Title: The Legends of the Jews — Volume 4
Author: Ginzberg, Louis
Language: English
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THE LEGENDS OF THE JEWS VOLUME IV
BIBLE TIMES AND CHARACTERS FROM JOSHUA TO
ESTHER

BY LOUIS GINZBERG



TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN MANUSCRIPT



CONTENTS

I. 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.

II. THE JUDGES
The First Judge--Campaigns of KenaS--Othniel--Boaz and
Ruth--Deborah--Gideon--Jephthah--Samson--The of the Benjamites.

III. 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.

IV. 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.

V. 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.

VI. JUDAH AND ISRAEL
The Division of the Kingdom--Jeroboam--The Two Ahijabs--Asa--
Jehoshaphat and Ahab--Jezebel--Joram of Israel.

VII. 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.

VIII. ELISHA AND JONAH
Elisha the Disciple of Elijah--The Shunammite--Gehazi--The
Flight of Jonah Jonah in the Whale--The Repentance of Nineveh.

IX. THE LATER KINGS OF JUDAH
Joash--Three Great Prophets--The Two Kingdoms
Chastised--Hezekjah--Miracles Wrought for
Hezekiah--Manasseh--Josiah and His Successors.

X. 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 Ezekie1--Daniel--The
Three Men in the Furnace--Ezekiel Revives the
Dead--Nebuchadnezzar a Beast--Hiram--The False
Prophets--Daniel's Piety.

XI. 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.

XII. 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.

THE SERVANT OF MOSES

The early history of the first Jewish conqueror (1) in some respects
is like the early history of the first Jewish legislator. Moses was
rescued from a watery grave, and raised at the court of Egypt.
Joshua, in infancy, was swallowed by a whale, and , wonderful to
relate, did not perish. At a distant point of the sea-coast the
monster spewed him forth unharmed. He was found by
compassionate passers-by, and grew up ignorant of his descent.
The government appointed him to the office of hangman. As luck
would have it, he had to execute his own father. By the law of the
land the wife of the dead man fell to the share of his executioner,
and Joshua was on the point of adding to parricide another crime
equally heinous. He was saved by a miraculous sign. When he
approached his mother, milk flowed from her breasts. His
suspicions were aroused, and through the inquiries he set a foot
regarding his origin, the truth was made manifest. (2)

Later Joshua, who was so ignorant that he was called a fool,
became the minister of Moses, and God rewarded his faithful
service by making him the successor to Moses. (3) He was
designated as such to Moses when, at the bidding of his master, he
was carrying on war with the Amalekites. (4) In this campaign
God's care of Joshua was plainly seen. Joshua had condemned a
portion of the Amalekites to death by lot, and the heavenly sword
picked them out for extermination. (5) Yet there was as great a
difference between Moses and Joshua as between the sun and the
moon. (6) God did not withdraw His help from Joshua, but He was
by no means so close to him as to Moses. This appeared
immediately after Moses had passed away. At the moment when
the Israelitish leader was setting out on his journey to the great
beyond, he summoned his successor and bade him put questions
upon all points about which he felt uncertain. Conscious of his
own industry and devotion, Joshua replied that he had no questions
to ask, seeing that he had carefully studied the teachings of Moses.
Straightway he forgot three hundred Halakot, and doubts assailed
him concerning seven hundred others. The people threatened
Joshua's life, because he was not able to resolve their difficulties in
the law. It was vain to turn to God, for the Torah once revealed
was subject to human, not to heavenly, authority. (7) Directly after
Moses' death, God commanded Joshua to go to war, so that the
people might forget its grievance against him. (8) But it is false to
think that the great conqueror was nothing more than a military
hero. When God appeared to him, to give him instructions
concerning the war, He found him with the Book of Deuteronomy
in his hand, whereupon God called to him: "Be strong and of good
courage; the book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth." (9)

 ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND

The first step in preparation for war was the selection of spies. To
guard against a repetition of what had happened to Moses, Joshua
chose as his messengers Caleb and Phinehas, on whom he could
place dependence in all circumstances. (10) They were
accompanied on their mission by two demons, the husbands of the
she-devils Lilith and Mahlah. When Joshua was planning his
campaign, these devils offered their services to him; they proposed
that they be sent out to reconnoitre the land. Joshua refused the
offer, but formed their appearance so frightfully that the residents
of Jericho were struck with fear of them. (11) In Jericho the spies
put up with Rahab. She had been leading an immoral life for forty
years, but at the approach of Israel, she paid homage to the true
God, lived the life of a pious convert, and, as the wife of Joshua,
became the ancestress of eight prophets and of the prophetess
Huldah. (12) She had opportunity in her own house of beholding
the wonders of God. When the king's bailiffs came to make their
investigations, and Rahab wanted to conceal the Israelitish spies,
Phinehas calmed her with the words: "I am a priest, and priests are
like angels, visible when they wish to be seen, invisible when they
do not wish to be seen." (13)

After the return of the spies, Joshua decided to pass over the
Jordan. The crossing of the river was the occasion for wonders, the
purpose of which was to clothe him with authority in the eyes of
the people. Scarcely had the priests, who at this solemn moment
took the place of the Levites as bearers of the Ark, set foot in the
Jordan, when the waters of the river were piled up to a height of
three hundred miles. All the peoples of the earth were witnesses of
the wonder. (14) In the bed of the Jordan Joshua assembled the
people around the Ark. A Divine miracle caused the narrow space
between its staves to contain the whole concourse. Joshua then
proclaimed the conditions under which God would give Palestine
to the Israelites, and he added, if these conditions were not
accepted, the waters of the Jordan would descend straight upon
them. Then they marched through the river. When the people
arrived on the further shore, the holy Ark, which had all the while
been standing in the bed of the river, set forward of itself, and,
dragging the priests after it, overtook the people.

The day continued eventful. Unassailed, the Israelites marched
seventy miles to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and there
performed the ceremony bidden by Moses in Deuteronomy: six of
the tribes ascended Mount Gerizim, and six Mount Ebal. The
priests and the Levites grouped themselves about the holy Ark in
the vale between the two peaks. With their faces turned toward
Gerizim, the Levites uttered the words: "Happy the man that
maketh no idol, an abomination unto the Lord," and all the people
answered Amen. After reciting twelve blessings similar to this in
form, the Levites turned to Mount Ebal, and recited twelve curses,
counterparts of the blessings, to each of which the people
responded again with Amen. Thereupon an altar was erected on
Mount Ebal with the stones, each weighing forty seim, which the
Israelites had taken from the bed of the river while passing through
the Jordan. The altar was plastered with lime, and the Torah
written upon it in seventy languages, so that the heathen nations
might have the opportunity of learning the law. At the end it was
said explicitly that the heathen outside of Palestine, if they would
but abandon the worship of idols, would be received kindly by the
Jews.

All this happened on one day, on the same day on which the
Jordan was crossed, and the assembly was held on Gerizim and
Ebal,   the day on which the people arrived at Gilgal, where they
left the stones of which the altar had been built. (15) At Gilgal
Joshua performed the rite of circumcision on those born in the
desert, who had remained uncircumcised on account of the rough
climate and for other reasons. (16) And here it was that the manna
gave out. It had ceased to fall at the death of Moses, but the supply
that had been stored up had lasted some time longer. (17) As soon
as the people were under the necessity of providing for their daily
wants, they grew negligent in the study of the Torah. Therefore the
angel admonished Joshua to loose his shoes from off his feet, for
he was to mourn over the decline of the study of the Torah, (18)
and bare feet are a sign of mourning. 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 service.
Neglect of the latter might be a venial sin, but neglect of the
former is worthy of condign punishment. (19) At the same time the
angel assured Joshua that he had come to aid him, and he entreated
Joshua not to draw back from him, like Moses, who had refused
the good offices of the angel. (20) He who spoke to Joshua was
none other than the archangel Michael. (21)

 CONQUEST OF THE LAND

Joshua's first victory was the wonderful capture of Jericho. The
whole of the city was declared anathema, because it had been
conquered on the Sabbath day. Joshua reasoned that as the Sabbath
is holy, so also that which conquered on the Sabbath should be
holy. (22) The brilliant victory was followed by the luckless defeat
at Ai. In this engagement perished Jair, the son of Manasseh,
whose loss was as great as if the majority of the Sanhedrin had
been destroyed. (23) Presently Joshua discovered that the cause of
the defeat was the sinfulness of Israel, brought upon it by Achan,
who had laid hands on some of the spoils of Jericho. Achan was a
hardened transgressor and criminal from of old. During the life of
Moses he had several times appropriated to his own use things that
had been declared anathema, (24) and he had committed other
crimes worthy of the death penalty. (25) Before the Israelites
crossed the Jordan, God had not visited Achan's sins upon the
people as a whole, because at that time it did not form a national
unit yet. But when Achan abstracted an idol and all its
appurtenances from Jericho, (26) the misfortune of Ai followed at
once.

Joshua inquired of God, why trouble had befallen Israel, but God
refused to reply. He was no tale-bearer; the evil-doer who had
caused the disaster would have to be singled out by lot. (27)
Joshua first of all summoned the high priest from the assembly of
the people. It appeared that, while the other jewels in his
breastplate gleamed bright, the stone representing the tribe of
Judah was dim. (28) By lot Achan was set apart from the members
of his tribe. Achan, however, refused to submit to the decision by
lot. He said to Joshua: "Among all living men thou and Phinehas
are the most pious. Yet, if lots were cast concerning you two, one
or other of you would be declared guilty. Thy teacher Moses has
been dead scarcely one month, and thou has already begun to go
astray, for thou hast forgotten that a man's guilt can be proved only
through two witnesses."

Endued with the holy spirit, Joshua divined that the land was to be
assigned to the tribes and families of Israel by lot, and he realized
that nothing ought to be done to bring this method of deciding into
disrepute. He, therefore, tried to persuade Achan to make a clean
breast of his transgression. (29) Meantime, the Judeans, the
tribesmen of Achan, rallied about him, and throwing themselves
upon the other tribes, they wrought fearful havoc and bloodshed.
This determined Achan to confess his sins. (30) The confession
cost him his life, but it saved him from losing his share in the
world to come. (31)

In spite of the reverses at Ai, (32) the terror inspired by the
Israelites grew among the Canaanitish peoples. The Gibeonites
planned to circumvent the invaders, and form an alliance with
them. Now, before Joshua set out on his campaign, he had issued
three proclamations: the nation that would leave Canaan might
depart unhindered; the nation that would conclude peace with the
Israelites, should do it at once; and the nation that would choose
war, should make its preparations. If the Gibeonites had sued for
the friendship of the Jews when the proclamation came to their
ears, there would have been no need for subterfuges later. But the
Canaanites had to see with their own eyes what manner of enemy
awaited them, and all the nations prepared for war. The result was
that the thirty-one kings of Palestine perished, as well as the
satraps of many foreign kings, who were proud to own possessions
in the Holy Land. (33) Only the Girgashites departed out of
Palestine, and as a reward for their docility God gave them Africa
as an inheritance. (34)

The Gibeonites deserved no better fate than all the rest, for the
covenant made with them rested upon a misapprehension, yet
Joshua kept his promise to them, in order to sanctify the name of
God, by showing the world how sacred an oath is to the Israelites.
(35) In the course of events it became obvious that the Gibeonites
were by no means worthy of being received into the Jewish
communion, and David, following Joshua's example, excluded
them forever, a sentence that will remain in force even in the
Messianic time. (36)

 THE SUN OBEYS JOSHUA

The task of protecting the Gibeonites involved in the offensive and
defensive alliance made with them, Joshua fulfilled scrupulously.
He had hesitated for a moment whether to aid the Gibeonites in
their distress, but the words of God sufficed to recall him to his
duty. God said to him: "If thou dost not bring near them that are far
off, thou wilt remove them that are near by." (37) God granted
Joshua peculiar favor in his conflict with the assailants of the
Gibeonites. The hot hailstones which, at Moses' intercession, had
remained suspended in the air when they were about to fall upon
the Egyptians, were now cast down upon the Canaanites. (38)
Then happened the great wonder of the sun's standing still, the
sixth (39) of the great wonders since the creation of the world.

The battle took place on a Friday. Joshua knew it would pain the
people deeply to be compelled to desecrate the holy Sabbath day.
Besides, he noticed that the heathen were using sorcery to make
the heavenly hosts intercede for them in the fight against the
Israelites. He, therefore, pronounced the Name of the Lord, and the
sun, moon and stars stood still. (40) The sun at first refused to
obey Joshua's behest, seeing that he was older than man by two
days. Joshua replied that there was no reason why a free-born
youth should refrain from enjoining silence upon an old slave
whom he owns, and had not God given heaven and earth to our
father Abraham? (41) Nay, more than this, had not the sun himself
bowed down like a slave before Joseph? "But," said the sun, "who
will praise God if I am silent?" (42) Whereupon Joshua: "Be thou
silent, and I will intone a song of praise." (43) And he sang thus:

1. Thou hast done mighty things, O Lord, Thou has performed
great deeds. Who is like unto Thee? My lips shall sing unto Thy
name.

2. My goodness and my fortress, my refuge, I will sing a new song
unto Thee, with thanksgiving I will sing unto Thee, Thou art the
strength of my salvation.

3. All the kings of the earth shall praise Thee, the princes of the
world shall sing unto Thee, the children of Israel shall rejoice in
Thy salvation, they shall sing and praise Thy power.

4. In Thee, O God, did we trust; we said, Thou art our God, for
Thou wast our shelter and our strong tower against our enemies.

5. To Thee we cried, and we were not ashamed; in Thee we
trusted, and we were delivered; when we cried unto Thee, Thou
didst hear our voice, Thou didst deliver our souls from the sword.

6. Thou hast shown unto us Thy mercy, Thou didst give unto us
Thy salvation, Thou didst rejoice our hearts with Thy strength.

7. Thou wentest forth for our salvation; with the strength of Thy
arm Thou didst redeem Thy people; Thou did console us from the
heavens of Thy holiness, Thou didst save us from tens of
thousands.

8. Sun and moon stood still in heaven, and Thou didst stand in Thy
wrath against our oppressors, and Thou didst execute Thy
judgements upon them.

9. All the princes of the earth stood up, the kings of the nations had
gathered themselves together, they were not moved at Thy
presence, they desired Thy battles.

10. Thou didst rise against them in Thine anger, and Thou didst
bring down Thy wrath upon them, Thou didst destroy them in Thy
fury, and Thou didst ruin them in Thy rage.

11. Nations raged from fear of Thee, kingdoms tottered because of
Thy wrath, Thou didst wound kings in the day of Thine anger.

12. Thou didst pour out Thy fury upon them, Thy wrathful anger
took hold of them, Thou didst turn their iniquity upon them, and
Thou didst cut them off in their wickedness.

13. They spread a trap, they fell therein, in the net they hid their
foot was caught.

14. Thine hand found all Thine enemies, who said, through their
sword they possessed the land, through their arm thy dwelt in the
city.

15. Thou didst fill their faces with shame, Thou didst bring their
horns down to the ground.

16. Thou didst terrify them in Thy wrath, and thou didst destroy
them from before Thee.

17. The earth quaked and trembled from the noise of Thy thunder
against them; Thou didst not withhold their souls from earth, and
Thou didst bring down their lives to the grave.

18. Thou didst pursue them in Thy storm, Thou didst consume
them in the whirlwind, Thou didst turn their rain into hail, they fell
in floods, so that they could not rise.

19. Their carcasses were like rubbish cast out in the middle of the
streets.

20. They were consumed, and they perished before Thee, Thou
hast delivered Thy people in Thy might.

21. Therefore our hearts rejoice in Thee, our souls exult in Thy
salvation.

22. Our tongues shall relate Thy might, we will sing and praise
Thy wondrous works.

23. For Thou didst save us from our enemies, Thou didst deliver us
from those who rose up against us, Thou didst destroy them from
before us, and depress them beneath our feet.

24. Thus shall all Thine enemies perish, O Lord, and the wicked
shall be like chaff driven by the wind, and Thy beloved shall be
like trees planted by the waters. (44)

 WAR WITH THE ARMENIANS

Joshua's victorious course did not end with the conquest of the
land. His war with the Armenians, after Palestine was subdued,
marked the climax of his heroic deeds. Among the thirty-one kings
whom Joshua had slain, there was one whose son, Shobach by
name, was king of Armenia. With the purpose of waging war with
Joshua, he united the forty-five kings of Persia and Media, and
they were joined by the renowned hero Japheth. The allied kings in
a letter informed Joshua of their design against him as follow:
"The noble, distinguished council of the kings of Persia and Media
to Joshua, peace! Thou wolf of the desert, we well know what thou
didst to our kinsmen. Thou didst destroy our palaces; without pity
thou didst slay young and old; our fathers thou didst mow down
with the sword; and their cities thou didst turn into desert. Know,
then, that in the space of thirty days, we shall come to thee, we, the
forty-five kings, each having sixty thousand warriors under him,
all them armed with bows and arrows, girt about with swords, all
of us skilled in the ways of war, and with us the hero Japheth.
Prepare now for the combat, and say not afterward that we took
thee at unawares."

The messenger bearing the letter arrived on the day before the
Feast of Weeks. Although Joshua was greatly wrought up by the
contents of the letter, he kept his counsel until after the feast, in
order not to disturb the rejoicing of the people. Then, at the
conclusion of the feast, he told the people of the message that had
reached him, so terrifying that even he, the veteran warrior,
trembled at the heralded approach of the enemy. Nevertheless
Joshua determined to accept the challenge. From the first words
his reply was framed to show the heathen how little their fear
possessed him whose trust was set in God. The introduction to his
epistle reads as follows: "In the Name of the Lord, the God of
Israel, who saps the strength of the iniquitous warrior, and slays
the rebellious sinner. He breaks up the assemblies of marauding
transgressors, and He gathers together in council the pious and the
just scattered abroad, He the God of all gods, the Lord of all lords,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is the Lord of war!
From me, Joshua, the servant of God, and from the holy and
chosen congregation to the impious nations, who pay worship to
images, and prostrate themselves before idols: No peace unto you,
saith my God! Know that ye acted foolishly to awaken the
slumbering lion, to rouse up the lion's whelp, to excite his wrath. I
am ready to pay you your recompense. Be ye prepared to meet me,
for within a week I shall be with you to slay your warriors to a
man."

Joshua goes on to recite all the wonders God had done for Israel,
who need fear no power on earth; and he ends his missive with the
words: "If the hero Japheth is with you, we have in the midst of us
the Hero of heroes, the Highest above all the high."

The heathen were not a little alarmed at the tone of Joshua's letter.
Their terror grew when the messenger told of the exemplary
discipline maintained in the Isrealitish army, of the gigantic stature
of Joshua, who stood five ells high, of his royal apparel, of his
crown graven with the Name of God. At the end of seven days
Joshua appeared with twelve thousand troops. When the mother of
King Shobach, who was a powerful witch, espied the host, she
exercised her magic art, and enclosed the Isrealitish army in seven
walls. Joshua thereupon sent forth a carrier pigeon to communicate
his plight to Nabiah, the king of the trans-Jordanic tribes. He urged
him to hasten to his help and bring the priest Phinehas and the
sacred trumpets with him. Nabiah did not tarry. Before the relief
detachment arrived, his mother reported to Shobach that she
beheld a star arise out of the East against which her machinations
were vain. Shobach threw his mother from the wall, and he
himself was soon afterward killed by Nabiah. Meantime Phinehas
arrived, and, at the sound of his trumpets, the wall toppled down.
A pitched battle ensued, and the heathen were annihilated. (45)

 ALLOTMENT OF THE LAND

At the end of seven years of warfare, (46) Joshua could at last
venture to parcel out the conquered land among the tribes. This
was the way he did it. The high priest Eleazar, attended by Joshua
and all the people, and arrayed in the Urim and Thummim, stood
before two urns. One of the urns contained the names of the tribes,
the other the names of the districts into which the land was
divided. The holy spirit caused him to exclaims "Zebulon." When
he put his hand into the first urn, lo, he drew forth the word
Zebulon, and from the other came the word Accho, meaning the
district of Accho. Thus it happened with each tribe in succession.
(47) In order that the boundaries might remain fixed, Joshua had
had the Hazubah (48) planted between the districts. The rootstock
of this plant once established in a spot, it can be extirpated only
with the greatest difficulty. The plough may draw deep furrows
over it, yet it puts forth new shoots, and grows up again amid the
grain, still marking the old division lines. (49)

In connection with the allotment of the land Joshua issued ten
ordinances intended, in a measure, to restrict the rights in private
property: Pasturage in the woods was to be free to the public at
large. Any one was permitted to gather up bits of wood in the field.
The same permission to gather up all grasses, wherever they might
grow, unless they were in a field that had been sown with
fenugreek, which needs grass for protection. For grafting purposes
twigs could be cut from any plant except the olive-trees. Water
springs belonged to the whole town. It was lawful for any one to
catch fish in the Sea of Tiberias, provided navigation was not
impeded. The area adjacent to the outer side of a fence about a
field might be used by any passer-by to ease nature. From the close
of the harvest until the seventeenth day of Marheshwan fields
could be crossed. A traveler who lost his way among vineyards
could not be held responsible for the damage done in the effort to
recover the right path. A dead body found in a field was to be
buried on the spot where it was found. (50)

The allotment of the land to the tribes and subdividing each
district among the tribesmen took as much time as the conquest of
the land. (51)

When the two tribes and a half from the land beyond Jordan
returned home after an absence of fourteen years, 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 fathers. 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 children.
(52)

After a leadership of twenty-eight years (53), marked with success
(54) in war and in peace, Joshua departed this life. His followers
laid the knives he had used in circumcising the Israelites (55) into
his grave, and over it they erected a pillar as a memorial of the
great wonder of the sun's standing still over Ajalon. (56) However,
the mourning for Joshua was not so great as might justly have been
expected. 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 it. As a
punishment for their ingratitude, God, soon after Joshua's death,
brought also the life of the high priest Eleazar and of the other
elders to a close, and the mount on which Joshua's body was
interred began to tremble, and threatened to engulf the Jews. (57)

THE FIRST JUDGE

After the death of Joshua the Israelites inquired to God whether
they were to go up against the Canaanites in war. They were given
the answer: "If ye are pure of heart, go forth unto the combat; but
if your hearts are sullied with sin, then refrain." They inquired
furthermore how to test the heart of the people. God ordered them
to cast lots and set apart those designated by lot, for they would be
the sinful among them. Again, when the people besought God to
give it a guide and leader, an angel answered: "Cast lots in the
tribe of Caleb." The lot designated Kenaz, and he was made prince
over Israel. (1)

His first act was to determine by lot who were the sinners in Israel,
and what their inward thought. He declared before the people: "If I
and my house be set apart by lot, deal with us as we deserve, burn
us with fire." The people assenting, lots were cast, and 345 of the
tribe of Judah were singled out, 560 of Reuben, 775 of Simon, 150
of Levi, 665 of Issachar, 545 of Zebulon, 380 of Gad, and 665 of
Asher, 480 of Manasseh, 448 of Ephraim, and 267 of Benhamin.
(2) So 6110 (3) persons were confined in prison, until God should
let it be know what was to be done with them. The united prayers
of Kenaz, Eleazar the high priest, and the elders of the
congregation, were answered thus: "Ask these men now to confess
their iniquity, and they shall be burnt with fire." Kenaz thereupon
exhorted them: "Ye know that Achan, the son of Zabdi, committed
the trespass of taking the anathema, but the lot fell upon him, and
he confessed his sin. Do ye likewise confess your sins, that ye may
come to life with those whom God will revive on the day of the
resurrection." (4)

One of the sinful, a man by the name of Elah, (5) said in reply
thereto: "If thou desirest to bring forth the truth, address thyself to
each of the tribes separately." (6) Kenaz began with his own, the
tribe of Judah. The wicked of Judah confessed to the sin of
worshipping the golden calf, like unto their forefathers in the
desert. The Reubenites had burnt sacrifices to idols. The Levites
said: "We desired to prove whether the Tabernacle is holy." Those
of the tribe of Issachar replied: "We consulted idols to know what
will become of us." (7) The sinners of Zebulon: "We desired to eat
the flesh of our sons and daughters, to know whether the Lord
loves them." The Danites admitted, they had taught their children
out of the books of the Amorites, which they had hidden then
under Mount Abarim, (8) where Kenaz actually found them. The
Naphtalites confessed to the same transgression, only they had
concealed the books in the tent of Elah, and there they were found
by Kenaz. The Gadites acknowledged having led an immoral life,
and the sinners of Asher, that they had found, and had hidden
under Mount Shechem, 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 sinners,
Canaan, Put, Shelah, Nimrod, Elath, Diul, and Shuah. (9) They
were of precious stones from Havilah, which radiated light,
making night bright as day. Besides, they possessed a rare virtue: if
a blind Amorite kissed one of the idols, and at the same time
touched its eyes, his sight was restored. (10) After the sinners of
Asher, those of Manasseh made their confession   they had
desecrated the Sabbath. The Ephraimites owned to having
sacrificed their children to Moloch. Finally, the Benjamites said:
"We desired to prove whether the law emanated from God or from
Moses."

At the command of God these sinners and all their possessions
were burnt with fire at the brook of Pishon. Only the Amorite
books and the idols of precious stones remained unscathed.
Neither fire nor water could do them harm. Kenaz decided to
consecrate the idols to God, but a revelation came to him, saying:
"If God were to accept what has been declared anathema, why
should not man?" He was assured that God would destroy the
things over which human hands had no power. Kenaz, acting under
Divine instruction, bore them to the summit of a mountain, where
an altar was erected. The books and the idols were placed upon it,
and the people offered many sacrifices and celebrated the whole
day as a festival. During the night following, Kenaz saw dew rise
from the ice in Paradise and descend upon the books. The letters of
their writing were obliterated by it, and then an angel came and
annihilated what was left. (11) During the same night an angel
carried off the seven gems, and threw them to the bottom of the
sea. Meanwhile a second angel brought twelve other gems,
engraving the names of the twelve sons of Jacob upon them, one
name upon each. No two of these gems were alike: (12) the first, to
bear the name of Reuben, was like sardius; the second, for Simon,
like topaz; the third, Levi, like emerald; the fourth, Judah, like
carbuncle; the fifth, Issachar, like sapphire; the sixth, Zebulon, like
jasper; the seventh, Dan, like ligure; the eighth, Naphtali, like
amethyst; the ninth, Gad, like agate; the tenth, Asher, like
chrysolite; the eleventh, Joseph, like beryl; and the twelfth,
Benjamin, like onyx.

Now God commanded Kenaz to deposit twelve stones in the holy
Ark, and there they were to remain until such time as Solomon
should build the Temple, and attach them to the Cherubim. (13)
Furthermore, this Divine communication was made to Kenaz:
"And it shall come to pass, when the sin of the children of men
shall have been completed by defiling My Temple, the Temple
they themselves shall build, that I will take these stones, together
with the tables of the law, and put them in the place whence they
were removed of old, and there they shall remain until the end of
all time, when I will visit the inhabitants of the earth. Then I will
take them up, and they shall be an everlasting light to those who
love me and keep my commandments." (14)

When Kenaz bore the stones to the sanctuary, they illumined the
earth like unto the sun at midday.

 CAMPAIGNS OF KENAZ

After these preparations Kenaz took the field against the enemy,
with three hundred thousand men. (15) The first day he slew eight
thousand of the foe, and the second day five thousand. But not all
the people were devoted to Kenaz. Some murmured against him,
and calumniating him, said: "Kenaz stays at home, while we
expose ourselves on the field." The servants of Kenaz reported
these words to him. He ordered the thirty-seven (16) men who had
railed against him to be incarcerated, and he swore to kill them, if
God would but grant him assistance for the sake of His people.

Thereupon he assembled three hundred men of his attendants,
supplied them with horses, and bade them be prepared to make a
sudden attack during the night, but to tell none of the plans he
harbored in his mind. The scouts sent ahead to reconnoitre
reported that the Amorites were too powerful for him to risk an
engagement. Kenaz, however, refused to be turned away from his
intention. At midnight he and his three hundred trusty attendants
advanced upon the Amorite camp. Close upon it, he commanded
his men to halt, but to resume their march and follow him when
they should hear the notes of the trumpet. If the trumpet was not
sounded, they were to return home.

Alone Kenaz ventured into the very camp of the enemy. Praying to
God fervently, he asked that a sign be given him: "Let this be the
sign of the salvation Thou wilt accomplish for me this day: I shall
draw my sword from its sheath, and brandish it so that it glitters in
the camp of the Amorites. If the enemy recognize it as the sword
of Kenaz, then I shall know Thou wilt deliver them into my hand;
if not, I shall understand Thou hast not granted my prayer, but dost
purpose to deliver me into the hand of the enemy for my sins."

He heard the Amorites say: "Let us proceed to give battle to the
Israelites, for our sacred gods, the nymphs, are in their hands, and
will cause their defeat." When he heard these words, the spirit of
God came over Kenaz. He arose and swung his sword above his
head. Scarce had the Amorites seen it gleam in the air when they
exclaimed: "Verily, this is the sword of Kenaz, who has come to
inflict wounds and pain. But we know that our gods, who are held
by the Israelites, will deliver them into our hands. Up, then, to
battle!" Knowing that God had heard his petition, Kenaz threw
himself upon the Amorites, and mowed down forty-five thousand
of them, and as many perished at the hands of their own brethren,
for God had sent the angel Gabriel (17) to his aid, and he had
struck the Amorites blind, so that they fell upon one another. On
account of the vigorous blows dealt by Kenaz on all sides, his
sword stuck to his hand. A fleeing Amorite, whom he stopped, to
ask him how to loose it, advised him to slay a Hebrew, and let his
warm blood flow over his hand. Kenaz accepted his advice, but
only in part: instead of a Hebrew, he slew the Amorite himself, and
his blood freed his hand from the sword. (18)

When Kenaz came back to his men, he found them sunk in
profound sleep, which had overtaken them that they might not see
the wonders done for their leader. They were not a little
astonished, on awakening, to behold the whole plain strewn with
the dead bodies of the Amorites. Then Kenaz said to them: "Are
the ways of God like unto the ways of man? Through me the Lord
hath sent deliverance to this people. Arise now and go back to your
tents." The people recognized that a great miracle had happened,
and they said: "Now we know that God hath wrought salvation for
His people; He hath no need of numbers, but only of holiness."

On his return from the campaign, Kenaz was received with great
rejoicing. The whole people now gave thanks to God for having
put him over them as their leader. They desired to know how he
had won the great victory. Kenaz only answered: "Ask those who
were with me about my deeds." His men were thus forced to
confess that they knew nothing, only, on awakening, they had seen
the plain full of dead bodies, without being able to account for
their being there. Then Kenaz turned to the thirty-seven men
imprisoned, before he left for the war, for having cast aspersions
upon him. "Well," he said, "what charge have you to make against
me?" Seeing that death was inevitable, they confessed they were of
the sort of sinners whom Kenaz and the people had executed, and
God had now surrendered them to him on account of their
misdeeds. They, too, were burnt with fire.

Kenaz reigned for a period of fifty-seven years. When he felt his
end draw nigh, he summoned the two prophets, Phinehas and
Jabez, (19) together with the priest Phinehas, the son of Eleazar.
To these he spake: "I know the heart of this people, it will turn
from following after the Lord. Therefore do I testify against it."
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, replied: "As Moses and Joshua
testified, so do I testify against it; for Moses and Joshua
prophesied concerning the vineyard, the beautiful planting of the
Lord, which knew not who had planted it, and did not recognize
Him who cultivated it, so that the vineyard was destroyed, and
brought forth no fruit. These are the words my father commanded
me to say unto this people."

Kenaz broke out into loud wailing, and with him the elders and the
people, and they wept until eventide, saying: "Is it for the iniquity
of the sheep that the shepherd must perish? May the Lord have
compassion upon His inheritance that it may not work in vain."

The spirit of God descended upon Kenaz, and he beheld a vision.
He prophesied that this world would continue to exist only seven
thousand years, to be followed then by the Kingdom of Heaven.
These words spoken, the prophetical spirit departed from him, and
he straightway forgot what he had uttered during his vision. Before
he passed away, he spoke once more, saying: "If such be the rest
which the righteous obtain after their death, it were better for them
to die than live in this corrupt world and see its iniquities." (20)

As Kenaz left no male heirs, Zebul was appointed his successor.
Mindful of the great service Kenaz had performed for the nation,
Zebul acted a father's part toward the three unmarried daughters of
his predecessor. At his instance, the people assigned a rich
marriage portion to each of them; they were given great domains
as their property. The oldest of the three, Ethema by name, he
married to Elizaphan; the second, Pheila, to Odihel; and the
youngest, Zilpah, to Doel.

Zebul, the judge, instituted a treasury at Shiloh. He bade the
people bring contributions, whether of gold or of silver. They were
only to take heed not to carry anything thither that had originally
belonged to an idol. His efforts were crowned with success. The
free-will offerings to the temple treasure amounted to twenty
talents of gold and two hundred and fifty talents of silver.

Zebul's reign lasted twenty-five years. Before his death he
admonished the people solemnly to be God-fearing and observant
of the law. (21)

 OTHNIEL

Othniel was a judge of a very different type. His contemporaries
said, that before the sun of Joshua went down, the sun of Othniel,
his successor in the leadership of the people , appeared on the
horizon. The new leader's real name was Judah; Othniel was one
of his epithets, as Jabez was another. (22)

Among the judges, Othniel represents the class of scholars. His
acumen was so great that he was able, by dint of dialect reasoning,
to restore the seventeen hundred traditions (23) which Moses had
taught the people, and which had been forgotten in the time of
mourning for Moses. Nor was his zeal for the promotion of the
study of the Torah inferior to his learning. The descendants of
Jethro left Jericho, the district assigned to them, and journeyed to
Arad, only that thy might sit at the feed to Othniel. (24) His wife,
the daughter of his half-brother Caleb, was not so well pleased
with him. She complained to her father that her husband's house
was bare of all earthly goods, and his only possession was
knowledge of the Torah. (25)

The first event to be noted in Othniel's forty years' reign (26) is his
victory over Adoni-bezek. This chief did not occupy a prominent
position among the Canaanitish rulers. He was not even accounted
a king, nevertheless he had conquered seventy foreign kings. (27)
The next event was the capture of Luz by the Israelites. The only
way to gain entrance into Luz was by a cave, and the road to the
cave lay through a hollow almond tree. If the secret approach to
the city had not been betrayed by one of its residents, it would
have been impossible for the Israelites to reach it. God rewarded
the informer who put the Israelites in the way of capturing Luz.
The city he founded was left unmolested both by Sennacherib and
Nebuchadnezzar, and not event the Angel of Death has power over
its inhabitants. They never die, unless, weary of life, they leave the
city. (28)

The same good fortune did not mark Othniel's reign throughout.
For eight years Israel suffered oppression at the hands of Cushan,
the evil-doer who in former days had threatened to destroy the
patriarch Jacob, as he was now endeavoring to destroy the
descendants of Jacob, for Cushan is only another name for Laban.
(29)

Othniel, however, was held so little answerable for the causes that
had brought on the punishment of the people, that God granted
him eternal life; he is one of the few who reached Paradise alive.
(30)

 BOAZ AND RUTH

The story of Ruth came to pass a hundred (31) years after Othniel's
reign. Conditions in Palestine were of such a nature that if a judge
said to a man, "Remove the mote from thine eye," his reply was,
"Do thou remove the beam from thine own." (32) To chastise the
Israelites God sent down them one of the ten seasons of famine
which He had ordained, as disciplinary measures for mankind,
from the creation of the world until the advent of Messiah. (33)
Elimelech (34) and his sons, (35) who belonged to the aristocracy
of the land, attempted neither to improve (36) the sinful generation
whose transgressions had called forth the famine, nor alleviated
the distress that prevailed about them. They left Palestine, and thus
withdrew themselves from the needy who had counted upon their
help. They turned their faced to Moab. (37) There, on account of
their wealth and high descent, they were made officers in the army.
(38) Mahlon and Chilion, the sons of Elimelech, rose to still higher
distinction, they married the daughters of the Moabite king Eglon
(39) But this did not happen until after the death of Elimelech,
who was opposed to intermarriage with the heathen. (40) Neither
the wealth nor the family connections of the two men helped them
before God. First they sank into poverty, and, as they continued in
their sinful ways, God took their life. (41)

Naomi, their mother, resolved to return to her home. Her two
daughters-in-law were very dear to her on account of the love they
had borne her sons, a love strong even in death, for they refused to
marry again. (42) Yet she would not take them with her to
Palestine, because she foresaw contemptuous treatment in store for
them as Moabitish women. (43) Orpah was easily persuaded to
remain behind. She accompanied her mother-in-law a distance of
four miles, and then she took leave of her, shedding only four tears
as she bade her farewell. Subsequent events showed that she had
not been worthy of entering into the Jewish communion, for
scarcely had she separated from Naomi when she abandoned
herself to an immoral life. But with God nothing goes unrewarded.
For the four miles which Orpah travelled with Naomi, she was
recompensed by bringing forth four giants, Goliath and his three
brothers. (44)

Ruth's bearing and history were far different. She was determined
to become a Jewess, and her decision could not be shaken by what
Naomi, in compliance with the Jewish injunction, told her of the
difficulties of the Jewish law. Naomi warned her that the Israelites
had been enjoined to keep Sabbaths and feast days, (45) and that
the daughters of Israel were not in the habit of frequenting the
threatres and circuses of the heathen. Ruth only affirmed her
readiness to follow Jewish customs. (46) And when Naomi said:
"We have one Torah, one law, one command; the Eternal our God
is one, there is none beside Him," Ruth answered: "Thy people
shall be my people, thy God my God." (47) So the two women
journeyed together to Bethlehem. They arrived there on the very
day on which the wife of Boaz was buried, and the concourse
assembled for the funeral saw Naomi as she returned to her home.
(48)

Ruth supported herself and her mother-in-law sparsely with the
ears of grain which she gathered in the fields. Association with so
pious a woman as Naomi (49) had already exercised great
influence upon her life and ways. Boaz was astonished to notice
that if the reapers let more than two ears fall, in spite of her need
she did not pick them up, for the gleaning assigned to the poor by
law does not refer to quantities of more than two ears inadvertently
dropped at one time. (50) Boaz also admired her grace, her
decorous conduct, her modest demeanor. (51) When he learned
who she was, he commended her for her attachment to Judaism.
To his praise she returned: "Thy ancestors found no delight even in
Timna, (52) the daughter of a royal house. As for me, I am a
member of a low people, abominated by thy God, and excluded
from the assembly of Israel." For the moment Boaz failed to
recollect the Halakah bearing on the Moabites and Ammonites. A
voice from heaven reminded him that only their males were
affected by the command of exclusion. (53) This he told to Ruth,
and he also told her of a vision he had had concerning her
descendants. For the sake of the good she had done to her
mother-in-law, kings and prophets would spring from her womb.
(54)

Boaz showed kindness not only to Ruth and Naomi, but also to
their dead. He took upon himself the decent burial of the remains
of Elimelech and his two sons. (55) All this begot in Naomi the
thought that Boaz harbored the intention of marrying Ruth. She
sought to coax the secret, if such there was, from Ruth. (56) When
she found that nothing could be elicited from her daughter-in-law,
she made Ruth her partner in a plan to force Boaz into a decisive
step. Ruth adhered to Naomi's directions in every particular,
except that she did not wash and anoint herself and put on fine
raiment, until after she had reached her destination. She feared to
attract the attention of the lustful, if she walked along the road
decked out in unusual finery. (57)

The moral conditions in those days were very reprehensible.
Though Boaz was high-born and a man of substance, yet he slept
on the threshing-floor, so that his presence might act as a check
upon profligacy. In the midst of his sleep, Boaz was startled to find
some one next to him. At first he thought it was a demon. Ruth
calmed his disquietude (58) with these words: "Thou art the head
of the court, thy ancestors were princes, thou art thyself an
honorable man, and a kinsman of my dead husband. As for me,
who am in the flower of my years, since I left the home of my
parents where homage is rendered unto idols, I have been
constantly menaced by the dissolute young men around. (59) So I
have come hither that thou, who art the redeemer, mayest spread
out thy skirt over me." (60) Boaz gave her the assurance that if his
older brother Tob (61) failed her, he would assume the duties of a
redeemer. The next day he came before the tribunal of the
Sanhedrin (62) to have the matter adjusted. Tob soon made his
appearance, for an angel led him to the place where he was
wanted, (63) that Boaz and Ruth might not have long to wait. Tob,
who was not learned in the Torah, did not know that the
prohibition against the Moabites had reference only to males.
Therefore, he declined to marry Ruth. (64) So she was taken to
wife (65) by the octogenarian (66) Boaz. Ruth herself was forty
years old (67) at the time of her second marriage, and it was
against all expectations that her union with Boaz should be blessed
with offspring, a son Obed the pious. (68) Ruth lived to see the
glory of Solomon, but Boaz died on the day after the wedding. (69)

 DEBORAH

Not long after Ruth, another ideal woman arose in Israel, the
prophetess Deborah.

When Ehud died, there was none to take his place as judge, and
the people fell off from God and His law. God, therefore, sent an
angel to them with the following message: "Out of all the nations
on earth, I chose a people for Myself, and I thought, so long as the
world stands, My glory will rest upon them. I sent Moses unto
them, My servant, to teach them goodness and righteousness. But
they strayed from My ways. And now I will arouse their enemies
against them, to rule over them, and they will cry out: 'Because we
forsook the ways of our fathers, hath this come over us.' Then I
will send a woman unto them, and she will shine for them as a
light for forty years." (70)

The enemy whom God raised up against Israel was Jabin, (71) the
king of Hazor, who oppressed him sorely. But worse than the king
himself was his general Sisera, one of the greatest heroes know to
history. When he was thirty years old, he had conquered the whole
world. At the sound of his voice the strongest of walls fell in a
heap, and the wild animals in the woods were chained to the spot
by fear. The proportions of his body were vast beyond description.
If he took a bath in the river, and dived beneath the surface,
enough fish were caught in his beard to feed a multitude, and it
required no less than nine hundred horses to draw the chariot in
which he rode. (72)

To rid Israel of this tyrant, God appointed Deborah and her
husband Barak. Barak was an ignoramus, like most of his
contemporaries. It was a time singularly deficient to scholars. (73)
In order to do something meritorious in connection with the Divine
service, he carried candles, at his wife's instance, to the sanctuary,
wherefrom he was called Lipidoth, "Flames." Deborah was in the
habit of making the wicks on the candles very thick, so that they
might burn a long time. Therefore God distinguished her. He said:
"Thou takest pains to shed light in My house, and I will let thy
light, thy flame, shine abroad in the whole land." Thus it happened
that Deborah became a prophetess and a judge. She dispensed
judgement in the open air, for it was not becoming that men should
visit a woman in her house. (74)

Prophetess though she was, she was yet subject to the frailties of
her sex. Her self-consciousness was inordinate. She sent for Barak
(75) to come to her instead of going to him, (76) and in her song
she spoke more of herself than was seemly. The result was that the
prophetical spirit departed from her for a time while she was
composing her song. (77)

The salvation of Israel was effected only after the people,
assembled on the Mount of Judah, had confessed their sins
publicly before God and besought His help. A seven days' fast was
proclaimed for men and women, for young and old. Then God
resolved to help the Israelites, not for their sakes, but for the sake
of keeping the oath he had sworn to their forefathers, never to
abandon their seed. Therefore He sent Deborah unto them. (78)

The task allotted to Deborah and Barak, to lead the attack upon
Sisera, was by no means slight. It is comparable with nothing less
than Joshua's undertaking to conquer Canaan. Joshua had
triumphed over only thirty-one of the sixty-two kings of Palestine,
leaving at large as many as he had subdued. Under the leadership
of Sisera these thirty-one unconquered kings opposed Israel. (79)
No less than forty thousand armies, each counting a hundred
thousand warriors, were arrayed against Deborah and Barak. (80)
God aided Israel with water and fire. The river Kishon and all the
fiery hosts of heaven (81) except the star Meros (82) fought
against Sisera. The Kishon had long before been pledged to play
its part in Sisera's overthrow. When the Egyptians were drowned in
the Red Sea, God commanded the Angel of the Sea to cast their
corpses on the land, that the Israelites might convince themselves
of the destruction of their foes, and those of little faith might not
say afterward that the Egyptians like the Israelites had reached dry
land. The Angel of the Sea complained of the impropriety of
withdrawing a gift. God mollified him with the promise of future
compensation. The Kishon was offered as security that he would
received half as many bodies again as he was now giving up.
When Sisera's troops sought relief from the scorching fire of the
heavenly bodies in the coolness of the waters of the Kishon, God
commanded the river to redeem its pledge. And so the heathen
were swept down into the Sea by the waves of the river Kishon,
whereat the fishes in the Sea exclaimed: "And the truth of the Lord
endureth forever." (83)

Sisera's lot was no better than the lot of the men. He fled from the
battle on horseback (84) after witnessing the annihilation of his
vast army. When Jael saw him approach, she went to meet him
arrayed in rich garments and jewels. She was unusually beautiful,
and her voice was the most seductive ever a woman possessed.
(85) These are the words she addressed to him: "Enter and refresh
thyself with food, and sleep until evening, and then I will send my
attendants with thee to accompany thee, for I know thou wilt not
forget me, and thy recompense will not fail." When Sisera, on
stepping into her tent, saw the bed strewn with roses which Jael
had prepared for him, he resolved to take her home to his mother
as his wife, as soon as his safety should be assured.

He asked her for milk to drink, saying: "My soul burns with the
flame which I saw in the stars contending for Israel." Jael went
forth to milk her goat, meantime supplicating God to grant her His
help: "I pray to Thee, O Lord, to strengthen Thy maid-servant
against the enemy. By this token shall I know that Thou wilt aid
me   if, when I enter the house, Sisera will awaken and ask for
water to drink." Scarcely had Jael crossed the threshold when
Sisera awakened and begged for water to quench his burning thirst.
Jael gave him wine mixed with water, which caused him to drop
into a sound sleep again. The woman then took a wooden spike in
her left hand, approached the sleeping warrior, and said: "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 him."
She tugged at Sisera, and in very truth he did not awaken even
when he dropped from the bed to the floor. Then Jael prayed: "O
God, strengthen the arm of Thy maid-servant this day, for Thy
sake, for the sake of Thy people, and for the sake of those that
hope in Thee." With a hammer she drove the spike into the temple
of Sisera, who cried out as he was expiring: "O that I should lose
my life by the hand of a woman!" Jael's mocking retort was:
"Descend to hell and join thy fathers, and tell them that thou didst
fall by the hand of a woman." (86)

Barak took charge of the body of the dead warrior, and he sent it to
Sisera's mother, Themac, (87) with the message: "Here is thy son,
whom thou didst expect to see returning laden with booty." He had
in mind the vision of Themac and her women-in-waiting. When
Sisera went forth to battle, their conjuring tricks had shown him to
them as he lay on the bed of a Jewish woman. This they had
interpreted to mean that he would return with Jewish captives.
"One damsel, two damsels for ever man." (88) they had said.
Great, therefore, was the disappointment of Sisera's mother. No
less than a hundred cries did she utter over him. (89)

Deborah and Barak thereupon intoned a song of praise, thanking
God for the deliverance of Israel out of the power of Sisera, and
reviewing the history of the people since the time of Abraham.
(90)

After laboring for the weal of her nation for forty years, Deborah
departed this life. Her last words to the weeping people were an
exhortation not to depend upon the dead. They can do nothing for
the living. So long as a man is alive, his prayers are efficacious for
himself and for others. They avail naught once he is dead.

The whole nation kept a seventy days' period of mourning in honor
of Deborah, and the land was at peace for seven years. (91)

 GIDEON

Elated by the victory over Sisera, Israel sang a hymn of praise, the
song of Deborah, and God, to reward them for their pious
sentiments, pardoned the transgression of the people. (92) But they
soon slipped back into the old ways, and the old troubles harassed
them. Their backsliding was due to the witchcraft of a Midianite
priest named Aud. He made the sun shine at midnight, and so
convinced the Israelites that the idols of Midian were mightier
than God, and God chastised them by delivering them into the
hands of the Midianties. (93) They worshipped their own images
reflected in the water, (94) and they were stricken with dire
poverty. They could not bring so much as a meal offering, the
offering of the poor. (95) On the eve of one Passover, Gideon
uttered the complaint: "Where are all the wondrous works which
God did for our fathers in this night, when he slew the first-born of
the Egyptians, and Israel went forth from slavery with joyous
hearts?" God appeared unto him, and said: "Thou who art
courageous enough to champion Israel, thou art worthy that Israel
should be saved for thy sake." (96)

An angel appeared, and Gideon begged him for a sign, that he
would achieve the deliverance of Israel. He excused his petition
with the precedent of Moses, the first prophet, who likewise has
asked for a sign. The angel bade him pour water on the rock, and
then gave him the choice of how he would have the water
transformed. Gideon desired to see one-half changed into blood,
and one-half into fire. Thus it happened. The blood and the fire
mingled with each other, yet the blood did not quench the fire, nor
did the fire dry out the blood. Encouraged by this and other signs,
(97) Gideon undertook to carry on the war against the Midianites
with a band of three hundred God-fearing men, and he was
successful. Of the enemy one hundred and twenty thousand
corpses covered the field, and all the rest fled precipitately. (98)

Gideon enjoyed the privilege of bringing salvation to Israel
because he was a good son. His old father feared to thresh his grain
on account of the Midianites, and Gideon once went out to him in
the field and said: "Father, thou art too old to do this work; go thou
home, and I shall finish thy task for thee. If the Midianites should
surprise me out here, I can run away, which thou canst not do, on
account of thy age." (99)

The day on which Gideon gained his great victory was during the
Passover, and the cake of barley bread that turned the camp of the
enemy upside down, of which the Midianite dreamed, 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 offering. (100)

After God had favored Israel with great help through him, Gideon
had an ephod made. In the high priest's breastplate, Joseph was
represented among the twelve tribes by Ephraim alone, not by
Manasseh, too. To wipe out this slight upon his own tribe, Gideon
made an ephod bearing the name of Manasseh. He consecrated it
to God, but after his death homage was paid to it as an idol. (101)
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 pockets, and every now and then they were in
the habit of bringing the image forth and kissing it fervently. (102)
Of such idolaters were the vain and light fellows who helped
Abimelech, the son of Gideon by his concubine from Shechem, to
assassinate the other sons of his father. But God is just. As
Abimelech murdered his brothers upon a stone, so Abimelech
himself met his death through a millstone. It was proper, then, that
Jotham, in his parable, should compare Abimelech to a thorn-bush,
while he characterized his predecessors, Othniel, Deborah, and
Gideon, as an olive-tree, or a fig-tree, or a vine. This Jotham, the
youngest of the sons of Gideon, was more than a teller of parables.
He knew then that long afterward the Samaritans would claim
sanctity for Mount Gerizim, on account of the blessing pronounced
from it upon the tribe. For this reason he chose Gerizim from
which to hurl his curse upon Shechem and it inhabitants. (103)

The successor to Abimelech equalled, if he did not surpass, him in
wickedness. Jair erected an altar unto Baal, and on penalty of
death he forced the people to prostrate themselves before it. Only
seven men remained firm in the true faith, and refused to the last
to commit idolatry. Their names were Deuel, Abit Yisreel,
Jekuthiel, Shalom, Ashur, Jehonadab, and Shemiel. (104) They
said to Jair: "We are mindful of the lessons given us by our
teachers and our mother Deborah. 'Take ye heed,' they said, 'that
your heart lead you not astray to the right or to the left. Day and
night ye shall devote yourselves to the study of the Torah.' Why,
then, dost thou seek to corrupt the people of the Lord, saying, 'Baal
is God, let us worship him'? If he really is what thou sayest, then
let him speak like a god, and we will pay him worship." For the
blasphemy they had uttered against Baal, Jair commanded that the
seven men be burnt. When his servants were about to carry out his
order, God sent the angel Nathaniel, the lord over the fire, and he
extinguished the fire though not before the servants of Jair were
consumed by it. Not only did the seven men escape the danger of
suffering death by fire, but the angel enabled them to flee
unnoticed, by striking all the people present with blindness. Then
the angel approached Jair, and said to him: "Hear the words of the
Lord ere thou diest. I appointed thee as prince over my people, and
thou didst break My covenant, seduce My people, and seek to burn
My servants with fire, but they were animated and freed by the
living, the heavenly fire. As for thee, thou wilt die, and die by fire,
a fire in which thou wilt abide forever."

Thereupon the angel burnt him with a thousand men, whom he had
taken in the act of paying homage to Baal. (105)

 JEPHTHAH

The first judge of any importance after Gideon was Jephthah. He,
too, fell short of being the ideal Jewish ruler. His father had
married a woman of another tribe, an unusual occurrence in a time
when a woman who left her tribe was held in contempt.(106)
Jephthah, the offspring of this union, had to bear the consequences
of his mother's irregular conduct. So many annoyances were put
upon him that he was forced to leave his home and settle in a
heathen district. (107)

At first Jephthah refused to accept the rulership which the people
offered him in an assembly at Mizpah, for he had not forgotten the
wrongs to which he had been subjected. In the end, however, he
yielded, and placed himself at the head of the people in the war
against Getal, the king of the Ammonites. At his departure, 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 war.

God was angry and said: "So Jephthah has vowed to offer unto me
the first thing that shall meet him! If a dog were the first to meet
him, would a dog be sacrificed to me? Now shall the vow of
Jephthah be visited on his first-born, on his own offspring, yea, his
prayer shall be visited on his only daughter. But I assuredly shall
deliver my people, not for Jephthah's sake, but for the sake of the
prayers of Israel."

The first to meet him after his successful campaign was his
daughter Sheilah. Overwhelmed by anguish, the father cried out:
"Rightly was the name Sheilah, the one who is demanded, given to
thee, that thou shouldst be offered up as a sacrifice. Who shall set
my heart in the balance and my soul as the weight, that I may stand
and see whether that which happened to me is joy or sorrow? But
because I opened my mouth to the Lord, and uttered a vow, I
cannot take it back." Then Sheilah spoke, saying: "Why dost thou
grieve for my death, since the people was delivered? Dost thou not
remember what happened in the day of our forefathers, when the
father offered his son as a burnt offering, and the son did not
refuse, but consented gladly, and the offerer and the offered were
both full of joy? Therefore, do as thou hast spoken. But before I
die I will ask a favor of thee. Grant me that I may go with my
companions upon the mountains, sojourn among the hills, and
tread upon the rocks to shed my tears and deposit there the grief
for my lost youth. The trees of the field shall weep for me, and the
beasts of the field mourn for me. I do not grieve for my death, nor
because I have to yield up my life, but because when my father
vowed his heedless vow, he did not have me in mind. I fear,
therefore, that I may not be an acceptable sacrifice, and that my
death shall be for nothing." Sheilah and her companions went forth
and told her case to the sages of the people, but none of them
could give her any help. Then she went up to Mount Telag, where
the Lord appeared to her at night, saying unto her: "I have closed
the mouth of the sages of my people in this generation, that they
cannot answer the daughter of Jephthah a word; that my vow be
fulfilled and nothing of what I have thought remain undone. I
know her to be wiser than her father, and all the wise men, and
now her soul shall be accepted at her request, and her death shall
be very precious before My face all the time." Sheilah began to
bewail her fate in these words: "Hearken, ye mountains, to my
lamentations, and ye hills, to the tears of my eyes, and ye rocks,
testify to the weeping of my soul. My words will go up to heaven,
and my tears will be written in the firmament. I have not been
granted the joy of wedding, nor was the wreath of my betrothal
completed. I have not been decked with ornaments, nor have I
been scented with myrrh and with aromatic perfumes. I have not
been anointed with the oil that was prepared for me. Alas, O
mother, it was in vain thou didst give birth to me, the grave was
destined to be my bridal chamber. The oil thou didst prepare for
me will be spilled, and the white garments my mother sewed for
me, the moth will eat them; the bridal wreath my nurse wound for
me will wither, and my garments in blue and purple, the worms
will destroy them, and my companions will all their days lament
over me. And now, ye trees, incline your branches and weep over
my youth; ye beasts of the forest, come and trample upon my
virginity, for my years are cut off, and the days of my life grow old
in darkness." (108)

Her lamentations were of as little avail as her arguments with her
father. In vain she sought to prove to him from the Torah that the
law speaks only of animal sacrifices, never of human sacrifices. In
vain she cited the example of Jacob, who had vowed to give God a
tenth of all the possessions he owned, and yet did not attempt later
to sacrifice one of his sons. Jephthah was inexorable. All he would
yield was a respite during which his daughter might visit various
scholars, who were to decide whether he was bound by his vow.
According to the Torah his vow was entirely invalid. He was not
even obliged to pay his daughter's value in money. But the scholars
of his time had forgotten this Halakah, and they decided that he
must keep his vow. The forgetfulness of the scholars was of God,
ordained as a punishment upon Jephthah for having slaughtered
thousands of Ephraim.

