince who had purchased ,elijah intended to build a palace1 and he rejoiced to hear that his new slave was an architect4 ,he promised ,elijah liberty if within six months he completed the edifice4 ,after nightfall of the same day1 ,elijah offered a prayer1 and instantaneously the palace stood in its place in complete perfection4 ,elijah disappeared4 ,the next morning the prince was not a little astonished to see the palace finished4 ,but when he sought his slave to reward him1 and sought him in vain1 he realized that he had had dealings with an angel4 ,elijah meantime repaired to the man who had sold him1 and related his story to him1 that he might know he had not cheated the purchaser out of his price2 on the contrary1 he had enriched him1 since the palace was worth a hundred times more than the money paid for the pretended slave4 7#ee7 ,a similar thing happened to a well-to-do man who lost his fortune1 and became so poor that he had to do manual labor in the field of another4 ,once1 when he was at work1 he was accosted by ,elijah1 who had assumed the appearance of an ,arab3 ,thou art destined to enjoy seven good years4 ,when dost thou want them now1 or as the closing years of thy life8 ,the man replied3 ,thou art a wizard2 go in peace1 ,i have nothing for thee4 ,three times the same question was put1 three times the same reply was given4 ,finally the man said3 ,i shall ask the advice of my wife4 ,when ,elijah came again1 and repeated his question1 the man1 following the counsel of his wife1 said3 ,see to it that seven good years come to us at once4 ,elijah replied3 ,go home4 ,before thou crossest thy threshold1 thy good fortune will have filled thy house4 ,and so it was4 ,his children had found a treasure in the ground1 and1 as he was about to enter his house1 his wife met him and reported the lucky find4 ,his wife was an estimable1 pious woman1 and she said to her husband3 ,we shall enjoy seven good years4 ,let us use this time to practice as much charity as possible2 perhaps ,god will lengthen out our period of prosperity4 ,after the lapse of seven years1 during which man and wife used every opportunity of doing good1 ,elijah appeared again1 and announced to the man that the time had come to take away what he had given him4 ,the man responded3 ,when ,i accepted thy gift1 it was after consultation with my wife4 ,i should not like to return it without first acquainting her with what is about to happen4 ,his wife charged him to say to the old man who had come to resume possession of his property3 ,if thou canst find any who will be more conscientious stewards of the pledges entrusted to us than we have been1 ,i shall willingly yield them up to thee4 ,god recognized that these people had made a proper use of their wealth1 and ,he granted it to them as a perpetual possession4 7#ef7 ,if ,elijah was not able to lighten the poverty of the pious1 he at least sought to inspire them with hope and confidence4 ,rabbi ,akiba1 the great scholar1 lived in dire poverty before he became the famous ,rabbi4 ,his rich father-in-law would have nothing to do with him or his wife1 because the daughter had married ,akiba against her father's will4 ,on a bitter cold winter night1 ,akiba could offer his wife1 who had been accustomed to the luxuries wealth can buy1 nothing but straw as a bed to sleep upon1 and he tried to comfort her with assurances of his love for the privations she was suffering4 ,at that moment ,elijah appeared before their hut1 and cried out in supplicating tones3 ,o good people1 give me1 ,i pray you1 a little bundle of straw4 ,my wife has been delivered of a child1 and ,i am so poor ,i haven't even enough straw to make a bed for her4 ,now ,abika could console his wife with the fact that their own misery was not so great as it might have been1 and thus ,elijah had attained his end1 to sustain the courage of the pious4 7#eg7 ,in the form of an ,arab1 he once appeared before a very poor man1 whose piety equalled his poverty4 ,he gave him two shekels4 ,these two coins brought him such good fortune that he attained great wealth4 ,but in his zeal to gather worldly treasures1 he had no time for deeds of piety and charity4 ,elijah again appeared before him and took away the two shekels4 ,in a short time the man was as poor as before4 ,a third time ,elijah came to him4 ,he was crying bitterly and complaining of his misfortune1 and the prophet said3 ,i shall make thee rich once more1 if thou wilt promise me under oath thou wilt not let wealth ruin they character4 ,he promised1 the two shekels were restored to him1 he regained his wealth1 and he remained in possession of it for all time1 because his piety was not curtailed by his riches4 7#eh7 ,poverty was not the only form of distress ,elijah relieved4 ,he exercised the functions of a physician upon ,rabbi ,shimi bar ,ashi1 who had swallowed a noxious reptile4 ,elijah appeared to him as an awe-inspiring horseman1 and forced him to apply the preventives against the disease to be expected in these circumstances4 ,he also cured ,rabbi ,judah ha-,nasi of long-continued toothache by laying his hand on the sufferer1 and at the same time he brought about the reconciliation of ,rabbi ,judan with ,rabbi ,hayyah1 whose form he had assumed4 ,rabbi ,judah paid the highest respect to ,rabbi ,hayyah after he found out that ,elijah had considered him worthy of taking his appearance4 7#ei7 ,on another occasion1 ,elijah re-established harmony between a husband and his wife4 ,the woman had come home very late on ,friday evening1 having allowed herself to be detained by the sermon preached by ,rabbi ,meir4 ,her autocratic husband swore she should not enter the house until she had spat in the very face of the highly-esteemed ,rabbi4 ,meantime ,elijah went to ,rabbi ,meir1 and told him a pious woman had fallen into a sore predicament on his account4 ,to help the poor woman1 the ,rabbi restored to a ruse4 ,he announced that he was looking for one who knew how to cast spells1 which was done by spitting into the eye of the afflicted one4 ,when he caught sight of the woman designated by ,elijah1 he asked her to try her power upon him4 ,thus she was able to comply with her husband's requirement without disrespect to the ,rabbi2 and through the instrumentality of ,elijah conjugal happiness was restored to an innocent wife4 7#fj7 ,elijah's versatility is shown in the following occurrence4 ,a pious man bequeathed a spice-garden to his three sons4 ,they took turns in guarding it against thieves4 ,the first night the oldest son watched the garden4 ,elijah appeared to him and asked him3 ,my son1 what wilt thou have knowledge of the ,torah1 or great wealth1 or a beautiful wife8 ,he chose wealth1 great wealth4 ,accordingly ,elijah gave him a coin1 and he became rich4 ,the second son1 to whom ,elijah appeared the second night1 chose knowledge of the ,torah4 ,elijah gave him a book1 and he knew the whole ,torah4 ,the third son1 on the third night1 when ,elijah put the same choice before him as before his brothers1 wished for a beautiful wife4 ,elijah invited this third brother to go on a journey with him4 ,their first night was passed at the house of a notorious villain1 who had a daughter4 ,during the night ,elijah overheard the chickens and the geese say to one another3 ,what a terrible sin that young may must have committed1 that he should be destined to marry the daughter of so great a villain6 ,the two travellers journeyed on4 ,the second night the experiences of the first were repeated4 ,the third night they lodged with a man who had a very pretty daughter4 ,during the night ,elijah heard the chickens and the geese say to one another3 ,how great must be the virtues of this young man1 if he is privileged to marry so beautiful and pious a wife4 ,in the morning1 when ,elijah arose1 he at once became a matchmaker1 the young man married the pretty maiden1 and husband and wife journeyed homeward in joy4 7#fa7 ,if it became necessary1 ,elijah was ready to do even the services of a sexton4 ,when ,rabbi ,akiba died in prison1 ,elijah betook himself to the dead man's faithful disciple1 ,rabbi ,joshua1 and the two together went to the prison4 ,there was none to forbid their entrance2 a deep sleep had fallen upon the turnkeys and the prisoners alike4 ,elijah and ,rabbi ,joshua took the corpse with them1 ,elijah bearing it upon his shoulder4 ,rabbi ,joshua in astonishment demanded how he1 a priest1 dared defile himself upon a corpse4 ,the answer was3 ,god forbid6 the pious can never cause defilement4 ,all night the two walked on with their burden4 ,at break of day they found themselves near ,caesarea4 ,a cave opened before their eyes1 and within they saw a bed1 a chair1 a table1 and a lamp4 ,they deposited the corpse upon the bed1 and left the cave1 which closed up behind them4 ,only the light of the lamp1 which had lit itself after they left1 shone through the chinks4 ,whereupon ,elijah said3 ,hail1 ye just1 hail to you who devote yourselves to the study of the law4 ,hail to you1 ye ,god-fearing men1 for your places are set aside1 and kept1 and guarded1 in ,paradise1 for the time to come4 ,hail to thee1 ,rabbi ,akiba1 that thy lifeless body found lodgment for a night in a lovely spot4 7#fb7 ,,censor ,,and ,,avenger ,helpfulness and compassion do not paint the whole of the character of ,elijah4 ,he remained the stern and inexorable censor whom ,ahab feared4 ,the old zeal for the true and the good he never lost1 as witness1 he once struck a man dead because he failed to perform his devotions with due reverence4 7#fc7 ,there were two brothers1 one of them rich and miserly1 the other poor and kind-hearted4 ,elijah1 in the garb of an old beggar1 approached the rich man1 and asked him for alms4 ,repulsed by him1 he turned to the poor brother1 who received him kindly1 and shared his meagre supper with him4 ,on bidding farewell to him and his equally hospitable wife1 ,elijah said3 ,may ,god reward you6 ,the first thing you undertake shall be blessed1 and shall take no end until you yourselves cry out ,enough6 ,presently the poor man began to count the few pennies he had1 to convince himself that they sufficed to purchase bread for his next meal4 ,but the few became many1 and he counted and counted1 and still their number increased4 ,he counted a whole day1 and the following night1 until he was exhausted1 and had to cry out ,enough6 ,and1 indeed1 it was enough1 for he had become a very wealthy man4 ,his brother was not a little astonished to see the fortunate change in his kinsman's circumstances1 and when he heard how it had come about1 he determined1 if the opportunity should present itself again1 to show his most amiable side to the old beggar with the miraculous power of blessing4 ,he had not long to wait4 ,a few days later he saw the old man pass by4 ,he hastened to accost him1 and1 excusing himself for his unfriendliness at their former meeting1 begged him to come into his house4 ,all that the larder afforded was put before ,elijah1 who pretended to eat of the dainties4 ,at his departure1 he pronounced a blessing upon his hosts3 ,may the first thing you do have no end1 until it is enough4 ,the mistress of the house thereupon said to her husband3 ,that we may count gold upon gold undisturbed1 let us first attend to our most urgent physical needs4 ,so they did and they had to continue to do it until life was extinct4 7#fd7 ,the extreme of his rigor ,elijah displayed toward teachers of the law4 ,from them he demanded more than obedience to the mere letter of a commandment4 ,for instance1 he pronounced severe censure upon ,rabbi ,ishmael ben ,jose because he was willing to act as bailiff in prosecuting ,jewish thieves and criminals4 ,he advised ,rabbi ,ishmael to follow the example of his father and leave the country4 7#fe7 ,his estrangement from his friend ,rabbi ,joshua ben ,levi is characteristic4 ,one who was sought by the officers of the law took refuge with ,rabbi ,joshua4 ,his pursuers were informed of his place of concealment4 ,threatening to put all the inhabitants of the city to the sword if he was not delivered up1 they demanded his surrender4 ,the ,rabbi urged the fugitive from justice to resign himself to his fate4 ,better for one individual to die1 he said1 than for a whole community to be exposed to peril4 ,the fugitive yielded to the ,rabbi's argument1 and gave himself up to the bailiffs4 ,thereafter ,elijah1 who had been in the habit of visiting ,rabbi ,joshua frequently1 stayed away from his house1 and he was induced to come back only by the ,rabbi's long fasts and earnest prayers4 ,in reply to the ,rabbi's question1 why he had shunned him1 he said3 ,dost thou suppose ,i care to have intercourse with informers8 ,the ,rabbi quoted a passage from the ,mishnah to justify his conduct1 but ,elijah remained unconvinced4 ,dost thou consider this a law for a pious man8 he said4 ,other people might have been right in doing as thou didst2 thou shouldst have done otherwise4 7#ff7 ,a number of instances are known which show how exalted a standard ,elijah set up for those who would be considered worthy of intercourse with him4 ,of two pious brothers1 one provided for his servants as for his own table1 while the other permitted his servants to eat abundantly only of the first course2 of the other courses they could have nothing but the remnants4 ,accordingly1 with the second brother ,elijah would have nothing to do1 while he often honored the former with his visits4 ,a similar attitude ,elijah maintained toward another pair of pious brothers4 ,one of them was in the habit of providing for his servants after his own needs were satisfied1 while the other of them attended to the needs of his servants first4 ,to the latter it was that ,elijah gave the preference4 7#fg7 ,he dissolved an intimacy of many years' standing1 because his friend built a vestibule which was so constructed that the supplications of the poor could be heard but faintly by those within the house4 7#fh7 ,rabbi ,joshua ben ,levi incurred the displeasure of ,elijah a second time1 because a man was torn in pieces by a lion in the vicinity of his house4 ,in a measure ,elijah held ,rabbi responsible1 because he did not pray for the prevention of such misfortunes4 7#fi7 ,the story told of ,elijah and ,rabbi ,anan forms the most striking illustration of the severity of the prophet4 ,someone brought ,rabbi ,anan a mess of little fish as a present1 and at the same time asked the ,rabbi to act as judge in a lawsuit he was interested in4 ,anan refused in these circumstances to accept a gift from the litigant4 ,to demonstrate his single-mindedness1 the applicant urged the ,rabbit to take the fish and assign the case to another judge4 ,anan acquiesced1 and he requested one of his colleagues to act for him1 because he was incapacitated from serving as a judge4 ,his legal friend drew the inference1 that the litigant introduced to him was a kinsman of ,rabbi ,anan's1 and accordingly he showed himself particularly complaisant toward him4 ,as a result1 the other party to the suit was intimidated4 ,he failed to present his side as convincingly as he might otherwise have done1 and so lost the case4 ,elijah1 who had been the friend of ,anan and his teacher as well1 thenceforth shunned his presence1 because he considered that the injury done the second party to the suit was due to ,anan's carelessness4 ,anan in his distress kept many fasts1 and offered up many prayers1 before ,elijah would return to him4 ,even then the ,rabbi could not endure the sight of him2 he had to content himself with listening to ,elijah's words without looking upon his face4 7#gj7 ,sometimes ,elijah considered it his duty to force people into abandoning a bad habit4 ,a rich man was once going to a cattle sale1 and he carried a snug sum of money to buy oxen4 ,he was accosted by a stranger none other than ,elijah who inquired the purpose of his journey4 ,i go to buy cattle1 replied the would-be purchaser4 ,say1 it if please ,god1 urged ,elijah4 ,fiddlesticks6 ,i shall buy cattle whether it please ,god or not6 ,i carry the money with me1 and the business will be dispatched4 ,but not with good fortune1 said the stranger1 and went off4 ,arrived at the market1 the cattle-buyer discovered the loss of his purse1 and he had to return home to provide himself with other money4 ,he again set forth on his journey1 but this time he took another road to avoid the stranger of ill omen4 ,to his amazement he met an old man with whom he had precisely the same adventure as with the first stranger4 ,again he had to return home to fetch money4 ,by this time had learned his lesson4 ,when a third stranger questioned him about the object of his journey1 he answered3 ,if it please ,god1 ,i intend to buy oxen4 ,the stranger wished him success1 and the wish was fulfilled4 ,to the merchant's surprise1 when a pair of fine cattle were offered him1 and their price exceeded the sum of money he had about his person1 he found the two purses he had lost on his first and second trips4 ,later he sold the same pair of oxen to the king for a considerable price1 and he became very wealthy4 7#ga7 ,as ,elijah coerced this merchant into humility toward ,god1 so he carried home a lesson to the great ,tanna ,eliezer1 the son of ,rabbi ,simon ben ,yohai4 ,this ,rabbi stood in need of correction on account of his overweening conceit4 ,once1 on returning from the academy1 he took a walk on the sea-beach1 his bosom swelling with pride at the thought of his attainments in the ,torah4 ,he met a hideously ugly man1 who greeted him with the words3 ,peace be with thee1 ,rabbi4 ,eliezer1 instead of courteously acknowledging the greeting1 said3 ,o thou wight1 7#gb7 how ugly thou art6 ,is it possible that all the residents of thy town are as ugly as thou8 ,i know not1 was the reply1 but it is the ,master ,artificer who created me that thou shouldst have said3 ',how ugly is this vessel which ,thou hast fashioned4' ,the ,rabbi realized the wrong he had committed1 and humbly begged pardon of the ugly man another of the protean forms adopted by ,elijah4 ,the latter continued to refer him to the ,master ,artificer of the ugly vessel4 ,the inhabitants of the city1 who had hastened to do honor to the great ,rabbi1 earnestly urged the offended man to grant pardon1 and finally he declared himself appeased1 provided the ,rabbi promised never again to commit the same wrong4 7#gc7 ,the rigor practiced by ,elijah toward his friends caused one of them1 the ,tanna ,rabbi ,jose1 to accuse him of being passionate and irascible4 ,as a consequence1 ,elijah would have nothing to do with him for a long time4 ,when he reappeared1 and confessed the cause of his withdrawal1 ,rabbi ,jose said he felt justified1 for his charge could not have received a more striking verification4 7#gd7 ,,intercourse ,,with ,,the ,,sages ,elijah's purely human relations to the world revealed themselves in their fulness1 neither in his deeds of charity1 nor in his censorious rigor1 but rather in his gentle and scholarly intercourse with the great in ,israel1 especially the learned ,rabbis of the ,talmudic time4 ,he is at once their disciple and their teacher4 ,to one he resorts for instruction on difficult points1 to another he himself dispenses instruction4 ,as a matter of course1 his intimate knowledge of the supernatural world makes him appear more frequently in the role of giver than receiver4 ,many a bit of secret lore the ,jewish teachers learnt from ,elijah1 and he it was who1 with the swiftness of lightning1 carried the teachings of one ,rabbi to another sojourning hundreds of miles away4 7#ge7 ,thus it was ,elijah who taught ,rabbi ,jose the deep meaning hidden in the ,scriptural passage in which woman is designated as the helpmeet of man4 ,by means of examples he demonstrated to the ,rabbi how indispensable woman is to man4 7#gf7 ,rabbi ,nehorai profited by his exposition of why ,god created useless1 even noxious insects4 ,the reason for their existence is that the sight of superfluous and harmful creatures prevents ,god from destroying ,his world at times when1 on account of the wickedness and iniquity prevailing in it1 it repents ,him of having created it4 ,if ,he preserves creatures that at their best are useless1 and at their worst injurious1 how much more should ,he preserve human beings with all their potentialities for good4 ,the same ,rabbi ,nehorai was told by ,elijah1 that ,god sends earthquakes and other destructive phenomena when ,he sees places of amusement prosperous and flourishing1 while the ,temple lies a heap of dust and ashes4 7#gg7 ,to ,rabbi ,judah he communicated the following three maxims3 ,let not anger master thee1 and thou wilt not fall into sin2 let not drink master thee1 and thou wilt be spared pain2 before thou settest out on a journey1 take counsel with thy ,creator4 7#gh7 ,in case of a difference of opinion among scholars1 ,elijah was usually questioned as to how the moot point was interpreted in the heavenly academy4 7#gi7 ,once1 when the scholars were not unanimous in their views as to ,esther's intentions when she invited ,haman to her banquets with the king1 ,elijah1 asked by ,rabba bar ,abbahu to tell him her real purpose1 said that each and every one of the motives attributed to her by various scholars were true1 for her invitations to ,haman had many a purpose4 7#hj7 ,a similar answer he gave the ,amora ,abiathar1 who disputed with his colleagues as to why the ,ephraimite who cause the war against the tribe of ,benjamin first cast off his concubine1 and then became reconciled to her4 ,elijah informed ,rabbi ,abiathar that in heaven the cruel conduct of the ,ephraimite was explained in two ways1 according to ,abiathar's conception and according to his opponent ,jonathan's as well4 7#ha7 ,regarding the great contest between ,rabbi ,eliezer ben ,hyrcanus and the whole body of scholars1 in which the majority maintained the validity of its opinion1 though a heavenly voice pronounced ,rabbi ,eliezer's correct1 ,elijah told ,rabbi ,nathan1 that ,god in ,his heaven had cried out3 ,my children have prevailed over ,me6 7#hb7 ,on one occasion ,elijah fared badly for having betrayed celestial events to his scholars4 ,he was a daily attendant at the academy of ,rabbi ,judah ha-,nasi4 ,one day1 it was the ,new ,moon ,day1 he was late4 ,the reason for his tardiness1 he said1 was that it was his daily duty to awaken the three ,patriarchs1 7#hc7 wash their hands for them1 so that they might offer up their prayers1 and after their devotions lead them back to their resting-places4 ,on this day their prayers took very long1 because they were increased by the ,musaf service on account of the ,new ,moon celebration1 and hence he did not make his appearance at the academy in good time4 ,elijah did not end his narrative at this point1 but went on to tell the ,rabbi1 that this occupation of his was rather tedious1 for the three ,patriarchs were not permitted to offer up their payers at the same time4 ,abraham prayed first1 then came ,isaac1 and finally ,jacob4 ,if they all were to pray together1 the united petitions of three such paragons of piety would be so efficacious as to force ,god to fulfil them1 and ,he would be induced to bring the ,messiah before his time4 ,then ,rabbi ,judah wanted to know whether there were any among the pious on earth whose prayer possessed equal efficacy4 ,elijah admitted that the same power resided in the prayers of ,rabbi ,hayyah and his two sons4 ,rabbi ,judah lost no time in proclaiming a day of prayer and fasting and summoning ,rabbi ,hayyah and his sons to officiate as the leaders in prayer4 ,they began to chant the ,eighteen ,benedictions4 ,then they uttered the word for wind1 a storm arose2 when they continued and made petition for rain1 the rain descended at once4 ,but as the readers approached the passage relating to the revival of the dead1 great excitement arose in heaven1 and when it became known that ,elijah had revealed the secret of the marvellous power attaching to the prayers of the three men1 he was punished with fiery blows4 ,to thwart ,rabbi ,judah's purpose1 ,elijah assumed the form of a bear1 and put the praying congregation to flight4 7#hd7 ,contrariwise1 ,elijah was also in the habit of reporting earthly events in the celestial regions4 ,he told ,rabba bar ,shila that the reason ,rabbi ,meir was never quoted in the academy on high was because he had had so wicked a teacher as ,elisha ben ,abuyah4 ,rabba explained ,rabbi ,meir's conduct by an apologue4 ,rabbi ,meir1 he said1 found a pomegranate2 he enjoyed the heart of the fruit1 and cast the skin aside4 ,elijah was persuaded of the justness of this defense1 and so were all the celestial powers4 ,thereupon one of ,rabbi ,meir's interpretations was quoted in the heavenly academy4 7#he7 ,elijah was no less interested in the persons of the learned than in their teachings1 especially when scholars were to be provided with the means of devoting themselves to their studies4 ,it was he who1 when ,rabbi ,eliezer ben ,hyrcanus1 later a great celebrity1 resolved to devote himself to the law1 advised him to repair to ,jerusalem and sit at the feet of ,rabban ,johanan ben ,zakkai4 7#hf7 ,he once met a man who mocked at his exhortations to study1 and he said that on the great day of reckoning he would excuse himself for his neglect of intellectual pursuits by the fact that he had been granted neither intelligence nor wisdom4 ,elijah asked him what his calling was4 ,i am a fisherman1 was the reply4 ,well1 my son1 questioned ,elijah1 who taught thee to take flax and make nets and throw them into the sea to catch fish8 ,he replied3 ,for this heaven gave me intelligence and insight4 ,hereupon ,elijah3 ,if thou possessest intelligence and insight to cast nets and catch fish1 why should these qualities desert thee when thou dealest with the ,torah1 which1 thou knowest1 is very nigh unto man that he may do it8 ,the fisherman was touched1 and he began to weep4 ,elijah pacified him by telling him that what he had said applied to many another beside him4 7#hg7 ,in another way ,elijah conveyed the lesson of the great value residing in devotion to the study of the ,torah4 ,disguised as a ,rabbi1 he was approached by a man who promised to relieve him of all material cares if he would but abide with him4 ,refusing to leave ,jabneh1 the centre of ,jewish scholarship1 he said to the tempter3 ,wert thou to offer me a thousand million gold denarii1 ,i would not quit the abode of the law1 and dwell in a place in which there is no ,torah4 7#hh7 ,by ,torah1 of course1 is meant the law as conceived and interpreted by the sages and the scholars1 for ,elijah was particularly solicitous to establish the authority of the oral law1 7#hi7 as he was solicitous to demonstrate the truth of ,scriptural promises that appeared incredible at first sight4 ,for instance1 he once fulfilled ,rabbi ,joshua ben ,levi's wish to see the precious stones which would take the place of the sun in illuminating ,jerusalem in the ,messianic time4 ,a vessel in mid-ocean was nigh unto shipwreck4 ,among a large number of heathen passengers there was a single ,jewish youth4 ,to him ,elijah appeared and said1 he would rescue the vessel1 provided the boy went to ,rabbi ,joshua ben ,levi1 and took him to a certain place far removed from the town and from human habitation1 and showed him the gems4 ,the boy doubted that so great a man would consent to follow a mere slip of a youth to a remote spot1 but1 reassured by ,elijah1 who told him of ,rabbi ,joshua's extraordinary modesty1 he undertook the commission1 and the vessel with its human freight was saved4 ,the boy came to the ,rabbi1 besought him to go whither he would lead1 and ,joshua1 who was really possessed of great modesty1 followed the boy three miles without even inquiring the purpose of the expedition4 ,when they finally reached the cave1 the boy said3 ,see1 here are the precious stones6 ,the ,rabbi grasped them1 and a flood of light spread as far as ,lydda1 the residence of ,rabbi ,joshua4 ,startled1 he cast the precious stones away from him1 and they disappeared4 7#ij7 ,this ,rabbi was a particular favorite of ,elijah1 who even secured him an interview with the ,messiah4 ,the ,rabbi found the ,messiah among the crowd of afflicted poor gathered near the city gates of ,rome1 and he greeted him with the words3 ,peace be with thee1 my teacher and guide6 ,whereunto the ,messiah replied3 ,peace be with thee1 thou son of ,levi6 ,the ,rabbi then asked him when he would appear1 and the ,messiah said1 ,to-day4 ,elijah explained to the ,rabbi later that what the ,messiah meant by to-day was1 that he for his part was ready to bring ,israel redemption at any time4 ,if ,israel but showed himself worthy1 he would instantly fufil his mission4 7#ia7 ,elijah wanted to put ,rabbi ,joshua into communication with the departed ,rabbi ,simon ben ,yohai also1 but the later did not consider him of sufficient importance to honor him with his conversation4 ,rabbi ,simon had addressed a question to him1 and ,rabbi ,joshua in his modesty had made a reply not calculated to give one a high opinion of him4 7#ib7 ,in reality ,rabbi ,joshua was the possessor of such sterling qualities1 that when he entered ,paradise ,elijah walked before him calling out3 ,make room for the son of ,levi4 7#ic7 ,,god',s ,,justice ,,vindicated ,among the many and various teachings dispensed by ,elijah to his friends1 there are none so important as his theodicy1 the teachings vindicating ,god's justice in the administration of earthly affairs4 ,he used many an opportunity to demonstrate it by precept and example4 ,once he granted his friend ,rabbi ,joshua ben ,levi the fulfilment of any wish he might express1 and all the ,rabbi asked for was1 that he might be permitted to accompany ,elijah on his wanderings through the world4 ,elijah was prepared to gratify this wish4 ,he only imposed the condition1 that1 however odd the ,rabbi might think ,elijah's actions1 he was not to ask any explanation of them4 ,if ever he demanded why1 they would have to part company4 ,so ,elijah and the ,rabbi fared forth together1 and they journeyed on until they reached the house of a poor man1 whose only earthly possession was a cow4 ,the man and his wife were thoroughly good-hearted people1 and they received the two wanderers with a cordial welcome4 ,they invited the strangers into their house1 set before them food and drink of the best they had1 and made up a comfortable couch for them for the night4 ,when ,elijah and the ,rabbi were ready to continue their journey on the following day1 ,elijah prayed that the cow belonging to his host might die4 ,before they left the house1 the animal had expired4 ,rabbi ,joshua was so shocked by the misfortune that had befallen the good people1 he almost lost consciousness4 ,he thought3 ,is that to be the poor man's reward for all his kind services to us8 ,and he could not refrain from putting the question to ,elijah4 ,but ,elijah reminded him of the condition imposed and accepted at the beginning of their journey1 and they travelled on1 the ,rabbi's curiosity unappeased4 ,that night they reached the house of a wealthy man1 who did not pay his guest the courtesy of looking them in the face4 ,though they passed the night under his roof1 he did not offer them food or drink4 ,this rich man was desirous of having a wall repaired that had tumbled down4 ,there was no need for him to take any steps to have it rebuilt1 for1 when ,elijah left the house1 he prayed that the wall might erect itself1 and1 lo6 it stood upright4 ,rabbi ,joshua was greatly amazed1 but true to his promise he suppressed the question that rose to his lips4 ,so the two travelled on again1 until they reached an ornate synagogue1 the seats in which were made of silver and gold4 ,but the worshippers did not correspond in character to the magnificence of the building1 for when it came to the point of satisfying the needs of the way-worn pilgrims1 one of those present said3 ,there is not dearth of water and bread1 and the strange travellers can stay in the synagogue1 whither these refreshments can be brought to them4 ,early the next morning1 when they were departing1 ,elijah wished those present in the synagogue in which they had lodged1 that ,god might raise them all to be heads4 ,rabbi ,joshua again had to exercise great self-restraint1 and not put into words the question that troubled him profoundly4 ,in the next town1 they were received with great affability1 and served abundantly with all their tired bodies craved4 ,on these kind hosts ,elijah1 on leaving1 bestowed the wish that ,god might give them but a single head4 ,now the ,rabbi could not hold himself in check any longer1 and he demanded an explanation of ,elijah's freakish actions4 ,elijah consented to clear up his conduct for ,joshua before they separated from each other4 ,he spoke as follows3 ,the poor man's cow was killed1 because ,i knew that on the same day the death of his wife had been ordained in heaven1 and ,i prayed to ,god to accept the loss of the poor man's property as a substitute for the poor man's wife4 ,as for the rich man1 there was a treasure hidden under the dilapidated wall1 and1 if he had rebuilt it1 he would have found the gold2 hence ,i set up the wall miraculously in order to deprive the curmudgeon of the valuable find4 ,i wished that the inhospitable people assembled in the synagogue might have many heads1 for a place of numerous leaders is bound to be ruined by reason of multiplicity of counsel and disputes4 ,to the inhabitants of our last sojourning place1 on the other hand1 ,i wished a 'single head1' for the one to guide a town1 success will attend all its undertakings4 ,know1 then1 that if thou seest an evil-doer prosper1 it is not always unto his advantage1 and if a righteous man suffers need and distress1 think not ,god is unjust4 ,after these words ,elijah and ,rabbi ,joshua separated from each other1 and each went his own way4 7#id7 ,how difficult it is to form a true judgment with nothing but external appearances as a guide1 ,elijah proved to ,rabbi ,baroka4 ,they were once waling in a crowded street1 and the ,rabbi requested ,elijah to point out any in the throng destined to occupy places in ,paradise4 ,elijah answered that there was none1 only to contradict himself and point to a passer-by the very next minute4 ,his appearance was such that in him least of all the ,rabbi would have suspected a pious man4 ,his garb did not even indicate that he was a ,jew4 ,later ,rabbi ,baroka discovered by questioning him that he was a prison guard4 ,in the fulfilment of his duties as such he was particularly careful that the virtue of chastity should not be violated in the prison1 in which both men women were kept in detention4 ,also1 his position often brought him into relations with the heathen authorities1 and so he was enabled to keep the ,jews informed of the disposition entertained toward them by the powers that be4 ,the ,rabbi was thus taught that no station in life precluded its occupant from doing good and acting nobly4 ,another time ,elijah designated two men to whom a great future was assigned in ,paradise4 ,yet these men were nothing more than clowns6 ,they made it their purpose in life to dispel discontent and sorrow by their jokes and their cheery humor1 and they used the opportunities granted by their profession to adjust the difficulties and quarrels that disturb the harmony of people living in close contact with each other4 7#ie7 ,,elijah ,,and ,,the ,,angel ,,of ,,death ,among the many benevolent deeds of ,elijah1 special mention ought to be made of his rescue of those doomed by a heavenly decree to fall into the clutches of the ,angel of ,death4 ,he brought these rescues about by warning the designated victims of their impending fate1 and urging them to do good deeds1 which would prove protection against death4 ,there was once a pious and rich man with a beautiful and saintly daughter4 ,she had had the misfortune of losing three husbands in succession1 each on the day after the wedding4 ,these sorrows determined her never again to enter into the marriage state4 ,a cousin of hers1 the nephew of her father1 induced by the poverty of his parents1 journeyed from his distant home to apply for help to his rich uncle4 ,scarcely had he laid eyes upon his lovely cousin when he fell victim to her charms4 ,in vain her father sought to dissuade his nephew from marrying his daughter4 ,but the fate of his predecessors did not affright him1 and the wedding took place4 ,while he was standing under the wedding canopy1 ,elijah came to him in the guise of an old man1 and said3 ,my son1 ,i want to give thee a piece of advice4 ,while thou are seated at the wedding dinner1 thou wilt be approached by a ragged1 dirty beggar1 with hair like nails4 ,as soon as thou catchest sight of him1 hasten to seat him beside thee1 set food and drink before him1 and be ready to grant whatever he may ask of thee4 ,do as ,i say1 and thou wilt be protected against harm4 ,now ,i shall leave thee and go my way4 ,at the wedding feast1 a stranger as described by ,elijah appeared1 and the bridegroom did according to ,elijah's counsel4 ,after the wedding the stranger revealed his identity1 introducing himself as the messenger of the ,lord sent to take the young husband's life4 ,the supplications of the bridegroom failed to move him2 he refused to grant a single day's respite4 ,all he yielded was permission to the young husband to bid farewell to his newly-wed wife4 ,when the bride saw that what she had feared was coming to pass1 she repaired to the ,angel of ,death and argued with him3 ,the ,torah distinctly exempts the newly-wed from all duties for a whole year4 ,if thou deprivest my husband of life1 thou wilt give the lie to the ,torah4 ,thereupon ,god commanded the ,angel of ,death to desist1 and1 when the relatives of the bride came to prepare the grave of the groom1 they found him well and unharmed4 7#if7 ,a similar thing befell the son of the great and extremely pious scholar ,rabbi ,reuben4 ,to him came the ,angel of ,death and announced that his only son would have to die4 ,the pious man was resigned3 ,we mortals can do nothing to oppose a ,divine decree1 he said1 but ,i pray there1 give him thirty days' respite1 that ,i may see him married4 ,the ,angel of ,death acquiesced4 ,the ,rabbi told no one of this encounter1 waited until the appointed time was drawing to a close1 and1 on the very last day1 the thirtieth1 he arranged his son's wedding feast4 ,on that day1 the bridegroom-to-be met ,elijah1 who told him of his approaching death4 ,a worthy son of his father1 he said3 ,who may oppose ,god8 ,and am ,i better than ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob8 ,they1 too1 had to die4 ,elijah told him furthermore1 that the ,angel of ,death would appear to him in the guise of a ragged1 dirty beggar1 and he advised him to receive him in the kindliest possible manner1 and in particular he was to insist upon his taking food and drink from him4 ,all happened as ,elijah had predicted1 and his advice1 too1 proved efficacious1 for the heart of the ,angel of ,death1 who finally revealed his identity with the beggar1 was softened by the entreaties of the father1 combined with the tears of the young wife1 who resorted to the argument cited above1 of the year of exemption from duty granted to the newly-married4 ,the ,angel of ,death1 disarmed by the amiable treatment accorded to him1 himself went before the throne of ,god and presented the young wife's petition4 ,the end was ,god added seventy years to the life of ,rabbi ,reuben's son4 7#ig7 ,,teacher ,,of ,,the ,,kabbalah ,the frequent meetings between ,elijah and the teachers of the law of the ,talmudic time were invested with personal interest only4 ,upon the development of the ,torah they had no influence whatsoever4 ,his relation to the mystic science was of quite other character4 ,it is safe to say that what ,moses was to the ,torah1 ,elijah was to the ,kabbalah4 ,his earliest relation to it was established through ,rabbi ,simon ben ,yohai and his son ,rabbi ,eliezer4 ,for thirteen years he visited them twice daily in their subterranean hiding-place1 and imparted the secrets of the ,torah to them4 7#ih7 ,a thousand years later1 ,elijah again gave the impetus to the development of the ,kabbalah1 for it was he that revealed mysteries1 first to the ,nazarite ,rabbi ,jacob1 then to his disciple of the latter1 ,abraham ben ,david4 ,the mysteries in the books ,peliah and ,kanah1 the author ,elkanah owed wholly to ,elijah4 ,he had appeared to him in the form of a venerable old man1 and had imparted to him the secret lore taught in the heavenly academy4 ,besides1 he led him to a fiery rock whereon mysterious characters were engraved1 which were deciphered by ,elkanah4 ,after his disciple had thus become thoroughly impregnated with mystical teachings1 ,elijah took him to the tomb of the ,patriarchs1 and thence to the heavenly academy4 ,but the angels1 little pleased by the intrusion of one born of woman1 inspired him with such terror that he besought ,elijah to carry him back to earth4 ,his mentor allayed his fears1 and long continued to instruct him in the mystical science1 according to the system his disciple has recorded in his two works4 7#ii7 ,the ,kabbalists in general were possessed of the power to cite ,elijah1 to conjure him up by means of certain formulas4 7#ajj7 ,one of them1 ,rabbi ,joseph della ,reyna1 once called upon ,elijah in this way1 but it proved his own undoing4 ,he was a saintly scholar1 and he had conceived no less a purpose than to bring about the redemption of man by the conquest of the angel ,samael1 the ,prince of ,evil4 ,after many prayers and vigils and long indulgence in fasting1 and other ascetic practices1 ,rabbi ,joseph united himself with his five disciples for the purpose of conjuring up ,elijah4 ,when the prophet1 obeying the summons1 suddenly stood before him1 ,rabbi ,joseph spoke as follows3 ,peace be with thee1 our master6 ,true prophet1 bearer of salvation1 be not displeased with me that ,i have troubled thee to come hither4 ,god knows1 ,i have not done it for myself1 and not for mine own honor4 ,i am zealous for the name and the honor of ,god1 and ,i know thy desire is the same as mine1 for it is thy vocation to make the glory of ,god to prevail on earth4 ,i pray thee1 therefore1 to grant my petition1 tell me with what means ,i can conquer ,satan4 ,elijah at first endeavored to dissuade the ,rabbi from his enterprise4 ,he described the great power of ,satan1 ever growing as it feeds upon the sins of mankind4 ,but ,rabbi ,joseph could not be made to desist4 ,elijah then enumerated what measures and tactics he would have to observe in his combat with the fallen angel4 ,he enumerated the pious1 saintly deeds that would win the interest of the archangel ,sandalphon in his undertaking1 and from this angel he would learn the method of warfare to be pursued4 ,the ,rabbi followed out ,elijah's directions carefully1 and succeeded in summoning ,sandalphon to his assistance4 ,if he had continued to obey instructions implicitly1 and had carried out all ,sandalphon advised1 the ,rabbi would have triumphed over ,satan and hastened the redemption of the world4 ,unfortunately1 at one point the ,rabbi committed an indiscretion1 and he lost the great advantages he had gained over ,satan1 who used his restored power to bring ruin upon him and his disciples4 7#aja7 ,the radical transformation in the character of ,kabbalistic teaching which is connected with the name of ,rabbi ,isaac ,loria likewise is an evidence of ,elijah's activity4 ,elijah sought out this father of the ,kabbalistic ,renaissance1 and revealed the mysteries of the universe to him4 ,indeed1 he had shown his interest in him long before any one suspected the future greatness of ,rabbi ,isaac4 ,immediately after his birth1 ,elijah appeared to the father of the babe1 and enjoined him not to have the rite of circumcision performed until he should be told by ,elijah to proceed4 ,the eighth day of the child's life arrived1 the whole congregation was assembled at the synagogue 7#ajb7 to witness the solemn ceremonial1 but to the great astonishment of his fellow-townsmen the father delayed it4 ,the people naturally did not know he was waiting for ,elijah to appear1 and he was called upon once and again to have the ceremony take place4 ,but he did not permit the impatience of the company to turn him from his purpose4 ,suddenly1 ,elijah1 unseen1 of course1 by the others1 appeared to him1 and bade him have the ceremony performed4 ,those present were under the impression that the father was holding the child on his knees during the circumcision2 in reality1 however it was ,elijah4 ,after the rite was completed1 ,elijah handed the infant back to the father with the words3 ,here is thy child4 ,take good care of it1 for it will spread a brilliant light over the world4 7#ajc7 ,it was also ,elijah who in a similar way informed ,rabbit ,eliezer1 the father of ,rabbi ,israel ,baal ,shem ,tob1 the father of him whose name is unrivalled in the annals of the ,hasidic ,kabbalah that a son would be born to him who should enlighten the eyes of ,israel4 ,this ,rabbi ,eliezer was justly reputed to be very hospitable4 ,he was in the habit of stationing guards at the entrances to the village in which he lived1 and they were charged to bring all strangers to his house4 ,in heaven it was ordained that ,rabbi ,eliezer's hospitable instincts should be put to a test4 ,elijah was chosen for the experiment4 ,on a ,sabbath afternoon1 arrayed in the garb of a beggar1 he entered the village with knapsack and staff4 ,rabbi ,eliezer1 taking no notice of the fact that the beggar was desecrating the ,sabbath1 received him kindly1 attended to his bodily wants1 and the next morning1 on parting with him1 gave him some money besides4 ,touched by his kind-heartedness1 ,elijah revealed his identity and the purpose of his disguise1 and told him that1 as he had borne the trial so well1 he would be rewarded by the birth of a son who should enlighten the eyes of ,israel4 7#ajd7 ,,forerunner ,,of ,,the ,,messiah ,many-sided though ,elijah's participation in the course of historical events is1 it cannot be compared with what he is expected to do in the days of the ,messiah4 ,he is charged with the mission of ordering the coming time aright and restoring the tribes of ,jacob4 7#aje7 ,his ,messianic activity thus is to be twofold3 he is to be the forerunner of the ,messiah1 yet in part he will himself realize the promised scheme of salvation4 ,his first task will be to induce ,israel to repent when the ,messiah is about to come1 7#ajf7 and to establish peace and harmony in the world4 7#ajg7 ,hence he will have to settle all legal difficulties1 and solve all legal problems1 that have accumulated since days immemorial1 7#ajh7 and decide vexed questions of ritual concerning which authors entertain contradictory views4 ,in short1 all difference of opinion must be removed from the path of the ,messiah4 7#aji7 ,this office of expounder of the law ,elijah will continue to occupy even after the reign of peace has been established on earth1 and his relation to ,moses will be the same ,aaron once held4 7#aaj7 ,elijah's preparatory work will be begun three days before the advent of the ,messiah4 ,then