One man there was living at the time who, if he had been
questioned about the case, would have been able to give a
decision. This was the high priest Phinehas. But he said proudly:
"What! I, a high priest, the son of a high priest, should humiliate
myself and go to an ignoramus!" Jephthah on the other hand said:
"What! I, the chief of the tribes of Israel, the first prince of the
land, should humiliate myself and go to one of the rank and file!"
So only the rivalry between Jephthah and Phinehas caused the loss
of a young life. Their punishment did not miss them. Jephthah dies
a horrible death. Limb by limb his body was dismembered. As for
the high priest, the holy spirit departed from him, and he had to
give up his priestly dignity. (109)

As it had been Jephthah's task to ward off the Ammonites, so his
successor Abdon was occupied with protecting Israel against the
Moabites. The king of Moab sent messengers to Abdon, and they
spoke thus: "Thou well knowest that Israel took possession of
cities that belonged to me. Return them." Abdon's reply was:
"Know ye not how the Ammonites fared? The measure of Moab's
sins, it seems, out against the enemy, slew forty-five thousand of
their number, and routed the rest. (110)

 SAMSON

The last judge but one, Samson, was not the most important of the
judges, but he was the greatest hero of the period and, except
Goliath, the greatest hero of all times. He was the son of Manoah
of the tribe of Dan, and his wife Zelalponit (111) of the tribe of
Judah, (112) and he was born to them at a time when they had
given up all hope of having children. Samson's birth is a striking
illustration of the shortsightedness of human beings. 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
children, which were celebrated at his house and at the house of
their parents-in-law, because he thought that "the sterile she-mule"
would never be in a position to repay his courtesy. It turned out
that Samson's parents were blessed with an extraordinary son,
while Ibzan saw his sixty children die during his lifetime. (113)

Samson's strength was superhuman, (114) and the dimensions of
his body were gigantic   he measured sixty ells between the
shoulders. Yet he had one imperfection, he was maimed in both
feet. (115) The first evidence of his gigantic strength he gave when
he uprooted two great mountains, and rubbed them against each
other. Such feats he was able to perform as often as the spirit of
God was poured out over him. Whenever this happened, it was
indicated by his hair. In began to move and emit a bell-like sound,
which could be heard far off. Besides, while the spirit rested upon
him, he was able with one stride to cover a distance equal to that
between Zorah and Eshtaol. (116) It was Samson's supernatural
strength that made Jacob think that he would be the Messiah.
When God showed him Samson's latter end, then he realized that
the new era would not be ushered in by the hero-judge. (117)

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
Moriah. It had been preserved miraculously. (118) After this
victory a great wonder befell. Samson was at the point of perishing
from thirst, when water began to flow from his own mouth as from
a spring. (119)

Besides physical prowess, Samson possessed also spiritual
distinctions. He was unselfish to the last degree. He had been of
exceeding great help to the Israelites, but he never asked the
smallest service for himself. (120) When Samson told Delilah that
he was a "Nazarite unto God," she was certain that he had divulged
the true secret of his strength. She knew his character too well to
entertain the idea that he would couple the name of God with an
untruth. There was a weak side to his character, too. He allowed
sensual pleasures to dominate him. The consequences was that "he
who went astray after his eyes, lost his eyes." Even this severe
punishment produced no change of heart. He continued to lead his
old life of profligacy in prison, and he was encouraged thereto by
the Philistines, who set aside all considerations of family purity in
the hope of descendants who should be the equals of Samson in
giant strength and stature. (121)

As throughout life Samson had given proofs of superhuman power,
so in the moment of death. He entreated God to realize in him the
blessing of Jacob, (122) and endow him with Divine strength.
(123) He expired with these words upon his lips: "O Master of the
world! Vouchsafe unto me in this life a recompense for the loss of
one of my eyes. For the loss of the other I will wait to be rewarded
in the world to come." Even after his death Samson was a shield
unto the Israelites. Fear of him had so cowed the Philistines that
for twenty years they did not dare attack the Israelites. (124)

 THE CRIME OF THE BENJAMITES

A part of the money which Delilah received from the Philistine
lords as the price of Samson's secret, she gave to her son Micah,
and he used it to make an idol for himself. (125) This sin was the
more unpardonable as Micah owed his life to a miracle performed
by Moses. During the times of the Egyptian oppression, if the
prescribed number of bricks was not furnished by the Israelites,
their children were used as building material. Such would have
been Micah's fate, if he had not been saved in a miraculous way.
Moses wrote down the Name of God, and put the words on
Micah's body. The dead boy came to life, and Moses drew him out
of the wall of which he made a part. (126) Micah did not show
himself worthy of the wonder done for him. Even before the
Israelites left Egypt, he made his idol, (127) and it was he who
fashioned the golden calf. At the time of Othniel the judge, (128)
he took up his abode at a distance of not more than three miles
from the sanctuary at Shiloh, (129) and won over the grandson of
Moses (130) to officiate as priest before his idol.

The sanctuary which Micah erected harbored various idols. He had
three images of boys, and three of calves, one lion, an eagle, a
dragon, and a dove. When a man came who wanted a wife, he was
directed to appeal to the dove. If riches were his desire, he
worshipped the eagle. For daughters both, to the calves; to the lion
for strength, and to the dragon for long life. Sacrifices and incense
alike were offered to these idols, and both had to be purchased
with cash money from Micah, even didrachms for a sacrifice, and
one for incense. (131)

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 idols. Yet, the grandson of Moses was not an idolater
of ordinary calibre. His sinful conduct was not without a
semblance of morality. From his grandfather he had heard the rule
that a man should do "Abodah Zarah" for hire rather than be
dependent upon his fellow-creatures. The meaning of "Abodah
Zarah" here naturally is "strange," in the sense of "unusual" work,
but he took the term in its ordinary acceptation of "service of
strange gods." (132) So far from being a whole-souled idolater, he
adopted methods calculated to harm the cause of idol worship.
Whenever any one came leading an animal with the intention of
sacrificing it, he would say: "What good can the idol do thee? It
can neither see nor hear nor speak." But as he was concerned about
his won livelihood, and did not want to offend the idolaters too
grossly, he would continue: "If thou bringest a dish of flour and a
few eggs, it will suffice." This offering he would himself eat.

Under David he filled the position of treasurer. David appointed
him because he thought that a man who was willing to become
priest to an idol only in order to earn his bread, must be worthy of
confidence. However sincere his repentance may have been, he
relapsed into his former life when he was removed from his office
by Solomon, who filled all position with new incumbents at his
accession to the throne. Finally he abandoned his idolatrous ways
wholly, and became so pure a man that the was favored by God
with the gift of prophecy. This happened on the day on which the
man of God out of Judah came to Jeroboam, 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 house. (133)

The mischief done by Micah spread further and further. Especially
the Benjamites distinguished themselves for their zeal in paying
homage to his idols. God therefore resolved to visit the sins of
Israel and Benjamin upon them. The opportunity did not delay to
come. It was not long before the Benjamites committed the
outrage of Gibeah. Before the house of Bethac, a venerable old
man, they imitated the disgraceful conduct of the Sodomites
before the house of Lot. When the other tribes exacted amends
from the Benjamites, and were denied satisfaction, bloody combats
ensued. At first the Benjamites prevailed, in spit of the fact that the
Urim and Thummim questioned by Phinehas had encouraged the
Israelites to take up the conflict, with the words: "Up to war, I shall
deliver them into your hands." After the tribes had again and again
suffered defeat, they recognized the intention of God, to betray
them as a punishment for their sins. They therefore ordained a day
of fasting and convocation before the holy Ark, and Phinehas the
son of Eleazar entreated God in their behalf: "What means this,
that Thou leadest us astray? Is the deed of the Benjamites right in
Thine eyes? Then why didst Thou not command us to desist from
the combat? But if what our brethren have done is evil in Thy
sight, then why dost Thou cause us to fall before them in battle? O
God of our fathers, hearken unto my voice. Make it known this day
unto Thy servant whether the war waged with Benjamin is
pleasing in Thine eyes, or whether thou desirest to punish Thy
people for its sins. Then the sinners among us will amend their
ways. I am mindful of what happened in the days of my youth, at
the time of Moses. In the zeal of my soul I slew two for the sin of
Zimri, and when his well-wishers sought to kill me, Thou didst
send an angel, who cut off twenty-four thousand of them and
delivered me. But now eleven of Thy tribes have gone forth to do
Thy bidding, to avenge and slay, and, lo, they have themselves
been slain, so that they are made to believe that Thy revelations
are lying and deceitful. O Lord, God of our forefathers, naught is
hidden before Thee. Make it manifest why this misfortune has
overtaken us."

God replied to Phinehas at great length, setting forth why eleven
tribes had suffered so heavily. The Lord had wanted to punished
them for having permitted Micah and his mother Delilah to pursue
their evil ways undisturbed, though they were zealous beyond
measure in avenging the wrong done to the woman at Gibeah. As
soon as all those had perished who were guilty of having aided and
abetted Micah in his idolatrous practices, whether directly or
indirectly, God was willing to help them in their conflicts with the
Benjamites.

So it came. In the battle fought soon after, seventy-five thousand
Benjamites fell slain. Only six hundred of the tribe survived. (134)
Fearing to remain in Palestine, the small band emigrated to Italy
and Germany. (135)

At the same time the punishment promised them by God overtook
the two chief sinners. Micah lost his life by fire, and his mother
rotted alive; worms crawled from her body. (136)

In spite of the great mischief caused by Micah, he had one good
quality, and God permitted it to plead for him when the angel
stood up against him as his accusers. He was extremely hospitable.
His house always stood wide open to the wanderer, and to his
hospitality he owed it that he was granted a share in the future
world. (137) In hell Micah is the first in the sixth division, which
is under the guidance of the angel Hadriel, and he is the only one
in the division who is spared hell tortures. (138) Micah's sons was
Jeroboam, whose golden calves were sinful far beyond anything
his father had done. (139)

In those days God spake to Phinehas: "Thou art one hundred and
twenty years old, thou hast reached the natural term of man's life.
Go now, betake thyself to the mountain Danaben, and remain there
many years. I will command the eagles to sustain thee with food,
so that thou returnest not to men until the time when thou lockest
fast the clouds and openest them again. Then I will carry thee to
the place where those are who were before thee, and there thou
wilt tarry until I visit the world, and bring thee thither to taste of
death." (140)

ELKANAH AND HANNAH

The period of the Judges is linked to the period of the Kingdom by
the prophet Samuel, who anointed both Saul and David as kings.
Not only was Samuel himself a prophet, but his forebears also has
been prophets, (1) and both his parents, Elkanah and Hannah, were
endowed with the gift of prophecy. (2) Aside from this gift,
Elkanah possessed extraordinary virtue. He was a second
Abraham, the only pious man of his generation, who saved the
world from destruction when God, made wroth by the idolatry of
Micah, was on the point of annihilating it utterly. (3) His chief
merit was that he stimulated the people by his example to go on
pilgrimages to Shiloh, the spiritual centre of the nation.
Accompanied by his whole household, including kinsmen, he was
in the habit of making the three prescribed pilgrimages annually,
and though he was a man of only moderate means, (4) his retinue
was equipped with great magnificence. In all the towns through
which it passed, the procession caused commotion. The lookers-on
invariably inquired into the reason of the rare spectacle, and
Elkanah told them: "We are going to the house of the Lord at
Shiloh, for thence come forth the law. Why should you not join
us?" Such gentle, persuasive words did not fail of taking effect. In
the first year five households undertook the pilgrimage, the next
year ten, and so on until the whole town followed his example.
Elkanah chose a new route every year. Thus he touched at many
towns, and their inhabitants were led to do a pious deed. (5)

In spite of his God-fearing ways, Elkanah's domestic life was not
perfectly happy. He had been married ten years, and his union with
Hannah had not been blessed with offspring. (6) The love he bore
his wife compensated him for his childlessness, but Hannah herself
insisted upon his taking a second wife. Peninnah embraced every
opportunity of vexing Hannah. In the morning her derisive greeting
to Hannah would be: "Dost thou not mean to rise and wash thy
children, and send them to school?" (7) Such jeers were to keep
Hannah mindful of her childlessness. Perhaps Peninnah's
intentions were laudable: she may have wanted to bring Hannah to
the point of praying to God for children. (8) However it may have
been forced from her, Hannah's petition for a son was fervent and
devout. She entreats God: "Lord of the world! Hast Thou created
aught in vain? Our eyes Thou hast destined for sight, our ears for
hearing, our mouth for speech, our nose to smell therewith, our
hands for work. Didst Thou not create these breasts above my
heart to give suck to a babe? (9) O grant me a son, that he may
draw nourishment therefrom. Lord, Thou reignest over all beings,
the mortal and the heavenly beings. The heavenly beings neither
eat nor drink, they do not propagate themselves, nor do they die,
but they live forever. Mortal man eats, drinks, propagates his kind
and dies. If, now, I am of the heavenly beings, let me live forever.
But if I belong to mortal mankind, let me do my part in
establishing the race." (10)

Eli the high priest, who at first misinterpreted Hannah's long
prayer, dismissed her with the blessing: "May the son to be born
unto thee acquire great knowledge in the law." (11) Hannah left
the sanctuary, and at once her grief-furrowed countenance
changes. She felt beyond a doubt that the blessing of Eli would be
fulfilled. (12)

 THE YOUTH OF SAMUEL

Hannah's prayer was heard. At the end of six months and a few
days (13) Samuel was born to her, in the nineteenth year of her
married life, (14) and the one hundred and thirtieth of her age. (15)
Samuel was of a frail constitution, (16) and required tender care
and nurture. For this reason he and his mother could not
accompany Elkanah on his pilgrimages. Hannah withheld her boy
from the sanctuary for some years. Before Samuel's birth a voice
from heaven had proclaimed that in a short time a great man
would be born, whose name would be Samuel. All men children of
that time were accordingly named Samuel. As they grew up, the
mothers were in the habit of getting together and telling of their
children's doings, in order to determine which of them satisfied the
expectations the prophecy had aroused. When the true Samuel was
born, and by his wonderful deed excelled all his companions, it
became plain to whom the word of God applied. (17) His
preeminence now being undisputed, Hannah was willing to part
with him.

The following incident is an illustration of Samuel's unusual
qualities manifested even in infancy. He was two years old when
his mother brought him to Shiloh to leave him there permanently.
An occasion at once presented itself for the display of his learning
and acumen, which were so great as to arouse the astonishment of
the high priest Eli himself. On entering the sanctuary Samuel
noticed that they were seeking a priest to kill the sacrificial
animal. Samuel instructed the attendants that a non-priest was
permitted to kill the sacrifice. The high priest Eli appeared at the
moment when, by Samuel's directions, the sacrifice was being
killed by a non-priest. Angered by the child's boldness, he was
about to have him executed, regardless of Hannah's prayer for his
life. "Let him die," (18) he said, "I shall pray for another in his
place." Hannah replied: "I lent him to the Lord. Whatever betide,
he belongs neither to thee nor to me, but to God." (19) Only then,
after Samuel's life was secure, Hannah offered up her prayer of
thanksgiving. Beside the expression of her gratitude, it contains
also many prophecies regarding Samuel's future achievements, and
it recited the history of Israel from the beginning until the advent
of Messiah. (20) Her prayer incidentally brought relief to the Sons
of Korah. Since the earth had swallowed them, they had been
constantly sinking lower and lower. When Hannah uttered the
words, "God bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up," (21) they
came to a standstill in their downward course.

Hannah was spared to witness, not only the greatness of her son,
but also the undoing of her rival. Every time Hannah bore a child,
Peninnah lost two of hers, until eight of her ten children had died,
and she would have had to surrender all, had not Hannah
interceded for her with prayer. (22)

 ELI AND HIS SONS

Shortly (23) before Samuel entered upon his novitiate in the
sanctuary, Eli succeeded to the three highest offices in the land: he
was made high priest, president of the Sanhedrin, and ruler over
the political affairs of Israel. Eli was a pious man, and devoted to
the study of the Torah, wherefore he attained to a good old age and
to high honors. (24) In his office as high priest he was successor to
no less a personage than Phinehas, who had lost his high-priestly
dignity on account of his haughty bearing toward Jephthah. With
Eli the line of Ithamar rose to power instead of the line of Eleazar.
(25) However, the iniquitous deed of his two sons brought dire
misfortune upon Eli and upon his family, though the Scriptural
account of their conduct may not be taken literally. The sons of Eli
transgressed only in that they sometimes kept the women waiting
who came to the sanctuary to bring the purification offerings, and
so they retarded their return to their families. (26) This was bad
enough for priest of God. Their misdeeds recoiled upon their
father, who was not strict enough in rebuking them. Eli's
punishment was that he aged prematurely, and, besides, he had to
give up his various offices.

During his lifetime, his youngest son Phinehas, the worthier of the
two, (27) officiated as high priest. The only reproach to which
Phinehas laid himself open was that he made no attempt to mend
his brother's ways.

The worst of God's decree against Eli he learned from Elkanah,
(28) the man of God who came unto Eli, and who announced that
the high-priestly dignity would be wrested from his house, and
once more conferred upon the family of Eleazar, and, furthermore,
his descendant would all die in their prime. The latter doom can be
averted by good deeds, devotion in prayer, and zealous study of the
Torah. These means were often employed successfully. (29) But
against the loss of the high priest's office there is no specific. The
house of Eli forfeited it irrevocably. Abiathar, the great-grandson
of Eli's son Phinehas, (30) the last of the high priest of the line of
Ithamar, had to submit to the fate of seeing David transfer his
dignity to Zadok, in whose family it remained forever.

The sons of Eli brought misfortune also upon the whole of Israel.
To their sins and the ease with which the people condoned them
was attributed the unhappy issue of the war with the Philistines.
The holy Ark, the receptacle for the broken table of the law, which
accompanied the people to the camp, (31) did not have the
expected effect of compelling victory for the Israelites. What Eli
feared happened. He enjoined upon his sons not to appear before
him if they should survive the capture of the Ark. (32) But they did
not survive it; they died upon the battlefield on which their nation
had suffered bitter defeat. The Philistines, to be sure, had to pay
dearly for their victory, especially those who had spoken
contemptuous words when the holy Ark had appeared in the
Israelitish camp: "The God of the Israelites had ten plagues, and
those he expended upon the Egyptians. He no longer has it in His
power to do harm." But God said: "Do ye but wait to see. I shall
bring plague down upon you like of which hath never been." (33)
This new plague consisted in mice crawling forth out of the earth,
and jerking the entrails out of the bodies of the Philistines while
they eased nature. If the Philistines sought to protect themselves by
using brass vessels, the vessels burst at the touch of the mice, and,
as before, the Philistines were at their mercy. (34) After some
months of suffering, when they realized that their god Dagon was
the victim instead of the victor, they resolved to send the Ark back
to the Israelites. Many of the Philistines, (35) however, were not
yet convinced of God's power. The experiment with the milch kine
on which there had come no yoke was to establish the matter for
them. The result was conclusive. Scarcely had the cows begun to
draw the cart containing the Ark when they raised their voices in
song:

Arise thou, O Acacia! Soar aloft in the fulness of thy splendor,

Thou who art adorned with gold embroidery,

Thou who art reverenced within the Holiest of the palace,

Thou who art covered by the two Cherubim! (36)

When the holy Ark was thus brought into the Israelitish domain,
there was exceeding great rejoicing. Yet the people were lacking
in due reverence. They unloaded the holy vessel while doing their
usual work. God punished them severely. (37) The seventy
members of the Sanhedrin perished, and with them fifty thousand
of the people. (38) The punishment was meet for another reason.
At first sight of the Ark some of the people had exclaimed: "Who
vexed these that thou didst feel offended, and what had mollified
thee now?" (39)

 THE ACTIVITIES OF SAMUEL

In the midst of the defeats and other calamities that overwhelmed
the Israelites, Samuel's authority grew, and the respect for him
increased, until he was acknowledged the helper of his people. His
first efforts were directed toward counteracting the spiritual decay
in Israel. When he assembled the people at Mizpah for prayer, he
sought to distinguish between the faithful and the idolatrous, in
order to mete out punishment to the disloyal. He had all the people
drink water, whose effect was to prevent idolaters from opening
their lips. (40) The majority of the people repented of their sins,
and Samuel turned to God in their behalf: "Lord of the world!
Thou requirest naught of man but that he should repent of his sins.
Israel is penitent, do Thou pardon him." (41) The prayer was
granted, and when, after his sacrifice, Samuel led an attack upon
the Philistines, victory was not withheld from the Israelites. God
terrified the enemy first by an earthquake, and then by thunder and
lightning. Many were scattered and wandered about aimlessly;
many were precipitated into the rents torn in the earth, the rest had
their faces scorched, and in their terror and pain their weapons
dropped from their hands. (42)

In peace as in war Samuel was the type of a disinterested,
incorruptible judge, who even refused compensation for the time,
trouble, and pecuniary sacrifices entailed upon him by his office.
(43) His sons fell far short of resembling their father in these
respects. Instead of continuing Samuel's plan of journeying from
place to place to dispense judgment, they had the people come to
them, and they surrounded themselves with a crew of officials who
preyed upon the people for their maintenance. (44) In a sense,
therefore, the curse with which Eli threatened Samuel in his youth
was accomplished: both he and Samuel had sons unworthy of their
fathers. (45) Samuel at least had the satisfaction of seeing his sons
mend their ways. One of them is the prophet Joel, whose prophecy
forms a book of the Bible. (46)

Though, according to this account, the sons of Samuel were by no
means so iniquitous as might be inferred from the severe
expressions of the Scripture, still the demand for a king made by
the leaders of the people was not unwarranted. All they desired
was a king in the place of a judge. What enkindled the wrath of
God and caused Samuel vexation, was the way in which the
common people formulated the demand. "We want a king," they
said, "that we may be like the other nations." (47)

 THE REIGN OF SAUL

There were several reasons for the choice of Saul as king. He had
distinguished himself as a military hero in the unfortunate
engagement of the Philistines with Israel under the leadership of
the sons of Eli. Goliath captured the tables of the law. When Saul
heard of this in Shiloh, he marched sixty miles to the camp,
wrested the tables from the giant, and returned to Shiloh on the
same day, bringing Eli the report of the Israelitish misfortune. (48)
Besides, Saul possessed unusual beauty, (49) which explains why
the maidens whom he asked about the seer in their city sought to
engage him in a lengthy conversation. (50) At the same time he
was exceedingly modest. When he and his servant failed to find
the asses they were looking for, he said, "My father will take
thought of us," putting his servants on a level with himself, (51)
and when he was anointed king, he refused to accept the royal
dignity until the Urim and Thummin were consulted. (52) His
chief virtue, however, was his innocence. He was as free from sin
as "a one year old child." (53) No wonder, then, he was held
worthy of the prophetic gift. The prophecies he uttered concerned
themselves with the war of Gog and Magog, the meting out of
reward and punishment at the last judgment. (54) Finally, his
choice as king was due also to the merits of his ancestors,
especially his grandfather Abiel, a man interested in the public
welfare, who would have the streets lighted so that people might
go to the houses of study after dark. (55)

Saul's first act as king was his successful attack upon Nahash, king
of the Ammonites, who had ordered the Gileadites to remove the
injunction from the Torah barring the Ammonites from the
congregation of Israel. (56) In his next undertaking, the campaign
against the Philistines, he displayed his piety. His son Jonathan had
fallen under the severe ban pronounced by Saul against all who
tasted food on a certain day, and Saul did not hesitate to deliver
him up to death. Jonathan's trespass was made know by the stones
in the breastplate of the high priest. All the stones were bright,
only the one bearing the name Benjamin had lost its brilliancy. By
lot it was determined that its dimmed lustre was due to the
Benjamite Jonathan. Saul desisted from his purpose of executing
Jonathan only when it appeared that he had transgressed his
father's command by mistake. A burnt offering and his weight in
gold paid to the sanctuary were considered an atonement for him.
(57) In the same war Saul had occasion to show his zeal for the
scrupulous observance of the sacrificial ordinances. He reproached
his warriors with eating the meat of the sacrifices before the blood
was sprinkled on the altar, (58) and he made it his task to see to it
that the slaughtering knife was kept in the prescribed condition. As
recompense, an angel brought him a sword, there being none
beside Saul in the whole army to bear one. (59)

Saul manifested a different spirit in the next campaign, the war
with the Amalekites, whom, at the bidding of God, he was to
exterminate. When the message of God's displeasure was conveyed
to Saul by the prophet Samuel, he said: "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 man, how great must be the atonement
required for the slaughter of so many men? And granted they are
sinners, what wrong have their cattle done to deserve annihilation?
And granted that the adults are worthy of their fate, what have the
children done?" Then a voice proclaimed from heaven, "Be not
overjust." Later on, when Saul commissioned Doeg to cut down
the priests at Nob, the same voice was heard to say, "Be not
overwicked." (60) It was this very Doeg, destined to play so baleful
a part in his life, who induced Saul to spare Agag, the king of
Amalekites. His argument was the law prohibits the slaying of an
animal and its young on the same day. How much less permissible
is it to destroy at one time old and young, men and children. (61)
As Saul had undertaken the war of extermination against Amalek
only because forced into it, he was easily persuaded to let the
people keep a part of the cattle alive. As far as he himself was
concerned, he could have had no personal interest in the booty, for
he was so affluent that he took a census of the army by giving a
sheep to every one of his soldiers, distributing not less than two
hundred thousand sheep. (62)

Compared with David's sins, Saul's were not sufficiently grievous
to account for the withdrawal of the royal dignity from him and his
family. The real reason was Saul's too great mildness, a drawback
in a ruler. Moreover, his family was of such immaculate nobility
that his descendants might have become too haughty. (63) When
Saul disregarded the Divine command about the Amalekites,
Samuel announced to him that his office would be bestowed upon
another. The name of his successor was not mentioned on that
occasion, but Samuel gave him a sign by which to recognize the
future king: he who would cut off the corner of Saul's mantle,
would reign in his stead. Later on, when David met Saul in the
cave and cut off a piece of the king's skirt, Saul knew him for a
certainty to be his destined successor. (64)

So Saul lost his crown on account of Agag, and yet did not
accomplish his purpose of saving the life of the Amalekite king,
for Samuel inflicted a most cruel death upon Agag, and that not in
accordance with Jewish, but with heathen, forms of justice. No
witnesses of Agag's crime could be summoned before the court,
nor could it be proved that Agag, as the law requires, had been
warned when about to commit the crime. (65) Though due
punishment was meted out to Agag, in a sense it came too late.
Had he been killed by Saul in the course of the battle, the Jews
would have been spared the persecution devised by Haman, for, in
the short span of time that elapsed between war and his execution,
Agag became the ancestor of Haman. (66)

The Amalekite war was the last of Saul's notable achievements.
Shortly afterward he was seized by the evil spirit, and the rest of
his days were passed mainly in persecuting David and his
followers. Saul would have died immediately after the Amalekite
war, if Samuel had not interceded for him. The prophet prayed to
God that the life of the disobedient king be spared, at least so long
as his own years had not come to their destined close: "Thou
regardest me equal to Moses and Aaron. (67) As Moses and Aaron
did not have their handiwork destroyed before their eyes during
their life, so may my handiwork not cease during my life." God
said: "What shall I do? Samuel will not let me put an end to Saul's
days, and if I let Samuel die in his prime, people will speak ill of
him (68) Meanwhile David's time is approaching, and one reign
may not overlap the time assigned to another by his hairbreadth."
God determined to let Samuel age suddenly, and when he died at
fifty-two, (69) the people were under the impression the days of an
old man had come to an end. So long as he lived, Saul was secure.
(70) Scarcely was he dead, when the Philistines began to menace
the Israelites and their king. Soon it appeared how well justified
had been the mourning services for the departed prophet in all the
Israelitish towns. (71) It was not remarkable that the mourning for
Samuel should have been universal. During his active
administration as judge, he had been in the habit of journeying
through every part of the country, and so he was known personally
to all the people. This practice of his testifies not only to the zeal
with which he devoted himself to his office, but also to his wealth,
for the expenses entailed by these journeys were defrayed from his
own purse. Only one person in all the land took no part in the
demonstrations of grief. During the very week of mourning Nabal
held feasts. "What!" God exclaimed, "all weep and lament over the
death of the pious, and this reprobate engages in revelry!"
Punishment was not withheld. Three days after the week of
mourning for Samuel Nabal dies. (72)

There was none that felt the death of Samuel more keenly than
Saul. Left alone and isolated, he did not shrink from extreme
measures to enter into communication with the departed prophet.
With his two adjutants, (73) Abner and Amasa, he betook himself
to Abner's mother, the witch of En-dor. (74) The king did not
reveal his identity, but the witch had no difficulty in recognizing
her visitor. In necromancy the peculiar rule holds good that, unless
it is summoned by a king, a spirit raised from the dead appears
head downward and feet in the air. (75) Accordingly, when the
figure of Samuel stood upright before them, the witch knew that
the king was with her. Though the witch saw Samuel, she could
not hear what he said, while Saul heard his words, but could not
see his person   another peculiar phenomenon in necromancy: the
conjuror sees the spirit, and he for whom the spirit had been raised
only hears it. Any other person present neither sees nor hears it.

The witch's excitement grew when she perceived a number of
spirits arise by the side of Samuel. The dead prophet, when he was
summoned back to earth, thought that the judgement day had
arrived. He requested Moses to accompany him and testify to his
always having executed the ordinances of the Torah as Moses had
established them. With these two great leaders a number of the
pious arose, all believing that the day of judgment was at hand.
Samuel was apparelled in the "upper garment" his mother had
made for him when she surrendered him to the sanctuary. This he
had worn throughout his life, and in it he was buried. At the
resurrection all the dead wear their grave clothes, and so it came
about that Samuel stood before Saul in his well-known "upper
garment."

Only fragments of the conversation between Samuel and Saul have
been preserved in the Scriptures. Samuel reproached Saul with
having disturbed him. "Was it not enough," he said, "for thee to
enkindle the wrath of thy Creator by calling up the spirits of the
dead, must thou need change me into an idol? For is it not said that
like unto the worshippers so shall the worshipped be punished?"
Samuel then consented to tell the king God's decree, that he had
resolved to rend the kingdom out of his hand, and invest David
with the royal dignity. Whereupon Saul: "These are not the words
thou spakest to me before." (76) "When we dwelt together,"
rejoined Samuel, "I was in the world of lies. Now I abide in the
world of truth, and thou heardest lying words from me, for I feared
thy wrath and thy revenge. Now I abide in the world of truth, and
thou hearest words of truth from me. As to the thing the Lord hath
done unto thee, thou hast deserved it, for thou didst not obey the
voice of the Lord, nor execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek." Saul
asked: "Can I still save myself by flight?" "Yes," replied Samuel,
"if thou fleest, thou art safe. But if thou acceptest God's judgment,
by to-morrow thou wilt be united with me in Paradise."

When Abner and Amasa questioned Saul about his interview with
Samuel, he replied: "Samuel told me I should go into battle
to-morrow, and come forth victorious. More than that, my sons
will be given exalted positions in return for their military
prowess." The next day his three sons went with him to the war,
and all were stricken down. God summoned the angels and said to
them: "Behold the being I have created in my world. A father as a
rule refrains from taking his sons even to a banquet, lest he expose
them to the evil eye. Saul goes to war knowing that he will lose his
life, yet he takes his sons with him, and cheerfully accepts the
punishment I ordain." (77)

So perished the first Jewish king, as a hero and a saint. His latter
days were occupied with regrets on account of the execution of the
priest of Nob, (78) and his remorse secured pardon for him. (79)
Indeed, in all respects his piety was so great that not even David
was his equal: David had many wives and concubines; Saul had
but on wife. David remained behind, fearing to lose his life in
battle with his son Absalom; Saul went into the combat knowing
he should not return alive. Mild and generous, Saul led the life of a
saint in his own house, observing even the priestly laws of purity.
Therefore God reproached David with having pronounced a curse
upon Saul in his prayer. (80) Also, David in his old age was
punished for having cut off the corner of Saul's mantle, for no
amount of clothing would keep him warm. (81) Finally, when a
great famine fell upon the land during the reign of David, God told
him it had been inflicted upon him because Saul's remains had not
been buried with the honor due to him, and at that moment a
heavenly voice resounded calling Saul "the elect of God." (82)

 THE COURT OF SAUL

The most important figure at the court of Saul was his cousin
Abner, the son of the witch of En-dor. (83) He was a giant of
extraordinary size. A wall measuring six ells in thickness could be
moved more easily than one of Abner's feet. (84) David once
chanced to get between the feet of Abner as he lay asleep, and he
was almost crushed to death, when fortunately Abner moved them,
and David made his escape. (85) Conscious of his vast strength he
once cried out: "If only I could seize the earth at some point, I
should be able to shake it." Even in the hour of death, wounded
mortally by Joab, he grasped his murderer like a worsted ball. He
was about to kill him, but the people crowded round them, and
said to Abner: "If thou killest Joab, we shall be orphaned, and our
wives and children will be prey to the Philistines." Abner replied:
"What can I do? He was about to extinguish my light." The people
consoled him: "Commit thy cause to the true Judge." Abner
thereupon loosed his hold upon Joab, who remained unharmed,
while Abner fell dead instantly. God had decided against him. (86)
The reason was that Joab was in a measure justified in seeking to
avenge the death of his brother Asahel. Asahel, the supernaturally
swift runner, (87)   so swift that he ran through a field without
snapping the ears of wheat (88)   had been the attacking party. He
had sough to take Abner's life, and Abner contended, that in killing
Asahel he had but acted in self-defense. Before inflicting the fatal
wound, Joab held a formal court of justice over Abner. He asked:
"Why didst thou no render Asahel harmless by wounding him
rather than kill him?" Abner replied that he could not have done it.
"What," said Joab, incredulous, "if thou wast able to strike him
under the fifth rib, dost thou mean to say thou couldst not have
made him innocuous by a wound, and saved him alive?" (89)

Although Abner was a saint, (90) even a "lion in the law," (91) he
perpetrated many a deed that made his violent death appear just. It
was in his favor that he had refused to obey Saul's command to do
away with the priests of Nob. (92) Yet a man of his stamp should
not have rested content with passive resistance. He should have
interposed actively, and kept Saul from executing his blood design.
And granted that Abner could not have influenced the king's mind
in this matter, (93) at all events he is censurable for having
frustrated a reconciliation between Saul and David. When David,
holding in his hand the corner of the king's mantle which he had
cut off, sought to convince Saul of his innocence, it was Abner
who turned the king against the suppliant fugitive. "Concern not
thyself about it," he said to Saul. "David found the rag on a
thornbush in which thou didst catch the skirt of thy mantle as thou
didst pass it." (94) On the other hand, no blame attaches to Abner
for having espoused the cause of Saul's son against David for two
years and a half. He knew that God had designated David for the
royal office, but, according to an old tradition, God had promised
two kings to the tribe of Benjamin, and Abner considered it his
duty to transmit his father's honor to the son of Saul the Benjamite.
(95)

Another figure of importance during Saul's reign, but a man of
radically different character, was Doeg. Doeg, the friend of Saul
from the days of his youth, (96) died when he was thirty-four years
old, (97) yet at that early age he had been president of the
Sanhedrin and the greatest scholar of his time. He was called
Edomi, which means, not Edomite, but "he who causes the blush
of shame," because by his keen mind and his learning he put to
shame all who entered into argument with him. (98) But his
scholarship lay only on his lips, his heart was not concerned in it,
and his one aim was to elicit admiration. (99) Small wonder, then,
that his end was disastrous. At the time of his death he had sunk so
low that he forfeited all share in the life to come. (100) Wounded
vanity caused his hostility to David, who had got the better of him
in a learned discussion. (101) From that moment he bent all his
energies to the task of ruining David. He tried to poison Saul's
mind against David, by praising the latter inordinately, and so
arousing Saul's jealousy. (102) Again, he would harp on David's
Moabite descent, and maintain that on account of it he could not
be admitted into the congregation of Israel. 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
sophistry. (103)

Doeg's most grievous transgression, however, was his informing
against the priests of Nob, whom he accused of high treason and
executed as traitors. For all his iniquitous deeds he pressed the law
into his service, and derived justification of his conduct from it.
Abimelech, the high priest at Nob, admitted that he had consulted
the Urim and Thummim for David. This served Doeg as the basis
for the charge of treason, and he stated it as an unalterable Halakah
that the Urim and Thummim may be consulted only for a king. 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 welfare. Doeg
would not yield, and as no one could be found to execute the
judgement, he himself officiated as hangman. (104) When the
motive of revenge actuated him, he held cheap alike the life and
honor of his fellow-man. 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 rebel. As such, he
said, David was as good as dead, since a rebel was outlawed.
Hence his wife was no longer bound to him. (105) Doeg's
punishment accorded with his misdeeds. He who had made
impious use of his knowledge of the law, completely forgot the
law, and even his disciples rose up against him, and drove him
from the house of study. In the end he died a leper.

Dreadful as this death was, it was not accounted an atonement for
his sins. One angel burned his soul, and another scattered his ashes
in all the house of study and prayer. (106) The son of Doeg was
Saul's armor-bearer, who was killed by David for daring to slay the
king even though he longed for death. (107)

Along with Abner and Doeg, Jonathan distinguished himself in the
reign of his father. His military capacity was joined to deep
scholarship. To the latter he owed his position as Ab Bet Din.
(108) Nevertheless he was one of the most modest men known in
history. (109) Abinadab was another one of Saul's sons who was
worthy of his father, wherefore he was sometimes called Ishvi.
(110) As for Saul's grandson Mephibosheth. He, too, was reputed a
great man. David himself did not scorn to sit at his feet, and he
revered Mephibosheth as his teacher. (111) The wrong done him
by David in granting one-half his possessions to Ziba, the slave of
Mephibosheth, did not go unavenged. When David ordered the
division of the estate of Mephibosheth, a voice from heaven
prophesied: "Jeroboam and Rehoboam shall divide the kingdom
between themselves." (112)

 DAVID'S BIRTH AND DESCENT

David, the "elect of God," (1) was descended from a family which
itself belonged to the elect of Israel. Those ancestors of his who
are enumerated in the Bible by name are all of them men of
distinguished excellence. Besides, David was a descendant of
Miriam, (2) the sister of Moses, and so the strain of royal
aristocracy was reinforced by the priestly aristocracy. Nor was
David the first of his family to occupy the throne of a ruler. His
great-grandfather Boaz was one and the same person with Ibzan,
the judge of Bethlehem. (3) Othniel, too, the first judge in Israel
after the death of Joshua, and Caleb, (4) the brother of Othniel,
were connected with David's family. As examples of piety and
virtue, David had his grandfather and more particularly his father
before him. His grandfather's whole life was a continuous service
of God, (5) whence his name Obed, "the servant," and his father
Jesse was one of the greatest scholars of his time, (6) and one of
the four who died wholly untainted by sin. (7) If God had not
ordained death for all the descendants of our first parents after
their fall, Jesse would have continued to live forever. As it was, he
died at the age of four hundred, (8) and then a violent death, by the
hand of the Moabite king, (9) in whose care David, trusting in the
ties of kinship between the Moabites and the seed of Ruth, left his
family when he was fleeing before Saul. Jesse's piety will not go
unrewarded. In the Messianic time he will be one of the eight
princes to rule over the world. (10)

In spite of his piety, Jesse was not always proof against temptation.
One of his slaves caught his fancy, and he would have entered into
illicit relations with her, had his wife, Nazbat, the daughter of
Adiel, not frustrated the plan. She disguised herself as the slave,
and Jesse, deceived by the ruse, met his own wife. The child borne
by Nazbat was given out as the son of the freed slave, so that the
father might not discover the deception practiced upon him. This
child was David. (11)

In a measure David was indebted for his life to Adam. At first only
three hours of existence had been allotted to him. When God
caused all future generations to pass in review before Adam, he
besought God to give David seventy of the thousand years destined
for him. A deed of gift, signed by God and the angel Metatron, was
drawn up. Seventy years were legally conveyed from Adam to
David, and in accordance with Adam's wishes, beauty, dominion,
and poetical gift (12) went with them.

  ANOINTED KING

Beauty and talent, Adam's gifts to David, did not shield their
possessor against hardship. As the supposed son of a slave, he was
banished from association with his brothers, and his days were
passed in the desert tending his father's sheep. (13) It was his
shepherd life that prepared him for his later exalted position. With
gentle consideration he led the flocks entrusted to him. The young
lambs he guided to pastures of tender grass; the patches of less
juicy herbs he reserved for the sheep; and the full-grown sturdy
rams were given the tough weeds for food. Then God said: "David
knows how to tend sheep, therefore he shall be the shepherd of my
flock Israel." (14)

In the solitude of the desert David had opportunities of displaying
his extraordinary physical strength. One day he slew four lions and
three bears, (15) though he had no weapons. His most serious
adventure was with the reem. David encountered the mammoth
beast asleep, and taking it for a mountain, he began to ascend it.
Suddenly the reem awoke, and David found himself high up in the
air on its horns. He vowed, if he were rescued, to build a temple to
God one hundred ells in height, as high as the horns of the reem.
Thereupon God sent a lion. The king of beasts (16) inspired even
the reem with awe. The reem prostrated himself, and David could
easily descend from his perch. At that moment a deer appeared.
The lion pursued after him, and David was saved from the lion as
well as the reem. (17)

He continued to lead the life of a shepherd until, at the age of
twenty-eight, (18) he was anointed king by Samuel, who was
taught by a special revelation that the despised youngest son of
Jesse was to be king. Samuel's first charge had been to anoint one
of the sons of Jesse, but he was not told which one. When he saw
the oldest, Eliab, he thought him the king of God's choice. God had
allowed him to be deceived, in order to punish Samuel for his
excessive self-consciousness in calling himself the seer. It was
thus proved to him that he could not foresee all things. (19)
However, Samuel's error was pardonable. God's first choice had
rested upon Eliab. Only on account of his violent nature, his
swiftness to anger against David, the position destined for him was
transferred to his youngest brother. (20) Eliab was in a sense
compensated by seeing his daughter become the wife of
Rehoboam. Thus he, too, enjoys the distinction of being among the
ancestors of the Judaic kings, and Samuel's vision of Eliab as king
was not wholly false. (21)

The election of David was obvious from what happened with the
holy oil with which he was anointed. (22) When Samuel had tried
to pour the oil on David's brothers, it had remained in the horn, but
at David's approach it flowed of its own accord, and poured itself
out over him. The drops on his garments changed into diamonds
and pearls, and after the act of anointing him, the horn was as full
as before.

The amazement was great that the son of a slave should be made
king. Then the wife of Jesse revealed her secret, and declared
herself the mother of David. (23)

The anointing of David was for a time kept a secret, but its effect
appeared in the gift of prophecy which manifested itself in David,
(24) and in his extraordinary spiritual development. His new
accomplishments naturally earned envy for him. None was more
bitterly jealous than Doeg, the greatest scholar of his time. When
he heard that Saul was about to have David come to court as his
attendant, Doeg began to praise David excessively, with the
purpose of arousing the king's jealousy and making David hateful
in his eyes. He succeeded, (25) yet Saul did not relinquish his plan
of having David at court. David had become known to Saul in his
youth, and at that time the king had conceived great admiration for
him. The occasion was one on which David had shown cleverness
as well as love of justice. A rich woman had had to leave her home
temporarily. She could not carry her fortune with her, nor did she
wish to entrust it to any one. She adopted the device of hiding her
gold in honey jars, and these she deposited with a neighbor.
Accidentally he discovered what was in the jars, and he abstracted
the gold. On her return the woman received her vessels, but the
gold concealed in them was gone. She had no evidence to bring up
against her faithless neighbor, and the court dismissed her
complaint. She appealed to the king, but he was equally powerless
to help. When the woman came out of the palace of the king,
David was playing with his companions. Seeing her dejection, he
demanded an audience of the king, that truth might prevail. The
king authorized him to do as he saw fit. David ordered the honey
jars to be broken, and two coins were found to adhere to the inner
side of the vessels. The thief had overlooked them, and they
proved his dishonesty. (26)

  ENCOUNTER WITH GOLIATH

David was not long permitted to enjoy the ease of life at court. The
aggressive manner assumed by Goliath drove him to the front. It
was a curious chance that designated David to be the slayer of
Goliath, who was allied with him by the ties of blood. Goliath, it
will be remembered, was the son of the Moabitess Orpah, (27) the
sister-in-law of David's ancestress Ruth, and her sister as well,
both having been the daughters of the Moabite king Eglon. (28)
David and Goliath differed as widely as their grandams, for in
contrast to Ruth, the pious, religious Jewess, Orpah had led a life
of unspeakable infamy. Her son Goliath was jeered at as "the son
of a hundred fathers and one mother." (29) But God lets naught go
unrewarded, even in the wicked. In return for the forty steps Orpah
had accompanied her mother-in-law Naomi, (30) Goliath the
Philistine, her son, was permitted to display his strength and skill
for forty days, and in return for the four tears Orpah had shed on
parting from her mother-in-law, she was privileged to give birth to
four giant sons. (31)

Of the four, Goliath was the strongest and greatest. What the
Scriptures tell about him is but a small fraction of what might have
been told. The Scriptures refrain intentionally from expatiating
upon the prowess of the miscreant. Nor do they tell how Goliath,
impious as he was, dared challenge the God of Israel to combat
with him, and how he tried by every means in his power to hinder
the Israelites in their Divine worship. Morning and evening he
would appear in the camp at the very time when the Israelites were
preparing to say the Shema. (32)

All the more cause, then, for David to hate Goliath and determine
to annihilate him. His father encouraged him to oppose Goliath,
for he considered it David's duty to protect Saul the Benjamite
against the giant, as Judah, his ancestor, had in ancient days
pledged himself for the safety of Benjamin, the ancestor of Saul.
(33) For Goliath was intent upon doing away with Saul. His
grievance against him was that once, when, in a skirmish between
the Philistines and the Israelites, Goliath had succeeded in
capturing the holy tables of the law, Saul had wrested them from
the giant. (34) In consequence of his malady, Saul could not
venture to cross swords with Goliath, and he accepted David's
offer to enter into combat in his place. David put on Saul's armor,
and when it appeared that the armor of the powerfully-built king
fitted the erstwhile slender youth, Saul recognized that David had
been predestined for the serious task he was about to undertake,
but at the same time David's miraculous transformation did not fail
to arouse his jealousy. (35) David, for this reason, declined to array
himself as a warrior for his contest with Goliath. He wanted to
meet him as a simple shepherd. Five pebbles came to David of
their own accord, (36) and when he touched them, they all turned
into one pebble. (37) The five pebbles stood for God, the three
Patriarchs, and Aaron. Hophni and Phinehas, the descendants of
the last, had only a short time before been killed by Goliath. (38)

Scarcely did David begin to move toward Goliath, when the giant
became conscious of the magic power of the youth. The evil eye
David cast on his opponent sufficed to afflict him with leprosy,
(39) and in the very same instant he was rooted to the ground,
unable to move. (40) Goliath was so confused by his impotence
that he scarcely knew what he was saying, and he uttered the
foolish threat that he would give David's flesh to the cattle of the
field, as though cattle ate flesh. One can see, David said to
himself, that he is crazy, and there can be no doubt he is doomed.
(41) Sure of victory, David retorted that he would cast the carcass
of the Philistine to the fowls of the air. At the mention of fowls,
Goliath raised his eyes skyward, to see whether there were any
birds about. The upward motion of his head pushed his visor
slightly away from his forehead, and in that instant the pebble
aimed by David struck him on the exposed spot. (42) An angel
descended and cast him to the ground face downward, so that the
mouth that had blasphemed God might be choked with earth. He
fell in such wise that the image of Dagon which he wore on his
breast touched the ground, and his head came to lie between the
feet of David, who now had no difficulty in dispatching him. (43)

Goliath was encased, from top to toe, in several suits of armor, and
David did not know how to remove them and cut off the head of
the giant. At this juncture Uriah the Hittite offered him his
services, but under the condition that David secure him an
Israelitish wife. David accepted the condition, and Uriah in turn
showed him how the various suits of armor were fastened together
at the heels of the giant's feet.

David's victory naturally added fuel to the fire of Saul's jealousy.
Saul sent Abner, his general, to make inquiry whether David, who,
he knew, was of the tribe of Judah, belonged to the clan of the
Perez or to the clan of the Zerah. In the former case his suspicion
that David was destined for kingship would be confirmed. Doeg,
David's enemy from of old, observed that David, being the
descendant of the Moabitess Ruth, did not even belong to the
Jewish communion, and Saul need entertain no fears from that
quarter. A lively discussion arose between Abner and Doeg, as to
whether the law in Deuteronomy regarding Moabites affected
women as well as men. Doeg, an expert dialectician, brilliantly
refuted all of Abner's arguments in favor of the admission of
Moabitish women. Samuel's authority had to be appealed to in
order to establish for all times the correctness of Abner's view.
(44) Indeed, the dispute could be settled only by recourse to threats
of violence. Ithra, the father of Amasa, in Arab fashion, for which
reason he was sometimes called the Ishmaelite, threatened to hew
down any one with his sword who refused to accept Samuel's
interpretation of the law, that male Moabites and male Ammonites
are forever excluded from the congregation of Israel, but not
Moabite and Ammonite women. (45)

  PURSUED BY SAUL

As God stood by David in his duel with Goliath, so he stood by
him in many other of his difficulties. Often when he thought all
hope lost, the arm of God suddenly succored him, and in
unexpected ways, not only bringing relief, but also conveying
instruction on God's wise and just guidance of the world.

David once said to God: "The world is entirely beautiful and good,
with the one exception of insanity. What use does the world derive
from a lunatic, who runs hither and thither, tears his clothes, and is
pursued by a mob of hooting children?" "Verily, a time will come,"
said God in reply, "when thou wilt supplicate me to afflict thee
with madness." Now, it happened when David, on his flight before
Saul, came to Achish, the king of the Philistines, who lived in
Gath, that the brothers of Goliath formed the heathen king's
body-guard, and they demanded that their brother's murderer be
executed. Achish, though a heathen, was pious, for which reason
he is called Abimelech in the Psalms, after the king of Gerar, who
also was noted for piety. He therefore sought to pacify David's
enemies. He called their attention to the fact that Goliath had been
the one to challenge the Jews to combat, and it was meet,
therefore, that he should be left to bear the consequences. The
brothers rejoined, if that view prevailed, then Achish would have
to give up his throne to David, for, according to the conditions of
the combat, the victor was to have dominion over the vanquished
as his servants. In his distress, David besought God to let him
appear a madman in the eyes of Achish and his court. God granted
his prayer. As the wife and daughter of the Philistine king were
both bereft of reason, we can understand his exclamation: "Do I
lack madmen, that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman
in my presence?" Thus it was that David was rescued. Thereupon
he composed the Psalm beginning with the words, "I will bless the
Lord at all times," which includes even the time of lunacy. (46)

On another occasion David expressed his doubt of God's wisdom
in having formed such apparently useless creatures as spiders are.
They do nothing but spin a web that has no value. He was to have
striking proof that even a spider's web may serve an important
purpose. On one occasion he had taken refuge in a cave, and Saul
and his attendants, in pursuit of him, were about to enter and seek
him there. But God sent a spider to weave its web across the
opening, and Saul told his men to desist from fruitless search in
the cave, for the spider's web was undeniable proof that no one had
passed through its entrance. (47)

Similarly, when David became indebted to one of them for his life,
he was cured of his scorn for wasps. He had thought them good for
nothing but to breed maggots. David once surprised Saul and his
attendants while they were fast asleep in their camp, and he
resolved to carry off, as proof of his magnanimity, the cruse that
stood between the feet of the giant Abner, who like the rest was
sleeping. Fortunately his knees were drawn up, so that David could
carry out his intention unhindered. But as David was retiring with
the cruse, Abner stretched out his feet, and pinned David down as
with two solid pillars. His life would have been forfeit, if a wasp
had not stung Abner, who mechanically, in his sleep, moved his
feet, and released David. (48)

There were still other miracles that happened to David in his
flight. Once, when Saul and his men compassed David round
about, an angel appeared and summoned him home, to repulse the
raid of the Philistines upon the land. Saul gave up the pursuit of
David, but only after a majority had so decided, for some had been
of the opinion that the seizure of David was quite as important as
the repulse of the Philistines. (49) Again, in his battle with the
Amalekites, David enjoyed direct intervention from above.
Lightning in flashes and sheets illumined the dark night, so
enabling him to carry on the struggle. (50)

  WARS

David's first thought after ascending the throne was to wrest
Jerusalem, sacred since the days of Adam, Noah, and Abraham,
from the grasp of the heathen. The plan was not easy of execution
for various reasons. The Jebusites, the possessors of Jerusalem,
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
Jerusalem. In perpetuation of this agreement between Abraham
and the sons of Heth, monuments of brass were erected, and when
David approached Jerusalem with hostile intent, the Jebusites
pointed to Abraham's promise engraven upon them and still plainly
to be read. (51) They maintained that before David could take the
city, which they had surrounded with a high wall, he would have to
destroy the monuments. Joab devised a plan of getting into
Jerusalem. He set up a tall cypress tree near the wall, bent it
downward, and standing on David's head, he grasped the very tip
of the tree. When the tree rebounded, Joab sat high above the wall,
and could jump down upon it. Once in the city, he destroyed the
monuments, and possessed himself of Jerusalem. (52) For David a
miracle had happened; the wall had lowered itself before him so
that he could walk into the city without difficulty. David, however,
was not desirous of using forcible means. He therefore offered the
Jebusites six hundred shekels, fifty shekels for each Israelitish
tribe. The Jebusites accepted the money, and gave David a bill of
sale. (53)

Jerusalem having been acquired, David had to prepare for war
with the Philistines, in which the king gave proof at once of his
heroic courage and his unshakable trust in God. The latter quality
he displayed signally in the battle that took place in the Valley of
the Giants. 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 trees." God desired to pass judgment upon the
tutelary angels of the heathen, before surrendering the heathen
themselves to the pious, (54) and the motion of the tops of the
trees was to indicate that the battle could proceed. The enemy
advanced until there were but four ells between them and the
Israelites. The latter were about to throw themselves against the
Philistines, but David restrained them, saying: "God forbade me to
attack the Philistines before the tops of the trees begin to move. If
we transgress God's command, we shall certainly die. If we delay,
it is probable that we shall be killed by the Philistines, but, at least,
we shall die as pious men that keep God's command. Above all, let
us have confidence in God." Scarcely had he ended his speech
when the tops of the trees rustled, and David made a successful
assault upon the Philistines. Whereupon God said to the angels,
who were constantly questioning him as to why he had taken the
royal dignity from Saul and given it to David: "See the difference
between Saul and David." (55)

Of David's other campaigns, the most notable is his war with
Shobach the Aramean, whom he conquered in spite of his gigantic
size and strength. Shobach was very tall, as tall as a dove-cote, and
one look at him sufficed to strike terror to the heart of the
beholder. (56) The Aramean general indulged in the belief that
David would treat the Syrians gently on account of the monument,
still in existence at that time, 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 other. But David destroyed the monument. (57)
Similarly, the Philistines had placed trust in a relic from Isaac, the
bridle of a mule which the Patriarch had given to Abimelech, the
king of the Philistines, as a pledge of the covenant between Israel
and his people. David took it from them by force. (58)

However, David was as just as he was bold. Disregard of the
covenants made by the Patriarchs was far removed from his
thoughts. Indeed, before departing for the wars with the Arameans
and the Philistines, he had charged the Sanhedrin to investigate
carefully the claims of the two nations. The claims of the
Philistines were shown to be utterly unfounded. In no sense were
they the descendants of those Philistines who had concluded a
treaty with Isaac; they had immigrated from Cyprus at a much later
date. The Arameans, on the other hand, had forfeited their claims
upon considerate treatment, because under the "Aramean" Balaam,
and later again, in the time of Othniel, under their king
Cushan-rishathaim, they had attacked and made war upon the
Israelites. (59)

  AHITHOPHEL

Among David's courtiers and attendants, a prominent place is
occupied by his counsellor Ahithophel, (60) with whom the king
was connected by family ties, Bath-sheba being his granddaughter.
(61) Ahithophel's wisdom was supernatural, for his counsels
always coincided with the oracles rendered by the Urim and
Thummim, and great as was his wisdom, it was equalled by his
scholarship. Therefore David did not hesitate to submit himself to
his instruction, (62) even though Ahithophel was a very young
man, at the time of his death not more than thirty-three years old.
(63) The one thing lacking in him was sincere piety, (64) and this
it was that proved his undoing in the end, for it induced him to
take part in Absalom's rebellion against David. Thus he forfeited
even his share in the world to come. (65)

To this dire course of action he was misled by astrologic and other
signs, which he interpreted as prophecies of his own kingship,
when in reality they pointed to the royal destiny of his
granddaughter Bath-sheba. (66) Possessed by his erroneous belief,
he cunningly urged Absalom to commit an unheard-of crime. Thus
Absalom would profit nothing by his rebellion, for, though he
accomplished his father's ruin, he would yet be held to account and
condemned to death for his violation of family purity, and the way
to the throne would be clear for Ahithophel, the great sage in
Israel. (67)

The relation between David and Ahithophel had been somewhat
strained even before Absalom's rebellion. Ahithophel's feelings
had been hurt by his being passed over at the time when David,
shortly after ascending the throne, invested, on a single day, no
less than ninety thousand functionaries with positions.