he will appear in ,palestine1 and will utter a lament over the devastation of the ,holy ,land1 and his wail will be heard throughout the world4 ,the last words of his elegy will be3 ,now peace will come upon earth6 ,when the evil-doers hear this message1 they will rejoice4 ,on the second day1 he will appear again and proclaim3 ,good will come upon earth6 ,and on the third his promise will be heard3 ,salvation will come upon earth4 7#aaa7 ,then ,michael will blow the trumpet1 and once more ,elijah will make his appearance1 this time to introduce the ,messiah4 7#aab7 ,to make sure of the identity of the ,messiah1 the ,jews will demand that he perform the miracle of resurrection before their eyes1 reviving such of the dead as they had known personally4 7#aac7 ,but the ,messiah will do the following seven wonders3 ,he will bring ,moses and the generation of the desert to life2 ,korah and his band he will raise from out of the earth2 he will revive the ,ephraimitic ,messiah1 who was slain2 he will show the three holy vessels of the ,temple1 the ,ark1 the flask of manna1 and the cruse of sacred oil1 all three of which disappeared mysteriously2 he will wave the sceptre given him by ,god2 he will grind the mountains of the ,holy ,land into powder like straw1 and he will reveal the secret of redemption4 ,then the ,jews will believe that ,elijah is the ,elijah promised to them1 and the ,messiah introduced by him is the true ,messiah4 7#aad7 ,the ,messiah 7#aae7 will have ,elijah blow the trumpet1 and1 at the first sound1 the primal light1 which shone before the week of ,creation1 will reappear2 at the second sound the dead will arise1 and with the swiftness of wind assemble around the ,messiah from all corners of the earth2 at the third sound1 the ,shekinah will become visible to all2 the mountains will be razed at the fourth sound1 and the ,temple will stand in complete perfection as ,ezekiel described it4 7#aaf7 ,during the reign of peace1 ,elijah will be one of the eight princes forming the cabinet of the ,messiah4 7#aag7 ,even the coming of the great judgment day will not end his activity4 ,on that day the children of the wicked who had to die in infancy on account of the sins of their fathers will be found among the just1 while their fathers will be ranged on the other side4 ,the babes will implore their fathers to come to them1 but ,god will not permit it4 ,then ,elijah will go to the little ones1 and teach them how to plead in behalf of their fathers4 ,they will stand before ,god and say3 ,is not the measure of good1 the mercy of ,god1 larger than the measure of chastisements8 ,if1 then1 we died for the sins of our fathers1 should they not now for our sakes be granted the good1 and be permitted to join us in ,paradise8 ,god will give assent to their pleadings1 and ,elijah will have fulfilled the word of the prophet ,malachi2 he will have brought back the fathers to the children4 7#aah7 ,the last act of ,elijah's brilliant career will be the execution of ,god's command to slay ,samael1 and so banish evil forever4 7#aai7 ,,viii4 ,,elisha ,,and ,,jonah ,,elisha ,,the ,,disciple ,,of ,,elijah ,the voices of the thousands of prophets of his time were stilled when ,elijah was translated from earth to heaven4 ,with him vanished the prophetical spirit of those who in former times had in no wise been his inferiors4 7#a7 ,elisha was the only one among them whose prophetical powers were not diminished4 ,on the contrary1 they were strengthened1 as a reward for the unhesitating readiness with which he obeyed ,elijah's summons1 and parted with the field he was ploughing1 and with all else he possessed1 in favor of the community4 ,thenceforward he remained ,elijah's unwearying companion4 ,when the angel descended from heaven to take ,elijah from earth1 he found the two so immersed in a learned discussion that he could not attract their attention1 and he had to return1 his errand unfulfilled4 7#b7 ,elijah's promise to bestow a double portion of his wondrous spirit upon his disciple was realized instantaneously4 ,during his life ,elisha performed sixteen miracles1 and eight was all his master had performed4 ,the first of them1 the crossing of the ,jordan1 was more remarkable than the corresponding wonder done by ,elijah1 for ,elisha traversed the river alone1 and ,elijah had been accompanied by ,elisha4 ,two saints always have more power than one by himself4 7#c7 ,his second miracle1 the healing of the waters of ,jericho1 so that they became fit to drink1 resulted in harm to himself1 for the people who had earned their livelihood by the sale of wholesome water were very much incensed against the prophet for having spoiled their trade4 ,elisha1 whose prophetic powers enabled him to read both the past and the future of these tradesmen1 knew that they 1 their ancestors1 and their posterity had not even the aroma of good about them4 ,therefore he cursed them4 ,suddenly a forest sprang up and the bears that infested it devoured the murmuring traders4 ,the wicked fellows were not undeserving of the punishment they received1 yet ,elisha was made to undergo a very serious sickness1 by way of correction for having yielded to passion4 7#d7 ,in this he resembled his master ,elijah2 he allowed wrath and zeal to gain the mastery over him4 ,god desired that the two great prophets might be purged of this fault4 ,accordingly1 when ,elisha rebuked ,king ,jehoram of ,israel1 the spirit of prophecy forsook him1 and he had to resort to artificial means to re-awaken it within himself4 7#e7 ,like his teacher1 ,elisha was always ready to help the poor and needy1 as witness his sympathy with the widow of one of the sons of the prophets1 and the effective aid he extended to her4 ,her husband had been none other than ,obadiah1 who1 though a prophet1 had at the same time been one of the highest officials at the court of the sinful king ,ahab4 ,by birth an ,edomite1 ,obadiah had been inspired by ,god to utter the prophecy against ,edom4 ,in his own person he embodied the accusation against ,esau1 who had lived with his pious parents without following their example1 while ,obadiah1 on the contrary1 lived in constant intercourse with the iniquitous ,king ,ahab and his still more iniquitous spouse ,jezebel without yielding to the baneful influence they exercised4 7#f7 ,this same ,obadiah not only used his own fortune1 but went to the length of borrowing money on interest from the future king1 in order to have the wherewithal to support the prophets who were in hiding4 ,on his death1 the king sought to hold the children responsible for the debt of the father4 ,in her despair the pious wife of ,obadiah 7#g7 went to the graveyard1 and there she cried out3 ,o thou ,god-fearing man6 ,at once a heavenly voice was heard questioning her3 ,there are four ,god-fearing men1 ,abraham1 ,joseph1 ,job1 and ,obadiah4 ,to which of them does thou desire to speak8 ,to him of whom it is said1 ,he feared the ,lord greatly4' ,she was led to the grave of the prophet ,obadiah1 where she poured out the tale of her sorrow4 ,obadiah told her to take the small remnant of oil she still had to the prophet ,elisha and request him to intercede for him with ,god1 for ,god1 he said1 is my debtor1 seeing that ,i provided a hundred prophets1 not only with bread and water1 but also with oil to illuminate their hiding-place1 for do not the ,scriptures say3 ',he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the ,lord'8 ,forthwith the woman carried out his behest4 ,she went to ,elisha1 and he helped her by making her little cruse of oil fill vessels upon vessels without number1 and when the vessels gave out1 she fetched potsherds1 saying1 ,may the will that made empty vessels full1 make broken vessels perfect4 ,so it was4 ,the oil ceased to flow only when the supply of potsherds as well as vessels gave out4 ,in her piety the woman wanted to pay her tithe-offering1 but ,elisha was of the opinion that1 as the oil had been bestowed upon her miraculously1 she could keep it wholly and entirely for her own use4 ,furthermore1 ,elisha reassured her as to the power of the royal princes to do her harm3 ,the ,god who will close the jaws of the lions set upon ,daniel1 and who did close the jaws of the dogs in ,egypt1 the same ,god will blind the eyes of the sons of ,ahab1 and deafen their ears1 so that they can do thee no harm4 7#h7 ,not only was the poor widow helped out of her difficulties1 her descendants unto all times were provided for4 ,the oil rose in price1 and it yielded so much profit that they never suffered want4 7#i7 ,,the ,,shunammite ,the great woman of ,shunem1 the sister of ,abishag and wife of the prophet ,iddo1 7#aj7 also had cause to be deeply grateful to ,elisha4 ,when ,elisha came to ,shunem on his journey through the land of ,israel1 his holiness made a profound impression upon the ,shunammite4 ,indeed1 the prophet's eye was so awe-inspiring that now woman could look him in the face and live4 7#aa7 ,contrary to the habit of most women1 who are intent upon diminishing their expenses and their toil1 the ,shunammite took delight in the privilege of welcoming the prophet to her house as a guest4 ,she observed that not even a fly dared approach close to the holy man1 and a grateful fragrance exhaled from his person4 ,if he were not so great a saint1 she said1 and the holiness of the ,lord did not invest him1 there were no such pleasant fragrance about him4 ,that he might be undisturbed1 she assigned the best chambers in the house to the prophet4 ,he on his part1 desiring to show his appreciation of her hospitality1 knew no better return for her kindness than to promise that she should be blessed with a child within a year4 7#ab7 ,the woman protested3 ,o1 my husband is an old man1 nor am ,i of an age to bear children2 the promise cannot be fulfilled4 ,yet it happened as the prophet had foretold4 ,before a twelvemonth had passed1 she was a mother4 ,a few years later her child died a sudden death4 ,the mother repaired to the prophet1 and lamented before him3 ,o that the vessel had remained empty1 rather than it should be filled first1 and then be left void4 ,the prophet admitted that1 though as a rule he was acquainted with all things that were to happen1 ,god had left him in the dark about the misfortune that had befallen her4 ,with trust in ,god1 he gave his staff to his disciple ,gehazi1 and sent him to bring the boy back to life4 ,but ,gehazi was unworthy of his master4 ,his conduct toward the ,shunammite was not becoming a disciple of the prophet1 and1 above all1 he had no faith in the possibility of accomplishing the mission entrusted to him4 ,instead of obeying the behest of ,elisha1 not to speak a word on his way to the child of the ,shunammite1 ,gehazi made sport of the task laid upon him4 ,to whatever man he met he addressed the questions3 ,dost thou suppose this staff can bring the dead back to life8 ,the result was that he forfeited the power of executing the errand with which he had been charged4 ,elisha himself had to perform the miracle4 ,the prophet uttered the prayer3 ,o ,lord of the world6 ,as ,thou didst wonders through my master ,elijah1 and didst permit him to bring the dead to life1 so1 ,i pray ,thee1 do ,thou perform a wonder through me1 and let me restore life to this lad4 7#ac7 ,the prayer was granted1 and the child was revived4 ,the act of the prophet proves the duty of gratitude in return for hospitality4 ,elisha did not attempt to resuscitate his own kith and kin who had been claimed by death2 he invoked a miracle for the sake of the woman who had welcomed him kindly to her house4 7#ad7 ,,gehazi ,gehazi1 proved untrustworthy by his conduct on this occasion1 again aroused the ire of the prophet when he disregarded the order not to accept money from ,naaman1 the ,syrian captain4 ,he did not succeed in deceiving the prophet4 ,on his return from ,naaman he found ,elisha occupied with the study of the chapter in the ,mishnah ,shabbat which deals with the eight reptiles4 ,the prophet ,elisha greeted him with the rebuke3 ,thou villain6 the time has come for me to be rewarded for the study of the ,mishnah about the eight reptiles4 ,may my reward be that the disease of ,naaman afflict thee and thy descendants for evermore4 ,scarcely had these words escaped his lips1 when he saw the leprosy come out on ,gehazi's face4 7#ae7 ,gehazi deserved the punishment on account of his base character4 ,he was sensual and envious1 and did not believe in the resurrection of the dead4 ,his unworthy qualities were displayed in his conduct toward the ,shunammite and toward the disciples of ,elisha4 ,when the pretty ,shunammite came to the prophet in her grief over the death of her child1 ,gehazi took her passionately in his arms1 under the pretext of forcing her away from the prophet1 on whom she had laid hold in her supplications4 ,as for the other disciples of ,elisha1 he endeavored to keep them away from the house of the prophet4 ,he was in the habit of standing without the door4 ,this induced many to turn away and go home1 for they reasoned that1 if the house were not full to overflowing1 ,gehazi would not be standing outside4 ,only after ,gehazi's dismissal did the disciples of ,elisha increase marvellously4 ,that ,gehazi had no faith in the resurrection of the dead1 is shown by his incredulity with regard to the child of the ,shunammite4 7#af7 ,in spite of all these faults1 ,elisha regretted that he had cast off his disciple1 who was a great scholar in the law1 especially as ,gehazi abandoned himself to a sinful life after leaving the prophet4 ,by means of magnetism he made the golden calves at ,beth-el float in the air1 and many were brought to believe in the divinity of these idols4 ,moreover1 he engraved the great and awful ,name of ,god in their mouth4 ,thus they were enabled to speak1 and they gave forth the same words ,god had proclaimed from ,sinai3 ,i am the ,lord thy ,god ,thou shalt have no other gods before ,me4 ,elisha accordingly repaired to ,damascus to lead ,gehazi back to the paths of righteousness4 ,but he remained impenitent1 for he said3 ,from thyself ,i have learned that there is no return for him who not only sins himself1 but also induces others to sin4 7#ag7 ,so ,gehazi died without having done aught to atone for his transgressions1 which were so great that he is one of the few ,jews who have no share in ,paradise4 7#ah7 ,his children inherited his leprosy4 ,he and his three sons are the four leprous men who informed the king of ,israel of the precipitate flight of the ,syrian host4 7#ai7 ,elisha's excessive severity toward his servant ,gehazi and toward the mocking boys of ,jericho did not go unpunished4 ,he had to endure two periods of disease1 and the third sickness that befell him cause his death4 ,he is the first known to history who survived a sickness4 ,before him death had been the inevitable companion of disease4 7#bj7 ,a great miracle marked the end of a life rich in miraculous deeds3 a dead man revived at the touch of ,elisha's bier1 and stood on his feet4 ,it was a worthy character for whom the wonder was accomplished ,shallum the son of ,tikvah1 the husband of ,huldah the prophetess1 a man of noble descent1 who had led a life of lovingkindness4 ,he was in the habit of going daily beyond the city bearing the pitcher of water1 from which he gave every traveller to drink1 a good deed that received a double reward4 ,his wife became a prophetess1 and when he died and his funeral1 attended by a large concourse of people1 was disturbed by the invasion of the ,arameans1 he was given new life by contact with the bones of ,elisha4 ,he lived to have a son1 ,hanamel by name4 7#ba7 ,the death of ,elisha was a great misfortune for the ,israelites4 ,so long as he was alive1 no ,aramean troops entered ,palestine4 ,the first invasion by them happened on the day of his burial4 7#bb7 ,,the ,,flight ,,of ,,jonah ,among the many thousands 7#bc7 of disciples whom ,elisha gathered about him during the sixty years 7#bd7 and more of his activity1 the most prominent was the prophet ,jonah4 ,while the master was still alive1 ,jonah was charged with the important mission of anointing ,jehu king4 7#be7 ,the next task laid upon him was to proclaim their destruction to the inhabitants of ,jerusalem4 7#bf7 ,the doom did not come to pass1 because they repented of their wrong-doing1 and ,god had mercy upon them4 ,among the ,israelites ,jonah was1 therefore1 known as the false prophet4 ,when he was sent to ,nineveh to prophesy the downfall of the city1 he reflected3 ,i know to a certainly that the heathen will do penance1 the threatened punishment will not be executed1 and among the heathen1 too1 ,i shall gain the reputation of being a false prophet4 7#bg7 ,to escape this disgrace1 he determined to take up his abode on the sea1 where there were none to whom prophecies never to be fulfilled would have to be delivered4 ,on his arrival at ,joppa1 there was no vessel in port4 ,to try him1 ,god cause a storm to arise1 and it carried a vessel back to ,joppa1 which had made a two days' journey away from the harbor4 ,the prophet interpreted this chance to mean that ,god approved his plan4 ,he was so rejoiced at the favorable opportunity for leaving land that he paid the whole amount for the entire cargo in advance1 no less a sum than four thousand gold denarii4 ,after a day's sailing out from shore1 a terrific storm 7#bh7 broke loose4 ,wonderful to relate1 it injured no vessel but ,jonah's4 ,thus he was taught the lesson that ,god is ,lord over heaven and earth and sea1 and man can hide himself nowhere from ,his face4 ,on the same vessel were representatives of the seventy nations of the earth1 each with his peculiar idols4 ,they all resolved to entreat their gods for succor1 and the god from whom help would come should be recognized and worshipped at the only one true ,god4 ,but help came from none4 ,then it was that the captain of the vessel approached ,jonah where he lay asleep1 and said to him3 ,we are suspended 'twixt life and death1 and thou liest here asleep4 ,pray1 tell me1 to what nation dost thou belong8 ,i am a ,hebrew1 replied ,jonah4 ,we have heard1 said the captain1 that the ,god of the ,hebrews is the most powerful4 ,cry to ,him for help4 ,perhaps ,he will perform such miracles for us as ,he did in days of old for the ,jews at the ,red ,sea4 ,jonah confessed to the captain that he was to blame for the whole misfortune1 and he besought him to cast him adrift1 and appease the storm4 ,the other passengers refused to consent to so cruel an act4 ,though the lot decided against ,jonah1 they first tried to save the vessel by throwing the cargo overboard4 ,their efforts were in vain4 ,then they placed ,jonah at the side of the vessel and spoke3 ,o ,lord of the world1 reckon this not up against us as innocent blood1 for we know not the case of this man1 and he himself bids us throw him into the sea4 ,even then they could not make up their minds to let him drown4 ,first they immersed him up to his knees in the water of the sea1 and the storm ceased2 they drew him back into the vessel1 and forthwith the storm raged in its old fury4 ,two more trials they made4 ,they lowered him into the water up to his navel1 and raised him out of the depths when the storm was assuaged4 ,again1 when the storm broke out anew1 they lowered him to his neck1 and a second time they took him back into the vessel when the wind subsided4 7#bi7 ,but finally the renewed rage of the storm convinced them that their danger was due to ,jonah's transgressions1 and they abandoned him to his fate4 ,he was thrown into the water1 and on the instant the sea grew calm4 7#cj7 ,,jonah ,,in ,,the ,,whale ,at the creation of the world1 ,god made a fish intended to harbor ,jonah4 ,he as so large that the prophet was as comfortable inside of him as in a spacious synagogue4 ,the eyes of the fish served ,jonah as windows1 and1 besides1 there was a diamond1 which shone as brilliantly as the sun at midday1 so that ,jonah could see all things in the sea down to its very bottom4 ,it is a law that when their time has come1 all the fish of the sea must betake themselves to leviathan1 and let the monster devour them4 ,the life term of ,jonah's fish was about to expire1 and the fish warned ,jonah of what was to happen4 ,when he1 with ,jonah in his belly1 came to leviathan1 the prophet said to the monster3 ,for thy sake ,i came hither4 ,it was meet that ,i should know thine abode1 for it is my appointed task to capture thee in the life to come and slaughter thee for the table of the just and pious4 ,when leviathan observed the sign of the covenant on ,jonah's body1 he fled affrighted1 and ,jonah and the fish were saved4 ,to show his gratitude1 the fish carried ,jonah whithersoever there was a sight to be seen4 ,he showed him the river from which the ocean flows1 showed him the spot at which the ,israelites crossed the ,red ,sea1 showed him ,gehenna and ,sheol1 and many other mysterious and wonderful place4 ,three days ,jonah had spent in the belly of the fish1 and he still felt so comfortable that he did not think of imploring ,god to change his condition4 ,but ,god sent a female fish big with three hundred and sixty-five thousand little fish to ,jonah's host1 to demand the surrender of the prophet1 else she would swallow both him and the guest he harbored4 ,the message was received with incredulity1 and leviathan had to come and corroborate it2 he himself had heard ,god dispatch the female fish on her errand4 ,so it came about that ,jonah was transferred to another abode4 ,his new quarters1 which he had to share with all the little fish1 were far from comfortable1 and from the bottom of his heart a prayer for deliverance arose to ,god on high4 7#ca7 ,the last words of his long petition were1 ,i shall redeem my vow1 7#cb7 whereupon ,god commanded the fish to spew ,jonah out4 ,at a distance of nine hundred and sixty-five parasangs from the fish he alighted on dry land4 ,these miracles induced the ship's crew to abandon idolatry1 and they all became pious proselytes in ,jerusalem4 7#cc7 ,,the ,,repentance ,,of ,,nineveh ,jonah went straightway to ,nineveh1 the monster city covering forty square parasangs and containing a million and half of human beings4 ,he lost no time in proclaiming their destruction to the inhabitants4 ,the voice of the prophet was so sonorous that it reached to every corner of the great city1 and all who heard his words resolved to turn aside from their ungodly ways4 ,at the head of the penitents was ,king ,osnappar of ,assyria4 7#cd7 ,he descended from his throne1 removed his crown1 strewed ashes on his head instead1 took off his purple garments1 and rolled about in the dust of the highways4 ,in all the streets royal heralds proclaimed the king's decree bidding the inhabitants fast three days1 wear sackcloth1 and supplicate ,god with tears and prayers to avert the threatened doom4 ,the people of ,nineveh fairly compelled to ,god's mercy to descend upon them4 ,they held their infants heavenward1 and amid streaming tears they cried3 ,for the sake of these innocent babes1 hear our prayers4 ,the young of their stalled cattle they separated from the mother beasts1 the young were left within the stable1 the old were put without4 ,so parted from one another1 the young and the old began to bellow aloud4 ,then the ,ninevites cried3 ,if ,thou wilt not have mercy upon us1 we will not have mercy upon these beasts4 ,the penance of the ,ninevites did not stop at fasting and praying4 ,their deeds showed that they had determined to lead a better life4 ,if a man had usurped another's property1 he sought to make amends for his iniquity2 some went so far as to destroy their palaces in order to be able to give back a single brick to the rightful owner4 ,of their own accord others appeared before the courts of justice1 and confessed their secret crimes and sins1 known to none beside themselves1 and declared themselves ready to submit to well-merited punishment1 though it be death that was decreed against them4 ,one incident that happened at the time will illustrate the contrition of the ,ninevites4 ,a man found a treasure in the building lot he had acquired from his neighbor4 ,both buyer and seller refused to assume possession of the treasure4 ,the seller insisted that the sale of the lot carried with it the sale of all it contained4 ,the buyer held that he had bought the ground1 not the treasure hidden therein4 ,neither rested satisfied until the judge succeeded in finding out who had hidden the treasure and where were his heirs1 and the joy of the two was great when they could deliver the treasure up to its legitimate owners4 7#ce7 ,seeing that the ,ninevites had undergone a real change of heart1 ,god took mercy upon them1 and pardoned them4 ,thereupon ,jonah likewise felt encouraged to plead for himself with ,god1 that ,he forgive him for his flight4 ,god spoke to him3 ,thou wast mindful of ,mine honor1 the prophet had not wanted to appear a liar1 so that men's trust in ,god might not be shaken and for this reason thou didst take to sea4 ,therefore did ,i deal mercifully with thee1 and rescue thee from the bowels of ,sheol4 ,his sojourn in the inside of the fish the prophet could not easily dismiss from his mind1 nor did it remain without visible consequences4 ,the intense heat in the belly of the fish had consumed his garments1 and made his hair fall out1 7#cf7 and he was sore plagued by swarms of insects4 ,to afford ,jonah protection1 ,god caused the kikayon to grow up4 ,when he opened his eyes one morning1 he saw a plant with two hundred and seventy-five leaves1 each leaf measuring more than a span1 so that it afforded relief from the heat of the sun4 ,but the sun smote the gourd that it withered1 and ,jonah was again annoyed by the insects4 ,he began to weep and wish for death to release him from his troubles4 ,but when ,god led him to the plant1 and showed him what lesson he might derive from it1 how1 though he had not labored for the plant1 he had pity on it1 he realized his wrong in desiring ,god to be relentless toward ,nineveh1 the great city1 with its many inhabitants1 rather than have his reputation as a prophet suffer taint4 ,he prostrated himself and said3 ,o ,god1 guide the world according to ,thy goodness4 ,god was gracious to the people of ,nineveh so long as they continued worthy of ,his lovingkindness4 ,but at the end of forty days they departed from the path of piety1 and they became more sinful than ever4 ,then the punishment threatened by ,jonah overtook them1 and they were swallowed up by the earth4 7#cg7 ,jonah's suffering in the watery abyss had been so severe that by way of compensation of ,god exempted him from death3 living he was permitted to enter ,paradise4 7#ch7 ,like ,jonah1 his wife was known far and wide for her piety4 ,she had gained fame particularly through her pilgrimage to ,jerusalem1 a duty which1 by reason of her sex1 she was not obliged to fulfil4 7#ci7 ,on one of these pilgrimages it was that the prophetical spirit first descended upon ,jonah4 7#dj7 ,,ix4 ,,the ,,later ,,kings ,,of ,,judah ,,joash ,when the prophet ,jonah1 doing the behest of his master ,elisha1 anointed ,jehu king over ,israel1 7#a7 he poured the oil out of a pitcher1 not out of a horn1 to indicate that the dynasty of ,jehu would not occupy the throne long4 7#b7 ,at first ,jehu1 though a somewhat foolish 7#c7 king1 was at least pious1 but he abandoned his ,god-fearing ways from the moment he saw the document bearing the signature of the prophet ,ahijah of ,shilo1 which bound the signers to pay implicit obedience to ,jeroboam4 ,the king took this as evidence that the prophet had approved the worship of the golden calves4 ,so it came to pass that ,jehu1 the destroyer of ,baal worship1 did nothing to oppose the idolatrous service established by ,jeroboam at ,beth-el4 7#d7 ,the successors of ,jehu were not better2 on the contrary1 they were worse1 and therefore in the fifth generation 7#e7 an end was put to the dynasty of ,jehu by the hand of the assassin4 ,the kings of ,judah differed in no essential particular from their colleagues in the north4 ,ahaziah1 whom ,jehu killed1 was a shameless sinner2 he had the ,name of ,god expurged from every passage in which it occurred in the ,holy ,scriptures1 and the names of idols inserted in its place4 7#f7 ,upon the death of ,ahaziah followed the reign of terror under the queen ,athaliah1 when ,god exacted payment from the house of ,david for his trespass in connection with the extermination of the priest at ,nob4 ,as ,abiathar had been the only male descendant of ,abimelech to survive the persecution of ,saul1 so the sole representative of the house of ,david to remain after the sword of ,athaliah had raged 7#g7 was ,joash1 the child kept in hiding1 in the ,holy of ,holies in the ,temple1 by the high priest ,jehoiada and his wife ,jehosheba4 7#h7 ,later ,jehoiada vindicated the right of ,joash upon the throne1 and installed him as king of ,judah4 ,the very crown worn by the rulers of the house of ,david testified to the legitimacy of the young prince1 for it possessed the peculiarity of fitting none but the rightful successors to ,david4 7#i7 ,at the instigation of ,jehoiada1 ,king ,joash undertook the restoration of the ,temple4 ,the work was completed so expeditiously that one living at the time the ,temple was erected by ,solomon was permitted to see the new structure shortly before his death4 7#aj7 ,this good fortune befell ,jehoiada 7#aa7 himself1 the son of ,benaiah1 commander-in-chief of the army under ,solomon4 ,so long as ,joash continued under the tutelage of ,jehoiada1 he was a pious king4 ,when ,jehoiada departed this life1 the courtiers came to ,joash and flattered him3 ,if thou wert not a god1 thou hadst not been able to abide for six years in the ,holy of ,holies1 a spot which even the high priest is permitted to enter but once a year4 ,the king lent ear to their blandishments1 and permitted the people to pay him ,divine homage4 7#ab7 ,but when the folly of the king went to the extreme of prompting him to set up an idol in the ,temple1 ,zechariah1 the son of ,jehoiada1 placed himself at the entrance1 and barring the way said3 ,thou shalt not do it so long as ,i live4 7#ac7 ,high priest1 prophet1 and judge though ,zechariah was1 and son-in-law of ,joash to boot1 the king still did not shrink from having him killed for his presumptuous words1 not was he deterred by the fact that it happened on a ,day of ,atonement which fell on the ,sabbath4 7#ad7 ,the innocent blood crimsoning the hall of the priests did not remain unavenged4 ,for two hundred and fifty-two years it did not leave off seething and pulsating1 until1 finally1 ,nebuzaradan1 captain of ,nebuchadnezzar's guard1 ordered a great carnage among the ,judeans1 to avenge the death of ,zechariah4 7#ae7 ,joash himself1 the murderer of ,zechariah1 met with an evil end4 ,he fell into the hands of the ,syrians1 and they abused him in their barbarous1 immoral way4 ,before he could recover from the suffering inflicted upon him1 his servants slew him4 7#af7 ,amaziah1 the son and successor of ,joash1 in many respects resembled his father4 ,at the beginning of his reign he was ,god-fearing1 but when1 through the aid of ,god1 he had gained a brilliant victory over the ,edomites1 he knew no better way of manifesting his gratitude than to establish in ,jerusalem the cult of the idol worshipped by his conquered enemies4 ,to compass his chastisement1 ,god inspired ,amaziah with the idea of provoking a war with ,joash1 the ruler of the northern kingdom4 ,amaziah demanded that ,joash should either recognize the suzerainty of the southern realm voluntarily1 or let the fate of battle decide the question4 7#ag7 ,at first ,joash sought to turn ,amaziah aside from his purpose by a parable reminding him of the fate of ,shechem1 which the sons of ,jacob had visited upon him for having done violence to their sister ,dinah4 7#ah7 ,amaziah refused to be warned4 ,he persisted in his challenge1 and a war ensued4 ,the fortune of battle decided against ,amaziah4 ,he suffered defeat1 and later he was tortured to death by his own subjects4 7#ai7 ,,three ,,great ,,prophets ,the reign of ,uzziah1 who for a little while occupied the throne during his father ,amaziah's lifetime1 is notable particularly because it marks the beginning of the activity of three of the prophets1 ,hosea1 ,amos1 and ,isaiah4 ,the oldest of the three was ,hosea1 7#bj7 the son of the prophet and prince ,beeri1 the ,beeri who later was carried away captive by ,tiglath-pileser1 the king of ,assyria4 7#ba7 ,of ,beeri's prophecies we have but two verses1 preserved for us by ,isaiah4 7#bb7 ,the peculiar marriage contracted by ,hosea at the command of ,god ,himself was not without a good reason4 ,when ,god spoke to the prophet about the sins of ,israel1 expecting him to defend or excuse his people1 ,hosea said severely3 ,o ,lord of the world6 ,thine is the universe4 ,in place of ,israel choose another as ,thy peculiar people from among the nations of the earth4 ,to make the true relation between ,god and ,israel known to the prophet1 he was commanded to take to wife a woman with a dubious past4 ,after she had borne him several children1 ,god suddenly put the question to him3 ,why followest thou not the example of thy teacher ,moses1 who denied himself the joys of family life after his call to prophecy8 ,hosea replied3 ,i can neither send my wife away nor divorce her1 for she has borne me children4 ,if1 now1 said ,god to him1 thou who hast a wife of whose honesty thou art so uncertain that thou canst not even be sure that her children are thine1 and yet thou canst not separate from her1 how1 then can ,i separate ,myself from ,israel1 from ,my children1 the children of ,my elect1 ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob6 ,hosea entreated ,god to pardon him4 ,but ,god said3 ,better were it that thou shouldst pray for the welfare of ,israel1 for thou art the cause that ,i issued three fateful decrees against them4 ,hosea prayed as he was bidden1 and his prayer averted the impending threefold doom4 7#bc7 ,hosea died at ,babylon at a time in which a journey thence to ,palestine was beset with many perils4 ,desirous of having his earthly remains rest in sacred ground1 he requested before his death that his bier be loaded upon a camel1 and the animal permitted to make its way as it would4 ,wherever it stopped1 there his body was to be buried4 ,as he commanded1 so it was done4 ,without a single mishap the camel arrived at ,safed4 ,in the ,jewish cemetery of the town it stood still1 and there ,hosea was buried in the presence of a large concourse4 7#bd7 ,the prophetical activity of ,amos commenced after ,hosea's had closed1 and before ,isaiah's began4 ,though he had an impediment in his speech1 7#be7 he obeyed the call of ,god1 and betook himself to ,beth-el to proclaim to the sinful inhabitants thereof the ,divine message with which he had been charged4 ,the denunciation of the priest ,amaziah1 of ,beth-el1 who informed against the prophet before ,king ,jeroboam of ,israel1 did him no harm1 for the king1 idolater though he was1 entertained profound respect for ,amos4 ,he said to himself3 ,god forbid ,i should think the prophet guilty of cherishing traitorous plans1 and if he were1 it would surely be at the bidding of ,god4 7#bf7 ,for this pious disposition ,jeroboam was rewarded2 never had the northern kingdom attained to such power as under him4 7#bg7 ,however1 the fearlessness of ,amos finally caused his death4 ,king ,uzziah inflicted a mortal blow upon his forehead with a red-hot iron4 7#bh7 ,two years after ,amos ceased to prophesy1 ,isaiah was favored with his first ,divine communication4 ,it was the day on which ,king ,uzziah1 blinded by success and prosperity1 arrogated to himself the privileges of the priesthood4 ,he tried to offer sacrifices upon the altar1 and when the high priest ,azariah 7#bi7 ventured to restrain him1 he threatened to slay him and any priest sympathizing with him unless they kept silent4 ,suddenly the earth quaked so violently that a great breach was torn in the ,temple1 through which a brilliant ray of sunlight pierced1 falling upon the forehead of the king and causing leprosy to break forth upon him4 ,nor was that all the damage done by the earthquake4 ,on the west side of ,jerusalem1 half of the mountain was split off and hurled to the east1 into a road1 at a distance of four stadia4 7#cj7 ,and not heaven and earth alone were outraged by ,uzziah's atrocity and sought to annihilate him2 even the angels of fire1 the seraphim1 were on the point of descending and consuming him1 when a voice from on high proclaimed1 that the punishment appointed for ,uzziah was unlike that meted out to ,korah and his company despite the similarity of their crimes4 7#ca7 ,when ,isaiah beheld the august throne of ,god on this memorable day1 7#cb7 he was sorely affrighted1 for he reproached himself with not having tried to turn the king away from his impious desire4 7#cc7 ,enthralled he hearkened to the hymns of praise sung by the angels1 and lost in admiration he failed to join his voice with theirs4 ,woe is me1 he cried out1 that ,i was silent6 ,woe is me that ,i did not join the chorus of the angels praising ,god6 ,had ,i done it1 ,i1 too1 like the angels1 would have become immortal1 seeing ,i was permitted to look upon sights to behold which had brought death to other men4 7#cd7 ,then he began to excuse himself3 ,i am a man of unclean lips1 and ,i dwell in the midst of people of unclean lips4 ,at once resounded the voice of ,god in rebuke3 ,of thyself thou art the master1 and of thyself thou mayest say what thou choosest1 but who gave thee the right to calumniate ,my children of ,israel and call them 'a people of unclean lips'8 ,and ,isaiah heard ,god bid one of the seraphim touch his lips with a live coal as a punishment for having slandered ,israel4 ,though the coal was so hot that the seraph needed tongs to hold the tongs with which he had taken the coal from the altar1 the prophet yet escaped unscathed1 but he learned the lesson1 that it was his duty to defend ,israel1 not traduce him4 ,thenceforth the championship of his people was the mainspring of the prophet's activity1 and he was rewarded by having more revelations concerning ,israel and the other nations vouchsafed him than any other prophet before or after him4 ,moreover ,god designated ,isaiah to be the prophet of consolation4 ,thus it happened that the very ,isaiah whose early prophecies foretold the exile and the destruction of the ,temple1 7#ce7 later described and proclaimed1 in plainer terms than any other prophet1 7#cf7 the brilliant destiny in store for ,israel4 ,,the ,,two ,,kingdoms ,,chastised ,afflicted with leprosy1 ,uzziah was unfit to reign as king1 and ,jotham administered the affairs of ,judah for twenty-five years before the death of his father4 7#cg7 ,jotham possessed so much piety that his virtues added to those of two other very pious men suffice to atone for all the sins of the whole of mankind committed from the hour of creation until the end of all time4 7#ch7 ,ahaz1 the son of ,jotham2 was very unlike him4 ,from first to last he was a sinner4 7#ci7 ,he abolished the true worship of ,god1 forbade the study of the ,torah1 set up an idol in the upper room of the ,temple1 and disregarded the ,jewish laws of marriage4 7#dj7 ,his transgressions are the less pardonable1 because he sinned against ,god knowing ,his grandeur and power1 as appears from his reply to the prophet4 ,isaiah said to him3 ,ask a sign of ,god1 as1 for instance1 that the dead should arise1 ,korah come up from ,sheol1 or ,elijah descend from heaven4 ,the king's answer was3 ,i know thou hast the power to do any of these1 but ,i do not wish the ,name of ,god to be glorified through me4 7#da7 ,the only good quality possessed by ,ahaz was respect for ,isaiah4 7#db7 ,to avoid his reproaches1 ,ahaz would disguise himself when he went abroad1 so that the prophet might not recognize him4 7#dc7 ,only to this circumstance1 joined to the fact he was the father of a pious son and the son of an equally pious father1 is it to be ascribed that1 in spite of his wickedness1 ,ahaz is not one of those who have forfeited their portion in the world to come4 ,but he did not escape punishment2 on the contrary1 his chastisement was severe1 not only as king but also as man4 ,in the ill-starred war against ,pekah1 the king of the northern kingdom1 he lost his first-born son1 a great hero4 7#dd7 ,pekah1 however1 was not permitted to enjoy the fruits of his victory1 for the king of ,assyria invaded his empire1 captured the golden calf at ,dan1 and led the tribes on the east side of ,jordan away into exile4 ,the dismemberment of the ,israelitish kingdom went on apace for some years4 ,then the ,assyrians1 in the reign of ,hoshea1 carried off the second golden calf together with the tribes of ,asher1 ,issachar1 ,zebulon1 and ,naphtali1 leaving but one-eighth of the ,israelites in their own land4 ,the larger portion of the exiles was taken to ,damascus4 ,after that ,israel's doom overtook it with giant strides1 and the last ruler of ,israel actually hastened the end of his kingdom by a pious deed4 ,after the golden calves were removed by the ,assyrians1 ,hoshea1 the king of the north1 abolished the institution of stationing the guards on the frontier between ,judah and ,israel to prevent pilgrimages to ,jerusalem4 ,but the people made no use of the liberty granted them4 ,they persisted in their idolatrous cult1 and this quickened their punishment4 ,so long as their kings had put obstacles in their path1 they could excuse themselves before ,god for not worshipping ,him in the true way4 ,the action taken by their king ,hoshea left them no defense4 ,when the ,assyrians made their third incursion into ,israel1 the kingdom of the north was destroyed forever1 and the people1 one and all1 were carried away into exile4 7#de7 ,the heathen nations settled in ,samaria by the ,assyrians instead of the deported ,ten ,tribes were forced by ,god to accept the true religion of the ,jews4 ,nevertheless they continued to worship their olden idols3 the ,babylonians paid devotion to a hen1 the people of ,cuthah to a cock1 those of ,hamath to a ram1 the dog and the ass were the gods of the ,avvites1 and the mule and the horse the gods of the ,sepharvites4 7#df7 ,,hezekiah ,while the northern kingdom was rapidly descending into the pit of destruction1 a mighty upward impulse was given to ,judah1 both spiritually and materially1 by its king ,hezekiah4 ,in his infancy the king had been destined as a sacrifice to ,moloch4 ,his mother had saved him from death only by rubbing him with the blood of a salamander1 which made him fire-proof4 7#dg7 ,in every respect he was the opposite of his father4 ,as the latter is counted among the worst of sinners1 so ,hezekiah is counted among the most pious of ,israel4 ,his first act as king is evidence that he held the honor of ,god to be his chief concern1 important beyond all else4 ,he refused to accord his father regal obsequies2 his remains were buried as though he had been poor and of plebeian rank4 ,impious as he was1 ,ahaz deserved nothing more dignified4 7#dh7 ,god had ,himself made it known to ,hezekiah1 by a sign1 that his father was to have no consideration paid him4 ,on the day of the dead king's funeral daylight lasted but two hours1 and his body had to be interred when the earth was enveloped in darkness4 7#di7 ,throughout his reign1 ,hezekiah devoted himself mainly to the task of dispelling the ignorance of the ,torah which his father had caused4 ,while ,ahaz had forbidden the study of the law1 ,hezekiah's orders read3 ,who does not occupy himself with the ,torah1 renders himself subject to the death penalty4 ,the academies closed under ,ahaz were kept open day and night under ,hezekiah4 ,the king himself supplied the oil needed for illuminating purposes4 ,gradually1 under this system1 a generation grew up so well trained that one could search the land from ,dan even to ,beer-sheba and not find a single ignoramus4 ,the very women and the children1 both boys and girls1 knew the laws of clean and unclean4 7#ej7 ,by way of rewarding his piety1 ,god granted ,hezekiah a brilliant victory over ,sennacherib4 ,this ,assyrian king1 who had conquered the whole world1 7#ea7 equipped an army against ,hezekiah like unto which there is none1 unless it be the army of the four kings whom ,abraham routed1 or the army to be raised by ,god and ,magog in the ,messianic time4 ,sennacherib's army consisted of more than two millions and a half of horsemen1 among them forty-five thousand princes sitting in chariots and surrounded by their paramours1 by eighty thousand armor-clad soldiers1 and sixty thousand swordsmen4 ,the camp extended over a space of four hundred parasangs1 and the saddle-beasts standing neck to neck formed a line forty parasangs long4 ,the host was divided into four divisions4 ,after the first of them had passed the ,jordan1 it was well nigh dry1 for the soldiers had all slaked their thirst with water of the river4 ,the second division found nothing to quench their thirst except the water gathered under the hoofs of the horses4 ,the third division was forced to dig wells1 and when the fourth division crossed the ,jordan1 they kicked up great clouds of dust4 7#eb7 ,with this vast army ,sennacherib hastened onward1 in accordance with the disclosures of the astrologers1 who warned him that he would fail in his object of capturing ,jerusalem1 if he arrived there later than the day set by them4 ,his journey having lasted but one day instead of ten1 as he had expected1 he rested at ,nob4 ,a raised platform was there erected for ,sennacherib1 whence he could view ,jerusalem4 ,on first beholding the ,judean capital1 the ,assyrian king exclaimed3 ,what6 ,is this ,jerusalem1 the city for whose sake ,i gathered together my whole army1 for whose sake ,i first conquered all other lands8 ,is it not smaller and weaker than all the cities of the nations ,i subdued with my strong hand8 ,he stretched himself and shook his head1 and waved his hand contemptuously toward the ,temple mount and the sanctuary crowning it4 ,when his warriors urged him to make his attack upon ,jerusalem1 he bade them take their ease for one night1 and be prepared to storm the city the next day4 ,it seemed no great undertaking4 ,each warrior would but have to pick up as much mortar from the wall as is needed to seal a letter and the whole city would disappear4 ,but ,sennacherib made the mistake of not proceeding directly to the attack upon the city4 ,if he had made the assault at once1 it would have been successful1 for the sin of ,saul against the priest at ,nob had not yet been wholly expiated2 on that very day it was fully atoned for4 7#ec7 ,in the following night1 which was the ,passover night1 when ,hezekiah and the people began to sing the ,hallel ,psalms1 7#ed7 the giant host was annihilated4 ,the archangel ,gabriel 7#ee7 sent by ,god to ripen the fruits of the field1 was charged to address himself to the task of making away with the ,assyrians1 and he fulfilled his mission so well that of all the millions of the army1 ,sennacherib alone was saved with his two sons1 his son-in-law 7#ef7 ,nebuchadnezzar1 and ,nebuzaradan4 7#eg7 ,the death