On that day a remarkable incident occurred. When the Ark was to
be brought up from Geba to Jerusalem, the priests who attempted
to take hold of it were raised up in the air and thrown violently to
the ground. In his despair the king turned for advice to Ahithophel,
who retorted mockingly: "Ask thy wise men whom thou hast but
now installed in office." It was only when David uttered a curse on
him who knows a remedy and withholds it from the sufferer, that
Ahithophel advised that a sacrifice should be offered at every step
taken by the priests. Although the measure proved efficacious, and
no further disaster occurred in connection with the Ark, yet
Ahithophel's words had been insincere. He knew the real reason of
the misadventure, and concealed it from the king. Instead of
following the law of having the Ark carried on the shoulders of
priests, David had had it put on a wagon, and so incurred the wrath
of God. (68)

Ahithophel's hostility toward David showed itself also on the
following occasion. When David was digging the foundations of
the Temple, a shard was found at a depth of fifteen hundred cubits.
David was about to lift it, when the shard exclaimed: "Thou canst
not do it." "Why not?" asked David. "Because I rest upon the
abyss." "Since when?" "Since the hour in which the voice of God
was heard to utter the words from Sinai, 'I am the Lord thy God,'
causing the earth to quake and sink into the abyss. I lie here to
cover up the abyss." Nevertheless David lifted the shard, and the
waters of the abyss rose and threatened to flood the earth.
Ahithophel was standing by, and he thought to himself: "Now
David will meet with his death, and I shall be king." Just then
David said: "Whoever knows how to stem the tide of waters, and
fails to do it, will one day throttle himself." (69) Thereupon
Ahithophel had the Name of God inscribed upon the shard, and the
shard thrown into the abyss. The waters at once commenced to
subside, but they sank to so great a depth that David feared the
earth might lose her moisture, and he began to sing the fifteen
"Songs of Ascents," to bring the waters up again. (70)

Nevertheless David's curse was realized. Ahithophel ended his
days by hanging himself. His last will contained the following
three rules of conduct: (71) 1. Refrain from doing aught against a
favorite of fortune. 2. Take heed not to rise up against the royal
house of David. 3. If the Feast of Pentecost falls on a sunny day,
then sow wheat. (72)

Posterity has been favored with the knowledge of but a small part
of Ahithophel's wisdom, and that little through two widely
different sources, through Socrates, (73) who was his disciple, and
through a fortune-book written by him. (74)

  JOAB

Joab, the warrior, was a contrast to Ahithophel in every essential.
He was David's right hand. It was said, if Joab had not been there
to conduct his wars, David would not have had leisure to devote
himself to the study of the Torah. He was the model of a true
Jewish hero, distinguished at the same time for his learning, piety,
and goodness. His house stood wide open for all comers, and the
campaigns which he undertook redounded invariably to the benefit
of the people. They were indebted to him for luxuries even, (75)
and more than that, he took thought for the welfare of scholars, he
himself being the president of the Sanhedrin. (76)

It interested Joab to analyze the character of men and their
opinions. When he heard King David's words: "Like as a father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him," he
expressed his astonishment that the comparison should be made
with the love of a father for a child, and not with the love of a
mother; mother love as a rule is considered the stronger and the
more self-sacrificing. He made up his mind to keep his eyes open,
and observe whether David's idea was borne out by facts. On one
of his journeys he happened into the house of a poor old man who
had twelve children, all of whom the father supported, however
meagrely, with the toil of his own hands. Joab proposed that he
sell him one of the twelve children; he would thus be relieved of
the care of one, and the selling-price could be applied to the better
support of the rest. The good father rejected the proposition
brusquely. Then Joab approached the mother, offering her a
hundred gold denarii for one of the children. At first she resisted
the temptation, but finally she yielded. When the father returned in
the evening, he cut the bread, as was his wont, into fourteen
pieces, for himself, his wife, and his twelve children. In allotting
the portions he missed a child, and insisted upon being told its
fate. The mother confessed what had happened during his absence.
He neither ate nor drank, and next morning he set out, firmly
resolved to return the money to Joab and to slay him if he should
refuse to surrender the child. After much parleying, and after the
father had threatened him with death, Joab yielded the child to the
old man, with the exclamation: "Yes, David was right when he
compared God's love for men to a father's love for his child. This
poor fellow who has twelve children to support was prepared to
fight me to the death for one of them, which the mother, who
calmly stayed at home, had sold to me for a price."

Among all the heroic achievements of Joab, the most remarkable
is the taking of the Amalekite capital. For six months the flower of
the Israelitish army, twelve thousand in number, under the
leadership of Joab, had been besieging the capital city of the
Amalekites without result. The soldiers made representations to
their general, that it would be well for them to return home to their
wives and children. Joab urged that this not only would earn for
them contempt and derision, but also would invite new danger.
The heathen would be encouraged to unite against the Israelites.
He proposed that they hurl him into the city by means of a sling,
and then wait forty days. If at the end of this period they saw blood
flow from the gates of the fortress, it should be a sign to them that
he was still alive.

His plan was executed. Joab took with him one thousand pieces of
money and his sword. When he was cast from the sling, he fell into
the courtyard of a widow, whose daughter caught him up. In a little
while he regained consciousness. He pretended to be an Amalekite
taken prisoner by the Israelites, and thrown into the city by his
captors, who thus wished to inflict death. As he was provided with
money, which he dispensed lavishly among his entertainers, he
was received kindly, and was given the Amalekite garb. So
apparelled, he ventured, after ten days, on a tour of inspection
through the city, which he found to be of enormous size.

His first errand was to an armorer, to have him mend his sword,
which had been broken by his fall. When the artisan scanned
Joab's weapon, he started back--he had never seen a sword like it.
He forged a new one, which snapped in two almost at once when
Joab grasped it firmly. So it happened with a second sword, and
with a third. Finally he succeeded in fashioning one that was
acceptable. Joab asked the smith whom he would like him to slay
with the sword, and the reply was, "Joab, the general of the
Israelitish king." "I am he," said Joab, and when the smith in
astonishment turned to look at him, Joab ran him through so
skillfully that the victim had no realization of what was happening.
Thereupon he hewed down five hundred Amalekite warriors whom
he met on his way, and not one escaped to betray him. The rumor
arose that Asmodeus, the king of demons, was raging among the
inhabitants of the city, and slaying them in large numbers.

After another period of ten days, which he spent in retirement with
his hosts, Joab sallied forth a second time, and caused such
bloodshed among the Amalekites that his gory weapon clave to his
hand, and his right hand lost all power of independent motion, it
could be made to move only in a piece with his arm. He hastened
to his lodging place to apply hot water to his hand and free it from
the sword. On his way thither the woman who had caught him up
when he fell into the city called to him: "Thou eatest and drinkest
with us, yet thou slayest our warriors." Seeing himself betrayed, he
could not but kill the woman. Scarcely had his sword touched her,
when it was separated from his hand, and his hand could move
freely, for the dead woman had been with child, and the blood of
the unborn babe loosed the sword.

After Joab had slain thousands, the Israelites without, at the very
moment when they were beginning to mourn their general as dead,
saw blood issue from the city, and joyfully they cried out with one
accord: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." Joab
mounted a high tower, and in stentorian tones shouted: "The Lord
will not forsake his people." Inspired with high and daring
courage, the Israelites demanded permission to assault the city and
capture it. As Joab turned to descend from the tower, he noticed
that six verses of a Psalm were inscribed on his foot, the first verse
running thus: "The Lord answers thee in the day of trouble, the
name of the God of Jacob is thy defense." Later David added three
verses and completed the Psalm. Thereupon the Israelites took the
Amalekite capital, destroyed the heathen temples in the city, and
slew all its inhabitants, except the king, whom, with his crown of
pure gold on his head, they brought before David. (77)

  DAVID'S PIETY AND HIS SIN

Neither his great achievements in war nor his remarkable good
fortune moved David from his pious ways, or in aught changed his
mode of life. Even after he became king he sat at the feet of his
teachers, Ira the Jairite (78) and Mephibosheth. To the latter he
always submitted his decisions on religious questions, to make
sure that they were in accordance with law. (79) Whatever leisure
time his royal duties afforded him, he spent in study and prayer.
He contented himself with "sixty breaths" of sleep. (80) At
midnight the strings of his harp, (81) which were made of the gut
of the ram sacrificed by Abraham on Mount Moriah, (82) began to
vibrate. The sound they emitted awakened David, and he would
arise at once to devote himself to the study of the Torah. (83)

Besides study, the composition of psalms naturally claimed a
goodly portion of his time. Pride filled his heart when he had
completed the Psalter, and he exclaimed: "O Lord of the world, is
there another creature in the universe who like me proclaims thy
praise?" A frog came up to the king, and said: "Be not so proud; I
have composed more psalms than thou, and, besides, every psalm
my mouth has uttered I have accompanied with three thousand
parables." (84) And, truly, if David indulged in conceit, it was only
for a moment. As a rule he was the exemplar of modesty. The
coins which were stamped by him bore a shepherd's crook and
pouch on the obverse, and on the reverse the Tower of David. (85)
In other respects, too, his bearing was humble, as though he were
still the shepherd and not the king. (86)

His great piety invested his prayer with such efficacy that he could
bring things in heaven down to earth. (87) 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 God. But
in the very night in which David conceived the plan of building the
Temple, God said to Nathan the prophet: "Hasten to David. I know
him to be a man with whom execution follows fast upon the heels
of thought, and I should not like him to hire laborers for the
Temple work, and then, disappointed, complain of me. I
furthermore know him to be a man who obligates himself by vows
to do good deeds, and I desire to spare him the embarrassment of
having to apply to the Sanhedrin for absolution from his vow."
(88)

When David heard Nathan's message for him, he began to tremble,
and he said: "Ah, verily, God hath found me unworthy to erect His
sanctuary." But God replied with these words: "Nay, the blood
shed by thee I consider as sacrificial blood, but I do not care to
have thee build the Temple, because then it would be eternal and
indestructible." "But that would be excellent," said David.
Whereupon the reply was vouchsafed him: "I foresee that Israel
will commit sins. I shall wreak My wrath upon the Temple, and
Israel will be saved from annihilation. However, thy good
intentions shall receive their due reward. The Temple, though it be
built by Solomon, shall be called thine." (89)

David's thinking and planning were wholly given to what is good
and noble. He is one of the few pious men over whom the evil
inclination had no power. (90) By nature he was not disposed to
commit such evil-doing as his relation to Bath-sheba involved.
God Himself brought him to his crime, that He might say to other
sinners: "Go to David and learn how to repent." (91) Nor, indeed,
may David be charged with gross murder and adultery. There were
extenuating circumstances. In those days it was customary for
warriors to give their wives bills of divorce, which were to have
validity only if the soldier husbands did not return at the end of the
campaign. Uriah having fallen in battle, Bath-sheba was a
regularly divorced woman. As for the death of her husband, it
cannot be laid entirely at David's door, for Uriah had incurred the
death penalty by his refusal to take his ease in his own house,
according to the king's bidding. (92) Moreover, from the first,
Bath-sheba had been destined by God for David, but by way of
punishment for having lightly promised Uriah the Hittite an
Israelitish woman to wife, in return for his aid in unfastening the
armor of the prostrate Goliath, the king had to undergo bitter trials
before he won her. (93)

Furthermore, the Bath-sheba episode was a punishment for David's
excessive self-consciousness. He had fairly besought God to lead
him into temptation, that he might give proof of his constancy. It
came about thus: He once complained to God: "O Lord of the
world, why do people say God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of
Jacob, and why not God of David?" The answer came: "Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob were tried by me, but thou hast not yet been
proved." David entreated: "Then examine me, O Lord, and try me."
And God said: "I shall prove thee, and I shall even grant thee what
I did not grant the Patriarchs. I shall tell thee beforehand that thou
wilt fall into temptation through a woman."

Once Satan appeared to him in the shape of a bird. David threw a
dart at him. Instead of striking Satan, it glanced off and broke a
wicker screen which hid Bath-sheba combing her hair. The sight of
her aroused passion in the king. (94) David realized his
transgression, and for twenty-two years he was a penitent. Daily he
wept a whole hour and ate his "bread with ashes." (95) But he had
to undergo still heavier penance. For a half-year he suffered with
leprosy, and even the Sanhedrin, which usually was in close
personal attendance upon him, had to leave him. He lived not only
in physical, but also in spiritual isolation, for the Shekinah
departed from him during that time. (96)

  ABSALOM'S REBELLION

Of all the punishments, however, inflicted upon David, none was
so severe as the rebellion of his own son.

Absalom was of such gigantic proportions that a man who was
himself of extraordinary size, standing in the eye-socket of his
skull, sank in down to his nose. (97) As for his marvellous hair, the
account of it in the Bible does not convey a notion of its
abundance. Absalom had taken the vow of a Nazarite. As his vow
was for life, and because the growth of his hair was particularly
heavy, the law permitted him to clip it slightly every week. (98) It
was of this small quantity that the weight amounted to two
hundred shekels.

Absalom arranged for his audacious rebellion with great cunning.
He secured a letter from his royal father empowering him to select
two elders for his suite in every town he visited. With this
document he travelled through the whole of Palestine. In each
town he went to the two most distinguished men, and invited them
to accompany him, at the same time showing them what his father
had written, and assuring them that they had been chosen by him
because he had a particular affection for them. So he succeeded in
gathering the presidents of two hundred courts about him. This
having been accomplished, he arranged a large banquet, at which
he seated one of his emissaries between every two of his guests,
for the purpose of winning them over to his cause. The plan did
not succeed wholly, for, though the elders of the towns stood by
Absalom, in their hearts they hoped for David's victory. (99)

The knowledge that a part of Absalom's following sided with him
in secret,--that, though he was pursued by his son, his friends
remained true to him,--somewhat consoled David in his distress.
He thought that in these circumstances, if the worst came to the
worst, Absalom would at least feel pity for him. (100) At first,
however, the despair of David knew no bounds. He was on the
point of worshipping an idol, when his friend Hushai the Archite
approached him, saying: "The people will wonder that such a king
should serve idols." David replied: "Should a king such as I am be
killed by his own son? It is better for me to serve idols than that
God should be held responsible for my misfortune, and His Name
thus be desecrated." Hushai reproached him: "Why didst thou
marry a captive?" "There is no wrong in that," replied David, "it is
permitted according to the law." Thereupon Hushai: "But thou
didst disregard the connection between the passage permitting it
and the one that follows almost immediately after it in the
Scriptures, dealing with the disobedient and rebellious son, the
natural issue of such a marriage." (101)

Hushai was not the only faithful friend and adherent David had.
Some came to his rescue unexpectedly, as, for instance, Shobi, the
son of Nahash, who is identical with the Ammonite king Hanun,
the enemy of David at first, and later his ally. (102) Barzillai,
another one of his friends in need, also surprised him by his
loyalty, for on the whole his moral attitude was not the highest
conceivable. (103)

Absalom's end was beset with terrors. When he was caught in the
branches of the oak-tree, he was about to sever his hair with a
sword stroke, but suddenly he saw hell yawning beneath him, and
he preferred to hang in the tree to throwing himself into the abyss
alive. (104) Absalom's crime was, indeed, of a nature to deserve
the supreme torture, for which reason he is one of the few Jews
who have no portion in the world to come. (105) His abode is in
hell, where he is charged with the control of ten heathen nations in
the second division. Whenever the avenging angels sit in judgment
on the nations, they desire to visit punishment on Absalom, too,
but each time a heavenly voice is heard to call out: "Do not
chastise him, do not burn him. He is an Israelite, the son of My
servant David." Whereupon Absalom is set upon his throne, and is
accorded the treatment due to a king. (106) That the extreme
penalties of hell were thus averted from him, was on account of
David's eightfold repetition of his son's name in his lament over
him. Besides, David's intercession had the effect of re-attaching
Absalom's severed head to his body. (107)

At his death Absalom was childless, for all his children, his three
sons and his daughter, died before him, as a punishment for his
having set fire to a field of grain belonging to Joab. (108)

  DAVID'S ATONEMENT

All these sufferings did not suffice to atone for David's sin. God
once said to him: "How much longer shall this sin be hidden in thy
hand and remain unatoned? On thy account the priestly city of Nob
was destroyed, (109) on thy account Doeg the Edomite was cast
out of the communion of the pious, and on thy account Saul and
his three sons were slain. What dost thou desire now--that thy
house should perish, or that thou thyself shouldst be delivered into
the hands of thine enemies?" David chose the latter doom.

It happened one day when he was hunting, Satan, in the guise of a
deer, enticed him further and further, into the very territory of the
Philistines, where he was recognized by Ishbi the giant, the brother
of Goliath, his adversary. Desirous of avenging his brother, he
seized David, and cast him into a winepress, where the king would
have suffered a torturous end, if by a miracle the earth beneath him
had not begun to sink, and so saved him from instantaneous death.
His plight, however, remained desperate, and it required a second
miracle to rescue him.

In that hour Abishai, the cousin of David, was preparing for the
advent of the Sabbath, for the king's misfortune happened on
Friday as the Sabbath was about to come in. When Abishai poured
out water to wash himself, he suddenly caught sight of drops of
blood in it. Then he was startled by a dove that came to him
plucking out her plumes, and moaning and wailing. Abishai
exclaimed: "The dove is the symbol of the people of Israel. It
cannot be but that David, the king of Israel, is in distress." Not
finding the king at home, he was confirmed in his fears, and he
determined to go on a search for David on the swiftest animal at
his command, the king's own saddle-beast. But first he had to
obtain the permission of the sages to mount the animal ridden by
the king, for the law forbids a subject to avail himself of things set
aside for the personal use of a king. Only the impending danger
could justify the exception made in this case.

Scarcely had Abishai mounted the king's animal, when he found
himself in the land of the Philistines, for the earth had contracted
miraculously. He met Orpah, the mother of the four giant sons. She
was about to kill him, but he anticipated the blow and slew her.
Ishbi, seeing that he now had two opponents, stuck his lance into
the ground, and hurled David up in the air, in the expectation that
when he fell he would be transfixed by the lance. At that moment
Abishai appeared, and by pronouncing the Name of God he kept
David suspended 'twixt heaven and earth.

Abishai questioned David how such evil plight had overtaken him,
and David told him of his conversation with God, and how he
himself had chosen to fall into the hands of the enemy, rather than
permit the ruin of his house. Abishai replied: "Reverse thy prayer,
plead for thyself, and not for thy descendants. Let thy children sell
wax, and do thou not afflict thyself about their destiny." The two
men joined their prayers, and pleaded with God to avert David's
threatening doom. Abishai again uttered the Name of God, and
David dropped to earth uninjured. Now both of them ran away
swiftly, pursued by Ishbi. When the giant heard of his mother's
death, his strength forsook him, and he was slain by David and
Abishai. (110)

  VISITATIONS

Among the sorrows of David are the visitations that came upon
Palestine during his reign, and he felt them all the more as he had
incurred them through his own fault. There was first the famine,
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
Messiah. (111) During the first year that it prevailed, David had an
investigation set on foot to discover whether idolatry was practiced
in the land, and was keeping back the rain. His suspicion proved
groundless. The second year he looked into the moral conditions of
his realm, for lewdness can bring about the same punishment as
idolatry. Again he was proved wrong. The third year, he turned his
attention to the administration of charity. Perhaps the people had
incurred guilt in this respect, for abuses in this department also
were visited with the punishment of famine. (112) Again his
search was fruitless, and he turned to God to inquire of Him the
cause of the public distress. God's reply was: "Was not Saul a king
anointed with holy oil, did he not abolish idolatry, is he not the
companion of Samuel in Paradise? Yet, while you all dwell in the
land of Israel, he is 'outside of the land.'" David, accompanied by
the scholars and the nobles of his kingdom, at once repaired to
Jabesh-gilead, disinterred the remains of Saul and Jonathan, and in
solemn procession bore them through the whole land of Israel to
the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin. There they were buried.
The tributes of affection paid by the people of Israel to its dead
king aroused the compassion of God, and the famine came to an
end. (113)

The sin against Saul was now absolved, but there still remained
Saul's own guilt in his dealings with the Gibeonites, who charged
him with having killed seven of their number. David asked God
why He had punished His people on account of proselytes. God's
answer to him was: "If thou dost not bring near them that are far
off, thou wilt remove them that are near by." To satisfy their
vengeful feelings, the Gibeonites demanded the life of seven
members of Saul's family. David sought to mollify them,
representing to them that they would derive no benefit from the
death of their victims, and offering them silver and gold instead.
But though David treated with each one of them individually, the
Gibeonites were relentless. When he realized their hardness of
heart, he cried out: "Three qualities God gave unto Israel; they are
compassionate, chaste, and gracious in the service of their
fellow-men. The first of these qualities the Gibeonites do not
possess, and therefore they must be excluded from communion
with Israel." (114)

The seven descendants of Saul to be surrendered to the Gibeonites
were determined by letting all his posterity pass by the Ark of the
law. Those who were arrested before it were the designated
victims. Mephibosheth would have been one of the unfortunates,
had he not been permitted to pass by unchecked in answer to the
prayer of David, (115) to whom he was dear, not only as the son of
his friend Jonathan, but also as the teacher who instructed him in
the Torah. (116)

The cruel fate that befell the descendants of Saul had a wholesome
effect. All the heathen who saw and heard exclaimed: "There is no
God like unto the God of Israel, there is no nation like unto the
nation of Israel; the wrong inflicted upon wretched proselytes has
been expiated by the sons of kings." 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 Judaism. (117)

As for David, his wrong in connection with the famine lay in his
not having applied his private wealth to the amelioration of the
people's suffering. When David returned victorious from the
combat with Goliath, the women of Israel gave him their gold and
silver ornaments. He put them aside for use in building the
Temple, and even during the three years' famine this fund was not
touched. God said: "Thou didst refrain from rescuing human
beings from death, in order to save thy money for the Temple.
Verily, the Temple shall not be built by thee, but by Solomon."
(118)

David is still more blameworthy on account of the census which he
took of the Israelites in defiance of the law in the Pentateuch.
When he was charged by the king with the task of numbering the
people, Joab used every effort to turn him away from his intention.
But in vain. Incensed, David said: "Either thou art king and I am
the general, or I am king and thou art the general." Joab had no
choice but to obey. He selected the tribe of Gad as the first to be
counted, because he thought that the Gadites, independent and
self-willed, would hinder the execution of the royal order, and
David would be forced to give up his plan of taking a census. The
Gadites disappointed the expectations of Joab, and he betook
himself to the tribe of Dan, hoping that if God's punishment
descended, it would strike the idolatrous Danites. Disliking his
mission as he did, Joab spent nine months in executing it, though
he might have dispatched it in a much shorter time. Nor did he
carry out the king's orders to the letter. He himself warned the
people of the census. If he saw the father of a family of five sons,
he would bid him conceal a few of them. Following the example
set by Moses, he omitted the Levites from the enumeration,
likewise the tribe of Benjamin, because he entertained particularly
grave apprehensions in behalf of this greatly decimated tribe. (119)
In the end, David was not informed of the actual number obtained.
Joab made two lists, intending to give the king a partial list if he
found that he had no suspicion of the ruse. (120)

The prophet Gad came to David and gave him the choice of
famine, oppression by enemies, or the plague, as the penalty for
the heavy crime of popular census-taking. 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 mother. The king
considered: "If I choose the calamities of war, the people will say,
'He cares little, he has his warriors to look to.' If I choose famine,
they will say, 'He cares little, he has his riches to look to.' I shall
choose the plague, whose scourge strikes all alike." (121)
Although the plague raged but a very short time, (122) it claimed a
large number of victims. The most serious loss was the death of
Abishai, whose piety and learning made him the counterpoise of a
host of seventy-five thousand. (123)

David raised his eyes on high, and he saw the sins of Israel heaped
up from earth to heaven. In the same moment an angel descended,
and slew his four sons, the prophet Gad, and the elders who
accompanied him. David's terror at this sight, which was but
increased when the angel wiped his dripping sword on the king's
garments, settled in his limbs, and from that day on they never
ceased to tremble. (124)

  THE DEATH OF DAVID

David once besought God to tell him when he would die. His
petition was not granted, for God has ordained that no man shall
foreknow his end. One thing, however, was revealed to David, that
his death would occur at the age of seventy on the Sabbath day.
David desired that he might be permitted to die on Friday. This
wish, too, was denied him, because God said that He delighted
more in one day passed by David in the study of the Torah, than in
a thousand holocausts offered by Solomon in the Temple. Then
David petitioned that life might be vouchsafed him until Sunday;
this, too, was refused, because God said it would be an
infringement of the rights of Solomon, for one reign may not
overlap by a hairbreadth the time assigned to another. Thereafter
David spent every Sabbath exclusively in the study of the Torah, in
order to secure himself against the Angel of Death, who has no
power to slay a man while he is occupied with the fulfillment of
God's commandments. The Angel of Death had to resort to
cunning to gain possession of David. (125) One Sabbath day,
which happened to be also the Pentecost holiday, (126) the king
was absorbed in study, when he heard a sound in the garden. He
rose and descended the stairway leading from his palace to the
garden, to discover the cause of the noise. No sooner had he set
foot on the steps than they tumbled in, and David was killed. The
Angel of Death had caused the noise in order to utilize the moment
when David should interrupt his study.  The king's corpse could
not be moved on the Sabbath, which was painful to those with
him, as it was lying exposed to the rays of the sun. So Solomon
summoned several eagles, and they stood guard over the body,
shading it with their outstretched pinions. (127)

  DAVID IN PARADISE

The death of David did not mean the end of his glory and
grandeur. It merely caused a change of scene. In the heavenly
realm as on earth David ranks among the first. The crown upon his
head outshines all others, and whenever he moves out of Paradise
to present himself before God, suns, stars, angels, seraphim, and
other holy beings run to meet him. In the heavenly court-room a
throne of fire of gigantic dimensions is erected for him directly
opposite to the throne of God. Seated on this throne and
surrounded by the kings of the house of David and other Israelitish
kings, he intones wondrously beautiful psalms. At the end he
always cites the verse: "The Lord reigns forever and ever," to
which the archangel Metatron and those with him reply: "Holy,
holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts!" This is the signal for the holy
Hayyot and heaven and earth to join in with praise. Finally the
kings of the house of David sing the verse: "And the Lord shall be
king over all; in that day shall the Lord be one, and His name one."
(128)

The greatest distinction to be accorded David is reserved for the
judgment day, when God will prepare a great banquet in Paradise
for all the righteous. At David's petition, God Himself will be
present at the banquet, and will sit on His throne, opposite to
which David's throne will be placed. At the end of the banquet,
God will pass the wine cup over which grace is said, to Abraham,
with the words: "Pronounce the blessing over the wine, thou who
art the father of the pious of the world." Abraham will reply: "I am
not worthy to pronounce the blessing, for I am the father also of
the Ishmaelites, who kindle God's wrath." God will then turn to
Isaac: "Say the blessing, for thou wert bound upon the altar as a
sacrifice." "I am not worthy," he will reply, "for the children of my
son Esau destroyed the Temple." Then to Jacob: "Do thou speak
the blessing, thou whose children were blameless." Jacob also will
decline the honor on the ground that he was married to two sisters
at the same time, which later was strictly prohibited by the Torah.
God will then turn to Moses: "Say the blessing, for thou didst
receive the law and didst fulfil its precepts." Moses will answer: "I
am not worthy to do it, seeing that I was not found worthy to enter
the Holy Land." God will next offer the honor to Joshua, who both
led Israel into the Holy Land, and fulfilled the commandments of
the law. He, too, will refuse to pronounce the blessing, because he
was not found worthy to bring forth a son. Finally God will turn to
David with the words: "Take the cup and say the blessing, thou the
sweetest singer in Israel and Israel's king. And David will reply:
'Yes, I will pronounce the blessing, for I am worthy of the honor.'"
(129) Then God will take the Torah and read various passages
from it, and David will recite a psalm in which both the pious in
Paradise and the wicked in hell will join with a loud Amen.
Thereupon God will send his angels to lead the wicked from hell
to Paradise. (130)

  THE FAMILY OF DAVID

David had six wives, including Michal, the daughter of Saul, who
is called by the pet name Eglah, "Calfkin," in the list given in the
Bible narrative. (131) Michal was of entrancing beauty, (132) and
at the same time the model of a loving wife. Not only did she save
David out of the hands of her father, but also, when Saul, as her
father and her king, commanded her to marry another man, she
acquiesced only apparently. She entered into a mock marriage in
order not to arouse the anger of Saul, who had annulled her union
with David on grounds which he thought legal. Michal was good
as well as beautiful; 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 Adriel." Adriel, however,
was her brother-in-law and not her husband, but she had raised his
children, treating them as though they were her own. (133) Michal
was no less a model of piety. Although the law exempted her, as a
woman, from the duty, still she executed the commandment of
using phylacteries. (134) In spite of all these virtues, she was
severely punished by God for her scorn of David, whom she
reproached with lack of dignity, when he had in mind only to do
honor to God. Long she remained childless, and at last, when she
was blessed with a child, she lost her own life in giving birth to it.
(135)

But the most important among the wives of David was Abigail, in
whom beauty, wisdom, and prophetical gifts were joined. With
Sarah, Rahab, and Esther, she forms the quartet of the most
beautiful women in history. She was so bewitching that passion
was aroused in men by the mere thought of her. (136) Her
cleverness showed itself during her first meeting with David,
when, though anxious about the life of her husband Nabal, she
still, with the utmost tranquility, put a ritual question to him in his
rage. He refused to answer it, because, he said, it was a question to
be investigated by day, not by night. Thereupon Abigail
interposed, that sentence of death likewise may be passed upon a
man only during the day. Even if David's judgment were right, the
law required him to wait until daybreak to execute it upon Nabal.
David's objection, that a rebel like Nabal had no claim upon due
process of law, she overruled with the words: "Saul is still alive,
and thou art not yet acknowledged king by the world."

Her charm would have made David her captive on this occasion, if
her moral strength had not kept him in check. By means of the
expression, "And this shall not be unto thee," she made him
understand that the day had not yet arrived, but that it would come,
when a woman, Bath-sheba, would play a disastrous part in his
life. Thus she manifested her gift of prophecy.

Not even Abigail was free from the feminine weakness of
coquetry. The words "remember thine handmaid" should never
have been uttered by her. As a married woman, she should not
have sought to direct the attention of a man to herself. (137) In the
women's Paradise she supervises the fifth of the seven divisions
into which it is divided, and her domain adjoins that of the wives
of the Patriarchs, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah. (138)

Among the sons of David, Adonijah, the son of Haggith, must be
mentioned particularly, the pretender to the throne. 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 feet. That Adonijah was not designated for the royal
dignity, was made manifest by the fact that the crown of David did
not fit him. This crown had the remarkable peculiarity of always
fitting the legitimate king of the house of David. (139)

Chileab was a son worthy of his mother Abigail. The meaning of
his name is "like the father," which had been given him because of
his striking resemblance to David in appearance, a circumstance
that silenced the talk against David's all too hasty marriage with
the widow of Nabal. (140) Intellectually, too, Chileab testified to
David's paternity. In fact, he excelled his father in learning, as he
did even the teacher of David, Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan.
(141) On account of his piety he is one of the few who have
entered Paradise alive. (142)

Tamar cannot be called one of the children of David, because she
was born before her mother's conversion to Judaism.
Consequently, her relation to Amnon is not quite of the grave
nature it would have been, had they been sister and brother in the
strict sense of the terms.

To the immediate household of David belonged four hundred
young squires, the sons of women taken captive in battle. They
wore their hair in heathen fashion, and, sitting in golden chariots,
they formed the vanguard of the army, and terrified the enemy by
their appearance. (143)

  HIS TOMB

When David was buried, Solomon put abundant treasures into his
tomb. 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 Antiochus. King Herod
also abstracted great sums. But none of the marauders could
penetrate to the resting-place of the kings,--next to David his
successors were interred,--for it was sunk into the earth so
skillfully that it could not be found. (144)

Once on a time, a Moslem pasha visited the mausoleum, and as he
was looking through the window in it, a weapon of his ornamented
with diamonds and pearls dropped into the tomb. A Mohammedan
was lowered through the window to fetch the weapon. When he
was drawn up again, he was dead, and three other Mohammedans
who tried to enter in the same way met the fate of their comrade.
At the instigation of the kadi, the pasha informed the Rabbi of
Jerusalem that the Jews would be held responsible for the
restoration of the weapon. The Rabbi ordered a three days' fast, to
be spent in prayer. Then lots were cast to designate the messenger
who was to be charged with the perilous errand. The lot fell upon
the beadle of the synagogue, a pious and upright man. He secured
the weapon, and returned it to the pasha, who manifested his
gratitude by kindly treatment of the Jews thereafter. The beadle
later told his adventures in the tomb to the Hakam Bashi. When he
had descended, there suddenly appeared before him an old man of
dignified appearance, and handed him what he was seeking. (145)

Another miraculous tale concerning the tomb of David runs as
follows: A poor but very pious Jewish washerwoman was once
persuaded by the keeper of the tomb to enter it. Hardly was she
within, when the man nailed up the entrance, and ran to the kadi to
inform him that a Jewess had gone in. Incensed, the kadi hastened
to the spot, with the intention of having the woman burnt for her
presumptuousness. In her terror the poor creature had begun to
weep and implore God for help. Suddenly a flood of light
illumined the dark tomb, and a venerable old man took her by the
hand, and led her downward under the earth until she reached the
open. There he parted from her with the words: "Hasten
homeward, and let none know that thou wert away from thy
house." The kadi had the tomb and its surroundings thoroughly
searched by his bailiffs, but not a trace of the woman could be
discovered, although the keeper again and again swore by the
Prophet that the woman had entered. Now the messengers whom
the kadi had sent to the house of the woman returned, and reported
they had found her washing busily, and greatly astonished at their
question, whether she had been at the tomb of David. The kadi
accordingly decided that for his false statements and his perjury,
the keeper must die the very death intended for the innocent
woman, and so he was burnt. The people of Jerusalem suspected a
miracle, but the woman did not divulge her secret until a few hours
before her death. She told her story, and then bequeathed her
possessions to the congregation, under the condition that a scholar
recite Kaddish for her on each anniversary of her death. (146)

SOLOMON PUNISHES JOAB

At the youthful age of twelve (1) Solomon succeeded his father
David as king. His real name was Jedidiah, the "friend of God,"
but it was superseded by the name Solomon on account of the
peace that prevailed throughout the realm during his reign. He
bore three other names besides: Ben, Jakeh, and Ithiel. He was
called Ben because he was the builder of the Temple; Jakeh,
because he was the ruler of the whole world; and Ithiel, because
God was with him. (2)

The rebellion Adonijah intended to lead against the future king
was suppressed during David's lifetime, by having Solomon
anointed in public. On that occasion Solomon rode upon a
remarkable she-mule, remarkable because she was not the product
of cross-breeding, but of a special act of creation. (3)

As soon as he ascended the throne, Solomon set about executing
the instructions his father had given him on his death-bed. The first
of them was the punishment of Joab. (4)

Notwithstanding all his excellent qualities, which fitted him to be
not only David's first general, but also the president of the
Academy, (5) Joab had committed great crimes, which had to be
atoned for. Beside the murder of Abner (6) and Amasa of which he
was guilty, he had incurred wrong against David himself. The
generals of the army suspected him of having had Uriah the Hittite
put out of the way for purposes of his own, whereupon he showed
them David's letter dooming Uriah. David might have forgiven
Joab, but he wanted him to expiate his sins in this world, so that he
might be exempt from punishment in the world to come. (7)

When Joab perceived that Solomon intended to have him
executed, he sought the protection of the Temple. He knew full
well that he could not save his life in this way, for the arm of
justice reaches beyond the doors of the sanctuary, to the altar of
God. What he wished was to be accorded a regular trial, and not
suffer death by the king's order. In the latter case he would lose
fortune as well as life, and he was desirous of leaving his children
well provided for. Thereupon Solomon sent word to him that he
had no intention of confiscating his estates. (8)

Though he was convinced of Joab's guilt, Solomon nevertheless
granted him the privilege of defense. The king questioned him:
"Why didst thou kill Abner?"

Joab: "I was the avenger of my brother Asahel, whom Abner had
slain."

Solomon: "Why, it was Asahel who sought to kill Abner, and
Abner acted in self-defense."

Joab: "Abner might have disabled Asahel without going to
extremes."

Solomon: "That Abner could not do."

Joab: "What! Abner aimed directly at Asahel's fifth rib, and thou
wouldst say he could not have managed to wound him lightly?"

Solomon: "Very well, then, we shall drop Abner's case. But why
didst thou slay Amasa?"

Joab: "He acted rebelliously toward King David. He omitted to
execute his order to gather an army within three days; for that
offense he deserved to suffer the death penalty."

Solomon: "Amasa failed to obey the king's order, 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 Torah, which
was the case with the order given to Amasa. And, indeed,"
continued Solomon, "it was not Amasa but thou thyself who didst
rebel against the king, for thou wert about to join Absalom, and if
thou didst refrain, it was from fear of David's strong-fisted troops."
(9)

When Joab saw that death was inevitable, he said to Benaiah, who
was charged with the execution of the king's order: "Tell Solomon
he cannot inflict two punishments upon me. If he expects to take
my life, he must remove the curse pronounced by David against
me and my descendants on account of the slaying of Abner. If not,
he cannot put me to death." Solomon realized the justness of the
plea. By executing Joab, he transferred David's curse to his own
posterity: Rehoboam, his son, was afflicted with an issue; Uzziah
suffered with leprosy; Asa had to lean on a staff when he walked;
the pious Josiah fell by the sword of Pharaoh, and Jeconiah lived
off charity. So the imprecations of David were accomplished on
his own family instead of Joab's. (10)

  THE MARRIAGE OF SOLOMON

The next to suffer Joab's fate was Shimei ben Gera, whose
treatment of David had outraged every feeling of decency. His
death was of evil portent for Solomon himself. So long as Shimei,
who was Solomon's teacher, was alive, he did not venture to marry
the daughter of Pharaoh. When, after Shimei's death, Solomon
took her to wife, the archangel Gabriel descended from heaven,
and inserted a reed in the sea. About this reed more and more earth
was gradually deposited, and, on the day on which Jeroboam
erected the golden calves, a little hut was built upon the island.
This was the first of the dwelling-places of Rome. (11)

Solomon's wedding-feast in celebration of his marriage with the
Egyptian princess came on the same day as the consecration of the
Temple. (12) The rejoicing over the king's marriage was greater
than over the completion of the Temple. As the proverb has it: "All
pay flattery to a king." Then it was that God conceived the plan of
destroying Jerusalem. It was as the prophet spoke: "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 day."

In the nuptial night Pharaoh's daughter had her attendants play
upon a thousand different musical instruments, which she had
brought with her from her home, and as each was used, the name
of the idol to which it was dedicated was mentioned aloud. The
better to hold the king under the spell of her charms, she spread
above his bed a tapestry cover studded with diamonds and pearls,
which gleamed and glittered like constellations in the sky.
Whenever Solomon wanted to rise, he saw these stars, and
thinking it was night still, he slept on until the fourth hour of the
morning. The people were plunged in grief, for the daily sacrifice
could not be brought on this very morning of the Temple
dedication, because the Temple keys lay under Solomon's pillow,
and none dared awaken him. Word was sent to Bath-sheba, who
forthwith aroused her son, and rebuked him for his sloth. "Thy
father," she said, "was known to all as a God-fearing man, and now
people will say, 'Solomon is the son of Bath-sheba, it is his
mother's fault if he goes wrong.' Whenever thy father's wives were
pregnant, they offered vows and prayed that a son worthy to reign
might be born unto them. But my prayer was for a learned son
worthy of the gift of prophecy. Take care, 'give not thy strength
unto women nor thy ways to them that destroy kings,' for
licentiousness confounds the reason of man. Keep well in mind the
things that are necessary in the life of a king. (13) 'Not kings,
Lemuel.' Have naught in common with kings who say: 'What need
have we of a God?' It is not meet that thou shouldst do like the
kings who drink wine and live in lewdness. Be not like unto them.
He to whom the secrets of the world are revealed, (14) should not
intoxicate himself with wine." (15)

Apart from having married a Gentile, whose conversion to
Judaism was not dictated by pure motives, Solomon transgressed
two other Biblical laws. He kept many horses, which a Jewish king
ought not to do, and, what the law holds in equal abhorrence, he
amassed much silver and gold. Under Solomon's rule silver and
gold were so abundant among the people that their utensils were
made of them instead of the baser metals. (16) For all this he had
to atone painfully later on.

  HIS WISDOM

But Solomon's wealth and pomp were as naught in comparison
with his wisdom. When God appeared to him in Gibeon, in a
dream by night, and gave him leave to ask what he would,   a grace
accorded to none beside except King Ahaz of Judah, and promised
only to the Messiah in time to come, (17)   Solomon chose
wisdom, knowing that wisdom once in his possession, all else
would come of itself. (18) His wisdom, the Scriptures testify, was
greater than the wisdom of Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and
Calcol, and Darda, the three sons of Mahol. This means that he
was wiser than Abraham, (19) Moses, (20) Joseph, (21) and the
generation of the desert. (22) He excelled even Adam. (23) His
proverbs which have come down to us are barely eight hundred in
number. Nevertheless the Scripture counts them equal to three
thousand, for the reason that each verse in his book admits of a
double and a triple interpretation. In his wisdom he analyzed the
laws revealed to Moses, and he assigned reasons for the ritual and
ceremonial ordinances of the Torah, which without his explanation
had seemed strange. (24) The "forty-nine gates of wisdom" were
open to Solomon as they had been to Moses, but the wise king
sought to outdo even the wise legislator. He had such confidence
in himself that he would have dispensed judgment without resort
to witnesses, had he not been prevented by a heavenly voice. (25)

The first proof of his wisdom was given in his verdict in the case
of the child claimed by two mothers as their own. When the
women presented their difficulty, the king said that God in His
wisdom had foreseen that such a quarrel would arise, and therefore
had created the organs of man in pairs, so that neither of the two
parties to the dispute might be wronged. on hearing these words
from the king, Solomon's counsellors lamented: "Woe to thee, O
land, when thy king is a youth." In a little while they realized the
wisdom of the king, and then they exclaimed: "Happy art thou, O
land, when thy king is a free man." The quarrel had of set purpose
been brought on by God to the end that Solomon's wisdom might
be made known. In reality the two litigants were not women at all,
but spirits. That all doubt about the fairness of the verdict might be
dispelled, a heavenly voice proclaimed: "This is the mother of the
child." (26)

During the lifetime of David, when Solomon was still a lad, he had
settled another difficult case in an equally brilliant way. A wealthy
man had sent his son on a protracted business trip to Africa. On his
return he found that his father had died in the meantime, and his
treasures had passed into the possession of a crafty slave, who had
succeeded in ridding himself of all the other slaves, or intimidating
them. In vain the rightful heir urged his claim before King David.
As he could not bring witnesses to testify for him, there was no
way of dispossessing the slave, who likewise called himself the
son of the deceased. The child Solomon heard the case, and he
devised a method of arriving at the truth. He had the father's corpse
exhumed, and he dyed one of the bones with the blood first of one
of the claimants, and then of the other. The blood of the slave
showed no affinity with the bone, while the blood of the true heir
permeated it. So the real son secured his inheritance. (27)

After his accession to the throne, a peculiar quarrel among heirs
was brought before Solomon for adjudication. Asmodeus, the king
of demons, once said to Solomon: "Thou art the wisest of men, yet
I shall show thee something thou hast never seen." Thereupon
Asmodeus stuck his finger in the ground, and up came a
double-headed man. He was one of the Cainites, who live
underground, and are altogether different in nature and habit from
the denizens of the upper world. (28) When the Cainite wanted to
descend to his dwelling-place again, it appeared that he could not
return thither. Not even Asmodeus could bring the thing about. So
he remained on earth, took unto himself a wife, and begot seven
sons, one of whom resembled his father in having two heads.
When the Cainite died, a dispute broke out among his descendants
as to how the property was to be divided. The double-headed son
claimed two portions. Both Solomon and the Sanhedrin were at a
loss; they could not discover a precedent to guide them. Then
Solomon prayed to God: "O Lord of all, when Thou didst appear to
me in Gibeon, and didst give me leave to ask a gift of Thee, I
desired neither silver nor gold, but only wisdom, that I might be
able to judge men in justice."

God heard his prayer. When the sons of the Cainite again came
before Solomon, he poured hot water on one of the heads of the
double-headed monster, whereupon both heads flinched, and both
mouths cried out: "We are dying, we are dying! We are but one,
not two." Solomon decided that the double-headed son was after
all only a single being. (29)

On another occasion Solomon invented a lawsuit in order to elicit
the truth in an involved case. Three men appeared before him,
each of whom accused the others of theft. They had been travelling
together, and, when the Sabbath approached, they halted and
prepared to rest and sought a safe hiding-place for their money, for
it is not allowed to carry money on one's person on the Sabbath.
They all three together secreted what they had in the same spot,
and, when the Sabbath was over, they hastened thither, only to find
that it had been stolen. It was clear one of the three must have been
the thief, but which one?

Solomon said to them: "I know you to be experienced and
thorough business men. I should like you to help me decide a suit
which the king of Rome has submitted to me. In the Roman
kingdom there lived a maiden and a youth, who promised each
other under oath never to enter into a marriage without obtaining
each other's permission. The parents of the girl betrothed their
daughter to a man whom she loved, but she refused to become his
wife until the companion of her youth gave his consent. She took
much gold and silver, and sought him out to bribe him. Setting
aside his own love for the girl, he offered her and her lover his
congratulations, and refused to accept the slightest return for the
permission granted. On their homeward way the happy couple
were surprised by an old highwayman, who was about to rob the
young man of his bride and his money. The girl told the brigand
the story of her life, closing with these words: 'If a youth controlled
his passion for me, how much more shouldst thou, an old man, be
filled with fear of God, and let me go my way.' Her words took
effect. The aged highwaymen laid hands neither on the girl nor on
the money.

"Now," Solomon continued to the three litigants, "I was asked to
decide which of the three persons concerned acted most nobly, the
girl, the youth, or the highwayman, and I should like to have your
views upon the question."

The first of the three said: "My praise is for the girl, who kept her
oath so faithfully." The second: "I should award the palm to the
youth, who kept himself in check, and did not permit his passion to
prevail." The third said: "Commend me to the brigand, who kept
his hands off the money, 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 money."

The last answer sufficed to put Solomon on the right track. The
man who was inspired with admiration of the virtues of the robber,
probably was himself filled with greed of money. He had him
cross-examined, and finally extorted a confession. He had
committed the theft, and he designated the spot where he had
hidden the money. (30)

Even animals submitted their controversies to Solomon's wise
judgment. A man with a jug of milk came upon a serpent wailing
pitifully in a field. To the man's question, the serpent replied that it
was tortured with thirst. "And what art thou carrying in the jug?"
asked the serpent. When it heard what it was, it begged for the
milk, and promised to reward the man by showing him a hidden
treasure. The man gave the milk to the serpent, and was then led to
a great rock. "Under this rock," said the serpent, "lies the treasure."
The man rolled the rock aside, and was about to take the treasure,
when suddenly the serpent made a lunge at him, and coiled itself
about his neck. "What meanest thou by such conduct?" exclaimed
the man. "I am going to kill thee," replied the serpent, "because
thou art robbing me of all my money." The man proposed that they
put their case to King Solomon, and obtain his decision as to who
was in the wrong. So they did. Solomon asked the serpent to state
what it demanded of the man. "I want to kill him," answered the
serpent, "because the Scriptures command it, saying: 'Thou shalt
bruise the heel of man.'" Solomon said: "First release thy hold upon
the man's neck and descend; in court neither party to a lawsuit may
enjoy an advantage over the other." The serpent glided to the floor,
and Solomon repeated his question, and received the same answer
as before from the serpent. Then Solomon turned to the man and
said: "To thee God's command was to bruise the head of the
serpent   do it!" And the man crushed the serpent's head. (31)

Sometimes Solomon's assertions and views, though they sprang
from profound wisdom, seemed strange to the common run of
men. In such cases, the wise king did not disdain to illustrate the
correctness of his opinions. For instance, both the learned and the
ignorant were stung into opposition by Solomon's saying: "One
man among a thousand have I found; but a virtuous woman among
all those have I not found." Solomon unhesitatingly pledged
himself to prove that he was right. He had his attendants seek out a
married couple enjoying a reputation for uprightness and virtue.
The husband was cited before him, and Solomon told him that he
had decided to appoint him to an exalted office. The king
demanded only, as an earnest of his loyalty, that he murder his
wife, so that he might be free to marry the king's daughter, a
spouse comporting with the dignity of his new station. With a
heavy heart the man went home. His despair grew at sight of his
fair wife and his little children. Though determined to do the king's
bidding, he still lacked courage to kill his wife while she was
awake. He waited until she was tight asleep, but then the child
enfolded in the mother's arms rekindled his parental and conjugal
affection, and he replaced his sword in its sheath, saying to
himself: "And if the king were to offer me his whole realm, I
would not murder my wife." Thereupon he went to Solomon, and
told him his final decision. A month later Solomon sent for the
wife, and declared his love for her. He told her that their happiness
could be consummated if she would but do away with her husband.
Then she should be made the first wife in his harem. Solomon
gave her a leaden sword which glittered as though fashioned of
steel. The woman returned home resolved to put the sword to its
appointed use. Not a quiver of her eyelids betrayed her sinister
purpose. On the contrary, by caresses and tender words she sought
to disarm any suspicion that might attack to her. In the night she
arose, drew forth the sword, and proceeded to kill her husband.
The leaden instrument naturally did no harm, except to awaken her
husband, to whom she had to confess her evil intent. The next day
both man and wife were summoned before the king, who thus
convinced his counsellors of the truth of his conviction, that no
dependence can be placed on woman. (32)

The fame of Solomon's wisdom spread far and wide. Many entered
the service of the king, in the hope of profiting by his wisdom.
Three brothers had served under him for thirteen years, and,
disappointed at not having learnt anything, they made up their
minds to quit his service. Solomon gave them the alternative of
receiving one hundred coins each, or being taught three wise saws.
They decided to take the money. They had scarcely left the town
when the youngest of the three, regardless of the protests of his
two brothers, hastened back to Solomon and said to him: "My lord,
I did not take service under thee to make money; I wanted to
acquire wisdom. Pray, take back thy money, and teach me wisdom
instead." Solomon thereupon imparted the following three rules of
conduct to him: "When thou travellest abroad, set out on thy
journey with the dawn and turn in for the night before darkness
falls; do not cross a river that is swollen; and never betray a secret
to a woman." The man quickly overtook his brothers, but he
confided nothing to them of what he had learned from Solomon.
They journeyed on together. At the approach of the ninth hour
three hours after noon   they reached a suitable spot in which to
spend the night. The youngest brother, mindful of Solomon's
advice, proposed that they stop there. The others taunted him with
his stupidity, which, they said, he had begun to display when he
carried his money back to Solomon. The two proceeded on their
way, but the youngest arranged his quarters for the night. When
darkness came on, and with it nipping cold, he was snug and
comfortable, while his brothers were surprised by a snow storm, in
which they perished. The following day he continued his journey,
and on the road he found the dead bodies of his brothers. Having
appropriated their money, he buried them, and went on. When he
reached a river that was very much swollen, he bore Solomon's
advice in mind, and delayed to cross until the flood subsided.
While standing on the bank, he observed how some of the king's
servants were attempting to ford the stream with beasts laden with
gold, and how they were borne down by the flood. After the waters
had abated, he crossed and appropriated the gold strapped to the
drowned animals. When he returned home, wealthy and wise, he
told nothing of what he had experienced even to his wife, who was
very curious to find out where her husband had obtained his
wealth. Finally, she plied him so closely with questions that
Solomon's advice about confiding a secret to a woman was quite
forgotten. Once, when his wife was quarrelling with him, she cried
out: "Not enough that thou didst murder thy brothers, thou desirest
to kill me, too." Thereupon he was charged with the murder of
their husbands by his two sisters-in-law. He was tried, condemned
to death, and escaped the hangman only when he told the king the
story of his life, and was recognized as his former retainer. It was
with reference to this man's adventures that Solomon said:
"Acquire wisdom; she is better than gold and much fine gold." (33)

Another of his disciples had a similar experience. Annually a man
came from a great distance to pay a visit to the wise king, and
when he departed Solomon was in the habit of bestowing a gift
upon him. Once the guest refused the gift, and asked the king to
teach him the language of the birds and the animals instead. The
king was ready to grant his request, but he did not fail to warn him
first of the great danger connected with such knowledge. "If thou
tellest others a word of what thou hearest from an animal," he said,
"thou wilt surely suffer death; thy destruction is inevitable."
Nothing daunted, the visitor persisted in his wish, and the king
instructed him in the secret art.

Returned home, he overheard a conversation between his ox and
his ass. The ass said: "Brother, how farest thou with these people?"

The ox: "As thou livest, brother, I pass day and night in hard and
painful toil."

The ass: "I can give thee relief, brother. If thou wilt follow my
advice, thou shalt live in comfort, and shalt rid thyself of all hard
work."

The ox: "O brother, may thy heart be inclined toward me, to take
pity on me and help me. I promise not to depart from thy advice to
the right or the left."

The ass: "God knows, I am speaking to thee in the uprightness of
my heart and the purity of my thoughts. My advice to thee is not to
eat either straw or fodder this night. When our master notices it, he
will suppose that thou art sick. He will put no burdensome work
upon thee, and thou canst take a good rest. That is the way I did
to-day."

The ox followed the advice of his companion. He touched none of
the food thrown to him. The master, suspecting a ruse on the part
of the ass, arose during the night, went to the stable, and watched
the ass eat his fill from the manger belonging to the ox. He could
not help laughing out loud, which greatly amazed his wife, who, of
course, had noticed nothing out of the way. The master evaded her
questions. Something ludicrous had just occurred to him, he said
by way of explanation.

For the sly trick played upon the ox, he determined to punish the
ass. He ordered the servant to let the ox rest for the day, and make
the ass do the work of both animals. At evening the ass trudged
into the stable tired and exhausted. The ox greeted him with the
words: "Brother, hast thou heard aught of what our heartless
masters purpose?" "Yes," replied the ass, "I heard them speak of
having thee slaughtered, if thou shouldst refuse to eat this night,
too. They want to make sure of thy flesh at least." Scarcely had the
ox heard the words of the ass when he threw himself upon his food
like a ravenous lion upon his prey. Not a speck did he leave
behind, and the master was suddenly moved to uproarious
laughter. This time his wife insisted upon knowing the cause. In
vain she entreated and supplicated. She swore not to live with him
any more if he did not tell her why he laughed. The man loved her
so devotedly that he was ready to sacrifice his life to satisfy her
whim, but before taking leave of this world he desired to see his
friends and relations once more, and he invited them all to his
house.

Meantime his dog was made aware of the master's approaching
end, and such sadness took possession of the faithful beast that he
touched neither food nor drink. The cock, on the other hand, gaily
appropriated the food intended for the dog, and he and his wives
enjoyed a banquet. Outraged by such unfeeling behavior, the dog
said to the cock: "How great is thy impudence, and how
insignificant thy modesty! Thy master is but a step from the grave,
and thou eatest and makest merry." The cock's reply was: "Is it my
fault if our master is a fool and an idiot? I have ten wives, and I
rule them as I will. Not one dares oppose me and my commands.
Our master has a single wife, and this one he cannot control and
manage." "What ought our master to do?" asked the dog. "Let him
take a heavy stick and belabor his wife's back thoroughly," advised
the cock, "and I warrant thee, she won't plague him any more to
reveal his secrets."

The husband had overheard this conversation, too, and the cock's
advice seemed good. He followed it, and death was averted. (34)

On many occasions, Solomon brought his acumen and wisdom to
bear upon foreign rulers who attempted to concoct mischief
against him. Solomon needed help in building the Temple, and he
wrote to Pharaoh, asking him to send artists to Jerusalem. Pharaoh
complied with his request, but not honestly. He had his astrologers
determine which of his men were destined to die within the year.
These candidates for the grave he passed over to Solomon. The
Jewish king was not slow to discover the trick played upon him.
He immediately returned the men to Egypt, each provided with his
grave clothes, and wrote: "To Pharaoh! I suppose thou hadst no
shrouds for these people. Herewith I send thee the men, and what
they were in need of." (35)

Hiram, king of Tyre, the steadfast friend of the dynasty of David,
who had done Solomon such valuable services in connection with
the building of the Temple, was desirous of testing his wisdom. 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 them. Solomon, of course, succeeded in
answering them all. Later on he made an agreement with Hiram,
that they were to exchange conundrums and riddles, 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 other. Naturally it
was Hiram who was always the loser. The Tyrians maintain that
finally Solomon found more than his match in one of Hiram's
subjects, one Abdamon, who put many a riddle to Solomon that
baffled his wit. (36)

Of Solomon's subtlety in riddle guessing only a few instances have
come down to us, all of them connected with riddles put to him by
the Queen of Sheba. (37) The story of this queen, of her relation to
Solomon, 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 king.

  THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

Solomon, it must be remembered, bore rule not only over men, but
also over the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, demons,
spirits, and the spectres of the night. He knew the language of all
of them and they understood his language. (38)

When Solomon was of good cheer by reason of wine, he
summoned the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the creeping
reptiles, the shades, the spectres, and the ghosts, to perform their
dances before the kings, his neighbors, whom he invited to witness
his power and greatness. The king's scribes called the animals and
the spirits by name, one by one, and they all assembled of their
own accord, without fetters or bonds, with no human hand to guide
them.

On one occasion the hoopoe (39) was missed from among the
birds. He could not be found anywhere. The king, full of wrath,
ordered him to be produced and chastised for his tardiness. The
hoopoe appeared and said: "O lord, king of the world, incline thine
ear and hearken to my words. Three months have gone by since I
began to take counsel with myself and resolve upon a course of
action. I have eaten no food and drunk no water, 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 king. (40) and I
found a city, the city of Kitor, in the East. Dust is more valuable
than gold there, and silver is like the mud of the streets. Its trees
are from the beginning of all time, and they suck up water that
flows from the Garden of Eden. The city is crowded with men. On
their heads they wear garlands wreathed in Paradise. They know
not how to fight, nor how to shoot with bow and arrow. Their ruler
is a woman, she is called the Queen of Sheba. If, now, it please
thee, O lord and king, I shall gird my loins like a hero, and journey
to the city of Kitor in the land of Sheba. Its kings I shall fetter with
chains and its rulers with iron bands, and bring them all before my
lord the king."

The hoopoe's speech pleased the king. The clerks of his land were
summoned, and they wrote a letter and bound it to the hoopoe's
wing. The bird rose skyward, uttered his cry, and flew away,
followed by all the other birds.

And they came to Kitor in the land of Sheba. It was morning, and
the queen had gone forth to pay worship to the sun. Suddenly the
birds darkened his light. The queen raised her hand, and rent her
garment, and was sore astonished. Then the hoopoe alighted near
her. Seeing that a letter was tied to his wing, she loosed it and read
it. And what was written in the letter? "From me, King Solomon!
Peace be with thee, peace with the nobles of thy realm! Know that
God has appointed me king over the beasts of the field, the birds of
the air, the demons, the spirits, and the spectres. All the kings of
the East and the West come to bring me greetings. If thou wilt
come and salute me, I shall show thee great honor, more than to
any of the kings that attend me. But if thou wilt not pay homage to
me, I shall send out kings, legions, and riders against thee. Thou
askest, who are these kings, legions, and riders of King Solomon?
The beasts of the field are my kings, the birds my riders, the
demons, spirit, and shades of the night my legions. The demons
will throttle you in your beds at night, while the beasts will slay
you in the field, and the birds will consume your flesh."

When the Queen of Sheba had read the contents of the letter, she
again rent her garment, and sent word to her elders and her
princes: "Know you not what Solomon has written to me?" They
answered: "We know nothing of King Solomon, and his dominion
we regard as naught." But their words did not reassure the queen.
She assembled all the ships of the sea, and loaded them with the
finest kinds of wood, and with pearls and precious stones.
Together with these she sent Solomon six thousand youths and
maidens, born in the same year, in the same month, on the same
day, in the same hour   all of equal stature and size, all clothed in
purple garments. They bore a letter to King Solomon as follows:
"From the city of Kitor to the land of Israel is a journey of seven
years. As it is thy wish and behest that I visit thee, I shall hasten
and be in Jerusalem at the end of three years."

When the time of her arrival drew nigh, Solomon sent Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada to meet her. Benaiah was like unto the flush in the
eastern sky at break of day, like unto the evening star that
outshines all other stars, like unto the lily growing by brooks of
water. When the queen caught sight of him, she descended from
her chariot to do him honor. Benaiah asked her why she left her
chariot. "Art thou not King Solomon?" she questioned in turn.
Benaiah replied: "Not King Solomon am I, only one of his servants
that stand in his presence." Thereupon the queen turned to her
nobles and said: "If you have not beheld the lion, at least you have
seen his lair, and if you have not beheld King Solomon, at least
you have seen the beauty of him that stands in his presence."

Benaiah conducted the queen to Solomon, who had gone to sit in a
house of glass to receive her. The queen was deceived by an
illusion. She thought the king was sitting in water, and as she
stepped across to him she raised her garment to keep it dry. On her
bared feet the king noticed hair, and he said to her: "Thy beauty is
the beauty of a woman, but thy hair is masculine; hair is an
ornament to a man, but it disfigures a woman." (41)

Then the queen began and said: (42) "I have heard of thee and thy
wisdom; if now I inquire of thee concerning a matter, wilt thou
answer me?" He replied: "The Lord giveth wisdom, out of His
mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." She then said to
him:

1. "Seven there are that issue and nine that enter; two yield the
draught and one drinks." Said he to her: "Seven are the days of a
woman's defilement, and nine the months of pregnancy; two are
the breasts that yield the draught, and one the child that drinks it."
Whereupon she said to him: "Thou art wise."

2. Then she questioned him further: "A woman said to her son, thy
father is my father, and thy grandfather my husband; thou art my
son, and I am thy sister." "Assuredly," said he, "it was the daughter
of Lot who spake thus to her son."

3. She placed a number of males and females of the same stature
and garb before him and said: "Distinguish between them."
Forthwith he made a sign to the eunuchs, who brought him a
quantity of nuts and roasted ears of corn. The males, who were not
bashful, seized them with bare hands; the females took them,
putting forth their gloved hands from beneath their garments.
Whereupon he exclaimed: "Those are the males, these the
females."

4. She brought a number of men to him, some circumcised and
others uncircumcised, and asked him to distinguish between them.
He immediately made a sign to the high priest, who opened the
Ark of the covenant, whereupon those that were circumcised
bowed their bodies to half their height, while their countenances
were filled with the radiance of the Shekinah; the uncircumcised
fell prone upon their faces. "Those," said he, "are circumcised,
these uncircumcised." (43) "Thou art wise, indeed," she exclaimed.

5. She put other questions to him, to all of which he gave replies.
"Who is he who neither was born nor has died?" "It is the Lord of
the world, blessed be He."

6. "What land is that which has but once seen the sun?" "The land
upon which, after the creation, the waters were gathered, and the
bed of the Red Sea on the day when it was divided."

7. "There is an enclosure with ten doors, when one is open, nine
are shut; when nine are open, one is shut?" "That enclosure is the
womb; the ten doors are the ten orifices of man   his eyes, ears,
nostrils, mouth, the apertures for the discharge of the excreta and
the urine, and the navel; when the child is in the embryonic state,
the navel is open and the other orifices are closed, but when it
issues from the womb, the navel is closed and the others are
opened."

8. "There is something which when living moves not, yet when its
head is cut off it moves?" "It is the ship in the sea." (44)

9. "Which are the three that neither ate, nor did they drink, nor did
they have bread put into them, yet they saved lives from death?"
"The signet, the cord, and the staff are those three."

10. "Three entered a cave and five came forth therefrom?" "Lot
and his two daughters and their two children."

11. "The dead lived, the grave moved, and the dead prayed: what is
that?" "The dead that lived and prayed, Jonah; and the fish, the
moving grave."

12. "Who were the three that ate and drank on the earth, and yet
were not born of male and female?" "The three angels who visited
Abraham." (45)

13. "Four entered a place of death and came forth alive, and two
entered a place of life and came forth dead?" "The four were
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and the two were Nadab
and Abihu."

14. "Who was he that was born and died not?" "Elijah and the
Messiah."

15. "What was that which was not born, yet life was given to it?"
"The golden calf."

16. "What is that which is produced from the ground, yet man
produces it, while its food is the fruit of the ground?" "A wick."

17. "A woman was wedded to two, and bore two sons, yet these
four had one father?" "Tamar."

18. "A house full of dead; no dead one came among them, nor did
a living come forth from them?" "It is the story of Samson and the
Philistines."

19. The queen next ordered the sawn trunk of a cedar tree to be
brought, and she asked Solomon to point out at which end the root
had been and at which the branches. He bade her cast it into the
water, when one end sank and the other floated upon the surface of
the water. That part which sank was the root, and that which
remained uppermost was the branch end. Then she said to him:
"Thou exceedest in wisdom and goodness the fame which I heard,
blessed be thy God!" (46)

The last three riddles which the Queen of Sheba put to Solomon
were the following:

20. "What is this? A wooden well with iron buckets, which draw
stones and pour out water." The king replied: "A rouge-tube."

21. "What is this? It comes as dust from the earth, its food is dust,
it is poured out like water, and lights the house." "Naphtha."

22. "What is this? It walks ahead of all; it cries out loud and
bitterly; its head is like the reed; it is the glory of the noble, the
disgrace of the poor; the glory of the dead, the disgrace of the
living; the delight of birds, the distress of fishes." He answered:
"Flax." (47)

  SOLOMON MASTER OF THE DEMONS

Never has there lived a man privileged, like Solomon, to make the
demons amenable to his will. God endowed him with the ability to
turn the vicious power of demons into a power working to the
advantage of men. He invented formulas of incantation by which
diseases were alleviated, and others by which demons were
exorcised so that they were banished forever. (48) As his personal
attendants he had spirits and demons whom he could send hither
and thither on the instant. He could grow tropical plants in
Palestine, because his ministering spirits secured water for him
from India. (49)

As the spirits were subservient to him, so also the animals. He had
an eagle upon whose back he was transported to the desert and
back again in one day, to build there the city called Tadmor in the
Bible (50) This city must not be confounded with the later Syrian
city of Palmyra, also called Tadmor. It was situated near the
"mountains of darkness," (51) the trysting-place of the spirits and
demons. Thither the eagle would carry Solomon in the twinkling
of an eye, and Solomon would drop a paper inscribed with a verse
among the spirits, to ward off evil from himself. Then the eagle
would reconnoitre the mountains of darkness, until he had spied
out the spot in which the fallen angels 'Azza and 'Azzael (52) lie
chained with iron fetters   a spot which no one, not even a bird,
may visit. When the eagle found the place, he would take Solomon
under his left wing, and fly to the two angels. Through the power
of the ring having the Holy Name graven upon it, which Solomon
put into the eagle's mouth, 'Azza and 'Azzael were forced to reveal
the heavenly mysteries to the king. (53)

The demons were of greatest service to Solomon during the
erection of the Temple. It came about in this wise: When Solomon
began the building of the Temple, it once happened that a
malicious spirit snatched away the money and the food of one of
the king's favorite pages. This occurred several times, and
Solomon was not able to lay hold on the malefactor. The king
besought God fervently to deliver the wicked spirit into his hands.
His prayer was granted. The archangel Michael appeared to him,
and gave him a small ring having a seal consisting of an engraved
stone, and he said to him: "Take, O Solomon, king, son of David,
the gift which the Lord God, the highest Zebaot, hath sent unto
thee. With it thou shalt lock up all the demons of the earth, male
and female; and with their help thou shalt build up Jerusalem. But
thou must wear this seal of God; and this engraving of the seal of
the ring sent thee is a Pentalpha." (54) Armed with it, Solomon
called up all the demons before him, and he asked of each in turn
his or her name, 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 subject. One after another the spirits were vanquished, and
compelled by Solomon to aid in the construction of the Temple.

Ornias, the vampire spirit who had maltreated Solomon's servant,
was the first demon to appear, and he was set to the task of cutting
stones near the Temple. And Solomon bade Ornias come, and he
gave him the seal, saying: "Away with thee, and bring me hither
the prince of all the demons." Ornias took the finger-ring, and went
to Beelzeboul, who has kingship over the demons. He said to him:
"Hither! Solomon calls thee." But Beelzeboul, having heard, said
to him: "Tell me, who is this Solomon of whom thou speakest to
me?" Then Ornias threw the ring at the chest of Beelzeboul,
saying: "Solomon the king calls thee." But Beelzeboul cried aloud
with a mighty voice, and shot out a great, burning flame of fire;
and he arose and followed Ornias, and came to Solomon. Brought
before the king, he promised him to gather all the unclean spirits
unto him. Beelzeboul proceeded to do so, beginning with
Onoskelis, that had a very pretty shape and the skin of a fair-hued
woman, and he was followed by Asmodeus; both giving an
account of themselves.

Beelzeboul reappeared on the scene, and in his conversation with
Solomon declared that he alone survived of the angels who had
come down from heaven. He reigned over all who are in Tartarus,
and had a child in the Red Sea, which on occasion comes up to
Beelzeboul and reveals to him what he has done. Next the demon
of the Ashes, Tephros, appeared, and after him a group of seven
female spirits, who declared themselves to be of the thirty-six
elements of the darkness. Solomon bade them dig the foundation
of the temple, for the length of it was two hundred and fifty cubits.
And he ordered them to be industrious, and with one united
murmur of protest they began to perform the tasks enjoined.

Solomon bade another demon come before him. And there was
brought to him a demon having all the limbs of a man, but without
a head. The demon said to Solomon: "I am called Envy, for I
delight to devour heads, being desirous to secure for myself a
head; but I do not eat enough, and I am anxious to have such a
head as thou hast." A hound-like spirit, whose name was Rabdos,
followed, and he revealed to Solomon a green stone, useful for the
adornment of the Temple. A number of other male and female
demons appeared, among them the thirty-six world-rulers of the
darkness, whom Solomon commanded to fetch water to the
Temple. Some of these demons he condemned to do the heavy
work on the construction of the Temple, others he shut up in
prison, and others, again, he ordered to wrestle with fire in the
making of gold and silver, sitting down by lead and spoon, and to
make ready places for the other demons, in which they should be
confined.

After Solomon with the help of the demons had completed the
Temple, the rulers, among them the Queen of Sheba, who was a
sorceress, came from far and near to admire the magnificence and
art of the building, and no less the wisdom of its builder. (55)

One day an old man appeared before Solomon to complain of his
son, whom he accused of having been so impious as to raise his
hand against his father and give him a blow. The young man
denied the charge, but his father insisted that his life be held
forfeit. Suddenly Solomon heard loud laughter. It was the demon
Ornias, who was guilty of the disrespectful behavior. Rebuked by
Solomon, the demon said: "I pray thee, O king, it was not because
of thee I laughed, but because of this ill-starred old man and the
wretched youth, his son. For after three days his son will die
untimely, and, lo, the old man desires to make away with him
foully." Solomon delayed his verdict for several days, and when
after five days he summoned the old father to his presence, it
appeared that Ornias had spoken the truth.

After some time, Solomon received a letter from Adares, the king
of Arabia. He begged the Jewish king to deliver his land from an
evil spirit, who was doing great mischief, and who could not be
caught and made harmless, because he appeared in the form of
wind. Solomon gave his magic ring and a leather bottle to one of
his slaves, and sent him into Arabia. The messenger succeeded in
confining the spirit in the bottle. A few days later, when Solomon
entered the Temple, he was not a little astonished to see a bottle
walk toward him, and bow down reverently before him; it was the
bottle in which the spirit was shut up. This same spirit once did
Solomon a great service. Assisted by demons, he raised a gigantic
stone out of the Red Sea. Neither human beings nor demons could
move it, but he carried it to the Temple, where it was used as a
cornerstone.

Through his own fault Solomon forfeited the power to perform
miraculous deed, which the Divine spirit had conferred upon him.
He fell in love with the Jebusite woman Sonmanites. The priests of
Moloch and Raphan, the false gods she worshiped, advised her to
reject his suit, unless he paid homage to these gods. At first
Solomon was firm, but, when the woman bade him take five
locusts and crush them in his hands in the name of Moloch, he
obeyed her. At once he was bereft of the Divine spirit, of his
strength and his wisdom, and he sank so low that to please his
beloved he built temples to Baal and Raphan. (56)

  THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE

Among the great achievements of Solomon first place must be
assigned to the superb Temple built by him. He was long in doubt
as to where he was to build it. A heavenly voice directed him to go
to Mount Zion at night, to a field owned by two brothers jointly.
One of the brothers was a bachelor and poor, the other was blessed
both with wealth and a large family of children. It was harvesting
time. Under cover of night, the poor brother kept adding to the
other's heap of grain, for, although he was poor, he thought his
brother needed more on account of his large family. The rich
brother, in the same clandestine way, added to the poor brother's
store, thinking that though he had a family to support, the other
was without means. This field, Solomon concluded, which had
called forth so remarkable a manifestation of brotherly love, was
the best site for the Temple, and he bought it. (57)

Every detail of the equipment and ornamentation of the Temple
testifies to Solomon's rare wisdom. Next to the required furniture,
he planted golden trees, which bore fruit all the time the building
stood. When the enemy entered the Temple, the fruit dropped from
the trees, but they will put forth blossoms again when it is rebuilt
in the days of the Messiah. (58)

Solomon was so assiduous that the erection of the Temple took but
seven years, about half the time for the erection of the king's
palace, in spite of the greater magnificence of the sanctuary. In this
respect, he was the superior of his father David, who first built a
house for himself, and then gave thought to a house for God to
dwell in. Indeed, 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 kings, among whom his later actions might
properly have put him. (59)

According to the measure of the zeal displayed by Solomon were
the help and favor shown him by God. During the seven years it
took to build the Temple, not a single workman died who was
employed about it, nor even did a single one fall sick. And as the
workmen were sound and robust from first to last, so the
perfection of their tools remained unimpaired until the building
stood complete. Thus the work suffered no sort of interruption.
After the dedication of the Temple, however, the workmen died
off, lest they build similar structures for the heathen and their
gods. Their wages they were to receive from God in the world to
come, (60) and the master workman, Hiram, (61) was rewarded by
being permitted to reach Paradise alive. (62)

The Temple was finished in the month of Bul, now called
Marheshwan, but the edifice stood closed for nearly a whole year,
because it was the will of God that the dedication take place in the
month of Abraham's birth. Meantime the enemies of Solomon
rejoiced maliciously. "Was it not the son of Bath-sheba," they said,
"who built the Temple? How, then, could God permit His
Shekinah to rest upon it?" When the consecration of the house
took place, and "the fire came down from heaven," they
recognized their mistake. (63)

The importance of the Temple appeared at once, for the torrential
rains which annually since the deluge had fallen for forty days
beginning with the month of Marheshwan, for the first time failed
to come, and thenceforward appeared no more. (64)

The joy of the people over the sanctuary was so great that they
held the consecration ceremonies on the Day of Atonement. It
contributed not a little to their ease of mind that a heavenly voice
was heard to proclaim: "You all shall have a share in the world to
come."

The great house of prayer reflected honor not only on Solomon
and the people, but also on King David. The following incident
proves it: When the Ark was about to be brought into the Holy of
Holies, the door of the sacred chamber locked itself, and it was
impossible to open it. Solomon prayed fervently to God, but his
entreaties had no effect until he pronounced the words:
"Remember the good deeds of David thy servant." The Holy of
Holies then opened of itself, and the enemies of David had to
admit that God had wholly forgiven his sin. (65)

In the execution of the Temple work a wish cherished by David
was fulfilled. 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 Jerusalem, because he feared that the
heathen would boast, at the destruction of the Temple, that their
gods were courageous, and were taking revenge by wrecking the
house of the Israelitish God. Fortunately Solomon was so rich that
there was no need to resort to the gold inherited from his father,
and so David's wish was fulfilled. (66)

  THE THRONE OF SOLOMON

Next to the Temple in its magnificence, it is the throne of Solomon
that perpetuates the name and fame of the wise king. None before
him and none after him could produce a like work of art, and when
the kings, his vassals, saw the magnificence of the throne they fell
down and praised God. The throne was covered with fine gold
from Ophir, studded with beryls, inlaid with marble, and jewelled
with emeralds, and rubies, and pearls, and all manner of gems. On
each of its six steps there were two golden lions and two golden
eagles, a lion and an eagle to the left, and a lion and an eagle to the
right, the pairs standing face to face, so that the right paw of the
lion was opposite to the left wing of the eagle, and his left paw
opposite to the right wing of the eagle. The royal seat was at the
top, which was round.

On the first step leading to the seat crouched an ox, and opposite
to him a lion; on the second, a wolf and a lamb; on the third, a
leopard and a goat; (67) on the fourth perched an eagle and a
peacock; on the fifth a falcon (68) and a cock; and on the sixth a
hawk and a sparrow; all made of gold. At the very top rested a
dove, her claws set upon a hawk, to betoken that the time would
come when all peoples and nations shall be delivered into the
hands of Israel. Over the seat hung a golden candlestick, with
golden lamps, pomegranates, snuff dishes, censers, chains, and
lilies. Seven branches extended from each side. On the arms to the
right were the images of the seven patriarchs of the world, Adam,
Noah, Shem, Job, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and on the arms to
the left, the images of the seven pious men of the world, Kohath,
Amram, Moses, Aaron, Eldad, Medad, and the prophet Hur.
Attached to the top of the candlestick was a golden bowl filled
with the purest olive oil, to be used for the candlestick in the
Temple, and below, a golden basin, also filled with the purest
olive oil, for the candlestick over the throne. The basin bore the
image of the high priest Eli; those of his sons Hophni and Phinehas
were on the two faucets protruding from the basin, and those of
Nadab and Abihu on the tubes connection the faucets with the
basin.

On the upper part of the throne stood seventy golden chairs for the
members of the Sanhedrin, and two more for the high priest and
his vicar. When the high priest came to do homage to the king, the
members of the Sanhedrin also appeared, to judge the people, and
they took their seats to the right and to the left of the king. At the
approach of the witnesses, the machinery of the throne rumbled
the wheels turned, the ox lowed, the lion roared, the wolf howled,
the lamb bleated, the leopard growled, the goat cried, the falcon
screamed, the peacock gobbled, the cock crowed, the hawk
screeched, the sparrow chirped   all to terrify the witnesses and
keep them from giving false testimony.

When Solomon set foot upon the first step to ascend to his seat, its
machinery was put into motion. The golden ox arose and led him
to the second step, and there passed him over to the care of the
beasts guarding it, and so he was conducted from step to step up to
the sixth, where the eagles received him and placed him upon his
seat. As soon as he was seated, a great eagle set the royal crown
upon his head. Thereupon a huge snake rolled itself up against the
machinery, forcing the lions and eagles upward until they
encircled the head of the king. A golden dove flew down from a
pillar, took the sacred scroll out of a casket, and gave it to the king,
so that he might obey the injunction of the Scriptures, to have the
law with him and read therein all the days of his life. Above the
throne twenty-four vines interlaced, forming a shady arbor over the
head of the king, and sweet aromatic perfumes exhaled from two
golden lions, while Solomon made the ascent to his seat upon the
throne. (69)

It was the task of seven heralds to keep Solomon reminded of his
duties as king and judge. The first one of the heralds approached
him when he set foot on the first step of the throne, and began to
recite the law for kings, "He shall not multiply wives to himself."
At the second step, the second herald reminded him, "He shall not
multiply horses to himself"; at the third, the next one of the heralds
said, "Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold."
At the fourth step, he was told by the fourth herald, "Thou shalt not
wrest judgment"; at the fifth step, by the fifth herald, "Thou shalt
not respect persons," and at the sixth, by the sixth herald, "Neither
shalt thou take a gift." Finally, when he was about to seat himself
upon the throne, the seventh herald cried out: "Know before whom
thou standest." (70)

The throne did not remain long in the possession of the Israelites.
During the life of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, it was carried to
Egypt. Shishak, the father-in-law of Solomon, appropriated it as
indemnity for claims which he urged against the Jewish state in
behalf of his widowed daughter. When Sennacherib conquered
Egypt, he carried the throne away with him, but, on his homeward
march, during the overthrow of his army before the gates of
Jerusalem, he had to part with it to Hezekiah. Now it remained in
Palestine until the time of Jehoash, when it was once more carried
to Egypt by Pharaoh Necho. His possession of the throne brought
him little joy. Unacquainted with its wonderful mechanism, he was
injured in the side by one of the lions the first time he attempted to
mount it, and forever after he limped, wherefore he was given the
surname Necho, the hobbler. (71) Nebuchadnezzar was the next
possessor of the throne. It fell to his lot at the conquest of Egypt,
but when he attempted to use it in Babylonia, he fared no better
than his predecessor in Egypt. The lion standing near the throne
gave him so severe a blow that he never again dared ascend it.
Through Darius the throne reached Elam, but, knowing what its
other owners had suffered, he did not venture to seat himself on it,
and his example was imitated by Ahasuerus. The latter tried to
have his artificers fashion him a like artistic work, but, of course,
they failed. (72) The Median rulers parted with the throne to the
Greek monarchs, and finally it was carried to Rome. (73)

  THE HIPPODROME

The throne was not the only remarkable sight at the court of the
magnificent king. Solomon attracted visitors to his capital by
means of games and shows. In every month of the year the official
who was in charge for the month, was expected to arrange for a
horse race, and once a year (74) a race took place in which the
competitors were ten thousand youths, mainly of the tribes of Gad
and Naphtali, who lived at the court of the king year in, year out,
and were maintained by him. For the scholars, their disciples, the
priests, and the Levites, the races were held on the last of the
month; on the first day of the month the residents of Jerusalem
were the spectators, and, on the second day, strangers. The
hippodrome occupied an area of three parasangs square, with an
inner square measuring one parasang on each side, around which
the races were run. Within were two grilles ornamented with all
sorts of animals. Out of the jaws of four gilded lions, attached to
pillars by twos, perfumes and spices flowed for the people. The
spectators were divided into four parties distinguished by the color
of their garb: the king and his attendants, the scholars and their
disciples, and the priests and Levites were attired in light blue
garments; all the rest from Jerusalem wore white; the sight-seers
from the surrounding towns and villages wore red, and green
marked the heathen hailing from afar, who came laden with tribute
and presents. The four colors corresponded to the four seasons. In
the autumn the sky is brilliantly blue; in winter the white snow
falls; the color of spring is green like the ocean, because it is the
season favorable to voyages, and red is the color of summer, when
the fruits grow red and ripe. (75)

As the public spectacles were executed with pomp and splendor,
so the king's table was royally sumptuous. Regardless of season
and climate, it was always laden with the delicacies of all parts of
the globe. Game and poultry, even of such varieties as were
unknown in Palestine, were not lacking, and daily there came a
gorgeous bird from Barbary and settled down before the king's seat
at the table. The Scriptures tell us of great quantities of food
required by Solomon's household, and yet it was not all that was
needed. What the Bible mentions, covers only the accessories,
such as spices and the minor ingredients. The real needs were far
greater, as may be judged from the custom that all of Solomon's
thousand wives arranged a banquet daily, each in the hope of
having the king dine with her. (76)

  LESSONS IN HUMILITY

Great and powerful as Solomon was, and wise and just, 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
arrogance.

Solomon had a precious piece of tapestry, sixty miles square, on
which he flew through the air so swiftly that he could eat breakfast
in Damascus and supper in Media. To carry out his orders he had
at his beck and call Asaph ben Berechiah (77) among men,
Ramirat among demons, the lion among beasts, and the eagle
among birds. Once it happened that pride possessed Solomon
while he was sailing through the air on his carpet, and he said:
"There is none like unto me in the world, upon whom God has
bestowed sagacity, wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge, besides
making me the ruler of the world." The same instant the air stirred,
and forty thousand men dropped from the magic carpet. The king
ordered the wind to cease from blowing, with the word: "Return!"
Whereupon the wind: "If thou wilt return to God, and subdue thy
pride, I, too, will return." The king realized his transgression.

On one occasion he strayed into the valley of the ants in the course
of his wanderings. He heard one ant order all the others to
withdraw, to avoid being crushed by the armies of Solomon. The
king halted and summoned the ant that had spoken. She told him
that she was the queen of the ants, and she gave her reasons for the
order of withdrawal. Solomon wanted to put a question to the ant
queen, but she refused to answer unless the king took her up and
placed her on his hand. He acquiesced, and then he put his
question: "Is there any one greater than I am in all the world?"
"Yes," said the ant.

Solomon: "Who?"

Ant: "I am."

Solomon: "How is that possible?"

Ant: "Were I not greater than thou, God would not have led thee
hither to put me on thy hand."

Exasperated, Solomon threw her to the ground, and said: "Thou
knowest who I am? I am Solomon, the son of David."

Not at all intimidated, the ant reminded the king of his earthly
origin, and admonished him to humility, and the king went off
abashed.

Next he came to a magnificent building, into which he sought to
enter in vain; he could find no door leading into it. After long
search the demons came upon an eagle seven hundred years old,
and he, unable to give them any information, sent him to his nine
hundred years old brother, whose eyrie was higher than his own,
and who would probably be in a position to advise them. But he in
turn directed them to go to his still older brother. His age counted
thirteen hundred years, and he had more knowledge than himself.
This oldest one of the eagles reported that he remembered having
heard his father say there was a door on the west side, but it was
covered up by the dust of the ages that had passed since it was last
used. So it turned out to be. They found an old iron door with the
inscription: "We, the dwellers in this palace, for many years lived
in comfort and luxury; then, forced by hunger, we ground pearls
into flour instead of wheat   but to no avail, and so, when we were
about to die, we bequeathed this palace to the eagles." A second
statement contained a detailed description of the wonderful palace,
and mentioned where the keys for the different chambers were to
be found. Following the directions on the door, Solomon inspected
the remarkable building, whose apartments were made of pearls
and precious stones. Inscribed on the doors he found the following
three wise proverbs, dealing with the vanity of all earthly things,
and admonishing men to be humble:

1. O son of man, let not time deceive thee; thou must wither away,
and leave thy place, to rest in the bosom of the earth.

2. Haste thee not, move slowly, for the world is taken from one
and bestowed upon another.

3. Furnish thyself with food for the journey, prepare thy meal
while daylight lasts, for thou wilt not remain on earth forever, and
thou knowest not the day of thy death. (78)

In one of the chambers, Solomon saw a number of statues, among
them one that looked as though alive. When he approached it, it
called out in a loud voice: "Hither, ye satans, Solomon has come to
undo you." Suddenly there arose great noise and tumult among the
statues. Solomon pronounced the Name, and quiet was restored.
The statues were overthrown, and the sons of the satans ran into
the sea and were drowned. From the throat of the lifelike statue he
drew a silver plate inscribed with characters which he could not
decipher, but a youth from the desert told the king: "These letters
are Greek, and the words mean: 'I, Shadad ben Ad, ruled over a
thousand thousand provinces, rode on a thousand thousand horses,
had a thousand thousand kings under me, and slew a thousand
thousand heroes, and when the Angel of Death approached me, I
was powerless.'" (79)

  ASMODEUS

When Solomon in his wealth and prosperity grew unmindful of his
God, and, contrary to the injunctions laid down for kings in the
Torah, multiplied wives unto himself, and craved the possession of
many horses and much gold, the Book of Deuteronomy stepped
before God and said: "Lo, O Lord of the world, Solomon is seeking
to remove a Yod from out of me, (80) for Thou didst write: 'The
king shall not multiply horses unto himself, nor shall he multiply
wives to himself, neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver
and gold'; but Solomon has acquired many horses, many wives,
and much silver and gold." Hereupon God said: "As thou livest,
Solomon and a hundred of his kind shall be annihilated ere a
single one of thy letters shall be obliterated." (81)

The charge made against Solomon was soon followed by
consequences. He had to pay heavily for his sins. It came about in
this way: While Solomon was occupied with the Temple, he had
great difficulty in devising ways of fitting the stone from the
quarry into the building, for the Torah explicitly prohibits the use
of iron tools in erecting an altar. The scholars told him that Moses
had used the shamir, (82) the stone that splits rocks, to engrave the
names of the tribes on the precious stones of the ephod worn by
the high priest. Solomon's demons could give him no information
as to where the shamir could be found. They surmised, however,
that Asmodeus, (83) king of demons, was in possession of the
secret, and they told Solomon the name of the mountain on which
Asmodeus dwelt, and described also his manner of life. On this
mountain there was a well from which Asmodeus obtained his
drinking water. He closed it up daily with a large rock, and sealed
it before going to heaven, whither he went every day, to take part
in the discussions in the heavenly academy. Thence he would
descend again to earth in order to be present, though invisible, (84)
at the debates in the earthly houses of learning. Then, after
investigating the seal on the well to ascertain if it had been
tampered with, he drank of the water.

Solomon sent his chief man, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, to
capture Asmodeus. For this purpose he provided him with a chain,
the ring on which the Name of God was engraved, a bundle of
wool, and a skin of wine. Benaiah drew the water from the well
through a hole bored from below, and, after having stopped up the
hole with the wool, he filled the well with wine from above. When
Asmodeus descended from heaven, to his astonishment he found
wine instead of water in the well, although everything seemed
untouched. At first he would not drink of it, and cited the Bible
verses that inveigh against wine, to inspire himself with moral
courage. At length Asmodeus succumbed to his consuming thirst,
and drank till his senses were overpowered, and he fell into a deep
sleep. Benaiah, watching him from a tree, then came, and drew the
chain about Asmodeus' neck. The demon, on awakening, tried to
free himself, but Benaiah called to him: "The Name of thy Lord is
upon thee." Though Asmodeus now permitted himself to be led off
unresistingly, he acted most peculiarly on the way to Solomon. He
brushed against a palm-tree and uprooted it; he knocked against a
house and overturned it; and when, at the request of a poor
woman, he was turned aside from her hut, he broke a bone. He
asked with grim humor: "Is it not written, 'A soft tongue breaketh
the bone?'" A blind man going astray he set in the right path, and to
a drunkard he did a similar kindness. He wept when a wedding
party passed them, and laughed at a man who asked his shoemaker
to make him shoes to last for seven years, and at a magician who
was publicly showing his skill.

Having finally arrived at the end of the journey, Asmodeus, after
several days of waiting, was led before Solomon, who questioned
him about his strange conduct on the journey. Asmodeus answered
that he judged persons and things according to their real character,
and not according to their appearance in the eyes of human beings.
He cried when he saw the wedding company, because he knew the
bridegroom had not a month to live, and he laughed at him who
wanted shoes to last seven years, because the man would not own
them for seven days, also at the magician who pretended to
disclose secrets, because he did not know that a buried treasure lay
under his very feet; the blind man whom he set in the right path
was one of the "perfect pious," and he wanted to be kind to him;
on the other hand, the drunkard to whom he did a similar kindness
was known in heaven as a very wicked man, but he happened to
have done a good deed once, and he was rewarded accordingly.

Asmodeus told Solomon that the shamir was given by God to the
Angel of the Sea, and that Angel entrusted none with the shamir
except the moor-hen, (85) which had taken an oath to watch the
shamir carefully. The moor-hen takes the shamir with her to
mountains which are not inhabited by men, splits them by means
of the shamir, and injects seeds, which grow and cover the naked
rocks, and then they can be inhabited. Solomon sent one of his
servants to seek the nest of the bird and lay a piece of glass over it.
When the moor-hen came and could not reach her young, she flew
away and fetched the shamir and placed it on the glass. Then the
man shouted, and so terrified the bird that she dropped the shamir
and flew away. By this means the man obtained possession of the
coveted shamir, and bore it to Solomon. But the moor-hen was so
distressed at having broken her oath to the Angel of the Sea that
she committed suicide.

Although Asmodeus was captured only for the purpose of getting
the shamir, Solomon nevertheless kept him after the completion of
the Temple. One day the king told Asmodeus that he did not
understand wherein the greatness of the demons lay, if their king
could be kept in bonds by a mortal. Asmodeus replied, that if
Solomon would remove his chains and lend him the magic ring, he
would prove his own greatness. Solomon agreed. The demon stood
before him with one wing touching heaven and the other reaching
to the earth. Snatching up Solomon, who had parted with his
protecting ring, he flung him four hundred parasangs away from
Jerusalem, and then palmed himself off as the king.

  SOLOMON AS BEGGAR

Banished from his home, deprived of his realm, Solomon
wandered about in far-off lands, among strangers, begging his
daily bread. Nor did his humiliation end there; people thought him
a lunatic, because he never tired of assuring them that he was
Solomon, Judah's great and mighty king. Naturally that seemed a
preposterous claim to the people. (86) The lowest depth of despair
he reached, however, when he met some one who recognized him.
The recollections and associations that stirred within him then
made his present misery almost unendurable.

It happened (87) that once on his peregrinations he met an old
acquaintance, a rich and well-considered man, who gave a
sumptuous banquet in honor of Solomon. 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 king. These
reminiscences moved the king to tears, and he wept so bitterly
that, when he rose from the banquet, he was satiated, not with the
rich food, but with salt tears. The following day it again happened
that Solomon met an acquaintance of former days, this time a poor
man, who nevertheless entreated Solomon to do him the honor and
break bread under his roof. All that the poor man could offer his
distinguished guest was a meagre dish of greens. But he tried in
every way to assuage the grief that oppressed Solomon. He said:
"O my lord and king, God hath sworn unto David He would never
let the royal dignity depart from his house, but it is the way of God
to reprove those He loves if they sin. Rest assured, He will restore
thee in good time to thy kingdom." These words of his poor host
were more grateful to Solomon's bruised heart than the banquet the
rich man had prepared for him. It was to the contrast between the
consolations of the two men that he applied the verse in Proverbs:
"Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and
hatred therewith."

For three long years Solomon journeyed about, begging his way
from city to city, and from country to country, atoning for the three
(88) sins of his life by which he had set aside the commandment
laid upon kings in Deuteronomy   not to multiply horses, and
wives, and silver and gold. At the end of that time, God took
mercy upon him for the sake of his father David, and for the sake
of the pious princess Naamah, the daughter of the Ammonite king,
destined by God to be the ancestress of the Messiah. The time was
approaching when she was to become the wife of Solomon (89)
and reign as queen in Jerusalem. God therefore led the royal
wanderer to the capital city of Ammon. (90) Solomon took service
as an underling with the cook in the royal household, and he
proved himself so proficient in the culinary art that the king of
Ammon raised him to the post of chief cook. Thus he came under
the notice of the king's daughter Naamah, who fell in love with her
father's cook. In vain her parents endeavored to persuade her to
choose a husband befitting her rank. Not even the king's threat to
have her and her beloved executed availed to turn her thoughts
away from Solomon. The Ammonite king had the lovers taken to a
barren desert, in the hope that they would die of starvation there.
Solomon and his wife wandered through the desert until they came
to a city situated by the sea-shore. They purchased a fish to stave
off death. When Naamah prepared the fish, she found in its belly
the magic ring belonging to her husband, which he had given to
Asmodeus, and which, thrown into the sea by the demon, had been
swallowed by a fish. Solomon recognized his ring, put it on his
finger, and in the twinkling of an eye he transported himself to
Jerusalem. Asmodeus, who had been posing as King Solomon
during the three years, he drove out, and himself ascended the
throne again.

Later on he cited the king of Ammon before his tribunal, and
called him to account for the disappearance of the cook and the
cook's wife, accusing him of having killed them. The king of
Ammon protested that he had not killed, but only banished them.
Then Solomon had the queen appear, and to his great astonishment
and still greater joy the king of Ammon recognized his daughter.
(91)

Solomon succeeded in regaining his throne only after undergoing
many hardships. The people of Jerusalem considered him a
lunatic, because he said that he was Solomon. After some time, the
members of the Sanhedrin noticed his peculiar behavior, and they
investigated the matter. They found that a long time had passed
since Benaiah, the confidant of the king, had been permitted to
enter the presence of the usurper. 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 manner. It was
also very strange that the king never by any chance allowed his
foot to be seen, for fear, of course, of betraying his demon origin.
(92) The Sanhedrin, therefore, gave the king's magic ring to the
wandering beggar who called himself King Solomon, and had him
appear before the pretender on the throne. As soon as Asmodeus
caught sight of the true king protected by his magic ring, he flew
away precipitately.

Solomon did not escape unscathed. 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
people. (93)

  THE COURT OF SOLOMON

As David had been surrounded by great scholars and heroes of
repute, so the court of Solomon was the gathering-place of the
great of his people. The most important of them all doubtless was
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, who had no peer for learning and
piety either in the time of the first or the second Temple. (94) In
his capacity as the chancellor of Solomon, he was the object of the
king's special favor. He was frequently invited to be the companion
of the king in his games of chess. The wise king naturally was
always the winner. One day Solomon left the chess-board for a
moment, Benaiah used his absence to remove one of the king's
chess-men, and the king lost the game. Solomon gave much
thought to the occurrence. He came to the conclusion that his
chancellor had dealt dishonestly with him, and he was determined
to give him a lesson.

Some days later Solomon noticed two suspicious characters
hanging about the palace. Acting at once upon an idea that
occurred to him, he put on the clothes of one of his servants and
joined the two suspects. The three of them, he proposed, should
make the attempt to rob the royal palace, and he drew forth a key
which would facilitate their entrance. While the thieves were
occupied in gathering booty, the king roused his servants, and the
malefactors were taken into custody. Next morning Solomon
appeared before the Sanhedrin, which was presided over by
Benaiah (95) at the time, and he desired to know from the court
what punishment was meted out to a thief. Benaiah, seeing no
delinquents before him, and unwilling to believe that the king
would concern himself about the apprehension of thieves, was
convinced that Solomon was bent on punishing him for his
dishonest play. He fell at the feet of the king, confessed his guilt,
and begged his pardon. Solomon was pleased to have his
supposition confirmed, and also to have Benaiah acknowledge his
wrong-doing. he assured him he harbored no evil designs against
him, and that when he asked this question of the Sanhedrin, he had
had real thieves in mind, who had broken into the palace during
the night. (96)

Another interesting incident happened, in which Benaiah played a
part. The king of Persia was very ill, and his physician told him he
could be cured by nothing but the milk of a lioness. The king
accordingly sent a deputation bearing rich presents to Solomon,
the only being in the world who might in his wisdom discover
means to obtain lion's milk. Solomon charged Benaiah to fulfil the
Persian king's wish. Benaiah took a number of kids, and repaired
to a lion's den. Daily he threw a kid to the lioness, and after some
time the beasts became familiar with him, and finally he could
approach the lioness close enough to draw milk from her udders.

On the way back to the Persian king the physician who had
recommended the milk cure dreamed a dream. All the organs of
his body, his hands, feet, eyes, mouth, and tongue, were
quarrelling with one another, each claiming the greatest share of
credit in procuring the remedy for the Persian monarch. When the
tongue set forth its own contribution to the cause of the king's
service, the other organs rejected its claim as totally unfounded.
The physician did not forget the dream, and when he appeared
before the king, he spoke: "Here is the dog's milk which we went
to fetch for you." The king, enraged, ordered the physician to be
hanged, because he had brought the milk of a bitch instead of the
milk of a lion's dam. During the preliminaries to the execution, all
the limbs and organs of the physician began to tremble, whereupon
the tongue said: "Did I not tell you that you all are of no good? If
you will acknowledge my superiority, I shall even now save you
from death." They all made the admission it demanded, and the
physician requested the executioner to take him to the king. Once
in the presence of his master, he begged him as a special favor to
drink of the milk he had brought. The king granted his wish,
recovered from his sickness, and dismissed the physician in peace.
So it came about that all the organs of the body acknowledge the
supremacy of the tongue. (97)

Besides Benaiah, Solomon's two scribes, Elihoreph and Ahijah, the
sons of Shisha, deserve mention. They both met their death in a
most peculiar way. Solomon once upon a time noticed a care-worn
expression on the countenance of the Angel of Death. When he
asked the reason, he received the answer, that he had been charged
with the task of bringing the two scribes to the next world.
Solomon was desirous of stealing a march upon the Angel of
Death, as well as keeping his secretaries alive. He ordered the
demons to carry Elihoreph and Ahijah to Luz, the only spot on
earth in which the Angel of Death has no power. (98) In a jiffy, the
demons had done his bidding, but the two secretaries expired at
the very moment of reaching the gates of Luz. Next day, the Angel
of Death appeared before Solomon in very good humor, and said
to him: "Thou didst transport those two men to the very spot in
which I wanted them." The fate destined for them was to die at the
gates of Luz, and the Angel of Death had been at a loss how to get
them there. (99)

A most interesting incident in Solomon's own family circle is
connected with one of his daughters. She was of extraordinary
beauty, and in the stars he read that she was to marry an extremely
poor youth. To prevent the undesirable union, Solomon had a high
tower erected in the sea, and to this he sent his daughter. Seventy
eunuchs were to guard her, and a huge quantity of food was stored
in the tower for her use.

The poor youth whom fate had appointed to be her husband was
travelling one cold night. He did not know where to rest his head,
when he espied the rent carcass of an ox lying in the field. In this
he lay down to keep warm. When he was ensconced in it, there
came a large bird, which took the carcass, bore it, together with the
youth stretched out in it, to the roof of the tower in which the
princess lived, and, settling down there, began to devour the flesh
of the ox. In the morning, the princess, according to her wont,
ascended to the roof to look out upon the sea, and she caught sight
of the youth. She asked him who he was, and who had brought him
thither? He told her that he was a Jew from Accho, and had been
carried to the tower by a bird. She showed him to a chamber,
where he could wash and anoint himself, and array himself in a
fresh garb. Then it appeared that he possessed unusual beauty.
Besides, he was a scholar of great attainments and of acute mind.
So it came about that the princess fell in love with him. She asked
him whether he would have her to wife, and he assented gladly. He
opened one of his veins, and wrote the marriage contract with his
own blood. Then he pronounced the formula of betrothal, taking
God and the two archangels Michael and Gabriel as witnesses, and
she became his wife, legally married to him.

After some time the eunuchs noticed that she was pregnant. Their
questions elicited the suspected truth from the princess, and they
sent for Solomon. His daughter admitted her marriage, and the
king, though he recognized in her husband the poor man predicted
in the constellations, yet he thanked God for his son-in-law,
distinguished no less for learning than for his handsome person.
(100)

THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM

The division of the kingdom into Judah and Israel, which took
place soon after the death of Solomon, had cast its shadow before.
When Solomon, on the day after his marriage with the Egyptian
princess, disturbed the regular course of the Temple service by
sleeping late with his head on the pillow under which lay the key
of the Temple, Jeroboam with eighty thousand Ephraimites
approached the king and publicly called him to account for is
negligence. God administered a reproof to Jeroboam; "Why dost
thou reproach a prince of Israel? As thou livest, thou shalt have a
taste of his rulership, and thou wilt see thou are not equal to its
responsibilities." (1)

On another occasion a clash occurred between Jeroboam and
Solomon. The latter ordered his men to close the openings David
had made in the city wall to facilitate the approach of the pilgrims
to Jerusalem. This forced them all the walk through the gates and
pay toll. The tax thus collected Solomon gave to his wife, the
daughter of Pharaoh, as pin-money. Indignant at this, Jeroboam
questioned the king about it in public. In other ways, too, he failed
to pay Solomon the respect due to royal position, as his father
before him, Sheba the son of Bichri, had rebelled against David,
misled by signs and tokens which he had falsely interpreted as
pointing to his own elevation to royal dignity, when in reality they
concerned themselves with his son. (2)

It was when Jeroboam was preparing to depart from Jerusalem
forever, in order to escape the dangers to which Solomon's
displeasure exposed him, (3) that Ahijah of Shilo met him with the
Divine tidings of his elevation to the kingship. The prophet Ahijah,
of the tribe of Levi, was venerable, not only by reason of his hoary
age,   his birth occurred at least sixty years before the exodus from
Egypt, (4)   but because his piety was so profound that a saint of
the exalted standing of Simon ben Yohai associated Ahijah with
himself. Simon once exclaimed: "My merits and Ahijah together
suffice to atone for the iniquity of all sinners from the time of
Abraham until the advent of the Messiah." (5)

 JEROBOAM

Jeroboam was the true disciple (6) of this great prophet, His
doctrine was as pure as the new garment Ahijah wore when he met
Jeroboam near Jerusalem, and his learning exceeded that of all the
scholars of his time except his own teacher Ahijah alone. The
prophet was in the habit of discussing secret love with Jeroboam
and subjects in the Torah whose existence was wholly unknown to
others. (7)

Had Jeroboam proved himself worthy of his high position, the
length of his reign would have equalled David's. (8) It was his
pride that led him into destruction. He set up the golden calves as
objects to be worshipped by the people, in order to wean them
from their habit of going on pilgrimages to Jerusalem. He knew
that in the Temple only members of the royal house of David were
privileged to sit down. No exception would be made in favor of
Jeroboam, and so he would have to stand while Rehoboam would
be seated. Rather than appear in public as the subordinate of the
Judean king, he introduced the worship of idols, which secured
him full royal prerogatives.

In the execution of his plan he proceeded with great cunning, and
his reputation as a profound scholar and pious saint stood him in
good stead. This was his method: He seated an impious man next
to a pious man, and then said to each couple: "Will you put your
signature to anything I intend to do?" The two would give an
affirmative answer. "Do you want me as king?" he would then ask,
only to receive and affirmative answer again. "And you will do
whatever I order?" he continued. "Yes," was the reply. "I am to
infer, then, that you will even pay worship to idols if I command
it?" said Jeroboam. "God forbid !" the pious member of the couple
would exclaim, whereupon his impious companion, who was in
league with the king, would turn upon him: "Canst thou really
suppose for an instant that a man like Jeroboam would serve idols?
He only wishes to put our loyalty to the test." Through such
machinations he succeeded in obtaining the signatures of the most
pious, even the signature of the prophet Ahijah. Now Jeroboam
had the people is his power. He could exact the vilest deeds from
them. (9)

So entrenched, Jeroboam brought about the division between
Judah and Israel, a consummation which his father, Sheba the son
of Bichri, had not been able to compass under David, because God
desired to have the Temple erected before the split occurred. (10)
Not yet satisfied, Jeroboam sought to involve the Ten Tribes in a
war against Judah and Jerusalem. But the people of the northern
kingdom refused to enter into hostilities with their brethren, and
with the ruler of their brethren, a descendant of David. Jeroboam
appealed to the elders of the Israelites, and they referred him to the
Danites, the most efficient of their warriors; but they swore by the
head of Dan, the ancestor of their tribe, that they would never
consent to shed blood of their brethren. They were even on the
point of rising against Jeroboam, and the clash between them and
the followers of Jeroboam was prevented only because God
prompted the Danites to leave Palestine.

Their first plan was to journey to Egypt and take possession of the
land. They gave it up when their princes reminded them of the
Biblical prohibition (11) against dwelling in Egypt. Likewise they
were restrained from attacking the Edomites, Ammonites, and
Moabites, for the Torah commands considerate treatment of them.
Finally they decided to go to Egypt, but not to stay there, only to
pass through to Ethiopia. The Egyptians were in great terror of the
Danites, and their hardiest warriors occupied the roads travelled by
them. Arrived in Ethiopia, the Danites slew a part of the
population, and exacted tribute from the rest. (12)

The departure of the Danites relieved Judah from the apprehended
invasion by Jeroboam, but danger arose from another quarter.
Shishak, (13) the ruler of Egypt, who was the father-in-law of
Solomon, came to Jerusalem and demanded his daughter's
jointure. He carried off the throne of Solomon, (14) and also the
treasure which the Israelites had taken from the Egyptians at the
time of the exodus. So the Egyptian money returned to its source.
(15)

 THE TWO ABIJAHS

Jeroboam did not entirely forego his plan of a campaign against
Judah, but it was not executed until Abijah had succeeded his
father Rehoboam on the throne of Jerusalem. The Judean king was
victorious. However, he could not long enjoy the fruits of his
victory. Shortly after occurred his death, brought on by his own
crimes. In his war against Jeroboam he had indulged in excessive
cruelty; he ordered the corpses of the enemy to be mutilated, and
permitted them to be buried only after putrefaction had set in.
Such savagery was all the more execrable as it prevented many
widows from entering into a second marriage. Mutilating the
corpses had made identification impossible, and so it was left
doubtful whether their husbands were among the dead.