of the ,assyrians happened when the angel permitted them to hear the song of the celestials4 7#eh7 ,their souls were burnt1 though their garments remained intact4 7#ei7 ,such an end was too good for ,sennacherib4 ,to him a disgraceful death was apportioned4 ,on his flight away from ,jerusalem1 he met a ,divine apparition in the guise of an old man4 ,he questioned ,sennacherib as to what he would say to the kings allied with him1 in reply to their inquiry about the fate of their sons at ,jerusalem4 ,sennacherib confessed his dread of a meeting with those kings4 ,the old man advised him to have his hair cut off1 which would change his appearance beyond recognition4 ,sennacherib assented1 and his advisor sent him to a house in the vicinity to fetch a pair of shears4 ,here he found some people angels in disguise busying themselves with a hand-mill4 ,they promised to give him the shears1 provided he ground a measure of grain for them4 ,so it grew late and dark by the time ,sennacherib returned to the old man1 and he had to procure a light before his hair could be cut4 ,as he fanned the fire into a flame1 a spark flew into his beard and singed it1 and he had to sacrifice his beard as well as his hair4 ,on his return to ,assyria1 ,sennacherib found a plank1 which he worshipped as an idol1 because it was part of the ark which had saved ,noah from the deluge4 ,he vowed that he would sacrifice his sons to this idol if he prospered in his next ventures4 ,but his sons heard his vows1 and they killed their father1 7#fj7 and fled to ,kardu where they released the ,jewish captives confined there in great numbers4 ,with these they marched to ,jerusalem1 and became proselytes there4 ,the famous scholars ,shemaiah and ,abtalion were the descendants of these two sons of ,sennacherib4 7#fa7 ,,miracles ,,wrought ,,for ,,hezekiah ,the destruction of the ,assyrian host delivered ,hezekiah from an inner as well as an outer enemy1 for he had opponents in ,jerusalem1 among them the high priest ,shebnah4 7#fb7 ,shebnah had a more numerous following in the city than the king himself1 7#fc7 and they and their leader had favored peace with ,sennacherib4 ,supported by ,joah1 another influential personage1 ,shebnah had fastened a letter to a dart1 and shot the dart into the ,assyrian camp4 ,the contents of the letter were3 ,we and the whole people of ,israel wish to conclude peace with thee1 but ,hezekiah and ,isaiah will not permit it4 7#fd7 ,shebnah's influence was so powerful that ,hezekiah began to show signs of yielding4 ,had it not been for the prophet ,isaiah1 the king would have submitted to ,sennacherib's demands4 ,shebnah's treachery and his other sins did not go unpunished4 ,when he and his band of adherents left ,jerusalem to join the ,assyrians1 the angel ,gabriel closed the gate as soon as ,shebnah had passed beyond it1 and so he was separated from his followers4 ,to the inquiry of ,sennacherib about the many sympathizers he had written of1 he could give no reply but that they had changed their mind4 ,the ,assyrian king thought ,shebnah had made sport of him4 ,he1 therefore1 ordered his attendants to bore a hole through his heels1 tie him to the tail of a horse by them1 and spur the horse on to run until ,shebnah was dragged to death4 7#fe7 ,the unexpected victory won by ,hezekiah over the ,assyrians1 to whom the kingdom of ,samaria had fallen a prey but a short time before1 showed how wrong they had been who had mocked at ,hezekiah for his frugal ways4 ,a king whose meal consisted of a handful of vegetables could hardly be called a dignified ruler1 they had said4 ,these critics would gladly have seen his kingdom pass into the hands of ,pekah1 the king of ,samaria1 whose dessert1 to speak of nothing else1 consisted of forty seim of young pigeons4 7#ff7 ,in view of all the wonders ,god had done for him1 it was unpardonable that ,hezekiah did not feel himself prompted at least to sing a song of praise to ,god4 ,indeed1 when the prophet ,isaiah urged him to it1 he refused1 saying that the study of the ,torah1 to which he devoted himself with assiduous zeal1 was a substitute for direct expressions of gratitude4 ,besides1 he thought ,god's miracles would become known to the world without action on his part1 7#fg7 in such ways as these3 ,after the destruction of the ,assyrian army1 when the ,jews searched the abandoned camps1 they found ,pharaoh the king of ,egypt and the ,ethiopian king ,tirhakah4 ,these kings had hastened to the aid of ,hezekiah1 and the ,assyrians had taken them captive and clapped them in irons1 in which they were languishing when the ,jews came upon them4 ,liberated by ,hezekiah1 the two rulers returned to their respective realms1 spreading the report of the greatness of ,god everywhere4 ,and again1 all the vassal troops in ,sennacherib's army1 set free by ,hezekiah1 accepted the ,jewish faith1 and on their way home they proclaimed the kingdom of ,god in ,egypt and in many other lands4 7#fh7 ,by failing in gratitude ,hezekiah lost a great opportunity4 ,the ,divine plan had been to make ,hezekiah the ,messiah1 and ,sennacherib was to be ,god and ,magog4 ,justice opposed this plan1 addressing ,god thus3 ,o ,lord of the world6 ,david1 king of ,israel1 who sang so many songs and hymns of praise to ,thee1 him ,thou didst not make the ,messiah1 and now ,thou wouldst confer the distinction upon ,hezekiah1 who has no word of praise for ,thee in spite of the manifold wonders ,thou hast wrought for him8 ,then the earth appeared before ,god1 and said3 ,lord of the world6 ,i will song ,thee a song in place of this righteous man2 make him to be the ,messiah1 and the earth forthwith intoned a song of praise4 ,likewise spake the ,prince of the ,world3 7#fi7 ,lord of the world6 ,do the will of this righteous man4 ,but a voice from heaven announced3 ,this is my secret1 this is my secret4 ,and again1 when the prophet exclaimed sorrowfully1 ,woe is me6 ,how long1 ,o ,lord1 how long6 the voice replied3 ,the time of the ,messiah will arrive when the 'treacherous dealers and the treacherous dealers' shall have come4 7#gj7 ,the sin committed by ,hezekiah asleep1 he had to atone for awake4 ,if he refused to devote a song of praise to ,god for his escape from the ,assyrian peril1 he could not refrain from doing it after his recovery from the dangerous sickness that befell him4 7#ga7 ,this sickness was a punishment for another sin beside ingratitude4 ,he had peeled off the gold from the ,temple1 and sent it to the king of the ,assyrians2 therefore the disease that afflicted him caused his skin to peel off4 7#gb7 ,moreover1 this malady of ,hezekiah's was brought upon him by ,god1 to afford an opportunity for the king and the prophet ,isaiah to come close to each other4 ,the two had had a dispute on a point of etiquette4 7#gc7 ,the king adduced as a precedent the action of ,elijah1 who went to show himself unto ,ahab1 and demanded that ,isaiah1 too1 should appear before him4 ,the prophet1 on the other hand1 modelled his conduct after ,elisha's1 who permitted the kings of ,israel1 and ,judah1 and ,edom1 to come to him4 ,but ,god settled the dispute by afflicting ,hezekiah with sickness1 and then ,he bade ,isaiah go to the king and pay the visit due to the sick4 ,the prophet did the bidding of ,god4 ,when he appeared in the presence of the ailing king1 he said3 ,set thine house in order1 for thou wilt die in this world and not live in the next a fate which ,hezekiah incurred because he had failed to take unto himself a wife and bring forth posterity4 ,the king's defense1 that he had preferred a celibate's life because he had seen in the holy spirit that he was destined to have impious children1 the prophet did not consider valid4 ,he rebutted it with the words3 ,why does thou concern thyself with the secrets of the ,all-,merciful8 ,thou hast but to do thy duty4 ,god will do whatsoever it pleases ,him4 ,thereupon ,hezekiah asked the daughter of the prophet in marriage1 saying3 ,perchance my merits joined to thine will cause my children to be virtuous4 ,but ,isaiah rejected the proposal of marriage1 because he knew that the decree of ,god ordaining the king's death was unalterable4 ,whereupon the king3 ,thou son of thus has it been transmitted to me from the house of my ancestor3 7#gd7 ,even if a sharp sword rests at the very throat of a man1 he may yet not refrain from uttering a prayer for mercy4 7#ge7 ,and the king was right4 ,though death had been decreed against him1 his prayer averted it4 ,in his prayer he supplicated ,god to keep him alive for the sake of the merits of his ancestors1 who had built the ,temple and brought many proselytes into the ,jewish fold1 and for the sake of his own merits1 for1 he said1 ,i searched out all the two hundred and forty-eight members of my body which ,thou didst give me1 and ,i found none which ,i had used in a manner contrary to ,thy will4 7#gf7 ,his prayer was heard4 ,god added fifteen years to his life1 but ,he made him understand very clearly1 that he owed the mercy solely to the merits of ,david1 not at all to his own1 as ,hezekiah fondly believed4 7#gg7 ,before ,isaiah left the court of the palace1 ,god instructed him to return to the king1 and announce his recovery to him4 ,isaiah feared lest ,hezekiah should place little trust in his words1 as he had but a short while before predicted his swiftly approaching end4 ,but ,god reassured the prophet4 ,in his modesty and piety1 the king would harbor no doubt derogatory to the prophet's trustworthiness4 7#gh7 ,the remedy employed by ,isaiah1 a cake of figs applied to the boil1 increased the wonder of ,hezekiah's recovery1 for it was apt to aggravate the malady rather than alleviate it4 7#gi7 ,a number of miracles besides were connected with the recovery of ,hezekiah4 ,in itself it was remarkable1 as being the first case of a recovery on record4 ,previously illness had been inevitably followed by death4 ,before he had fallen sick1 ,hezekiah himself had implored ,god to change this order of nature4 ,he held that sickness followed by restoration to health would induce men to do penance4 ,god had replied3 ,thou art right1 and the new order shall be begun with thee4 7#hj7 ,furthermore1 the day of ,hezekiah's recovery was marked by the great miracle that the sun shone ten hours longer than its wonted time4 ,the remotest lands were amazed thereat1 and ,baladan1 the ruler of ,babylon1 was prompted by it to send an embassy to ,hezekiah1 which was to carry his felicitations to the ,jewish king upon his recovery4 ,baladan1 it should be said by the way1 was not the real king of ,babylon4 ,the throne was occupied by his father1 whose face had changed into that of a dog4 ,therefore the son had to administer the affairs of state1 and he was known by his father's name as well as his own4 7#ha7 ,this ,baladan was in the habit of dining at noon1 and then he took a nap until three o'clock of the afternoon4 ,on the day of ,hezekiah's recovery1 when he awoke from his sleep1 and saw the sun overhead1 he was on the point of having his guards executed1 because he thought they had permitted him to sleep a whole afternoon and the night following it4 ,he desisted only when he was informed of ,hezekiah's miraculous recovery1 and realised that the ,god of ,hezekiah was greater than his own god1 the sun4 7#hb7 ,he at once set about sending greetings to the ,jewish king4 ,his letter read as follows3 ,peace be with ,hezekiah1 peace with his great ,god1 and peace with ,jerusalem4 ,after the letter was dispatched1 it occurred to ,baladan that it had not been composed properly4 ,mention of ,hezekiah had been made before mention of ,god4 ,he had the messengers called back1 and ordered another letter to be written1 in which the oversight was made good4 ,as a reward for his punctiliousness1 three of his descendants1 ,nebuchadnezzar1 ,evil-merodach1 and ,belshazzar1 were appointed by ,god to be world monarchs4 ,god said3 ,thou didst arise from thy throne1 and didst take three steps to do ,me honor1 by having thy letter re-written1 therefore will ,i grant thee three descendants who shall be known from one end of the world to the other4 7#hc7 ,the embassy sent by the ,babylonian monarch was an act of homage to ,god for his miracle-working power4 ,hezekiah1 however1 took it to be an act of homage toward himself1 and it had the effect of making him arrogant4 ,not only did he eat and drink with the heathen who made up the embassy1 but also1 in his haughtiness of mind1 he displayed before them all the treasures which he had captured from ,sennacherib1 and many other curiosities besides1 among them magnetic iron1 a peculiar sort of ivory1 and honey as solid as stone4 ,what was worse1 he had his wife partake of the meal in honor of the embassy1 and1 most heinous crime of all1 7#hd7 he opened the holy ,ark1 and pointing to the tables of law within it1 said to the heathen3 ,with the help of these we undertake wars and win victories4 7#he7 ,god sent ,isaiah to reproach ,hezekiah for these acts4 ,the king1 instead of confessing his wrong at once1 answered the prophet haughtily4 7#hf7 ,then ,isaiah announced to him that the treasures taken from ,sennacherib 7#hg7 would revert to ,babylon some time in the future1 and his descendants1 ,daniel and the three companions of ,daniel1 would serve the ,babylonia ruler as eunuchs4 7#hh7 ,despite his pride in this case1 ,hezekiah was one of the most pious kings of ,judah4 ,especially he is deserving of praise for his efforts to have ,hebrew literature put into writing1 for it was ,hezekiah who had copies made of the books of ,isaiah1 ,ecclesiastes1 ,song of ,songs1 and ,proverbs4 7#hi7 ,on the other hand1 he had concealed the books containing medical remedies4 7#ij7 ,great was the mourning over him at his death4 ,no less than thirty-six thousand men with bared shoulders marched before his bier1 and1 rarer distinction still1 a scroll of the law was laid upon his bier1 for it was said3 ,he who rests in this bier1 has fulfilled all ordained in this book4 7#ia7 ,he was buried next to ,david and ,solomon4 7#ib7 ,,manasseh ,hezekiah had finally yielded to the admonitions of ,isaiah1 and had taken a wife unto himself1 7#ic7 the daughter of the prophet4 ,but he entered upon marriage with a heavy heart4 ,his prophetic spirit foretold to him that the impiousness of the sons he would beget would make their death to be preferable to their life4 ,these fears were confirmed all too soon4 ,his two sons1 ,rabshakeh and ,manasseh1 showed their complete unlikeness to their parents in early childhood4 ,once1 when ,hezekiah was carrying his two little ones on his shoulders to the ,bet ha-,midrash1 he overheard their conversation4 ,the one said3 ,our father's bald head might do for frying fish4 ,the other rejoined3 ,it would do well for offering sacrifices to idols4 ,enraged by these words1 ,hezekiah let his sons slip from his shoulders4 ,rabshakeh was killed by the fall1 but ,manasseh escaped unhurt4 7#id7 ,better had it been if ,manasseh had shared his brother's untimely fate4 ,he was spared for naught but murder1 idolatry1 and other abominable atrocities4 7#ie7 ,after ,hezekiah had departed this life1 ,manasseh ceased to serve the ,god of his father4 ,he did whatever his evil imagination prompted4 ,the altar was destroyed1 and in the inner space of the ,temple he set up an idol 7#if7 with four faces1 copied from the four figures on the throne of ,god4 ,it was so placed that from whatever direction one entered the ,temple1 a face of the idol confronted him4 7#ig7 ,as ,manasseh was sacrilegious toward ,god1 he was malevolent toward his fellows4 ,he had fashioned an image so large that it required a thousand men to carry it4 ,daily a new force was employed on this task1 because ,manasseh had each set of porters killed off at the end of the day's work4 ,all his acts were calculated to cast contempt upon ,judaism and its tenets4 ,it did not satisfy his evil desire to obliterate the name of ,god from the ,holy ,scriptures2 7#ih7 he went so far as to deliver public lectures whose burden was to ridicule the ,torah4 7#ii7 ,isaiah and the other prophets1 ,micah1 ,joel1 and ,habakkuk1 7#ajj7 left ,jerusalem and repaired to a mountain in the desert1 that they might be spared the sight of the abominations practiced by the king4 ,their abiding-place was disclosed to the king4 ,a ,samaritan1 a descendant of the false prophet ,zedekiah1 had taken refuge in ,jerusalem after the destruction of the ,temple4 ,but he did not remain there long2 charges were made against him before the pious king ,hezekiah1 and he withdrew to ,bethlehem1 where he gathered hangers-on about him4 ,this ,samaritan it was who traced the prophets to their retreat1 and lodged accusations against them before ,manasseh4 7#aja7 ,the impious king sat in judgment on ,isaiah1 and condemned him to death4 ,the indictment against him was that his prophecies contained teachings in contradiction with the law of ,moses4 ,god said unto ,moses3 ,thou canst not see ,my face2 for man shall not see ,me and live2 while ,isaiah said3 ,i saw the ,lord sitting upon a throne1 high and lifted up4 ,again1 ,isaiah compared the princes of ,israel and the people with the impious inhabitants of ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 and he prophesied the downfall of ,jerusalem and the destruction of the ,temple4 7#ajb7 ,the prophet offered no explanation4 ,he was convinced of the uselessness of defending himself1 and he preferred ,manasseh should act from ignorance rather than from wickedness4 ,however1 he fled for safety4 ,when he heard the royal bailiffs in pursuit of him1 he pronounced the ,name of ,god1 and a cedar-tree swallowed him up4 ,the king ordered the tree to be sawn in pieces4 ,when the saw was applied to the portion of the bark under which the mouth of ,isaiah lay concealed1 he died4 ,his mouth was the only vulnerable part of his body1 because at the time when he was called to his prophetical mission1 7#ajc7 it had made use of the contemptuous words a people of unclean lips1 regarding ,israel4 ,isaiah died at the age of one hundred and twenty years1 7#ajd7 by the hands of his own grandchild4 7#aje7 ,god is long-suffering1 but in the end ,manasseh received the deserved punishment for his sins and crimes4 ,in the twenty-second year of his rulership1 the ,assyrians came and carried him off to ,babylon in fetters1 him together with the old ,danite idol1 ,micah's image4 7#ajf7 ,in ,babylonia1 the king was put into an oven which was heated from below4 ,finding himself in this extremity1 ,manasseh began to call upon god after god to help him out of his straits4 ,as this proved inefficacious1 he resorted to other means4 ,i remember1 he said1 my father taught me the verse3 ',when thou art in tribulation1 if in the latter days thou shalt return to the ,lord thy ,god1 and hearken unto ,his voice1 ,he will not fail thee4' ,now ,i cry to ,god4 ,if ,he inclines ,his ear unto me1 well and good2 if not1 then all kinds of god are alike4 ,the angels stopped up the windows of heaven1 that the prayer of ,manasseh might not ascend to ,god1 and they said3 ,lord of the world6 ,art ,thou willing to give gracious hearing to one who has paid worship to idols1 and set up an idol in the ,temple8 ,if ,i did not accept the penance of this man1 replied ,god1 ,i should be closing the door in the face of all repentant sinners4 ,god made a small opening under the ,throne of ,his ,glory1 and received the prayer of ,manasseh through it4 ,suddenly a wind arose1 and carried ,manasseh back to ,jerusalem4 7#ajg7 ,his return to ,god not only helped him in his distress1 but also brought him pardon for all his sins1 so that not even his share in the future world was withdrawn from him4 7#ajh7 ,the people of this time were attracted to idolatry with so irresistible a force that the vast learning of ,manasseh1 who knew fifty-two different interpretations of the ,book of ,leviticus1 7#aji7 did not give him enough moral strength to withstand its influence4 ,rab ,ashi1 the famous compiler of the ,talmud1 once announced a lecture on ,manasseh with the words3 ,to-morrow ,i shall speak about our colleague ,manasseh4 ,at night the king appeared to ,ashi in a dreams1 and put a ritual question to him1 which the ,rabbi could not answer4 ,manasseh told him the solution1 and ,ashi1 in amazement at the king's scholarship1 asked why one so erudite had served idols4 ,manasseh's reply was3 ,hadst thou lived at my time1 thou wouldst have caught hold of the hem of my garment and run after me4 7#aaj7 ,amon1 the son of ,manasseh1 surpassed his father in wickedness4 ,he was in the habit of saying3 ,my father was a sinner from early childhood1 and in his old age he did penance4 ,i shall do the same4 ,first ,i shall satisfy the desires of my heart1 and afterward ,i shall return to ,god4 7#aaa7 ,indeed1 he was guilty of more grievous sins than his predecessor2 he burned the ,torah2 under him the place of the altar was covered with spiderwebs2 and1 as though of purpose to set at naught the ,jewish religion1 he committed the worst sort of incest1 a degree more heinous than his father's crime of a similar nature4 7#aab7 ,thus he executed the first half of his maxim literally4 ,for repentance1 however1 he was given no time2 death cut him off in the fulness of his sinful ways4 ,,josiah ,,and ,,his ,,successors ,that the full measure of punishment was not meted out to ,amon his evil deeds were such that he should have forfeited his share in the world to come was due to the circumstance that he had a pious and righteous son4 7#aac7 ,josiah offers a shining model of true1 sincere repentance4 7#aad7 ,though at first he followed in the footsteps of his father ,amon1 he soon gave up the ways of wickedness1 and became one of the most pious kings of ,israel1 whose chief undertaking was the effort to bring the whole people back to the true faith4 ,it dates from the time when a copy of the ,torah was found in the ,temple1 a copy that had escaped the holocaust kindled by his father and predecessor ,amon for the purpose of exterminating the ,holy ,scriptures4 7#aae7 ,when he opened the ,scriptures1 the first verse to strike his eye was the one in ,deuteronomy3 ,the ,lord shall bring thee and thy king into exile1 unto a nation which thou hast not known4 ,josiah feared this doom of exile was impending1 and he sought to conciliate ,god through the reform of his people4 7#aaf7 ,his first step was to enlist the intercession of the prophets in his behalf4 ,he addressed his request1 not to ,jeremiah1 but to the prophetess ,huldah1 knowing that women are more easily moved to compassion4 ,as ,jeremiah was a kinsman of the prophetess their common ancestors were ,joshua and ,rahab the king felt no apprehension that the prophet take his preference for ,huldah amiss4 ,the proud1 dignified answer of the prophetess was1 that the misfortune could not be averted from ,israel1 but the destruction of the ,temple1 she continued consolingly1 would not happen until after the death of ,josiah4 7#aag7 ,in view of the imminent destruction of the ,temple1 ,josiah hid the holy ,ark and all its appurtenances1 in order to guard them against desecration at the hands of the enemy4 7#aah7 ,the efforts of the king in behalf of ,god and ,his law found no echo with the great majority of the people4 ,though the king was successful in preventing the worship of idols in public1 his subjects knew how to deceive him4 ,josiah sent out his pious sympathizers to inspect the houses of the people1 and he was satisfied with their report1 that they had found no idols1 not suspecting that the recreant people has fastened half an image on each wing of the doors1 so that the inmates faced their household idols as they closed the door upon ,josiah's inspectors4 ,this godless generation contemporaneous with ,josiah was to blame for his death4 ,when ,king ,pharaoh1 in his campaign against the ,assyrians1 wanted to travel through ,palestine1 ,jeremiah advised the king not to deny the ,egyptians the passage through his land4 ,he cited a prophecy by his teacher ,isaiah1 who had foreseen the war between ,assyria and ,egypt4 ,but ,josiah retorted3 ,moses1 thy teacher's teacher1 spake3 ',i will give peace in the land1 and no sword shall go through your land1' not even the sword that is not raised against ,israel with hostile intent4 ,the king1 innocent of the deception practiced by the people1 knew not that they were idol worshippers1 to whom the promises of the ,torah have no application4 ,in the engagement that ensued between the ,jews and the ,egyptians1 no less than three hundred darts struck the king4 ,in his death agony he uttered no word of complaint2 he only said3 ,the ,lord is righteous1 for ,i have rebelled against ,his commandment1 thus admitting his guilt in not having heeded the advice of the prophet4 7#aai7 ,so ended the days of this just king after a brilliant career1 the only king since ,solomon to rule over both ,judah and ,israel1 for ,jeremiah had brought back to ,palestine the ten exiled tribes of the north1 and made them subject to ,josiah4 7#abj7 ,the mourning for him was profound4 7#aba7 ,even ,jeremiah perpetuated his memory in his ,lamentations4 7#abb7 ,pharaoh of ,egypt was not permitted to enjoy the results of his victory to the full1 for it was soon after this that1 in attempting to ascend the wondrous throne of ,solomon1 he was stuck down by the lions and rendered lame by the blow4 7#abc7 ,the people put ,jehoahaz on the throne of ,judah to succeed ,josiah1 though his brother ,jehoiakim was the older by two years4 ,to silence the legitimate claims of ,jehoiakim1 the new king underwent the ceremony of anointing4 7#abd7 ,but his reign was very brief4 ,at the end of three months ,pharaoh carried him off into exile in ,egypt1 and ,jehoiakim ruled in his stead4 ,jehoiakim was another of the sinful monarchs of the ,jews1 uncharitable toward men and disobedient to ,god and the laws of ,god4 ,his garments were of two kinds of stuff mingled together1 his body was tattooed with the names of idols1 and in order that he might appear as a non-,jew1 he performed the operation of an epipost upon himself4 ,various forms of incest were committed by him1 and1 besides1 he was in the habit of putting men to death that he might violate their wives1 and confiscate their possessions4 7#abe7 ,blasphemous as he was1 he spoke3 ,my predecessors did not know how to provoke the wrath of ,god4 ,as for me1 ,i say frankly1 we have no need whatsoever of ,him2 the very light ,he gives us we can dispense with1 for the gold of ,parvaim can well replace it4 7#abf7 ,seeing such abominations1 ,god desired to resolve the world into its original chaos4 ,if ,he desisted from ,his purpose1 it was only because the people led a ,god-fearing life during the time of ,jehoiakim4 7#abg7 ,after he had reigned eleven years1 ,nebuchadnezzar put an end to his dominion4 ,advancing with his army1 the ,babylonian king halted at ,daphne1 a suburb of ,antioch4 ,here he was met by the ,sanhedrin of ,jerusalem1 who desired to know whether he was coming with the purpose of destroying the ,temple4 ,nebuchadnezzar assured them1 that all he wanted was the surrender of ,jehoiakim1 who had rebelled against his authority4 ,returned to ,jerusalem1 the ,sanhedrin informed ,jehoiakim of ,nebuchadnezzar's intention4 ,the king asked the elders1 whether it was ethical to purchase their lives by sacrificing his4 ,for answer they referred him to the story of the way ,joab dealt with the city of ,abel of ,beth-maacah1 which had saved itself by surrendering the rebel ,sheba1 the son of ,bichri4 ,the king's objections did not deter the ,sanhedrin from following the example of ,joab acting under the direction of ,david4 ,they made ,jehoiakim glide down from the city walls of ,jerusalem by a chain4 ,below1 the ,babylonians stood ready to receive him4 ,nebuchadnezzar took ,jehoiakim in fetters to all the cities of ,judah1 then he slew him1 and1 his rage still unabated1 threw his corpse to the dogs after having stuck it into the carcass of an ass4 7#abh7 ,the dogs left nothing of ,jehoiakim's body over except his skull1 on which were written the words3 ,this and something besides4 ,many centuries later it was found by a ,rabbi near the gates of ,jerusalem4 ,he tried in vain to give it burial2 the earth refused to retain it1 and the ,rabbi concluded therefrom that it belonged to the corpse of ,jehoiakim4 ,he wrapped the skull in a cloth1 and laid it in a closet4 ,one day the wife of the ,rabbi discovered it there1 and she burnt it1 thinking the skull belonged to a former wife of her husband1 so dear to him even after her death that he could not separate himself from this relic4 7#abi7 ,when ,nebuchadnezzar returned to ,babylonia from his ,palestinian expedition1 the people received him with great pomp and solemnity4 ,he announced to them that in place of ,jehoiakim1 whom he had slain1 he had installed ,mattaniah1 the rebel's son1 called ,jehoiachin1 as king over ,judah1 and the people uttered the warning3 ,one cannot educate a well-behaved puppy whose dam was ill-conditioned2 let alone an ill-conditioned puppy whose dam was ill-conditioned4 ,nebuchadnezzar returned to ,daphne1 and informed the ,sanhedrin1 who hastened from ,jerusalem to meet him1 that he desired the surrender of ,jehoiachin4 ,if they refused to satisfy his demand1 he would destroy the ,temple4 ,when the ,jewish king was told the threat of his ,babylonian adversary1 he mounted upon the roof of the ,temple1 and1 holding all the keys of its chambers in his hand1 he spoke thus to ,god3 ,until now ,thou didst consider us worthy of confidence1 and ,thou didst entrust ,thy keys to us4 ,since ,thou no longer dost esteem us trustworthy1 here1 take back ,thy keys4 ,he was held to his word3 a hand was stretched forth from heaven1 and it received the keys4 7#acj7 ,jehoiachin1 good and pious1 did not desire the city of ,jerusalem to be exposed to peril for his sake4 ,so he delivered himself to the ,babylonian leaders1 after they swore that neither city nor people should suffer harm4 ,but the ,babylonians did not keep their oath4 ,a short while thereafter they carried into exile1 not only the king1 but also his mother1 and ten thousand 7#aca7 of the ,jewish nobility and of the great scholars4 7#acb7 ,this was the second attempt made by ,nebuchadnezzar to deport the ,jews4 ,on taking the former king ,jehoiakim captive1 he had exiled three hundred of the noblest of the people1 among them the prophet ,ezekiel4 7#acc7 ,the king ,jehoiachin was incarcerated for life1 a solitary prisoner1 separated from his wife and his family4 ,the ,sanhedrin1 who were among those deported with the king1 feared that the house of ,david die out4 ,they therefore besought ,nebuchadnezzar not to separate ,jehoiachin from his wife4 ,they succeeded in enlisting the sympathy of the queen's hairdresser1 and through her of the queen herself1 ,semiramis1 the wife of ,nebuchadnezzar1 who in turn prevailed upon the king to accord mild treatment to the unfortunate prince exiled from ,judea4 ,suffering had completely changed the once sinful king1 so that1 in spite of his great joy over his reunion with his wife1 he still paid regard to the prescriptions of the ,jewish law regulating conjugal life4 ,he was prepared to deny himself every indulgence1 when the purchase price was an infringement of the word of ,god4 ,such steadfastness pleaded with ,god to pardon the king for his sins1 and the heavenly ,sanhedrin absolved ,god from ,his oath1 to crush ,jehoiachin and deprive his house of sovereignty4 7#acd7 ,by way of reward for his continence he was blessed with distinguished posterity4 ,not only was ,zerubbabel1 the first governor of ,palestine after the destruction of the ,temple1 a grandson of ,jehoiachin's1 7#ace7 but also the ,messiah himself will be a descendant of his4 7#acf7 ,x4 ,,the ,,exile ,,zedekiah ,the execution of one king and the deportation of another were but preludes to the great national catastrophe in the time of ,zedekiah1 the destruction of the ,temple and the exile of the whole people4 ,after ,nebuchadnezzar had led ,jehoiachin and a portion of the people into banishment1 his commiseration was aroused for the ,jews1 and he inquired1 whether any other sons of ,josiah were still living4 ,only ,mattaniah was left4 7#a7 ,he was re-named ,zedekiah1 in the hope that he would be the father of pious sons4 ,in reality the name became the omen of the disasters to happen in the time of this king4 ,nebuchadnezzar1 who invested ,zedekiah with the royal office1 demanded that he swear fealty to him4 ,zedekiah was about to swear by his own soul1 but the ,babylonian king1 not satisfied1 brought a scroll of the law1 and made his ,jewish vassal take the oath upon that4 7#b7 ,nevertheless he did not keep faith with ,nebuchadnezzar for long4 ,nor was this his only treachery toward his suzerain4 ,he had once surprised ,nebuchadnezzar in the act of cutting a piece from a living hare and eating it1 as is the habit of barbarians4 ,nebuchadnezzar was painfully embarrassed1 and he begged the ,jewish king to promise under oath not to mention what he had seen4 ,though ,nebuchadnezzar treated him with great friendliness1 even making him sovereign lord over five vassal kings1 he did not justify the trust reposed in him4 ,to flatter ,zedekiah1 the five kings once said3 ,if all were as it should be1 thou wouldst occupy the throne of ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,zedekiah could not refrain from exclaiming3 ,o yes1 ,nebuchadnezzar1 whom ,i once saw eating a live hare6 ,the five kings at once repaired to ,nebuchadnezzar1 and reported what ,zedekiah had said4 ,thereupon the king of ,babylonia marched to ,daphne1 near ,antioch1 with the purpose of chastising ,zedekiah4 ,at ,daphne he found the ,sanhedrin of ,jerusalem1 who had hastened thither to receive him4 ,nebuchadnezzar met the ,sanhedrin courteously1 ordered his attendants to bring state chairs for all the members1 and requested them to read the ,torah to him and explain it4 ,when they reached the passage in the ,book of ,numbers dealing with the remission of vows1 the king put the question3 ,if a man desires to be released from a vow1 what steps must he take8 ,the ,sanhedrin replied3 ,he must repair to a scholar1 and he will absolve him from his vow4 ,whereupon ,nebuchadnezzar exclaimed3 ,i verily believe it was you who released ,zedekiah from the vow he took concerning me4 ,and he ordered the members of the ,sanhedrin to leave their state chairs and sit on the ground4 7#c7 ,they were forced to admit1 that they had not acted in accordance with the law1 for ,zedekiah's vow affected another beside himself1 and without the acquiescence of the other party1 namely1 ,nebuchadnezzar1 the ,sanhedrin had no authority to annul the vow4 7#d7 ,zedekiah was duly punished for the grievous crime of perjury4 ,when ,jerusalem was captured1 he tried to escape through a cave extending from his house to ,jericho4 ,god sent a deer into the camp of the ,chaldeans1 and in their pursuit of this game1 the ,babylonian soldiers reached the farther opening of the cave at the very moment when ,zedekiah was leaving it4 7#e7 ,the ,jewish king together with his ten sons was brought before ,nebuchadnezzar1 who addressed ,zedekiah thus3 ,were ,i to judge thee according to the law of thy ,god1 thou wouldst deserve the death penalty1 for thou didst swear a false oath by the ,name of ,god2 no less wouldst thou deserve death1 if ,i were to judge thee according to the law of the state1 for thou didst fail in thy sworn duty to thy overlord4 ,zedekiah requested the grace that his execution take place before his children's1 and he be spared the sight of their blood4 ,his children1 on the other hand1 besought ,nebuchadnezzar to slay them before he slew their father1 that they might be spared the disgrace of seeing their father executed4 ,in his heartlessness ,nebuchadnezzar had resolved worse things than ,zedekiah anticipated4 ,in the sight of their father1 the children of ,zedekiah were killed1 and then ,zedekiah himself was deprived of sight2 his eyes were blinded4 7#f7 ,he had been endowed with eyes of superhuman strength1 they were the eyes of ,adam1 and the iron lances forced into them were powerless to destroy his sight4 ,vision left him only because of the tears he shed over the fate of his children4 7#g7 ,now he realized how true ,jeremiah had spoken when he had prophesied his exile to ,babylonia4 ,though he should live there until his death1 he would never behold the land with his eyes4 ,on account of its seeming contradictoriness1 ,zedekiah had thought the prophecy untrue4 ,for this reason he had not heeded ,jeremiah's advice to make peace with ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,now it had all been verified2 he was carried to ,babylonia a captive1 yet1 blind as he was1 he did not see the land of his exile4 7#h7 ,,jeremiah ,though ,zedekiah besmirched his career by perjury1 he was nevertheless so good and just a king that for his sake ,god relinquished his purpose of returning the world to its original chaos1 as a punishment for the evil-doing of a wicked generation4 7#i7 ,in this depraved time1 it was first and foremost ,jeremiah to whom was delegated the task of proclaiming the word of ,god4 ,he was a descendant of ,joshua and ,rahab1 and his father was the prophet 7#aj7 ,hilkiah4 ,he was born while his father was fleeing 7#aa7 from the persecution of ,jezebel1 the murderess of prophets4 ,at his very birth he showed signs that he was destined to play a great part4 ,he was born circumcised1 7#ab7 and scarcely had he left his mother's womb when he broke into wailing1 and his voice was the voice1 not of a babe1 but of a youth4 ,he cried3 ,my bowels1 my bowels tremble1 the walls of my heart they are disquieted1 my limbs quake1 destruction upon destruction ,i bring upon earth4 ,in this strain he continued to moan and groan1 complaining of the faithlessness of his mother1 and when she expressed her amazement at the unseemly speech of her new-born son1 ,jeremiah said3 ,not thee do ,i mean1 my mother1 not to thee doth my prophecy refer2 ,i speak of ,zion1 and against ,jerusalem are my words directed4 ,she adorns her daughters1 arrays them in purple1 and puts golden crowns upon their heads4 ,robbers will come and strip them of their ornaments4 ,as a lad he received the call to be a prophet4 ,but he refused to obey1 saying3 ,o ,lord1 ,i cannot go as a prophet to ,israel1 for when lived there a prophet whom ,israel did not desire to kill8 ,moses and ,aaron they sought to stone with stones2 ,elijah the ,tishbite they mocked at because his hair was grown long2 and they called after ,elisha1 ',go up1 thou bald head' no1 ,i cannot go to ,israel1 for ,i am still naught but a lad4 ,god replied3 ,i love youth1 for it is innocent4 ,when ,i carried ,israel out of ,egypt1 ,i called him a lad1 and when ,i think of ,israel lovingly1 ,i speak of him as a lad4 ,say not1 therefore1 thou art only a lad1 but thou shalt go on whatsoever errand ,i shall send thee4 ,now1 then1 ,god1 continued1 take the 'cup of wrath1' and let the nations drink of it4 ,jeremiah put the question which land was to drink first from the cup of wrath1 and the answer of ,god was3 ,first ,jerusalem is to drink1 the head of all earthly nations1 and then the cities of ,judah4 ,when the prophet heard this1 he began to curse the day of his birth4 ,i am like the high priest1 he said1 who has to administer the 'water of bitterness' to a woman who is held under the suspicion of adultery1 and when he approaches the woman with the cup1 lo1 he beholds his own mother4 ,and ,i1 ,o ,mother ,zion1 thought1 when ,i was called to prophesy1 that ,i was appointed to proclaim prosperity and salvation to thee1 but now ,i see that my message forebodes thee evil4 ,jeremiah's first appearance in public was during the reign of ,josiah1 when he announced to the people in the streets3 ,if ye will give up your wicked doings1 ,god will raise you above all nations2 if not1 ,he will deliver ,his house into the hands of the enemies1 and they will deal with it as seemeth best to them4 ,the prophets contemporary with ,jeremiah in his early years were ,zechariah and ,huldah4 ,the province of the latter was among women1 while ,zechariah was active in the synagogue4 7#ac7 ,later1 under ,jehoiakim1 ,jeremiah was supported by the prophets of his relative ,uriah of ,kiriathjearim1 a friend of the prophet ,isaiah4 7#ad7 ,but ,uriah was put to death by the ungodly king1 the same who had the first chapter of ,lamentations burnt after obliterating the ,name of ,god wherever it occurs in the whole book4 ,but ,jeremiah added four chapters4 7#ae7 ,the prophet fell upon evil times under ,zedekiah4 ,he had both the people and the court against him4 ,nor was that surprising in a day when not even the high priests in the ,temple bore the sign of the covenant upon their bodies4 7#af7 ,jeremiah had called forth general hostility by condemning the alliance with ,egypt against ,babylonia1 and favoring peace with ,nebuchadnezzar2 and this though to all appearances the help of the ,egyptians would prove of good effect for the ,jews4 ,the hosts of ,pharaoh ,necho had actually set forth from ,egypt to join the ,jews against ,babylon4 ,but when they were on the high seas1 ,god commanded the waters to cover themselves with corpses4 ,astonished1 the ,egyptians asked each other1 whence the dead bodies4 ,presently the answer occurred to them3 they were the bodies of their ancestors drowned in the ,red ,sea on account of the ,jews1 who had shaken off ,egyptian rule4 ,what1 said the ,egyptians thereupon1 shall we bring help to those who drowned our fathers8 ,so they returned to their own country1 justifying the warning of ,jeremiah1 that no dependence could be put upon ,egyptian promises4 7#ag7 ,a little while after this occurrence1 when ,jeremiah wanted to leave ,jerusalem to go to ,anathoth and partake of his priestly portion there1 the watchman at the gate accused him of desiring to desert to the enemy4 ,he was delivered to his adversaries at court1 and they confined him in prison4 ,the watchman knew full well that it was a trumped up charge he was bringing against ,jeremiah1 and the intention attributed to him was as far as possible from the mind of the prophet1 but he took this opportunity to vent an old family grudge4 ,for this gateman was a grandson of the false prophet ,hananiah1 the enemy of ,jeremiah1 the one who had prophesied complete victory over ,nebuchadnezzar within two years4 ,it were proper to say1 he calculated the victory rather than prophesied it4 ,he reasoned3 ,if unto ,elam1 which is a mere ally of the ,babylonians against the ,jews1 destruction has been appointed by ,god through ,jeremiah1 so much the more will the extreme penalty fall upon the ,babylonians themselves1 who have inflicted vast evil upon the ,jews4 7#ah7 ,jeremiah's prophecy had been the reverse3 so far from holding forth any hope that a victory would be won over ,nebuchadnezzar1 the ,jewish state1 he said1 would suffer annihilation4 ,hananiah demanded a sign betokening the truth of ,jeremiah's prophecy4 ,but ,jeremiah contended there could be no sign for such a prophecy as his1 since the ,divine determination to do evil can be annulled4 ,on the other hand1 it was the duty of ,hananiah to give a sign1 for he was prophesying pleasant things1 and the ,divine resolution for good is executed without4 7#ai7 ,finally1 ,jeremiah advanced the clinching argument3 ,i1 a priest1 may be well content with the prophecy2 it is to my interest that the ,temple should continue to stand4 ,as for thee1 thou art a ,gibeonite1 thou wilt have to do a slave's service in it so long as there is a ,temple4 ,but instead of troubling thy mind with the future in store for others1 thou shouldst rather have thought of thine own future1 for this very year thou wilt die4 ,hananiah1 in very truth1 died on the last day of the year set as his term of life1 but before his death he ordered that it should be kept secret for two days1 so to give the lie to ,jeremiah's prophecy4 ,with his last words1 addressed to his son ,shelemiah1 he charged him to seek every possible way of taking revenge upon ,jeremiah1 to whose curse his death was to be ascribed4 ,shelemiah had no opportunity of fulfilling his father's last behest1 but it did not pass from his mind1 and when he1 in turn1 lay upon his death-bed1 he impressed the duty of revenge upon his son ,jeriah4 ,it was the grandson of ,hananiah who1 when he saw ,jeremiah leaving the city1 hastened to take the opportunity of accusing the prophet of treason4 ,his purpose prospered4 ,the aristocratic enemies of ,jeremiah1 enraged against him1 welcomed the chance to put him behind prison bars1 and gave him in charge of a jailer1 ,jonathan1 who had been a friend of the false prophet ,hananiah4 ,jonathan pleased himself by mocking at his prisoner3 ,see1 he would say1 see what honor thy friend does thee1 to put thee in so fine a prison as this2 verily1 it is a royal palace4 ,despite his suffering1 ,jeremiah did not hold back the truth4 ,when the king inquired of him1 whether he had a revelation from ,god1 he replied3 ,yes1 the king of ,babylonia will carry thee off into exile4 ,to avoid irritating the king1 he went into no further detail4 ,he only prayed the king to liberate him from prison1 saying3 ,even wicked men like ,hananiah and his descendants at least cast about for a pretext when they desire to take revenge1 and their example ought not to be lost upon thee who art called ,zedekiah1 'just man4' ,the king granted his petition1 but ,jeremiah did not enjoy liberty for long4 ,hardly out of prison1 he again advised the people to surrender1 and the nobility seized him and cast him into a lime pit filled with water1 where they hoped he would drown4 ,but a miracle happened4 ,the water sank to the bottom1 and the mud rose to the surface1 and supported the prophet above the water4 ,help came to him from ,ebed-melech1 a white raven1 the only pious man at court4 ,ebed-melech hastened to the king and spoke3 ,know1 if ,jeremiah perishes in the lime pit1 ,jerusalem will surely be captured4 ,with the permission of the king1 ,ebed-melech went to the pit1 and cried out aloud several times1 ,o my lord ,jeremiah1 but no answer came4 ,jeremiah feared the words were spoken by his former jailer ,jonathan1 who had not given up his practice of mocking at the prophet4 ,he would come to the edge of the pit and call down jeeringly3 ,do not rest thy head on the mud1 and take a little sleep1 ,jeremiah4 ,to such sneers ,jeremiah made no reply1 and hence it was that ,ebed-melech was left unanswered4 ,thinking the prophet dead1 he began to lament and tear his clothes4 ,then ,jeremiah1 realizing that it was a friend1 and not ,jonathan1 asked3 ,who is it that is calling my name and weeps therewith8 and he received the assurance that ,ebed-melech had come to rescue him from his perilous position4 7#bj7 ,,nebuchadnezzar ,the suffering to which ,jeremiah was exposed was finally ended by the capture of ,jerusalem by ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,this ,babylonian king was a son of ,king ,solomon and the ,queen of ,sheba4 7#ba7 ,his first contact with the ,jews happened in the time of his father-in-law ,sennacherib1 whom he accompanied on his campaign against ,hezekiah4 ,the destruction of the ,assyrian army before the walls of ,jerusalem1 the great catastrophe from which only ,nebuchadnezzar and four others escaped with their life1 inspired him with fear of ,god4 7#bb7 ,later1 in his capacity as secretary to the ,babylonian king ,merodach-baladan1 it was he who called his master's notice to the mention of the ,jewish king's name before the ,name of ,god4 ,thou callest ,him 'the great ,god1' yet thou dost name ,him after the king1 he said4 ,nebuchadnezzar himself hastened after the messenger to bring back the letter and have it changed4 ,he had advanced scarce three steps when he was restrained by the angel ,gabriel1 for even the few paces he had walked for the glory of ,god earned him his great power over ,israel4 ,a further step would have extended his ability to inflict harm immeasurably4 7#bc7 ,for eighteen years daily a heavenly voice resounded in the palace of ,nebuchadnezzar1 saying3 ,o thou wicked slave1 go and destroy the house of thy ,lord1 for ,his children hearken not unto ,him4 ,but ,nebuchadnezzar was beset with fears lest ,god prepare a fate for him similar to that of his ancestor ,sennacherib4 ,he practiced belomancy and consulted other auguries1 to assure himself that he was against ,jerusalem would result favorably4 ,when he shook up the arrows1 and questioned whether he was to go to ,rome or ,alexandria1 not one arrow sprang up1 but when he questioned about ,jerusalem1 one sprang up4 ,he sowed seeds and set out planets2 for ,rome or ,alexandria nothing came up2 for ,jerusalem everything sprouted and grew4 ,he lighted candles and lanterns2 for ,rome or ,alexandria they refused to burn1 for ,jerusalem they shed their light4 ,he floated vessels on the ,euphrates2 for ,rome or ,alexandria they did not move1 for ,jerusalem they swam4 7#bd7 ,still the fears of ,nebuchadnezzar were not allayed4 ,his determination to attack the ,holy ,city ripened only after ,god ,himself had shown him how ,he had bound the hands of the archangel ,michael1 the patron of the ,jews1 behind his back1 in order to render him powerless to bring to his wards4 ,so the campaign against ,jerusalem was undertaken4 7#be7 ,,the ,,capture ,,of ,,jerusalem ,if the ,babylonians thought that the conquest of ,jerusalem was an easy task1 they were greatly mistaken4 ,for three years ,god endured the inhabitants with strength to withstand the onslaughts of the enemy1 in the hope that the ,jews would amend their evil ways and abandon their godless conduct1 so that the threatened punishment might be annulled4 ,among the many heroes in the beleaguered city that was bidding defiance to the ,babylonians1 one by the name of ,akiba was particularly distinguished4 ,the stones were hurled at the walls of the city from the catapults wielded by the enemy without1 he was wont to catch on his feet1 and throw them back upon the besiegers4 ,once it happened that a stone was so cast as to drop1 not upon the wall1 but in front of it4 ,in his swift race toward it1 ,akiba was precipitated into the space between the inner and the outer wall4 ,he quickly reassured his friends in the city1 that his fall had in no wise harmed him4 ,he was only a little shaken up and weak2 as soon as he had his accustomed daily meal1 a roasted ox1 he would be able to scale the wall and resume the struggle with the ,babylonians4 ,but human strength and artifice avail naught against ,god4 ,a gust of wind arose1 and ,akiba was thrown from the wall1 and he died4 ,thereupon the ,chaldeans made a breach in the wall1 and penetrated into the city4 7#bf7 ,equally fruitless were the endeavors of ,hanamel1 the uncle of ,jeremiah1 to save the city4 ,he conjured the angels up1 armed them1 and had them occupy the walls4 ,the ,chaldeans retreated in terror at the sight of the heavenly host4 ,but ,god changed the names of the angels1 and brought them back to heaven4 ,hanamel's exorcisms availed naught4 ,when he called the ,angel of the ,water1 for instance1 the response would come from the ,angel of ,fire1 who bore the former name of his companion4 ,then ,hanamel resorted to the extreme measure of summoning the ,prince of the ,world1 who raised ,jerusalem high up in the air4 ,but ,god thrust the city down again1 and the enemy entered unhindered4 7#bg7 ,nevertheless1 the capture of the city could not have been accomplished if ,jeremiah had been present4 ,his deeds were as a firm pillar for the city1 and his prayers as a stony wall4 ,therefore ,god sent the prophet 7#bh7 on an errand out of the city4 ,he was made to go to his native place1 ,anathoth1 to take possession of a field1 his by right of inheritance4 ,jeremiah rejoiced2 he took this as a sign that ,god would be gracious to ,judah1 else ,he would not have commanded him to take possession of a piece of land4 ,scarcely had the prophet left ,jerusalem when an angel descended upon the wall of the city and caused a breach to appear1 at the same time crying out3 ,let the enemy come and enter the house1 for the ,master of the house is no longer therein4 ,the enemy has leave to despoil it and destroy it4 ,go ye into the vineyard and snap the vines asunder1 for the ,watchman hath gone away and abandoned it4 ,but let no man boast and say1 he and his have vanquished the city4 ,nay1 a conquered city have ye conquered1 a dead people have ye killed4 ,the enemy rushed in and ascended the ,temple mount1 and on the spot whereon ,king ,solomon had been in the habit of sitting when he took counsel with the elders1 the ,chaldeans plotted how to reduce the ,temple to ashes4 ,during their sinister deliberations1 they beheld four angels1 each with a flaming torch in his hand1 descending and setting fire to the four corners of the ,temple4 ,the high priest1 seeing the flames shoot up1 cast the keys of the ,temple heavenward1 saying3 ,here are the keys of ,thy house2 it seems ,i am an untrustworthy custodian1 and1 as he turned1 he was seized by the enemy and slaughtered in the very place on which he had been wont to offer the daily sacrifice4 ,with him perished his daughter1 her blood mingling with her father's4 ,the priests and the ,levites threw themselves into the flames with their harps and trumpets1 and1 to escape the violence feared from the licentious ,chaldeans1 7#bi7 the virgins who wove the curtains for the sanctuary followed their example4 ,still more horrible was the carnage caused among the people by ,nebuzaradan1 spurred on as he was by the sight of the blood of the murdered prophet ,zechariah seething on the floor of the ,temple4 ,at first the ,jews sought to conceal the true story connected with the blood4 ,at length they had to confess1 that it was the blood of a prophet who had prophesied the destruction of the ,temple1 and for his candor had been slain by the people4 ,nebuzaradan1 to appease the prophet1 ordered the scholars of the kingdom to be executed first on the bloody spot1 then the school children1 and at last the young priests1 more than a million souls in all4 ,but the blood of the prophet went on seething and reeking1 until ,nebuzaradan exclaimed3 ,zechariah1 ,zechariah1 the good in ,israel ,i have slaughtered4 ,dost thou desire the destruction of the whole people8 ,then the blood ceased to seethe4 ,nebuzaradan was startled by the thought1 if the ,jews1 who had a single life upon their conscience1 were made to atone so cruelly1 what would be his own fate6 ,he left ,nebuchadnezzar and became a proselyte4 7#cj7 ,,the ,,great ,,lament ,on his return from ,anathoth1 ,jeremiah saw1 at a distance1 smoke curling upward from the ,temple mount1 and his spirit was joyful4 ,he thought the ,jews had repented of their sins1 and were bringing incense offerings4 ,once within the city walls1 he knew the truth1 that the ,temple had fallen a prey to the incendiary4 ,overwhelmed by grief1 he cried out3 ,o ,lord1 ,thou didst entice me1 and ,i permitted myself to be enticed2 ,thou didst send me forth out of ,thy house that ,thou mightest destroy it4 7#ca7 ,god ,himself was deeply moved by the destruction of the ,temple1 which ,he had abandoned that the enemy might enter and destroy it4 ,accompanied by the angels1 ,he visited the ruins1 and gave vent to ,his sorrow3 ,woe is ,me on account of ,my house4 ,where are ,my children1 where ,my priests1 where ,my beloved8 ,but what could ,i do for you8 ,did ,i not warn you8 ,yet you would not mend your ways4 ,to-day1 ,god said to ,jeremiah1 ,i am like a man who has an only son4 ,he prepares the marriage canopy for him1 and his only beloved dies under it4 ,thou doest seem to feel but little sympathy with ,me and with ,my children4 ,go1 summon ,abraham1 ,isaac1 ,jacob1 and ,moses from their graces4 ,they know how to mourn4 ,lord of the world1 replied ,jeremiah1 ,i know not where ,moses is buried4 ,stand on the banks of the ,jordan1 said ,god1 and cry3 ',thou son of ,amram1 son of ,amram1 arise1 see how wolves have devoured thy sheep4' ,jeremiah repaired to the ,double ,cave1 and spake to the ,patriarchs3 ,arise1 ye are summoned to appear before ,god4 ,when they asked him the reason of the summons1 he feigned ignorance1 for he feared to tell them the true reason2 they might have cast reproaches upon him that so great a disaster had overtaken ,israel in his time4 ,then ,jeremiah journeyed on to the banks of the ,jordan1 and there he called as he had been bidden3 ,thou son of ,amram1 son of ,amram1 arise1 thou are cited to appear before ,god4 ,what has happened this day1 that ,god calls me unto ,him8 asked ,moses4 ,i know not1 replied ,jeremiah again4 ,moses thereupon went to the angels1 and from them he learned that the ,temple had been destroyed1 and ,israel banished from his land4 ,weeping and mourning1 ,moses joined the ,patriarchs1 and together1 rending their garments and wringing their hands1 they betook themselves to the ruins of the ,temple4 ,here their wailing was augmented by the loud lamentations of the angels3 7#cb7 ,how desolate are the highways to ,jerusalem1 the highways destined for travel without end6 ,how deserted are the streets that once were thronged at the seasons of the pilgrimages6 ,o ,lord of the world1 with ,abraham the father of ,thy people1 who taught the world to know ,thee as the ruler of the universe1 ,thou didst make a covenant1 that through him and his descendants the earth should be filled with people1 and now ,thou hast dissolved ,thy covenant with him4 ,o ,lord of the world6 ,thou hast scorned ,zion and ,jerusalem1 once ,thy chosen habitation4 ,thou hast dealt more harshly with ,israel than with the generation of ,enosh1 the first idolaters4 ,god thereupon said to the angels3 ,why do ye array yourselves against ,me with your complaints8 ,lord do the world1 they replied1 on account of ,abraham1 ,thy beloved1 who has come into ,thy house wailing and weeping1 yet ,thou payest no heed unto him4 ,thereupon ,god3 ,since ,my beloved ended his earthly career1 he has not been in ,my house4 ',what hath ,my beloved to do in ,my house'8 7#cc7 ,now ,abraham entered into the conversation3 ,why1 ,o ,lord of the world1 hast ,thou exiled my children1 delivered them into the hands of the nations1 who torture them with all tortures1 and who have rendered desolate the sanctuary1 where ,i was ready to bring ,thee my son ,isaac as a sacrifice8 ,thy children have sinned1 said ,god1 they have transgressed the whole ,torah1 they have offended against every letter of it4 ,abraham3 ,who is there that will testify against ,israel1 that he has transgressed the ,torah8 ,god3 ,let the ,torah herself appear and testify4 ,the ,torah came1 and ,abraham addressed her3 ,o my daughter1 dost thou indeed come to testify against ,israel1 to say that he violated thy commandments8 ,dost thou feel no shame8 ,remember the day on which ,god offered thee to all the peoples1 all the nations of the earth1 and they all rejected thee with disdain4 7#cd7 ,then my children came to ,sinai1 they accepted thee1 and they honored thee4 ,and now1 on the day of their distress1 thou standest up against them8 ,hearing this1 the ,torah stepped aside1 and did not testify4 ,let the twenty-two letters of the ,hebrew alphabet in which ,torah is written come and testify against ,israel1 said ,god4 ,they appeared without delay1 and ,alef1 the first letter1 was about to testify against ,israel1 when ,abraham interrupted it with the words3 ,thou chief of all letters1 thou comest to testify against ,israel in the time of his distress8 ,be mindful of the day on which ,god revealed ,himself on ,mount ,sinai1 beginning ,his words with thee3 ',anoki the ,lord thy ,god4' ,no people1 no nation accepted thee1 only my children1 and now thou comest to testify against them6 ,alef stepped aside and was silent4 ,the same happened with the second letter ,bet1 7#ce7 and with the third1 ,gimel1 and with all the rest all of them retired abashed1 and opened not their mouth4 ,now ,abraham turned to ,god and said3 ,o ,lord of the world6 ,when ,i was a hundred years old1 ,thou didst give me a son1 and when he was in the flower of his age1 thirty-seven years old1 ,thou didst command me to sacrifice him to ,thee1 and ,i1 like a monster1 without compassion1 ,i bound him upon the altar with mine own hands4 ,let that plead with ,thee1 and have ,thou pity on my children4 ,then ,isaac raised his voice and spake3 ,o ,lord of the world1 when my father told me1 ',god will provide ,himself the lamb for a burnt offering1 my son1' ,i did not resist ,thy word4 ,willingly ,i let myself be tied to the altar1 my throat was raised to meet the knife4 ,let that plead with ,thee1 and have ,thou pity on my children4 ,then ,jacob raised his voice and spake3 ,o ,lord of the world1 for twenty years ,i dwelt in the house of ,laban1 and when ,i left it1 ,i met with ,esau1 who sought to murder my children1 and ,i risked my life for theirs4 ,and now they are delivered into the hands of their enemies1 like sheep led to the shambles1 after ,i coddled them like fledglings breaking forth from their shells1 after ,i suffered anguish for their sake all the days of my life4 ,let that plead with ,thee1 and have ,thou pity on my children4 ,and at last ,moses raised his voice and spake3 ,o ,lord of the world1 was ,i not a faithful shepherd unto ,israel for forty long years8 ,like a steed ,i ran ahead of him in the desert1 and when the time came for him to enter the ,promised ,land1 ,thou didst command3 ',here in the desert shall thy bones drop6' ,and now that the children of ,israel are exiled1 ,thou hast sent for me to mourn and lament over them4 ,that is what the people mean when they say3 ,the good fortune of the master is none for the slave1 but the master's woe is his woe4 ,and turning to ,jeremiah1 he continued3 ,walk before me1 ,i will lead them back2 let us see who will venture to raise a hand against them4 ,jeremiah replied3 ,the roads cannot be passed1 they are blocked with corpses4 ,but ,moses was not to be deterred1 and the two1 ,moses following ,jeremiah1 reached the rivers of ,babylon4 ,when the ,jews saw ,moses1 they said3 ,the son of ,amram has ascended from his grave to redeem us from our enemies4 7#cf7 ,at that moment a heavenly voice was heard to cry out3 ,it is decreed6 ,and ,moses said3 ,o my children1 ,i cannot redeem you1 the decree is unalterable may ,god redeem you speedily1 and he departed from them4 ,the children of ,israel raised their voices in sore lamentations1 and the sound of their grief pierced to the very heavens4 ,meantime ,moses returned to the ,fathers1 and reported to them to what dire suffering the exiled ,jews were exposed1 and they all broke out into woe-begone plaints4 7#cg7 ,in his bitter grief1 ,moses exclaimed3 ,be cursed1 ,o sun1 why was not thy light extinguished in the hour in which the enemy invaded the sanctuary8 ,the sun replied3 ,o faithful shepherd1 ,i sware by the life1 ,i could not grow dark4 ,the heavenly powers would not permit it4 ,sixty fiery scourges they dealt me1 and they said1 ',go and let thy light shine forth1' 7#ch7 ,another last complaint ,moses uttered3 ,o ,lord of the world1 ,thou hast written it in ,thy ,torah3 ',and whether it be cow or ewe1 ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day4' ,how many mothers have they slaughtered with their children and ,thou art silent6 ,then1 with the suddenness of a flash1 ,rachel1 our mother1 stood before the ,holy ,one1 blessed be ,he3 ,lord of the world1 she said1 ,thou knowest how overwhelming was ,jacob's love for me1 and when ,i observed that my father thought to put ,leah in my place1 ,i gave ,jacob secret signs1 that the plan of my father might be set at naught4 ,but then ,i repented me of what ,i had done1 and to spare my sister mortification1 ,i disclosed the signs to her4 ,more than this1 ,i myself was in the bridal chamber1 and when ,jacob spake with ,leah1 ,i made reply1 lest her voice betray her4 ,i1 a woman1 a creature of flesh and blood1 of dust and ashes1 was not jealous of my rival4 ,thou1 ,o ,god1 everlasting ,king1 ,thou eternal and merciful ,father1 why wast ,thou jealous of the idols1 empty vanities8 ,why hast ,thou driven out my children1 slain them with swords1 left them at the mercy of their enemies8 ,then the compassion of the ,supreme ,god was awakened1 and ,he said3 ,for thy sake1 ,o ,rachel1 ,i will lead the children of ,israel back to their land4 7#ci7 ,,jeremiah',s ,,journey ,,to ,,babylon ,when ,nebuchadnezzar dispatched his general ,nebuzaradan to the capture of ,jerusalem1 he gave him three instructions regarding the mild treatment of ,jeremiah3 ,take him1 and look well to him1 and do him no harm2 but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee4 ,at the same time he enjoined him to use pitiless cruelty toward the rest of the people4 ,but the prophet desired to share the fate of his suffering brethren1 and when he saw a company of youths in the pillory1 he put his own head into it4 ,nebuzaradan would always withdraw him again4 ,thereafter if ,jeremiah saw a company of old men clapped in chains1 he would join them and share their ignominy1 until ,nebuzaradan released him4 ,finally1 ,nebuzaradan said to ,jeremiah3 ,lo1 thou art one of three things2 either thou are a prophesier of false things1 or thou art a despiser of suffering1 or thou art a shedder of blood4 ,a prophesier of false things for since many a year hast thou been prophesying the downfall of this city1 and now1 when thy prophecy has come true1 thou sorrowest and mournest4 ,or a despiser of suffering for ,i seek to do thee naught harmful1 and thou thyself pursuest what is harmful to thee1 as thou to say1 ',i am indifferent to pain4' ,or a shedder of blood for the king has charged me to have a care of thee1 and let no harm come upon thee1 but as thou insistest upon seeking evil for thyself1 it must be that the king may hear of thy misfortune1 and put me to death4 7#dj7 ,at first ,jeremiah refused ,nebuzaradan's offer to let him remain in ,palestine4 ,he joined the march of the captives going to ,babylon1 along the highways streaming with blood and strewn with corpses4 ,when they arrived at the borders of the ,holy ,land1 they all1 prophet and people1 broke out into loud wails1 and ,jeremiah said3 ,yes1 brethren and countrymen1 all this hath befallen you1 because ye did not hearken unto the words of my prophecy4 7#da7 ,jeremiah journeyed with them until they came to the banks of the ,euphrates4 ,then ,god spoke to the prophet3 ,jeremiah1 if thou remainest here1 ,i shall go with them1 and if thou goest with them1 ,i shall remain here4 ,jeremiah replied3 ,lord of the world1 if ,i go with them1 what doth it avail them8 ,only if their ,king1 their ,creator accompanies them1 will it bestead them4 7#db7 ,when the captives saw ,jeremiah make preparations to return to ,palestine1 they began to weep and cry3 ,o ,father ,jeremiah1 wilt thou1 too1 abandon us8 ,i call heaven and earth to witness1 said the prophet1 had you wept but once in ,zion1 ye had not been driven out4 7#dc7 ,beset with terrors was the return journey for the prophet4 ,corpses lay everywhere1 and ,jeremiah gathered up all the fingers that lay about2 he strained them to his heart1 fondled them1 kissed them1 and wrapped them in his mantle1 saying sadly3 ,did ,i not tell you1 my children1 did ,i not say to you1 ',give glory to the ,lord your ,god1 before ,he cause darkness1 and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains'8 7#dd7 ,dejected1 oppressed by his grief1 ,jeremiah saw the fulfilment of his prophecy against the coquettish maidens of ,jerusalem1 who had pursued but the pleasures and enjoyments of the world4 ,how often had the prophet admonished them to do penance and lead a ,god-fearing life6 ,in vain2 whenever he threatened them with the destruction of ,jerusalem1 they said3 ,why should we concern ourselves about it8 ,a prince will take me unto wife1 said one1 the other1 ,a prefect will marry me4 ,and at first it seemed the expectations of ,jerusalem's fair daughters would be realized1 for the most aristocratic of the victorious ,chaldeans were charmed by the beauty of the women of ,jerusalem1 and offered them their hand and their rank4 ,but ,god sent disfiguring and repulsive diseases upon the women1 and the ,babylonians cast them off1 threw them violently out of their chariots1 and ruthlessly drove them over the prostrate bodies4 7#de7 ,,transportation ,,of ,,the ,,captives ,nebuchadnezzar's orders were to hurry the captives along the road to ,babylon without stop or stay4 ,he feared the ,jews might else find opportunity to supplicate the mercy of ,god1 and ,he1 compassionate as ,he is1 would release them instantly they did penance4 7#df7 ,accordingly1 there was no pause in the forward march1 until the ,euphrates was reached4 ,there they were within the borders of the empire of ,nebuchadnezzar1 and he thought he had nothing more to fear4 ,many of the ,jews died as soon as they drank of the ,euphrates4 ,in their native land they had been accustomed to the water drawn from springs and wells4 ,mourning over their dead and over the others that had fallen by the way1 they sat on the banks of the river1 while ,nebuchadnezzar and his princes on their vessels celebrated their victory amid song and music4 ,the king noticed that the princes of ,judah1 though they were in chains1 bore no load upon their shoulders1 and he called to his servants3 ,have you no load for these8 ,they took the parchment scrolls of the law1 tore them in pieces1 made sacks of them1 and filled them with sand2 these they loaded upon the backs of the ,jewish princes4 ,at sight of this disgrace1 all ,israel broke out into loud weeping4 ,the voice of their sorrow pierced the very heavens1 and ,god determined to turn the world once more into chaos1 for ,he told ,himself1 that after all the world was created but for the sake of ,israel4 ,the angels hastened thither1 and they spake before ,god3 ,o ,lord of the world1 the universe is ,thine4 ,is it not enough that ,thou hast dismembered ,thy earthly house1 the ,temple8 ,wilt ,thou destroy ,thy heavenly house1 too8 ,god restraining them said3 ,do ye think ,i am a creature of flesh and blood1 and stand in need of consolation8 ,do ,i not know beginning and end of all things8 ,go rather and remove their burdens from the princes of ,judah4 ,aided by ,god the angels descended1 and they carried the loads put upon the ,jewish captives until they reached ,babylon4 ,on their way1 they passed the city of ,bari4 7#dg7 ,the inhabitants thereof were not a little astonished at the cruelty of ,nebuchadnezzar1 who made the captives march naked4 ,the people of ,bari stripped their slaves of their clothes1 and presented the slaves to ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,when the king expressed his astonishment thereat1 they said3 ,we thought thou wert particularly pleased with naked men4 ,the king at once ordered the ,jews to be arrayed in their garments4 ,the reward accorded the ,bariites was that ,god endowed them forever with beauty and irresistible grace4 7#dh7 ,the compassionate ,bariites did not find many imitators4 ,the very opposite quality was displayed by the ,ammonites1 ,moabites1 ,edomites1 and ,arabs4 ,despite their close kinship with ,israel1 their conduct toward the ,jews was dictated by cruelty4 ,the two first-mentioned1 the ,ammonites and the ,moabites1 when they heard the prophet foretell the destruction of ,jerusalem1 hastened without a moment's delay to report it to ,nebuchadnezzar1 and urge him to attack ,jerusalem4 ,the scruples of the ,babylonian king1 who feared ,god1 and all the reasons he advanced against a combat with ,israel1 they refuted1 and finally they induced him to act as they wished4 7#di7 ,at the capture of the city1 while all the strange nations were seeking booty1 the ,ammonites and the ,moabites threw themselves into the ,temple to seize the scroll of the law1 because it contained the clause against their entering into the assembly of the ,lord even to the tenth generation4 7#ej7 ,to disgrace the faith of ,israel1 they plucked the ,cherubim from the ,holy of ,holies and dragged them through the streets of ,jerusalem1 crying aloud at the same time3 ,behold these sacred things that belong to the ,israelites1 who say ever they have no idols4 ,the ,edomites were still more hostile 7#ea7 in the hour of ,israel's need4 ,they went to ,jerusalem with ,nebuchadnezzar1 but they kept themselves at a distance from the city1 there to await the outcome of the battle between the ,jews and the ,babylonians4 ,if the ,jews had been victorious1 they would have pretended they had come to bring them aid4 ,when ,nebuchadnezzar's victory became known1 they showed their true feelings4 ,those who escaped the sword of the ,babylonians1 were hewn down by the hand of the ,edomites4 7#eb7 ,but in fiendish cunning these nations were surpassed by the ,ishmaelites4 ,eighty thousand young priests1 each with a golden shield upon his breast1 succeeded in making their way through the ranks of ,nebuchadnezzar and in reaching the ,ishmaelites4 ,they asked for water to drink4 ,the reply of the ,ishmaelites was3 ,first eat1 and then you may drink1 at the same time handing them salt food4 ,their thirst was increased1 and the ,ishmaelites gave them leather bags filled with nothing but air instead of water4 ,when they raised them to their mouths1 the air entered their bodies1 and they fell dead4 ,other ,arabic tribes showed their hostility openly2 as the ,palmyrenes1 who put eighty thousand archers at the disposal of ,nebuchadnezzar in his war against ,israel4 7#ec7 ,,the ,,sons ,,of ,,moses ,if ,nebuchadnezzar thought1 that once he had the ,jews in the regions of the ,euphrates they were in his power forever1 he was greatly mistaken4 ,it was on the very banks of the great river that he suffered the loss of a number of his captives4 ,when the first stop was made by the ,euphrates1 the ,jews could no longer contain their grief1 and they broke out into tears and bitter lamentations4 ,nebuchadnezzar bade them be silent1 and as though to render obedience to his orders the harder1 he called upon the ,levites1 the minstrels of the ,temple to sing the songs of ,zion for the entertainment of his guests at the banquet he had arranged4 ,the ,levites consulted with one another4 ,not enough that the ,temple lies in ashes because of our sins1 should we add to our transgressions by coaxing music from the strings of our holy harps in honor of these 'dwarfs'8 7#ed7 they said1 and they determined to offer resistance4 ,the murderous ,babylonians mowed them down in heaps1 yet they met death with high courage1 for it saved their sacred instruments from the desecration of being used before idols and for the sake of idolaters4 ,the ,levites who survived the carnage the ,sons of ,moses they were bit their own fingers off1 and when they were asked to play1 they showed their tyrants mutilated hands1 with which it was impossible to manipulate their harps4 7#ee7 ,at the fall of night a cloud descended and enveloped the ,sons of ,moses and all who belonged to them4 ,they were hidden from their enemies1 while their own way was illuminated by a pillar of fire4 ,the cloud and the pillar vanished at break of day1 and before the ,sons of ,moses lay a tract of land bordered by the sea on three sides4 ,for their complete protection ,god made the river ,sambation to flow on the fourth side4 ,this river is full of sand and stones1 and on the six working days of the week1 they tumble over each other with such vehemence that the crash and the roar are heard far and wide4 ,but on the ,sabbath 7#ef7 the tumultuous river subsides into quiet4 ,as a guard against trespassers on that day1 a column of cloud stretches along the whole length of the river1 and none can approach the ,sambation within three miles4 ,hedged in as they are1 the ,sons of ,moses yet communicate with their brethren of the tribes of ,naphtali1 ,gad1 and ,asher1 who dwell near the banks of the ,sambation4 ,carrier pigeons bear letters hither and thither4 ,in the land of the ,sons of ,moses there are none but clean animals1 and in every respect the inhabitants lead a holy and pure life1 worthy of their ancestor ,moses4 ,they never use an oath1 and1 if perchance an oath escapes the lips of one of them1 he is at once reminded of the ,divine punishment connected with his act his children will die at a tender age4 ,the ,sons of ,moses live peaceably and enjoy prosperity as equals through their common ,jewish faith4 ,they have need of neither prince nor judge1 for they know not strife and litigation4 ,each works for the welfare of the community1 and each takes from the common store only what will satisfy his needs4 ,their houses are built of equal height1 that no one may deem himself above his neighbor1 and that that the fresh air may not be hindered from playing freely about all alike4 ,even at night their doors stand wide open1 for they have naught to fear from thieves1 nor are wild animals known in their land4 ,they all attain a good old age4 ,the son never dies before the father4 ,when a death occurs1 there is rejoicing1 because the departed is known to have entered into life everlasting in loyalty to his faith4 ,the birth of a child1 on the other hand1 calls forth mourning1 for who can tell whether the being ushered into the world will be pious and faithful8 ,the dead are buried near the doors of their own houses1 in order that their survivors1 in all their comings and goings1 may be reminded of their own end4 ,disease is unknown among them1 for they never sin1 and sickness is sent only to purify from sins4 7#eg7 ,,ebed-,,melech ,the ,sons of ,moses were not the only ones to escape from under the heavy hand of ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,still more miraculous was the deliverance of the pious ,ethiopian ,ebed-melech from the hands of the ,babylonians4 ,he was saved as a reward for rescuing ,jeremiah when the prophet's life was jeopardized4 ,on the day before the destruction of the ,temple1 shortly before the enemy forced his way into the city1 the ,ethiopian was sent1 by the prophet ,jeremiah acting under ,divine instruction1 to a certain place in front of the gates of the city1 to dole out refreshments to the poor from a little basket of figs he was to carry with him4 ,ebed-melech reached the spot1 but the heat was so intense that he fell asleep under a tree1 and there he slept for sixty-six years4 ,when he woke up1 the figs were still fresh and juicy1 but all the surroundings had so changed1 he could not make out where he was4 ,his confusion increased when he entered the city to seek ,jeremiah1 and found nothing as it had been4 ,he accosted an old man1 and asked him the name of the place4 ,when he was told it was ,jerusalem1 ,ebed-melech cried out in amazement3 ,where is ,jeremiah1 where is ,baruch1 and where are all the people8 ,the old man was not a little astonished at these questions4 ,how was it possible that one who had known ,jeremiah and ,jerusalem should be ignorant of the events that had passed sixty years before8 ,in brief words he told ,ebed-melech of the destruction of the ,temple and of the captivity of the people1 but what he said found no credence with his auditor4 ,finally ,ebed-melech realized that ,god had performed a great miracle for him1 so that he had been spared the sight of ,israel's misfortune4 ,while he was pouring out his heart in gratitude to ,god1 an eagle descended and led him to ,baruch1 who lived not far from the city4 ,thereupon ,baruch received the command from ,god to write to ,jeremiah that the people should remove the strangers from the midst of them1 and then ,god would lead them back to ,jerusalem4 ,the letter written by ,baruch and some of the figs that had retained their freshness for sixty-six years were carried to ,babylonia by an eagle1 who had told ,baruch that he had been sent to serve him as a messenger4 ,the eagle set out on his journey4 ,his first halting-place was a dreary waste spot to which he knew ,jeremiah and the people would come it was the burial-place of the ,jews which ,nebuchadnezzar had given the prophet at his solicitation4 ,when the eagle saw ,jeremiah and the people approach with a funeral train1 he cried out3 ,i have a message for thee1 ,jeremiah4 ,let all the people draw nigh to receive the good tidings4 ,as a sign that his mission was true1 the eagle touched the corpse1 and it came to life4 ,amidst tears all the people cried unto ,jeremiah3 ,save us6 ,what must we do to return to our land8 ,the eagle brought ,jeremiah's answer to ,baruch1 and after the prophet had sent the ,babylonian women away1 he returned to ,jerusalem with the people4 ,those who would not submit to the orders of ,jeremiah relative to the heathen women1 were not permitted by the prophet to enter the holy city1 and as they likewise were not permitted to return to ,babylonia1 they founded the city of ,samaria near ,jerusalem4 7#eh7 ,,the ,,temple ,,vessels ,the task laid upon ,jeremiah had been twofold4 ,besides giving him charge over the people in the land of their exile1 ,god had entrusted to him the care of the sanctuary and all it contained4 7#ei7 ,the holy ,ark1 the altar of incense1 and the holy tent were carried by an angel to the mount whence ,moses before his death had viewed the land divinely assigned to ,israel4 ,there ,jeremiah found a spacious place1 in which he concealed these sacred utensils4 ,some of his companions had gone with him to note the way to the cave1 but yet they could not find it4 7#fj7 ,when ,jeremiah heard of their purpose1 he censured them1 for it was the wish of ,god that the place of hiding should remain a secret until the redemption1 and then ,god ,himself will make the hidden things visible4 7#fa7 ,even the ,temple vessels not concealed by ,jeremiah were prevented from falling into the hands of the enemy2 the gates of the ,temple sank into the earth1 7#fb7 and other parts and utensils were hidden in a tower at ,bagdad by the ,levite ,shimur 7#fc7 and his friends4 ,among these utensils was the seven-branched candlestick of pure gold1 every branch set with twenty-six pearls1 and beside the pearls two hundred stones of inestimable worth4 ,furthermore1 the tower at ,bagdad was the hiding-place for seventy-seven golden tables1 and for the gold with which the walls of the ,temple had been clothed within and without4 ,the tables had been taken from ,paradise by ,solomon1 and in brilliance they outshone the sun and the moon1 while the gold from the walls excelled in amount and worth all the gold that had existed from the creation of the world until the destruction of the ,temple4 ,the jewels1 pearls1 gold1 and silver1 and precious gems1 which ,david and ,solomon had intended for the ,temple were discovered by the scribe ,hilkiah1 and he delivered them to the angel ,shamshiel1 who in turn deposited the treasure in ,borsippa4 ,the sacred musical instruments were taken charge of and hidden by ,baruch and ,zedekiah until the advent of the ,messiah1 who will reveal all treasures4 ,in his time a stream will break forth from under the place of the ,holy of ,holies1 and flow through the lands to the ,euphrates1 and1 as it flows1 it will uncover all the treasures buried in the earth4 7#fd7 ,,baruch ,at the time of the destruction of the ,temple1 one of the prominent figures was ,baruch1 the faithful attendant 7#fe7 of ,jeremiah4 ,god commanded him to leave the city one day before the enemy was to enter it1 in order that his presence might not render it impregnable4 ,on the following day1 he and all other pious men having abandoned ,jerusalem1 he saw from a distance how the angels descended1 set fire to the city walls1 and concealed the sacred vessels of the ,temple4 ,at first his mourning over the misfortunes of ,jerusalem and the people knew no bounds4 ,but he was in a measure consoled at the end of a seven days' fast1 when ,god made known to him that the day of reckoning would come for the heathen1 too4 ,other ,divine visions were vouchsafed him4 ,the whole future of mankind was unrolled before his eyes1 especially the history of ,israel1 and he learned that the coming of the ,messiah would put an end to all sorrow and misery1 and usher in the reign of peace and joy among men4 ,as for him1 he would be removed from the earth1 he was told1 but not through death1 and only in order to be kept safe against the coming of the end of all time4 7#ff7 ,thus consoled1 ,baruch addressed an admonition to the people left in ,palestine1 and wrote two letters of the same tenor to the exiles1 one to the nine tribes and a half1 the other to the two tribes and a half4 ,the letter to the nine tribes and a half of the captivity was carried to them by an eagle4 7#fg7 ,five years after the great catastrophe1 he composed a book in ,babylon1 7#fh7 which contained penitential prayers and hymns of consolation1 exhorting ,israel and urging the people to return to ,god and ,his law4 ,this book ,baruch read to ,king ,jeconiah and the whole people on a day of prayer and penitence4 ,on the same occasion a collection was taken up among the people1 and the funds thus secured1 together with the silver ,temple vessels made by order of ,zedekiah after ,jeconiah had been carried away captive1 were sent to ,jerusalem1 with the request that the high priest ,joakim and the people should apply the money to the sacrificial service and to prayers for the life of ,king ,nebuchadnezzar and his son ,belshazzar4 ,thus they might ensure peace and happiness under ,babylonian rule4 ,above all1 they were to supplicate ,god to turn away ,his wrath from ,his people4 ,baruch sent his book also to the residents of ,jerusalem1 and they read it in the ,temple on distinguished days1 and recited the prayers it contains4 7#fi7 ,baruch is one of the few mortals who have been privileged to visit ,paradise and know its secrets4 ,an angel of the ,lord appeared to him while he was lamenting over the destruction of ,jerusalem and took him to the seven heavens1 to the place of judgment where the doom of the godless is pronounced1 and to the abodes of the blessed4 7#gj7 ,he was still among the living at the time in which ,cyrus permitted the ,jews to return to ,palestine1 but on account of his advanced age he could not avail himself of the permission4 ,so long as he was alive1 his disciple ,ezra remained with him in ,babylonia1 for the study of the law is more important than the building of the ,temple4 ,it was only after the death of ,baruch that he decided to gather together the exiles who desired to return to the ,holy ,land and rebuild the ,temple in ,jerusalem4 7#ga7 ,,the ,,tombs ,,of ,,baruch ,,and ,,ezekiel ,the piety of ,baruch and the great favor he enjoyed with ,god were made known to later generations many years after his death1 through the marvellous occurrences connected with his tomb4 ,once a ,babylonian prince commanded a ,jew1 ,rabbi ,solomon by name1 to show him the grave of ,ezekiel1 concerning which he had heard many remarkable tales4 ,the ,jew advised the prince first to enter the tomb of ,baruch1 which adjoined that of ,ezekiel4 ,having succeeded in this1 he might attempt the same with the tomb of ,ezekiel1 the teacher of ,baruch4 7#gb7 ,in the presence of his grandees and his people the prince tried to open the grave of ,baruch1 but his efforts were fruitless4 ,whosoever touched it1 was at once stricken dead4 ,an old ,arab advised the prince to call upon the ,jews to gain entrance for him1 seeing that ,baruch had been a ,jew1 and his books were still being studied by ,jews4 ,the ,jews prepared themselves by fasts1 prayers1 penitence1 and almsgiving1 and they succeeded in opening the grave without a mishap4 ,baruch was found lying on marble bier1 and the appearance of the corpse was as though he had only then passed away4 7#gc7 ,the prince ordered the bier to be brought to the city1 and the body to be entombed there4 ,he thought it was not seemly that ,ezekiel and ,baruch should rest in the same grave4 ,but the bearers found it impossible to remove the bier more than two thousands ells from the original grave2 not even with the help of numerous draught-animals could it be urged a single step further4 ,following the advice of ,rabbi ,solomon1 the prince resolved to enter the bier on the spot they had reached and also to erect an academy there4 ,these miraculous happenings induced the prince to go to ,mecca4 ,there he became convinced of the falseness of ,mohammedanism1 of which he had hitherto been an adherent1 and he converted to ,judaism1 he and his whole court4 ,near the grave of ,baruch there grows a species of grass whose leaves are covered with gold dust4 ,as the sheen of the gold is not readily noticeable by day1 the people seek out the place at night1 mark the very spot on which the grass grows1 and return by day and gather it4 7#gd7 ,not less famous is the tomb of ,ezekiel1 at a distance of two thousand ells from ,baruch's4 ,it is overarched by a beautiful mausoleum erected by ,king ,jeconiah after ,evil-merodach had released him from captivity4 ,the mausoleum existed down to the middle ages1 and it bore on its walls the names of the thirty-five thousand ,jews who assisted ,jeconiah in erecting the monument4 ,it was the scene of many miracles4 ,when great crowds of people journeyed thither to pay reverence to the memory of the prophet1 the little low gate in the wall surrounding the grave enlarged in width and height to admit all who desired to enter4 ,once a prince vowed to give a colt to the grave of the prophet1 if but his mare which had been sterile would bear one4 ,when his wish was fulfilled1 however1 he did not keep his promise4 ,but the filly ran a distance equal to a four days' journey to the tomb1 and his owner could not recover it until he deposited his value in silver upon the grace4 ,when people went on long journeys1 they were in the habit of carrying their treasures to the grave of the prophet1 and beseeching him to let none but the rightful heirs remove them thence4 ,the prophet always granted their petition4 ,once when an attempt was made to take some books from the grave of ,ezekiel1 the ravager suddenly became sick and blind4 ,for a time a pillar of fire1 visible at a great distance1 rose above the grave of the prophet1 but it disappeared in consequence of the unseemly conduct of the pilgrims who resorted thither4 ,not far from the grave of ,ezekiel was the grave of ,barozak1 who once appeared to a rich ,jew in a dream4 ,he spoke3 ,i am ,barozak1 one of the princes who were led into captivity with ,jeremiah4 ,i am one of the just4 ,if thou wilt erect a handsome mausoleum for me1 thou wilt be blessed with progeny4 ,the ,jew did as he had been bidden1 and he who had been childless1 shortly after became a father4 7#ge7 ,,daniel ,the most distinguished member of the ,babylonian ,diaspora was ,daniel4 ,though not a prophet1 7#gf7 he was surpassed by none in wisdom1 piety1 and good deeds4 ,his firm adherence to ,judaism he displayed from his early youth1 when1 a page at the royal court1 he refused to partake of the bread1 wine1 and oil of the heathen1 even though the enjoyment of them was not prohibited by the law4 7#gg7 ,in general1 his prominent position at the court was maintained at the cost of many a hardship1 for he and his companions1 ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah1 were envied their distinctions by numerous enemies1 who sought to compass their ruin4 ,once they were accused before ,king ,nebuchadnezzar of leading an unchaste life4 ,the king resolved to order their execution4 ,but ,daniel and his friends mutilated certain parts of their bodies1 and so demonstrated how unfounded were the charges against them4 7#gh7 ,as a youth ,daniel gave evidence of his wisdom1 when he convicted two old sinners of having testified falsely against ,susanna1 as beautiful as she was good4 ,misled by the perjured witnesses1 the court had condemned ,susanna to death4 ,then ,daniel1 impelled by a higher power1 appeared among the people1 proclaimed that wrong had been done1 and demanded that the case be re-opened4 ,and so it was4 ,daniel himself cross-questioned the witnesses one after the other4 ,the same questions were addressed to both1 and as the replies did not agree with each other1 the false witnesses stood condemned1 and they were made to suffer the penalty they would have had the court inflict upon their victim4 7#gi7 ,daniel's high position in the state dates from the time when he interpreted ,nebuchadnezzar's dream4 ,the king said to the astrologers and magicians3 ,i know my dream1 but ,i do not want to tell you what it was1 else you will invent anything at all1 and pretend it is the interpretation of the dream4 ,but if you tell me the dream1 then ,i shall have confidence in your interpretation of it4 ,after much talk between ,nebuchadnezzar and his wise men1 they confessed that the king's wish might have been fulfilled1 if but the ,temple had still existed4 ,the high priest at ,jerusalem might have revealed the secret by consulting the ,urim and ,thummim4 ,at this point the king became wrathful against his wise men1 who had advised him to destroy the ,temple1 though they must have known how useful it might become to the king and the state4 ,he ordered them all to execution4 ,their life was saved by ,daniel1 who recited the king's dream1 and gave its interpretation4 7#hj7 ,the king was so filled with admiration of ,daniel's wisdom that he paid him ,divine honors4 ,daniel1 however1 refused such extravagant treatment he did not desire to be the object of idolatrous veneration4 7#ha7 ,he left ,nebuchadnezzar in order to escape the marks of honor thrust upon him1 and repaired to ,tiberias1 where he build a canal4 ,besides1 he was charged by the king with commissions1 to bring fodder for cattle to ,babylonia and also swine from ,alexandria4 7#hb7 ,,the ,,three ,,men ,,in ,,the ,,furnace ,during ,daniel's absence ,nebuchadnezzar set up an idol1 and its worship was exacted from all his subject under penalty of death by fire4 ,the image could not stand on account of the disproportion between its height and its thickness4 ,the whole of the gold and silver captured by the ,babylonians in ,jerusalem was needed to give it steadiness4 7#hc7 ,all the nations owning the rule of ,nebuchadnezzar1 including even ,israel1 obeyed the royal command to worship the image4 ,only the three pious companions of ,daniel1 ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah1 