Moreover, Abijah used most disrespectful language about the
prophet Abijah the Shilonite; he called him a "son of Belial" in his
address to the people on Mount Zemaraim. That in itself merited
severe punishment. Finally, his zeal for true worship of God,
which Abijah had urged as the reason of the war between himself
and Jeroboam, cooled quickly. When he obtained possession of
Beth-el, he failed to do away with the golden calves. (16)

In this respect his namesake, the Israelitish king Abijah, the son of
Jeroboam, was by far his superior. By removing the guards
stationed at the frontier, he bade defiance to the command of his
father, who had decreed the death penalty for pilgrimages to
Jerusalem. More than this, he himself ventured to go up to
Jerusalem in fulfilment of his religious duty. (17)

 ASA

Asa, the son of Abijah of Judah, was a worthier and a more pious
ruler than his father had been. He did away with the gross worship
of Priapus, (18) to which his mother was devoted. To reward him
for his piety, God gave him the victory over Zerah, the king of the
Ethiopians. 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 grandfather, which Zerah in turn had wrested
form Shishak. (19) Asa himself did not long keep them. Baasha,
the king of Israel, together with Ben-hadad, the Aramean king,
attacked Asa, who tried to propitiate Ben-hadad by giving him his
lately re-acquired treasures. (20) The prophet justly rebuked him
for trusting in princes rather than in God, and that in spite of the
fact that Divine help had been visible in his conflicts with the
Ethiopians and the Lubim; for there had been no need for him to
engage in battle with them; in response to his mere prayer God had
slain the enemy. (21) In general, Asa showed little confidence in
God; he rather trusted his own skill. Accordingly, he made even
the scholars of his realm enlist in the army sent out against Baasha.
He was punished by being afflicted with gout, he of all men, who
was distinguished on account of the strength residing in his feet.
(22) Furthermore, the division between Judah and Israel was made
permanent, though God had at first intended to limit the exclusion
of David's house from Israel to only thirty-six years. Had Asa
shown himself deserving, he would have been accorded dominion
over the whole of Israel. (23) In point of fact, Asa, through his
connection by marriage with the house of Omri, contributed to the
stability of the Israelitish dynasty, for as a result of the support
given by the southern ruler Omri succeeded in putting his rival
Tibni out of the way. Then it was that God resolved that the
descendants of Asa should perish simultaneously with the
descendants of Omri. This doom was accomplished when Jehu
killed the king of Judah on account of his friendship and kinship
with Joram the king of Samaria. (24)

 JEHOSHAPHAT AND AHAB

The successors of Omri and Asa, each in his way, were worthy of
their fathers. Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, was very wealthy. The
treasures which his father had sent to the Aramean ruler reverted
to him in consequence of his victory over the Ammonites,
themselves the conquerors of the Arameans, whom they had
despoiled of their possessions. (25) His power was exceedingly
great; each division of his army counted no less than one hundred
and sixty thousand warriors. (26) Yet rich and powerful as he was,
he was so modest that he refused to don his royal apparel when he
went to the house of the prophet Elisha to consult him; he
appeared before him in the attire of one of the people. (27) Unlike
his father, who had little consideration for scholars, Jehoshaphat
was particularly gracious toward them. When a scholar appeared
before him, he arose, hastened to meet him, and kissing and
embracing him, greeted him with "Rabbi, Rabbi!" (28)

Jehoshaphat concerned himself greatly about the purity and
sanctification of the Temple. He was the author of the ordinance
forbidding any one to ascend the Temple mount whose term of
uncleanness had not expired, even though he had taken the ritual
bath. (29) His implicit trust in God made him a complete contrast
to his skeptical father. He turned to God and implored His help
when to human reason help seemed an utter impossibility. In the
war with the Arameans, an enemy held his sword at Jehoshaphat's
very throat, ready to deal the fatal blow, but the king entreated
help of God, and it was granted. (30)

In power and wealth, Ahab, king of Samaria, outstripped his friend
Jehoshaphat, for Ahab is one of that small number of kings who
have ruled over the whole world. (31) No less than two hundred
and fifty-two kingdoms acknowledged his dominion. (32) As for
his wealth, it was so abundant that each of his hundred and forty
children possessed several ivory palaces, summer and winter
residences. (33) But what gives Ahab his prominence among the
Jewish kings is neither his power nor his wealth, but his sinful
conduct. For him the gravest transgressions committed by
Jeroboam were slight peccadilloes. At his order the gates of
Samaria bore the inscription: "Ahab denies the God of Israel." He
was so devoted to idolatry, to which he was led astray by his wife
Jezebel, that the fields of Palestine were full of idols. But he was
not wholly wicked, he possessed some good qualities. He was
liberal toward scholars, and he showed great reverence for the
Torah, which he studied zealously. When Ben-hadad exacted all he
possessed   his wealth, his wives, his children   he acceded to his
demands regarding everything except the Torah; that he refused
peremptorily to surrender. (34) In the war that followed between
himself and the Syrians, he was so indignant at the
presumptuousness of the Aramean upstart that he himself saddled
his warhorse for the battle. His zeal was rewarded by God; he
gained a brilliant victory in a battle in which no less than a
hundred thousand of the Syrians were slain, as the prophet Micaiah
had foretold to him. (35) The same seer (36) admonished him not
to deal gently with Ben-hadad. God's word to him had been:
"Know that I had to set many a pitfall and trap to deliver him into
thy hand. If thou lettest him escape, thy life will be forfeit for his."
(37)

Nevertheless the disastrous end of Ahab is not to be ascribed to his
disregard of the prophet's warning   for he finally liberated
Ben-hahad,   but chiefly to the murder of his kinsman Naboth,
whose execution on the charge of treason he had ordered, so that
he might put himself in possession of Naboth's wealth. (38) His
victim was a pious man, and in the habit of going on pilgrimages
to Jerusalem on the festivals. As he was a great singer, his
presence in the Holy City attracted many other pilgrims thither.
Once Naboth failed to go on his customary pilgrimage. Then it was
that his false conviction took place   a very severe punishment for
the transgression, but not wholly unjustifiable. (39) Under
Jehoshaphat's influence and counsel, Ahab did penance for his
crime, 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 death. (40) In the heavenly court of justice, (41) at
Ahab's trial, the accusing witnesses and his defenders exactly
balanced each other in number and statements, until the spirit of
Naboth appeared and turned the scale against Ahab. The spirit of
Naboth it had been, too, that had let astray the prophets of Ahab,
making them all use the very same words in prophesying a victory
at Ramothgilead. This literal unanimity aroused Jehoshaphat's
suspicion, and caused him to ask for "a prophet of the Lord," for
the rule is: "The same thought is revealed to many prophets, but no
two prophets express it in the same words." (42) Jehoshaphat's
mistrust was justified by the issue of war. Ahab was slain in a
miraculous way by Naaman, at the time only a common soldier of
the rank and file. God permitted Naaman's missile to penetrate
Ahab's armor, though the latter was harder than the former. (43)

The mourning for Ahab was so great that the memory of it reached
posterity. (44) The funeral procession was unusually impressive;
no less than thirty-six thousand warriors, their shoulders bared,
marched before his bier. (45) Ahab is one of the few in Israel who
have no portion in the world to come. (46) He dwells in the fifth
division of the nether world, which is under the supervision of the
angel Oniel. However, he is exempt from the tortures inflicted
upon his heathen associates. (47)

 JEZEBEL

Wicked as Ahab was, his wife Jezebel was incomparably worse.
Indeed, she is in great part the cause of his suffering, and Ahab
realized it. Once Rabbi Levi expounded the Scriptural verse in
which the iniquity of Ahab and the influence of his wife over him
are discussed, dwelling upon the first half for two months. Ahab
visited him in a dream, and reproached him with expatiating on the
first half of the verse to the exclusion of the latter half. Thereupon
the Rabbi took the second half of the verse as the text of his
lectures for the next two months, demonstrating all the time that
Jezebel was the instigator of Ahab's sins. (48) Her misdeed are told
in the Scriptures. To those there recounted must be added her
practice of attaching unchaste images to Ahab's chariot for the
purpose of stimulating his carnal desires. Therefore those parts of
his chariot were spattered with his blood when he fell at the hand
of the enemy. (49) She had her husband weighed every day, and
the increase of his weight in gold she sacrificed to the idol. (50)
Jezebel was not only the daughter and the wife of a king, she was
also co-regent with her husband, the only reigning queen in Jewish
history except Athaliah. (51)

Hardened sinner though Jezebel was, even she had good qualities.
One of them was her capacity for sympathy with others in joy and
sorrow. Whenever a funeral cortege passed the royal palace,
Jezebel would descend and join the ranks of the mourners, and,
also, when a marriage procession went by, she took part in the
merry-making in honor of the bridal couple. 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 Jezreel. (52)

 JORAM OF ISRAEL

Of Joram, the son of Ahab, it can only be said that he had his
father's faults without his father's virtues. Ahab was liberal, Joram
miserly, nay, he even indulged in usurious practices. From
Obadiah, the pious protector of the prophets in hiding, he exacted
a high rate of interest on the money needed for their support. As a
consequence, at his death he fell pierced between his arms, the
arrow going out at his heart, for he had stretched out his arms to
receive usury, and had hardened his heart against compassion. (53)
In his reign only one event deserves mention, his campaign against
Moab, undertaken in alliance with the kings of Judah and Edom,
and ending with a splendid victory won by the allied kings. Joram
and his people, it need hardly be said, failed to derive the proper
lesson from the war. Their disobedience to God's commands went
on as before. The king of Moab, on the other hand, in his way
sought to come nearer to God. He assembled his astrologers and
inquired of them, why it was that the Moabites, successful in their
warlike enterprises against other nations, could not measure up to
the standard of the Israelites. They explained that God was
gracious to Israel, because his ancestor Abraham had been ready to
sacrifice Isaac at His bidding. Then the Moabite king reasoned,
that if God set so high a value upon mere good intention, how
much greater would be the reward for its actual execution, and he,
who ordinarily was a sun worshipper, proceeded to sacrifice his
son, the successor to the throne, to the God of Israel. God said:
"The heathen do not know Me, and their wrong-doing arises from
ignorance; but you, Israelites, know Me, and yet you act
rebelliously toward Me." (54)

As a result of the seven years' famine, conditions in Samaria were
frightful during the great part of Joram's reign. In the first year
everything stored in the houses was eaten up. In the second, the
people supported themselves with what they could scrape together
in the fields. The flesh of the clean animals sufficed for the third
year; in the fourth the sufferers resorted to the unclean animals; in
the fifth, the reptiles and insects; and in the sixth the monstrous
thing happened that women crazed by hunger consumed their own
children as food. But the acme of distress was reached in the
seventh year, when men sought to gnaw the flesh from their own
bones. (55) To these occurrences the prophecies of Joel apply, for
he lived in the awful days of the famine in Joram's reign.

Luckily, God revealed to Joel at the same time how Israel would
be rescued from the famine. The winter following the seven years
of dearth brought no relief, for the rain held back until the first day
of the month of Nisan. When it began to fall, the prophet said to
the people, "Go forth and sow seed!" But they remonstrated with
him, "Shall one who hath saved a measure of wheat or two
measures of barely not use his store for food and live, rather than
for seed and die?" But the prophet urged them, "Nay, go forth and
sow seed." And a miracle happened. In the ant hills and mouse
holes, they found enough grain for seed, and they cast it upon the
ground on the second, the third, and the fourth day of Nisan. On
the fifth day of the month rain fell again. Eleven days later the
grain was ripe, and the offering of the 'Omer could be brought at
the appointed time, on the sixteenth of the month. Of this the
Psalmist was thinking when he said, "They that sow in tears shall
reap in joy." (56)

ELIJAH BEFORE HIS TRANSLATION

The Biblical account of the prophet Elijah, (1) of his life and work
during the reigns of Ahab and his son Joram, gives but a faint idea
of a personage whose history begins with Israel's sojourn in Egypt,
and will end only when Israel, under the leadership of the Messiah,
shall have taken up his abode again in Palestine.

The Scripture tells us only the name of Elijah's home, (2) but it
must be added that he was a priest, identical with Phinehas, (3) the
priest zealous for the honor of God, who distinguished himself on
the journey through the desert, and played a prominent role again
in the time of the Judges. (4)

Elijah's first appearance in the period of the Kings was his meeting
with Ahab in the house of Hiel, the Beth-elite, the
commander-in-chief of the Israelitish army, whom he was visiting
to condole with him for the loss of his sons. God Himself had
charged the prophet to offer sympathy to Hiel, whose position
demanded that honor be paid him. Elijah at first refused to seek
out the sinner who had violated the Divine injunction against
rebuilding Jericho, for he said that the blasphemous talk of such
evil-doers always called forth his rage. Thereupon God promised
Elijah that fulfilment should attend whatever imprecation might in
his wrath escape him against the godless for their unholy speech.
As the prophet entered the general's house, he heard Hiel utter
these words: "Blessed be the Lord God of the pious, who grants
fulfilment to the words of the pious." Hiel thus acknowledged that
he had been justly afflicted with Joshua's curse against him who
should rebuild Jericho.

Ahab mockingly asked him: "Was not Moses greater than Joshua,
and did he not say that God would let no rain descend upon the
earth, if Israel served and worshipped idols? There is not an idol
known to which I do not pay homage, yet we enjoy all that is
goodly and desirable. Dost thou believe that if the words of Moses
remain unfulfilled, the words of Joshua will come true?" Elijah
rejoined: "Be it as thou sayest: 'As the Lord, the God of Israel
liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these
years, but according to my word.'" In pursuance of His promise,
God could not but execute the words of Elijah, and neither dew
nor rain watered the land. (5)

A famine ensued, and Ahab sought to wreak his vengeance upon
the prophet. To escape the king's persecutions, Elijah hid himself.
He was sustained with food brought from the larder of the pious
king Jehoshaphat by ravens, (6) which at the same time would not
approach near to the house of the iniquitous Ahab. (7)

God, who has compassion even upon the impious, tried to induce
the prophet to release Him from His promise. To influence him He
made the brook run dry (8) whence Elijah drew water for his thirst.
As this failed to soften the inflexible prophet, God resorted to the
expedient of causing him pain through the death of the son of the
widow with whom Elijah was abiding, and by whom he had been
received with great honor. When her son, who was later to be
known as the prophet Jonah, (9) died, 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 city, and now He had abandoned her, because
her virtues had become as naught in the presence of the great
prophet. (10) In his distress Elijah supplicated God to revive the
child. (11) Now God had the prophet in His power. He could give
heed unto Elijah's prayer only provided the prophet released Him
from the promise about a drought, for resuscitation from death is
brought about by means of dew, and this remedy was precluded so
long as Elijah kept God to His word withholding dew and rain
from the earth. (12) Elijah saw there was nothing for it but to
yield. However, he first betook himself to Ahab with the purpose
of overcoming the obduracy of the people, upon whom the famine
had made no impression. Manifest wonders displayed before their
eyes were to teach them wisdom. The combat between God and
Baal took place on Carmel. The mount that had esteemed itself the
proper place for the greatest event in Israelitish history, the
revelation of the law, was compensated, by the many miracles now
performed upon it, for its disappointment at Sinai's having been
preferred to it. (13)

The first wonder occurred in connection with the choice of the
bullocks. According to Elijah's arrangement with Ahab, one was to
be sacrificed to God, and then one to Baal. A pair to twins, raised
together, were brought before the contestants, and it was decided
by lot which belonged to God and which to Baal. Elijah had no
difficulty with his offering; quickly he led it to his altar. But all the
priests of Baal, eight hundred and fifty in number, could not make
their victim stir a foot. When Elijah began to speak persuasively to
the bullock of Baal, urging it to follow the idolatrous priests, it
opened its mouth and said: "We two, yonder bullock and myself,
came forth from the same womb, we took our food from the same
manger, and now he has been destined for God, as an instrument
for the glorification of the Divine Name, while I am to be used for
Baal, as an instrument to enrage my Creator." Elijah urged: "Do
thou but follow the priests of Baal that they may have no excuse,
and then thou wilt have a share in that glorification of God for
which my bullock will be used." The bullock: "So dost thou advise,
but I swear I will not move from the spot, unless thou with thine
own hands wilt deliver me up." Elijah thereupon led the bullock to
the priests of Baal. (14)

In spite of this miracle, the priests sought to deceive the people.
They undermined the altar, and Hiel hid himself under it with the
purpose of igniting a fire at the mention of the word Baal. But God
sent a serpent to kill him. (15) In vain the false priests cried and
called, Baal! Baal!   the expected flame did not shoot up. To add to
the confusion of the idolaters, God had imposed silence upon the
whole world. The powers of the upper and of the nether regions
were dumb, the universe seemed deserted and desolate, as if
without a living creature. If a single sound had made itself heard,
the priests would have said, "It is the voice of Baal." (16)

That all preparations might be completed in one day,   the erection
of the altar, the digging of the trench, and whatever else was
necessary,   Elijah commanded the sun to stand still. "For Joshua,"
he said, "thou didst stand still that Israel might conquer his
enemies; now stand thou still, neither for my sake, nor for the sake
of Israel, but that the Name of God may be exalted." And the sun
obeyed his words. (17)

Toward evening Elijah summoned his disciple Elisha, and bade
him pour water over his hands. A miracle happened. Water flowed
out from Elijah's fingers until the whole trench was filled. (18)
Then the prophet prayed to God to let fire descend, but in such
wise that the people would know it to be a wonder from heaven,
and not think it a magician's trick. (19) He spoke: "Lord of the
world, Thou wilt send me as a messenger 'at the end of time,' but if
my words do not meet with fulfilment now, the Jews cannot be
expected to believe me in the latter days." (20) His pleading was
heard on high, and fire fell from heaven upon the altar, a fire that
not only consumed what it touched, but also licked up the water.
(21) Nor was that all; his prayer for rain was also granted. Scarcely
had these words dropped from his lips, "Though we have no other
merits, yet remember the sign of the covenant which the Israelites
bear upon their bodies," when the rain fell to earth. (22)

In spite of all these miracles, the people persisted in their
idolatrous ways and thoughts. Even the seven thousand who had
not bowed down unto Baal were unworthy sons of Israel, for they
paid homage to the golden calves of Jeroboam. (23)

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 them; they had overdrawn their account. (24) When
they sank to the point of degradation at which they gave up the
sign of the covenant, Elijah could control his wrath no longer, and
he accused Israel before God. (25) In the cleft of the rock in which
God had once aforetimes appeared to Moses, and revealed Himself
as compassionate and long-suffering, He now met with Elijah, (26)
and conveyed to him, by various signs, that it had been better to
defend Israel than accuse him. But Elijah in his zeal for God was
inexorable. Then God commanded him to appoint Elisha as his
successor, for He said: "I cannot do as thou wouldst have me." (27)
Furthermore God charged him: "Instead of accusing My children,
journey to Damascus, where the Gentiles have an idol for each day
of the year. Though Israel hath thrown down My altars and slain
My prophets, what concern is it of thine?" (28)

The four phenomena that God sent before His appearance   wind,
(29) earthquake, fire, and a still small voice   were to instruct
Elijah about the destiny of man. God told Elijah that these four
represent the worlds through which man must pass: the first stands
for this world, fleeting as the wind; the earthquake is the day of
death, which makes the human body to tremble and quake; fire is
the tribunal in Gehenna, and the still small voice is the Last
Judgment, when there will be none but God alone. (30)

About three years (31) later, Elijah was taken up into heaven, (32)
but not without first undergoing a struggle with the Angel of
Death. He refused to let Elijah enter heaven at his translation, on
the ground that he exercised jurisdiction over all mankind, Elijah
not excepted. God maintained that at the creation of heaven and
earth He had explicitly ordered the Angel of Death to grant
entrance to the living prophet, but the Angel of Death insisted that
by Elijah's translation God had given just cause for complaint to all
other men, who could not escape the doom of death. Thereupon
God: "Elijah is not like other men. He is able to banish thee from
the world, only thou dost not recognize his strength." With the
consent of God, a combat took place between Elijah and the Angel
of Death. The prophet was victorious, and, if God had not
restrained him, he would have annihilated his opponent. Holding
his defeated enemy under his feet, Elijah ascended heavenward.
(33)

In heaven he goes on living for all time. (34) There he sits
recording the deeds of men (35) and the chronicles of the world.
(36) He has another office besides. He is the Psychopomp, whose
duty is to stand at the cross-ways in Paradise and guide the pious to
their appointed places; (37) who brings the souls of sinners up
from Gehenna at the approach of the Sabbath, and leads them back
again to their merited punishment when the day of rest is about to
depart; and who conducts these same souls, after they have atoned
for their sins, to the place of everlasting bliss. (38)

Elijah's miraculous deeds will be better understood if we
remember that he had been an angel from the very first, even
before the end of his earthly career. When God was about to create
man, Elijah said to Him: "Master of the world! If it be pleasing in
Thine eyes, I will descend to earth, and make myself serviceable to
the sons of men." Then God changed his angel name, and later,
under Ahab, He permitted him to abide among men on earth, that
he might convert the world to the belief that "the Lord is God." His
mission fulfilled, God took him again into heaven, and said to him:
"Be thou the guardian spirit of My children forever, and spread the
belief in Me abroad in the whole world." (39)

His angel name is Sandalphon, (40) one of the greatest and
mightiest of the fiery angel host. As such it is his duty to wreathe
garlands for God out of the prayers sent aloft by Israel. (41)
Besides, he must offer up sacrifices in the invisible sanctuary, for
the Temple was destroyed only apparently; in reality, it went on
existing, hidden from the sight of ordinary mortals. (42)

 AFTER HIS TRANSLATION

Elijah's removal from earth, so far being an interruption to his
relations with men, rather marks the beginning of his real activity
as a helper in time of need, as a teacher and as a guide. At first his
intervention in sublunar affairs was not frequent. Seven years after
his translation, (43) he wrote a letter to the wicked king Jehoram,
who reigned over Judah. The next occasion on which he took part
in an earthly occurrence was at the time of Ahasuerus, when he did
the Jews a good turn by assuming the guise of the courtier
Harbonah, (44) in a favorable moment inciting the king against
Haman. (45)

It was reserved for later days, however, for Talmudic times, the
golden age of the great scholars, the Tannaim and the Amoraim, to
enjoy Elijah's special vigilance as protector of the innocent, as a
friend in need, who hovers over the just and the pious, ever present
to guard them against evil or snatch them out of danger. With four
strokes of his wings Elijah can traverse the world. (46) Hence no
spot on earth is too far removed for his help. As an angel (47) he
enjoys the power of assuming the most various appearances to
accomplish his purposes. Sometimes he looks like an ordinary
man, sometimes he takes the appearance of an Arab, sometimes of
a horseman, now he is a Roman court-official, now he is a harlot.

Once upon a time it happened that when Nahum, the great and
pious teacher, was journeying to Rome on a political mission, he
was without knowledge robbed of the gift he bore to the Emperor
as an offering from the Jews. When he handed the casket to the
ruler, it was found to contain common earth, which the thieves had
substituted for the jewels they had abstracted. The Emperor
thought the Jews were mocking at him, and their representative,
Nahum, was condemned to suffer death. In his piety the Rabbi did
not lose confidence in God; he only said: "This too is for good."
(48) And so it turned out to be. Suddenly Elijah appeared, and,
assuming the guise of a court-official, he said: "Perhaps the earth
in this casket is like that used by Abraham for purposes of war. A
handful will do the work of swords and bows." At his instance the
virtues of the earth were tested in the attack upon a city that had
long resisted Roman courage and strength. His supposition was
verified. The contents of the casket proved more efficacious than
all the weapons of the army, and the Romans were victorious.
Nahum was dismissed, laden with honors and treasures, and the
thieves, who had betrayed themselves by claiming the precious
earth, were executed, for, naturally enough, Elijah works no
wonder for evil-doers. (49)

Another time, for the purpose of rescuing Rabbi Shila, Elijah
pretended to be a Persian. An informer had announced the Rabbi
with the Persian Government, accusing him of administering the
law according to the Jewish code. Elijah appeared as witness for
the Rabbi and against the informer, and Shila was honorably
dismissed. (50)

When the Roman bailiffs were pursuing Rabbi Meir, Elijah joined
him in the guise of a harlot. The Roman emissaries desisted from
their pursuit, for they could not believe that Rabbi Meir would
choose such a companion. (51)

A contemporary of Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Simon ben Yohai, who
spent thirteen years in a cave to escape the vengeance of the
Romans, was informed by Elijah of the death of the Jew-baiting
emperor, so that he could leave his hiding-place. (52)

Equally characteristic is the help Elijah afforded the worthy poor.
Frequently he brought them great wealth. Rabbi Kahana was so
needy that he had to support himself by peddling with household
utensils. Once a lady of high standing endeavored to force him to
commit an immoral act, and Kahana, preferring death to iniquity,
threw himself from a loft. Though Elijah was at a distance of four
hundred parasangs, he hastened to the post in time to catch the
Rabbi before he touched the ground. Besides, he gave him means
enough to enable him to abandon an occupation beset with perils.
(53)

Rabba bar Abbahu likewise was a victim of poverty. He admitted
to Elijah that on account of his small means he had no time to
devote to his studies. Thereupon Elijah led him into Paradise, bade
him remove his mantle, and fill it with leaves grown in the regions
of the blessed. When the Rabbi was about to quit Paradise, his
garment full of leaves, a voice was heard to say: "Who desires to
anticipate his share in the world to come during his earthly days, as
Rabba bar Abbahu is doing?" The Rabbi quickly cast the leaves
away; nevertheless he received twelve thousand denarii for his
upper garment, because it retained the wondrous fragrance of the
leaves of Paradise. (54)

Elijah's help was not confined to poor teachers of the law; all who
were in need, and were worthy of his assistance, had a claim upon
him. A poor man, the father of a family, in his distress once prayed
to God: "O Lord of the world, Thou knowest, there is none to
whom I can tell my tale of woe, none who will have pity upon me.
I have neither brother nor kinsman nor friend, and my starving
little ones are crying with hunger. Then do Thou have mercy and
be compassionate, or let death come and put an end to our
suffering." His words found a hearing with God, for, as he
finished, Elijah stood before the poor man, and sympathetically
inquired why he was weeping. When the prophet had heard the tale
of his troubles, he said: "Take me and sell me as a slave; the
proceeds will suffice for thy needs." At first the poor man refused
to accept the sacrifice, but finally yielded, and Elijah was sold to a
prince for eighty denarii. This sum formed the nucleus of the
fortune which the poor man amassed and enjoyed until the end of
his days. The prince who had purchased Elijah intended to build a
palace, and he rejoiced to hear that his new slave was an architect.
He promised Elijah liberty if within six months he completed the
edifice. After nightfall of the same day, Elijah offered a prayer,
and instantaneously the palace stood in its place in complete
perfection. Elijah disappeared. The next morning the prince was
not a little astonished to see the palace finished. But when he
sought his slave to reward him, and sought him in vain, he realized
that he had had dealings with an angel. Elijah meantime repaired
to the man who had sold him, and related his story to him, that he
might know he had not cheated the purchaser out of his price; on
the contrary, he had enriched him, since the palace was worth a
hundred times more than the money paid for the pretended slave.
(55)

A similar thing happened to a well-to-do man who lost his fortune,
and became so poor that he had to do manual labor in the field of
another. Once, when he was at work, he was accosted by Elijah,
who had assumed the appearance of an Arab: "Thou art destined to
enjoy seven good years. When dost thou want them   now, or as the
closing years of thy life?" The man replied: "Thou art a wizard; go
in peace, I have nothing for thee." Three times the same question
was put, three times the same reply was given. Finally the man
said: "I shall ask the advice of my wife." When Elijah came again,
and repeated his question, the man, following the counsel of his
wife, said: "See to it that seven good years come to us at once."
Elijah replied: "Go home. Before thou crossest thy threshold, thy
good fortune will have filled thy house." And so it was. His
children had found a treasure in the ground, and, as he was about
to enter his house, his wife met him and reported the lucky find.
His wife was an estimable, pious woman, and she said to her
husband: "We shall enjoy seven good years. Let us use this time to
practice as much charity as possible; perhaps God will lengthen
out our period of prosperity." After the lapse of seven years, during
which man and wife used every opportunity of doing good, Elijah
appeared again, and announced to the man that the time had come
to take away what he had given him. The man responded: "When I
accepted thy gift, it was after consultation with my wife. I should
not like to return it without first acquainting her with what is about
to happen." His wife charged him to say to the old man who had
come to resume possession of his property: "If thou canst find any
who will be more conscientious stewards of the pledges entrusted
to us than we have been, I shall willingly yield them up to thee."
God recognized that these people had made a proper use of their
wealth, and He granted it to them as a perpetual possession. (56)

If Elijah was not able to lighten the poverty of the pious, he at least
sought to inspire them with hope and confidence. Rabbi Akiba, the
great scholar, lived in dire poverty before he became the famous
Rabbi. His rich father-in-law would have nothing to do with him or
his wife, because the daughter had married Akiba against her
father's will. On a bitter cold winter night, Akiba could offer his
wife, who had been accustomed to the luxuries wealth can buy,
nothing but straw as a bed to sleep upon, and he tried to comfort
her with assurances of his love for the privations she was suffering.
At that moment Elijah appeared before their hut, and cried out in
supplicating tones: "O good people, give me, I pray you, a little
bundle of straw. My wife has been delivered of a child, and I am
so poor I haven't even enough straw to make a bed for her." Now
Abika could console his wife with the fact that their own misery
was not so great as it might have been, and thus Elijah had attained
his end, to sustain the courage of the pious. (57)

In the form of an Arab, he once appeared before a very poor man,
whose piety equalled his poverty. He gave him two shekels. These
two coins brought him such good fortune that he attained great
wealth. But in his zeal to gather worldly treasures, he had no time
for deeds of piety and charity. Elijah again appeared before him
and took away the two shekels. In a short time the man was as
poor as before. A third time Elijah came to him. He was crying
bitterly and complaining of his misfortune, and the prophet said: "I
shall make thee rich once more, if thou wilt promise me under
oath thou wilt not let wealth ruin they character." He promised, the
two shekels were restored to him, he regained his wealth, and he
remained in possession of it for all time, because his piety was not
curtailed by his riches. (58)

Poverty was not the only form of distress Elijah relieved. He
exercised the functions of a physician upon Rabbi Shimi bar Ashi,
who had swallowed a noxious reptile. Elijah appeared to him as an
awe-inspiring horseman, and forced him to apply the preventives
against the disease to be expected in these circumstances.

He also cured Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi of long-continued toothache by
laying his hand on the sufferer, and at the same time he brought
about the reconciliation of Rabbi Judan with Rabbi Hayyah, whose
form he had assumed. Rabbi Judah paid the highest respect to
Rabbi Hayyah after he found out that Elijah had considered him
worthy of taking his appearance. (59)

On another occasion, Elijah re-established harmony between a
husband and his wife. The woman had come home very late on
Friday evening, having allowed herself to be detained by the
sermon preached by Rabbi Meir. Her autocratic husband swore she
should not enter the house until she had spat in the very face of the
highly-esteemed Rabbi. Meantime Elijah went to Rabbi Meir, and
told him a pious woman had fallen into a sore predicament on his
account. To help the poor woman, the Rabbi restored to a ruse. He
announced that he was looking for one who knew how to cast
spells, which was done by spitting into the eye of the afflicted one.
When he caught sight of the woman designated by Elijah, he asked
her to try her power upon him. Thus she was able to comply with
her husband's requirement without disrespect to the Rabbi; and
through the instrumentality of Elijah conjugal happiness was
restored to an innocent wife. (60)

Elijah's versatility is shown in the following occurrence. A pious
man bequeathed a spice-garden to his three sons. They took turns
in guarding it against thieves. The first night the oldest son
watched the garden. Elijah appeared to him and asked him: "My
son, what wilt thou have   knowledge of the Torah, or great wealth,
or a beautiful wife?" He chose wealth, great wealth. Accordingly
Elijah gave him a coin, and he became rich. The second son, to
whom Elijah appeared the second night, chose knowledge of the
Torah. Elijah gave him a book, and "he knew the whole Torah."
The third son, on the third night, when Elijah put the same choice
before him as before his brothers, wished for a beautiful wife.
Elijah invited this third brother to go on a journey with him. Their
first night was passed at the house of a notorious villain, who had a
daughter. During the night Elijah overheard the chickens and the
geese say to one another: "What a terrible sin that young may must
have committed, that he should be destined to marry the daughter
of so great a villain!" The two travellers journeyed on. The second
night the experiences of the first were repeated. The third night
they lodged with a man who had a very pretty daughter. During the
night Elijah heard the chickens and the geese say to one another:
"How great must be the virtues of this young man, if he is
privileged to marry so beautiful and pious a wife." In the morning,
when Elijah arose, he at once became a matchmaker, the young
man married the pretty maiden, and husband and wife journeyed
homeward in joy. (61)

If it became necessary, Elijah was ready to do even the services of
a sexton. When Rabbi Akiba died in prison, Elijah betook himself
to the dead man's faithful disciple, Rabbi Joshua, and the two
together went to the prison. There was none to forbid their
entrance; a deep sleep had fallen upon the turnkeys and the
prisoners alike. Elijah and Rabbi Joshua took the corpse with
them, Elijah bearing it upon his shoulder. Rabbi Joshua in
astonishment demanded how he, a priest, dared defile himself
upon a corpse. The answer was: "God forbid! the pious can never
cause defilement." All night the two walked on with their burden.
At break of day they found themselves near Caesarea. A cave
opened before their eyes, and within they saw a bed, a chair, a
table, and a lamp. They deposited the corpse upon the bed, and left
the cave, which closed up behind them. Only the light of the lamp,
which had lit itself after they left, shone through the chinks.
Whereupon Elijah said: "Hail, ye just, hail to you who devote
yourselves to the study of the law. Hail to you, ye God-fearing
men, for your places are set aside, and kept, and guarded, in
Paradise, for the time to come. Hail to thee, Rabbi Akiba, that thy
lifeless body found lodgment for a night in a lovely spot." (62)

 CENSOR AND AVENGER

Helpfulness and compassion do not paint the whole of the
character of Elijah. He remained the stern and inexorable censor
whom Ahab feared. The old zeal for the true and the good he never
lost, as witness, he once struck a man dead because he failed to
perform his devotions with due reverence. (63)

There were two brothers, one of them rich and miserly, the other
poor and kind-hearted. Elijah, in the garb of an old beggar,
approached the rich man, and asked him for alms. Repulsed by
him, he turned to the poor brother, who received him kindly, and
shared his meagre supper with him. On bidding farewell to him
and his equally hospitable wife, Elijah said: "May God reward you!
The first thing you undertake shall be blessed, and shall take no
end until you yourselves cry out Enough!" Presently the poor man
began to count the few pennies he had, to convince himself that
they sufficed to purchase bread for his next meal. But the few
became many, and he counted and counted, and still their number
increased. He counted a whole day, and the following night, until
he was exhausted, and had to cry out Enough! And, indeed, it was
enough, for he had become a very wealthy man. His brother was
not a little astonished to see the fortunate change in his kinsman's
circumstances, and when he heard how it had come about, he
determined, if the opportunity should present itself again, to show
his most amiable side to the old beggar with the miraculous power
of blessing. He had not long to wait. A few days later he saw the
old man pass by. He hastened to accost him, and, excusing himself
for his unfriendliness at their former meeting, begged him to come
into his house. All that the larder afforded was put before Elijah,
who pretended to eat of the dainties. At his departure, he
pronounced a blessing upon his hosts: "May the first thing you do
have no end, until it is enough." The mistress of the house
thereupon said to her husband: "That we may count gold upon gold
undisturbed, let us first attend to our most urgent physical needs."
So they did   and they had to continue to do it until life was
extinct. (64)

The extreme of his rigor Elijah displayed toward teachers of the
law. From them he demanded more than obedience to the mere
letter of a commandment. For instance, he pronounced severe
censure upon Rabbi Ishmael ben Jose because he was willing to
act as bailiff in prosecuting Jewish thieves and criminals. He
advised Rabbi Ishmael to follow the example of his father and
leave the country. (65)

His estrangement from his friend Rabbi Joshua ben Levi is
characteristic. One who was sought by the officers of the law took
refuge with Rabbi Joshua. His pursuers were informed of his place
of concealment. Threatening to put all the inhabitants of the city to
the sword if he was not delivered up, they demanded his surrender.
The Rabbi urged the fugitive from justice to resign himself to his
fate. Better for one individual to die, he said, than for a whole
community to be exposed to peril. The fugitive yielded to the
Rabbi's argument, and gave himself up to the bailiffs. Thereafter
Elijah, who had been in the habit of visiting Rabbi Joshua
frequently, stayed away from his house, and he was induced to
come back only by the Rabbi's long fasts and earnest prayers. In
reply to the Rabbi's question, why he had shunned him, he said:
"Dost thou suppose I care to have intercourse with informers?" The
Rabbi quoted a passage from the Mishnah to justify his conduct,
but Elijah remained unconvinced. "Dost thou consider this a law
for a pious man?" he said. "Other people might have been right in
doing as thou didst; thou shouldst have done otherwise." (66)

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 him. Of two pious brothers, one provided for
his servants as for his own table, while the other permitted his
servants to eat abundantly only of the first course; of the other
courses they could have nothing but the remnants. Accordingly,
with the second brother Elijah would have nothing to do, while he
often honored the former with his visits.

A similar attitude Elijah maintained toward another pair of pious
brothers. One of them was in the habit of providing for his servants
after his own needs were satisfied, while the other of them
attended to the needs of his servants first. To the latter it was that
Elijah gave the preference. (67)

He dissolved an intimacy of many years' standing, 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 house. (68)

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi incurred the displeasure of Elijah a second
time, because a man was torn in pieces by a lion in the vicinity of
his house. In a measure Elijah held Rabbi responsible, because he
did not pray for the prevention of such misfortunes. (69)

The story told of Elijah and Rabbi Anan forms the most striking
illustration of the severity of the prophet. Someone brought Rabbi
Anan a mess of little fish as a present, and at the same time asked
the Rabbi to act as judge in a lawsuit he was interested in. Anan
refused in these circumstances to accept a gift from the litigant. To
demonstrate his single-mindedness, the applicant urged the Rabbit
to take the fish and assign the case to another judge. Anan
acquiesced, and he requested one of his colleagues to act for him,
because he was incapacitated from serving as a judge. His legal
friend drew the inference, that the litigant introduced to him was a
kinsman of Rabbi Anan's, and accordingly he showed himself
particularly complaisant toward him. As a result, the other party to
the suit was intimidated. He failed to present his side as
convincingly as he might otherwise have done, and so lost the
case. Elijah, who had been the friend of Anan and his teacher as
well, thenceforth shunned his presence, because he considered that
the injury done the second party to the suit was due to Anan's
carelessness. Anan in his distress kept many fasts, and offered up
many prayers, before Elijah would return to him. Even then the
Rabbi could not endure the sight of him; he had to content himself
with listening to Elijah's words without looking upon his face. (70)

Sometimes Elijah considered it his duty to force people into
abandoning a bad habit. A rich man was once going to a cattle
sale, and he carried a snug sum of money to buy oxen. He was
accosted by a stranger   none other than Elijah   who inquired the
purpose of his journey. "I go to buy cattle," replied the would-be
purchaser. "Say, it if please God," urged Elijah. "Fiddlesticks! I
shall buy cattle whether it please God or not! I carry the money
with me, and the business will be dispatched." "But not with good
fortune," said the stranger, and went off. Arrived at the market, the
cattle-buyer discovered the loss of his purse, and he had to return
home to provide himself with other money. He again set forth on
his journey, but this time he took another road to avoid the
stranger of ill omen. To his amazement he met an old man with
whom he had precisely the same adventure as with the first
stranger. Again he had to return home to fetch money. By this time
had learned his lesson. When a third stranger questioned him about
the object of his journey, he answered: "If it please God, I intend to
buy oxen." The stranger wished him success, and the wish was
fulfilled. To the merchant's surprise, when a pair of fine cattle
were offered him, and their price exceeded the sum of money he
had about his person, he found the two purses he had lost on his
first and second trips. Later he sold the same pair of oxen to the
king for a considerable price, and he became very wealthy. (71)

As Elijah coerced this merchant into humility toward God, so he
carried home a lesson to the great Tanna Eliezer, the son of Rabbi
Simon ben Yohai. This Rabbi stood in need of correction on
account of his overweening conceit. Once, on returning from the
academy, he took a walk on the sea-beach, his bosom swelling
with pride at the thought of his attainments in the Torah. He met a
hideously ugly man, who greeted him with the words: "Peace be
with thee, Rabbi." Eliezer, instead of courteously acknowledging
the greeting, said: "O thou wight, (72) how ugly thou art! Is it
possible that all the residents of thy town are as ugly as thou?" "I
know not," was the reply, "but it is the Master Artificer who
created me that thou shouldst have said: 'How ugly is this vessel
which Thou hast fashioned.'" The Rabbi realized the wrong he had
committed, and humbly begged pardon of the ugly man   another
of the protean forms adopted by Elijah. The latter continued to
refer him to the Master Artificer of the ugly vessel. The inhabitants
of the city, who had hastened to do honor to the great Rabbi,
earnestly urged the offended man to grant pardon, and finally he
declared himself appeased, provided the Rabbi promised never
again to commit the same wrong. (73)

The rigor practiced by Elijah toward his friends caused one of
them, the Tanna Rabbi Jose, to accuse him of being passionate and
irascible. As a consequence, Elijah would have nothing to do with
him for a long time. When he reappeared, and confessed the cause
of his withdrawal, Rabbi Jose said he felt justified, for his charge
could not have received a more striking verification. (74)

 INTERCOURSE WITH THE SAGES

Elijah's purely human relations to the world revealed themselves in
their fulness, neither in his deeds of charity, nor in his censorious
rigor, but rather in his gentle and scholarly intercourse with the
great in Israel, especially the learned Rabbis of the Talmudic time.
He is at once their disciple and their teacher. To one he resorts for
instruction on difficult points, to another he himself dispenses
instruction. As a matter of course, his intimate knowledge of the
supernatural world makes him appear more frequently in the role
of giver than receiver. Many a bit of secret lore the Jewish teachers
learnt from Elijah, and he it was who, with the swiftness of
lightning, carried the teachings of one Rabbi to another sojourning
hundreds of miles away. (75)

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 man. By means of examples he demonstrated to the
Rabbi how indispensable woman is to man. (76)

Rabbi Nehorai profited by his exposition of why God created
useless, even noxious insects. The reason for their existence is that
the sight of superfluous and harmful creatures prevents God from
destroying His world at times when, on account of the wickedness
and iniquity prevailing in it, it repents Him of having created it. If
He preserves creatures that at their best are useless, and at their
worst injurious, how much more should He preserve human beings
with all their potentialities for good.

The same Rabbi Nehorai was told by Elijah, that God sends
earthquakes and other destructive phenomena when He sees places
of amusement prosperous and flourishing, while the Temple lies a
heap of dust and ashes. (77)

To Rabbi Judah he communicated the following three maxims: Let
not anger master thee, and thou wilt not fall into sin; let not drink
master thee, and thou wilt be spared pain; before thou settest out
on a journey, take counsel with thy Creator. (78)

In case of a difference of opinion among scholars, Elijah was
usually questioned as to how the moot point was interpreted in the
heavenly academy. (79) Once, when the scholars were not
unanimous in their views as to Esther's intentions when she invited
Haman to her banquets with the king, Elijah, asked by Rabba bar
Abbahu to tell him her real purpose, said that each and every one
of the motives attributed to her by various scholars were true, for
her invitations to Haman had many a purpose. (80)

A similar answer he gave the Amora Abiathar, who disputed with
his colleagues as to why the Ephraimite who cause the war against
the tribe of Benjamin first cast off his concubine, and then became
reconciled to her. Elijah informed Rabbi Abiathar that in heaven
the cruel conduct of the Ephraimite was explained in two ways,
according to Abiathar's conception and according to his opponent
Jonathan's as well. (81)

Regarding the great contest between Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus
and the whole body of scholars, in which the majority maintained
the validity of its opinion, though a heavenly voice pronounced
Rabbi Eliezer's correct, Elijah told Rabbi Nathan, that God in His
heaven had cried out: "My children have prevailed over Me!" (82)

On one occasion Elijah fared badly for having betrayed celestial
events to his scholars. He was a daily attendant at the academy of
Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi. One day, it was the New Moon Day, he was
late. The reason for his tardiness, he said, was that it was his daily
duty to awaken the three Patriarchs, (83) wash their hands for
them, so that they might offer up their prayers, and after their
devotions lead them back to their resting-places. On this day their
prayers took very long, because they were increased by the Musaf
service on account of the New Moon celebration, and hence he did
not make his appearance at the academy in good time. Elijah did
not end his narrative at this point, but went on to tell the Rabbi,
that this occupation of his was rather tedious, for the three
Patriarchs were not permitted to offer up their payers at the same
time. Abraham prayed first, then came Isaac, and finally Jacob. If
they all were to pray together, the united petitions of three such
paragons of piety would be so efficacious as to force God to fulfil
them, and He would be induced to bring the Messiah before his
time. Then Rabbi Judah wanted to know whether there were any
among the pious on earth whose prayer possessed equal efficacy.
Elijah admitted that the same power resided in the prayers of
Rabbi Hayyah and his two sons. 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 prayer. They
began to chant the Eighteen Benedictions. Then they uttered the
word for wind, a storm arose; when they continued and made
petition for rain, the rain descended at once. But as the readers
approached the passage relating to the revival of the dead, great
excitement arose in heaven, and when it became known that Elijah
had revealed the secret of the marvellous power attaching to the
prayers of the three men, he was punished with fiery blows. To
thwart Rabbi Judah's purpose, Elijah assumed the form of a bear,
and put the praying congregation to flight. (84)

Contrariwise, Elijah was also in the habit of reporting earthly
events in the celestial regions. 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 Abuyah.
Rabba explained Rabbi Meir's conduct by an apologue. "Rabbi
Meir," he said, "found a pomegranate; he enjoyed the heart of the
fruit, and cast the skin aside." Elijah was persuaded of the justness
of this defense, and so were all the celestial powers. Thereupon
one of Rabbi Meir's interpretations was quoted in the heavenly
academy. (85)

Elijah was no less interested in the persons of the learned than in
their teachings, especially when scholars were to be provided with
the means of devoting themselves to their studies. It was he who,
when Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, later a great celebrity, resolved
to devote himself to the law, advised him to repair to Jerusalem
and sit at the feet of Rabban Johanan ben Zakkai. (86)

He once met a man who mocked at his exhortations to study, 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 wisdom. Elijah asked him what his
calling was. "I am a fisherman," was the reply. "Well, my son,"
questioned Elijah, "who taught thee to take flax and make nets and
throw them into the sea to catch fish?" He replied: "For this heaven
gave me intelligence and insight." Hereupon Elijah: "If thou
possessest intelligence and insight to cast nets and catch fish, why
should these qualities desert thee when thou dealest with the
Torah, which, thou knowest, is very nigh unto man that he may do
it?" The fisherman was touched, and he began to weep. Elijah
pacified him by telling him that what he had said applied to many
another beside him. (87)

In another way Elijah conveyed the lesson of the great value
residing in devotion to the study of the Torah. Disguised as a
Rabbi, he was approached by a man who promised to relieve him
of all material cares if he would but abide with him. Refusing to
leave Jabneh, the centre of Jewish scholarship, he said to the
tempter: "Wert thou to offer me a thousand million gold denarii, I
would not quit the abode of the law, and dwell in a place in which
there is no Torah." (88)

By Torah, of course, is meant the law as conceived and interpreted
by the sages and the scholars, for Elijah was particularly solicitous
to establish the authority of the oral law, (89) as he was solicitous
to demonstrate the truth of Scriptural promises that appeared
incredible at first sight. For instance, 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
time. A vessel in mid-ocean was nigh unto shipwreck. Among a
large number of heathen passengers there was a single Jewish
youth. To him Elijah appeared and said, he would rescue the
vessel, provided the boy went to Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, and took
him to a certain place far removed from the town and from human
habitation, and showed him the gems. The boy doubted that so
great a man would consent to follow a mere slip of a youth to a
remote spot, but, reassured by Elijah, who told him of Rabbi
Joshua's extraordinary modesty, he undertook the commission, and
the vessel with its human freight was saved. The boy came to the
Rabbi, besought him to go whither he would lead, and Joshua, who
was really possessed of great modesty, followed the boy three
miles without even inquiring the purpose of the expedition. When
they finally reached the cave, the boy said: "See, here are the
precious stones!" The Rabbi grasped them, and a flood of light
spread as far as Lydda, the residence of Rabbi Joshua. Startled, he
cast the precious stones away from him, and they disappeared. (90)

This Rabbi was a particular favorite of Elijah, who even secured
him an interview with the Messiah. The Rabbi found the Messiah
among the crowd of afflicted poor gathered near the city gates of
Rome, and he greeted him with the words: "Peace be with thee, my
teacher and guide!" Whereunto the Messiah replied: "Peace be
with thee, thou son of Levi!" The Rabbi then asked him when he
would appear, and the Messiah said, "To-day." Elijah explained to
the Rabbi later that what the Messiah meant by "to-day" was, that
he for his part was ready to bring Israel redemption at any time. If
Israel but showed himself worthy, he would instantly fufil his
mission. (91)

Elijah wanted to put Rabbi Joshua into communication with the
departed Rabbi Simon ben Yohai also, but the later did not
consider him of sufficient importance to honor him with his
conversation. Rabbi Simon had addressed a question to him, and
Rabbi Joshua in his modesty had made a reply not calculated to
give one a high opinion of him. (92) In reality Rabbi Joshua was
the possessor of such sterling qualities, that when he entered
Paradise Elijah walked before him calling out: "Make room for the
son of Levi." (93)

 GOD'S JUSTICE VINDICATED

Among the many and various teachings dispensed by Elijah to his
friends, there are none so important as his theodicy, the teachings
vindicating God's justice in the administration of earthly affairs.
He used many an opportunity to demonstrate it by precept and
example. Once he granted his friend Rabbi Joshua ben Levi the
fulfilment of any wish he might express, and all the Rabbi asked
for was, that he might be permitted to accompany Elijah on his
wanderings through the world. Elijah was prepared to gratify this
wish. He only imposed the condition, that, however odd the Rabbi
might think Elijah's actions, he was not to ask any explanation of
them. If ever he demanded why, they would have to part company.
So Elijah and the Rabbi fared forth together, and they journeyed
on until they reached the house of a poor man, whose only earthly
possession was a cow. The man and his wife were thoroughly
good-hearted people, and they received the two wanderers with a
cordial welcome. They invited the strangers into their house, set
before them food and drink of the best they had, and made up a
comfortable couch for them for the night. When Elijah and the
Rabbi were ready to continue their journey on the following day,
Elijah prayed that the cow belonging to his host might die. Before
they left the house, the animal had expired. Rabbi Joshua was so
shocked by the misfortune that had befallen the good people, he
almost lost consciousness. He thought: "Is that to be the poor man's
reward for all his kind services to us?" And he could not refrain
from putting the question to Elijah. But Elijah reminded him of the
condition imposed and accepted at the beginning of their journey,
and they travelled on, the Rabbi's curiosity unappeased. That night
they reached the house of a wealthy man, who did not pay his
guest the courtesy of looking them in the face. Though they passed
the night under his roof, he did not offer them food or drink. This
rich man was desirous of having a wall repaired that had tumbled
down. There was no need for him to take any steps to have it
rebuilt, for, when Elijah left the house, he prayed that the wall
might erect itself, and, lo! it stood upright. Rabbi Joshua was
greatly amazed, but true to his promise he suppressed the question
that rose to his lips. So the two travelled on again, until they
reached an ornate synagogue, the seats in which were made of
silver and gold. But the worshippers did not correspond in
character to the magnificence of the building, for when it came to
the point of satisfying the needs of the way-worn pilgrims, one of
those present said: "There is not dearth of water and bread, and the
strange travellers can stay in the synagogue, whither these
refreshments can be brought to them." Early the next morning,
when they were departing, Elijah wished those present in the
synagogue in which they had lodged, that God might raise them all
to be "heads." Rabbi Joshua again had to exercise great
self-restraint, and not put into words the question that troubled him
profoundly. In the next town, they were received with great
affability, and served abundantly with all their tired bodies craved.
On these kind hosts Elijah, on leaving, bestowed the wish that God
might give them but a single head. Now the Rabbi could not hold
himself in check any longer, and he demanded an explanation of
Elijah's freakish actions. Elijah consented to clear up his conduct
for Joshua before they separated from each other. He spoke as
follows: "The poor man's cow was killed, because I knew that on
the same day the death of his wife had been ordained in heaven,
and I prayed to God to accept the loss of the poor man's property as
a substitute for the poor man's wife. As for the rich man, there was
a treasure hidden under the dilapidated wall, and, if he had rebuilt
it, he would have found the gold; hence I set up the wall
miraculously in order to deprive the curmudgeon of the valuable
find. I wished that the inhospitable people assembled in the
synagogue might have many heads, for a place of numerous
leaders is bound to be ruined by reason of multiplicity of counsel
and disputes. To the inhabitants of our last sojourning place, on the
other hand, I wished a 'single head,' for the one to guide a town,
success will attend all its undertakings. Know, then, that if thou
seest an evil-doer prosper, it is not always unto his advantage, and
if a righteous man suffers need and distress, think not God is
unjust." After these words Elijah and Rabbi Joshua separated from
each other, and each went his own way. (94)

How difficult it is to form a true judgment with nothing but
external appearances as a guide, Elijah proved to Rabbi Baroka.
They were once waling in a crowded street, and the Rabbi
requested Elijah to point out any in the throng destined to occupy
places in Paradise. Elijah answered that there was none, only to
contradict himself and point to a passer-by the very next minute.
His appearance was such that in him least of all the Rabbi would
have suspected a pious man. His garb did not even indicate that he
was a Jew. Later Rabbi Baroka discovered by questioning him that
he was a prison guard. In the fulfilment of his duties as such he
was particularly careful that the virtue of chastity should not be
violated in the prison, in which both men women were kept in
detention. Also, his position often brought him into relations with
the heathen authorities, and so he was enabled to keep the Jews
informed of the disposition entertained toward them by the powers
that be. The Rabbi was thus taught that no station in life precluded
its occupant from doing good and acting nobly.

Another time Elijah designated two men to whom a great future
was assigned in Paradise. Yet these men were nothing more than
clowns! They made it their purpose in life to dispel discontent and
sorrow by their jokes and their cheery humor, 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 other. (95)

 ELIJAH AND THE ANGEL OF DEATH

Among the many benevolent deeds of Elijah, 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 Death. He brought
these rescues about by warning the designated victims of their
impending fate, and urging them to do good deeds, which would
prove protection against death.