resisted the order4 ,in vain ,nebuchadnezzar urged upon them1 as an argument in favor if idolatry1 that the ,jews had been so devoted to heathen practices before the destruction of ,jerusalem that they had gone to ,babylonia for the purpose of imitating the idols there and bringing the copies they made to ,jerusalem4 ,the three saints would not hearken to these seductions of the king1 nor when he referred them to such authorities as ,moses and ,jeremiah1 in order to prove to them that they were under obligation to do the royal bidding4 ,they said to him3 ,thou art our king in all that concerns service1 taxes1 poll-money1 and tribute1 but with respect to thy present command thou art only ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,therein thou and the dog are alike unto us4 ,bark like a dog1 inflate thyself like a water-bottle1 and chirp like a cricket4 7#hd7 ,now ,nebuchadnezzar's wrath transcended all bound1 and he ordered the three to be cast into a red hot furnace1 so hot that the flames of its fire darted to the height of forty-nine ells beyond the oven1 and consumed the heathen standing about it4 ,no less than four nations were thus exterminated4 7#he7 ,while the three saints were being thrust into the furnace1 they addressed a fervent prayer to ,god1 supplicating ,his grace toward them1 and entreating ,him to put their adversaries to shame4 ,the angels desired to descend and rescue the three men in the furnace4 ,but ,god forbade it3 ,did the three men act thus for your sakes8 ,nay1 they did it for ,me2 and ,i will save them with ,mine own hands4 7#hf7 ,god also rejected the good offices of ,yurkami1 the angel of hail who offered to extinguish the fire in the furnace4 ,the angel ,gabriel justly pointed out that such a miracle would not be sufficiently striking to arrest attention4 ,his own proposition was accepted4 ,he1 the angel of fire1 was deputed to snatch the three men from the red hot furnace4 ,he executed his mission by cooling off the fire inside of the oven1 while on the outside the heat continued to increase to such a degree that the heathen standing around the furnace were consumed4 7#hg7 ,the three youths thereupon raised their voices together in a hymn of praise to ,god1 thanking ,him for ,his miraculous help4 7#hh7 ,the ,chaldeans observed the three men pacing up and down quietly in the furnace1 followed by a fourth the angel ,gabriel as by an attendant4 ,nebuchadnezzar1 who hastened thither to see the wonder1 was stunned with fright1 for he recognized ,gabriel to be the angel who in the guise of a column of fire had blasted the army of ,sennacherib4 7#hi7 ,six other miracles happened1 all of them driving terror to the heart of the king3 the fiery furnace which had been sunk in the ground raised itself into the air2 it was broken2 the bottom dropped out2 the image erected by ,nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate2 four nations were wasted by fire2 and ,ezekiel revived the dead in the valley of ,dura4 ,of the last1 ,nebuchadnezzar was apprised in a peculiar way4 ,he had a drinking vessel made of the bones of a slain ,jew4 ,when he was about to use it1 life began to stir in the bones1 and a blow was planted in the king's face1 while a voice announced3 ,a friend of this man is at this moment reviving the dead6 ,nebuchadnezzar now offered praise to ,god for the miracles performed1 and if an angel had not quickly struck him a blow on his mouth1 and forced him into silence1 his psalms of praise would have excelled the ,psalter of ,david4 ,the deliverance of the three pious young men was a brilliant vindication of their ways1 but at the same time it caused great mortification to the masses of the ,jewish people1 who had complied with the order of ,nebuchadnezzar to worship his idol4 7#ij7 ,accordingly1 when the three men left the furnace which they did not do until ,nebuchadnezzar invited them to leave 7#ia7 the heathen struck all the ,jews they met in the face1 deriding them at the same time3 ,you who have so marvellous a ,god pay homage to an idol6 ,the three men thereupon left ,babylonia and went to ,palestine1 where they joined their friend1 the high priest ,joshua4 7#ib7 ,their readiness to sacrifice their lives for the honor of ,god had been all the more admirable as they had been advised by the prophet ,ezekiel that no miracle would be done for their sakes4 ,when the king's command to bow down before the idol was published1 and the three men were appointed to act as the representatives of the people1 ,hananiah and his companions resorted to ,daniel for his advice4 ,he referred them to the prophet ,ezekiel1 who counselled flight1 citing his teacher ,isaiah as his authority4 ,the three men rejected his advice1 and declared themselves ready to suffer the death of martyrs4 ,ezekiel bade them tarry until he inquired of ,god1 whether a miracle would be done for them4 ,the words of ,god were3 ,i shall not manifest ,myself as their savior4 ,they caused ,my house to be destroyed1 ,my palace to be burnt1 ,my children to be dispersed among the heathen1 and now they appeal for ,my help4 ,as ,i live1 ,i will not be found of them4 ,instead of discouraging the three men1 this answer but infused new spirit and resolution in them1 and they declared with more decided emphasis than before1 that they were ready to meet death4 ,god consoled the weeping prophet by revealing to him1 that ,he would save the three saintly heroes4 ,he had sought to restrain them from martyrdom only to let their piety and steadfastness appear the brighter4 ,on account of their piety it became customary to swear by the ,name of ,him who supports the world on three pillars1 the pillars being the saints ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah4 ,their deliverance from death by fire worked a great effect upon the disposition of the heathen4 ,they were convinced of the uselessness of their idols1 and with their own hands they destroyed them4 7#ic7 ,,ezekiel ,,revives ,,the ,,dead ,among the dead whom ,ezekiel restored to life 7#id7 at the same time when the three men were redeemed from the fiery furnace were different classes of persons4 ,some were the ,ephraimites that had perished in the attempt to escape from ,egypt before ,moses led the whole nation out of the land of bondage4 ,some were the godless among the ,jews that had polluted the ,temple at ,jerusalem with heathen rites1 and those still more godless who in life had not believed in the resurrection of the dead4 ,others of those revived by ,ezekiel were the youths among the ,jews carried away captive to ,babylonia by ,nebuchadnezzar whose beauty was so radiant that it darkened the very splendor of the sun4 ,the ,babylonian women were seized with a great passion for them1 and at the solicitation of their husbands1 ,nebuchadnezzar ordered a bloody massacre of the handsome youths4 ,but the ,babylonian women were not yet cured of their unlawful passion2 the beauty of the young ,hebrews haunted them until their corpses lay crushed before them1 their graceful bodies mutilated4 ,these were the youths recalled to life by the prophet ,ezekiel4 ,lastly1 he revived some that had perished only a short time before4 ,when ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah were saved from death1 ,nebuchadnezzar thus addressed the other ,jews1 those who had yielded obedience to his command concerning the worship of the idol3 ,you know that your ,god can help and save1 nevertheless you paid worship to an idol which is incapable of doing anything4 ,this proves that1 as you have destroyed your own land by your wicked deeds1 so you are now trying to destroy my land with your iniquity4 ,forthwith he commanded that they all be executed1 sixty thousand in number4 ,twenty years passed1 and ,ezekiel was vouchsafed the vision in which ,god bade him repair to the ,valley of ,dura1 where ,nebuchadnezzar had set up his idol1 and had massacred the host of the ,jews4 ,here ,god showed him the dry bones of the slain with the question3 ,can ,i revive these bones8 ,ezekiel's answer was evasive1 and as a punishment for his little faith1 he had to end his days in ,babylon1 and was not granted even burial in the soil of ,palestine4 ,god then dropped the dew of heaven upon the dry bones1 and sinews were upon them1 and flesh came up1 and skin covered them above4 ,at the same time ,god sent forth winds to the four corners of the earth1 which unlocked the treasure houses of souls1 and brought its own soul to each body4 ,all came to life except one man1 who1 as ,god explained to the prophet1 was excluded from the resurrection because he was a usurer4 ,in spite of the marvellous miracle performed from them1 the men thus restored to life wept1 because they feared they would have no share at the end of time in the resurrection of the whole of ,israel4 ,but the prophet assured them1 in the name of ,god1 that their portion in all that had been promised ,israel should in no wise be diminished4 7#ie7 ,,nebuchadnezzar ,a ,,beast ,nebuchadnezzar1 the ruler of the whole world1 7#if7 to whom even the wild animals paid obedience1 his pet was a lion with a snake coiled about its neck1 7#ig7 did not escape punishment for his sins4 ,he was chastised as none before him4 ,he whom fear of ,god had at first held back from a war against ,jerusalem1 and who had to be dragged forcibly1 as he sat on his horse1 to the ,holy of ,holies 7#ih7 by the archangel ,michael1 he later became so arrogant that he thought himself a god1 7#ii7 and cherished the plan of enveloping himself in a cloud1 so that he might live apart from men4 7#ajj7 ,a heavenly voice resounded3 ,o thou wicked man1 son of a wicked man1 and descendant of ,nimrod the wicked1 who incited the world to rebel against ,god6 ,behold1 the days of the years of a man are threescore years and ten1 or perhaps by reason of strength fourscore years4 ,it takes five hundred years to traverse the distance of the earth from the first heaven1 and as long a time to penetrate from the bottom to the top of the first heaven1 and not less are the distances from one of the seven heavens to the next4 ,how1 then1 canst thou speak of ascending like unto the ,most ,high 'above the heights of the clouds'8 7#aja7 ,for this transgression of deeming himself more than a man1 he was punished by being made to live for some time as a beast among beasts1 treated by them as though he were one of them4 7#ajb7 ,for forty days 7#ajc7 he led this life4 ,as far down as his navel he had the appearance of an ox1 and the lower part of his body resembled that of a lion4 ,like an ox he ate grass1 and like a lion he attacked a curious crowd1 but ,daniel spent his time in prayer1 entreating that the seven years of this brutish life allotted to ,nebuchadnezzar might be reduced to seven months4 ,his prayer was granted4 ,at the end of forty days reason returned to the king1 the next forty days he passed in weeping bitterly over his sins1 and in the interval that remained to complete the seven months he again lived the life of a beast4 7#ajd7 ,,hiram ,hiram1 the king of ,tyre1 was a contemporary of ,nebuchadnezzar1 and in many respects resembled him4 ,he1 too1 esteemed himself a god1 and sought to make men believe in his divinity by the artificial heavens he fashioned for himself4 ,in the sea he erected four iron pillars1 on which he build up seven heavens1 each five hundred ells larger than the one below4 ,the first was a plate of glass of five hundred square ells1 and the second a plate of iron of a thousand square ells4 ,the third1 of lead1 and separated from the second by canals1 contained huge round boulders1 which produced the sound of thunder on the iron4 ,the fourth heaven was of brass1 the fifth of copper1 the sixth of silver1 and the seventh of gold1 all separated from each other by canals4 ,in the seventh1 thirty-five hundred ells in extent1 he had diamonds and pearls1 which he manipulated so as to produce the effect of flashes and sheets of lightening1 while the stones below imitated the growling of the thunder4 ,as ,hiram was thus floating above the earth1 in his vain imagination deeming himself superior to the rest of men1 he suddenly perceived the prophet ,ezekiel next to himself4 ,he had been waved thither by a wind4 ,frightened and amazed1 ,hiram asked the prophet how he had risen to his heights4 ,the answer was3 ,god brought me here1 and ,he bade me ask thee why thou art so proud1 thou born of woman8 ,the king of ,tyre replied defiantly3 ,i am not one born of woman2 ,i live forever1 and as ,god resides on the sea1 so my abode is on the sea1 and as ,he inhabits seven heavens1 so do ,i4 ,see how many kings ,i have survived6 ,twenty-one of the ,house of ,david1 and as many of the ,kingdom of the ,ten ,tribes1 and no less than fifty prophets and ten high priests have ,i buried4 ,thereupon ,god said3 ,i will destroy ,my house1 that henceforth ,hiram may have no reason for self-glorification1 because all his pride comes only from the circumstance that he furnished the cedar-trees for the building of the ,temple4 ,the end of this proud king was that he was conquered by ,nebuchadnezzar1 deprived of this throne1 and made to suffer a cruel death4 ,though the ,babylonian king was the step-son of ,hiram1 he had no mercy with him4 ,daily he cut off a bit of the flesh of his body1 and forced the ,tyrian king to eat it1 until the finally perished4 ,hiram's palace was swallowed by the earth1 and in the bowels of the earth it will remain until it shall emerge in the future world as the habitation of the pious4 7#aje7 ,,the ,,false ,,prophets ,not only among the heathen1 but also among the ,jews there were very sinful people in those days4 ,the most notorious ,jewish sinners were the two false prophets ,ahab and ,zedekiah4 ,ahab came to the daughter of ,nebuchadnezzar and said3 ,yield thyself to ,zedekiah1 telling her this in the form of a ,divine message4 ,the same was done by ,zedekiah1 who only varied the message by substituting the name of ,ahab4 ,the princess could not accept such messages as ,divine1 and she told her father what had occurred4 7#ajf7 ,though ,nebuchadnezzar was so addicted to immoral practices that he was in the habit of making his captive kings drunk1 and then satisfying his unnatural lusts upon them1 and a miracle had to interpose to shield the pious of ,judah against this disgrace1 7#ajg7 yet he well knew that the ,god of the ,jews hates immorality4 ,he therefore questioned ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah about it1 and they emphatically denied the possibility that such a message could have come from ,god4 ,the prophets of lies refused to recall their statements1 and ,nebuchadnezzar decided to subject them to the same fiery test as he had decreed for the three pious companions of ,daniel4 ,to be fair toward them1 the king permitted them to choose a third fellow-sufferer1 some pious man to share their lot4 ,seeing no escape1 ,ahab and ,zedekiah asked for ,joshua1 later the high priest1 as their companion in the furnace1 in the hope that his distinguished merits would suffice to save all three of them4 ,they were mistaken4 ,joshua emerged unhurt1 only his garments were seared1 but the false prophets were consumed4 ,joshua explained the singeing of his garments by the fact that he was directly exposed to the full fury of the flames4 ,but the truth was that he had to expiate the sins of his sons1 who had contracted marriages unworthy of their dignity and descent4 ,therefore their father escaped death only after the fire had burnt his garments4 7#ajh7 ,,daniel',s ,,piety ,no greater contrast to ,hiram and the false prophets ,ahab and ,zedekiah can be imagined than is presented by the character of the pious ,daniel4 ,when ,nebuchadnezzar offered him ,divine honors1 7#aji7 he refused what ,hiram sought to obtain by every means in his power4 ,the ,babylonian king felt so ardent an admiration for ,daniel that he sent him from the country when the time arrived to worship the idol he had erected in ,dura1 for he knew very well that ,daniel would prefer death in the flames to disregard of the commands of ,god1 and he could not well have cast the man into the fire to whom he had paid ,divine homage4 ,moreover1 it was the wish of ,god that ,daniel should not pass through the fiery ordeal at the same time as his three friends1 in order that their deliverance might not be ascribed to him4 7#aaj7 ,in spite of all this1 ,nebuchadnezzar endeavored to persuade ,daniel by gentle means to worship an idol4 ,he had the golden diadem of the high priest inserted in the mouth of an idol1 and by reason of the wondrous power that resides in the ,holy ,name inscribed on the diadem1 the idol gained the ability to speak1 and it said the words3 ,i am thy ,god4 ,thus were many seduced to worship the image4 ,but ,daniel could not be misled so easily4 ,he secured permission from the king to kiss the idol4 ,laying his mouth upon the idol's1 he adjured the diadem in the following words3 ,i am but flesh and blood1 yet at the same time a messenger of ,god4 ,i therefore admonish thee1 take heed that the ,name of the ,holy ,one1 blessed be ,he1 may not be desecrated1 and ,i order thee to follow me4 ,so it happened4 ,when the heathen came with music and song to give honor to the idol1 it emitted no sound1 but a storm broke loose and overturned it4 7#aaa7 ,on still another occasion ,nebuchadnezzar tried to persuade ,daniel to worship an idol1 this time a dragon that devoured all who approached it1 and therefore was adored as a god by the ,babylonians4 ,daniel had straw mixed with nails fed to him1 and the dragon ate and perished almost immediately4 7#aab7 ,all this did not prevent ,daniel from keeping the welfare of the king in mind continually4 ,hence it was that when ,nebuchadnezzar was engaged in setting his house in order1 he desired to mention ',daniel in his will as one of his heirs4 ,but the ,jew refused with the words3 ,far be it from me to leave the inheritance of my fathers for that of the uncircumcised4 7#aac7 ,nebuchadnezzar died after having reigned forty years1 as long as ,king ,david4 7#aad7 ,the death of the tyrant brought hope and joy to many a heart1 for his severity had been such that during his lifetime none dared laugh1 and when he descended to ,sheol1 its inhabitants trembled1 fearing he had come to reign over them1 too4 ,however1 a heavenly voice called to him3 ,go down1 and be thou laid down with the uncircumcised4 7#aae7 ,the interment of this great king was anything but what one might have expected1 and for this reason3 ,during the seven years spent by ,nebuchadnezzar among the beast1 his son ,evil-merodach ruled in his stead4 ,nebuchadnezzar reappeared after his period of penance1 and incarcerated his son for life4 ,when the death of ,nebuchadnezzar actually did occur1 ,evil-merodach refused to accept the homage the nobles brought him as the new king1 because he feared that his father was not dead1 but had only disappeared as once before1 and would return again4 ,to convince him of the groundlessness of his apprehension1 the corpse of ,nebuchadnezzar1 badly mutilated by his enemies1 was dragged through the streets4 7#aaf7 ,shortly afterward occurred the death of ,zedekiah1 the dethroned king of ,judah4 ,his burial took place amid great demonstrations of sympathy and mourning4 ,the elegy over him ran thus3 ,alas that ,king ,zedekiah had to die1 he who quaffed the lees which all the generations before him accumulated4 7#aag7 ,zedekiah reached a good old age1 7#aah7 for though it was in his reign that the destruction of ,jerusalem took place1 yet it was the guilt of the nation1 not of the king1 that had brought about the catastrophe4 7#aai7 ,,xi4 ,,the ,,return ,,of ,,the ,,captivity ,,belshazzar',s ,,feast ,when ,god resolved to take revenge upon ,babylon for all the sufferings it had inflicted on ,israel1 ,he chose ,darius and ,cyrus as the agents of vengeance4 ,cyrus1 the king of ,persia1 and his father-in-law ,darius1 the king of ,media1 together went up against ,belshazzar1 the ruler of the ,chaldeans4 ,the war lasted a considerable time1 and fortune favored first one side1 then the other1 until finally the ,chaldeans won a decisive victory4 ,to celebrate the event1 ,belshazzar arranged a great banquet1 which was served from the vessels taken out of the ,temple at ,jerusalem by his father4 ,while the king and his guests were feasting1 the angel sent by ,god put the ,mene1 ,mene1 ,tekel1 ,upharsin on the wall1 ,aramaic words in ,hebrew characters1 7#a7 written with red ink4 ,the angel was seen by none but the king4 ,his grandees and the princes of the realm who were present at the orgy perceived nothing4 ,the king himself did not see the form of the angel1 only his awesome fingers as they traced the words were visible to him4 ,the interpretation given to the enigmatical words by ,daniel put an end to the merry-making of the feasters4 ,they scattered in dread and fear1 leaving none behind except the king and his attendants4 ,in the same night the king was murdered by an old servant1 who knew ,daniel from the time of ,nebuchadnezzar1 and doubted not that his sinister prophecy would be fulfilled4 ,with the head of ,king ,belshazzar he betook himself to ,darius and ,cyrus1 and told them how his master had desecrated the sacred vessels1 told them of the wonderful writing on the wall1 and of the way it had been interpreted by ,daniel4 ,the two kings were moved by his recital to vow solemnly that they would permit the ,jews to return to ,palestine1 and would grant them the use of the ,temple vessels4 ,they resumed the war against ,babylonia with more energy1 and ,god vouchsafed them victory4 ,they conquered the whole of ,belshazzar's realm1 and took possession of the city of ,babylon1 whose inhabitants1 young and old1 were made to suffer death4 ,the subjugated lands were divided between ,cyrus and ,darius1 the latter receiving ,babylon and ,media1 the former ,chaldea1 ,persia1 and ,assyria4 7#b7 ,but this is not the whole story of the fall of ,babylon4 ,the wicked king ,belshazzar arranged the banquet at which the holy vessels were desecrated in the fifth year of his reign1 because he thought it wholly certain then that all danger was past of the realization of ,jeremiah's prophecy1 foretelling the return of the ,jews to ,palestine at the end of seventy years of ,babylonian rule over them4 ,nebuchadnezzar had governed twenty-five years1 and ,evil-merodach twenty-three1 leaving five years in the reign of ,belshazzar for the fulfilment of the appointed time4 7#c7 ,not enough that the king scoffed at ,god by using the ,temple vessels1 he needs must have the pastry for the banquet1 which was given on the second day of the ,passover festival1 made of wheaten flour finer than that used on this day for the ,omer in the ,temple4 ,punishment followed hard upon the heels of the atrocity4 ,cyrus and ,darius served as door-keepers of the royal palace on the evening of the banquet4 ,they had received orders from ,belshazzar to admit none1 though he should say he was the king himself4 ,belshazzar was forced to leave his apartments for a short time1 and he went out unnoticed by the two door-keepers4 ,on his return1 when he asked to be admitted1 they felled him dead1 even while he was asseverating that he was the king4 7#d7 ,,daniel ,,under ,,the ,,persian ,,kings ,daniel left ,belshazzar and fled to ,shushtar1 where he was kindly received by ,cyrus1 who promised him to have the ,temple vessels taken back to ,jerusalem1 provided ,daniel would pray to ,god to grant him success in his war with the king of ,mosul4 ,god gave ,daniel's prayer a favorable hearing1 and ,cyrus was true to his promise4 ,daniel now received the ,divine charge to urge ,cyrus to rebuild the ,temple4 ,to this end he was to introduce ,ezra and ,zerubbabel to the king4 ,ezra then went from place to place and called upon the people to return to ,palestine4 ,sad to say1 only a tribe and a half obeyed his summons4 ,indeed1 the majority of the people were so wroth against ,ezra that they sought to slay him4 ,he escaped the peril to his life only by a ,divine miracle4 7#e7 ,daniel1 too1 was exposed to much suffering at this time4 ,king ,cyrus cast him into a den of lions1 because he refused to bow down before the idol of the king4 ,for seven days ,daniel lay among the wild beasts1 and not a hair of his head was touched4 ,when the king at the end of the week found ,daniel alive1 he could not but acknowledge the sovereign grandeur of ,god4 ,cyrus released ,daniel1 and instead had his calumniators thrown to the lions4 ,in an instant they were rent in pieces4 7#f7 ,in general ,cyrus fell far short of coming up to the expectations set in him for piety and justice4 ,though he granted permission to the ,jews to rebuild the ,temple1 they were to use no material but wood1 so that it might easily be destroyed if the ,jews should take it into their head to rebel against him4 ,even in point of morals1 the ,persian king was not above reproach4 7#g7 ,another time ,cyrus pressingly urged ,daniel to pay homage to the idol ,bel4 ,as proof of the divinity of the idol the king advanced the fact that it ate the dishes set before it1 a report spread by the priests of ,bel1 who entered the ,temple of the idol at night1 through subterranean passages1 themselves ate up the dishes1 and then attributed their disappearance to the appetite of the god4 ,but ,daniel was too shrewd to be misled by a fabricated story4 ,he had the ashes strewn upon the floor of the ,temple1 and the foot-prints visible the next morning convinced the king of the deceit practiced by the priests4 7#h7 ,pleasant relations did not continue to subsist forever between ,cyrus and ,darius4 ,a war broke out between them1 in which ,cyrus lost life and lands4 ,fearing ,darius1 ,daniel fled to ,persia4 ,but an angel of ,god appeared to him with the message3 ,fear not the king1 not unto him will ,i surrender thee4 ,shortly afterward he received a letter from ,darius reading as follows3 ,come to me1 ,daniel6 ,fear naught1 ,i shall be even kinder to thee than ,cyrus was4 ,accordingly ,daniel returned to ,shushtar1 and was received with great consideration by ,darius4 ,one day the king chanced to remember the sacred garments brought by ,nebuchadnezzar out of the ,temple at ,jerusalem to ,babylon4 ,they had vanished1 and no trace of them could be discovered4 ,the king suspected ,daniel of having had something to do with their disappearance4 ,it booted little that he protested his innocence1 he was cast into prison4 ,god sent an angel who was to blind ,darius1 telling him at the same time that he was deprived of the light of his eyes because he was keeping the pious ,daniel in durance1 and sight would be restored to him only if ,daniel interceded for him4 ,the king at once released ,daniel1 and the two together journeyed to ,jerusalem to pray on the holy place for the restoration of the king4 ,an angel appeared to ,daniel1 and announced to him that his prayer had been heard4 ,the king had but to wash his eyes1 and vision would return to them4 ,so it happened4 ,darius gave thanks to ,god1 and in his gratitude assigned the tithe of his grain to the priests and the ,levites4 ,besides1 he testified his appreciation to ,daniel by loading him down with gifts1 and both returned to ,shushtar4 ,the recovery of the king convinced many of his subjects of the omnipotence of ,god1 and they converted to ,judaism4 7#i7 ,following the advice of ,daniel1 ,darius 7#aj7 appointed a triumvirate to take charge of the administration of his realm1 and ,daniel was made the chief of the council of three4 ,his high dignity he was second to none but the king himself exposed him to envy and hostility on all sides4 ,his enemies plotted his ruin4 ,with cunning they induced the king to sign an order attaching the penalty of death to prayers addressed to any god or any man other than ,darius4 7#aa7 ,though the order did not require ,daniel to commit a sin1 he preferred to give his life for the honor of the one ,god rather than omit his devotions to ,him4 ,when his jealous enemies surprised him during his prayers1 he did not interrupt himself4 ,he was dragged before the king1 who refused to give credence to the charge against ,daniel4 ,meanwhile the hour for the afternoon prayer arrived1 and in the presence of the king and his princes ,daniel began to perform his devotions4 ,this naturally rendered unavailing all efforts made by the king to save his friend from death4 ,daniel was cast into a pit full of lions4 ,the entrance to the pit was closed up with a rock1 which had all of its own accord rolled from ,palestine to protect him against any harm contemplated by his enemies4 7#ab7 ,the ferocious beasts welcomed the pious ,daniel like dogs fawning upon their master on his return home1 licking his hands and wagging their tails4 ,while this was passing in ,babylon1 an angel appeared to the prophet ,habakkuk in ,judea4 ,he ordered the prophet to bring ,daniel the food he was about to carry to his laborers in the field4 ,astonished1 ,habakkuk asked the angel how he could carry it to so great a distance1 whereupon he was seized by his hair1 and in a moment set down before ,daniel4 ,they dined together1 and then the angel transported ,habakkuk back to his place in ,palestine4 ,early in the morning ,darius 7#ac7 went to the pit of the lions to discover the fate of ,daniel4 ,the king called his name1 but he received no answer1 because ,daniel was reciting the ,shema at that moment1 7#ad7 after having spent the night in giving praise and adoration to ,god4 7#ae7 ,seeing that he was still alive1 the king summoned the enemies of ,daniel to the pit4 ,it was their opinion that the lions had not been hungry1 and therefore ,daniel was still unhurt4 ,the king commanded them to put the beasts to the test with their own persons4 ,the result was that the hundred and twenty-two enemies of ,daniel1 together with their wives and children numbering two hundred and forty-four persons1 were torn in shreds by fourteen hundred and sixty-four lions4 7#af7 ,the miraculous escape of ,daniel brought him more distinguished consideration and greater honors than before4 ,the king published the wonders done by ,god in all parts of his land1 and called upon the people to betake themselves to ,jerusalem and help in the erection of the ,temple4 ,daniel entreated the king to relieve him of the duties of his position1 for the performance of which he no longer felt himself fit1 on account of his advanced age4 ,the king consented on condition that ,daniel designate a successor worthy of him4 ,his choice fell upon ,zerubbabel4 ,loaded with rich presents and amid public demonstrations designed to honor him1 ,daniel retired from public life4 ,he settled in the city of ,shushan1 where he abode until his end4 7#ag7 ,though he was no prophet1 ,god vouchsafed to him a knowledge of the end of time not granted his friends1 the prophets ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 and ,malachi1 7#ah7 but even he1 in the fulness of his years1 lost all memory of the revelation with which he had been favored4 7#ai7 ,,the ,,grave ,,of ,,daniel ,daniel was buried in ,shushan1 on account of which a sore quarrel was enkindled among the inhabitants of the city4 ,shushan is divided in two parts by a river4 ,the side containing the grave of ,daniel was occupied by the wealthy inhabitants1 and the poor citizens lived on the other side of the river4 ,the latter maintained that they1 too1 would be rich if the grave of ,daniel were in their quarter4 ,the frequent disputes and conflicts were finally adjusted by a compromise2 one year the bier of ,daniel reposed on one side of the river1 the next year on the other4 ,when the ,persian king ,sanjar came to ,shushan1 he put a stop to the practice of dragging the bier hither and thither4 ,he resorted to another device for guarding the peace of the city4 ,he had the bier suspended from chains precisely in the middle of the bridge spanning the river4 ,in the same spot he erected a house of prayer for all confessions1 and out of respect to ,daniel he prohibited fishing in the river for a distance of a mile on either side of the memorial building4 7#bj7 ,the sacredness of the spot appeared when the godless tried to pass by4 ,they were drowned1 while the pious remained unscathed4 ,furthermore1 the fish that swam near it had heads glittering like gold4 7#ba7 ,beside the house of ,daniel lay a stone1 under which he had concealed the holy ,temple vessels4 ,once an attempt was made to roll the stone from its place1 but whoever ventured to touch it1 fell dead4 ,the same fate overtook all who later tried to make excavations near the spot2 a storm broke out and mowed them down4 7#bb7 ,,zerubbabel ,the successor to ,daniel in the service of the king1 ,zerubbabel1 enjoyed equally as much royal consideration and affection4 ,he occupied a higher position than all the other servants and officials1 and he and two others constituted the body-guard of the king4 7#bc7 ,once when the king lay wrapped in deep slumber1 his guards resolved to write down what each of them considered the mightiest thing in the world1 and he who wrote the sagest saying should be given rich presents and rewards by the king4 ,what they wrote they laid under the pillow on which the head of the king rested1 that he might not delay to make a decision after he awoke4 ,the first one wrote3 ,wine is the mightiest thing there is2 the second wrote3 ,the king is the mightiest on earth1 and the third1 ,zerubbabel1 wrote3 ,women are the mightiest in the world1 but truth prevails over all else4 ,when the king awoke1 and he perused the document1 he summoned the grandees of his realm and the three youths as well4 ,each of the three was called upon to justify his saying4 ,in eloquent words the first described the potency of wine4 ,when it takes possession of the senses of a man1 he forgets grief and sorrow4 ,still more beautiful and convincing were the words of the second speaker1 when his turn came to establish the truth of his saying1 that the king was the mightiest on earth4 ,finally ,zerubbabel depicted in glowing words the power of woman1 who rules even over kings4 ,but1 he continued1 truth is supreme over all2 the whole earth asks for truth1 the heavens sing the praises of truth1 all creation quakes and trembles before truth1 naught of wrong can be found in truth4 ,unto truth belongeth the might1 the dominion1 the power1 and the glory of all times4 ,blessed be the ,god of truth4 ,when ,zerubbabel ceased from speaking1 the assembly broke out into the words3 ,great is truth1 it is mightier than all else6 ,the king was so charmed with the wisdom of ,zerubbabel that he said to him3 ,ask for aught thou wishest1 it shall be granted thee4 ,zerubbabel required nothing for himself1 he only sought permission of the king to restore ,jerusalem1 rebuild the sanctuary1 and return the holy ,temple vessels to the place whence they had been carried off4 ,not only did ,darius grant what ,zerubbabel wished for1 not only did he give him letters of safe-conduct1 but he also conferred numerous privileges upon the ,jews who accompanied ,zerubbabel to ,palestine1 and he sent abundant presents to the ,temple and its officers4 7#bd7 ,as unto his predecessor ,daniel1 so unto ,zerubbabel1 ,god vouchsafed a knowledge of the secrets of the future4 ,especially the archangel ,metatron dealt kindly with him4 ,besides revealing to him the time at which the ,messiah would appear1 he brought about an interview between the ,messiah and ,zerubbabel4 7#be7 ,in reality1 ,zerubbabel was none other than ,nehemiah1 who was given this second name because he was born in ,babylon4 7#bf7 ,richly endowed as ,zerubbabel-,nehemiah was with admirable qualities1 he yet did not lack faults4 ,he was excessively self-complacent1 and he did not hesitate to fasten a stigma publicly upon his predecessors in the office of governor in the land of ,judah1 among whom was so excellent a man as ,daniel4 ,to punish him for these transgressions1 the ,book of ,ezra does not bear the name of its real author ,nehemiah4 7#bg7 ,when ,darius felt his end approach1 7#bh7 he appointed his son-in-law ,cyrus1 7#bi7 who had hitherto reigned only over ,persia1 to be the ruler over his kingdom as well4 ,his wish was honored by the princes of ,media and ,persia4 ,after ,darius had departed this life1 ,cyrus was proclaimed king4 ,in the very first year of his reign1 ,cyrus summoned the most distinguished of the ,jews to appear before him1 and he gave them permission to return to ,palestine and rebuild the ,temple at ,jerusalem4 ,more than this1 he pledged himself to contribute to the ,temple service in proportion to his means1 and pay honor to the ,god who had invested him with strength to subdue the ,chaldeans4 ,these actions of ,cyrus partly flowed from his own pious inclinations1 and partly were due to his desire to accomplish the dying behests of ,darius1 who had admonished him to give the ,jews the opportunity of rebuilding the ,temple4 ,when the first sacrifice was to be brought by the company of ,jews who returned to ,jerusalem under the leadership of ,ezra1 and set about restoring the ,temple1 they missed the celestial fire which had dropped from heaven on the altar in the time of ,moses1 and had not been extinguished so long as the ,temple stood4 ,they turned in supplication to ,god to be instructed by ,him4 ,the celestial fire had been hidden by ,jeremiah at the time of the destruction of the ,holy ,city1 and the law did not permit them to bring strange fire upon the altar of ,god4 ,an old man suddenly remembered the spot in which ,jeremiah had buried the holy fire1 and he led the elders thither4 ,they rolled away the stone covering the spot1 and from under it appeared a spring flowing not with water1 but with a sort of oil4 ,ezra ordered this fluid to be sprinkled upon the altar1 and forthwith an all-consuming flame shot up4 ,the priests themselves scattered in fright4 ,but after the ,temple and its vessels were purified by the flame1 it confined itself to the altar never more to leave it1 for the priest guarded it so that it might not be extinguished4 7#cj7 ,among the band of returned exiles were the prophets ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 and ,malachi4 ,each one of them had a place of the greatest importance to fill in the rebuilding of the ,temple4 ,by the first the people were shown the plan of the altar1 which was larger than the one that had stood in ,solomon's ,temple4 ,the second informed them of the exact location of the altar1 and the third taught them that the sacrifices might be brought on the holy place even before the completion of the ,temple4 ,on the authority of one of the prophets1 the ,jews1 on their return from ,babylonia1 gave up their original ,hebrew characters1 and re-wrote the ,torah in the ,assyrian characters still in use at this day4 7#ca7 ,while the ,temple work was in progress1 the builders found the skull of ,araunah1 the owner of the ,temple site in the time of ,david4 ,the priests1 unlearned as they were1 could not decide to what extent the corpse lying there had defiled the holy place4 ,it was for this that ,haggai poured out his reproaches upon them4 7#cb7 ,,ezra ,the complete resettlement of ,palestine took place under the direction of ,ezra1 or1 as the ,scriptures sometimes call him1 ,malachi4 7#cc7 ,he had not been present at the earlier attempts 7#cd7 to restore the sanctuary1 because he could not leave his old teacher ,baruch1 who was too advanced in years to venture upon the difficult journey to the ,holy ,land4 7#ce7 ,in spite of ,ezra's persuasive efforts1 it was but a comparatively small portion of the people that joined the procession winding its way westward to ,palestine4 ,for this reason the prophetical spirit did not show itself during the existence of the ,second ,temple4 ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 and ,malachi were the last representatives of prophecy4 7#cf7 ,nothing was more surprising than the apathy of the ,levites4 ,they manifested no desire to return to ,palestine4 ,their punishment was the loss of the tithes1 which were later given to the priest1 though the ,levites had the first claim upon them4 7#cg7 ,in restoring the ,jewish state in ,palestine1 ,ezra cherished two hopes1 to preserve the purity of the ,jewish race1 and to spread the study of the ,torah until it should become the common property of the people at large4 ,to help on his first purpose1 he inveighed against marriages between the ,jews and the nations round about4 7#ch7 ,he himself had carefully worked out his own pedigree before he consented to leave ,babylonia1 7#ci7 and in order to perpetuate the purity of the families and groups remaining in the ,east1 he took all the unfit 7#dj7 with him to ,palestine4 ,in the realization of his second hope1 the spread of the ,torah1 ,ezra was so zealous and efficient that it was justly said of him3 ,if ,moses had not anticipated him1 ,ezra would have received the ,torah4 7#da7 ,in a sense he was1 indeed1 a second ,moses4 ,the ,torah had fallen into neglect and oblivion in his day1 and he restored and re-established it in the minds of his people4 7#db7 ,it is due to him chiefly that it was divided up into portions1 to be read annually1 ,sabbath after ,sabbath1 in the synagogues1 7#dc7 and he it was1 likewise1 who originated the idea of re-writing the ,pentateuch in ,assyrian characters4 7#dd7 ,to further his purpose still more1 he ordered additional schools for children to be established everywhere1 though the old ones sufficed to satisfy the demand4 ,he thought the rivalry between the old and the new institutions would redound to the benefit of the pupils4 7#de7 ,ezra is the originator of institutions known as the ten regulations of ,ezra4 ,they are the following3 #a4 ,readings from the ,torah on ,sabbath afternoons4 #b4 ,readings from the ,torah on ,mondays and ,thursdays4 #c4 ,sessions of the court on ,mondays and ,thursdays4 #d4 ,to do laundry work on ,thursdays1 not ,fridays4 #e4 ,to eat garlic on ,friday on account of its salutary action4 7#df7 #f4 ,to bake bread early in the morning that it may be ready for the poor whenever they ask for some4 #g4 ,women are to cover the lower parts of their bodies with a garment called ,sinar4 7#dg7 #h4 ,before taking a ritual bath1 the hair is to be combed4 #i4 ,the ritual bath prescribed for the unclean is to cover the case of one who desires to offer prayer or study the law4 7#dh7 #aj4 ,permission to peddlers to sell cosmetics to women in the towns4 7#di7 ,ezra was not only a great teacher of his people and their wise leader1 he was also their advocate with the celestials1 to whom his relation was of a peculiarly intimate character4 ,once he addressed a prayer to ,god1 in which he complained of the misfortune of ,israel and the prosperity of the heathen nations4 ,thereupon the angel ,uriel appeared to him1 and instructed him how that evil has its appointed time in which to run its course1 as the dead have their appointed time to sojourn in the nether world4 ,ezra could not rest satisfied with this explanation1 and in response to his further question1 seven prophetic visions were vouchsafed him1 and interpreted by the angel for him4 ,they typified the whole course of history up to his day1 and disclosed the future to his eyes4 ,in the seventh vision he heard a voice from a thorn-bush1 like ,moses aforetimes1 and it admonished him to guard in his heart the secrets revealed to him4 ,the same voice had given ,moses a similar injunction3 ,these words shalt thou publish1 those shalt thou keep secret4 ,then his early translation from earth was announced to him4 ,he besought ,god to let the holy spirit descend upon him before he died1 so that he might record all that had happened since the creation of the world as it was set down in the ,torah1 and guide men upon the path that leads to ,god4 ,hereupon ,god bade him take the five experienced scribes1 ,sarga1 ,dabria1 ,seleucia1 ,ethan1 and ,aziel1 with him into retirement1 and dictate to them for forty days4 ,after one day spent with these writers in isolation1 remote from the city and from men1 a voice admonished him3 ,ezra1 open thy mouth1 and drink whereof ,i give thee to drink4 ,he opened his mouth1 and a chalice was handed to him1 filled to the brim with a liquid that flowed like water1 but in color resembled fire4 ,his mouth opened to drink1 and for forty days it was not closed4 ,during all that time1 the five scribes put down1 in signs they did not understand1 they were the newly adopted ,hebrew characters1 all that ,ezra dictated to them1 and it made ninety-four books4 ,at the end of the forty days' period1 ,god spoke to ,ezra thus3 ,the twenty-four books of the ,holy ,scriptures thou shalt publish1 for the worthy and the unworthy alike to read2 but the last seventy books thou shalt withhold from the populace1 for the perusal of the wise of thy people4 ,on account of his literary activity1 he is called the ,scribe of the science of the ,supreme ,being unto all eternity4 7#ej7 ,having finished his task1 ,ezra was removed from this mundane world1 and he entered the life everlasting4 ,but his death did not occur in the ,holy ,land4 ,it overtook him at ,khuzistan1 in ,persia1 on his journey to ,king ,artachshashta4 7#ea7 ,at ,raccia1 in ,mesopotamia1 there stood1 as late as the twelfth century1 the synagogue founded by ,ezra when he was journeying from ,babylonia to ,palestine4 7#eb7 ,at his grave1 over which columns of fire are often seen to hover at night1 7#ec7 a miracle once happened4 ,a shepherd fell asleep by the side of it4 ,ezra appeared to him and bade him tell the ,jews that they were to transport his bier to another spot4 ,if the master of the new place refused assent1 he was to be warned to yield permission1 else all the inhabitants of his place would perish4 ,at first the master refused to allow the necessary excavations to be made4 ,only after a large number of the non-,jewish inhabitants of the place had been stricken down suddenly1 he consented to have the corpse transported thither4 ,as soon as the grave was opened1 the plague ceased4 ,shortly before the death of ,ezra1 the city of ,babylon was totally destroyed by the ,persians4 ,there remained but a portion of the wall which was impregnable by human strength4 7#ed7 ,all the prophecies hurled against the city by the prophets were accomplished4 ,to this day there is a spot on its site which no animal can pass unless some of the earth of the place is strewn upon it4 7#ee7 ,,the ,,men ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,assembly ,at the same time with ,ezra1 or1 to speak more accurately1 under his direction1 the ,great ,assembly carried on its beneficent activities1 which laid the foundations of ,rabbinical ,judaism1 and constituted the binding link between the ,jewish ,prophet and the ,jewish ,sage4 7#ef7 ,the great men who belonged to this august assembly once succeeded1 through the efficacy of their prayers1 in laying hands upon the seducers unto sin1 and confining them1 to prevent them from doing more mischief4 ,thus they banished from the world the desire unto idolatry4 ,they tried to do the same to the desire unto lustfulness4 ,this evil adversary warned them against making away with him1 for the world would cease to exist without him4 ,for three days they kept him a prisoner1 but then they had to dismiss him and let him go free4 ,they found that not even an egg was to be had1 for sexual appetite had vanished from the world4 ,however1 he did not escape altogether unscathed4 ,they plastered up his eyes1 and from that time on he gave up inflaming the passions of men against their blood relations4 7#eg7 ,among the decrees and ordinances of the ,great ,assembly1 the most prominent is the fixation of the prayer of the ,eighteen ,benedictions4 ,the several benedictions composing this prayer date back to remote ancient times4 ,the ,patriarchs were their authors1 and the work of the ,great ,assembly was to put them together in the order in which we now have them4 ,we know how each of the benedictions originated3 #a4 ,when ,abraham was saved from the furnace angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 the ,shield of ,abraham1 which is the essence of the first of the ,eighteen4 #b4 ,when ,isaac lay stunned by fright on ,mount ,moriah1 ,god sent ,his dew to revive him1 whereupon the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who quickenest the dead4 #c4 ,when ,jacob arrived at the gates of heaven and proclaimed the holiness of ,god1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 ,thou holy ,god4 #d4 ,when ,pharaoh was about to make ,joseph the ruler over ,egypt1 and it appeared that he was unacquainted with the seventy tongues which an ,egyptian sovereign must know1 the angel ,gabriel came and taught him those languages1 whereupon the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who graciously bestowest knowledge4 #e4 ,when ,reuben committed the trespass against his father1 sentence of death was pronounced upon him in the heavens4 ,but when he repented1 he was permitted to continue to live1 and the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who hast delight in repentance4 #f4 ,when ,judah had committed a trespass against ,tamar1 and confessing his guilt obtained forgiveness1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who pardonest greatly4 #g4 ,when ,israel was sore oppressed by ,mizraim1 and ,god proclaimed his redemption1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who redeemest ,israel4 #h4 ,when the angel ,raphael came to ,abraham to soothe the pain of his circumcision1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who healest the sick4 #i4 ,when ,israel's sowing in the land of the ,philistines bore an abundant harvest1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who blessest the years4 #aj4 ,when ,jacob was reunited with ,joseph and ,simon in ,egypt1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who gatherest the dispersed of ,thy people ,israel4 #aa4 ,when the ,torah was revealed and ,god communicated the code of laws to ,moses1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who lovest righteousness and justice4 #ab4 ,when the ,egyptians were drowned in the ,red ,sea1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who shatterest the enemy and humiliatest the presumptuous4 #ac4 ,when ,joseph laid his hands on the eyes of his father ,jacob1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who are the stay and the support of the pious4 #ad4 ,when ,solomon built the ,temple1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who buildest ,jerusalem4 #ae4 ,when the children of ,israel singing hymns of praise unto ,god passed through the ,red ,sea1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who causest the hour of salvation to sprout forth4 #af4 ,when ,god lent a gracious ear to the prayer of the suffering ,israelites in ,egypt1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who hearest our prayer4 #ag4 ,when the ,shekinah descended between the ,cherubim in the ,tabernacle1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who wilt restore ,thy ,divine ,presence to ,jerusalem4 #ah4 ,when ,solomon dedicated his ,temple1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 whose ,name is worthy of praise4 #ai4 ,when ,israel entered the ,holy ,land1 the angels spoke3 ,blessed art ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 who establishest peace4 7#eh7 ,,xii4 ,,esther ,,the ,,feast ,,for ,,the ,,grandees ,the ,book of ,esther is the last of the ,scriptural writings4 ,the subsequent history of ,israel and all his suffering we know only through oral tradition4 ,for this reason the heroine of the last canonical book was named ,esther1 that is1 ,venus1 the morning-star1 which sheds its light after all the other stars have ceased to shine1 and while the sun still delays to rise4 ,thus the deeds of ,queen ,esther cast a ray of light forward into ,israel's history at its darkest4 7#a7 ,the ,jews at the time of ,ahaseurus were like the dove about to enter her nest wherein a snake lies coiled4 ,yet she cannot withdraw1 because a falcon bides without to swoop down upon her4 ,in ,shushan the ,jews were in the clutches of ,haman1 and in other lands they were at the mercy of many murderous enemies to their race1 ready to do the bidding of ,haman to destroy and to slay them1 and cause them to perish4 7#b7 ,but the rescue of the ,jews from the hand of their adversaries is only a part of this wonderful chapter in the history of ,israel4 ,no less important is the exalted station to which they rose in the realm of ,ahasuerus after the fall of ,haman1 especially the power and dignity to which ,esther herself attained4 ,on this account the magnificent feast prepared by ,ahasuerus for his subjects belongs to the history of ,esther4 ,the splendor of his feast is the gauge whereby to measure the wealth and power she later enjoyed4 7#c7 ,ahasuerus was not the king of ,persia by right of birth4 ,he owed his position to his vast wealth1 with which he purchased dominion over the whole world4 7#d7 ,he had various reasons for giving a gorgeous feast4 ,the third year of his reign was the seventieth since the beginning of ,nebuchadnezzar's rule1 and ,ahasuerus thought it quite certain that the time had passed for the fulfilment of the prophecy of ,jeremiah foretelling the return of ,israel to the ,holy ,land4 ,the ,temple was still in ruins1 and ,ahasuerus was convinced that the ,jewish kingdom would never again be restored4 ,needless to say1 it was not ,jeremiah who erred4 ,not with the accession of ,king ,nebuchadnezzar had the prophet's term of years begun1 but with the destruction of ,jerusalem4 ,reckoned in this way1 the seventy years of desolation were at an end exactly at the time when ,darius1 the son of ,ahasuerus1 permitted the rebuilding of the ,temple4 7#e7 ,beside this mistaken cause for a celebration1 there were reasons personal to ,ahasuerus why he desired to give expression to joy4 ,a short time before1 he had crushed a rebellion against himself1 and this victory he wanted to celebrate with pomp and ceremony4 7#f7 ,the first part of the celebration was given over to the hundred and twenty-seven rulers of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of his empire4 ,his purpose was to win the devotion of those of them with whom otherwise he did not come in direct contact4 ,but can it be said with certainty that this was a good policy8 ,if he had not first made sure of the loyalty of his capital1 was it not dangerous to have these rulers near him in case of an insurrection8 ,for six whole months he celebrated the feast for the grandees the nobles and the high officials1 the latter of whom1 according to the constitution1 were all required to be ,medians under the ,persian king ,ahasuerus1 as they would have had to be ,persians under a ,median king4 7#g7 ,this was the program of the feast3 ,in the first month ,ahasuerus showed his treasures to his guests2 in the second1 the delegates of the king's royal vassals saw them2 in the third the presents were exposed to view2 in the fourth the guests were invited to admire his literary possessions1 among them the sacred scroll2 in the fifth his pearl and diamond-studded ornaments of gold were put on exhibition2 and in the sixth he displayed the treasures which had been given him as tribute4 7#h7 ,all this vast wealth1 however1 appertained to the crown1 it was not his personal property4 ,when ,nebuchadnezzar felt his end draw nigh1 he resolved to sink his immense treasures in the ,euphrates rather than let them ascend to his son ,evil-merodach1 so great was his miserliness4 ,but1 again1 when ,cyrus gave the ,jews permission to build the ,temple1 his divinely appointed reward was that he discovered the spot in the river at which the treasures were sunk1 and he was permitted to take possession of them4 ,these were the treasures of which ,ahasuerus availed himself to glorify his feast4 ,so prodigious were they that during the six months of the feast he unlocked six treasure-chambers daily to display their contents to his guests4 7#i7 ,when ,ahasuerus boasted of his wealth1 which he had no right to do1 as his treasures had come from the ,temple1 ,god said3 ,verily1 has the creature of flesh and blood any possessions of his own8 ,i alone possess treasures1 for 'the silver is mind1 and the gold is mine4' 7#aj7 ,among the treasures displayed were the ,temple vessels1 which ,ahasuerus had desecrated in his drinking bouts4 ,when the noble ,jews who had been invited to the capital saw these1 they began to weep1 and they refused to take further part in the festivities4 ,thereupon the king commanded that a separate place be assigned to the ,jews1 so that their eyes might be spared the painful sight4 7#aa7 ,this was not the only incident that aroused poignant memories in them1 for ,ahasuerus arrayed himself in the robes of state once belonging to the high priests at ,jerusalem1 and this1 too1 made the ,jews smart uncomfortably4 7#ab7 ,the ,persian king had wanted to mount the throne of ,solomon besides1 but herein he was thwarted1 because its ingenious construction was an enigma to him4 ,egyptian artificers tried to fashion a throne after the model of ,solomon's1 but in vain4 ,after two years' work they managed to produce a weak imitation of it1 and upon this ,ahasuerus sat during his splendid feast4 7#ac7 ,,the ,,festivities ,,in ,,shushan ,at the expiration of the hundred and eighty days allotted to the feast for the nobles1 ,ahasuerus arranged a great celebration for the residents of ,shushan1 the capital city of ,elam4 ,from the creation of the world until after the deluge the unwritten law had been in force1 that the first-born son of the patriarchs was to be the ruler of the world4 ,thus1 ,seth was the successor to ,adam1 and he was followed in turn by ,enosh1 and so the succession went on1 from first-born son to first-born son1 down to ,noah and his oldest son ,shem4 ,now1 the first-born son of ,shem was ,elam1 and1 according to custom1 he should have been given the universal dominion which was his heritage4 ,shem1 being a prophet1 knew that ,abraham and his posterity1 the ,israelites1 would not spring from the family of ,elam1 but from that of ,arpachshad4 ,therefore he named ,arpachshad as his successor1 and through him rulership descended to ,abraham1 and so to ,isaac1 ,jacob1 and ,judah1 and to ,david and his posterity1 down to the last ,judean king ,zedekiah1 who was deprived of his sovereignty by ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,then it was that ,god spake thus3 ,so long as the government rested in the hands of ,my children1 ,i was prepared to exercise patience4 ,the misdeeds of the one were made good by the other4 ,if one of them was wicked1 the other was pious4 ,but now that the dominions has been wrested from ,my children1 it shall at least revert to its original possessors4 ,elam was the first-born son of ,shem1 and his seed shall be given the rule4 ,so it happened that ,shushan1 the capital city of ,elam1 became the seat of government4 7#ad7 ,that there were any celebrations in ,shushan was due to ,haman1 who even in those early days was devising intrigues against the ,jews4 ,he appeared before ,ahasuerus1 and said3 ,o king1 this people is a peculiar people4 ,may it please thee to destroy it4 ,ahasuerus replied3 ,i fear the ,god of this people2 ,he is very mighty1 and ,i bear in mind what befell ,pharaoh for his wicked treatment of the ,israelites4 ,their ,god1 said ,haman1 hates an unchaste life4 ,do thou1 therefore1 prepare feasts for them1 and order them to take part in the merry-makings4 ,have them eat and drink and act as their heart desireth1 so that their ,god may become wrathful against them4 ,when ,mordecai heard of the feasts that were planned1 he advised the ,jews not to join in them4 7#ae7 ,all the prominent men of his people and many of the lower classes took his advice to heart4 ,they fled from ,shushan1 to avoid being compelled to take part in the festivities4 7#af7 ,the rest remained in the city and yielded to force2 they participated in the celebrations1 and even permitted themselves to eat of food prepared by the heathen1 though the king had taken care not to offend the religious conscience of the ,jews in such details4 7#ag7 ,he had been so punctilious that there was no need for them to drink wine touched by the hand of an idolater1 let alone eat forbidden food4 ,the arrangements for the feast were entirely in the charge of ,haman and ,mordecai1 so that neither ,jew nor ,gentile might absent himself for religious reasons4 7#ah7 ,it was the aim of the king to let every guest follow the inclination of his heart4 ,when ,ahasuerus issued the order1 that the officers of his house were to do according to every man's pleasure1 ,god became wroth with him4 ,thou villain1 ,he said1 canst thou do every man's pleasure8 ,suppose two men love the same woman1 can both marry her8 ,two vessels sail forth together from a port1 the one desires a south wind1 the other a north wind4 ,canst thou produce a wind to satisfy the two8 ,on the morrow ,haman and ,mordecai will appear before thee4 ,wilt thou be able to side with both8 7#ai7 ,the scene of the festivities was in the royal gardens4 ,the upper branches of the high trees were made to interlace with each other1 so as to form vaulted arches1 and the smaller trees with aromatic foliage were taken up out of the ground1 and placed in artfully constructed tents4 ,from tree to tree stretched curtains of byssus1 white and sapphire blue1 and vivid green and royal purple1 fastened to their supports by ropes depending from round silver beams1 these in turn resting on pillars of red1 green1 yellow1 white1 and glittering blue marble4 ,the couches were made of delicate draperies1 their frames stood on silver feet1 and the rods attached to them were of gold4 ,the floor was tiled with crystal and marble1 outlined with precious stones1 whose brilliance illuminated the scene far and wide4 7#bj7 ,the wine and the other beverages were drunk only from golden vessels1 yet ,ahasuerus was so rich that no drinking cup was used more than a single time4 7#ba7 ,but magnificent as these utensils of his were1 when the holy vessels of the ,temple were brought in1 the golden splendor of the others was dimmed2 it turned dull as lead4 ,the wine was in each case older than its drinker4 ,to prevent intoxication from unaccustomed drinks1 every guest was served with the wine indigenous to his native place4 ,in general1 ,ahasuerus followed the ,jewish rather than the ,persian manner4 ,it was a banquet rather than a drinking bout4 7#bb7 ,in ,persia a custom prevailed that every participant in a banquet of wine had to drain a huge beaker far exceeding the drinking capacity of any human being1 and do it he must1 though he lost reason and life4 ,the office butler accordingly was very lucrative1 because the guests at such wassails were in the habit of bribing him to purchase the liberty of drinking as little as they pleased or dared4 ,this ,persian habit of compelling excess in drinking was ignored at ,ahasuerus's banquet2 every guest did as he chose4 7#bc7 ,the royal bounty did not show itself in food and drink alone4 ,the king's guests could also indulge in the pleasures of the dance if they were so minded4 ,dancers were provided1 who charmed the company with their artistic figures displayed upon the purple-covered floor4 7#bd7 ,that the enjoyment of the participants might in no wise be marred1 as by separation from their families1 all were permitted to bring their households with them1 7#be7 and merchants were released from the taxes imposed upon them4 7#bf7 ,so sure was ,ahasuerus of his success as a host that he dared say to his ,jewish guests3 ,will your ,god be able to match this banquet in the future world8 ,whereunto the ,jews replied3 ,the banquet ,god will prepare for the righteous in the world to come is that of which it is written1 ',no eye hath seen it but ,god's2 ,he will accomplish it for them that wait upon ,him4' ,if ,god were to offer us a banquet like unto thine1 ,o king1 we should say1 ,such as this we ate at the table of ,ahasuerus4 7#bg7 ,,vasthi',s ,,banquet ,the banquet given by ,queen ,vashti to the women differed but slightly from ,ahasuerus's4 ,she sought to emulate her husband's example even in the point of exhibiting treasures4 ,six store-chambers she displayed daily to the women she had bidden as guests2 aye1 she did not even shrink from arraying herself in the high-priestly garments4 ,the meats and dishes1 as at ,ahasuerus's table1 were ,palestinian1 only instead of wine1 liqueurs were served1 and sweets4 ,as the weak sex is subject to sudden attacks of indisposition1 the banquet was given in the halls of the palace1 so that the guests might at need withdraw to the adjoining chambers4 ,the gorgeously ornamented apartments of the palace1 besides1 were more attractive to the feminine taste than the natural beauties of the royal gardens1 for a woman would rather reside in beautiful chambers and possess beautiful clothes than eat fatted calves4 7#bh7 ,nothing interested the women more than to become acquainted with the arrangement of the interior of the palace1 for women are curious to know all things4 ,vashti gratified their desire4 ,she showed them all there was to be seen1 describing every place as she came to it3 ,this is the dining-hall1 this the wine-room1 this the bed-chamber4 7#bi7 ,vashti1 too1 was actuated by a political motive when she determined to give her banquet4 ,by inviting the wives of hostages in case the men rose in insurrection against the king4 7#cj7 ,for ,vashti knew the ways of statecraft4 ,she not only was the wife of a king1 but also the daughter of a king1 of ,belshazzar4 ,the night of ,belshazzar's murder in his own palace1 ,vashti1 alarmed by the confusion that ensued1 and not knowing of the death of her father1 fled to the apartments in which he was in the habit of sitting4 ,the ,median ,darius had already ascended the throne of ,belshazzar1 and so it happened that ,vashti1 instead of finding the hoped-for refuge with her father1 ran straight into the hands of his successor4 ,but he had compassion with her1 and gave her to his son ,ahasuerus for wife4 ,,the ,,fate ,,of ,,vashti ,though ,ahasuerus had taken every precaution to prevent intemperate indulgence in wine1 his banquet revealed the essential difference between ,jewish and pagan festivities4 ,when ,jews are gathered about a festal board1 they discuss a ,halakah1 or a ,haggadah1 or1 at the least1 a simple verse from the ,scriptures4 ,ahasuerus and his boon companions rounded out the banquet with prurient talk4 ,the ,persians lauded the charms of the women of their people1 while the ,medians admitted none superior to the ,median women4 ,then the fool ,ahasuerus up and spake3 ,my wife is neither a ,persian nor a ,median1 but a ,chaldean1 yet she excels all in beauty4 ,would you convince yourselves of the truth of my words8 ,yes1 shouted the company1 who were deep in their cups1 but that we may properly judge of her natural charms1 let her appear before us unadorned1 yes1 without any apparel whatsoever1 and ,ahasuerus agreed to the shameless condition4 7#ca7 ,the thing was from ,god1 that so insensate a demand should be made of ,vashti by the king4 ,a whole week ,mordecai had spent in fasting and praying1 supplicating ,god to mete out punishment to ,ahasuerus for his desecration of the ,temple utensils4 ,on the seventh day of the week1 on the ,sabbath1 when ,mordecai after his long fast took food1 because fasting is forbidden on the ,sabbath day1 ,god heard his prayer and the prayer of the ,sanhedrin4 7#cb7 ,he sent down seven ,angels of ,confusion to put an end to ,ahasuerus's pleasure4 ,they were named3 ,mehuman1 ,confusion2 ,biztha1 ,destruction of the ,house2 ,harbonah1 ,annihilation2 ,bigtha and ,abagtha1 the ,pressers of the ,winepress1 for ,god had resolved to crush the court of ,ahasuerus as one presses the juice from grapes in a press2 ,zetha1 ,observer of ,immorality2 and ,carcas1 ,knocker4 7#cc7 ,there was a particular reason why this interruption of the feast took place on the ,sabbath4 ,vashti was in the habit of forcing ,jewish maidens to spin and weave on the ,sabbath day1 and to add to her cruelty1 she would deprive them of all their clothes4 ,it was on the ,sabbath1 therefore1 that her punishment overtook her1 and for the same reason it was put into the king's heart to have her appear in public stripped of all clothing4 7#cd7 ,vashti recoiled from the king's revolting order4 ,but it must not be supposed that she shrank from carrying it out because it offended her moral sense4 ,she was not a whit better than her husband4 ,she fairly revelled in the opportunity his command gave her to indulge in carnal pleasures once again1 for it was exactly a week since she had been delivered of a child4 ,but ,god sent the angel ,gabriel to her to disfigure her countenance4 ,suddenly signs of leprosy appeared on her forehead1 and the marks of other diseases on her person4 7#ce7 ,in this state it was impossible for her to show herself to the king4 ,she made a virtue of necessity1 and worded her refusal to appear before him arrogantly3 ,say to ,ahasuerus3 ',o thou fool and madman6 ,hast thou lost thy reason by too much drinking8 ,i am ,vashti1 the daughter of ,belshazzar1 who was a son of ,nebuchadnezzar1 the ,nebuchadnezzar who scoffed at kings and unto whom princes were a derision1 and even thou wouldst not have been deemed worthy to run before my father's chariot as a courier4 ,had he lived1 ,i should never have been given unto thee for wife4 ,not even those who suffered the death penalty during the reign of my forefather ,nebuchadnezzar were stripped bare of their clothing1 and thou demandest that ,i appear naked in public6 ,why1 it is for thine own sake that ,i refuse to heed they order4 ,either the people will decide that ,i do not come up to thy description of me1 and will proclaim thee a liar1 or1 bewitched by my beauty1 they will kill thee in order to gain possession of me1 saying1 ,shall this fool be the master of so much beauty8' 7#cf7 ,the first lady of the ,persian aristocracy encouraged ,vashti to adhere to her resolution4 ,better1 her adviser said1 when ,ahasuerus's second summons was delivered to ,vashti1 together with his threat to kill her unless she obeyed1 better the king should kill thee and annihilate thy beauty1 than that thy person should be admired by other eyes than thy husband's1 and thus thy name be disgraced1 and the name of thy ancestors4 7#cg7 ,when ,vashti refused to obey the repeated command to appear before the king and the hundred and twenty-seven crowned princes of the realm1 ,ahasuerus turned to the ,jewish sages1 and requested them to pass sentence upon his queen4 ,their thoughts ran in this wise3 ,if we condemn the queen to death1 we shall suffer for it as soon as ,ahasuerus becomes sober1 and hears it was at our advice that she was executed4 ,but if we admonish him unto clemency now1 while he is intoxicated1 he will accuse us of not paying due deference to the majesty of the king4 ,they therefore resolved upon neutrality4 ,since the destruction of the ,temple1 they said to the king1 since we have not dwelt in our land1 we have lost the power to give sage advice1 particularly in matters of life and death4 ,better seek counsel with the wise men of ,ammon and ,moab1 who have ever dwelt at ease in their land1 like wine that hath settled on its lees1 and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel4 7#ch7 ,thereupon ,ahasuerus put his charge against ,vashti before the seven princes of ,persia1 ,carshena1 ,shethar1 ,admatha1 ,tarshish1 ,meres1 ,marsena1 and ,memucan1 who came from ,africa1 ,india1 ,edom1 ,tarsus1 ,mursa1 ,resen1 and ,jerusalem1 respectively4 7#ci7 ,the names of these seven officials1 each representing his country1 were indicative of their office4 ,carshena had the care of the animals1 ,shethar of the wine1 ,admatha of the land1 ,tarshish of the palace1 ,meres of the poultry1 ,marsena of the bakery1 and ,memucan provided for the needs of all in the palace1 his wife acting as housekeeper4 7#dj7 ,this ,memucan1 a native of ,jerusalem1 was none other than ,daniel1 called ,memucan1 the appointed one1 because he was designated by ,god to perform miracles and bring about the death of ,vashti4 7#da7 ,when the king applied for advice to these seven nobles1 ,memucan was the first to speak up1 though in rank he was inferior to the other six1 as appears from the place his name occupies in the list4 ,however1 it is customary1 as well among ,persians as among ,jews1 in passing death sentence1 to begin taking the vote with the youngest of the judges on the bench1 to prevent the juniors and the less prominent from being overawed by the opinion of the more influential4 7#db7 ,it was ,memucan's advice to the king to make an example of ,vashti1 so that in future no woman should dare refuse obedience to her husband4 ,daniel-,memucan had had unpleasant experiences in his conjugal life4 ,he had married a wealthy ,persian lady1 who insisted upon speaking to him in her own language exclusively4 7#dc7 ,besides1 personal antipathy existed between ,daniel and ,vashti4 ,he had in a measure been the cause of her refusal to appear before the king and his princes4 ,vashti hated ,daniel1 because it was he who had prophesied his death to her father1 and the extinction of his dynasty4 ,she could not endure his sight1 wherefore she would not show herself to the court in his presence4 7#dd7 ,also1 it was ,daniel who1 by pronouncing the ,name of ,god1 had caused the beauty of ,vashti to vanish1 and her face to be marred4 7#de7 ,in consequence of all this1 ,daniel advised1 not only that ,vashti should be cast off1 but that she should be made harmless forever by the hangman's hand4 ,his advice was endorsed by his colleagues1 and approved by the king4 ,that the king might not delay execution of the death sentence1 and ,daniel himself thus incur danger to his own life1 he made ,ahasuerus swear the most solemn oath known to the ,persians1 that it would be carried out forthwith4 ,at the same time a royal edict was promulgated1 making it the duty of wives to obey their husbands4 ,with special reference to ,daniel's domestic difficulties1 it was specified that the wife must speak the language of her lord and master4 7#df7 ,the execution of ,vashti brought most disastrous consequences in its train4 ,his whole empire1 which is tantamount to saying the whole world1 rose against ,ahasuerus4 ,the widespread rebellion was put down only after his marriage with ,esther1 but not before it had inflicted upon him the loss of one hundred and twenty-seven provinces1 the half of his kingdom4 ,such was his punishment for refusing permission to rebuild the ,temple4 ,it was only after the fall of ,haman1 when ,mordecai had been made the chancellor of the empire1 that ,ahasuerus succeeded in reducing the revolted provinces to submission4 7#dg7 ,the death of ,vashti was not undeserved punishment1 for it had been she who had prevented the king from giving his consent to the rebuilding of the ,temple4 ,wilt thou rebuild the ,temple1 said she1 reproachfully1 which my ancestors destroyed8 7#dh7 ,,the ,,follies ,,of ,,ahasuerus ,ahasuerus is the prototype of the unstable1 foolish ruler4 ,he sacrificed his wife ,vashti to his friend ,haman-,memucan1 and later on again his friend ,haman to his wife ,esther4 7#di7 ,folly possessed him1 too1 when he arranged extravagant festivities for guests from afar1 before he had won1 by means of kindly treatment1 the friendship of his surroundings1 of the inhabitants of his capital4 7#ej7 ,ridiculous is the word that describes his edict bidding wives obey their husbands4 ,every one who read it exclaimed3 ,to be sure1 a man is master in his own house6 ,however1 the silly decree served its purpose4 ,it revealed his true character to the subjects of ,ahasuerus1 and thenceforward they attached little importance to his edicts4 ,this was the reason why the decree of annihilation directed against the ,jews failed of the effect expected by ,haman and ,ahasuerus4 ,the people regarded it as but another of the king's foolish pranks1 and therefore were ready to acquiesce in the revocation of the edict when it came4 7#ea7 ,the king's true character appeared when he grew sober after the episode with ,vashti4 ,learning that he had had her executed1 he burst out furiously against his seven counsellors1 and in turn ordered them to death4 7#eb7 ,foolish1 too1 is the only word to describe the manner in which he set about discovering the most beautiful woman in his dominion4 ,king ,david on a similar occasion wisely sent out messengers who were to bring to him the most beautiful maiden in the land1 and there was none who was not eager to enjoy the honor of giving a daughter of his to the king4 ,ahasuerus's method was to have his servants gather together a multitude of beautiful maidens and women from all parts1 and among them he proposed to make choice4 ,the result of this system was that the women concealed themselves to avoid being taken into the harem of the king1 when it was not certain that they would be found worthy of becoming his queen4 7#ec7 ,with his stupidity ,ahasuerus combined wantonness4 ,he ordered force to be used in taking the maidens from their parents and the wives from their husbands1 and then he confined them in his harem4 7#ed7 ,on the other hand1 the moral sense of the heathen was so degraded that many maidens displayed their charms to public view1 so that they might be sure to attract the admiring attention of the royal emissaries4 ,as for ,esther1 for four years ,mordecai kept her concealed in a chamber1 so that the king's scouts could not discover her4 ,but her beauty had long been known to fame1 and when they returned to ,shushan1 they had to confess to the king1 that the most superbly beautiful woman in the land eluded their search4 ,thereupon ,ahasuerus issued a decree ordaining the death penalty for the woman who should secrete herself before his emissaries4 ,there was nothing left for ,mordecai to do but fetch ,esther from her hiding-place1 and immediately she was espied and carried to the palace of the king4 7#ee7 ,,mordecai ,the descent of ,mordecai and of his niece ,esther is disposed of in a few words in the ,scripture4 ,but he could trace it all the way back to the ,patriarch ,jacob1 from whom he was forty-five degrees removed4 7#ef7 ,beside the father of ,mordecai1 the only ancestor of his who is mentioned by name is ,shimei1 and he is mentioned for a specific reason4 ,this ,shimei is none other then the notorious son of ,gera1 the rebel who had so scoffed and mocked at ,david fleeing before ,absalom that he would have been killed by ,abishai1 if ,david had not generously interfered in his favor4 ,david's prophetic eye discerned in ,shimei the ancestor of ,israel's savior in the time of ,ahasuerus4 ,for this reason he dealt leniently with him1 and on his death-bed he bade his son ,solomon reserve vengeance until ,shimei should have reached old age and could beget no more children4 ,thus ,mordecai deserves both appellations1 the ,benjamite and the ,judean1 for he owed his existence not only to his actual ,benjamite forebears on his father's side1 but also to the ,judean ,david1 who kept his ancestor ,shimei alive4 7#eg7 ,shimei's distinction as the ancestor of ,israel's redeemer was due to the merits of his wife4 ,when ,jonathan and ,ahimaaz1 ,david's spies in his war against his son1 fled before the myrmidons of ,absalom1 they found the gate of ,shimei's house open4 ,entering1 they concealed themselves in the well4 ,that they escaped detection was due to the ruse of ,shimei's pious wife4 ,she quickly transformed the well into a lady's chamber4 ,when ,absalom's men came and looked about1 they desisted from searching the place1 because they reasoned1 that men as saintly as ,jonathan and ,ahimaaz would not have taken refuge in the private apartment of a woman4 ,god determined1 that for having rescued two pious men ,he would reward her with two pious descendants1 who should in turn avert the ruin of ,israel4 7#eh7 ,on his mother's side1 ,mordecai was1 in very deed1 a member of the tribe of ,judah4 7#ei7 ,in any event1 he was a son of ,judah in the true sense of the word2 he publicly acknowledged himself a ,jew1 and he refused to touch of the forbidden food which ,ahasuerus set before his guest at his banquet4 7#fj7 ,his other appellatives likewise point to his piety and his excellencies4 ,his name ,mordecai1 for instance1 consists of ,mor1 meaning myrrh1 and ,decai1 pure1 for he was as refined and noble as pure myrrh4 ,again1 he is called ,ben ,jair1 because he illumined the eyes of ,israel2 and ,ben ,kish1 because when he knocked at the gates of the ,divine mercy1 they were opened unto him1 which is likewise the origin of his name ,ben ,shimei1 for he was heard by ,god when he offered up prayer4 7#fa7 ,still another of ,mordecai's epithets was ,bilshan1 master of languages4 ,being a member of the great ,sanhedrin he understood all the seventy languages spoken in the world4 7#fb7 ,more than that1 he knew the language of the deaf mutes4 ,it once happened that no new grain could be obtained at ,passover time4 ,a deaf mute came and pointed with one hand to the roof and with the other to the cottage4 ,mordecai understood that these signs meant a locality by the name of ,gagot-,zerifim1 ,cottage-,roofs1 and1 lo1 new grain was found there for the ',omer offering4 ,on another occasion a deaf mute pointed with one hand to his eye and with the other to the staple of the bolt on the door4 ,mordecai understood that he meant a place called ,en-,soker1 dry well1 for eye and spring are the same word1 ,en1 in ,aramaic1 and ,sikra also has a double meaning1 staple and exhaustion4 7#fc7 ,mordecai belonged to the highest aristocracy of ,jerusalem1 he was of royal blood1 and he was deported to ,babylonian together with ,king ,jeconiah1 by ,nebuchadnezzar1 who at that time exiled only the great of the land4 7#fd7 ,later he returned to ,palestine1 but remained only for a time4 ,he preferred to live in the ,diaspora1 and watch over the education of ,esther4 ,when ,cyrus and ,darius captured ,babylon1 ,mordecai1 ,daniel1 and the ,jewish community of the conquered city accompanied ,king ,cyrus to ,shushan1 where ,mordecai established his academy4 7#fe7 ,,esther',s ,,beauty ,,and ,,piety ,the birth of ,esther caused the death of her mother4 ,her father had died a little while before1 so she was entirely orphaned4 ,mordecai and his wife interested themselves in the poor babe4 ,his wife became her nurse1 and he himself did not hesitate1 when there was need for it1 to do services for the child that are usually performed only by women4 7#ff7 ,both her names1 ,esther as well as ,hadassah1 are descriptive of her virtues4 ,hadassah1 or ,myrtle1 she is called1 because her good deeds spread her fame abroad1 as the sweet fragrance of the myrtle pervades the air in which it grows4 ,in general1 the myrtle is symbolic of the pious1 because1 as the myrtle is ever green1 summer and winter alike1 so the saints never suffer dishonor1 either in this world or in the world to come4 ,in another way ,esther resembled the myrtle1 which1 in spite of its pleasant scent1 has a bitter taste4 ,esther was pleasant to the ,jews1 but bitterness itself to ,haman and all who belonged to him4 ,the name ,esther is equally significant4 ,in ,hebrew it means she who conceals1 a fitting name for the niece of ,mordecai1 the woman who well knew how to guard a secret1 and long hid her descent and faith from the king and the court4 ,she herself had been kept concealed for years in the house of her uncle1 withdrawn from the searching eyes of the king's spies4 ,above all she was the hidden light that suddenly shone upon ,israel in his rayless darkness4 ,in build1 ,esther was neither tall nor short1 she was exactly of average height1 another reason for calling her ,myrtle1 a plant which likewise is neither large nor small4 ,in point of fact1 ,esther was not a beauty in the real sense of the word4 ,the beholder was bewitched by her grace and her charm1 and that in spite of her somewhat sallow1 myrtle-like complexion4 7#fg7 ,more than this1 her enchanting grace was not the grace of youth1 for she was seventy-five years old when she came to court1 and captivated the hearts of all who saw her1 from king to eunuch4 ,this was in fulfilment of the prophecy which ,god made to ,abraham when he was leaving the home of his father3 ,thou art leaving the house of thy father at the age of seventy-five4 ,as thou livest1 the deliverer of thy children in ,media also shall be seventy-five years old4 ,another historical event pointed forward to ,esther's achievement4 ,when the ,jews1 after the destruction of ,jerusalem1 broke out into the wail1 ,we are orphans and fatherless1 ,god said3 in very sooth1 the redeemer whom ,i shall send unto you in ,media shall also be an orphan fatherless and motherless4 7#fh7 ,ahasuerus put ,esther between two groups of beauties1 ,median beauties to right of her1 and ,persian beauties to left of her4 ,yet ,esther's comeliness outshone them all4 7#fi7 ,not even ,joseph could vie with the ,jewish queen in grace4 ,grace was suspended above him1 but ,esther was fairly laden down with it4 7#gj7 ,whoever saw her1 pronounced her the ideal of beauty of his nation4 ,the general exclamation was3 ,this one is worthy of being queen4 7#ga7 ,in vain ,ahasuerus had sought a wife for four years1 in vain fathers had spent time and money bringing their daughters to him1 in the hope that one or the other would appeal to his fancy4 ,none among the maidens1 none among the women1 pleased ,ahasuerus4 ,but scarcely had he set eyes upon ,esther when he thrilled with the feeling1 that he had at last found what he had long yearned for4 7#gb7 ,all these years the portrait of ,vashti had hung in his chamber4 ,he had not forgotten his rejected queen4 ,but once he beheld ,esther1 ,vashti's picture was replaced by hers4 7#gc7 ,maiden grace and womanly charm were in her united4 7#gd7 ,the change in her worldly position wrought no change in ,esther's ways and manners4 ,as she retained her beauty until old age1 so the queen remained as pure in mind and soul as ever the simple maiden had been4 ,all the other women who entered the gates of the royal palace made exaggerated demands1 ,esther's demeanor continued modest and unassuming4 ,the others insisted that the seven girl pages assigned to them should have certain peculiar qualities1 as1 that they should not differ1 each from her mistress1 in complexion and height4 ,esther uttered no wish whatsoever4 ,but her unpretending ways were far from pleasing to ,hegai1 chief of the eunuchs of the harem4 ,he feared lest the king discover that ,esther did nothing to preserve her beauty1 and would put the blame for it upon him1 an accusation that might bring him to the gallows4 ,to avoid such a fate1 he loaded ,esther down with resplendent jewels1 distinguishing her beyond all the other women gathered in the palace1 as ,joseph1 by means of costly gifts lavished upon him1 had singled out her ancestor ,benjamin from among his brethren4 ,hegai paid particular attention to what ,esther ate4 ,for her he brought dishes from the royal table1 which1 however1 she refused obstinately to ouch4 ,only such things passed her lips as were permitted to ,jews4 ,she lived entirely on vegetable food1 as ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah had aforetimes done at the court of ,nebuchadnezzar4 7#ge7 ,the forbidden tidbits she passed over to the non-,jewish servants4 7#gf7 ,her personal attendants were seven ,jewish maidens as consistently pious as herself1 whose devotion to the ritual law ,esther could depend upon4 ,otherwise ,esther was cut off from all intercourse with ,jews1 and she was in danger of forgetting when the ,sabbath bath came around4 ,she therefore adopted the device of giving her seven attendants peculiar names1 to keep her in mind of the passage of time4 ,the first one was called ,hulta1 ,workaday1 and she was in attendance upon ,esther on ,sundays4 ,on ,mondays1 she was served by ,rokita1 to remind her of ,rekia1 the ,firmament1 which was created on the second day of the world4 ,tuesday's maid was called ,genunita1 ,garden1 the third day of creation having produced the world of plants4 ,on ,wednesday1 she was reminded by ,nehorita's name1 the ,luminous1 that it was the day on which ,god had made the great luminaries1 to shed their light in the sky2 on ,thursday by ,ruhshita1 ,movement1 for on the fifth day the first animated beings were created2 on ,friday1 the day on which the beasts came into being1 by ,hurfita1 little ,ewelamb2 and on the ,sabbath her bidding was done by ,regoita1 ,rest4 ,thus she was sure to remember the ,sabbath day week after week4 7#gg7 ,mordecai's daily visits to the gate of the palace had a similar purpose4 ,thus ,esther was afforded the opportunity of obtaining instruction from him on all ritual doubts that might assail her4 7#gh7 ,this lively interest displayed by ,mordecai in ,esther's physical and spiritual welfare is not wholly attributable to an uncle's and guardian's solicitude in behalf of an orphaned niece4 ,a much closer bond1 the bond between husband and wife1 united them1 for when ,esther had grown to maidenhood1 ,mordecai had espoused her4 7#gi7 ,naturally1 ,esther would have been ready to defend her conjugal honor with her life4 ,she would gladly have suffered death at the hands of the king's bailiffs rather than yield herself to a man not her husband4 ,luckily1 there was no need for this sacrifice1 for her marriage with ,ahasuerus was but a feigned union4 ,god has sent down a female spirit in the guise of ,esther to take her place with the king4 ,esther herself never lived with ,ahasuerus as his wife4 7#hj7 ,at the advice of her uncle1 ,esther kept her descent and her faith a secret4 ,mordecai's injunction was dictated by several motives4 ,first of all it was his modesty that suggested secrecy4 ,he thought the king1 if he heard from ,esther that she had been raised by him1 might offer to install him in some high office4 ,in point of fact1 ,mordecai was right in his conjecture2 ,ahasuerus had pledged himself to make lords1 princes1 and kings of ,esther's friends and kinspeople1 if she would but name them4 ,another reason for keeping ,esther's ,jewish affiliations a secret was ,mordecai's apprehension1 that the fate of ,vashti overtake ,esther1 too4 ,if such were in store for her1 he desired at least to guard against the ,jews' becoming her fellowsuffers4 ,besides1 ,mordecai knew only too well the inimical feelings entertained by the heathen toward the ,jews1 ever since their exile from the ,holy ,land1 and he feared that the ,jew-haters1 to gratify their hostility against the ,jews1 might bring about the ruin of ,esther and her house4 7#ha7 ,mindful of the perils to which ,esther was exposed1 ,mordecai allowed no day to pass without assuring himself of her well-being4 ,his compensation therefore came from ,god3 ,thou makest the well-being of a single soul they intimate concern4 ,as thou livest1 the well-being and good of thy whole nation ,israel shall be entrusted to thee as thy task4 7#hb7 ,and to reward him for his modesty1 ,god said3 ,thou withdrawest thyself from greatness2 as thou livest1 ,i will honor thee more than all men on earth4 7#hc7 ,vain were the efforts made by ,ahasuerus to draw her secret from ,esther4 ,he arranged great festivities for the purpose1 but she guarded it well4 ,she had an answer ready for his most insistent questions3 ,i know neither my people nor my family1 for ,i lost my parents in my earliest infancy4 ,but as the king desired greatly to show himself gracious to the nation to which the queen belonged1 he released all the peoples under his dominion from the payment of taxes and imposts4 ,in this way1 he thought1 her nation was bound to be benefited4 7#hd7 ,when the king saw that kindness and generosity left her untouched1 he sought to wrest the secret from her by threats4 ,once when she parried his inquiries in the customary way1 saying1 ,i am an orphan1 and ,god1 the ,father of the fatherless1 in ,his mercy1 has brought me up1 he retorted3 ,i shall gather virgins together the second time4 ,his purpose was to provoke the jealousy of ,esther1 for a woman is jealous of nothing so much as a rival4 ,when ,mordecai noticed that women were being brought to court anew1 he was overcome with anxiety for his niece4 ,thinking that the fate of ,vashti might have befallen her1 he was impelled to make inquires about her4 7#he7 ,as for ,esther herself1 she was but following the example of her race4 ,she could keep silent in all modesty1 as ,rachel1 the mother of ,benjamin1 had kept a modest silence when her father gave her sister ,leah to ,jacob for wife instead of herself1 and as ,saul the ,benjamite was modestly reserved when1 questioned by his uncle1 he told about the finding of his she-asses1 but nothing about his elevation to the kingship4 ,rachel and ,saul were recompensed for their self-abnegation by being given a descendant like ,esther4 7#hf7 ,,the ,,conspiracy ,once the following conversation took place between ,ahasuerus and ,esther4 ,the king asked ,esther3 ,whose daughter art thou8 ,esther3 ,and whose son art thou8 ,ahasuerus3 ,i am a king1 and the son of a king4 ,esther3 ,and ,i am a queen1 the daughter of kings1 a descendant of the royal family of ,saul4 ,if thou art1 indeed1 a real prince1 how couldst thou put ,vashti to death8 ,ahasuerus3 ,it was not to gratify my own wish1 but at the advice of the great princes of ,persia and ,media4 ,esther3 ,thy predecessors took no advice from ordinary intelligences2 they were guided by prophetical counsel4 ,arioch brought ,daniel to ,nebuchadnezzar1 king of ,babylon1 and ,belshazzar1 too1 summoned ,daniel before him4 ,ahasuerus3 ,is there aught left of those toothsome morsels8 ,are there still prophets abroad8 ,esther3 ,seek and thou wilt find4 7#hg7 ,the result was that ,mordecai was given the position at court once occupied by the chamberlains ,bigthan and ,teresh4 ,indignant that a place once filled by senators should be given to a barbarian1 the ousted officials resolved to be revenged upon the king and take his life4 ,their purpose was to administer poison1 which seemed easy of accomplishment1 as they were the royal butlers1 and could find many occasions to drop poison into a cup of water before handing