There was once a pious and rich man with a beautiful and saintly
daughter. She had had the misfortune of losing three husbands in
succession, each on the day after the wedding. These sorrows
determined her never again to enter into the marriage state. A
cousin of hers, the nephew of her father, induced by the poverty of
his parents, journeyed from his distant home to apply for help to
his rich uncle. Scarcely had he laid eyes upon his lovely cousin
when he fell victim to her charms. In vain her father sought to
dissuade his nephew from marrying his daughter. But the fate of
his predecessors did not affright him, and the wedding took place.
While he was standing under the wedding canopy, Elijah came to
him in the guise of an old man, and said: "My son, I want to give
thee a piece of advice. While thou are seated at the wedding
dinner, thou wilt be approached by a ragged, dirty beggar, with
hair like nails. As soon as thou catchest sight of him, hasten to seat
him beside thee, set food and drink before him, and be ready to
grant whatever he may ask of thee. Do as I say, and thou wilt be
protected against harm. Now I shall leave thee and go my way." At
the wedding feast, a stranger as described by Elijah appeared, and
the bridegroom did according to Elijah's counsel. After the
wedding the stranger revealed his identity, introducing himself as
the messenger of the Lord sent to take the young husband's life.
The supplications of the bridegroom failed to move him; he
refused to grant a single day's respite. All he yielded was
permission to the young husband to bid farewell to his newly-wed
wife. When the bride saw that what she had feared was coming to
pass, she repaired to the Angel of Death and argued with him:
"The Torah distinctly exempts the newly-wed from all duties for a
whole year. If thou deprivest my husband of life, thou wilt give the
lie to the Torah." Thereupon God commanded the Angel of Death
to desist, and, when the relatives of the bride came to prepare the
grave of the groom, they found him well and unharmed. (96)

A similar thing befell the son of the great and extremely pious
scholar Rabbi Reuben. To him came the Angel of Death and
announced that his only son would have to die. The pious man was
resigned: "We mortals can do nothing to oppose a Divine decree,"
he said, "but I pray there, give him thirty days' respite, that I may
see him married." The Angel of Death acquiesced. The Rabbi told
no one of this encounter, waited until the appointed time was
drawing to a close, and, on the very last day, the thirtieth, he
arranged his son's wedding feast. On that day, the
bridegroom-to-be met Elijah, who told him of his approaching
death. A worthy son of his father, he said: "Who may oppose God?
And am I better than Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? They, too, had to
die." Elijah told him furthermore, that the Angel of Death would
appear to him in the guise of a ragged, dirty beggar, and he advised
him to receive him in the kindliest possible manner, and in
particular he was to insist upon his taking food and drink from
him. All happened as Elijah had predicted, and his advice, too,
proved efficacious, for the heart of the Angel of Death, who finally
revealed his identity with the beggar, was softened by the
entreaties of the father, combined with the tears of the young wife,
who resorted to the argument cited above, of the year of exemption
from duty granted to the newly-married. The Angel of Death,
disarmed by the amiable treatment accorded to him, himself went
before the throne of God and presented the young wife's petition.
The end was God added seventy years to the life of Rabbi Reuben's
son. (97)

 TEACHER OF THE KABBALAH

The frequent meetings between Elijah and the teachers of the law
of the Talmudic time were invested with personal interest only.
Upon the development of the Torah they had no influence
whatsoever. His relation to the mystic science was of quite other
character. It is safe to say that what Moses was to the Torah, Elijah
was to the Kabbalah.

His earliest relation to it was established through Rabbi Simon ben
Yohai and his son Rabbi Eliezer. For thirteen years he visited them
twice daily in their subterranean hiding-place, and imparted the
secrets of the Torah to them. (98) A thousand years later, Elijah
again gave the impetus to the development of the Kabbalah, for it
was he that revealed mysteries, first to the Nazarite Rabbi Jacob,
then to his disciple of the latter, Abraham ben David. The
mysteries in the books "Peliah" and "Kanah," the author Elkanah
owed wholly to Elijah. He had appeared to him in the form of a
venerable old man, and had imparted to him the secret lore taught
in the heavenly academy. Besides, he led him to a fiery rock
whereon mysterious characters were engraved, which were
deciphered by Elkanah.

After his disciple had thus become thoroughly impregnated with
mystical teachings, Elijah took him to the tomb of the Patriarchs,
and thence to the heavenly academy. But the angels, little pleased
by the intrusion of one "born of woman," inspired him with such
terror that he besought Elijah to carry him back to earth. His
mentor allayed his fears, and long continued to instruct him in the
mystical science, according to the system his disciple has recorded
in his two works. (99)

The Kabbalists in general were possessed of the power to cite
Elijah, to conjure him up by means of certain formulas. (100) One
of them, Rabbi Joseph della Reyna, once called upon Elijah in this
way, but it proved his own undoing. He was a saintly scholar, and
he had conceived no less a purpose than to bring about the
redemption of man by the conquest of the angel Samael, the Prince
of Evil. After many prayers and vigils and long indulgence in
fasting, and other ascetic practices, Rabbi Joseph united himself
with his five disciples for the purpose of conjuring up Elijah.
When the prophet, obeying the summons, suddenly stood before
him, Rabbi Joseph spoke as follows: "Peace be with thee, our
master! True prophet, bearer of salvation, be not displeased with
me that I have troubled thee to come hither. God knows, I have not
done it for myself, and not for mine own honor. I am zealous for
the name and the honor of God, and I know thy desire is the same
as mine, for it is thy vocation to make the glory of God to prevail
on earth. I pray thee, therefore, to grant my petition, tell me with
what means I can conquer Satan." Elijah at first endeavored to
dissuade the Rabbi from his enterprise. He described the great
power of Satan, ever growing as it feeds upon the sins of mankind.
But Rabbi Joseph could not be made to desist. Elijah then
enumerated what measures and tactics he would have to observe in
his combat with the fallen angel. He enumerated the pious, saintly
deeds that would win the interest of the archangel Sandalphon in
his undertaking, and from this angel he would learn the method of
warfare to be pursued. The Rabbi followed out Elijah's directions
carefully, and succeeded in summoning Sandalphon to his
assistance. If he had continued to obey instructions implicitly, and
had carried out all Sandalphon advised, the Rabbi would have
triumphed over Satan and hastened the redemption of the world.
Unfortunately, at one point the Rabbi committed an indiscretion,
and he lost the great advantages he had gained over Satan, who
used his restored power to bring ruin upon him and his disciples.
(101)

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 activity. Elijah sought out this "father of the
Kabbalistic Renaissance," and revealed the mysteries of the
universe to him. Indeed, he had shown his interest in him long
before any one suspected the future greatness of Rabbi Isaac.
Immediately after his birth, Elijah appeared to the father of the
babe, and enjoined him not to have the rite of circumcision
performed until he should be told by Elijah to proceed. The eighth
day of the child's life arrived, the whole congregation was
assembled at the synagogue (102) to witness the solemn
ceremonial, but to the great astonishment of his fellow-townsmen
the father delayed it. The people naturally did not know he was
waiting for Elijah to appear, and he was called upon once and
again to have the ceremony take place. But he did not permit the
impatience of the company to turn him from his purpose.
Suddenly, Elijah, unseen, of course, by the others, appeared to
him, and bade him have the ceremony performed. Those present
were under the impression that the father was holding the child on
his knees during the circumcision; in reality, however it was
Elijah. After the rite was completed, Elijah handed the infant back
to the father with the words: "Here is thy child. Take good care of
it, for it will spread a brilliant light over the world." (103)

It was also Elijah who in a similar way informed Rabbit Eliezer,
the father of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tob,   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
Israel. This Rabbi Eliezer was justly reputed to be very hospitable.
He was in the habit of stationing guards at the entrances to the
village in which he lived, and they were charged to bring all
strangers to his house. In heaven it was ordained that Rabbi
Eliezer's hospitable instincts should be put to a test. Elijah was
chosen for the experiment. On a Sabbath afternoon, arrayed in the
garb of a beggar, he entered the village with knapsack and staff.
Rabbi Eliezer, taking no notice of the fact that the beggar was
desecrating the Sabbath, received him kindly, attended to his
bodily wants, and the next morning, on parting with him, gave him
some money besides. Touched by his kind-heartedness, Elijah
revealed his identity and the purpose of his disguise, and told him
that, as he had borne the trial so well, he would be rewarded by the
birth of a son who should "enlighten the eyes of Israel." (104)

 FORERUNNER OF THE MESSIAH

Many-sided though Elijah's participation in the course of historical
events is, it cannot be compared with what he is expected to do in
the days of the Messiah. He is charged with the mission of
ordering the coming time aright and restoring the tribes of Jacob.
(105) His Messianic activity thus is to be twofold: he is to be the
forerunner of the Messiah, yet in part he will himself realize the
promised scheme of salvation. His first task will be to induce
Israel to repent when the Messiah is about to come, (106) and to
establish peace and harmony in the world. (107) Hence he will
have to settle all legal difficulties, and solve all legal problems,
that have accumulated since days immemorial, (108) and decide
vexed questions of ritual concerning which authors entertain
contradictory views. In short, all difference of opinion must be
removed from the path of the Messiah. (109) This office of
expounder of the law Elijah will continue to occupy even after the
reign of peace has been established on earth, and his relation to
Moses will be the same Aaron once held. (110)

Elijah's preparatory work will be begun three days before the
advent of the Messiah. Then he will appear in Palestine, and will
utter a lament over the devastation of the Holy Land, and his wail
will be heard throughout the world. The last words of his elegy
will be: "Now peace will come upon earth!" When the evil-doers
hear this message, they will rejoice. On the second day, he will
appear again and proclaim: "Good will come upon earth!" And on
the third his promise will be heard: "Salvation will come upon
earth." (111) Then Michael will blow the trumpet, and once more
Elijah will make his appearance, this time to introduce the
Messiah. (112) To make sure of the identity of the Messiah, the
Jews will demand that he perform the miracle of resurrection
before their eyes, reviving such of the dead as they had known
personally. (113) But the Messiah will do the following seven
wonders: He will bring Moses and the generation of the desert to
life; Korah and his band he will raise from out of the earth; he will
revive the Ephraimitic Messiah, who was slain; he will show the
three holy vessels of the Temple, the Ark, the flask of manna, and
the cruse of sacred oil, all three of which disappeared
mysteriously; he will wave the sceptre given him by God; he will
grind the mountains of the Holy Land into powder like straw, and
he will reveal the secret of redemption. Then the Jews will believe
that Elijah is the Elijah promised to them, and the Messiah
introduced by him is the true Messiah. (114)

The Messiah (115) will have Elijah blow the trumpet, and, at the
first sound, the primal light, which shone before the week of
Creation, will reappear; at the second sound the dead will arise,
and with the swiftness of wind assemble around the Messiah from
all corners of the earth; at the third sound, the Shekinah will
become visible to all; the mountains will be razed at the fourth
sound, and the Temple will stand in complete perfection as
Ezekiel described it. (116)

During the reign of peace, Elijah will be one of the eight princes
forming the cabinet of the Messiah. (117) Even the coming of the
great judgment day will not end his activity. 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 just, while their
fathers will be ranged on the other side. The babes will implore
their fathers to come to them, but God will not permit it. Then
Elijah will go to the little ones, and teach them how to plead in
behalf of their fathers. They will stand before God and say: "Is not
the measure of good, the mercy of God, larger than the measure of
chastisements? If, then, we died for the sins of our fathers, should
they not now for our sakes be granted the good, and be permitted
to join us in Paradise?" God will give assent to their pleadings, and
Elijah will have fulfilled the word of the prophet Malachi; he will
have brought back the fathers to the children. (118)

The last act of Elijah's brilliant career will be the execution of
God's command to slay Samael, and so banish evil forever. (119)

ELISHA THE DISCIPLE OF ELIJAH

The voices of the thousands of prophets of his time were stilled
when Elijah was translated from earth to heaven. With him
vanished the prophetical spirit of those who in former times had in
no wise been his inferiors. (1) Elisha was the only one among them
whose prophetical powers were not diminished. On the contrary,
they were strengthened, as a reward for the unhesitating readiness
with which he obeyed Elijah's summons, and parted with the field
he was ploughing, and with all else he possessed, in favor of the
community. Thenceforward he remained Elijah's unwearying
companion. When the angel descended from heaven to take Elijah
from earth, he found the two so immersed in a learned discussion
that he could not attract their attention, and he had to return, his
errand unfulfilled. (2)

Elijah's promise to bestow a double portion of his wondrous spirit
upon his disciple was realized instantaneously. During his life
Elisha performed sixteen miracles, and eight was all his master
had performed. The first of them, the crossing of the Jordan, was
more remarkable than the corresponding wonder done by Elijah,
for Elisha traversed the river alone, and Elijah had been
accompanied by Elisha. Two saints always have more power than
one by himself. (3)

His second miracle, the "healing" of the waters of Jericho, so that
they became fit to drink, resulted in harm to himself, 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 trade. Elisha, whose prophetic powers enabled him to
read both the past and the future of these tradesmen, knew that
they , their ancestors, and their posterity had "not even the aroma
of good about them." Therefore he cursed them. Suddenly a forest
sprang up and the bears that infested it devoured the murmuring
traders. The wicked fellows were not undeserving of the
punishment they received, yet Elisha was made to undergo a very
serious sickness, by way of correction for having yielded to
passion. (4) In this he resembled his master Elijah; he allowed
wrath and zeal to gain the mastery over him. God desired that the
two great prophets might be purged of this fault. Accordingly,
when Elisha rebuked King Jehoram of Israel, the spirit of prophecy
forsook him, and he had to resort to artificial means to re-awaken
it within himself. (5)

Like his teacher, Elisha was always ready to help the poor and
needy, as witness his sympathy with the widow of one of the sons
of the prophets, and the effective aid he extended to her. Her
husband had been none other than Obadiah, who, though a
prophet, had at the same time been one of the highest officials at
the court of the sinful king Ahab. By birth an Edomite, Obadiah
had been inspired by God to utter the prophecy against Edom. In
his own person he embodied the accusation against Esau, who had
lived with his pious parents without following their example,
while Obadiah, on the contrary, lived in constant intercourse with
the iniquitous King Ahab and his still more iniquitous spouse
Jezebel without yielding to the baneful influence they exercised.
(6) This same Obadiah not only used his own fortune, but went to
the length of borrowing money on interest from the future king, in
order to have the wherewithal to support the prophets who were in
hiding. On his death, the king sought to hold the children
responsible for the debt of the father. In her despair the pious wife
of Obadiah (7) went to the graveyard, and there she cried out: "O
thou God-fearing man!" At once a heavenly voice was heard
questioning her: "There are four God-fearing men, Abraham,
Joseph, Job, and Obadiah. To which of them does thou desire to
speak?" "To him of whom it is said, "He feared the Lord greatly.'"

She was led to the grave of the prophet Obadiah, where she poured
out the tale of her sorrow. 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 God, "for God," he said, "is my debtor,
seeing that I provided a hundred prophets, not only with bread and
water, but also with oil to illuminate their hiding-place, for do not
the Scriptures say: 'He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto
the Lord'?" Forthwith the woman carried out his behest. She went
to Elisha, and he helped her by making her little cruse of oil fill
vessels upon vessels without number, and when the vessels gave
out, she fetched potsherds, saying, "May the will that made empty
vessels full, make broken vessels perfect." So it was. The oil
ceased to flow only when the supply of potsherds as well as vessels
gave out. In her piety the woman wanted to pay her tithe-offering,
but Elisha was of the opinion that, as the oil had been bestowed
upon her miraculously, she could keep it wholly and entirely for
her own use. Furthermore, Elisha reassured her as to the power of
the royal princes to do her harm: "The God who will close the jaws
of the lions set upon Daniel, and who did close the jaws of the
dogs in Egypt, the same God will blind the eyes of the sons of
Ahab, and deafen their ears, so that they can do thee no harm." (8)
Not only was the poor widow helped out of her difficulties, her
descendants unto all times were provided for. The oil rose in price,
and it yielded so much profit that they never suffered want. (9)

 THE SHUNAMMITE

The great woman of Shunem, the sister of Abishag and wife of the
prophet Iddo, (10) also had cause to be deeply grateful to Elisha.
When Elisha came to Shunem on his journey through the land of
Israel, his holiness made a profound impression upon the
Shunammite. Indeed, the prophet's eye was so awe-inspiring that
now woman could look him in the face and live. (11) Contrary to
the habit of most women, who are intent upon diminishing their
expenses and their toil, the Shunammite took delight in the
privilege of welcoming the prophet to her house as a guest. She
observed that not even a fly dared approach close to the holy man,
and a grateful fragrance exhaled from his person. "If he were not
so great a saint," she said, "and the holiness of the Lord did not
invest him, there were no such pleasant fragrance about him." That
he might be undisturbed, she assigned the best chambers in the
house to the prophet. He on his part, desiring to show his
appreciation of her hospitality, knew no better return for her
kindness than to promise that she should be blessed with a child
within a year. (12) The woman protested: "O, my husband is an old
man, nor am I of an age to bear children; the promise cannot be
fulfilled." Yet it happened as the prophet had foretold. Before a
twelvemonth had passed, she was a mother.

A few years later her child died a sudden death. The mother
repaired to the prophet, and lamented before him: "O that the
vessel had remained empty, rather than it should be filled first, and
then be left void." The prophet admitted that, though as a rule he
was acquainted with all things that were to happen, God had left
him in the dark about the misfortune that had befallen her. With
trust in God, he gave his staff to his disciple Gehazi, and sent him
to bring the boy back to life. But Gehazi was unworthy of his
master. His conduct toward the Shunammite was not becoming a
disciple of the prophet, and, above all, he had no faith in the
possibility of accomplishing the mission entrusted to him. Instead
of obeying the behest of Elisha, not to speak a word on his way to
the child of the Shunammite, Gehazi made sport of the task laid
upon him. To whatever man he met he addressed the questions:
"Dost thou suppose this staff can bring the dead back to life?" The
result was that he forfeited the power of executing the errand with
which he had been charged. Elisha himself had to perform the
miracle. The prophet uttered the prayer: "O Lord of the world! As
Thou didst wonders through my master Elijah, and didst permit
him to bring the dead to life, so, I pray Thee, do Thou perform a
wonder through me, and let me restore life to this lad." (13) The
prayer was granted, and the child was revived. The act of the
prophet proves the duty of gratitude in return for hospitality. Elisha
did not attempt to resuscitate his own kith and kin who had been
claimed by death; he invoked a miracle for the sake of the woman
who had welcomed him kindly to her house. (14)

 GEHAZI

Gehazi, proved untrustworthy by his conduct on this occasion,
again aroused the ire of the prophet when he disregarded the order
not to accept money from Naaman, the Syrian captain. He did not
succeed in deceiving the prophet. On his return from Naaman he
found Elisha occupied with the study of the chapter in the Mishnah
Shabbat which deals with the eight reptiles. The prophet Elisha
greeted him with the rebuke: "Thou villain! the time has come for
me to be rewarded for the study of the Mishnah about the eight
reptiles. May my reward be that the disease of Naaman afflict thee
and thy descendants for evermore." Scarcely had these words
escaped his lips, when he saw the leprosy come out on Gehazi's
face. (15) Gehazi deserved the punishment on account of his base
character. He was sensual and envious, and did not believe in the
resurrection of the dead. His unworthy qualities were displayed in
his conduct toward the Shunammite and toward the disciples of
Elisha. When the pretty Shunammite came to the prophet in her
grief over the death of her child, Gehazi took her passionately in
his arms, under the pretext of forcing her away from the prophet,
on whom she had laid hold in her supplications.

As for the other disciples of Elisha, he endeavored to keep them
away from the house of the prophet. He was in the habit of
standing without the door. This induced many to turn away and go
home, for they reasoned that, if the house were not full to
overflowing, Gehazi would not be standing outside. Only after
Gehazi's dismissal did the disciples of Elisha increase
marvellously. That Gehazi had no faith in the resurrection of the
dead, is shown by his incredulity with regard to the child of the
Shunammite. (16)

In spite of all these faults, Elisha regretted that he had cast off his
disciple, who was a great scholar in the law, especially as Gehazi
abandoned himself to a sinful life after leaving the prophet. By
means of magnetism he made the golden calves at Beth-el float in
the air, and many were brought to believe in the divinity of these
idols. Moreover, he engraved the great and awful Name of God in
their mouth. Thus they were enabled to speak, and they gave forth
the same words God had proclaimed from Sinai: "I am the Lord
thy God   Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." Elisha
accordingly repaired to Damascus to lead Gehazi back to the paths
of righteousness. But he remained impenitent, for he said: "From
thyself I have learned that there is no return for him who not only
sins himself, but also induces others to sin." (17) So Gehazi died
without having done aught to atone for his transgressions, which
were so great that he is one of the few Jews who have no share in
Paradise. (18) His children inherited his leprosy. He and his three
sons are the four leprous men who informed the king of Israel of
the precipitate flight of the Syrian host. (19)

Elisha's excessive severity toward his servant Gehazi and toward
the mocking boys of Jericho did not go unpunished. He had to
endure two periods of disease, and the third sickness that befell
him cause his death. He is the first known to history who survived
a sickness. Before him death had been the inevitable companion of
disease. (20)

A great miracle marked the end of a life rich in miraculous deeds:
a dead man revived at the touch of Elisha's bier, and stood on his
feet. It was a worthy character for whom the wonder was
accomplished   Shallum the son of Tikvah, the husband of Huldah
the prophetess, a man of noble descent, who had led a life of
lovingkindness. He was in the habit of going daily beyond the city
bearing the pitcher of water, from which he gave every traveller to
drink, a good deed that received a double reward. His wife became
a prophetess, and when he died and his funeral, attended by a large
concourse of people, was disturbed by the invasion of the
Arameans, he was given new life by contact with the bones of
Elisha. He lived to have a son, Hanamel by name. (21)

The death of Elisha was a great misfortune for the Israelites. So
long as he was alive, no Aramean troops entered Palestine. The
first invasion by them happened on the day of his burial. (22)

 THE FLIGHT OF JONAH

Among the many thousands (23) of disciples whom Elisha
gathered about him during the sixty years (24) and more of his
activity, the most prominent was the prophet Jonah. While the
master was still alive, Jonah was charged with the important
mission of anointing Jehu king. (25) The next task laid upon him
was to proclaim their destruction to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
(26) The doom did not come to pass, because they repented of
their wrong-doing, and God had mercy upon them. Among the
Israelites Jonah was, therefore, known as "the false prophet."
When he was sent to Nineveh to prophesy the downfall of the city,
he reflected: "I know to a certainly that the heathen will do
penance, the threatened punishment will not be executed, and
among the heathen, too, I shall gain the reputation of being a false
prophet." (27) To escape this disgrace, he determined to take up
his abode on the sea, where there were none to whom prophecies
never to be fulfilled would have to be delivered.

On his arrival at Joppa, there was no vessel in port. To try him,
God cause a storm to arise, and it carried a vessel back to Joppa,
which had made a two days' journey away from the harbor. The
prophet interpreted this chance to mean that God approved his
plan. He was so rejoiced at the favorable opportunity for leaving
land that he paid the whole amount for the entire cargo in advance,
no less a sum than four thousand gold denarii. After a day's sailing
out from shore, a terrific storm (28) broke loose. Wonderful to
relate, it injured no vessel but Jonah's. Thus he was taught the
lesson that God is Lord over heaven and earth and sea, and man
can hide himself nowhere from His face.

On the same vessel were representatives of the seventy nations of
the earth, each with his peculiar idols. They all resolved to entreat
their gods for succor, and the god from whom help would come
should be recognized and worshipped at the only one true God.
But help came from none. Then it was that the captain of the
vessel approached Jonah where he lay asleep, and said to him: "We
are suspended 'twixt life and death, and thou liest here asleep.
Pray, tell me, to what nation dost thou belong?" "I am a Hebrew,"
replied Jonah. "We have heard," said the captain, "that the God of
the Hebrews is the most powerful. Cry to Him for help. Perhaps He
will perform such miracles for us as He did in days of old for the
Jews at the Red Sea."

Jonah confessed to the captain that he was to blame for the whole
misfortune, and he besought him to cast him adrift, and appease
the storm. The other passengers refused to consent to so cruel an
act. Though the lot decided against Jonah, they first tried to save
the vessel by throwing the cargo overboard. Their efforts were in
vain. Then they placed Jonah at the side of the vessel and spoke:
"O Lord of the world, reckon this not up against us as innocent
blood, for we know not the case of this man, and he himself bids
us throw him into the sea." Even then they could not make up their
minds to let him drown. First they immersed him up to his knees in
the water of the sea, and the storm ceased; they drew him back
into the vessel, and forthwith the storm raged in its old fury. Two
more trials they made. They lowered him into the water up to his
navel, and raised him out of the depths when the storm was
assuaged. Again, when the storm broke out anew, they lowered
him to his neck, and a second time they took him back into the
vessel when the wind subsided. (29) But finally the renewed rage
of the storm convinced them that their danger was due to Jonah's
transgressions, and they abandoned him to his fate. He was thrown
into the water, and on the instant the sea grew calm. (30)

 JONAH IN THE WHALE

At the creation of the world, God made a fish intended to harbor
Jonah. He as so large that the prophet was as comfortable inside of
him as in a spacious synagogue. The eyes of the fish served Jonah
as windows, and, besides, there was a diamond, which shone as
brilliantly as the sun at midday, so that Jonah could see all things
in the sea down to its very bottom.

It is a law that when their time has come, all the fish of the sea
must betake themselves to leviathan, and let the monster devour
them. The life term of Jonah's fish was about to expire, and the
fish warned Jonah of what was to happen. When he, with Jonah in
his belly, came to leviathan, the prophet said to the monster: "For
thy sake I came hither. It was meet that I should know thine abode,
for it is my appointed task to capture thee in the life to come and
slaughter thee for the table of the just and pious." When leviathan
observed the sign of the covenant on Jonah's body, he fled
affrighted, and Jonah and the fish were saved. To show his
gratitude, the fish carried Jonah whithersoever there was a sight to
be seen. He showed him the river from which the ocean flows,
showed him the spot at which the Israelites crossed the Red Sea,
showed him Gehenna and Sheol, and many other mysterious and
wonderful place.

Three days Jonah had spent in the belly of the fish, and he still felt
so comfortable that he did not think of imploring God to change
his condition. But God sent a female fish big with three hundred
and sixty-five thousand little fish to Jonah's host, to demand the
surrender of the prophet, else she would swallow both him and the
guest he harbored. The message was received with incredulity, and
leviathan had to come and corroborate it; he himself had heard
God dispatch the female fish on her errand. So it came about that
Jonah was transferred to another abode. His new quarters, which
he had to share with all the little fish, were far from comfortable,
and from the bottom of his heart a prayer for deliverance arose to
God on high. (31) The last words of his long petition were, "I shall
redeem my vow," (32) whereupon God commanded the fish to
spew Jonah out. At a distance of nine hundred and sixty-five
parasangs from the fish he alighted on dry land. These miracles
induced the ship's crew to abandon idolatry, and they all became
pious proselytes in Jerusalem. (33)

 THE REPENTANCE OF NINEVEH

Jonah went straightway to Nineveh, the monster city covering forty
square parasangs and containing a million and half of human
beings. He lost no time in proclaiming their destruction to the
inhabitants. The voice of the prophet was so sonorous that it
reached to every corner of the great city, and all who heard his
words resolved to turn aside from their ungodly ways. At the head
of the penitents was King Osnappar of Assyria. (34) He descended
from his throne, removed his crown, strewed ashes on his head
instead, took off his purple garments, and rolled about in the dust
of the highways. In all the streets royal heralds proclaimed the
king's decree bidding the inhabitants fast three days, wear
sackcloth, and supplicate God with tears and prayers to avert the
threatened doom. The people of Nineveh fairly compelled to God's
mercy to descend upon them. They held their infants heavenward,
and amid streaming tears they cried: "For the sake of these
innocent babes, hear our prayers." The young of their stalled cattle
they separated from the mother beasts, the young were left within
the stable, the old were put without. So parted from one another,
the young and the old began to bellow aloud. Then the Ninevites
cried: "If Thou wilt not have mercy upon us, we will not have
mercy upon these beasts."

The penance of the Ninevites did not stop at fasting and praying.
Their deeds showed that they had determined to lead a better life.
If a man had usurped another's property, he sought to make
amends for his iniquity; some went so far as to destroy their
palaces in order to be able to give back a single brick to the
rightful owner. Of their own accord others appeared before the
courts of justice, and confessed their secret crimes and sins, known
to none beside themselves, and declared themselves ready to
submit to well-merited punishment, though it be death that was
decreed against them.

One incident that happened at the time will illustrate the contrition
of the Ninevites. A man found a treasure in the building lot he had
acquired from his neighbor. Both buyer and seller refused to
assume possession of the treasure. The seller insisted that the sale
of the lot carried with it the sale of all it contained. The buyer held
that he had bought the ground, not the treasure hidden therein.
Neither rested satisfied until the judge succeeded in finding out
who had hidden the treasure and where were his heirs, and the joy
of the two was great when they could deliver the treasure up to its
legitimate owners. (35)

Seeing that the Ninevites had undergone a real change of heart,
God took mercy upon them, and pardoned them. Thereupon Jonah
likewise felt encouraged to plead for himself with God, that He
forgive him for his flight. God spoke to him: "Thou wast mindful
of Mine honor,"   the prophet had not wanted to appear a liar, so
that men's trust in God might not be shaken   "and for this reason
thou didst take to sea. Therefore did I deal mercifully with thee,
and rescue thee from the bowels of Sheol."

His sojourn in the inside of the fish the prophet could not easily
dismiss from his mind, nor did it remain without visible
consequences. The intense heat in the belly of the fish had
consumed his garments, and made his hair fall out, (36) and he
was sore plagued by swarms of insects. To afford Jonah protection,
God caused the kikayon to grow up. When he opened his eyes one
morning, he saw a plant with two hundred and seventy-five leaves,
each leaf measuring more than a span, so that it afforded relief
from the heat of the sun. But the sun smote the gourd that it
withered, and Jonah was again annoyed by the insects. He began to
weep and wish for death to release him from his troubles. But
when God led him to the plant, and showed him what lesson he
might derive from it,   how, though he had not labored for the
plant, he had pity on it,   he realized his wrong in desiring God to
be relentless toward Nineveh, the great city, with its many
inhabitants, rather than have his reputation as a prophet suffer
taint. He prostrated himself and said: "O God, guide the world
according to Thy goodness."

God was gracious to the people of Nineveh so long as they
continued worthy of His lovingkindness. But at the end of forty
days they departed from the path of piety, and they became more
sinful than ever. Then the punishment threatened by Jonah
overtook them, and they were swallowed up by the earth. (37)

Jonah's suffering in the watery abyss had been so severe that by
way of compensation of God exempted him from death: living he
was permitted to enter Paradise. (38) Like Jonah, his wife was
known far and wide for her piety. She had gained fame particularly
through her pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a duty which, by reason of
her sex, she was not obliged to fulfil. (39) On one of these
pilgrimages it was that the prophetical spirit first descended upon
Jonah. (40)

JOASH

When the prophet Jonah, doing the behest of his master Elisha,
anointed Jehu king over Israel, (1) he poured the oil out of a
pitcher, not out of a horn, to indicate that the dynasty of Jehu
would not occupy the throne long. (2) At first Jehu, though a
somewhat foolish (3) king, was at least pious, but he abandoned
his God-fearing ways from the moment he saw the document
bearing the signature of the prophet Ahijah of Shilo, which bound
the signers to pay implicit obedience to Jeroboam. The king took
this as evidence that the prophet had approved the worship of the
golden calves. So it came to pass that Jehu, the destroyer of Baal
worship, did nothing to oppose the idolatrous service established
by Jeroboam at Beth-el. (4) The successors of Jehu were not
better; on the contrary, they were worse, and therefore in the fifth
generation (5) an end was put to the dynasty of Jehu by the hand of
the assassin.

The kings of Judah differed in no essential particular from their
colleagues in the north. Ahaziah, whom Jehu killed, was a
shameless sinner; he had the Name of God expurged from every
passage in which it occurred in the Holy Scriptures, and the names
of idols inserted in its place. (6)

Upon the death of Ahaziah followed the reign of terror under the
queen Athaliah, when God exacted payment from the house of
David for his trespass in connection with the extermination of the
priest at Nob. As Abiathar had been the only male descendant of
Abimelech to survive the persecution of Saul, so the sole
representative of the house of David to remain after the sword of
Athaliah had raged (7) was Joash, the child kept in hiding, in the
Holy of Holies in the Temple, by the high priest Jehoiada and his
wife Jehosheba. (8) Later Jehoiada vindicated the right of Joash
upon the throne, and installed him as king of Judah. The very
crown worn by the rulers of the house of David testified to the
legitimacy of the young prince, for it possessed the peculiarity of
fitting none but the rightful successors to David. (9)

At the instigation of Jehoiada, King Joash undertook the
restoration of the Temple. 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
death. (10) This good fortune befell Jehoiada (11) himself, the son
of Benaiah, commander-in-chief of the army under Solomon. So
long as Joash continued under the tutelage of Jehoiada, he was a
pious king. When Jehoiada departed this life, the courtiers came to
Joash and flattered him: "If thou wert not a god, thou hadst not
been able to abide for six years in the Holy of Holies, a spot which
even the high priest is permitted to enter but once a year." The
king lent ear to their blandishments, and permitted the people to
pay him Divine homage. (12) But when the folly of the king went
to the extreme of prompting him to set up an idol in the Temple,
Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, placed himself at the entrance, and
barring the way said: "Thou shalt not do it so long as I live." (13)
High priest, prophet, and judge though Zechariah was, and
son-in-law of Joash to boot, the king still did not shrink from
having him killed for his presumptuous words, not was he deterred
by the fact that it happened on a Day of Atonement which fell on
the Sabbath. (14) The innocent blood crimsoning the hall of the
priests did not remain unavenged. For two hundred and fifty-two
years it did not leave off seething and pulsating, until, finally,
Nebuzaradan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar's guard, ordered a great
carnage among the Judeans, to avenge the death of Zechariah. (15)

Joash himself, the murderer of Zechariah, met with an evil end. He
fell into the hands of the Syrians, and they abused him in their
barbarous, immoral way. Before he could recover from the
suffering inflicted upon him, his servants slew him. (16)

Amaziah, the son and successor of Joash, in many respects
resembled his father. At the beginning of his reign he was
God-fearing, but when, through the aid of God, he had gained a
brilliant victory over the Edomites, he knew no better way of
manifesting his gratitude than to establish in Jerusalem the cult of
the idol worshipped by his conquered enemies. To compass his
chastisement, God inspired Amaziah with the idea of provoking a
war with Joash, the ruler of the northern kingdom. Amaziah
demanded that Joash should either recognize the suzerainty of the
southern realm voluntarily, or let the fate of battle decide the
question. (17) At first Joash sought to turn Amaziah aside from his
purpose by a parable reminding him of the fate of Shechem, which
the sons of Jacob had visited upon him for having done violence to
their sister Dinah. (18) Amaziah refused to be warned. He
persisted in his challenge, and a war ensued. The fortune of battle
decided against Amaziah. He suffered defeat, and later he was
tortured to death by his own subjects. (19)

 THREE GREAT PROPHETS

The reign of Uzziah, who for a little while occupied the throne
during his father Amaziah's lifetime, is notable particularly
because it marks the beginning of the activity of three of the
prophets, Hosea, Amos, and Isaiah. The oldest of the three was
Hosea, (20) the son of the prophet and prince Beeri, the Beeri who
later was carried away captive by Tiglath-pileser, the king of
Assyria. (21) Of Beeri's prophecies we have but two verses,
preserved for us by Isaiah. (22)

The peculiar marriage contracted by Hosea at the command of
God Himself was not without a good reason. When God spoke to
the prophet about the sins of Israel, expecting him to defend or
excuse his people, Hosea said severely: "O Lord of the world!
Thine is the universe. In place of Israel choose another as Thy
peculiar people from among the nations of the earth." To make the
true relation between God and Israel known to the prophet, he was
commanded to take to wife a woman with a dubious past. After
she had borne him several children, God suddenly put the question
to him: "Why followest thou not the example of thy teacher Moses,
who denied himself the joys of family life after his call to
prophecy?" Hosea replied: "I can neither send my wife away nor
divorce her, for she has borne me children." "If, now," said God to
him, "thou who hast a wife of whose honesty thou art so uncertain
that thou canst not even be sure that her children are thine, and yet
thou canst not separate from her, how, then can I separate Myself
from Israel, from My children, the children of My elect, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob!" Hosea entreated God to pardon him. But God
said: "Better were it that thou shouldst pray for the welfare of
Israel, for thou art the cause that I issued three fateful decrees
against them." Hosea prayed as he was bidden, and his prayer
averted the impending threefold doom. (23)

Hosea died at Babylon at a time in which a journey thence to
Palestine was beset with many perils. Desirous of having his
earthly remains rest in sacred ground, he requested before his
death that his bier be loaded upon a camel, and the animal
permitted to make its way as it would. Wherever it stopped, there
his body was to be buried. As he commanded, so it was done.
Without a single mishap the camel arrived at Safed. In the Jewish
cemetery of the town it stood still, and there Hosea was buried in
the presence of a large concourse. (24)

The prophetical activity of Amos commenced after Hosea's had
closed, and before Isaiah's began. Though he had an impediment in
his speech, (25) he obeyed the call of God, and betook himself to
Beth-el to proclaim to the sinful inhabitants thereof the Divine
message with which he had been charged. The denunciation of the
priest Amaziah, of Beth-el, who informed against the prophet
before King Jeroboam of Israel, did him no harm, for the king,
idolater though he was, entertained profound respect for Amos. He
said to himself: "God forbid I should think the prophet guilty of
cherishing traitorous plans, and if he were, it would surely be at
the bidding of God." (26) For this pious disposition Jeroboam was
rewarded; never had the northern kingdom attained to such power
as under him. (27)

However, the fearlessness of Amos finally caused his death. King
Uzziah inflicted a mortal blow upon his forehead with a red-hot
iron. (28)

Two years after Amos ceased to prophesy, Isaiah was favored with
his first Divine communication. It was the day on which King
Uzziah, blinded by success and prosperity, arrogated to himself the
privileges of the priesthood. He tried to offer sacrifices upon the
altar, and when the high priest Azariah (29) ventured to restrain
him, he threatened to slay him and any priest sympathizing with
him unless they kept silent. Suddenly the earth quaked so violently
that a great breach was torn in the Temple, through which a
brilliant ray of sunlight pierced, falling upon the forehead of the
king and causing leprosy to break forth upon him. Nor was that all
the damage done by the earthquake. On the west side of Jerusalem,
half of the mountain was split off and hurled to the east, into a
road, at a distance of four stadia. (30) And not heaven and earth
alone were outraged by Uzziah's atrocity and sought to annihilate
him; even the angels of fire, the seraphim, were on the point of
descending and consuming him, when a voice from on high
proclaimed, that the punishment appointed for Uzziah was unlike
that meted out to Korah and his company despite the similarity of
their crimes. (31)

When Isaiah beheld the august throne of God on this memorable
day, (32) he was sorely affrighted, for he reproached himself with
not having tried to turn the king away from his impious desire.
(33) Enthralled he hearkened to the hymns of praise sung by the
angels, and lost in admiration he failed to join his voice with
theirs. "Woe is me," he cried out, "that I was silent! Woe is me that
I did not join the chorus of the angels praising God! Had I done it,
I, too, like the angels, would have become immortal, seeing I was
permitted to look upon sights to behold which had brought death
to other men." (34) Then he began to excuse himself: "I am a man
of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of people of unclean lips."
At once resounded the voice of God in rebuke: "Of thyself thou art
the master, and of thyself thou mayest say what thou choosest, but
who gave thee the right to calumniate My children of Israel and
call them 'a people of unclean lips'?" And Isaiah heard God bid one
of the seraphim touch his lips with a live coal as a punishment for
having slandered Israel. Though the coal was so hot that the seraph
needed tongs to hold the tongs with which he had taken the coal
from the altar, the prophet yet escaped unscathed, but he learned
the lesson, that it was his duty to defend Israel, not traduce him.
Thenceforth the championship of his people was the mainspring of
the prophet's activity, and he was rewarded by having more
revelations concerning Israel and the other nations vouchsafed him
than any other prophet before or after him. Moreover God
designated Isaiah to be "the prophet of consolation." Thus it
happened that the very Isaiah whose early prophecies foretold the
exile and the destruction of the Temple, (35) later described and
proclaimed, in plainer terms than any other prophet, (36) the
brilliant destiny in store for Israel.

 THE TWO KINGDOMS CHASTISED

Afflicted with leprosy, Uzziah was unfit to reign as king, and
Jotham administered the affairs of Judah for twenty-five years
before the death of his father. (37) 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 time. (38)

Ahaz, the son of Jotham; was very unlike him. "From first to last
he was a sinner." (39) He abolished the true worship of God,
forbade the study of the Torah, set up an idol in the upper room of
the Temple, and disregarded the Jewish laws of marriage. (40) His
transgressions are the less pardonable, because he sinned against
God knowing His grandeur and power, as appears from his reply to
the prophet. Isaiah said to him: "Ask a sign of God, as, for
instance, that the dead should arise, Korah come up from Sheol, or
Elijah descend from heaven." The king's answer was: "I know thou
hast the power to do any of these, but I do not wish the Name of
God to be glorified through me." (41)

The only good quality possessed by Ahaz was respect for Isaiah.
(42) To avoid his reproaches, Ahaz would disguise himself when
he went abroad, so that the prophet might not recognize him. (43)
Only to this circumstance, joined to the fact he was the father of a
pious son and the son of an equally pious father, is it to be ascribed
that, in spite of his wickedness, Ahaz is not one of those who have
forfeited their portion in the world to come. But he did not escape
punishment; on the contrary, his chastisement was severe, not only
as king but also as man. In the ill-starred war against Pekah, the
king of the northern kingdom, he lost his first-born son, a great
hero. (44)

Pekah, however, was not permitted to enjoy the fruits of his
victory, for the king of Assyria invaded his empire, captured the
golden calf at Dan, and led the tribes on the east side of Jordan
away into exile. The dismemberment of the Israelitish kingdom
went on apace for some years. Then the Assyrians, in the reign of
Hoshea, carried off the second golden calf together with the tribes
of Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, and Naphtali, leaving but one-eighth
of the Israelites in their own land. The larger portion of the exiles
was taken to Damascus. After that Israel's doom overtook it with
giant strides, and the last ruler of Israel actually hastened the end
of his kingdom by a pious deed. After the golden calves were
removed by the Assyrians, Hoshea, the king of the north, abolished
the institution of stationing the guards on the frontier between
Judah and Israel to prevent pilgrimages to Jerusalem. But the
people made no use of the liberty granted them. They persisted in
their idolatrous cult, and this quickened their punishment. So long
as their kings had put obstacles in their path, they could excuse
themselves before God for not worshipping Him in the true way.
The action taken by their king Hoshea left them no defense. When
the Assyrians made their third incursion into Israel, the kingdom of
the north was destroyed forever, and the people, one and all, were
carried away into exile. (45)

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 Jews. Nevertheless they continued to worship their
olden idols: the Babylonians paid devotion to a hen, the people of
Cuthah to a cock, those of Hamath to a ram, the dog and the ass
were the gods of the Avvites, and the mule and the horse the gods
of the Sepharvites. (46)

 HEZEKIAH

While the northern kingdom was rapidly descending into the pit of
destruction, a mighty upward impulse was given to Judah, both
spiritually and materially, by its king Hezekiah. In his infancy the
king had been destined as a sacrifice to Moloch. His mother had
saved him from death only by rubbing him with the blood of a
salamander, which made him fire-proof. (47) In every respect he
was the opposite of his father. As the latter is counted among the
worst of sinners, so Hezekiah is counted among the most pious of
Israel. His first act as king is evidence that he held the honor of
God to be his chief concern, important beyond all else. He refused
to accord his father regal obsequies; his remains were buried as
though he had been poor and of plebeian rank. Impious as he was,
Ahaz deserved nothing more dignified. (48) God had Himself
made it known to Hezekiah, by a sign, that his father was to have
no consideration paid him. On the day of the dead king's funeral
daylight lasted but two hours, and his body had to be interred when
the earth was enveloped in darkness. (49)

Throughout his reign, Hezekiah devoted himself mainly to the task
of dispelling the ignorance of the Torah which his father had
caused. While Ahaz had forbidden the study of the law, Hezekiah's
orders read: "Who does not occupy himself with the Torah, renders
himself subject to the death penalty." The academies closed under
Ahaz were kept open day and night under Hezekiah. The king
himself supplied the oil needed for illuminating purposes.
Gradually, under this system, a generation grew up so well trained
that one could search the land from Dan even to Beer-sheba and
not find a single ignoramus. The very women and the children,
both boys and girls, knew the laws of "clean and unclean." (50) By
way of rewarding his piety, God granted Hezekiah a brilliant
victory over Sennacherib.

This Assyrian king, who had conquered the whole world, (51)
equipped an army against Hezekiah like unto which there is none,
unless it be the army of the four kings whom Abraham routed, or
the army to be raised by God and Magog in the Messianic time.
Sennacherib's army consisted of more than two millions and a half
of horsemen, among them forty-five thousand princes sitting in
chariots and surrounded by their paramours, by eighty thousand
armor-clad soldiers, and sixty thousand swordsmen. The camp
extended over a space of four hundred parasangs, and the
saddle-beasts standing neck to neck formed a line forty parasangs
long. The host was divided into four divisions. After the first of
them had passed the Jordan, it was well nigh dry, for the soldiers
had all slaked their thirst with water of the river. The second
division found nothing to quench their thirst except the water
gathered under the hoofs of the horses. The third division was
forced to dig wells, and when the fourth division crossed the
Jordan, they kicked up great clouds of dust. (52)

With this vast army Sennacherib hastened onward, in accordance
with the disclosures of the astrologers, who warned him that he
would fail in his object of capturing Jerusalem, if he arrived there
later than the day set by them. His journey having lasted but one
day instead of ten, as he had expected, he rested at Nob. A raised
platform was there erected for Sennacherib, whence he could view
Jerusalem. On first beholding the Judean capital, the Assyrian king
exclaimed: "What! Is this Jerusalem, the city for whose sake I
gathered together my whole army, for whose sake I first conquered
all other lands? Is it not smaller and weaker than all the cities of
the nations I subdued with my strong hand?" He stretched himself
and shook his head, and waved his hand contemptuously toward
the Temple mount and the sanctuary crowning it. When his
warriors urged him to make his attack upon Jerusalem, he bade
them take their ease for one night, and be prepared to storm the
city the next day. It seemed no great undertaking. 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 disappear. But
Sennacherib made the mistake of not proceeding directly to the
attack upon the city. If he had made the assault at once, it would
have been successful, for the sin of Saul against the priest at Nob
had not yet been wholly expiated; on that very day it was fully
atoned for. (53) In the following night, which was the Passover
night, when Hezekiah and the people began to sing the Hallel
Psalms, (54) the giant host was annihilated. The archangel Gabriel
(55) sent by God to ripen the fruits of the field, was charged to
address himself to the task of making away with the Assyrians, and
he fulfilled his mission so well that of all the millions of the army,
Sennacherib alone was saved with his two sons, his son-in-law
(56) Nebuchadnezzar, and Nebuzaradan. (57) The death of the
Assyrians happened when the angel permitted them to hear the
"song of the celestials." (58) Their souls were burnt, though their
garments remained intact. (59) Such an end was too good for
Sennacherib. To him a disgraceful death was apportioned. On his
flight away from Jerusalem, he met a Divine apparition in the
guise of an old man. He questioned Sennacherib as to what he
would say to the kings allied with him, in reply to their inquiry
about the fate of their sons at Jerusalem. Sennacherib confessed
his dread of a meeting with those kings. The old man advised him
to have his hair cut off, which would change his appearance
beyond recognition. Sennacherib assented, and his advisor sent
him to a house in the vicinity to fetch a pair of shears. Here he
found some people   angels in disguise   busying themselves with a
hand-mill. They promised to give him the shears, provided he
ground a measure of grain for them. So it grew late and dark by the
time Sennacherib returned to the old man, and he had to procure a
light before his hair could be cut. As he fanned the fire into a
flame, a spark flew into his beard and singed it, and he had to
sacrifice his beard as well as his hair. On his return to Assyria,
Sennacherib found a plank, which he worshipped as an idol,
because it was part of the ark which had saved Noah from the
deluge. He vowed that he would sacrifice his sons to this idol if he
prospered in his next ventures. But his sons heard his vows, and
they killed their father, (60) and fled to Kardu where they released
the Jewish captives confined there in great numbers. With these
they marched to Jerusalem, and became proselytes there. The
famous scholars Shemaiah and Abtalion were the descendants of
these two sons of Sennacherib. (61)

 MIRACLES WROUGHT FOR HEZEKIAH

The destruction of the Assyrian host delivered Hezekiah from an
inner as well as an outer enemy, for he had opponents in
Jerusalem, among them the high priest Shebnah. (62) Shebnah had
a more numerous following in the city than the king himself, (63)
and they and their leader had favored peace with Sennacherib.
Supported by Joah, another influential personage, Shebnah had
fastened a letter to a dart, and shot the dart into the Assyrian camp.
The contents of the letter were: "We and the whole people of Israel
wish to conclude peace with thee, but Hezekiah and Isaiah will not
permit it." (64) Shebnah's influence was so powerful that Hezekiah
began to show signs of yielding. Had it not been for the prophet
Isaiah, the king would have submitted to Sennacherib's demands.

Shebnah's treachery and his other sins did not go unpunished.
When he and his band of adherents left Jerusalem to join the
Assyrians, the angel Gabriel closed the gate as soon as Shebnah
had passed beyond it, and so he was separated from his followers.
To the inquiry of Sennacherib about the many sympathizers he had
written of, he could give no reply but that they had changed their
mind. The Assyrian king thought Shebnah had made sport of him.
He, therefore, ordered his attendants to bore a hole through his
heels, tie him to the tail of a horse by them, and spur the horse on
to run until Shebnah was dragged to death. (65)

The unexpected victory won by Hezekiah over the Assyrians, to
whom the kingdom of Samaria had fallen a prey but a short time
before, showed how wrong they had been who had mocked at
Hezekiah for his frugal ways. A king whose meal consisted of a
handful of vegetables could hardly be called a dignified ruler, they
had said. These critics would gladly have seen his kingdom pass
into the hands of Pekah, the king of Samaria, whose dessert, to
speak of nothing else, consisted of forty seim of young pigeons.
(66)

In view of all the wonders God had done for him, it was
unpardonable that Hezekiah did not feel himself prompted at least
to sing a song of praise to God. Indeed, when the prophet Isaiah
urged him to it, he refused, saying that the study of the Torah, to
which he devoted himself with assiduous zeal, was a substitute for
direct expressions of gratitude. Besides, he thought God's miracles
would become known to the world without action on his part, (67)
in such ways as these: After the destruction of the Assyrian army,
when the Jews searched the abandoned camps, they found Pharaoh
the king of Egypt and the Ethiopian king Tirhakah. These kings
had hastened to the aid of Hezekiah, and the Assyrians had taken
them captive and clapped them in irons, in which they were
languishing when the Jews came upon them. Liberated by
Hezekiah, the two rulers returned to their respective realms,
spreading the report of the greatness of God everywhere. And
again, all the vassal troops in Sennacherib's army, set free by
Hezekiah, accepted the Jewish faith, and on their way home they
proclaimed the kingdom of God in Egypt and in many other lands.
(68)

By failing in gratitude Hezekiah lost a great opportunity. The
Divine plan had been to make Hezekiah the Messiah, and
Sennacherib was to be God and Magog. Justice opposed this plan,
addressing God thus: "O Lord of the world! David, king of Israel,
who sang so many songs and hymns of praise to Thee, him Thou
didst not make the Messiah, and now Thou wouldst confer the
distinction upon Hezekiah, who has no word of praise for Thee in
spite of the manifold wonders Thou hast wrought for him?" Then
the earth appeared before God, and said: "Lord of the world! I will
song Thee a song in place of this righteous man; make him to be
the Messiah," and the earth forthwith intoned a song of praise.
Likewise spake the Prince of the World: (69) "Lord of the world!
Do the will of this righteous man." But a voice from heaven
announced: "This is my secret, this is my secret." And again, when
the prophet exclaimed sorrowfully, "Woe is me! How long, O
Lord, how long!" the voice replied: "The time of the Messiah will
arrive when the 'treacherous dealers and the treacherous dealers'
shall have come." (70)

The sin committed by Hezekiah asleep, he had to atone for awake.
If he refused to devote a song of praise to God for his escape from
the Assyrian peril, he could not refrain from doing it after his
recovery from the dangerous sickness that befell him. (71) This
sickness was a punishment for another sin beside ingratitude. He
had "peeled off" the gold from the Temple, and sent it to the king
of the Assyrians; therefore the disease that afflicted him caused his
skin to "peel off." (72) Moreover, this malady of Hezekiah's was
brought upon him by God, to afford an opportunity for the king
and the prophet Isaiah to come close to each other. The two had
had a dispute on a point of etiquette. (73) The king adduced as a
precedent the action of Elijah, who "went to show himself unto
Ahab," and demanded that Isaiah, too, should appear before him.
The prophet, on the other hand, modelled his conduct after
Elisha's, who permitted the kings of Israel, and Judah, and Edom,
to come to him. But God settled the dispute by afflicting Hezekiah
with sickness, and then He bade Isaiah go to the king and pay the
visit due to the sick. The prophet did the bidding of God. When he
appeared in the presence of the ailing king, he said: "Set thine
house in order, 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 posterity. The king's
defense, that he had preferred a celibate's life because he had seen
in the holy spirit that he was destined to have impious children, the
prophet did not consider valid. He rebutted it with the words:
"Why does thou concern thyself with the secrets of the
All-Merciful? Thou hast but to do thy duty. God will do
whatsoever it pleases Him." Thereupon Hezekiah asked the
daughter of the prophet in marriage, saying: "Perchance my merits
joined to thine will cause my children to be virtuous." But Isaiah
rejected the proposal of marriage, because he knew that the decree
of God ordaining the king's death was unalterable. Whereupon the
king: "Thou son of thus has it been transmitted to me from the
house of my ancestor: (74) Even if a sharp sword rests at the very
throat of a man, he may yet not refrain from uttering a prayer for
mercy." (75)

And the king was right. Though death had been decreed against
him, his prayer averted it. In his prayer he supplicated God to keep
him alive for the sake of the merits of his ancestors, who had built
the Temple and brought many proselytes into the Jewish fold, and
for the sake of his own merits, for, he said, "I searched out all the
two hundred and forty-eight members of my body which Thou
didst give me, and I found none which I had used in a manner
contrary to Thy will." (76)

His prayer was heard. God added fifteen years to his life, but He
made him understand very clearly, that he owed the mercy solely
to the merits of David, not at all to his own, as Hezekiah fondly
believed. (77) Before Isaiah left the court of the palace, God
instructed him to return to the king, and announce his recovery to
him. Isaiah feared lest Hezekiah should place little trust in his
words, as he had but a short while before predicted his swiftly
approaching end. But God reassured the prophet. In his modesty
and piety, the king would harbor no doubt derogatory to the
prophet's trustworthiness. (78) The remedy employed by Isaiah, a
cake of figs applied to the boil, increased the wonder of Hezekiah's
recovery, for it was apt to aggravate the malady rather than
alleviate it. (79)

A number of miracles besides were connected with the recovery of
Hezekiah. In itself it was remarkable, as being the first case of a
recovery on record. Previously illness had been inevitably
followed by death. Before he had fallen sick, Hezekiah himself
had implored God to change this order of nature. He held that
sickness followed by restoration to health would induce men to do
penance. God had replied: "Thou art right, and the new order shall
be begun with thee." (80) Furthermore, the day of Hezekiah's
recovery was marked by the great miracle that the sun shone ten
hours longer than its wonted time. The remotest lands were
amazed thereat, and Baladan, the ruler of Babylon, was prompted
by it to send an embassy to Hezekiah, which was to carry his
felicitations to the Jewish king upon his recovery. Baladan, it
should be said by the way, was not the real king of Babylon. The
throne was occupied by his father, whose face had changed into
that of a dog. Therefore the son had to administer the affairs of
state, and he was known by his father's name as well as his own.
(81) This Baladan was in the habit of dining at noon, and then he
took a nap until three o'clock of the afternoon. On the day of
Hezekiah's recovery, when he awoke from his sleep, and saw the
sun overhead, he was on the point of having his guards executed,
because he thought they had permitted him to sleep a whole
afternoon and the night following it. He desisted only when he was
informed of Hezekiah's miraculous recovery, and realised that the
God of Hezekiah was greater than his own god, the sun. (82) He at
once set about sending greetings to the Jewish king. His letter read
as follows: "Peace be with Hezekiah, peace with his great God, and
peace with Jerusalem." After the letter was dispatched, it occurred
to Baladan that it had not been composed properly. Mention of
Hezekiah had been made before mention of God. He had the
messengers called back, and ordered another letter to be written, in
which the oversight was made good. As a reward for his
punctiliousness, three of his descendants, Nebuchadnezzar,
Evil-merodach, and Belshazzar, were appointed by God to be
world monarchs. God said: "Thou didst arise from thy throne, and
didst take three steps to do Me honor, by having thy letter
re-written, therefore will I grant thee three descendants who shall
be known from one end of the world to the other." (83)

The embassy sent by the Babylonian monarch was an act of
homage to God for his miracle-working power. Hezekiah,
however, took it to be an act of homage toward himself, and it had
the effect of making him arrogant. Not only did he eat and drink
with the heathen who made up the embassy, but also, in his
haughtiness of mind, he displayed before them all the treasures
which he had captured from Sennacherib, and many other
curiosities besides, among them magnetic iron, a peculiar sort of
ivory, and honey as solid as stone.