it to the king4 ,the plan successfully carried out would have satisfied their vengeful feelings1 not only as to the king1 but as to ,mordecai as well4 ,it would have made it appear that the death of ,ahasuerus was attributable to the circumstance1 that he had entrusted his person to the care of the ,jew1 as his life had been secure under ,bigthan and ,teresh4 ,they discussed their plans in the presence of ,mordecai1 acting upon the unwarranted assumption1 that he would not understand the language they spoke1 the ,tarsian1 their native tongue4 ,they were ignorant of the fact1 that ,mordecai was a member of the ,sanhedrin1 and as such knew all the seventy languages of the world4 ,thus their own tongue betrayed them to ruin4 ,however1 ,mordecai had no need to make use of his great knowledge of languages2 he obtained his information about the plot of the two chamberlains through prophetical channels4 ,accordingly1 he appeared one night in the palace4 ,by a miracle the guards at the gates had not seen him1 and he could enter unrestrained4 ,thus he overheard the conversation between the two conspirators4 ,mordecai had more than a single reason for preventing the death of ,ahasuerus4 ,in the first place1 he desired to secure the king's friendship for the ,jews1 and more especially his permission for the rebuilding of the ,temple4 ,then he feared1 if the king were murdered immediately after his rise to a high place in the state1 the heathen would assign as the cause of the disaster his connection with the ,jews his marriage with ,esther and the appointment of ,mordecai to office4 ,esther's confidence in ,mordecai's piety was so great that she unhesitatingly gave credence to the message she received from him concerning the mischievous plot hatched against the king4 ,she believed that ,god would execute the wishes of ,mordecai4 ,albeit ,bigthan and ,teresh had no plans of the sort attributed to them by her uncle1 they would conceive then now in order to make ,mordecai's words true4 ,that ,esther's confidence was justified appeared at once4 ,the conspirators got wind of their betrayal to the king1 and in good time they removed the poison they had already placed in ,ahasuerus's cup4 ,but that the lie might not be given to ,mordecai1 ,god caused poison to appear where none had been1 and the conspirators were convicted of their crime4 7#hh7 ,the king had the water analyzed which he was given to drink1 and it was made manifest that it contained poison4 7#hi7 ,other evidence besides existed against the two plotters4 ,it was established that both had at the same time busied themselves about the person of the king1 though the regulations of the palace assigned definite hours of service to the one different from those assigned to the other4 ,this made it clear that they intended to perpetrate a dark deed in common4 7#ij7 ,the two conspirators sought to escape the legitimate punishment for their dastardly deed by ending their own life4 ,but their intention was frustrated1 and they were nailed to the cross4 7#ia7 ,,haman ,,the ,,jew-,,baiter ,the conspiracy of ,bigthan and ,teresh determined the king never again to have two chamberlains guard his person4 ,henceforward he would entrust his safety to a single individual1 and he appointed ,haman to the place4 ,this was an act of ingratitude toward ,mordecai1 who1 as the king's savior1 had the most cogent claims upon the post4 7#ib7 ,but ,haman possessed one important advantage1 he was the owner of great wealth4 ,with the exception of ,korah he was the richest man that had ever lived1 for he had appropriated to himself the treasures of the ,judean kings and of the ,temple4 7#ic7 ,ahasuerus had an additional reason for distinguishing ,haman4 ,he was well aware of ,mordecai's ardent desire to see the ,temple restored1 and he instinctively felt he could not deny the wish of the man who had snatched him from untimely death4 ,yet he was not prepared to grant it4 ,to escape from the dilemma he endeavored to make ,haman act as a counterpoise against ,mordecai1 that what the one built up1 the other might pull down4 7#id7 ,ahasuerus had long been acquainted with ,haman's feeling against the ,jews4 ,when the quarrel about the rebuilding of the ,temple broke out between the ,jews and their heathen adversaries1 and the sons of ,haman denounced the ,jews before ,ahasuerus1 the two parties at odds agreed to send each a representative to the king1 to advocate his case4 ,mordecai was appointed the ,jewish delegate1 and no more rabid ,jew-hater could be found than ,haman1 to plead the cause of the antagonists of the ,temple builders4 7#ie7 ,as for his character1 that1 too1 ,king ,ahasuerus had had occasion to see in its true light1 because ,haman is but another name for ,memucan1 the prince who is chargeable in the last resort with the death of ,vashti4 ,at the time of the king's wrath against the queen1 ,memucan was still lowest in the rank among the seven princes of ,persia1 yet1 arrogant as he was1 he was the first to speak up when the king put his question about the punishment due to ,vashti an illustration of the popular adage3 ,the common man rushes to the front4 7#if7 ,haman's hostility toward ,vashti dated from her banquet1 to which the queen had failed to bid his wife as guest4 ,moreover1 she had once insulted him by striking him a blow in the face4 ,besides1 ,haman calculated1 if only ,vashti's repudiation could be brought about1 he might succeed in marrying his own daughter to the king4 7#ig7 ,he was not the only disappointed man at court4 ,in part the conspiracy of ,bigthan and ,teresh was a measure of revenge against ,ahasuerus for having made choice of ,esther instead of a kinswoman of theirs4 7#ih7 ,esther once married to the king1 however1 ,haman made the best of a bad bargain4 ,he tried by every means in his power to win the friendship of the queen4 ,whether she was ,jewess or heathen1 he desired to claim kinship with her as a ,jewess through the fraternal bond between ,esau and ,jacob1 as a heathen easily enough1 for all the heathen area akin to one another4 7#ii7 ,,mordecai',s ,,pride ,when ,ahasuerus raised ,haman to his high office1 he at the same time issued the order1 that all who saw him were to prostrate themselves before him and pay him ,divine honors4 ,to make it manifest that the homage due to him had an idolatrous character1 ,haman had the image of an idol fastened to his clothes1 so that whoever bowed down before him1 worshipped an idol at the same time4 7#ajj7 ,mordecai alone of all at court refused to obey the royal order4 ,the highest officials1 even the most exalted judges1 showed ,haman the reverence bidden by the king4 ,the ,jews themselves entreated ,mordecai not to call forth the fury of ,haman1 and cause the ruin of ,israel thereby4 ,mordecai1 however1 remained steadfast2 no persuasions could move him to pay to a mortal the tribute due to ,divinity4 7#aja7 ,also the servants of the king who sat at the gate of the royal palace said to ,mordecai3 ,wherein art thou better than we1 that we should pay reverence to ,haman and prostrate ourselves1 and thou doest naught of all commanded us in the matter8 ,mordecai answered1 saying ,o ye fools without understanding6 ,hear ye my words and make meet reply thereunto4 ,who is man that he should act proudly and arrogantly man born of woman and few in days8 ,at his birth there is weeping and travailing1 in his youth pain and groans1 all his days are 'full of trouble1' and in the end he returns unto dust4 ,before such an one ,i should prostrate myself8 ,i bend the knee before ,god alone1 the only living ,one in heaven1 ,he who is the fire consuming all other fires2 who holds the earth in ,his arms2 who stretches out the heavens in ,his might2 who darkens the sun when it pleases ,him1 and illumines the darkness2 who commanded the sand to set bounds unto the seas2 who made the waters of the sea salt1 and caused its waves to spread an aroma as of wine2 who chained the sea as with manacles1 and held it fast in the depths of the abyss that it might not overflow the land2 it rages1 yet it cannot pass its limits4 ,with ,his word ,he created the firmament1 which ,he stretched out like a cloud in the air2 ,he cast it over the world like a dark vault1 like a tent it is spread over the earth4 ,in ,his strength ,he upholds all there is above and below4 ,the sun1 the moon1 and the ,pleiades run before ,him1 the stars and the planets are not idle for a single moment2 they rest not1 they speed before ,him as ,his messengers1 going to the right and to the left1 to do the will of ,him who created them4 ,to ,him praise is due1 before ,him we must prostrate ourselves4 ,the court officials spake and said3 ,yet we know well that thy ancestor ,jacob prostrated himself before ,haman's ancestor ,esau6 ,whereunto ,mordecai made reply3 ,i am a descendant of ,benjamin1 who was not yet born when his father ,jacob and his brothers cast themselves upon the earth before ,esau4 ,my ancestor never showed such honor to a mortal4 ,therefore was ,benjamin's allotment of land in ,palestine privileged to contain the ,temple4 ,the spot whereon ,israel and all the peoples of the earth prostrated themselves before ,god belonged to him who had never prostrated himself before mortal man4 ,therefore ,i will not bend my knee before this sinner ,haman1 nor cast myself to earth before him4 7#ajb7 ,haman at first tried to propitiate ,mordecai by a show of modesty4 ,as though he had not noticed the behavior of ,mordecai1 he approached him1 and saluted him with the words3 ,peace be with thee1 my lord6 ,but ,mordecai bluntly replied3 ,there is no peace1 saith my ,god1 to the wicked4 7#ajc7 ,the hatred of ,mordecai cherished by ,haman was due to more than the hereditary enmity between the descendants of ,saul and ,agag4 7#ajd7 ,not even ,mordecai's public refusal to pay the homage due to ,haman suffices to explain its virulence4 ,mordecai was aware of a certain incident in the past of ,haman4 ,if he had divulged it1 the betrayal would have been most painful to the latter4 ,this accounts for the intensity of his feeling4 ,it once happened that a city in ,india rebelled against ,ahasuerus4 ,in great haste troops were dispatched thither under the command of ,mordecai and ,haman4 ,it was estimated that the campaign would require three years1 and all preparations were made accordingly4 ,by the end of the first year ,haman had squandered the provisions laid in to supply the part of the army commanded by him1 for the whole term of the campaign4 ,greatly embarrassed1 he requested ,mordecai to give him aid4 ,mordecai1 however1 refused him succor2 they both had been granted the same amount of provisions for an equal number of men4 ,haman then offered to borrow from ,mordecai and pay him interest4 ,this1 too1 ,mordecai refused to do1 and for two reasons4 ,if ,mordecai had supplied ,haman's men with provisions1 his own would have to suffer1 and as for interest1 the law prohibits it1 saying ,unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury1 and ,jacob and ,esau1 the respective ancestors of ,mordecai and ,haman1 had been brothers4 ,when starvation stared them in the face1 the troops commanded by ,haman threatened him with death unless he gave them their rations4 ,haman again resorted to ,mordecai1 and promised to pay him as much as ten per cent interest4 ,the ,jewish general continued to refuse the offer4 ,but he professed himself willing to help him out of his embarrassment on one condition1 that ,haman sell himself to ,mordecai as his slave4 ,driven into a corner1 he acquiesced1 and the contract was written upon ,mordecai's knee-cap1 because there was no paper to be found in the camp4 ,the bill of sale ran thus3 ,i1 ,haman1 the son of ,hammedatha of the family of ,agag1 was sent out by ,king ,ahasuerus to make war upon an ,indian city1 with an army of sixty thousand soldiers1 furnished with the necessary provisions4 ,precisely the same commission was given by the king to ,mordecai1 the son of ,shimei of the tribe of ,benjamin4 ,but ,i squandered the provisions entrusted to me by the king1 so that ,i had no rations to give to my troops4 ,i desired to borrow from ,mordecai on interest1 but1 having regard to the fact that ,jacob and ,esau were brothers1 he refused to lend me upon usury1 and ,i was forced to sell myself as slave to him4 ,if1 now1 ,i should at any time decline to serve him as a slave1 or deny that ,i am his slave1 or if my children and children's children unto the end of all time should refuse to do him service1 if only a single day of the week2 or if ,i should act inimically toward him on account of this contract1 as ,esau did toward ,jacob after selling him his birthright2 in all these cases1 a beam of wood is to be plucked out of the house of the recalcitrant1 and he is to be hanged upon it4 ,i1 ,haman1 the son of ,hammedatha of the family of ,agag1 being under no restraint1 do hereby consent with my own will1 and bind myself to be slave in perpetuity to ,mordecai1 in accordance with the contents of this document4 ,later1 when ,haman attained to high rank in the state1 ,mordecai1 whenever he met him1 was in the habit of stretching out his knee toward him1 so that he might see the bill of sale4 ,this so enraged him against ,mordecai and against the ,jews that he resolved to extirpate the ,jewish people4 7#aje7 ,,casting ,,the ,,lots ,haman's hatred1 first directed against ,mordecai alone1 grew apace until it included ,mordecai's colleagues1 all the scholars1 whom he sought to destroy1 and not satisfied with even this1 he plotted the annihilation of the whole of ,mordecai's people1 the ,jews4 7#ajf7 ,before beginning to lay out his plans1 he desired to determine the most favorable moment for his undertaking1 which he did by casting lots4 ,first of all he wanted to decide on the day of the week4 ,the scribe ,shimshai began to cast lots4 ,sunday appeared inappropriate1 being the day on which ,god created heaven and earth1 whose continuance depends on ,israel's existence4 ,were it not for ,god's covenant with ,israel1 there would be neither day nor night1 neither heaven nor earth4 ,monday showed itself equally unpropitious for ,haman's devices1 for it was the day on which ,god effected the separation between the celestial and the terrestrial waters1 symbolic of the separation between ,israel and the heathen4 ,tuesday1 the day on which the vegetable world was created1 refused to give its aid in bringing about the ruin of ,israel1 who worships ,god with branches of palm trees4 ,wednesday1 too1 protested against the annihilation of ,israel1 saying3 ,on me the celestial luminaries were created1 and like unto them ,israel is appointed to illumine the whole world4 ,first destroy me1 and then ,thou mayest destroy ,israel4 ,thursday said3 ,o ,lord1 on me the birds were created1 which are used for sin offerings4 ,when ,israel shall be no more1 who will bring offerings8 ,first destroy me1 and then ,thou mayest destroy ,israel4 ,friday was unfavorable to ,haman's lots1 because it was the day of the creation of man1 and the ,lord ,god said to ,israel1 ,ye are men4 ,least of all was the ,sabbath day inclined to make itself subservient to ,haman's wicked plans4 ,it said3 ,the ,sabbath is a sign between ,israel and ,god4 ,first destroy me1 and then ,thou mayest destroy ,israel6 7#ajg7 ,baffled1 ,haman gave up all idea of settling upon a favorable day of the week4 ,he applied himself to the task of searching out the suitable month for his sinister undertaking4 ,as it appeared to him1 ,adar was the only one of the twelve owning naught that might be interpreted in favor of the ,jews4 ,the rest of them seemed to be enlisted on their side4 ,in ,nisan ,israel was redeemed from ,egypt2 in ,iyar ,amlek was overcome2 ,in ,siwan the ,ethiopian ,zerah was smitten in the war with ,asa2 in ,tammuz the ,amorite kings were subjugated2 in ,ab the ,jews won a victory over ,arad1 the ,canaanite2 in ,tishri the ,jewish kingdom was firmly established by the dedication of ,solomon's ,temple1 while in ,heshwan the building of the ,temple at ,jerusalem was completed2 ,kislew and ,tebet were the months during which ,sihon and ,og were conquered by the ,israelites1 and in ,shebat occurred the sanguinary campaign of the eleven tribes against the godless children of ,benjamin4 ,not alone was ,adar a month without favorable significance in ,jewish history1 but actually a month of misfortune1 the month in which ,moses died4 ,what ,haman did not know was1 that ,adar was the month in which occurred also the birth of ,moses4 7#ajh7 ,then ,haman investigated the twelve signs of the zodiac in relation to ,israel1 and again it appeared that ,adar was the most unfavorable month for the ,jews4 ,the first constellation1 the ,ram1 said to ,haman1 ',israel is a scattered sheep1' and how canst thou expect a father to offer his son for slaughter8 ,the ,bull said3 ,israel's ancestor was 'the firstling bullock4' ,the ,twins3 ,as we are twins1 so ,tamar bore twins to ,judah4 ,the ,crab3 ,as ,i am called ,saratan1 the scratcher1 so it is said of ,israel1 ',all that oppress him1 he shall scratch sorely4' ,the ,lion3 ,god is called the lion1 and is it likely the lion will permit the fox to bite his children8 ,the ,virgin3 ,as ,i am a virgin1 so ,israel is compared unto a virgin4 ,the ,balance3 ,israel obeys the law against unjust balances in the ,torah1 and must therefore be protected by the ,balance4 ,the ,scorpion3 ,israel is like unto me1 for he1 too1 is called scorpion4 ,the ,archer3 ,the sons of ,judah are masters of the bow1 and the bows of mighty men directed against them will be broken4 ,the ,goat3 ,it was a goat that brought blessing unto ,jacob1 the ancestor of ,israel1 and it stands to reason that the blessing of the ancestor cannot cause misfortune to the descendant4 ,the ,water-bearer3 ,his dominion is likened unto a bucket1 and therefore the ,water-bearer cannot but bring him good4 7#aji7 ,the ,fishes were the only constellation which1 at least according to ,haman's interpretation1 made unfavorable prognostications as to the fate of the ,jews4 ,it said that the ,jews would be swallowed like fishes4 ,god however spake3 ,o thou villain6 ,fishes are sometimes swallowed1 but sometimes they swallow1 and thou shalt be swallowed by the swallowers4 7#aaj7 ,and when ,haman began to cast lots1 ,god said3 ,o thou villain1 son of a villain6 ,what thy lots have shown thee is thine own lot1 that thou wilt be hanged4 7#aaa7 ,,the ,,denunciation ,,of ,,the ,,jews ,his resolve to ruin the ,jews taken1 ,haman appeared before ,ahasuerus with his accusation against them4 ,there is a certain people1 he said1 the ,jews1 scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of the kingdom4 ,they are proud and presumptuous4 ,in ,tebet1 in the depth of winter1 they bathe in warm water1 and they sit in cold water in summer4 ,their religion is diverse from the religion of every other people1 and their laws from the laws of every other land4 ,to our laws they pay no heed1 our religion finds no favor with them1 and the decrees of the king they do not execute4 ,when their eye falls upon us1 they spit out before us1 and they consider us as unclean vessels4 ,when we levy them for the king's service1 they either jump upon the wall1 and hide within the chambers1 or they break through the walls and escape4 ,if we hasten to arrest them1 they turn upon us1 glare at us with their eyes1 grind their teeth1 stamp their feet1 and so intimidate us that we cannot hold them fast4 ,they do not give us their daughters unto wives1 nor do they take our daughters unto wives4 ,if one of them has to do the king's service1 he idles all the day long4 ,if they want to buy aught of us1 they say1 ',this is a day for doing business4' ,but if we want to buy aught of them1 they say1 ',we may do no business to-day1' and thus we can buy nothing from them on their market-days4 ,their time they pass in this wise3 ,the first hour of the day1 they say1 they need for reciting the ,shema2 the second for praying2 the third for eating2 the fourth for saying grace1 to give thanks to ,god for the food and drink ,he has granted them2 the fifth hour they devote to their business affairs2 in the sixth they already feel the need of rest2 in the seventh their wives call for them1 saying1 'come home1 ye weary ones1 who are so exhausted by the king's service6' ,the seventh day they celebrate as their ,sabbath2 they go to the synagogues on that day1 read out of their books1 translate pieces from their ,prophets1 curse our king1 and execrate our government1 saying3 ',this is the day whereon the great ,god rested2 so may ,he grant us rest from the heathen4' ,the women pollute the waters with their ritual baths1 which they take after the seven days of their defilement4 ,on the eighth day after the birth of sons1 they circumcise them mercilessly1 saying1 ',this shall distinguish us from all other nations4' ,at the end of thirty days1 and sometimes twenty-nine1 they celebrate the beginning of the month4 ,in the month of ,nisan they observe eight days of ,passover1 beginning the celebration by kindling a fire of brushwood to burn up the leaven4 ,they put all the leaven in their homes out of sight before they use the unleavened bread1 saying1 ',this is the day whereon our fathers were redeemed from ,egypt4' ,such is the festival they call ,pesah4 ,they go to their synagogues1 read out of their books1 and translate from the writings of the ,prophets1 saying3 ',as the leaven has been removed out of our houses1 so may this wicked dominion be removed from over us4' ,again1 in ,siwan1 they celebrate two days1 on which they go to their synagogues1 recite the ,shema1 and offer up prayers1 read out of the ,torah1 and translate from the books of their ,prophets1 curse our king1 and execrate our government4 ,this is the holiday which they call ,azarta1 the closing festival4 ,they ascend to the roofs of their synagogues1 and throw down apples1 which are picked up by those below1 with the words1 ',as these apples are gathered up1 so may we be gathered together from our dispersion among the heathen4' ,they say they observe this festival1 because on these days the ,torah was revealed to their ancestors on ,mount ,sinai4 ,on the first of ,tishri they celebrate the ,new ,year again they go to their synagogues1 read out of their books1 translate pieces from the writings of their ,prophets1 curse our king1 execrate our government1 and blow the trumpets1 saying3 ',on this ,day of ,memorial may we be remembered unto good1 and our enemies unto evil4' ,on the ninth day of the same month they slaughter cattle1 geese1 and poultry1 they eat and drink and indulge in dainties1 they and their wives1 their sons and their daughters4 ,but the tenth day of the same month they call the ,great ,fast1 and all of them fast1 they together with their wives1 their sons1 and their daughters1 yea1 they even torture their little children without mercy1 forcing them to abstain from food4 ,they say3 ',on this day our sins are pardoned1 and are added to the sum of the sins committed by our enemies4' ,they go to their synagogues1 read from their books1 translate from the writings of their ,prophets1 curse our king1 and execrate our government1 saying3 ',may this empire be wiped off from the face of the earth like unto our sins4' ,they supplicate and pray that the king may die1 and his rule be made to cease4 ,on the fifteenth of the same month they celebrate the ,feast of ,tabernacles4 ,they cover the roofs of their houses with foliage1 they resort to our parks1 where they cut down palm branches for their festal wreaths1 pluck the fruit of the ,etrog1 and cause havoc among the willows of the brook1 by breaking down the hedges in their quest after ,hosha'not1 saying3 ',as does the king in the triumphal procession1 so do we4' ,then they repair to their synagogues to pray1 and read out of their books1 and make circuits with their ,hosha'not1 all the while jumping and skipping like goats1 so that there is no telling whether they curse us or bless us4 ,this is ,sukkot1 as they call it1 and while it lasts1 they do none of the king's service1 for1 they maintain1 all work is forbidden them on these days4 ,in this way they waste the whole year with tomfoolery and fiddle-faddle1 only in order to avoid doing the king's service4 ,at the expiration of every period of fifty years they have a jubilee year1 and every seventh year is a year of release1 during which the land lies fallow1 for they neither sow nor reap therein1 and sell us neither fruits nor other products of the field1 so that those of us who live among them die of hunger4 ,at the end of every period of twelve months1 they observe the ,new ,year1 at the end of every thirty days the ,new ,moon1 and every seventh day is the ,sabbath1 the day on which1 as they say1 the ,lord of the world rested4 7#aab7 ,after ,haman had finished his arraignment of the ,jews1 ,god said3 ,thou didst well enumerate the holidays of the ,jews1 yet thou didst omit the two ,purim and ,shushan-,purim which the ,jews will celebrate to commemorate thy fall4 ,clever though ,haman's charge was1 the vindication of the ,jews was no whit less clever4 ,for they found a defender in the archangel ,michael4 ,while ,haman was delivering his indictment1 he spoke thus to ,god3 ,o ,lord of the world6 ,thou knowest well that the ,jews are not accused of idolatry1 nor of immoral conduct1 nor of shedding blood2 they are accused only of observing ,thy ,torah4 ,god pacified him3 ,as thou livest1 ,i have not abandoned them1 ,i will not abandon them4 ,haman's denunciations of the ,jewish people found a ready echo in the heart of the king4 ,he replied3 ,i1 too1 desire the annihilation of the ,jews1 but ,i fear their ,god1 for ,he is mighty beyond compare1 and ,he loves ,his people with a great love4 ,whoever rises up against them1 ,he crushes under their feet4 ,just think of ,pharaoh6 ,should his example not be a warning to us8 ,he ruled the whole world1 yet1 because he oppressed the ,jews1 he was visited with frightful plagues4 ,god delivered them from the ,egyptians1 and cleft the sea for them1 a miracle never done for any other nation1 and when ,pharaoh pursued them with an army of six hundred thousand warriors1 he and his host together were drowned in the sea4 ,thy ancestor ,amalek1 ,o ,haman1 attacked them with four hundred thousand heroes1 and all of them ,god delivered into the hands of ,joshua1 who slew them4 ,sisera had forty thousand generals under him1 each one commander of a hundred thousand men1 yet they all were annihilated4 ,the ,god of the ,jews ordered the stars to consume the warriors of ,sisera1 and then ,he caused the great general to fall into the power of a woman1 to become a by-word and a reproach forever4 ,many and valorous rulers have risen up against them1 they all were cast down by their ,god and crushed unto their everlasting disgrace4 ,now1 then1 can we venture aught against them8 ,haman1 however1 persisted4 ,day after day he urged the king to consent to his plan4 ,ahasuerus thereupon called together a council of the wise men of all nations and tongues4 ,to them he submitted the question1 whether the ,jews ought not to be destroyed1 seeing they differed from all other peoples4 ,the sage councillors inquired3 ,who is it that desires to induce thee to take so fatal a step8 ,if the ,jewish nation is destroyed1 the world itself will cease to be1 for the world exists only for the sake of the ,torah studied by ,israel4 ,yea1 the very sun and moon shed their light only for the sake of ,israel1 and were it not for him1 there were neither day nor night1 and neither dew nor rain would moisten the earth4 ,more than this1 all other nations beside ,israel are designated as 'strangers' by ,god1 but ,israel ,he called in ,his love 'a people near to ,him1' and ,his 'children4' ,if men do not suffer their children and kinsmen to be attacked with impunity1 how much less will ,god sit by quiet when ,israel is assailed ,god the ,ruler over all things1 over the powers in heaven above and on earth beneath1 over the spirits and the souls ,god with whom it lies to exalt and to degrade1 to slay and to revive4 ,haman was ready with a reply to these words of the wise3 ,the ,god who drowned ,pharaoh in the sea1 and who did all the wonders and signs ye have recounted1 that ,god is now in ,his dotage1 ,he can neither see nor protect4 ,for did not ,nebuchadnezzar destroy ,his house1 burn ,his palace1 and scatter ,his people to all corners of the earth1 and ,he was not able to do one thing against it8 ,if ,he had had power and strength1 would he not have displayed them8 ,this is the best proof that ,he was waxed old and feeble4 ,when the heathen sages heard these arguments advance by ,haman1 they agreed to his plan1 and put their signature to an edict decreeing the persecution of the ,jews4 7#aac7 ,,the ,,decree ,,of ,,annihilation ,this is the text of the decree which ,haman issued to the heads of all the nations regarding the annihilation of the ,jews3 ,this herein is written by me1 the great officer of the king1 his second in rank1 the first among the grandees1 and one of the seven princes1 and the most distinguished among the nobles of the realm4 ,i1 in agreement with the rulers of the provinces1 the princes of the king1 the chiefs and the lords1 the ,eastern kings and the satraps1 all being of the same language1 write you at the order of ,king ,ahasuerus this writing sealed with his signet1 so that it may not be sent back1 concerning the great eagle ,israel4 ,the great eagle had stretched out his pinions over the whole world2 neither bird nor beast could withstand him4 ,but there came the great lion ,nebuchadnezzar1 and dealt the great eagle a stinging blow4 ,his pinions snapped1 his feathers were plucked out1 and his feet were hacked off4 ,the whole world has enjoyed rest1 cheer1 and tranquillity since the moment the eagle was chased from his eyrie until this day4 ,now we notice that he is using all efforts to secure wings4 ,he is permitting his feathers to grow1 with the intention of covering us and the whole world1 as he did unto our forefathers4 ,at the instance of ,king ,ahasuerus1 all the magnates of the king of ,media and ,persia are assembled1 and we are writing you our joint advice1 as follows3 ',set snares for the eagle1 and capture him before he renews his strength1 and soars back to his eyrie4' ,we advise you to tear out his plumage1 break his wings1 give his flesh to the fowl of heaven1 split the eggs lying in his nest1 and crush his young1 so that his memorial may vanish from the world4 ,our counsel is not like unto ,pharaoh's2 he sought to destroy only the men of ,israel2 to the women he did no harm4 ,it is not like unto the plan of ,esau1 who wanted to slay his brother ,jacob and keep his children as slaves4 ,it is not like unto the tactics of ,amalek1 who pursued ,israel and smote the hindmost and feeble1 but left the strong unscathed4 ,it is not like unto the policy of ,nebuchadnezzar1 who carried them away into exile1 and settled them near his own throne4 ,and it is not like unto the way of ,sennacherib1 who assigned a land unto the ,jews as fair as their own had been4 ,we1 recognizing clearly what the situation is1 have resolved to slay the ,jews1 annihilate them1 young and old1 so that their name and their memorial may be no more1 and their posterity may be cut off forever4 7#aad7 ,the edict issued by ,ahasuerus against the ,jews ran thus3 ,to all the peoples1 nations1 and races3 ,peace be with you6 ,this is to acquaint you that one came to us who is not of our nation and of our land1 an ,amalekite1 the son of great ancestors1 and his name is ,haman4 ,he made a trifling request of me1 saying3 ',among us there dwells a people1 the most despicable of all1 who are a stumbling-block in every time4 ,they are exceeding presumptuous1 and they know our weakness and our shortcomings4 ,they curse the king in these words1 which are constantly in their mouths3 ,god is the ,king of the world forever and ever3 ,he will make the heathen to perish out of ,his land3 ,he will execute vengeance and punishments upon the peoples4 ,from the beginning of all time they have been ungrateful1 as witness their behavior toward ,pharaoh4 ,with kindness he received them1 their wives1 and their children1 at the time of a famine4 ,he gave up to them the best of his land4 ,he provided them with food and all they needed4 ,then ,pharaoh desired to build a palace1 and he requested the ,jews to do it for him4 ,they began the work grudgingly1 amid murmurings1 and it is not completed unto this day4 ,in the midst of it1 they approached ,pharaoh with these words3 ,we wish to offer sacrifices to our ,god in a place that is a three days' journey from here1 and we petition thee to lend us silver and gold vessels1 and clothes1 and apparel4 ,so much did they borrow1 that each one bore ninety ass-loads off with him1 and ,egypt was emptied out4 ,when1 the three days having elapsed1 they did not return1 ,pharaoh pursued them in order to recover the stolen treasures4 ,what did the ,jews8 ,they had among them a man by the name of ,moses1 the son of ,amram1 an arch-wizard1 who had been bred in the house of ,pharaoh4 ,when they reached the sea1 this man raised his staff1 and cleft the waters1 and led the ,jews through them dryshod1 while ,pharaoh and his host were drowned4 ',their ,god helps them as long as they observe ,his law1 so that none can prevail against them4 ,balaam1 the only prophet we heathens ever had1 they slew with the sword1 as they did unto ,sihon and ,og1 the powerful kings of ,canaan1 whose land they took after killing them4 ,likewise they brought ruin upon ,amalek1 the great and glorious ruler they1 and ,saul their king1 and ,samuel their prophet4 ,later they had an unmerciful king1 ,david by name1 who smote the ,philistines1 the ,ammonites1 and the ,moabites1 and not one of them could discomfit him4 ,solomon1 the son of this king1 being wise and sagacious1 built them a house of worship in ,jerusalem1 that they might not scatter to all parts of the world4 ,but after they had been guilty of many crimes against their ,god1 ,he delivered them into the hand of ,king ,nebuchadnezzar1 who deported them to ,babylonia4 ',to this day they are among us1 and though they are under our hand1 we are of none account in their eyes4 ,their religion and their laws are different from the religion and he laws of all the other nations4 ,their sons do not marry with our daughters1 our gods they do not worship1 they have no regard for our honor1 and they refuse to bend the knee before us4 ,calling themselves freemen1 they will not do our service1 and our commands they heed not4' ,therefore the grandees1 the princes1 and the satraps have been assembled before us1 we have taken counsel together1 and we have resolved an irrevocable resolution1 according to the laws of the ,medes and ,persians1 to extirpate the ,jews from among the inhabitants of the earth4 ,we have sent the edict to the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of my empire1 to slay them1 their sons1 their wives1 and their little children1 on the thirteenth day of the month of ,adar none is to escape4 ,as they did to our forefathers1 and desired to do unto us1 so shall be done unto them1 and their possessions are to be given over to the spoilers4 ,thus shall ye do1 that ye may find grace before me4 ,this is the writing of the letter which ,i send to you1 ,ahasuerus king of ,media and ,persia4 7#aae7 ,the price ,haman offered the king for the ,jews was ten thousand hundredweights of silver4 ,he took the number of the ,jews at their exodus from ,egypt1 six hundred thousand1 as the basis of his calculation1 and offered a half-shekel for every soul of them1 the sum each ,israelite had to pay yearly for the maintenance of the sanctuary4 ,though the sum was so vast that ,haman could not find coin enough to pay it1 but promised to deliver it in the form of silver bars1 ,ahasuerus refused the ransom4 ,when ,haman made the offer1 he said3 ,let us cast lots4 ,if thou drawest ,israel and ,i draw money1 then the sale stands as a valid transaction4 ,if the reverse1 it is not valid4 ,because of the sins of the ,jews1 the sale was confirmed by the lots4 ,but ,haman was not too greatly pleased with his own success4 ,he disliked to give up so large a sum of money4 ,observing his ill humor1 ,ahasuerus said3 ,keep the money2 ,i do not care either to make or to lose money on account of the ,jews4 7#aaf7 ,for the ,jews it was fortunate that the king did not accept money for them1 else his subjects would not have obeyed his second edict1 the one favorable to the ,jews4 ,they would have been able to advance the argument1 that the king1 by accepting a sum of money for them1 had resigned his rights over the ,jews in favor of ,haman1 who1 therefore1 could deal with them as he pleased4 7#aag7 ,the agreement between ,ahasuerus and ,haman was concluded at a carouse1 by way of punishment for the crime of the sons of ,jacob1 who had unmercifully sold their brother ,joseph into slavery to the ,ishmaelites while eating and drinking4 7#aah7 ,the joy of this ,jew-hating couple for ,ahasuerus hated the ,jews with no less fierce a hatred than ,haman did 7#aai7 was shared by none4 ,the capital city of ,shushan was in mourning and sorely perplexed4 ,scarcely had the edict of annihilation been promulgated against the ,jews1 when all sorts of misfortunes began to happen in the city4 ,women who were hanging up their wash to dry on the roofs of the houses dropped dead2 men who went to draw water fell into the wells1 and lost their lives4 ,while ,ahasuerus and ,haman were making merry in the palace1 the city was thrown into consternation and mourning4 7#abj7 ,,satan ,,indicts ,,the ,,jews ,the position of the ,jews after the royal edict became known beggars description4 ,if a ,jew ventured abroad on the street to make a purchase1 he was almost throttled by the ,persians1 who taunted him with these words3 ,never mind1 to-morrow will soon be here1 and then ,i shall kill thee1 and take thy money away from thee4 ,if a ,jew offered to sell himself as a slave1 he was rejected2 not even the sacrifice of his liberty could protect him against the loss of his life4 7#aba7 ,mordecai1 however1 did not despair2 he trusted in the ,divine help4 ,on his way from the court1 after ,haman and his ilk had informed him with malicious joy of the king's pleasure concerning the ,jews1 he met ,jewish children coming from school4 ,he asked the first child what verse from the ,scriptures he had studied in school that day1 and the reply was3 ,be not afraid of sudden fear1 neither of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh4 ,the verse committed to memory by the second was3 ,let them take counsel together1 but it shall be brought to naught2 let them speak the word1 but it shall not stand2 for ,god is with us4 ,and the verse which the third had learnt was3 ,and even to old age ,i am ,he1 and even to hoar hairs ,i will carry you3 ,i have made and will bear2 yea1 ,i will carry and will deliver4 ,when ,mordecai heard these verses1 he broke out into jubilation1 astonishing ,haman not a little4 ,mordecai told him1 ,i rejoice at the good tidings announced to me by the school children4 ,haman thereupon fell into such a rage that he exclaimed3 ,in sooth1 they shall be the first to feel the weight of my hand4 ,what gave ,mordecai the greatest concern1 was the certainty that the danger had been invited by the ,jews themselves1 through their sinful conduct in connection with the banquets given by ,ahasuerus4 ,eighteen thousand five hundred ,jews had taken part in them2 they had eaten and drunk1 intoxicated themselves and committed immoralities1 as ,haman had foreseen1 the very reason1 indeed1 he had advised the king to hold the banquets4 ,thereupon ,satan had indicted the ,jews4 ,the accusations which he produced against them were of such a nature that ,god at once ordered writing materials to be brought to ,him for the decree of annihilation1 and it was written and sealed4 ,when the ,torah heard that ,satan's designs against the ,jews had succeeded1 she broke out into bitter weeping before ,god1 and her lamentations awakened the angels1 who likewise began to wail1 saying3 ,if ,israel is to be destroyed1 of what avail is the whole world8 ,the sun and the moon heard the lamentations of the angels1 and they donned their mourning garb and also wept bitterly and wailed1 saying3 ,is ,israel to be destroyed1 ,israel who wanders from town to town1 and from land to land1 only for the sake of the study of the ,torah2 who suffers grievously under the hand of the heathen1 only because he observes the ,torah and the sign of the covenant8 ,in great haste the prophet ,elijah ran to the ,patriarchs and to the other prophets1 and to the saints in ,israel1 and addressed these words to them3 ,o ye fathers of the world6 ,angels1 and the sun and the moon1 and heaven and earth1 and all the celestial hosts are weeping bitterly4 ,the whole world is seized with throes as of a woman in travail1 by reason of your children1 who have forfeited their life on account of their sins1 and ye sit quiet and tranquil4 ,thereupon ,moses said to ,elijah3 ,knowest thou any saints in the present generation of ,israel8 ,elijah named ,mordecai1 and ,moses sent the prophet to him1 with the charge that he1 the saint of the living generation1 should unite his prayers with the prayers of the saints among the dead1 and perhaps the doom might be averted from ,israel4 ,but ,elijah hesitated4 ,o faithful shepherd1 he said1 the edict of annihilation issued by ,god is written and sealed4 ,moses1 however1 did not desist2 he urged the ,patriarchs3 ,if the edict is sealed with wax1 your prayers will be heard2 if with blood1 then all is vain4 ,elijah hastened to ,mordecai1 who1 when first he heard what ,god had resolved upon1 tore his garments and was possessed by a great fear1 though before he had confidently hoped that help would come form ,god4 ,he gathered together all the school children1 and had them fast1 so that their hunger should drive them to moan and groan4 ,then it was that ,israel spoke to ,god3 ,o ,lord of the world6 ,when the heathen rage against me1 they do not desire my silver and gold1 they desire only that ,i should be exterminated from off the face of the earth4 ,such was the design of ,nebuchadnezzar when he wanted to compel ,israel to worship the idol4 ,had it not been for ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah1 ,i had disappeared from the world4 ,now it is ,haman who desires to uproot the whole vine4 7#abb7 ,then ,mordecai addressed all the people thus3 ,o people of ,israel1 that art so dear and precious in the sight of thy ,heavenly ,father6 ,knowest thou not what has happened8 ,hast thou not heard that the king and ,haman have resolved to remove us off the face of the earth1 to destroy us from beneath the sun8 ,we have no king on whom we can depend1 and no prophet to intercede for us with prayers4 ,there is no place whither we can flee1 no land wherein we can find safety4 ,we are like sheep without a shepherd1 like a ship upon the sea without a pilot4 ,we are like an orphan born after the death of his father1 and death robs him of his mother1 too1 when he has scarce begun to draw nourishment from her breast4 ,after this address a great prayer-meeting was called outside of ,shushan4 ,the ,ark containing the scroll of the law1 covered with sackcloth and strewn with ashes1 was brought thither4 ,the scroll was unrolled1 and the following verses read from it3 ,when thou art in tribulation1 and all these things are come upon thee1 in the latter days thou shalt return to the ,lord thy ,god1 and hearken unto ,his voice1 for the ,lord thy ,god is a merciful ,god3 ,he will not fail thee1 neither destroy thee1 nor forget the covenant of they fathers which ,he swore unto them4 ,thereunto ,mordecai added words of admonition3 ,o people of ,israel1 thou art dear and precious to thy ,father in heaven1 let us follow the example of the inhabitants of ,nineveh1 doing as they did when the prophet ,jonah came to them to announce the destruction of the city4 ,the king arose from his throne1 laid his crown from him1 covered himself with sackcloth1 and sat in ashes1 and he made proclamation1 and published through ,nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles1 saying1 ',let neither man nor beast1 herd nor flock1 taste anything2 let them not feed1 nor drink water1 but let them be covered with sackcloth1 both man and beast1 and let them cry mightily unto ,god2 yea1 let them turn every one from his evil way1 and from the violence that is in their hands4' ,then ,god repented ,him of the evil ,he had designed to bring upon them1 and ,he did it not4 ,now1 then1 let us follow their example1 let us hold a fast1 mayhap ,god will have mercy upon us4 7#abc7 ,furthermore spake ,mordecai3 ,o ,lord of the world6 ,didst ,thou not swear unto our fathers to make us as many as the stars in the heavens8 ,and now we are as sheep in the shambles4 ,what has become of ,thine oath8 7#abd7 ,he cried aloud1 though he knew ,god hears the softest whisper1 for he said3 ,o ,father of ,israel1 what hast ,thou done unto me8 ,one single cry of anguish uttered by ,esau ,thou didst repay with the blessing of his father ,isaac1 ',by thy sword shall thou live1' and now we ourselves are abandoned to the mercy of the sword4 7#abe7 ,what ,mordecai was not aware of1 was that he1 the descendant of ,jacob1 was brought unto weeping and wailing by ,haman1 the descendant of ,esau1 as a punishment1 because ,jacob himself had brought ,esau unto weeping and wailing4 7#abf7 ,,the ,,dream ,,of ,,mordecai ,,fulfilled ,esther1 who knew naught of what was happening at court1 was greatly alarmed when her attendants told her that ,mordecai had appeared in the precincts of the palace clothed in sackcloth and ashes4 ,she was so overcome by fright that she was deprived of the joys of motherhood to which she had been looking forward with happy expectancy4 7#abg7 ,she sent clothes to ,mordecai1 who1 however1 refused to lay aside his garb of mourning until ,god permitted miracles to come to pass for ,israel1 wherein he followed the example of such great men in ,israel as ,jacob1 ,david1 and ,ahab1 and of the ,gentile inhabitants of ,nineveh at the time of ,jonah4 ,by no means would he array himself in court attire so long as his people was exposed to sure suffering4 7#abh7 ,the queen sent for ,daniel1 called also ,hathach in the ,scriptures1 and charged him to learn from ,mordecai wherefore he was mourning4 7#abi7 ,to escape all danger from spying ears1 ,hathach and ,mordecai had their conversation in the open1 like ,jacob when he consulted with his wives ,leah and ,rachel about leaving their father ,laban4 7#acj7 ,by ,hathach ,mordecai sent word to the queen1 that ,haman was an ,amalekite1 who like his ancestor sought to destroy ,israel4 7#aca7 ,he requested her to appear before the king and plead for the ,jews1 reminding her at the same time of a dream he had once had and told her about4 ,once1 when ,mordecai had spent a long time weeping and lamenting over the misery of the ,jews in the ,dispersion1 and prayed fervently to ,god to redeem ,israel and rebuild the ,temple1 he fell asleep1 and in his sleep a dream visited him4 ,he