What was worse, he had his wife partake of the meal in honor of
the embassy, and, most heinous crime of all, (84) he opened the
holy Ark, and pointing to the tables of law within it, said to the
heathen: "With the help of these we undertake wars and win
victories." (85) God sent Isaiah to reproach Hezekiah for these
acts. The king, instead of confessing his wrong at once, answered
the prophet haughtily. (86) Then Isaiah announced to him that the
treasures taken from Sennacherib (87) would revert to Babylon
some time in the future, and his descendants, Daniel and the three
companions of Daniel, would serve the Babylonia ruler as
eunuchs. (88)

Despite his pride in this case, Hezekiah was one of the most pious
kings of Judah. Especially he is deserving of praise for his efforts
to have Hebrew literature put into writing, for it was Hezekiah who
had copies made of the books of Isaiah, Ecclesiastes, Song of
Songs, and Proverbs. (89) On the other hand, he had concealed the
books containing medical remedies. (90)

Great was the mourning over him at his death. No less than
thirty-six thousand men with bared shoulders marched before his
bier, and, rarer distinction still, a scroll of the law was laid upon
his bier, for it was said: "He who rests in this bier, has fulfilled all
ordained in this book." (91) He was buried next to David and
Solomon. (92)

 MANASSEH

Hezekiah had finally yielded to the admonitions of Isaiah, and had
taken a wife unto himself, (93) the daughter of the prophet. But he
entered upon marriage with a heavy heart. His prophetic spirit
foretold to him that the impiousness of the sons he would beget
would make their death to be preferable to their life. These fears
were confirmed all too soon. His two sons, Rabshakeh and
Manasseh, showed their complete unlikeness to their parents in
early childhood. Once, when Hezekiah was carrying his two little
ones on his shoulders to the Bet ha-Midrash, he overheard their
conversation. The one said: "Our father's bald head might do for
frying fish." The other rejoined: "It would do well for offering
sacrifices to idols." Enraged by these words, Hezekiah let his sons
slip from his shoulders. Rabshakeh was killed by the fall, but
Manasseh escaped unhurt. (94) Better had it been if Manasseh had
shared his brother's untimely fate. He was spared for naught but
murder, idolatry, and other abominable atrocities. (95)

After Hezekiah had departed this life, Manasseh ceased to serve
the God of his father. He did whatever his evil imagination
prompted. The altar was destroyed, and in the inner space of the
Temple he set up an idol (96) with four faces, copied from the four
figures on the throne of God. It was so placed that from whatever
direction one entered the Temple, a face of the idol confronted
him. (97)

As Manasseh was sacrilegious toward God, he was malevolent
toward his fellows. He had fashioned an image so large that it
required a thousand men to carry it. Daily a new force was
employed on this task, because Manasseh had each set of porters
killed off at the end of the day's work. All his acts were calculated
to cast contempt upon Judaism and its tenets. It did not satisfy his
evil desire to obliterate the name of God from the Holy Scriptures;
(98) he went so far as to deliver public lectures whose burden was
to ridicule the Torah. (99) Isaiah and the other prophets, Micah,
Joel, and Habakkuk, (100) left Jerusalem and repaired to a
mountain in the desert, that they might be spared the sight of the
abominations practiced by the king. Their abiding-place was
disclosed to the king. A Samaritan, a descendant of the false
prophet Zedekiah, had taken refuge in Jerusalem after the
destruction of the Temple. But he did not remain there long;
charges were made against him before the pious king Hezekiah,
and he withdrew to Bethlehem, where he gathered hangers-on
about him. This Samaritan it was who traced the prophets to their
retreat, and lodged accusations against them before Manasseh.
(101) The impious king sat in judgment on Isaiah, and condemned
him to death. The indictment against him was that his prophecies
contained teachings in contradiction with the law of Moses. God
said unto Moses: "Thou canst not see My face; for man shall not
see Me and live"; while Isaiah said: "I saw the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up." Again, Isaiah compared the princes of
Israel and the people with the impious inhabitants of Sodom and
Gomorrah, and he prophesied the downfall of Jerusalem and the
destruction of the Temple. (102) The prophet offered no
explanation. He was convinced of the uselessness of defending
himself, and he preferred Manasseh should act from ignorance
rather than from wickedness. However, he fled for safety. When he
heard the royal bailiffs in pursuit of him, he pronounced the Name
of God, and a cedar-tree swallowed him up. The king ordered the
tree to be sawn in pieces. When the saw was applied to the portion
of the bark under which the mouth of Isaiah lay concealed, he
died. His mouth was the only vulnerable part of his body, because
at the time when he was called to his prophetical mission, (103) it
had made use of the contemptuous words "a people of unclean
lips," regarding Israel. Isaiah died at the age of one hundred and
twenty years, (104) by the hands of his own grandchild. (105)

God is long-suffering, but in the end Manasseh received the
deserved punishment for his sins and crimes. In the twenty-second
year of his rulership, the Assyrians came and carried him off to
Babylon in fetters, him together with the old Danite idol, Micah's
image. (106) In Babylonia, the king was put into an oven which
was heated from below. Finding himself in this extremity,
Manasseh began to call upon god after god to help him out of his
straits. As this proved inefficacious, he resorted to other means. "I
remember," he said, "my father taught me the verse: 'When thou
art in tribulation, if in the latter days thou shalt return to the Lord
thy God, and hearken unto His voice, He will not fail thee.' Now I
cry to God. If He inclines His ear unto me, well and good; if not,
then all kinds of god are alike." The angels stopped up the
windows of heaven, that the prayer of Manasseh might not ascend
to God, and they said: "Lord of the world! Art Thou willing to give
gracious hearing to one who has paid worship to idols, and set up
an idol in the Temple?" "If I did not accept the penance of this
man," replied God, "I should be closing the door in the face of all
repentant sinners." God made a small opening under the Throne of
His Glory, and received the prayer of Manasseh through it.
Suddenly a wind arose, and carried Manasseh back to Jerusalem.
(107) His return to God not only helped him in his distress, but
also brought him pardon for all his sins, so that not even his share
in the future world was withdrawn from him. (108)

The people of this time were attracted to idolatry with so
irresistible a force that the vast learning of Manasseh, who knew
fifty-two different interpretations of the Book of Leviticus, (109)
did not give him enough moral strength to withstand its influence.
Rab Ashi, the famous compiler of the Talmud, once announced a
lecture on Manasseh with the words: "To-morrow I shall speak
about our colleague Manasseh." At night the king appeared to Ashi
in a dreams, and put a ritual question to him, which the Rabbi
could not answer. Manasseh told him the solution, and Ashi, in
amazement at the king's scholarship, asked why one so erudite had
served idols. Manasseh's reply was: "Hadst thou lived at my time,
thou wouldst have caught hold of the hem of my garment and run
after me." (110)

Amon, the son of Manasseh, surpassed his father in wickedness.
He was in the habit of saying: "My father was a sinner from early
childhood, and in his old age he did penance. I shall do the same.
First I shall satisfy the desires of my heart, and afterward I shall
return to God." (111) Indeed, he was guilty of more grievous sins
than his predecessor; he burned the Torah; under him the place of
the altar was covered with spiderwebs; and, as though of purpose
to set at naught the Jewish religion, he committed the worst sort of
incest, a degree more heinous than his father's crime of a similar
nature. (112) Thus he executed the first half of his maxim literally.
For repentance, however, he was given no time; death cut him off
in the fulness of his sinful ways.

 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 son. (113) Josiah offers a shining model of
true, sincere repentance. (114) Though at first he followed in the
footsteps of his father Amon, he soon gave up the ways of
wickedness, and became one of the most pious kings of Israel,
whose chief undertaking was the effort to bring the whole people
back to the true faith. It dates from the time when a copy of the
Torah was found in the Temple, a copy that had escaped the
holocaust kindled by his father and predecessor Amon for the
purpose of exterminating the Holy Scriptures. (115) When he
opened the Scriptures, the first verse to strike his eye was the one
in Deuteronomy: "The Lord shall bring thee and thy king into
exile, unto a nation which thou hast not known." Josiah feared this
doom of exile was impending, and he sought to conciliate God
through the reform of his people. (116)

His first step was to enlist the intercession of the prophets in his
behalf. He addressed his request, not to Jeremiah, but to the
prophetess Huldah, knowing that women are more easily moved to
compassion. 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
amiss. The proud, dignified answer of the prophetess was, that the
misfortune could not be averted from Israel, but the destruction of
the Temple, she continued consolingly, would not happen until
after the death of Josiah. (117) In view of the imminent destruction
of the Temple, Josiah hid the holy Ark and all its appurtenances, in
order to guard them against desecration at the hands of the enemy.
(118)

The efforts of the king in behalf of God and His law found no echo
with the great majority of the people. Though the king was
successful in preventing the worship of idols in public, his subjects
knew how to deceive him. Josiah sent out his pious sympathizers
to inspect the houses of the people, and he was satisfied with their
report, that they had found no idols, not suspecting that the
recreant people has fastened half an image on each wing of the
doors, so that the inmates faced their household idols as they
closed the door upon Josiah's inspectors.

This godless generation contemporaneous with Josiah was to
blame for his death. When King Pharaoh, in his campaign against
the Assyrians, wanted to travel through Palestine, Jeremiah
advised the king not to deny the Egyptians the passage through his
land. He cited a prophecy by his teacher Isaiah, who had foreseen
the war between Assyria and Egypt. But Josiah retorted: "Moses,
thy teacher's teacher, spake: 'I will give peace in the land, and no
sword shall go through your land,' not even the sword that is not
raised against Israel with hostile intent." The king, innocent of the
deception practiced by the people, knew not that they were idol
worshippers, to whom the promises of the Torah have no
application. In the engagement that ensued between the Jews and
the Egyptians, no less than three hundred darts struck the king. In
his death agony he uttered no word of complaint; he only said:
"The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against His
commandment," thus admitting his guilt in not having heeded the
advice of the prophet. (119)

So ended the days of this just king after a brilliant career, the only
king since Solomon to rule over both Judah and Israel, for
Jeremiah had brought back to Palestine the ten exiled tribes of the
north, and made them subject to Josiah. (120) The mourning for
him was profound. (121) Even Jeremiah perpetuated his memory
in his Lamentations. (122)

Pharaoh of Egypt was not permitted to enjoy the results of his
victory to the full, for it was soon after this that, in attempting to
ascend the wondrous throne of Solomon, he was stuck down by the
lions and rendered lame by the blow. (123)

The people put Jehoahaz on the throne of Judah to succeed Josiah,
though his brother Jehoiakim was the older by two years. To
silence the legitimate claims of Jehoiakim, the new king
underwent the ceremony of anointing. (124) But his reign was very
brief. At the end of three months Pharaoh carried him off into
exile in Egypt, and Jehoiakim ruled in his stead.

Jehoiakim was another of the sinful monarchs of the Jews,
uncharitable toward men and disobedient to God and the laws of
God. His garments were of two kinds of stuff mingled together, his
body was tattooed with the names of idols, and in order that he
might appear as a non-Jew, he performed the operation of an
epipost upon himself. Various forms of incest were committed by
him, and, besides, he was in the habit of putting men to death that
he might violate their wives, and confiscate their possessions.
(125) Blasphemous as he was, he spoke: "My predecessors did not
know how to provoke the wrath of God. As for me, I say frankly,
we have no need whatsoever of Him; the very light He gives us we
can dispense with, for the gold of Parvaim can well replace it."
(126)

Seeing such abominations, God desired to resolve the world into
its original chaos. If He desisted from His purpose, it was only
because the people led a God-fearing life during the time of
Jehoiakim. (127) After he had reigned eleven years,
Nebuchadnezzar put an end to his dominion. Advancing with his
army, the Babylonian king halted at Daphne, a suburb of Antioch.
Here he was met by the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem, who desired to
know whether he was coming with the purpose of destroying the
Temple. Nebuchadnezzar assured them, that all he wanted was the
surrender of Jehoiakim, who had rebelled against his authority.
Returned to Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin informed Jehoiakim of
Nebuchadnezzar's intention. The king asked the elders, whether it
was ethical to purchase their lives by sacrificing his. For answer
they referred him to the story of the way Joab dealt with the city of
Abel of Beth-maacah, which had saved itself by surrendering the
rebel Sheba, the son of Bichri. The king's objections did not deter
the Sanhedrin from following the example of Joab acting under the
direction of David. They made Jehoiakim glide down from the city
walls of Jerusalem by a chain. Below, the Babylonians stood ready
to receive him. Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiakim in fetters to all the
cities of Judah, then he slew him, and, his rage still unabated,
threw his corpse to the dogs after having stuck it into the carcass
of an ass. (128) The dogs left nothing of Jehoiakim's body over
except his skull, on which were written the words: "This and
something besides." Many centuries later it was found by a Rabbi
near the gates of Jerusalem. He tried in vain to give it burial; the
earth refused to retain it, and the Rabbi concluded therefrom that it
belonged to the corpse of Jehoiakim. He wrapped the skull in a
cloth, and laid it in a closet. One day the wife of the Rabbi
discovered it there, and she burnt it, thinking the skull belonged to
a former wife of her husband, so dear to him even after her death
that he could not separate himself from this relic. (129)

When Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylonia from his Palestinian
expedition, the people received him with great pomp and
solemnity. He announced to them that in place of Jehoiakim,
whom he had slain, he had installed Mattaniah, the rebel's son,
called Jehoiachin, as king over Judah, and the people uttered the
warning: "One cannot educate a well-behaved puppy whose dam
was ill-conditioned; let alone an ill-conditioned puppy whose dam
was ill-conditioned."

Nebuchadnezzar returned to Daphne, and informed the Sanhedrin,
who hastened from Jerusalem to meet him, that he desired the
surrender of Jehoiachin. If they refused to satisfy his demand, he
would destroy the Temple. When the Jewish king was told the
threat of his Babylonian adversary, he mounted upon the roof of
the Temple, and, holding all the keys of its chambers in his hand,
he spoke thus to God: "Until now Thou didst consider us worthy of
confidence, and Thou didst entrust Thy keys to us. Since Thou no
longer dost esteem us trustworthy, here, take back Thy keys." He
was held to his word: a hand was stretched forth from heaven, and
it received the keys. (130)

Jehoiachin, good and pious, did not desire the city of Jerusalem to
be exposed to peril for his sake. So he delivered himself to the
Babylonian leaders, after they swore that neither city nor people
should suffer harm. But the Babylonians did not keep their oath. A
short while thereafter they carried into exile, not only the king, but
also his mother, and ten thousand (131) of the Jewish nobility and
of the great scholars. (132) This was the second attempt made by
Nebuchadnezzar to deport the Jews. On taking the former king
Jehoiakim captive, he had exiled three hundred of the noblest of
the people, among them the prophet Ezekiel. (133)

The king Jehoiachin was incarcerated for life, a solitary prisoner,
separated from his wife and his family. The Sanhedrin, who were
among those deported with the king, feared that the house of
David die out. They therefore besought Nebuchadnezzar not to
separate Jehoiachin from his wife. They succeeded in enlisting the
sympathy of the queen's hairdresser, and through her of the queen
herself, Semiramis, the wife of Nebuchadnezzar, who in turn
prevailed upon the king to accord mild treatment to the
unfortunate prince exiled from Judea. Suffering had completely
changed the once sinful king, so that, in spite of his great joy over
his reunion with his wife, he still paid regard to the prescriptions
of the Jewish law regulating conjugal life. He was prepared to
deny himself every indulgence, when the purchase price was an
infringement of the word of God. Such steadfastness pleaded with
God to pardon the king for his sins, and the heavenly Sanhedrin
absolved God from His oath, to crush Jehoiachin and deprive his
house of sovereignty. (134) By way of reward for his continence he
was blessed with distinguished posterity. Not only was Zerubbabel,
the first governor of Palestine after the destruction of the Temple,
a grandson of Jehoiachin's, (135) but also the Messiah himself will
be a descendant of his. (136)

ZEDEKIAH

The execution of one king and the deportation of another were but
preludes to the great national catastrophe in the time of Zedekiah,
the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the whole people.
After Nebuchadnezzar had led Jehoiachin and a portion of the
people into banishment, his commiseration was aroused for the
Jews, and he inquired, whether any other sons of Josiah were still
living. Only Mattaniah was left. (1) He was re-named Zedekiah, in
the hope that he would be the father of pious sons. In reality the
name became the omen of the disasters to happen in the time of
this king.

Nebuchadnezzar, who invested Zedekiah with the royal office,
demanded that he swear fealty to him. Zedekiah was about to
swear by his own soul, but the Babylonian king, not satisfied,
brought a scroll of the law, and made his Jewish vassal take the
oath upon that. (2) Nevertheless he did not keep faith with
Nebuchadnezzar for long. Nor was this his only treachery toward
his suzerain. He had once surprised Nebuchadnezzar in the act of
cutting a piece from a living hare and eating it, as is the habit of
barbarians. Nebuchadnezzar was painfully embarrassed, and he
begged the Jewish king to promise under oath not to mention what
he had seen. Though Nebuchadnezzar treated him with great
friendliness, even making him sovereign lord over five vassal
kings, he did not justify the trust reposed in him. To flatter
Zedekiah, the five kings once said: "If all were as it should be,
thou wouldst occupy the throne of Nebuchadnezzar." Zedekiah
could not refrain from exclaiming: "O yes, Nebuchadnezzar, whom
I once saw eating a live hare!"

The five kings at once repaired to Nebuchadnezzar, and reported
what Zedekiah had said. Thereupon the king of Babylonia marched
to Daphne, near Antioch, with the purpose of chastising Zedekiah.
At Daphne he found the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem, who had hastened
thither to receive him. Nebuchadnezzar met the Sanhedrin
courteously, ordered his attendants to bring state chairs for all the
members, and requested them to read the Torah to him and explain
it. When they reached the passage in the Book of Numbers dealing
with the remission of vows, the king put the question: "If a man
desires to be released from a vow, what steps must he take?" The
Sanhedrin replied: "He must repair to a scholar, and he will
absolve him from his vow." Whereupon Nebuchadnezzar
exclaimed: "I verily believe it was you who released Zedekiah
from the vow he took concerning me." And he ordered the
members of the Sanhedrin to leave their state chairs and sit on the
ground. (3) They were forced to admit, that they had not acted in
accordance with the law, for Zedekiah's vow affected another
beside himself, and without the acquiescence of the other party,
namely, Nebuchadnezzar, the Sanhedrin had no authority to annul
the vow. (4)

Zedekiah was duly punished for the grievous crime of perjury.
When Jerusalem was captured, he tried to escape through a cave
extending from his house to Jericho. God sent a deer into the camp
of the Chaldeans, and in their pursuit of this game, the Babylonian
soldiers reached the farther opening of the cave at the very
moment when Zedekiah was leaving it. (5) The Jewish king
together with his ten sons was brought before Nebuchadnezzar,
who addressed Zedekiah thus: "Were I to judge thee according to
the law of thy God, thou wouldst deserve the death penalty, for
thou didst swear a false oath by the Name of God; no less wouldst
thou deserve death, if I were to judge thee according to the law of
the state, for thou didst fail in thy sworn duty to thy overlord."

Zedekiah requested the grace that his execution take place before
his children's, and he be spared the sight of their blood. His
children, on the other hand, besought Nebuchadnezzar to slay them
before he slew their father, that they might be spared the disgrace
of seeing their father executed. In his heartlessness
Nebuchadnezzar had resolved worse things than Zedekiah
anticipated. In the sight of their father, the children of Zedekiah
were killed, and then Zedekiah himself was deprived of sight; his
eyes were blinded. (6) He had been endowed with eyes of
superhuman strength,   they were the eyes of Adam,   and the iron
lances forced into them were powerless to destroy his sight. Vision
left him only because of the tears he shed over the fate of his
children. (7) Now he realized how true Jeremiah had spoken when
he had prophesied his exile to Babylonia. Though he should live
there until his death, he would never behold the land with his eyes.
On account of its seeming contradictoriness, Zedekiah had thought
the prophecy untrue. For this reason he had not heeded Jeremiah's
advice to make peace with Nebuchadnezzar. Now it had all been
verified; he was carried to Babylonia a captive, yet, blind as he
was, he did not see the land of his exile. (8)

 JEREMIAH

Though Zedekiah besmirched his career by perjury, he was
nevertheless so good and just a king that for his sake God
relinquished his purpose of returning the world to its original
chaos, as a punishment for the evil-doing of a wicked generation.
(9) In this depraved time, it was first and foremost Jeremiah to
whom was delegated the task of proclaiming the word of God. He
was a descendant of Joshua and Rahab, and his father was the
prophet (10) Hilkiah. He was born while his father was fleeing
(11) from the persecution of Jezebel, the murderess of prophets. At
his very birth he showed signs that he was destined to play a great
part. He was born circumcised, (12) and scarcely had he left his
mother's womb when he broke into wailing, and his voice was the
voice, not of a babe, but of a youth. He cried: "My bowels, my
bowels tremble, the walls of my heart they are disquieted, my
limbs quake, destruction upon destruction I bring upon earth." In
this strain he continued to moan and groan, complaining of the
faithlessness of his mother, and when she expressed her
amazement at the unseemly speech of her new-born son, Jeremiah
said: "Not thee do I mean, my mother, not to thee doth my
prophecy refer; I speak of Zion, and against Jerusalem are my
words directed. She adorns her daughters, arrays them in purple,
and puts golden crowns upon their heads. Robbers will come and
strip them of their ornaments."

As a lad he received the call to be a prophet. But he refused to
obey, saying: "O Lord, I cannot go as a prophet to Israel, for when
lived there a prophet whom Israel did not desire to kill? Moses and
Aaron they sought to stone with stones; Elijah the Tishbite they
mocked at because his hair was grown long; and they called after
Elisha, 'Go up, thou bald head'   no, I cannot go to Israel, for I am
still naught but a lad." God replied: "I love youth, for it is innocent.
When I carried Israel out of Egypt, I called him a lad, and when I
think of Israel lovingly, I speak of him as a lad. Say not, therefore,
thou art only a lad, but thou shalt go on whatsoever errand I shall
send thee. Now, then," God, continued, "take the 'cup of wrath,'
and let the nations drink of it." Jeremiah put the question which
land was to drink first from the "cup of wrath," and the answer of
God was: "First Jerusalem is to drink, the head of all earthly
nations, and then the cities of Judah." When the prophet heard this,
he began to curse the day of his birth. "I am like the high priest,"
he said, "who has to administer the 'water of bitterness' to a woman
who is held under the suspicion of adultery, and when he
approaches the woman with the cup, lo, he beholds his own
mother. And I, O Mother Zion, thought, when I was called to
prophesy, that I was appointed to proclaim prosperity and salvation
to thee, but now I see that my message forebodes thee evil."

Jeremiah's first appearance in public was during the reign of
Josiah, when he announced to the people in the streets: "If ye will
give up your wicked doings, God will raise you above all nations;
if not, He will deliver His house into the hands of the enemies, and
they will deal with it as seemeth best to them."

The prophets contemporary with Jeremiah in his early years were
Zechariah and Huldah. The province of the latter was among
women, while Zechariah was active in the synagogue. (13) Later,
under Jehoiakim, Jeremiah was supported by the prophets of his
relative Uriah of Kiriathjearim, a friend of the prophet Isaiah. (14)
But Uriah was put to death by the ungodly king, the same who had
the first chapter of Lamentations burnt after obliterating the Name
of God wherever it occurs in the whole book. But Jeremiah added
four chapters. (15)

The prophet fell upon evil times under Zedekiah. He had both the
people and the court against him. Nor was that surprising in a day
when not even the high priests in the Temple bore the sign of the
covenant upon their bodies. (16) Jeremiah had called forth general
hostility by condemning the alliance with Egypt against Babylonia,
and favoring peace with Nebuchadnezzar; and this though to all
appearances the help of the Egyptians would prove of good effect
for the Jews. The hosts of Pharaoh Necho had actually set forth
from Egypt to join the Jews against Babylon. But when they were
on the high seas, God commanded the waters to cover themselves
with corpses. Astonished, the Egyptians asked each other, whence
the dead bodies. Presently the answer occurred to them: they were
the bodies of their ancestors drowned in the Red Sea on account of
the Jews, who had shaken off Egyptian rule. "What," said the
Egyptians thereupon, "shall we bring help to those who drowned
our fathers?" So they returned to their own country, justifying the
warning of Jeremiah, that no dependence could be put upon
Egyptian promises. (17)

A little while after this occurrence, when Jeremiah wanted to leave
Jerusalem to go to Anathoth and partake of his priestly portion
there, the watchman at the gate accused him of desiring to desert
to the enemy. He was delivered to his adversaries at court, and
they confined him in prison. The watchman knew full well that it
was a trumped up charge he was bringing against Jeremiah, and
the intention attributed to him was as far as possible from the mind
of the prophet, but he took this opportunity to vent an old family
grudge. For this gateman was a grandson of the false prophet
Hananiah, the enemy of Jeremiah, the one who had prophesied
complete victory over Nebuchadnezzar within two years. It were
proper to say, he calculated the victory rather than prophesied it.
He reasoned: "If unto Elam, which is a mere ally of the
Babylonians against the Jews, destruction has been appointed by
God through Jeremiah, so much the more will the extreme penalty
fall upon the Babylonians themselves, who have inflicted vast evil
upon the Jews." (18) Jeremiah's prophecy had been the reverse: so
far from holding forth any hope that a victory would be won over
Nebuchadnezzar, the Jewish state, he said, would suffer
annihilation. Hananiah demanded a sign betokening the truth of
Jeremiah's prophecy. But Jeremiah contended there could be no
sign for such a prophecy as his, since the Divine determination to
do evil can be annulled. On the other hand, it was the duty of
Hananiah to give a sign, for he was prophesying pleasant things,
and the Divine resolution for good is executed without. (19)
Finally, Jeremiah advanced the clinching argument: "I, a priest,
may be well content with the prophecy; it is to my interest that the
Temple should continue to stand. As for thee, thou art a Gibeonite,
thou wilt have to do a slave's service in it so long as there is a
Temple. But instead of troubling thy mind with the future in store
for others, thou shouldst rather have thought of thine own future,
for this very year thou wilt die." Hananiah, in very truth, died on
the last day of the year set as his term of life, but before his death
he ordered that it should be kept secret for two days, so to give the
lie to Jeremiah's prophecy. With his last words, addressed to his
son Shelemiah, he charged him to seek every possible way of
taking revenge upon Jeremiah, to whose curse his death was to be
ascribed. Shelemiah had no opportunity of fulfilling his father's
last behest, but it did not pass from his mind, and when he, in turn,
lay upon his death-bed, he impressed the duty of revenge upon his
son Jeriah. It was the grandson of Hananiah who, when he saw
Jeremiah leaving the city, hastened to take the opportunity of
accusing the prophet of treason. His purpose prospered. The
aristocratic enemies of Jeremiah, enraged against him, welcomed
the chance to put him behind prison bars, and gave him in charge
of a jailer, Jonathan, who had been a friend of the false prophet
Hananiah. Jonathan pleased himself by mocking at his prisoner:
"See," he would say, "see what honor thy friend does thee, to put
thee in so fine a prison as this; verily, it is a royal palace."

Despite his suffering, Jeremiah did not hold back the truth. When
the king inquired of him, whether he had a revelation from God, he
replied: "Yes, the king of Babylonia will carry thee off into exile."
To avoid irritating the king, he went into no further detail. He only
prayed the king to liberate him from prison, saying: "Even wicked
men   like Hananiah and his descendants   at least cast about for a
pretext when they desire to take revenge, and their example ought
not to be lost upon thee who art called Zedekiah, 'just man.'" The
king granted his petition, but Jeremiah did not enjoy liberty for
long. Hardly out of prison, he again advised the people to
surrender, and the nobility seized him and cast him into a lime pit
filled with water, where they hoped he would drown. But a miracle
happened. The water sank to the bottom, and the mud rose to the
surface, and supported the prophet above the water. Help came to
him from Ebed-melech, a "white raven," the only pious man at
court. Ebed-melech hastened to the king and spoke: "Know, if
Jeremiah perishes in the lime pit, Jerusalem will surely be
captured." With the permission of the king, Ebed-melech went to
the pit, and cried out aloud several times, "O my lord Jeremiah,"
but no answer came. Jeremiah feared the words were spoken by
his former jailer Jonathan, who had not given up his practice of
mocking at the prophet. He would come to the edge of the pit and
call down jeeringly: "Do not rest thy head on the mud, and take a
little sleep, Jeremiah." To such sneers Jeremiah made no reply,
and hence it was that Ebed-melech was left unanswered. Thinking
the prophet dead, he began to lament and tear his clothes. Then
Jeremiah, realizing that it was a friend, and not Jonathan, asked:
"Who is it that is calling my name and weeps therewith?" and he
received the assurance that Ebed-melech had come to rescue him
from his perilous position. (20)

 NEBUCHADNEZZAR

The suffering to which Jeremiah was exposed was finally ended by
the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. This Babylonian
king was a son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. (21) His
first contact with the Jews happened in the time of his
father-in-law Sennacherib, whom he accompanied on his
campaign against Hezekiah. The destruction of the Assyrian army
before the walls of Jerusalem, the great catastrophe from which
only Nebuchadnezzar and four others escaped with their life,
inspired him with fear of God. (22) Later, in his capacity as
secretary to the Babylonian king Merodach-baladan, it was he who
called his master's notice to the mention of the Jewish king's name
before the Name of God. "Thou callest Him 'the great God,' yet
thou dost name Him after the king," he said. Nebuchadnezzar
himself hastened after the messenger to bring back the letter and
have it changed. He had advanced scarce three steps when he was
restrained by the angel Gabriel, for even the few paces he had
walked for the glory of God earned him his great power over
Israel. A further step would have extended his ability to inflict
harm immeasurably. (23)

For eighteen years daily a heavenly voice resounded in the palace
of Nebuchadnezzar, saying: "O thou wicked slave, go and destroy
the house of thy Lord, for His children hearken not unto Him." But
Nebuchadnezzar was beset with fears lest God prepare a fate for
him similar to that of his ancestor Sennacherib. He practiced
belomancy and consulted other auguries, to assure himself that he
was against Jerusalem would result favorably. When he shook up
the arrows, and questioned whether he was to go to Rome or
Alexandria, not one arrow sprang up, but when he questioned
about Jerusalem, one sprang up. He sowed seeds and set out
planets; for Rome or Alexandria nothing came up; for Jerusalem
everything sprouted and grew. He lighted candles and lanterns; for
Rome or Alexandria they refused to burn, for Jerusalem they shed
their light. He floated vessels on the Euphrates; for Rome or
Alexandria they did not move, for Jerusalem they swam. (24)

Still the fears of Nebuchadnezzar were not allayed. His
determination to attack the Holy City ripened only after God
Himself had shown him how He had bound the hands of the
archangel Michael, the patron of the Jews, behind his back, in
order to render him powerless to bring to his wards. So the
campaign against Jerusalem was undertaken. (25)

 THE CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM

If the Babylonians thought that the conquest of Jerusalem was an
easy task, they were greatly mistaken. For three years God endured
the inhabitants with strength to withstand the onslaughts of the
enemy, in the hope that the Jews would amend their evil ways and
abandon their godless conduct, so that the threatened punishment
might be annulled.

Among the many heroes in the beleaguered city that was bidding
defiance to the Babylonians, one by the name of Akiba was
particularly distinguished. The stones were hurled at the walls of
the city from the catapults wielded by the enemy without, he was
wont to catch on his feet, and throw them back upon the besiegers.
Once it happened that a stone was so cast as to drop, not upon the
wall, but in front of it. In his swift race toward it, Akiba was
precipitated into the space between the inner and the outer wall.
He quickly reassured his friends in the city, that his fall had in no
wise harmed him. He was only a little shaken up and weak; as
soon as he had his accustomed daily meal, a roasted ox, he would
be able to scale the wall and resume the struggle with the
Babylonians. But human strength and artifice avail naught against
God. A gust of wind arose, and Akiba was thrown from the wall,
and he died. Thereupon the Chaldeans made a breach in the wall,
and penetrated into the city. (26)

Equally fruitless were the endeavors of Hanamel, the uncle of
Jeremiah, to save the city. He conjured the angels up, armed them,
and had them occupy the walls. The Chaldeans retreated in terror
at the sight of the heavenly host. But God changed the names of
the angels, and brought them back to heaven. Hanamel's exorcisms
availed naught. When he called the Angel of the Water, for
instance, the response would come from the Angel of Fire, who
bore the former name of his companion. Then Hanamel resorted to
the extreme measure of summoning the Prince of the World, who
raised Jerusalem high up in the air. But God thrust the city down
again, and the enemy entered unhindered. (27)

Nevertheless, the capture of the city could not have been
accomplished if Jeremiah had been present. His deeds were as a
firm pillar for the city, and his prayers as a stony wall. Therefore
God sent the prophet (28) on an errand out of the city. He was
made to go to his native place, Anathoth, to take possession of a
field, his by right of inheritance. Jeremiah rejoiced; he took this as
a sign that God would be gracious to Judah, else He would not
have commanded him to take possession of a piece of land.
Scarcely had the prophet left Jerusalem when an angel descended
upon the wall of the city and caused a breach to appear, at the
same time crying out: "Let the enemy come and enter the house,
for the Master of the house is no longer therein. The enemy has
leave to despoil it and destroy it. Go ye into the vineyard and snap
the vines asunder, for the Watchman hath gone away and
abandoned it. But let no man boast and say, he and his have
vanquished the city. Nay, a conquered city have ye conquered, a
dead people have ye killed."

The enemy rushed in and ascended the Temple mount, and on the
spot whereon King Solomon had been in the habit of sitting when
he took counsel with the elders, the Chaldeans plotted how to
reduce the Temple to ashes. During their sinister deliberations,
they beheld four angels, each with a flaming torch in his hand,
descending and setting fire to the four corners of the Temple. The
high priest, seeing the flames shoot up, cast the keys of the Temple
heavenward, saying: "Here are the keys of Thy house; it seems I
am an untrustworthy custodian," and, as he turned, he was seized
by the enemy and slaughtered in the very place on which he had
been wont to offer the daily sacrifice. With him perished his
daughter, her blood mingling with her father's. The priests and the
Levites threw themselves into the flames with their harps and
trumpets, and, to escape the violence feared from the licentious
Chaldeans, (29) the virgins who wove the curtains for the
sanctuary followed their example. Still more horrible was the
carnage caused among the people by Nebuzaradan, spurred on as
he was by the sight of the blood of the murdered prophet
Zechariah seething on the floor of the Temple. At first the Jews
sought to conceal the true story connected with the blood. At
length they had to confess, that it was the blood of a prophet who
had prophesied the destruction of the Temple, and for his candor
had been slain by the people. Nebuzaradan, to appease the prophet,
ordered the scholars of the kingdom to be executed first on the
bloody spot, then the school children, and at last the young priests,
more than a million souls in all. But the blood of the prophet went
on seething and reeking, until Nebuzaradan exclaimed: "Zechariah,
Zechariah, the good in Israel I have slaughtered. Dost thou desire
the destruction of the whole people?" Then the blood ceased to
seethe.

Nebuzaradan was startled by the thought, if the Jews, who had a
single life upon their conscience, were made to atone so cruelly,
what would be his own fate! He left Nebuchadnezzar and became
a proselyte. (30)

 THE GREAT LAMENT

On his return from Anathoth, Jeremiah saw, at a distance, smoke
curling upward from the Temple mount, and his spirit was joyful.
He thought the Jews had repented of their sins, and were bringing
incense offerings. Once within the city walls, he knew the truth,
that the Temple had fallen a prey to the incendiary. Overwhelmed
by grief, he cried out: "O Lord, Thou didst entice me, and I
permitted myself to be enticed; Thou didst send me forth out of
Thy house that Thou mightest destroy it." (31)

God Himself was deeply moved by the destruction of the Temple,
which He had abandoned that the enemy might enter and destroy
it. Accompanied by the angels, He visited the ruins, and gave vent
to His sorrow: "Woe is Me on account of My house. Where are My
children, where My priests, where My beloved? But what could I
do for you? Did I not warn you? Yet you would not mend your
ways." "To-day," God said to Jeremiah, "I am like a man who has
an only son. He prepares the marriage canopy for him, and his only
beloved dies under it. Thou doest seem to feel but little sympathy
with Me and with My children. Go, summon Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and Moses from their graces. They know how to mourn."
"Lord of the world," replied Jeremiah, "I know not where Moses is
buried." "Stand on the banks of the Jordan," said God, "and cry:
'Thou son of Amram, son of Amram, arise, see how wolves have
devoured thy sheep.'"

Jeremiah repaired to the Double Cave, and spake to the Patriarchs:
"Arise, ye are summoned to appear before God." When they asked
him the reason of the summons, he feigned ignorance, for he
feared to tell them the true reason; they might have cast reproaches
upon him that so great a disaster had overtaken Israel in his time.
Then Jeremiah journeyed on to the banks of the Jordan, and there
he called as he had been bidden: "Thou son of Amram, son of
Amram, arise, thou are cited to appear before God." "What has
happened this day, that God calls me unto Him?" asked Moses. "I
know not," replied Jeremiah again. Moses thereupon went to the
angels, and from them he learned that the Temple had been
destroyed, and Israel banished from his land. Weeping and
mourning, Moses joined the Patriarchs, and together, rending their
garments and wringing their hands, they betook themselves to the
ruins of the Temple. Here their wailing was augmented by the loud
lamentations of the angels: (32) "How desolate are the highways to
Jerusalem, the highways destined for travel without end! How
deserted are the streets that once were thronged at the seasons of
the pilgrimages! O Lord of the world, with Abraham the father of
Thy people, who taught the world to know Thee as the ruler of the
universe, Thou didst make a covenant, that through him and his
descendants the earth should be filled with people, and now Thou
hast dissolved Thy covenant with him. O Lord of the world! Thou
hast scorned Zion and Jerusalem, once Thy chosen habitation.
Thou hast dealt more harshly with Israel than with the generation
of Enosh, the first idolaters."

God thereupon said to the angels: "Why do ye array yourselves
against Me with your complaints?" "Lord do the world," they
replied, "on account of Abraham, Thy beloved, who has come into
Thy house wailing and weeping, yet Thou payest no heed unto
him." Thereupon God: "Since My beloved ended his earthly career,
he has not been in My house. 'What hath My beloved to do in My
house'?" (33)

Now Abraham entered into the conversation: "Why, O Lord of the
world, hast Thou exiled my children, delivered them into the hands
of the nations, who torture them with all tortures, and who have
rendered desolate the sanctuary, where I was ready to bring Thee
my son Isaac as a sacrifice?" "Thy children have sinned," said God,
"they have transgressed the whole Torah, they have offended
against every letter of it." Abraham: "Who is there that will testify
against Israel, that he has transgressed the Torah?" God: "Let the
Torah herself appear and testify." The Torah came, and Abraham
addressed her: "O my daughter, dost thou indeed come to testify
against Israel, to say that he violated thy commandments? Dost
thou feel no shame? Remember the day on which God offered thee
to all the peoples, all the nations of the earth, and they all rejected
thee with disdain. (34) Then my children came to Sinai, they
accepted thee, and they honored thee. And now, on the day of their
distress, thou standest up against them?" Hearing this, the Torah
stepped aside, and did not testify. "Let the twenty-two letters of the
Hebrew alphabet in which Torah is written come and testify
against Israel," said God. They appeared without delay, and Alef,
the first letter, was about to testify against Israel, when Abraham
interrupted it with the words: "Thou chief of all letters, thou
comest to testify against Israel in the time of his distress? Be
mindful of the day on which God revealed Himself on Mount
Sinai, beginning His words with thee: 'Anoki the Lord thy God.' No
people, no nation accepted thee, only my children, and now thou
comest to testify against them!" Alef stepped aside and was silent.
The same happened with the second letter Bet, (35) and with the
third, Gimel, and with all the rest   all of them retired abashed, and
opened not their mouth. Now Abraham turned to God and said: "O
Lord of the world! When I was a hundred years old, Thou didst
give me a son, and when he was in the flower of his age,
thirty-seven years old, Thou didst command me to sacrifice him to
Thee, and I, like a monster, without compassion, I bound him upon
the altar with mine own hands. Let that plead with Thee, and have
Thou pity on my children."

Then Isaac raised his voice and spake: "O Lord of the world, when
my father told me, 'God will provide Himself the lamb for a burnt
offering, my son,' I did not resist Thy word. Willingly I let myself
be tied to the altar, my throat was raised to meet the knife. Let that
plead with Thee, and have Thou pity on my children."

Then Jacob raised his voice and spake: "O Lord of the world, for
twenty years I dwelt in the house of Laban, and when I left it, I met
with Esau, who sought to murder my children, and I risked my life
for theirs. And now they are delivered into the hands of their
enemies, like sheep led to the shambles, after I coddled them like
fledglings breaking forth from their shells, after I suffered anguish
for their sake all the days of my life. Let that plead with Thee, and
have Thou pity on my children."

And at last Moses raised his voice and spake: "O Lord of the
world, was I not a faithful shepherd unto Israel for forty long
years? Like a steed I ran ahead of him in the desert, and when the
time came for him to enter the Promised Land, Thou didst
command: 'Here in the desert shall thy bones drop!' And now that
the children of Israel are exiled, Thou hast sent for me to mourn
and lament over them. That is what the people mean when they
say: The good fortune of the master is none for the slave, but the
master's woe is his woe." And turning to Jeremiah, he continued:
"Walk before me, I will lead them back; let us see who will
venture to raise a hand against them." Jeremiah replied: "The roads
cannot be passed, they are blocked with corpses." But Moses was
not to be deterred, and the two, Moses following Jeremiah,
reached the rivers of Babylon. When the Jews saw Moses, they
said: "The son of Amram has ascended from his grave to redeem
us from our enemies." (36) At that moment a heavenly voice was
heard to cry out: "It is decreed!" And Moses said: "O my children, I
cannot redeem you, the decree is unalterable   may God redeem
you speedily," and he departed from them.

The children of Israel raised their voices in sore lamentations, and
the sound of their grief pierced to the very heavens. Meantime
Moses returned to the Fathers, and reported to them to what dire
suffering the exiled Jews were exposed, and they all broke out into
woe-begone plaints. (37) In his bitter grief, Moses exclaimed: "Be
cursed, O sun, why was not thy light extinguished in the hour in
which the enemy invaded the sanctuary?" The sun replied: "O
faithful shepherd, I sware by the life, I could not grow dark. The
heavenly powers would not permit it. Sixty fiery scourges they
dealt me, and they said, 'Go and let thy light shine forth,'" (38)
Another last complaint Moses uttered: "O Lord of the world, Thou
hast written it in Thy Torah: 'And whether it be cow or ewe, ye
shall not kill it and her young both in one day.' How many mothers
have they slaughtered with their children   and Thou art silent!"

Then, with the suddenness of a flash, Rachel, our mother, stood
before the Holy One, blessed be He: "Lord of the world," she said,
"Thou knowest how overwhelming was Jacob's love for me, and
when I observed that my father thought to put Leah in my place, I
gave Jacob secret signs, that the plan of my father might be set at
naught. But then I repented me of what I had done, and to spare
my sister mortification, I disclosed the signs to her. More than this,
I myself was in the bridal chamber, and when Jacob spake with
Leah, I made reply, lest her voice betray her. I, a woman, a
creature of flesh and blood, of dust and ashes, was not jealous of
my rival. Thou, O God, everlasting King, Thou eternal and
merciful Father, why wast Thou jealous of the idols, empty
vanities? Why hast Thou driven out my children, slain them with
swords, left them at the mercy of their enemies?" Then the
compassion of the Supreme God was awakened, and He said: "For
thy sake, O Rachel, I will lead the children of Israel back to their
land." (39)

 JEREMIAH'S JOURNEY TO BABYLON

When Nebuchadnezzar dispatched his general Nebuzaradan to the
capture of Jerusalem, he gave him three instructions regarding the
mild treatment of Jeremiah: "Take him, and look well to him, and
do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee."
At the same time he enjoined him to use pitiless cruelty toward the
rest of the people. But the prophet desired to share the fate of his
suffering brethren, and when he saw a company of youths in the
pillory, he put his own head into it. Nebuzaradan would always
withdraw him again. Thereafter if Jeremiah saw a company of old
men clapped in chains, he would join them and share their
ignominy, until Nebuzaradan released him. Finally, Nebuzaradan
said to Jeremiah: "Lo, thou art one of three things; either thou are a
prophesier of false things, or thou art a despiser of suffering, or
thou art a shedder of blood. A prophesier of false things   for since
many a year hast thou been prophesying the downfall of this city,
and now, when thy prophecy has come true, thou sorrowest and
mournest. Or a despiser of suffering   for I seek to do thee naught
harmful, and thou thyself pursuest what is harmful to thee, as thou
to say, 'I am indifferent to pain.' Or a shedder of blood   for the
king has charged me to have a care of thee, and let no harm come
upon thee, but as thou insistest upon seeking evil for thyself, it
must be that the king may hear of thy misfortune, and put me to
death." (40)

At first Jeremiah refused Nebuzaradan's offer to let him remain in
Palestine. He joined the march of the captives going to Babylon,
along the highways streaming with blood and strewn with corpses.
When they arrived at the borders of the Holy Land, they all,
prophet and people, broke out into loud wails, and Jeremiah said:
"Yes, brethren and countrymen, all this hath befallen you, because
ye did not hearken unto the words of my prophecy." (41) Jeremiah
journeyed with them until they came to the banks of the Euphrates.
Then God spoke to the prophet: "Jeremiah, if thou remainest here,
I shall go with them, and if thou goest with them, I shall remain
here." Jeremiah replied: "Lord of the world, if I go with them, what
doth it avail them? Only if their King, their Creator accompanies
them, will it bestead them." (42)

When the captives saw Jeremiah make preparations to return to
Palestine, they began to weep and cry: "O Father Jeremiah, wilt
thou, too, abandon us?" "I call heaven and earth to witness," said
the prophet, "had you wept but once in Zion, ye had not been
driven out." (43)

Beset with terrors was the return journey for the prophet. Corpses
lay everywhere, and Jeremiah gathered up all the fingers that lay
about; he strained them to his heart, fondled them, kissed them,
and wrapped them in his mantle, saying sadly: "Did I not tell you,
my children, did I not say to you, 'Give glory to the Lord your God,
before He cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the
dark mountains'?" (44)

Dejected, oppressed by his grief, Jeremiah saw the fulfilment of
his prophecy against the coquettish maidens of Jerusalem, who had
pursued but the pleasures and enjoyments of the world. How often
had the prophet admonished them to do penance and lead a
God-fearing life! In vain; whenever he threatened them with the
destruction of Jerusalem, they said: "Why should we concern
ourselves about it?" "A prince will take me unto wife," said one,
the other, "A prefect will marry me." And at first it seemed the
expectations of Jerusalem's fair daughters would be realized, for
the most aristocratic of the victorious Chaldeans were charmed by
the beauty of the women of Jerusalem, and offered them their hand
and their rank. But God sent disfiguring and repulsive diseases
upon the women, and the Babylonians cast them off, threw them
violently out of their chariots, and ruthlessly drove them over the
prostrate bodies. (45)

 TRANSPORTATION OF THE CAPTIVES

Nebuchadnezzar's orders were to hurry the captives along the road
to Babylon without stop or stay. He feared the Jews might else find
opportunity to supplicate the mercy of God, and He,
compassionate as He is, would release them instantly they did
penance. (46) Accordingly, there was no pause in the forward
march, until the Euphrates was reached. There they were within
the borders of the empire of Nebuchadnezzar, and he thought he
had nothing more to fear.

Many of the Jews died as soon as they drank of the Euphrates. In
their native land they had been accustomed to the water drawn
from springs and wells. Mourning over their dead and over the
others that had fallen by the way, they sat on the banks of the river,
while Nebuchadnezzar and his princes on their vessels celebrated
their victory amid song and music. The king noticed that the
princes of Judah, though they were in chains, bore no load upon
their shoulders, and he called to his servants: "Have you no load
for these?" They took the parchment scrolls of the law, tore them
in pieces, made sacks of them, and filled them with sand; these
they loaded upon the backs of the Jewish princes. At sight of this
disgrace, all Israel broke out into loud weeping. The voice of their
sorrow pierced the very heavens, and God determined to turn the
world once more into chaos, for He told Himself, that after all the
world was created but for the sake of Israel. The angels hastened
thither, and they spake before God: "O Lord of the world, the
universe is Thine. Is it not enough that Thou hast dismembered
Thy earthly house, the Temple? Wilt Thou destroy Thy heavenly
house, too?" God restraining them said: "Do ye think I am a
creature of flesh and blood, and stand in need of consolation? Do I
not know beginning and end of all things? Go rather and remove
their burdens from the princes of Judah." Aided by God the angels
descended, and they carried the loads put upon the Jewish captives
until they reached Babylon.

On their way, they passed the city of Bari. (47) The inhabitants
thereof were not a little astonished at the cruelty of
Nebuchadnezzar, who made the captives march naked. The people
of Bari stripped their slaves of their clothes, and presented the
slaves to Nebuchadnezzar. When the king expressed his
astonishment thereat, they said: "We thought thou wert particularly
pleased with naked men." The king at once ordered the Jews to be
arrayed in their garments. The reward accorded the Bariites was
that God endowed them forever with beauty and irresistible grace.
(48)

The compassionate Bariites did not find many imitators. The very
opposite quality was displayed by the Ammonites, Moabites,
Edomites, and Arabs. Despite their close kinship with Israel, their
conduct toward the Jews was dictated by cruelty. The two
first-mentioned, the Ammonites and the Moabites, when they
heard the prophet foretell the destruction of Jerusalem, hastened
without a moment's delay to report it to Nebuchadnezzar, and urge
him to attack Jerusalem. The scruples of the Babylonian king, who
feared God, and all the reasons he advanced against a combat with
Israel, they refuted, and finally they induced him to act as they
wished. (49) At the capture of the city, while all the strange
nations were seeking booty, the Ammonites and the Moabites
threw themselves into the Temple to seize the scroll of the law,
because it contained the clause against their entering into the
"assembly of the Lord even to the tenth generation." (50) To
disgrace the faith of Israel, they plucked the Cherubim from the
Holy of Holies and dragged them through the streets of Jerusalem,
crying aloud at the same time: "Behold these sacred things that
belong to the Israelites, who say ever they have no idols."

The Edomites were still more hostile (51) in the hour of Israel's
need. They went to Jerusalem with Nebuchadnezzar, but they kept
themselves at a distance from the city, there to await the outcome
of the battle between the Jews and the Babylonians. If the Jews
had been victorious, they would have pretended they had come to
bring them aid. When Nebuchadnezzar's victory became known,
they showed their true feelings. Those who escaped the sword of
the Babylonians, were hewn down by the hand of the Edomites.
(52)

But in fiendish cunning these nations were surpassed by the
Ishmaelites. Eighty thousand young priests, each with a golden
shield upon his breast, succeeded in making their way through the
ranks of Nebuchadnezzar and in reaching the Ishmaelites. They
asked for water to drink. The reply of the Ishmaelites was: "First
eat, and then you may drink," at the same time handing them salt
food. Their thirst was increased, and the Ishmaelites gave them
leather bags filled with nothing but air instead of water. When they
raised them to their mouths, the air entered their bodies, and they
fell dead.

Other Arabic tribes showed their hostility openly; as the
Palmyrenes, who put eighty thousand archers at the disposal of
Nebuchadnezzar in his war against Israel. (53)

 THE SONS OF MOSES

If Nebuchadnezzar thought, that once he had the Jews in the
regions of the Euphrates they were in his power forever, he was
greatly mistaken. It was on the very banks of the great river that he
suffered the loss of a number of his captives. When the first stop
was made by the Euphrates, the Jews could no longer contain their
grief, and they broke out into tears and bitter lamentations.
Nebuchadnezzar bade them be silent, and as though to render
obedience to his orders the harder, he called upon the Levites, the
minstrels of the Temple to sing the songs of Zion for the
entertainment of his guests at the banquet he had arranged. The
Levites consulted with one another. "Not enough that the Temple
lies in ashes because of our sins, should we add to our
transgressions by coaxing music from the strings of our holy harps
in honor of these 'dwarfs'?" (54) they said, and they determined to
offer resistance. The murderous Babylonians mowed them down in
heaps, yet they met death with high courage, for it saved their
sacred instruments from the desecration of being used before idols
and for the sake of idolaters.

The Levites who survived the carnage   the Sons of Moses they
were   bit their own fingers off, and when they were asked to play,
they showed their tyrants mutilated hands, with which it was
impossible to manipulate their harps. (55) At the fall of night a
cloud descended and enveloped the Sons of Moses and all who
belonged to them. They were hidden from their enemies, while
their own way was illuminated by a pillar of fire. The cloud and
the pillar vanished at break of day, and before the Sons of Moses
lay a tract of land bordered by the sea on three sides. For their
complete protection God made the river Sambation to flow on the
fourth side. This river is full of sand and stones, and on the six
working days of the week, they tumble over each other with such
vehemence that the crash and the roar are heard far and wide. But
on the Sabbath (56) the tumultuous river subsides into quiet. As a
guard against trespassers on that day, a column of cloud stretches
along the whole length of the river, and none can approach the
Sambation within three miles. Hedged in as they are, the Sons of
Moses yet communicate with their brethren of the tribes of
Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, who dwell near the banks of the
Sambation. Carrier pigeons bear letters hither and thither.

In the land of the Sons of Moses there are none but clean animals,
and in every respect the inhabitants lead a holy and pure life,
worthy of their ancestor Moses. They never use an oath, and, if
perchance an oath escapes the lips of one of them, he is at once
reminded of the Divine punishment connected with his act   his
children will die at a tender age.

The Sons of Moses live peaceably and enjoy prosperity as equals
through their common Jewish faith. They have need of neither
prince nor judge, for they know not strife and litigation. Each
works for the welfare of the community, and each takes from the
common store only what will satisfy his needs. Their houses are
built of equal height, that no one may deem himself above his
neighbor, and that that the fresh air may not be hindered from
playing freely about all alike. Even at night their doors stand wide
open, for they have naught to fear from thieves, nor are wild
animals known in their land. They all attain a good old age. The
son never dies before the father. When a death occurs, there is
rejoicing, because the departed is known to have entered into life
everlasting in loyalty to his faith. The birth of a child, on the other
hand, calls forth mourning, for who can tell whether the being
ushered into the world will be pious and faithful? The dead are
buried near the doors of their own houses, in order that their
survivors, in all their comings and goings, may be reminded of
their own end. Disease is unknown among them, for they never
sin, and sickness is sent only to purify from sins. (57)

 EBED-MELECH

The Sons of Moses were not the only ones to escape from under
the heavy hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Still more miraculous was the
deliverance of the pious Ethiopian Ebed-melech from the hands of
the Babylonians. He was saved as a reward for rescuing Jeremiah
when the prophet's life was jeopardized. On the day before the
destruction of the Temple, shortly before the enemy forced his way
into the city, the Ethiopian was sent, by the prophet Jeremiah
acting under Divine instruction, to a certain place in front of the
gates of the city, to dole out refreshments to the poor from a little
basket of figs he was to carry with him. Ebed-melech reached the
spot, but the heat was so intense that he fell asleep under a tree,
and there he slept for sixty-six years. When he woke up, the figs
were still fresh and juicy, but all the surroundings had so changed,
he could not make out where he was. His confusion increased
when he entered the city to seek Jeremiah, and found nothing as it
had been. He accosted an old man, and asked him the name of the
place. When he was told it was Jerusalem, Ebed-melech cried out
in amazement: "Where is Jeremiah, where is Baruch, and where
are all the people?" The old man was not a little astonished at
these questions. How was it possible that one who had known
Jeremiah and Jerusalem should be ignorant of the events that had
passed sixty years before? In brief words he told Ebed-melech of
the destruction of the Temple and of the captivity of the people,
but what he said found no credence with his auditor. Finally
Ebed-melech realized that God had performed a great miracle for
him, so that he had been spared the sight of Israel's misfortune.