dreamed he was transported to a desert place he had never seen before4 ,many nations lived there jumbled together1 only one small and despised nation kept apart at a short distance4 ,suddenly a snake shot up from the midst of the nations1 rising higher and higher1 and growing stronger and larger in proportion as it rose4 ,it darted in the direction of the spot in which they tiny nation stood1 and tried to project itself upon it4 ,impenetrable clouds and darkness enveloped the little nation1 and when the snake was on the point of seizing it1 a hurricane arose from the four corners of the world1 covering the snake as clothes cover a man1 and blew it to bits4 ,the fragments scattered hither and thither like chaff before the wind1 until not a speck of the monster was to be found anywhere4 ,then the cloud and the darkness vanished from above the little nation1 the splendor of the sun again enveloped it4 7#acb7 ,this dream ,mordecai recorded in a book1 and when the storm began to rage against the ,jews1 he thought of it1 and demanded that ,esther go to the king as the advocate of her people4 ,at first she did not feel inclined to accede to the wishes of ,mordecai4 ,by her messenger she recalled to his mind1 that he himself had insisted upon her keeping her ,jewish descent a secret4 7#acc7 ,besides1 she had always tried to refrain from appearing before the king at her own initiative1 in order that she might not be instrumental in bringing down sin upon her soul1 for she well remembered ,mordecai's teaching1 that a ,jewish woman1 captive among the heathen1 who of her own accord goes to them1 loses her portion in the ,jewish nation4 ,she had been rejoicing that her petitions had been granted1 and the king had not come nigh unto her this last month4 ,was she now voluntarily to present herself before him8 7#acd7 ,furthermore1 she had her messenger inform ,mordecai1 that ,haman had introduced a new palace regulation4 ,any one who appeared before the king without having been summoned by ,haman1 would suffer the death penalty4 ,therefore1 she could not1 if she would1 go to the king to advocate the cause of the ,jews4 7#ace7 ,esther urged her uncle to refrain from incensing ,haman and furnishing him with a pretext for wreaking the hatred of ,esau to ,jacob upon ,mordecai and his nation4 ,mordecai1 however1 was firmly convinced that ,esther was destined by ,god to save ,israel4 ,how could her miraculous history be explained otherwise8 ,at the very moment ,esther was taken to court1 he had thought3 ,is it conceivable that ,god would force so pious a woman to wed with a heathen1 were it not that she is appointed to save ,israel from menacing dangers8 7#acf7 ,firm as ,mordecai was in his determination to make ,esther take a hand in affairs1 he yet did not find it a simple matter to communicate with her4 ,for ,hathach was killed by ,haman as soon as it was discovered that he was acting as mediator between ,mordecai and ,esther4 7#acg7 ,there was none to replace him1 unto ,god dispatched the archangels ,michael and ,gabriel to carry messages from one to the other and back again4 7#ach7 ,mordecai sent word to her1 if she let the opportunity to help ,israel slip by1 she would have to give account for the omission before the heavenly court4 7#aci7 ,to ,israel in distress1 however1 help would come from other quarters4 ,never had ,god forsaken ,his people in time of need4 ,moreover1 he admonished her1 that1 as the descendant of ,saul1 it was her duty to make reparation for her ancestor's sin in not having put ,agag to death4 ,had he done as he was bidden1 the ,jews would not now have to fear the machinations of ,haman1 the offspring of ,agag4 ,he bade her supplicate her ,heavenly ,father to deal with the present enemies of ,israel as ,he had dealt with his enemies in former ages4 ,to give her encouragement1 ,mordecai continued3 ,is ,haman so surpassing great that his plan against the ,jews must succeed8 ,dost though mean to say that he is superior to his own ancestor ,amalek1 whom ,god crushed when he precipitated himself upon ,israel8 ,is he mightier than the thirty-one kings who fought against ,israel and whom ,joshua slew 'with the word of ,god'8 ,is he stronger than ,sisera1 who went out against ,israel with nine hundred iron chariots1 and yet met his death at the hands of a mere woman1 the punishment for having withdrawn the use of the water-springs from the ,israelites and prevented their wives from taking the prescribed ritual baths and thus from fulfilling their conjugal duty8 ,is he more powerful than ,goliath1 who reviled the warriors of ,israel1 and was slain by ,david8 ,or is he more invincible than the sons of ,orpah1 who waged wars with ,israel1 and were killed by ,david and his men8 ,therefore1 do not refrain thy mouth from prayer1 and thy lips from supplication1 for on account of the merits of our fathers1 ,israel has ever and ever been snatched out of the jaws of death4 ,he who has at all times done wonders for ,israel1 will deliver the enemy into our hands now1 for us to do with him as seemeth best to us4 ,what he endeavored to impress upon ,esther particularly1 was that ,god would bring help to ,israel without her intermediation1 but it was to her interest to use the opportunity1 for which alone she had reached her exalted place1 to make up for the transgressions committed by her house1 ,saul and his descendants4 7#adj7 ,yielding at last to the arguments of ,mordecai1 ,esther was prepared to risk life in this world1 in order to secure life in the world to come4 ,she made only one request of her uncle4 ,he was to have the ,jews spend three days in prayer and fasting in her behalf1 that she might find favor in the eyes of the king4 ,at first ,mordecai was opposed to the proclamation of a fast1 because it was ,passover time1 and the law prohibits fasting on the holidays4 ,but he finally assented to ,esther's reasoning3 ,of what avail are the holidays1 if there is no ,israel to celebrate them1 and without ,israel1 there would not be even a ,torah4 ,therefore it is advisable to transgress on law1 that ,god may have mercy upon us4 7#ada7 ,,the ,,prayer ,,of ,,esther ,accordingly ,mordecai made arrangements for a fast and a prayer-meeting4 ,on the very day of the festival1 he had himself ferried across the water to the other side of ,shushan1 where all the ,jews of the city could observe the fast together4 7#adb7 ,it was important that the ,jewish residents of ,shushan beyond all other ,jews should do penance and seek pardon from ,god1 because they had committed the sin of partaking of ,ahasuerus's banquet4 ,twelve thousand priests marched in the procession1 trumpets in their right hands1 and the holy scrolls of the law in their left1 weeping and mourning1 and exclaiming against ,god3 ,here is the ,torah ,thou gavest us4 ,thy beloved people is about to be destroyed4 ,when that comes to pass1 who will be left to read the ,torah and make mention of ,thy name8 ,the sun and the moon will refuse to shed their light abroad1 for they were created only for the sake of ,israel4 ,then they fell upon their faces1 and said3 ,answer us1 our ,father1 answer us1 our ,king4 ,the whole people joined in their cry1 and the celestials wept with them1 and the ,fathers came forth from their graves4 ,after a three days' fast1 ,esther arose from the earth and dust1 and made preparations to betake herself to the king4 ,she arrayed herself in a silken garment1 embroidered with gold from ,ophir and spangled with diamonds and pearls sent her from ,africa2 a golden crown was on her head1 and on her feet shoes of gold4 ,after she had completed her attire1 she pronounced the following prayer3 ,thou art the great ,god1 the ,god of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 and the ,god of my father ,benjamin4 ,not because ,i consider myself without blemish1 do ,i dare appear before the foolish king1 but that the people of ,israel may not be cut off from the world4 ,is it not for the sake of ,israel alone that the whole world was created1 and if ,israel should cease to exist1 who will come and exclaim ',holy1 holy1 holy' thrice daily before ,thee8 ,as ,thou didst save ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah out of the burning furnace1 and ,daniel out of the den of lions1 so save me out of the hand of this foolish king1 and make me to appear charming and graceful in his eyes4 ,i entreat ,thee to give ear to my prayer in this time of exile and banishment from our land4 ,by reason of our sins the threatening words of the ,holy ,scriptures are accomplished upon us3 ',ye shall sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and for bondwomen1 and no man shall buy you4' ,the decree to kill us has been issued4 ,we are delivered up unto the sword for destruction1 root and branch4 ,the children of ,abraham covered themselves with sackcloth and ashes1 but though the elders sinned1 what wrongs have the children committed1 and though the children committed wrongs1 what have the sucklings done8 ,the nobles of ,jerusalem came forth from their graves1 for their children were given up to the sword4 ,how quickly have the days of our joy flown by6 ,the wicked ,haman has surrendered us to our enemies for slaughter4 ,i will recount before ,thee the deeds of ,thy friends1 and with ,abraham will ,i begin4 ,thou didst try him with all temptations1 yet didst ,thou find him faithful4 ,o that ,thou wouldst support his beloved children for his sake1 and aid them1 so that ,thou wouldst bear them as an unbreakable seal upon ,thy right hand4 ,call ,haman to account for the wrong he would do us1 and be revenged upon the son of ,hammedatha4 ,demand requital of ,haman and not of ,thy people1 for he sought to annihilate us all at one stroke1 he1 the enemy and afflicter of ,thy people1 whom he endeavors to hem in on all sides4 ,with an eternal bond ,thou didst bind us unto ,thee4 ,o that ,thou wouldst uphold us for the sake of ,isaac1 who was bound4 ,haman offered the king ten thousand talents of silver for us4 ,raise ,thou our voice1 and answer us1 and bring us forth out of the narrow place into enlargement4 ,thou who breakest the mightiest1 crush ,haman1 so that he may never again rise from his fall4 ,i am ready to appear before the king1 to entreat grace for my inheritance4 ,send ,thou an angel of compassion with me on mine errand1 and let grace and favor be my companions4 ,may the righteousness of ,abraham go before me1 the binding of ,isaac raise me1 the charm of ,jacob be put into my mouth1 and the grace of ,joseph upon my tongue4 ,happy the man who putteth his trust in ,god2 he is not confounded4 ,he will lend me ,his right hand and ,his left hand1 with which ,he created the whole world4 ,ye1 all ye of ,israel1 pray for me as ,i pray in your behalf4 ,for whatsoever a man may ask of ,god in the time of his distress1 is granted unto him4 ,let us look upon the deeds of our fathers and do like unto them1 and ,he will answer our supplications4 ,the left hand of ,abraham held ,isaac by the throat1 and his right hand grasped the knife4 ,he willingly did ,thy bidding1 nor did he delay to execute ,thy command4 ,heaven opened its windows to give space to the angels1 who cried bitterly1 and said3 ',woe to the world1 if this thing should come to pass6' ,i also call upon ,thee6 ,o answer me1 for ,thou givest ear unto all who are afflicted and oppressed4 ,thou art called the ,merciful and the ,gracious2 ,thou art slow to anger and great in lovingkindness and truth4 ,hear our voice and answer us1 and lead us out of distress into enlargement4 ,for three days have ,i fasted in accordance with the number of days ,abraham journey to bind his son upon the altar before ,thee4 ,thou didst make a covenant with him1 and didst promise him3 ',whenever thy children shall be in distress1 ,i will remember the binding of ,isaac favorably unto them1 and deliver them out of their troubles4' ,again1 ,i fasted three days corresponding to the three classes ,israel1 priests1 ,levites1 and ,israelites1 who stood at the foot of ,sinai1 and said3 ',all the ,lord hath spoken will we do1 and be obedient4' ,esther concluded her prayer and said3 ,o ,god1 ,lord of hosts6 ,thou that searchest the heart and the reins1 in this hour do ,thou remember the merits of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 that my petition to ,thee may not be turned aside1 nor my request be left unfulfilled4' 7#adc7 ,,esther ,,intercedes ,after finishing her prayer1 ,esther betook herself to the king1 accompanied by three attendants1 one walking to the right of her1 the second on the other side1 and the third bearing her train1 heavy with the precious stones with which it was studded4 7#add7 ,her chief adornment was the holy spirit that was poured out over her4 ,but scarcely did she enter the chamber containing the idols1 when the holy spirit departed from her1 and she cried out in great distress3 ,eli1 ,eli1 lamah azabtani6 ,shall ,i be chastised for acts that ,i do against my will1 and only in obedience to the promptings of sore need8 7#ade7 ,why should my fate be different from that of the ,mother8 ,when ,pharaoh only attempted to approach ,sarah1 plagues came upon him and his house1 but ,i have been compelled for years to live with this heathen1 and ,thou dost not deliver me out of his hand4 ,o ,lord of the world6 ,have ,i not paid scrupulous heed to the three commands ,thou didst specially ordain for women8 ,to reach the king1 ,esther had to pass through seven apartments1 each measuring ten ells in length4 ,the first three she traversed unhindered2 they were too far off for the king to observe her progress through them4 ,but barely had she crossed the threshold of the fourth chamber1 when ,ahasuerus caught sight of her1 and1 overcome by rage1 he exclaimed3 ,o for the departed1 their like is not found again on earth6 ,how ,i urged and entreated ,vashti to appear before me1 but she refused1 and ,i had her killed therefor4 ,this ,esther come hither without invitation1 like unto a public prostitute4 ,in consternation and despair ,esther stood rooted to the centre of the fourth chamber4 ,having once allowed her to pass through the doors under their charge1 the guards of the first four rooms had forfeited their authority over her2 and to the guards in the other three rooms1 she had not yet given cause for interfering with her4 ,yet the courtiers were so confident that ,esther was about to suffer the death penalty1 that the sons of ,haman were already busy dividing her jewels among themselves1 and casting lots for her royal purple4 ,esther herself was keenly aware of her dangerous position4 ,in her need1 she besought ,god3 ,eli1 ,eli1 lamah azabtani1 and prayed to ,him the words which have found their place in the ,psalter composed by ,king ,david4 7#adf7 ,because she put her confidence in ,god1 ,he answered her petition1 and sent her three angels to help her3 the one enveloped her countenance with the threads of grace1 the second raised her head1 and the third drew out the sceptre of ,ahasuerus until it touched her4 7#adg7 ,the king turned his head round1 to avoid seeing ,esther1 but the angels forced him to look her way1 and be conquered by her seductive charm4 7#adh7 ,by reason of her long fast1 ,esther was so weak that she was unable to extend her hand toward the sceptre of the king4 ,the archangel ,michael had to draw her near it4 ,ahasuerus then said3 ,i see1 thou must have a most important request to prefer1 else thou hadst not risked thy life deliberately4 7#adi7 ,i am ready to give it thee1 even to the half of the kingdom4 ,there is but one petition ,i cannot grant1 and that is the restoration of the ,temple4 ,i gave my oath to ,geshem the ,arabian1 ,sanballat the ,horonite1 and ,tobiah the ,ammonite1 not to allow it to be rebuilt1 from fear of the ,jews1 lest they rise up against me4 7#aej7 ,for the moment1 ,esther refrained from uttering her petition4 ,all she asked was1 that the king and ,haman would come to a banquet she proposed to give4 ,she had good reasons for this peculiar course of conduct4 ,she desired to disarm ,haman's suspicions regarding her ,jewish descent1 and to lead her fellow-,jews to fix their hope upon ,god and not upon her4 ,at the same time1 it was her plan to arouse jealousy of ,haman in both the king and the princes4 ,she was quite ready to sacrifice her own life1 if her stratagems would but involve the life of ,haman1 too4 7#aea7 ,at the banquet she therefore favored ,haman in such manner that ,ahasuerus could not but be jealous4 ,she moved her chair close to ,haman's1 and when ,ahasuerus handed her his wine-cup1 to let her drink of it first1 she passed it on to his minister4 ,after the banquet1 the king repeated his question1 and again made the asseveration1 that he would fulfill all her wishes at whatever cost1 barring only the restoration of the ,temple4 ,esther1 however1 was not yet ready2 she preferred to wait another day before taking up the conflict with ,haman4 ,she had before her eyes the example of ,moses1 who also craved a day's preparation before going out against ,amalek1 the ancestor of ,haman4 7#aeb7 ,deceived by the attention and distinction accorded him by ,esther1 ,haman felt secure in his position1 priding himself not only on the love of the king1 but also on the respect of the queen4 ,he felt himself to be the most privileged being in all the wide realm governed by ,ahasuerus4 7#aec7 ,filled with arrogant self-sufficiency1 he passed by ,mordecai1 who not only refused to give him the honors decreed in his behalf1 but1 besides1 pointed to his knee1 inscribed with the bill of sale whereby ,haman had become the slave of ,mordecai4 7#aed7 ,doubly and triply enraged1 he resolved to make an example of the ,jew4 ,but he was not satisfied with inflicting death by a simple kick4 ,on reaching his home he was disappointed not to find his wife ,zeresh1 the daughter of the ,persian satrap ,tattenai4 ,as always when ,haman was at court1 she had gone to her paramours4 ,he sent for her and his three hundred and sixty-five advisers1 and with them he took counsel as to what was to be done to ,mordecai4 7#aee7 ,pointing to a representation of his treasure chamber1 which he wore on his bosom1 7#aef7 he said3 ,and all this is worthless in my sight when ,i look upon ,mordecai1 the ,jew4 ,what ,i eat and drink loses its savor1 if ,i but think of him4 7#aeg7 ,among his advisers and sons1 of whom there were two hundred and eight1 none was so clever as ,zeresh his wife4 ,she spoke thus3 ,if the man thou tellest of is a ,jew1 thou wilt not be able to do aught to him except by sagacity4 ,if thou castest him into the fire1 it will have no effect upon him1 for ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah escaped from the burning furnace unhurt2 ,joseph went free from prison2 ,manasseh prayed to ,god1 and ,he heard him1 and saved him from the iron furnace2 to drive him out in the wilderness is useless1 thou knowest the desert did no evil to the ,israelites that passed through it2 putting out his eyes avails naught1 for ,samson blind did more mischief than ever ,samson seeing4 ,therefore hang him1 for no ,jew has ever escaped death by hanging4 7#aeh7 ,haman was well pleased with the words of his wife4 ,she fetched artificers in wood and iron1 the former to erect the cross1 the latter to make the nails4 ,their children danced around in high glee while ,zeresh played upon the cithern1 and ,haman in his pleasurable excitement said3 ,to the wood workers ,i shall give abundant pay1 and the iron workers ,i shall invite to a banquet4 ,when the cross was finished1 ,haman himself tested it1 to see that all was in working order4 ,a heavenly voice was heard3 ,it is good for ,haman the villain1 and for the son of ,hammedatha it is fitting4 7#aei7 ,,the ,,disturbed ,,night ,the night during which ,haman erected the cross for ,mordecai was the first night of ,passover1 the very night in which miracles without number had ever been done for the ,fathers and for ,israel4 ,but this time the night of joy was changed into a night of mourning and a night of fears4 ,wherever there were ,jews1 they passed the night in weeping and lamenting4 ,the greatest terrors it held for ,mordecai1 because his own people accused him of having provoked their misfortunes by his haughty behavior toward ,haman4 7#afj7 ,excitement and consternation reigned in heaven as well as on earth4 7#afa7 ,when ,haman had satisfied himself that the cross intended for his enemy was properly constructed1 he repaired to the ,bet ha-,midrash1 where he found ,mordecai and all the ,jewish school children1 twenty-two thousand in number1 in tears and sorrow4 ,he ordered them to be put in chains1 saying3 ,first ,i shall kill off these1 and then ,i shall hang ,mordecai4 ,the mothers hastened thither with bread and water1 and coaxed their children to take something before they had to encounter death4 ,the children1 however1 laid their hands upon their books1 and said3 ,as our teacher ,mordecai liveth1 we will neither eat nor drink1 but we will perish exhausted with fasting4 ,they rolled up their sacred scrolls1 and handed them to their teachers with the words3 ,for our devotion to the study of the ,torah1 we had hoped to be rewarded with long life1 according to the promised held out in the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,as we are not worthy thereof1 remove the books6 ,the out-cries of the children and of the teachers in the ,bet ha-,midrash1 and the weeping of the mothers without1 united with the supplications of the ,fathers1 reached unto heaven in the third hour of the night1 and ,god said3 ,i hear the voice of tender lambs and sheep6 ,moses arose and addressed ,god thus3 ,thou knowest well that the voices are not of lambs and sheep1 but of the young of ,israel1 who for three days have been fasting and languishing in fetters1 only to be slaughtered on the morrow to the delight of the arch-enemy4 ,then ,god felt compassion with ,israel1 for the sake of his innocent little ones4 ,he broke the seal with which the heavenly decree of annihilation had been fastened1 and the decree itself he tore in pieces4 7#afb7 ,from this moment on ,ahasuerus became restless1 and sleep was made to flee his eyes1 for the purpose that the redemption of ,israel might be brought to pass4 ,god sent down ,michael1 the leader of the hosts of ,israel1 who was to keep sleep from the king1 7#afc7 and the archangel ,gabriel descended1 and threw the king out of his bed on the floor1 no less than three hundred and sixty-five times1 continually whispering in his ear3 ,o thou ingrate1 reward him who deserves to be rewarded4 ,to account for his sleeplessness1 ,ahasuerus thought he might have been poisoned1 and he was about to order the execution of those charged with the preparation of his food4 ,but they succeeded in convincing him of their innocence1 by calling to his attention that ,esther and ,haman had shared his evening meal with him1 yet they felt no unpleasant effects4 7#afd7 ,then suspicions against his wife and his friend began to arise in his mind4 ,he accused them inwardly of having conspired together to put him out of the way4 ,he sought to banish this thought with the reflection1 that if a conspiracy had existed against him1 his friends would have warned him of it4 ,but the reflection brought others in its train3 ,did he have any friends8 ,was it not possible that by leaving valuable services unrewarded1 he had forfeited the friendly feelings toward him8 7#afe7 ,he therefore commanded that the chronicles of the kings of ,persia be read to him4 ,he would compare his own acts with what his predecessors had done1 and try to find out whether he might count upon friends4 7#aff7 ,what was read to him1 did not restore his tranquility of mind1 for he saw a poor man before him none other than the angel ,michael who called to him continually3 ,haman wants to kill thee1 and become king in thy stead4 ,let this serve thee as proof that ,i am telling thee the truth3 ,early in the morning he will appear before thee and request permission of thee to kill him who saved thy life4 ,and when thou inquirest of him what honor should be done to him whom the king delighteth to honor1 he will ask to be given the apparel1 the crown1 and the horse of the king as signs of distinction4 7#afg7 ,ahasuerus's excitement was soothed only when the passage in the chronicles was reached describing the loyalty of ,mordecai4 ,had the wishes of the reader been consulted1 ,ahasuerus had never heard this entry1 for it was a son of ,haman who was filling the office of reader1 and he was desirous of passing the incident over in silence4 ,but a miracle occurred the words were heard though they were not uttered6 ,the names of ,mordecai and ,israel had a quieting influence upon the king1 and he dropped asleep4 ,he dreamed that ,haman1 sword in hand1 was approaching him with evil intent1 and when1 early in the morning1 ,haman suddenly1 without being announced1 entered the antechamber and awakened the king1 ,ahasuerus was persuaded of the truth of his dream4 ,the king was still further set against ,haman by the reply he gave to the question1 how honor was to be shown to the man whom the king delighteth to honor4 ,believing himself to be the object of the king's good-will1 he advised ,ahasuerus to have his favorite arrayed in the king's coronation garments1 and the crown royal put upon his head4 ,before him one of the grandees of the kingdom was to run1 doing herald's service1 proclaiming that whosoever did not prostrate himself and bow down before him whom the king delighteth to honor1 would have his head cut off1 and his house given over to pillage4 ,haman was quick to notice that he had made a mistake1 for he saw the king's countenance change color at the mention of the word crown4 ,he therefore took good care not to refer to it again4 ,in spite of this precaution1 ,ahasuerus saw in the words of ,haman a striking verification of his vision1 and he was confident that ,haman cherished designs against his life and his throne4 7#afh7 ,,the ,,fall ,,of ,,haman ,haman was soon to find out that he had gone far afield in supposing himself to be the man whom the king delighted to honor4 ,the king's command ran3 ,hasten to the royal treasure chambers2 fetch thence a cover of find purple1 a raiment of delicate silk1 furnished forth with golden bells and pomegranates and bestrewn with diamonds and pearls1 and the large golden crown which was brought me from ,macedonia upon the day ,i ascended the throne4 ,furthermore1 fetch thence the sword and the coat of mail sent me from ,ethiopia1 and the two veils embroidered with pearls which were ,africa's gift4 ,then repair to the royal stables1 and lead forth the black horse whereon ,i sat at my coronation4 ,with all these insignia of honor1 seek out ,mordecai6 ,haman3 ,which ,mordecai8 ,ahasuerus3 ,mordecai the ,jew4 ,haman3 ,there be many ,jews named ,mordecai4 ,ahasuerus3 ,the ,jew ,mordecai who sits at the king's gate4 ,haman3 ,there be many royal gates2 ,i know not which thou meanest4 ,ahasuerus3 ,the gate that leads from the harem to the palace4 ,haman3 ,this man is my enemy and the enemy of my house4 ,rather would ,i give him ten thousand talents of silver than do him this honor4 ,ahasuerus3 ,ten thousand talents of silver shall be given him1 and he shall be made lord over thy house1 but these honors must thou show unto him4 ,haman3 ,i have ten sons4 ,i would rather have them run before his horse than do him this honor4 ,ahasuerus3 ,thou1 thy sons1 and thy wife shall be slaves to ,mordecai1 but these honors must thou show unto him4 ,haman3 ,o my lord and king1 ,mordecai is a common man4 ,appoint him to be ruler over a city1 or1 if thou wilt1 even over a district1 rather than ,i should do him this honor4 ,ahasuerus3 ,i will appoint him ruler over cities and districts4 ,all the kings on land and on water shall pay him obedience1 but these honors must thou show unto him4 ,haman3 ,rather have coins struck bearing thy name together with his1 instead of mine as hitherto1 than ,i should do him this honor4 ,ahasuerus3 ,the man who saved the life of the king deserves to have his name put on the coin of the realm4 ,nevertheless1 these honors must thou show unto him4 ,haman3 ,edicts and writings have been issued to all parts of the kingdom1 commanding that the nation to which ,mordecai belongs shall be destroyed4 ,recall them rather than ,i should do him this honor4 ,ahasuerus3 ,the edicts and writings shall be recalled1 yet these honors must thou show unto ,mordecai4 ,seeing that all petitions and entreaties were ineffectual1 and ,ahasuerus insisted upon the execution of his order1 ,haman went to the royal treasure chambers1 walking with his head bowed like a mourner's1 his ears hanging down1 his eyes dim1 his mouth screwed up1 his heart hardened1 his bowels cut in pieces1 his loins weakened1 and his knees knocking against each other4 7#afi7 ,he gathered together the royal insignia1 and took them to ,mordecai1 accompanied on his way by ,harbonah and ,abzur1 who1 at the order of the king1 were to take heed whether ,haman carried out his wishes to the letter4 ,when ,mordecai saw his enemy approach1 he thought his last moment had come4 ,he urged his pupils to flee1 that they might not burn themselves with his coals4 ,but they refused1 saying3 ,in life as in death we desire to be with thee4 ,the few moments left him1 as he thought1 ,mordecai spent in devotion4 ,with words of prayer on his lips he desired to pass away4 ,haman1 therefore1 had to address himself to the pupils of ,mordecai3 ,what was the last subject taught you by your teacher ,mordecai8 ,they told him they had been discussing the law of the ,omer1 the sacrifice brought on that very day so long as the ,temple had stood4 ,at his request1 they described some of the details of the ceremony in the ,temple connected with the offering4 ,he exclaimed3 ,happy are you that your ten farthings1 with which you bought the wheat for the ,omer1 produced a better effect than my ten thousand talents of silver1 which ,i offered unto the king for the destruction of the ,jews4 ,meantime ,mordecai had finished his prayer4 ,haman stepped up to him1 and said3 ,arise1 thou pious son of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob4 ,thy sackcloth and ashes availed more than my ten thousand talents of silver1 which ,i promised unto the king4 ,they were not accepted1 but thy prayers were accepted by thy ,father in heaven4 ,mordecai1 not yet disabused of the notion that ,haman had come to take him to the cross1 requested the grace of a few minutes for his last meal4 ,only ,haman's repeated protests assured him4 ,when ,haman set about arraying him with the royal apparel1 ,mordecai refused to put it on until he had bathed1 and had dressed his hair4 ,royal apparel agreed but ill with his condition after three days of sackcloth and ashes4 ,as luck would have it1 ,esther had issued the command that the bathkeepers and barbers were not to ply their trades on that day1 and there was nothing for ,haman to do but perform the menial services ,mordecai required4 ,haman tried to play upon the feelings of ,mordecai4 ,fetching a deep sigh1 he said3 ,the greatest in the king's realm is now acting as bathkeeper and barber6 ,mordecai1 however1 did not permit himself to be imposed upon4 ,he knew ,haman's origin too well to be deceived2 he remembered his father1 who had been bathkeeper and barber in a village4 ,haman's humiliation was not yet complete4 ,mordecai1 exhausted by his three days' fast1 was too weak to mount his horse unaided4 ,haman had to serve him as footstool1 and ,mordecai took the opportunity to give him a kick4 ,haman reminded him of the ,scriptural verse3 ,rejoice not when thine enemy falleth1 and let not thine heart be glad when he is overthrown4 ,mordecai1 however1 refused to apply it to himself1 for he was chastising1 not a personal enemy1 but the enemy of his people1 and of such it is said in the ,scriptures3 ,and thou shalt tread upon the high places of thine enemies4 7#agj7 ,finally1 ,haman caused ,mordecai to ride through the streets of the city1 and proclaimed before him3 ,thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor4 ,in front of them marched twenty-seven thousand youths detailed for this service from the court4 ,in their right hands they bore golden cups1 and golden beakers in their left hands1 and they1 too1 proclaimed3 ,thus shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor4 ,the procession furthermore was swelled by the presence of ,jews4 ,they1 however1 made a proclamation of different tenor4 ,thus shall be done1 they cried out1 unto the man whose honor is desired by the ,king that hath created heaven and earth4 7#aga7 ,as he rode along1 ,mordecai gave praise to ,god3 ,i will extol ,thee1 ,o ,lord2 for ,thou hast raised me up1 and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me4 ,o ,lord my ,god1 ,i cried unto ,thee1 and ,thou hast healed me4 ,o ,lord1 ,thou hast brought up my soul from ,sheol2 ,thou hast kept me alive1 that ,i should not go down to the pit4 ,whereupon his pupils joined in with3 ,sing praise unto the ,lord1 ,o ye saints of ,his1 and give thanks to ,his holy name4 ,for ,his anger is but for a moment2 in ,his favor is life2 weeping may tarry for the night1 but joy cometh in the morning4 ,haman added the verse thereto3 ,as for me1 ,i said in my prosperity1 ,i shall never be moved4 ,thou1 ,lord1 of ,thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong4 ,thou didst hide ,thy face2 ,i was troubled4 ,queen ,esther continued3 ,i cried to ,thee1 ,o ,lord2 and unto the ,lord ,i made supplication4 ,what profit is there in my blood1 when ,i go down to the pit8 ,shall the dust praise ,thee8 ,shall it declare ,thy truth8 and the whole concourse of ,jews present cried out3 ,thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing2 ,thou hast loosed my sackcloth1 and girded me with gladness1 to the end that my glory may sing praise to ,thee1 and not be silent4 ,o ,lord my ,god1 ,i will give thanks unto ,thee forever4 7#agb7 ,when this procession passed the house of ,haman1 his daughter was looking out of the window4 ,she took the man on the horse to be her father1 and the leader of it1 ,mordecai4 ,raising a vessel filled with offal1 she emptied it out over the leader her own father4 ,scarce had the vessel left her hand1 when she realized the truth1 and she threw herself from the window1 and lay crushed to death on the street below4 7#agc7 ,in spite of the sudden change in his fortunes1 ,mordecai ended the eventful day as he had begun it1 in prayer and fasting4 ,no sooner was the procession over than he put off the royal robes1 and1 again covering himself with sackcloth1 he prayed until night fell4 ,haman was plunged in mourning1 partly on account of the deep disgrace to which he had been subjected1 partly on account of the death of his daughter4 7#agd7 ,neither his wife nor his friends could advise him how to mend his sad fortunes4 ,they could hold out only sorry consolation to him3 ,if this ,mordecai is of the seed of the saints1 thou wilt not be able to prevail against him4 ,thou wilt surely encounter the same fate as the kings in their battle with ,abraham1 and ,abimelech in his quarrel with ,isaac4 ,as ,jacob was victorious over the angel with whom he wrestled1 and ,moses and ,aaron caused the drowning of ,pharaoh and his host1 so ,mordecai will overcome thee in the end4 7#age7 ,while they were yet talking1 the king's chamberlains came1 and hastily carried ,haman off to the banquet ,esther had prepared1 to prevent him and his influential sons from plotting against the king4 7#agf7 ,ahasuerus repeated his promise1 to give ,esther whatever she desired1 always expecting the restoration of the ,temple4 ,this time1 casting her eyes heavenward1 ,esther replied3 ,if ,i have found favor in thy sight1 ,o ,supreme ,king1 and if it please ,thee1 ,o ,king of the world1 let my life be given me1 and let my people be rescued out of the hands of its enemy4 7#agg7 ,ahasuerus1 thinking these words were addressed to him1 asked in irritation3 ,who is he1 and where is he1 this presumptuous conspirator1 who thought to do thus8 ,these were the first words the king had ever spoken to ,esther herself4 ,hitherto he had always communicated with her through an interpreter4 ,he had not been quite satisfied she was worthy enough to be addressed by the king4 ,now made cognizant of the fact that she was a ,jewess1 and of royal descent besides1 he spoke to her directly1 without the intervention of others4 7#agh7 ,esther stretched forth her hand to indicate the man who had sought to take her life1 as he had actually taken ,vashti's1 but in the excitement of the moment1 she pointed to the king4 ,fortunately the king did not observe her error1 because an angel guided her hand instantaneously in the direction of ,haman1 7#agi7 whom her words described3 ,this is the adversary and the enemy1 he who desired to murder thee in thy sleeping-chamber during the night just passed2 he who this very day desired to array himself in the royal apparel1 ride upon thy horse1 and wear they golden crown upon his head1 to rise up against thee and deprive thee of thy sovereignty4 ,but ,god set his undertaking at naught1 and the honors he sought for himself1 fell to the share of my uncle ,mordecai1 who this oppressor and enemy thought to hang4 7#ahj7 ,the anger of the king already burnt so fiercely that he hinted to ,esther1 that whether ,haman was the adversary she had in mind or not1 she was to designate him as such4 ,to infuriate him still more1 ,god sent ten angels in the guise of ,haman's ten sons1 to fell down the trees in the royal park4 ,when ,ahasuerus turned his eyes toward the interior of the park1 he saw the ruthless destruction of which they were guilty4 ,in his rage he went out into the garden4 ,this was the instant utilized by ,haman to implore grace for himself from ,esther4 ,gabriel intervened1 and threw ,haman upon the couch in a posture as though he were about to do violence to the queen4 ,at that moment ,ahasuerus reappeared4 ,enraged beyond description by what he saw1 he cried out3 ,haman attempts the honor of the queen in my very presence6 ,come1 then1 ye peoples1 nations1 and races1 and pronounce judgment over him6 7#aha7 ,when ,harbonah1 originally a friend of ,haman and an adversary of ,mordecai1 heard the king's angry exclamation1 he said to him3 ,nor is this the only crime committed by ,haman against thee1 for he was an accomplice of the conspirators ,bigthan and ,teresh1 and his enmity to ,mordecai dates back to the time when ,mordecai uncovered their foul plots4 ,out of revenge therefor1 he has erected a cross for him4 ,harbonah's words illustrate the saying3 ,once the ox has been cast to the ground1 slaughtering knives can readily be found4 ,knowing that ,haman had fallen from his high estate1 ,harbonah was intent upon winning the friendship of ,mordecai4 7#ahb7 ,harbonah was altogether right1 for ,ahasuerus at once ordered ,haman to be hanged4 ,mordecai was charged with the execution of the king's order1 and ,haman's tears and entreaties did not in the least move him4 ,he insisted upon hanging him like the commonest of criminals1 instead of executing him with the sword1 the mode of punishment applied to men of rank guilty of serious misdemeanors4 7#ahc7 ,the cross which ,haman1 at the advice of his wife ,zeresh and of his friends1 had erected for ,mordecai1 was now used for himself4 ,it was made of wood from a thorn-bush4 ,god called all the trees together and inquired which one would permit the cross for ,haman to be made of it4 ,the fig-tree said3 ,i am ready to serve1 for ,i am symbolic of ,israel1 and1 also1 my fruits were brought to the ,temple as firstfruits4 ,the vine said3 ,i am ready to serve1 for ,i am symbolic of ,israel and1 also1 my wine is brought to the altar4 ,the apple-tree said3 ,i am ready to serve1 for ,i am symbolic of ,israel4 ,the nut-tree said3 ,i am ready to serve1 for ,i am symbolic of ,israel4 ,the ,etrog tree said3 ,i should have the privilege1 for with my fruit ,israel praises ,god on ,sukkot4 ,the willow of the brook said3 ,i desire to serve1 for ,i am symbolic of ,israel4 ,the cedar-tree said3 ,i desire to serve1 for ,i am symbolic of ,israel4 ,the palm-tree said3 ,i desire to serve1 for ,i am symbolic of ,israel4 ,finally the thorn-bush came and said3 ,i am fitted to do this service1 for the ungodly are like pricking thorns4 ,the offer of the thorn-bush was accepted1 after ,god gave a blessing to each of the other trees for its willingness to serve4 ,a sufficiently long beam cut from a thorn-bush could be found only in the house of ,haman1 which had to be demolished in order to obtain it4 7#ahd7 ,the cross was tall enough for ,haman and his ten sons to be hanged upon it4 ,it was planted three cubits deep in the ground1 each of the victims required three cubits space in length1 one cubit space was left vacant between the feet of the one above and the head of the one below1 and the youngest son1 ,vaizatha1 had his feet four cubits from the ground as he hung4 7#ahe7 ,haman and his ten sons remained suspended a long time1 to the vexation of those who considered it a violation of the ,biblical prohibition in ,deuteronomy1 not to leave a human body hanging upon a tree overnight4 ,esther pointed to a precedent1 the descendants of ,saul1 whom the ,gibeonites left hanging half a year1 whereby the name of ,god was sanctified1 for whenever the pilgrims beheld them1 they told the heathen1 that the men had been hanged because their father ,saul had laid hand on the ,gibeonites4 ,how much more1 then1 continued ,esther1 are we justified in permitting ,haman and his family to hang1 they who desired to destroy the house of ,israel8 7#ahf7 ,beside these ten sons1 who had been governors in various provinces1 ,haman had twenty others1 ten of whom died1 and the other ten of whom were reduced to beggary4 7#ahg7 ,the vast fortune of which ,haman died possessed was divided in three parts4 ,the first part was given to ,mordecai and ,esther1 the second to the students of the ,torah1 and the third was applied to the restoration of the ,temple4 7#ahh7 ,mordecai thus became a wealthy man4 ,he was also set up as king of the ,jews4 ,as such he had coins struck1 which bore the figure of ,esther on the obverse1 and his own figure on the reverse4 7#ahi7 ,however1 in the measure in which ,mordecai gained in worldly power and consideration1 he lost spiritually1 because the business connected with his high political station left him no time for the study of the ,torah4 ,previously he had ranked sixth among the eminent scholars of ,israel1 he now dropped to the seventh place among them4 7#aij7 ,ahasuerus1 on the other hand1 was the gainer by the change4 ,as soon as ,mordecai entered upon the office of grand chancellor1 he succeeded in subjecting to his sway the provinces that had revolted on account of ,vashti's execution4 7#aia7 ,,the ,,edict ,,of ,,the ,,king ,the edict issued against the ,jews was revoked by ,ahasuerus in the following terms3 ,king ,ahasuerus sends this letter to all the inhabitants of water and earth1 to all the rulers of districts1 and to generals of the army1 who dwell in every country2 may your peace be great6 ,i write this to you to inform you1 that although ,i rule over many nations1 over the inhabitants of land and sea1 yet ,i am not proud of my power1 but will rather walk in lowliness and meekness of spirit all my days1 in order to provide for you great peace4 ,unto all who dwell under my dominion1 unto all who seek to carry on business on land or on sea1 unto all who desire to export goods from one nation to the other1 from one people to the other unto them all1 ,i am the same1 from one end of the earth to the other1 and none may seek to cause excitement on land or on sea1 or enmities between one nation and another1 between one people and another4 ,i write this1 because in spite of our sincerity and honesty with which we love all the nations1 revere all the rulers1 and do good to all the potentates1 there are nevertheless people who were near to the king1 and into whose hand the government was entrusted1 who by their intrigues and falsehoods misled the king1 and wrote letters which are not right before heaven1 which are evil before men1 and harmful for the empire4 ,this was the petition they requested from the king3 that righteous men should be killed1 and most innocent blood be shed1 of those who have not done any evil1 nor were guilty of death such righteous people as ,esther1 celebrated for all virtues1 and ,mordecai1 wise in every branch of wisdom1 there is no blemish to be found in them nor in their nation4 ,i thought that ,i was requested concerning another nation1 and did not know it was concerning the ,jews1 who were called the ,children of the ,lord of ,all1 who created heaven and earth1 and who led them and their fathers through great and mighty empires4 ,and now as he1 ,haman1 the son of ,hammedatha1 from ,judea1 a descendant of ,amalek1 who came to us and enjoyed much kindness1 praise1 and dignity from us1 whom we made great1 and called 'father of the king1' and seated him at the right of the king1 did not know how to appreciate the dignity1 and how to conduct the affairs of state1 but harbored thoughts to kill the king and take away his kingdom1 therefore we ordered the son of ,hammedatha to be hanged1 and all that he desired we have brought upon his head2 and the ,creator of heaven and earth brought his machinations upon his head4 7#aib7 ,as a memorial of the wonderful deliverance from the hands of ,haman1 the ,jews of ,shushan celebrated the day their arch-enemy had appointed for their extermination1 and their example was followed by the ,jews of the other cities of the ,persian empire1 and by those of other countries4 ,yet the sages1 when besought by ,esther1 refused at first to make it a festival for all times1 lest the hatred of the heathen be excited against the ,jews4 ,they yielded only after ,esther had pointed out to them that the events on which the holiday was based1 were perpetuated in the annals of the kings of ,persia and ,media1 and thus the outside world would not be able to misinterpret the joy of the ,jews4 ,esther addressed another petition to the sages4 ,she begged that the book containing her history should be incorporated in the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,because they shrank from adding anything to the triple ,canon1 consisting of the ,torah1 the ,prophets1 and the ,hagiographa1 they again refused1 and again they had to yield to ,esther's argument4 ,she quoted the words from ,exodus1 ,write this for a memorial in a book1 spoken by ,moses to ,joshua1 after the battle of ,rephidim with the ,amalekites4 ,they saw that it was the will of ,god to immortalize the warfare waged with the ,amalekite ,haman4 ,nor is the ,book of ,esther an ordinary history4 ,without aid of the holy spirit1 it could not have been composed1 and therefore its canonization resolved upon below was endorsed above4 7#aic7 ,and as the ,book of ,esther became an integral and indestructible part of the ,holy ,scriptures1 so the ,feast of ,purim will be celebrated forever1 now and in the future world1 and ,esther herself by her pious deeds acquired a good name both in this world and in the world to come4 7#aid7