While he was pouring out his heart in gratitude to God, an eagle
descended and led him to Baruch, who lived not far from the city.
Thereupon Baruch received the command from God to write to
Jeremiah that the people should remove the strangers from the
midst of them, and then God would lead them back to Jerusalem.
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
eagle, who had told Baruch that he had been sent to serve him as a
messenger. The eagle set out on his journey. 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 solicitation. When
the eagle saw Jeremiah and the people approach with a funeral
train, he cried out: "I have a message for thee, Jeremiah. Let all the
people draw nigh to receive the good tidings." As a sign that his
mission was true, the eagle touched the corpse, and it came to life.
Amidst tears all the people cried unto Jeremiah: "Save us! What
must we do to return to our land?"

The eagle brought Jeremiah's answer to Baruch, and after the
prophet had sent the Babylonian women away, he returned to
Jerusalem with the people. Those who would not submit to the
orders of Jeremiah relative to the heathen women, were not
permitted by the prophet to enter the holy city, and as they
likewise were not permitted to return to Babylonia, they founded
the city of Samaria near Jerusalem. (58)

 THE TEMPLE VESSELS

The task laid upon Jeremiah had been twofold. Besides giving him
charge over the people in the land of their exile, God had entrusted
to him the care of the sanctuary and all it contained. (59) The holy
Ark, the altar of incense, and the holy tent were carried by an angel
to the mount whence Moses before his death had viewed the land
divinely assigned to Israel. There Jeremiah found a spacious place,
in which he concealed these sacred utensils. Some of his
companions had gone with him to note the way to the cave, but yet
they could not find it. (60) When Jeremiah heard of their purpose,
he censured them, for it was the wish of God that the place of
hiding should remain a secret until the redemption, and then God
Himself will make the hidden things visible. (61)

Even the Temple vessels not concealed by Jeremiah were
prevented from falling into the hands of the enemy; the gates of
the Temple sank into the earth, (62) and other parts and utensils
were hidden in a tower at Bagdad by the Levite Shimur (63) and
his friends. Among these utensils was the seven-branched
candlestick of pure gold, every branch set with twenty-six pearls,
and beside the pearls two hundred stones of inestimable worth.
Furthermore, the tower at Bagdad was the hiding-place for
seventy-seven golden tables, and for the gold with which the walls
of the Temple had been clothed within and without. The tables had
been taken from Paradise by Solomon, and in brilliance they
outshone the sun and the moon, 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 Temple. The
jewels, pearls, gold, and silver, and precious gems, which David
and Solomon had intended for the Temple were discovered by the
scribe Hilkiah, and he delivered them to the angel Shamshiel, who
in turn deposited the treasure in Borsippa. The sacred musical
instruments were taken charge of and hidden by Baruch and
Zedekiah until the advent of the Messiah, who will reveal all
treasures. In his time a stream will break forth from under the
place of the Holy of Holies, and flow through the lands to the
Euphrates, and, as it flows, it will uncover all the treasures buried
in the earth. (64)

 BARUCH

At the time of the destruction of the Temple, one of the prominent
figures was Baruch, the faithful attendant (65) of Jeremiah. God
commanded him to leave the city one day before the enemy was to
enter it, in order that his presence might not render it impregnable.
On the following day, he and all other pious men having
abandoned Jerusalem, he saw from a distance how the angels
descended, set fire to the city walls, and concealed the sacred
vessels of the Temple. At first his mourning over the misfortunes
of Jerusalem and the people knew no bounds. But he was in a
measure consoled at the end of a seven days' fast, when God made
known to him that the day of reckoning would come for the
heathen, too. Other Divine visions were vouchsafed him. The
whole future of mankind was unrolled before his eyes, especially
the history of Israel, and he learned that the coming of the Messiah
would put an end to all sorrow and misery, and usher in the reign
of peace and joy among men. As for him, he would be removed
from the earth, he was told, but not through death, and only in
order to be kept safe against the coming of the end of all time. (66)

Thus consoled, Baruch addressed an admonition to the people left
in Palestine, and wrote two letters of the same tenor to the exiles,
one to the nine tribes and a half, the other to the two tribes and a
half. The letter to the nine tribes and a half of the captivity was
carried to them by an eagle. (67)

Five years after the great catastrophe, he composed a book in
Babylon, (68) which contained penitential prayers and hymns of
consolation, exhorting Israel and urging the people to return to
God and His law. This book Baruch read to King Jeconiah and the
whole people on a day of prayer and penitence. On the same
occasion a collection was taken up among the people, and the
funds thus secured, together with the silver Temple vessels made
by order of Zedekiah after Jeconiah had been carried away captive,
were sent to Jerusalem, 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 Belshazzar. Thus they might ensure peace and happiness under
Babylonian rule. Above all, they were to supplicate God to turn
away His wrath from His people.

Baruch sent his book also to the residents of Jerusalem, and they
read it in the Temple on distinguished days, and recited the prayers
it contains. (69)

Baruch is one of the few mortals who have been privileged to visit
Paradise and know its secrets. An angel of the Lord appeared to
him while he was lamenting over the destruction of Jerusalem and
took him to the seven heavens, to the place of judgment where the
doom of the godless is pronounced, and to the abodes of the
blessed. (70)

He was still among the living at the time in which Cyrus permitted
the Jews to return to Palestine, but on account of his advanced age
he could not avail himself of the permission. So long as he was
alive, his disciple Ezra remained with him in Babylonia, for "the
study of the law is more important than the building of the
Temple." 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 Jerusalem. (71)

 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 death,
through the marvellous occurrences connected with his tomb.
Once a Babylonian prince commanded a Jew, Rabbi Solomon by
name, to show him the grave of Ezekiel, concerning which he had
heard many remarkable tales. The Jew advised the prince first to
enter the tomb of Baruch, which adjoined that of Ezekiel. Having
succeeded in this, he might attempt the same with the tomb of
Ezekiel, the teacher of Baruch. (72) In the presence of his grandees
and his people the prince tried to open the grave of Baruch, but his
efforts were fruitless. Whosoever touched it, was at once stricken
dead. An old Arab advised the prince to call upon the Jews to gain
entrance for him, seeing that Baruch had been a Jew, and his books
were still being studied by Jews. The Jews prepared themselves by
fasts, prayers, penitence, and almsgiving, and they succeeded in
opening the grave without a mishap. Baruch was found lying on
marble bier, and the appearance of the corpse was as though he
had only then passed away. (73) The prince ordered the bier to be
brought to the city, and the body to be entombed there. He thought
it was not seemly that Ezekiel and Baruch should rest in the same
grave. But the bearers found it impossible to remove the bier more
than two thousands ells from the original grave; not even with the
help of numerous draught-animals could it be urged a single step
further. Following the advice of Rabbi Solomon, the prince
resolved to enter the bier on the spot they had reached and also to
erect an academy there. These miraculous happenings induced the
prince to go to Mecca. There he became convinced of the falseness
of Mohammedanism, of which he had hitherto been an adherent,
and he converted to Judaism, he and his whole court.

Near the grave of Baruch there grows a species of grass whose
leaves are covered with gold dust. As the sheen of the gold is not
readily noticeable by day, the people seek out the place at night,
mark the very spot on which the grass grows, and return by day
and gather it. (74)

Not less famous is the tomb of Ezekiel, at a distance of two
thousand ells from Baruch's. It is overarched by a beautiful
mausoleum erected by King Jeconiah after Evil-merodach had
released him from captivity. The mausoleum existed down to the
middle ages, and it bore on its walls the names of the thirty-five
thousand Jews who assisted Jeconiah in erecting the monument. It
was the scene of many miracles. When great crowds of people
journeyed thither to pay reverence to the memory of the prophet,
the little low gate in the wall surrounding the grave enlarged in
width and height to admit all who desired to enter. Once a prince
vowed to give a colt to the grave of the prophet, if but his mare
which had been sterile would bear one. When his wish was
fulfilled, however, he did not keep his promise. But the filly ran a
distance equal to a four days' journey to the tomb, and his owner
could not recover it until he deposited his value in silver upon the
grace. When people went on long journeys, they were in the habit
of carrying their treasures to the grave of the prophet, and
beseeching him to let none but the rightful heirs remove them
thence. The prophet always granted their petition. Once when an
attempt was made to take some books from the grave of Ezekiel,
the ravager suddenly became sick and blind. For a time a pillar of
fire, visible at a great distance, rose above the grave of the prophet,
but it disappeared in consequence of the unseemly conduct of the
pilgrims who resorted thither.

Not far from the grave of Ezekiel was the grave of Barozak, who
once appeared to a rich Jew in a dream. He spoke: "I am Barozak,
one of the princes who were led into captivity with Jeremiah. I am
one of the just. If thou wilt erect a handsome mausoleum for me,
thou wilt be blessed with progeny." The Jew did as he had been
bidden, and he who had been childless, shortly after became a
father. (75)

 DANIEL

The most distinguished member of the Babylonian Diaspora was
Daniel. Though not a prophet, (76) he was surpassed by none in
wisdom, piety, and good deeds. His firm adherence to Judaism he
displayed from his early youth, when, a page at the royal court, he
refused to partake of the bread, wine, and oil of the heathen, even
though the enjoyment of them was not prohibited by the law. (77)
In general, his prominent position at the court was maintained at
the cost of many a hardship, for he and his companions, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah, were envied their distinctions by numerous
enemies, who sought to compass their ruin.

Once they were accused before King Nebuchadnezzar of leading
an unchaste life. The king resolved to order their execution. But
Daniel and his friends mutilated certain parts of their bodies, and
so demonstrated how unfounded were the charges against them.
(78)

As a youth Daniel gave evidence of his wisdom, when he
convicted two old sinners of having testified falsely against
Susanna, as beautiful as she was good. Misled by the perjured
witnesses, the court had condemned Susanna to death. Then
Daniel, impelled by a higher power, appeared among the people,
proclaimed that wrong had been done, and demanded that the case
be re-opened. And so it was. Daniel himself cross-questioned the
witnesses one after the other. The same questions were addressed
to both, and as the replies did not agree with each other, the false
witnesses stood condemned, and they were made to suffer the
penalty they would have had the court inflict upon their victim.
(79)

Daniel's high position in the state dates from the time when he
interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The king said to the
astrologers and magicians: "I know my dream, but I do not want to
tell you what it was, else you will invent anything at all, and
pretend it is the interpretation of the dream. But if you tell me the
dream, then I shall have confidence in your interpretation of it."

After much talk between Nebuchadnezzar and his wise men, they
confessed that the king's wish might have been fulfilled, if but the
Temple had still existed. The high priest at Jerusalem might have
revealed the secret by consulting the Urim and Thummim. At this
point the king became wrathful against his wise men, who had
advised him to destroy the Temple, though they must have known
how useful it might become to the king and the state. He ordered
them all to execution. Their life was saved by Daniel, who recited
the king's dream, and gave its interpretation. (80) The king was so
filled with admiration of Daniel's wisdom that he paid him Divine
honors. Daniel, however, refused such extravagant treatment   he
did not desire to be the object of idolatrous veneration. (81) He left
Nebuchadnezzar in order to escape the marks of honor thrust upon
him, and repaired to Tiberias, where he build a canal. Besides, he
was charged by the king with commissions, to bring fodder for
cattle to Babylonia and also swine from Alexandria. (82)

 THE THREE MEN IN THE FURNACE

During Daniel's absence Nebuchadnezzar set up an idol, and its
worship was exacted from all his subject under penalty of death by
fire. The image could not stand on account of the disproportion
between its height and its thickness. The whole of the gold and
silver captured by the Babylonians in Jerusalem was needed to
give it steadiness. (83)

All the nations owning the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, including even
Israel, obeyed the royal command to worship the image. Only the
three pious companions of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah, resisted the order. In vain Nebuchadnezzar urged upon
them, as an argument in favor if idolatry, 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 Jerusalem. The
three saints would not hearken to these seductions of the king, nor
when he referred them to such authorities as Moses and Jeremiah,
in order to prove to them that they were under obligation to do the
royal bidding. They said to him: "Thou art our king in all that
concerns service, taxes, poll-money, and tribute, but with respect
to thy present command thou art only Nebuchadnezzar. Therein
thou and the dog are alike unto us. Bark like a dog, inflate thyself
like a water-bottle, and chirp like a cricket." (84)

Now Nebuchadnezzar's wrath transcended all bound, and he
ordered the three to be cast into a red hot furnace, so hot that the
flames of its fire darted to the height of forty-nine ells beyond the
oven, and consumed the heathen standing about it. No less than
four nations were thus exterminated. (85) While the three saints
were being thrust into the furnace, they addressed a fervent prayer
to God, supplicating His grace toward them, and entreating Him to
put their adversaries to shame. The angels desired to descend and
rescue the three men in the furnace. But God forbade it: "Did the
three men act thus for your sakes? Nay, they did it for Me; and I
will save them with Mine own hands." (86) God also rejected the
good offices of Yurkami, the angel of hail who offered to
extinguish the fire in the furnace. The angel Gabriel justly pointed
out that such a miracle would not be sufficiently striking to arrest
attention. His own proposition was accepted. He, the angel of fire,
was deputed to snatch the three men from the red hot furnace. He
executed his mission by cooling off the fire inside of the oven,
while on the outside the heat continued to increase to such a
degree that the heathen standing around the furnace were
consumed. (87) The three youths thereupon raised their voices
together in a hymn of praise to God, thanking Him for His
miraculous help. (88) The Chaldeans observed the three men
pacing up and down quietly in the furnace, followed by a fourth
the angel Gabriel   as by an attendant. Nebuchadnezzar, who
hastened thither to see the wonder, was stunned with fright, for he
recognized Gabriel to be the angel who in the guise of a column of
fire had blasted the army of Sennacherib. (89) Six other miracles
happened, all of them driving terror to the heart of the king: the
fiery furnace which had been sunk in the ground raised itself into
the air; it was broken; the bottom dropped out; the image erected
by Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate; four nations were wasted by
fire; and Ezekiel revived the dead in the valley of Dura.

Of the last, Nebuchadnezzar was apprised in a peculiar way. He
had a drinking vessel made of the bones of a slain Jew. When he
was about to use it, life began to stir in the bones, and a blow was
planted in the king's face, while a voice announced: "A friend of
this man is at this moment reviving the dead!" Nebuchadnezzar
now offered praise to God for the miracles performed, and if an
angel had not quickly struck him a blow on his mouth, and forced
him into silence, his psalms of praise would have excelled the
Psalter of David.

The deliverance of the three pious young men was a brilliant
vindication of their ways, but at the same time it caused great
mortification to the masses of the Jewish people, who had
complied with the order of Nebuchadnezzar to worship his idol.
(90) Accordingly, when the three men left the furnace   which they
did not do until Nebuchadnezzar invited them to leave (91)   the
heathen struck all the Jews they met in the face, deriding them at
the same time: "You who have so marvellous a God pay homage to
an idol!" The three men thereupon left Babylonia and went to
Palestine, where they joined their friend, the high priest Joshua.
(92)

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 sakes.
When the king's command to bow down before the idol was
published, and the three men were appointed to act as the
representatives of the people, Hananiah and his companions
resorted to Daniel for his advice. He referred them to the prophet
Ezekiel, who counselled flight, citing his teacher Isaiah as his
authority. The three men rejected his advice, and declared
themselves ready to suffer the death of martyrs. Ezekiel bade them
tarry until he inquired of God, whether a miracle would be done
for them. The words of God were: "I shall not manifest Myself as
their savior. They caused My house to be destroyed, My palace to
be burnt, My children to be dispersed among the heathen, and now
they appeal for My help. As I live, I will not be found of them."

Instead of discouraging the three men, this answer but infused new
spirit and resolution in them, and they declared with more decided
emphasis than before, that they were ready to meet death. God
consoled the weeping prophet by revealing to him, that He would
save the three saintly heroes. He had sought to restrain them from
martyrdom only to let their piety and steadfastness appear the
brighter.

On account of their piety it became customary to swear by the
Name of Him who supports the world on three pillars, the pillars
being the saints Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Their deliverance
from death by fire worked a great effect upon the disposition of the
heathen. They were convinced of the uselessness of their idols, and
with their own hands they destroyed them. (93)

 EZEKIEL REVIVES THE DEAD

Among the dead whom Ezekiel restored to life (94) at the same
time when the three men were redeemed from the fiery furnace
were different classes of persons. 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 bondage. Some were the
godless among the Jews that had polluted the Temple at Jerusalem
with heathen rites, and those still more godless who in life had not
believed in the resurrection of the dead. 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 sun. The Babylonian women
were seized with a great passion for them, and at the solicitation of
their husbands, Nebuchadnezzar ordered a bloody massacre of the
handsome youths. But the Babylonian women were not yet cured
of their unlawful passion; the beauty of the young Hebrews
haunted them until their corpses lay crushed before them, their
graceful bodies mutilated. These were the youths recalled to life
by the prophet Ezekiel. Lastly, he revived some that had perished
only a short time before. When Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah
were saved from death, Nebuchadnezzar thus addressed the other
Jews, those who had yielded obedience to his command
concerning the worship of the idol: "You know that your God can
help and save, nevertheless you paid worship to an idol which is
incapable of doing anything. This proves that, as you have
destroyed your own land by your wicked deeds, so you are now
trying to destroy my land with your iniquity." Forthwith he
commanded that they all be executed, sixty thousand in number.
Twenty years passed, and Ezekiel was vouchsafed the vision in
which God bade him repair to the Valley of Dura, where
Nebuchadnezzar had set up his idol, and had massacred the host of
the Jews. Here God showed him the dry bones of the slain with the
question: "Can I revive these bones?" Ezekiel's answer was
evasive, and as a punishment for his little faith, he had to end his
days in Babylon, and was not granted even burial in the soil of
Palestine. God then dropped the dew of heaven upon the dry
bones, and "sinews were upon them, and flesh came up, and skin
covered them above." At the same time God sent forth winds to the
four corners of the earth, which unlocked the treasure houses of
souls, and brought its own soul to each body. All came to life
except one man, who, as God explained to the prophet, was
excluded from the resurrection because he was a usurer.

In spite of the marvellous miracle performed from them, the men
thus restored to life wept, because they feared they would have no
share at the end of time in the resurrection of the whole of Israel.
But the prophet assured them, in the name of God, that their
portion in all that had been promised Israel should in no wise be
diminished. (95)

 NEBUCHADNEZZAR A BEAST

Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of the whole world, (96) to whom even
the wild animals paid obedience,   his pet was a lion with a snake
coiled about its neck, (97)   did not escape punishment for his sins.
He was chastised as none before him. He whom fear of God had at
first held back from a war against Jerusalem, and who had to be
dragged forcibly, as he sat on his horse, to the Holy of Holies (98)
by the archangel Michael, he later became so arrogant that he
thought himself a god, (99) and cherished the plan of enveloping
himself in a cloud, so that he might live apart from men. (100) A
heavenly voice resounded: "O thou wicked man, son of a wicked
man, and descendant of Nimrod the wicked, who incited the world
to rebel against God! Behold, the days of the years of a man are
threescore years and ten, or perhaps by reason of strength
fourscore years. It takes five hundred years to traverse the distance
of the earth from the first heaven, and as long a time to penetrate
from the bottom to the top of the first heaven, and not less are the
distances from one of the seven heavens to the next. How, then,
canst thou speak of ascending like unto the Most High 'above the
heights of the clouds'?" (101) For this transgression of deeming
himself more than a man, he was punished by being made to live
for some time as a beast among beasts, treated by them as though
he were one of them. (102) For forty days (103) he led this life. As
far down as his navel he had the appearance of an ox, and the
lower part of his body resembled that of a lion. Like an ox he ate
grass, and like a lion he attacked a curious crowd, but Daniel spent
his time in prayer, entreating that the seven years of this brutish
life allotted to Nebuchadnezzar might be reduced to seven months.
His prayer was granted. At the end of forty days reason returned to
the king, the next forty days he passed in weeping bitterly over his
sins, and in the interval that remained to complete the seven
months he again lived the life of a beast. (104)

 HIRAM

Hiram, the king of Tyre, was a contemporary of Nebuchadnezzar,
and in many respects resembled him. He, too, esteemed himself a
god, and sought to make men believe in his divinity by the
artificial heavens he fashioned for himself. In the sea he erected
four iron pillars, on which he build up seven heavens, each five
hundred ells larger than the one below. The first was a plate of
glass of five hundred square ells, and the second a plate of iron of
a thousand square ells. The third, of lead, and separated from the
second by canals, contained huge round boulders, which produced
the sound of thunder on the iron. The fourth heaven was of brass,
the fifth of copper, the sixth of silver, and the seventh of gold, all
separated from each other by canals. In the seventh, thirty-five
hundred ells in extent, he had diamonds and pearls, which he
manipulated so as to produce the effect of flashes and sheets of
lightening, while the stones below imitated the growling of the
thunder.

As Hiram was thus floating above the earth, in his vain
imagination deeming himself superior to the rest of men, he
suddenly perceived the prophet Ezekiel next to himself. He had
been waved thither by a wind. Frightened and amazed, Hiram
asked the prophet how he had risen to his heights. The answer was:
"God brought me here, and He bade me ask thee why thou art so
proud, thou born of woman?" The king of Tyre replied defiantly: "I
am not one born of woman; I live forever, and as God resides on
the sea, so my abode is on the sea, and as He inhabits seven
heavens, so do I. See how many kings I have survived! Twenty-one
of the House of David, and as many of the Kingdom of the Ten
Tribes, and no less than fifty prophets and ten high priests have I
buried." Thereupon God said: "I will destroy My house, that
henceforth Hiram may have no reason for self-glorification,
because all his pride comes only from the circumstance that he
furnished the cedar-trees for the building of the Temple." The end
of this proud king was that he was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar,
deprived of this throne, and made to suffer a cruel death. Though
the Babylonian king was the step-son of Hiram, he had no mercy
with him. Daily he cut off a bit of the flesh of his body, and forced
the Tyrian king to eat it, until the finally perished. Hiram's palace
was swallowed by the earth, and in the bowels of the earth it will
remain until it shall emerge in the future world as the habitation of
the pious. (105)

 THE FALSE PROPHETS

Not only among the heathen, but also among the Jews there were
very sinful people in those days. The most notorious Jewish
sinners were the two false prophets Ahab and Zedekiah. Ahab
came to the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and said: "Yield thyself
to Zedekiah," telling her this in the form of a Divine message. The
same was done by Zedekiah, who only varied the message by
substituting the name of Ahab. The princess could not accept such
messages as Divine, and she told her father what had occurred.
(106) Though Nebuchadnezzar was so addicted to immoral
practices that he was in the habit of making his captive kings
drunk, and then satisfying his unnatural lusts upon them, and a
miracle had to interpose to shield the pious of Judah against this
disgrace, (107) yet he well knew that the God of the Jews hates
immorality. He therefore questioned Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah about it, and they emphatically denied the possibility that
such a message could have come from God. The prophets of lies
refused to recall their statements, and Nebuchadnezzar decided to
subject them to the same fiery test as he had decreed for the three
pious companions of Daniel. To be fair toward them, the king
permitted them to choose a third fellow-sufferer, some pious man
to share their lot. Seeing no escape, Ahab and Zedekiah asked for
Joshua, later the high priest, as their companion in the furnace, in
the hope that his distinguished merits would suffice to save all
three of them. They were mistaken. Joshua emerged unhurt, only
his garments were seared, but the false prophets were consumed.
Joshua explained the singeing of his garments by the fact that he
was directly exposed to the full fury of the flames. But the truth
was that he had to expiate the sins of his sons, who had contracted
marriages unworthy of their dignity and descent. Therefore their
father escaped death only after the fire had burnt his garments.
(108)

 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 Daniel. When Nebuchadnezzar offered him Divine honors,
(109) he refused what Hiram sought to obtain by every means in
his power. 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 Dura, for he knew very well that
Daniel would prefer death in the flames to disregard of the
commands of God, and he could not well have cast the man into
the fire to whom he had paid Divine homage. Moreover, it was the
wish of God that Daniel should not pass through the fiery ordeal at
the same time as his three friends, in order that their deliverance
might not be ascribed to him. (110)

In spite of all this, Nebuchadnezzar endeavored to persuade Daniel
by gentle means to worship an idol. He had the golden diadem of
the high priest inserted in the mouth of an idol, and by reason of
the wondrous power that resides in the Holy Name inscribed on
the diadem, the idol gained the ability to speak, and it said the
words: "I am thy God." Thus were many seduced to worship the
image. But Daniel could not be misled so easily. He secured
permission from the king to kiss the idol. Laying his mouth upon
the idol's, he adjured the diadem in the following words: "I am but
flesh and blood, yet at the same time a messenger of God. I
therefore admonish thee, take heed that the Name of the Holy One,
blessed be He, may not be desecrated, and I order thee to follow
me." So it happened. When the heathen came with music and song
to give honor to the idol, it emitted no sound, but a storm broke
loose and overturned it. (111)

On still another occasion Nebuchadnezzar tried to persuade Daniel
to worship an idol, this time a dragon that devoured all who
approached it, and therefore was adored as a god by the
Babylonians. Daniel had straw mixed with nails fed to him, and
the dragon ate and perished almost immediately. (112)

All this did not prevent Daniel from keeping the welfare of the
king in mind continually. Hence it was that when Nebuchadnezzar
was engaged in setting his house in order, he desired to mention
'Daniel in his will as one of his heirs. But the Jew refused with the
words: "Far be it from me to leave the inheritance of my fathers for
that of the uncircumcised." (113)

Nebuchadnezzar died after having reigned forty years, as long as
King David. (114) The death of the tyrant brought hope and joy to
many a heart, for his severity had been such that during his
lifetime none dared laugh, and when he descended to Sheol, its
inhabitants trembled, fearing he had come to reign over them, too.
However, a heavenly voice called to him: "Go down, and be thou
laid down with the uncircumcised." (115)

The interment of this great king was anything but what one might
have expected, and for this reason: During the seven years spent by
Nebuchadnezzar among the beast, his son Evil-merodach ruled in
his stead. Nebuchadnezzar reappeared after his period of penance,
and incarcerated his son for life. When the death of
Nebuchadnezzar actually did occur, Evil-merodach refused to
accept the homage the nobles brought him as the new king,
because he feared that his father was not dead, but had only
disappeared as once before, and would return again. To convince
him of the groundlessness of his apprehension, the corpse of
Nebuchadnezzar, badly mutilated by his enemies, was dragged
through the streets. (116)

Shortly afterward occurred the death of Zedekiah, the dethroned
king of Judah. His burial took place amid great demonstrations of
sympathy and mourning. The elegy over him ran thus: "Alas that
King Zedekiah had to die, he who quaffed the lees which all the
generations before him accumulated." (117)

Zedekiah reached a good old age, (118) for though it was in his
reign that the destruction of Jerusalem took place, yet it was the
guilt of the nation, not of the king, that had brought about the
catastrophe. (119)

BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST

When God resolved to take revenge upon Babylon for all the
sufferings it had inflicted on Israel, He chose Darius and Cyrus as
the agents of vengeance. Cyrus, the king of Persia, and his
father-in-law Darius, the king of Media, together went up against
Belshazzar, the ruler of the Chaldeans. The war lasted a
considerable time, and fortune favored first one side, then the
other, until finally the Chaldeans won a decisive victory. To
celebrate the event, Belshazzar arranged a great banquet, which
was served from the vessels taken out of the Temple at Jerusalem
by his father. While the king and his guests were feasting, the
angel sent by God put the "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin" on the
wall, Aramaic words in Hebrew characters, (1) written with red
ink. The angel was seen by none but the king. His grandees and the
princes of the realm who were present at the orgy perceived
nothing. The king himself did not see the form of the angel, only
his awesome fingers as they traced the words were visible to him.

The interpretation given to the enigmatical words by Daniel put an
end to the merry-making of the feasters. They scattered in dread
and fear, leaving none behind except the king and his attendants.
In the same night the king was murdered by an old servant, who
knew Daniel from the time of Nebuchadnezzar, and doubted not
that his sinister prophecy would be fulfilled. With the head of King
Belshazzar he betook himself to Darius and Cyrus, and told them
how his master had desecrated the sacred vessels, told them of the
wonderful writing on the wall, and of the way it had been
interpreted by Daniel. The two kings were moved by his recital to
vow solemnly that they would permit the Jews to return to
Palestine, and would grant them the use of the Temple vessels.

They resumed the war against Babylonia with more energy, and
God vouchsafed them victory. They conquered the whole of
Belshazzar's realm, and took possession of the city of Babylon,
whose inhabitants, young and old, were made to suffer death. The
subjugated lands were divided between Cyrus and Darius, the
latter receiving Babylon and Media, the former Chaldea, Persia,
and Assyria. (2)

But this is not the whole story of the fall of Babylon. The wicked
king Belshazzar arranged the banquet at which the holy vessels
were desecrated in the fifth year of his reign, because he thought it
wholly certain then that all danger was past of the realization of
Jeremiah's prophecy, foretelling the return of the Jews to Palestine
at the end of seventy years of Babylonian rule over them.
Nebuchadnezzar had governed twenty-five years, and
Evil-merodach twenty-three, leaving five years in the reign of
Belshazzar for the fulfilment of the appointed time. (3) Not
enough that the king scoffed at God by using the Temple vessels,
he needs must have the pastry for the banquet, which was given on
the second day of the Passover festival, made of wheaten flour
finer than that used on this day for the `Omer in the Temple.

Punishment followed hard upon the heels of the atrocity. Cyrus
and Darius served as door-keepers of the royal palace on the
evening of the banquet. They had received orders from Belshazzar
to admit none, though he should say he was the king himself.
Belshazzar was forced to leave his apartments for a short time, and
he went out unnoticed by the two door-keepers. On his return,
when he asked to be admitted, they felled him dead, even while he
was asseverating that he was the king. (4)

 DANIEL UNDER THE PERSIAN KINGS

Daniel left Belshazzar and fled to Shushtar, where he was kindly
received by Cyrus, who promised him to have the Temple vessels
taken back to Jerusalem, provided Daniel would pray to God to
grant him success in his war with the king of Mosul. God gave
Daniel's prayer a favorable hearing, and Cyrus was true to his
promise.

Daniel now received the Divine charge to urge Cyrus to rebuild the
Temple. To this end he was to introduce Ezra and Zerubbabel to
the king. Ezra then went from place to place and called upon the
people to return to Palestine. Sad to say, only a tribe and a half
obeyed his summons. Indeed, the majority of the people were so
wroth against Ezra that they sought to slay him. He escaped the
peril to his life only by a Divine miracle. (5)

Daniel, too, was exposed to much suffering at this time. King
Cyrus cast him into a den of lions, because he refused to bow
down before the idol of the king. For seven days Daniel lay among
the wild beasts, and not a hair of his head was touched. When the
king at the end of the week found Daniel alive, he could not but
acknowledge the sovereign grandeur of God. Cyrus released
Daniel, and instead had his calumniators thrown to the lions. In an
instant they were rent in pieces. (6)

In general Cyrus fell far short of coming up to the expectations set
in him for piety and justice. Though he granted permission to the
Jews to rebuild the Temple, they were to use no material but
wood, so that it might easily be destroyed if the Jews should take it
into their head to rebel against him. Even in point of morals, the
Persian king was not above reproach. (7)

Another time Cyrus pressingly urged Daniel to pay homage to the
idol Bel. As proof of the divinity of the idol the king advanced the
fact that it ate the dishes set before it, a report spread by the priests
of Bel, who entered the Temple of the idol at night, through
subterranean passages, themselves ate up the dishes, and then
attributed their disappearance to the appetite of the god. But
Daniel was too shrewd to be misled by a fabricated story. He had
the ashes strewn upon the floor of the Temple, and the foot-prints
visible the next morning convinced the king of the deceit practiced
by the priests. (8)

Pleasant relations did not continue to subsist forever between
Cyrus and Darius. A war broke out between them, in which Cyrus
lost life and lands. Fearing Darius, Daniel fled to Persia. But an
angel of God appeared to him with the message: "Fear not the
king, not unto him will I surrender thee." Shortly afterward he
received a letter from Darius reading as follows: "Come to me,
Daniel! Fear naught, I shall be even kinder to thee than Cyrus
was." Accordingly Daniel returned to Shushtar, and was received
with great consideration by Darius.

One day the king chanced to remember the sacred garments
brought by Nebuchadnezzar out of the Temple at Jerusalem to
Babylon. They had vanished, and no trace of them could be
discovered. The king suspected Daniel of having had something to
do with their disappearance. It booted little that he protested his
innocence, he was cast into prison. God sent an angel who was to
blind Darius, telling him at the same time that he was deprived of
the light of his eyes because he was keeping the pious Daniel in
durance, and sight would be restored to him only if Daniel
interceded for him. The king at once released Daniel, and the two
together journeyed to Jerusalem to pray on the holy place for the
restoration of the king. An angel appeared to Daniel, and
announced to him that his prayer had been heard. The king had but
to wash his eyes, and vision would return to them. So it happened.
Darius gave thanks to God, and in his gratitude assigned the tithe
of his grain to the priests and the Levites. Besides, he testified his
appreciation to Daniel by loading him down with gifts, and both
returned to Shushtar. The recovery of the king convinced many of
his subjects of the omnipotence of God, and they converted to
Judaism. (9)

Following the advice of Daniel, Darius (10) appointed a
triumvirate to take charge of the administration of his realm, and
Daniel was made the chief of the council of three. His high dignity
 he was second to none but the king himself   exposed him to envy
and hostility on all sides. His enemies plotted his ruin. 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 Darius. (11) Though the order did not require Daniel to
commit a sin, he preferred to give his life for the honor of the one
God rather than omit his devotions to Him. When his jealous
enemies surprised him during his prayers, he did not interrupt
himself. He was dragged before the king, who refused to give
credence to the charge against Daniel. Meanwhile the hour for the
afternoon prayer arrived, and in the presence of the king and his
princes Daniel began to perform his devotions. This naturally
rendered unavailing all efforts made by the king to save his friend
from death. Daniel was cast into a pit full of lions. The entrance to
the pit was closed up with a rock, which had all of its own accord
rolled from Palestine to protect him against any harm
contemplated by his enemies. (12) The ferocious beasts welcomed
the pious Daniel like dogs fawning upon their master on his return
home, licking his hands and wagging their tails.

While this was passing in Babylon, an angel appeared to the
prophet Habakkuk in Judea. He ordered the prophet to bring
Daniel the food he was about to carry to his laborers in the field.
Astonished, Habakkuk asked the angel how he could carry it to so
great a distance, whereupon he was seized by his hair, and in a
moment set down before Daniel. They dined together, and then the
angel transported Habakkuk back to his place in Palestine. Early in
the morning Darius (13) went to the pit of the lions to discover the
fate of Daniel. The king called his name, but he received no
answer, because Daniel was reciting the Shema at that moment,
(14) after having spent the night in giving praise and adoration to
God. (15) Seeing that he was still alive, the king summoned the
enemies of Daniel to the pit. It was their opinion that the lions had
not been hungry, and therefore Daniel was still unhurt. The king
commanded them to put the beasts to the test with their own
persons. The result was that the hundred and twenty-two enemies
of Daniel, together with their wives and children numbering two
hundred and forty-four persons, were torn in shreds by fourteen
hundred and sixty-four lions. (16)

The miraculous escape of Daniel brought him more distinguished
consideration and greater honors than before. The king published
the wonders done by God in all parts of his land, and called upon
the people to betake themselves to Jerusalem and help in the
erection of the Temple.

Daniel entreated the king to relieve him of the duties of his
position, for the performance of which he no longer felt himself
fit, on account of his advanced age. The king consented on
condition that Daniel designate a successor worthy of him. His
choice fell upon Zerubbabel. Loaded with rich presents and amid
public demonstrations designed to honor him, Daniel retired from
public life. He settled in the city of Shushan, where he abode until
his end. (17) Though he was no prophet, God vouchsafed to him a
knowledge of the "end of time" not granted his friends, the
prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, (18) but even he, in the
fulness of his years, lost all memory of the revelation with which
he had been favored. (19)

 THE GRAVE OF DANIEL

Daniel was buried in Shushan, on account of which a sore quarrel
was enkindled among the inhabitants of the city. Shushan is
divided in two parts by a river. The side containing the grave of
Daniel was occupied by the wealthy inhabitants, and the poor
citizens lived on the other side of the river. The latter maintained
that they, too, would be rich if the grave of Daniel were in their
quarter. The frequent disputes and conflicts were finally adjusted
by a compromise; one year the bier of Daniel reposed on one side
of the river, the next year on the other. When the Persian king
Sanjar came to Shushan, he put a stop to the practice of dragging
the bier hither and thither. He resorted to another device for
guarding the peace of the city. He had the bier suspended from
chains precisely in the middle of the bridge spanning the river. In
the same spot he erected a house of prayer for all confessions, and
out of respect to Daniel he prohibited fishing in the river for a
distance of a mile on either side of the memorial building. (20)
The sacredness of the spot appeared when the godless tried to pass
by. They were drowned, while the pious remained unscathed.
Furthermore, the fish that swam near it had heads glittering like
gold. (21)

Beside the house of Daniel lay a stone, under which he had
concealed the holy Temple vessels. Once an attempt was made to
roll the stone from its place, but whoever ventured to touch it, fell
dead. The same fate overtook all who later tried to make
excavations near the spot; a storm broke out and mowed them
down. (22)

 ZERUBBABEL

The successor to Daniel in the service of the king, Zerubbabel,
enjoyed equally as much royal consideration and affection. He
occupied a higher position than all the other servants and officials,
and he and two others constituted the body-guard of the king. (23)
Once when the king lay wrapped in deep slumber, his guards
resolved to write down what each of them considered the mightiest
thing in the world, and he who wrote the sagest saying should be
given rich presents and rewards by the king. What they wrote they
laid under the pillow on which the head of the king rested, that he
might not delay to make a decision after he awoke. The first one
wrote: "Wine is the mightiest thing there is"; the second wrote:
"The king is the mightiest on earth," and the third, Zerubbabel,
wrote: "Women are the mightiest in the world, but truth prevails
over all else." When the king awoke, and he perused the document,
he summoned the grandees of his realm and the three youths as
well. Each of the three was called upon to justify his saying. In
eloquent words the first described the potency of wine. When it
takes possession of the senses of a man, he forgets grief and
sorrow. Still more beautiful and convincing were the words of the
second speaker, when his turn came to establish the truth of his
saying, that the king was the mightiest on earth. Finally Zerubbabel
depicted in glowing words the power of woman, who rules even
over kings. "But," he continued, "truth is supreme over all; the
whole earth asks for truth, the heavens sing the praises of truth, all
creation quakes and trembles before truth, naught of wrong can be
found in truth. Unto truth belongeth the might, the dominion, the
power, and the glory of all times. Blessed be the God of truth."
When Zerubbabel ceased from speaking, the assembly broke out
into the words: "Great is truth, it is mightier than all else!" The
king was so charmed with the wisdom of Zerubbabel that he said
to him: "Ask for aught thou wishest, it shall be granted thee."
Zerubbabel required nothing for himself, he only sought
permission of the king to restore Jerusalem, rebuild the sanctuary,
and return the holy Temple vessels to the place whence they had
been carried off. Not only did Darius grant what Zerubbabel
wished for, not only did he give him letters of safe-conduct, but he
also conferred numerous privileges upon the Jews who
accompanied Zerubbabel to Palestine, and he sent abundant
presents to the Temple and its officers. (24)

As unto his predecessor Daniel, so unto Zerubbabel, God
vouchsafed a knowledge of the secrets of the future. Especially the
archangel Metatron dealt kindly with him. Besides revealing to
him the time at which the Messiah would appear, he brought about
an interview between the Messiah and Zerubbabel. (25)

In reality, Zerubbabel was none other than Nehemiah, who was
given this second name because he was born in Babylon. (26)
Richly endowed as Zerubbabel-Nehemiah was with admirable
qualities, he yet did not lack faults. He was excessively
self-complacent, and he did not hesitate to fasten a stigma publicly
upon his predecessors in the office of governor in the land of
Judah, among whom was so excellent a man as Daniel. To punish
him for these transgressions, the Book of Ezra does not bear the
name of its real author Nehemiah. (27)

When Darius felt his end approach, (28) he appointed his
son-in-law Cyrus, (29) who had hitherto reigned only over Persia,
to be the ruler over his kingdom as well. His wish was honored by
the princes of Media and Persia. After Darius had departed this
life, Cyrus was proclaimed king.

In the very first year of his reign, Cyrus summoned the most
distinguished of the Jews to appear before him, and he gave them
permission to return to Palestine and rebuild the Temple at
Jerusalem. More than this, he pledged himself to contribute to the
Temple service in proportion to his means, and pay honor to the
God who had invested him with strength to subdue the Chaldeans.
These actions of Cyrus partly flowed from his own pious
inclinations, and partly were due to his desire to accomplish the
dying behests of Darius, who had admonished him to give the Jews
the opportunity of rebuilding the Temple.

When the first sacrifice was to be brought by the company of Jews
who returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Ezra, and set
about restoring the Temple, they missed the celestial fire which
had dropped from heaven on the altar in the time of Moses, and
had not been extinguished so long as the Temple stood. They
turned in supplication to God to be instructed by Him. The
celestial fire had been hidden by Jeremiah at the time of the
destruction of the Holy City, and the law did not permit them to
bring "strange fire" upon the altar of God. An old man suddenly
remembered the spot in which Jeremiah had buried the holy fire,
and he led the elders thither. They rolled away the stone covering
the spot, and from under it appeared a spring flowing not with
water, but with a sort of oil. Ezra ordered this fluid to be sprinkled
upon the altar, and forthwith an all-consuming flame shot up. The
priests themselves scattered in fright. But after the Temple and its
vessels were purified by the flame, it confined itself to the altar
never more to leave it, for the priest guarded it so that it might not
be extinguished. (30)

Among the band of returned exiles were the prophets Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi. Each one of them had a place of the
greatest importance to fill in the rebuilding of the Temple. By the
first the people were shown the plan of the altar, which was larger
than the one that had stood in Solomon's Temple. The second
informed them of the exact location of the altar, and the third
taught them that the sacrifices might be brought on the holy place
even before the completion of the Temple. On the authority of one
of the prophets, the Jews, on their return from Babylonia, gave up
their original Hebrew characters, and re-wrote the Torah in the
"Assyrian" characters still in use at this day. (31)

While the Temple work was in progress, the builders found the
skull of Araunah, the owner of the Temple site in the time of
David. The priests, unlearned as they were, could not decide to
what extent the corpse lying there had defiled the holy place. It
was for this that Haggai poured out his reproaches upon them. (32)

 EZRA

The complete resettlement of Palestine took place under the
direction of Ezra, or, as the Scriptures sometimes call him,
Malachi. (33) He had not been present at the earlier attempts (34)
to restore the sanctuary, because he could not leave his old teacher
Baruch, who was too advanced in years to venture upon the
difficult journey to the Holy Land. (35)

In spite of Ezra's persuasive efforts, it was but a comparatively
small portion of the people that joined the procession winding its
way westward to Palestine. For this reason the prophetical spirit
did not show itself during the existence of the Second Temple.
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were the last representatives of
prophecy. (36) Nothing was more surprising than the apathy of the
Levites. They manifested no desire to return to Palestine. Their
punishment was the loss of the tithes, which were later given to the
priest, though the Levites had the first claim upon them. (37)

In restoring the Jewish state in Palestine, Ezra cherished two
hopes, to preserve the purity of the Jewish race, and to spread the
study of the Torah until it should become the common property of
the people at large. To help on his first purpose, he inveighed
against marriages between the Jews and the nations round about.
(38) He himself had carefully worked out his own pedigree before
he consented to leave Babylonia, (39) and in order to perpetuate
the purity of the families and groups remaining in the East, he took
all the "unfit" (40) with him to Palestine.

In the realization of his second hope, the spread of the Torah, Ezra
was so zealous and efficient that it was justly said of him: "If
Moses had not anticipated him, Ezra would have received the
Torah." (41) In a sense he was, indeed, a second Moses. The Torah
had fallen into neglect and oblivion in his day, and he restored and
re-established it in the minds of his people. (42) It is due to him
chiefly that it was divided up into portions, to be read annually,
Sabbath after Sabbath, in the synagogues, (43) and he it was,
likewise, who originated the idea of re-writing the Pentateuch in
"Assyrian" characters. (44) To further his purpose still more, he
ordered additional schools for children to be established
everywhere, though the old ones sufficed to satisfy the demand. He
thought the rivalry between the old and the new institutions would
redound to the benefit of the pupils. (45)

Ezra is the originator of institutions known as "the ten regulations
of Ezra." They are the following: 1. Readings from the Torah on
Sabbath afternoons. 2. Readings from the Torah on Mondays and
Thursdays. 3. Sessions of the court on Mondays and Thursdays. 4.
To do laundry work on Thursdays, not Fridays. 5. To eat garlic on
Friday on account of its salutary action. (46) 6. To bake bread
early in the morning that it may be ready for the poor whenever
they ask for some. 7. Women are to cover the lower parts of their
bodies with a garment called Sinar. (47) 8. Before taking a ritual
bath, the hair is to be combed. 9. The ritual bath prescribed for the
unclean is to cover the case of one who desires to offer prayer or
study the law. (48) 10. Permission to peddlers to sell cosmetics to
women in the towns. (49)

Ezra was not only a great teacher of his people and their wise
leader, he was also their advocate with the celestials, to whom his
relation was of a peculiarly intimate character. Once he addressed
a prayer to God, in which he complained of the misfortune of
Israel and the prosperity of the heathen nations. Thereupon the
angel Uriel appeared to him, and instructed him how that evil has
its appointed time in which to run its course, as the dead have their
appointed time to sojourn in the nether world. Ezra could not rest
satisfied with this explanation, and in response to his further
question, seven prophetic visions were vouchsafed him, and
interpreted by the angel for him. They typified the whole course of
history up to his day, and disclosed the future to his eyes. In the
seventh vision he heard a voice from a thorn-bush, like Moses
aforetimes, and it admonished him to guard in his heart the secrets
revealed to him. The same voice had given Moses a similar
injunction: "These words shalt thou publish, those shalt thou keep
secret." Then his early translation from earth was announced to
him. He besought God to let the holy spirit descend upon him
before he died, so that he might record all that had happened since
the creation of the world as it was set down in the Torah, and
guide men upon the path that leads to God.

Hereupon God bade him take the five experienced scribes, Sarga,
Dabria, Seleucia, Ethan, and Aziel, with him into retirement, and
dictate to them for forty days. After one day spent with these
writers in isolation, remote from the city and from men, a voice
admonished him: "Ezra, open thy mouth, and drink whereof I give
thee to drink." He opened his mouth, and a chalice was handed to
him, filled to the brim with a liquid that flowed like water, but in
color resembled fire. His mouth opened to drink, and for forty days
it was not closed. During all that time, the five scribes put down,
"in signs they did not understand,"   they were the newly adopted
Hebrew characters,   all that Ezra dictated to them, and it made
ninety-four books. At the end of the forty days' period, God spoke
to Ezra thus: "The twenty-four books of the Holy Scriptures thou
shalt publish, for the worthy and the unworthy alike to read; but
the last seventy books thou shalt withhold from the populace, for
the perusal of the wise of thy people." On account of his literary
activity, he is called "the Scribe of the science of the Supreme
Being unto all eternity." (50)

Having finished his task, Ezra was removed from this mundane
world, and he entered the life everlasting. But his death did not
occur in the Holy Land. It overtook him at Khuzistan, in Persia, on
his journey to King Artachshashta. (51)

At Raccia, in Mesopotamia, there stood, as late as the twelfth
century, the synagogue founded by Ezra when he was journeying
from Babylonia to Palestine. (52)

At his grave, over which columns of fire are often seen to hover at
night, (53) a miracle once happened. A shepherd fell asleep by the
side of it. Ezra appeared to him and bade him tell the Jews that
they were to transport his bier to another spot. If the master of the
new place refused assent, he was to be warned to yield permission,
else all the inhabitants of his place would perish. At first the
master refused to allow the necessary excavations to be made.
Only after a large number of the non-Jewish inhabitants of the
place had been stricken down suddenly, he consented to have the
corpse transported thither. As soon as the grave was opened, the
plague ceased.

Shortly before the death of Ezra, the city of Babylon was totally
destroyed by the Persians. There remained but a portion of the wall
which was impregnable by human strength. (54) All the prophecies
hurled against the city by the prophets were accomplished. 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 it. (55)

 THE MEN OF THE GREAT ASSEMBLY

At the same time with Ezra, or, to speak more accurately, under
his direction, the Great Assembly carried on its beneficent
activities, which laid the foundations of Rabbinical Judaism, and
constituted the binding link between the Jewish Prophet and the
Jewish Sage. (56) The great men who belonged to this august
assembly once succeeded, through the efficacy of their prayers, in
laying hands upon the seducers unto sin, and confining them, to
prevent them from doing more mischief. Thus they banished from
the world "the desire unto idolatry." They tried to do the same to
"the desire unto lustfulness." This evil adversary warned them
against making away with him, for the world would cease to exist
without him. For three days they kept him a prisoner, but then they
had to dismiss him and let him go free. They found that not even
an egg was to be had, for sexual appetite had vanished from the
world. However, he did not escape altogether unscathed. They
plastered up his eyes, and from that time on he gave up inflaming
the passions of men against their blood relations. (57)

Among the decrees and ordinances of the Great Assembly, the
most prominent is the fixation of the prayer of the Eighteen
Benedictions. The several benedictions composing this prayer date
back to remote ancient times. The Patriarchs were their authors,
and the work of the Great Assembly was to put them together in
the order in which we now have them. We know how each of the
benedictions originated: 1. When Abraham was saved from the
furnace angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the Shield of
Abraham," which is the essence of the first of the Eighteen. 2.
When Isaac lay stunned by fright on Mount Moriah, God sent His
dew to revive him, whereupon the angels spoke: "Blessed art
Thou, O Lord, who quickenest the dead." 3. When Jacob arrived at
the gates of heaven and proclaimed the holiness of God, the angels
spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Thou holy God." 4. When
Pharaoh was about to make Joseph the ruler over Egypt, and it
appeared that he was unacquainted with the seventy tongues which
an Egyptian sovereign must know, the angel Gabriel came and
taught him those languages, whereupon the angels spoke: "Blessed
art Thou, O Lord, who graciously bestowest knowledge." 5. When
Reuben committed the trespass against his father, sentence of
death was pronounced upon him in the heavens. But when he
repented, he was permitted to continue to live, and the angels
spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who hast delight in repentance."
6. When Judah had committed a trespass against Tamar, and
confessing his guilt obtained forgiveness, the angels spoke:
"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who pardonest greatly." 7. When Israel
was sore oppressed by Mizraim, and God proclaimed his
redemption, the angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who
redeemest Israel." 8. When the angel Raphael came to Abraham to
soothe the pain of his circumcision, the angels spoke: "Blessed art
Thou, O Lord, who healest the sick." 9. When Israel's sowing in
the land of the Philistines bore an abundant harvest, the angels
spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who blessest the years." 10.
When Jacob was reunited with Joseph and Simon in Egypt, the
angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who gatherest the
dispersed of Thy people Israel." 11. When the Torah was revealed
and God communicated the code of laws to Moses, the angels
spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who lovest righteousness and
justice." 12. When the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea, the
angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who shatterest the enemy
and humiliatest the presumptuous." 13. When Joseph laid his
hands on the eyes of his father Jacob, the angels spoke: "Blessed
art Thou, O Lord, who are the stay and the support of the pious."
14. When Solomon built the Temple, the angels spoke: "Blessed
art Thou, O Lord, who buildest Jerusalem." 15. When the children
of Israel singing hymns of praise unto God passed through the Red
Sea, the angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who causest the
hour of salvation to sprout forth." 16. When God lent a gracious
ear to the prayer of the suffering Israelites in Egypt, the angels
spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who hearest our prayer." 17.
When the Shekinah descended between the Cherubim in the
Tabernacle, the angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who wilt
restore Thy Divine Presence to Jerusalem." 18. When Solomon
dedicated his Temple, the angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O
Lord, whose Name is worthy of praise." 19. When Israel entered
the Holy Land, the angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who
establishest peace." (58)

THE FEAST FOR THE GRANDEES

The Book of Esther is the last of the Scriptural writings. The
subsequent history of Israel and all his suffering we know only
through oral tradition. For this reason the heroine of the last
canonical book was named Esther, that is, Venus, the
morning-star, which sheds its light after all the other stars have
ceased to shine, and while the sun still delays to rise. Thus the
deeds of Queen Esther cast a ray of light forward into Israel's
history at its darkest. (1)

The Jews at the time of Ahaseurus were like the dove about to
enter her nest wherein a snake lies coiled. Yet she cannot
withdraw, because a falcon bides without to swoop down upon
her. In Shushan the Jews were in the clutches of Haman, and in
other lands they were at the mercy of many murderous enemies to
their race, ready to do the bidding of Haman   to destroy and to
slay them, and cause them to perish. (2)

But the rescue of the Jews from the hand of their adversaries is
only a part of this wonderful chapter in the history of Israel. No
less important is the exalted station to which they rose in the realm
of Ahasuerus after the fall of Haman, especially the power and
dignity to which Esther herself attained. On this account the
magnificent feast prepared by Ahasuerus for his subjects belongs
to the history of Esther.

The splendor of his feast is the gauge whereby to measure the
wealth and power she later enjoyed. (3)

Ahasuerus was not the king of Persia by right of birth. He owed his
position to his vast wealth, with which he purchased dominion
over the whole world. (4)

He had various reasons for giving a gorgeous feast. The third year
of his reign was the seventieth since the beginning of
Nebuchadnezzar's rule, 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 Land. The Temple was
still in ruins, and Ahasuerus was convinced that the Jewish
kingdom would never again be restored. Needless to say, it was not
Jeremiah who erred. Not with the accession of King
Nebuchadnezzar had the prophet's term of years begun, but with
the destruction of Jerusalem. Reckoned in this way, the seventy
years of desolation were at an end exactly at the time when Darius,
the son of Ahasuerus, permitted the rebuilding of the Temple. (5)

Beside this mistaken cause for a celebration, there were reasons
personal to Ahasuerus why he desired to give expression to joy. A
short time before, he had crushed a rebellion against himself, and
this victory he wanted to celebrate with pomp and ceremony. (6)
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 empire. His purpose was to win the devotion of those of them
with whom otherwise he did not come in direct contact. But can it
be said with certainty that this was a good policy? If he had not
first made sure of the loyalty of his capital, was it not dangerous to
have these rulers near him in case of an insurrection?

For six whole months he celebrated the feast for the grandees   the
nobles and the high officials, the latter of whom, according to the
constitution, were all required to be Medians under the Persian
king Ahasuerus, as they would have had to be Persians under a
Median king. (7)

This was the program of the feast: In the first month Ahasuerus
showed his treasures to his guests; in the second, the delegates of
the king's royal vassals saw them; in the third the presents were
exposed to view; in the fourth the guests were invited to admire his
literary possessions, among them the sacred scroll; in the fifth his
pearl and diamond-studded ornaments of gold were put on
exhibition; and in the sixth he displayed the treasures which had
been given him as tribute. (8) All this vast wealth, however,
appertained to the crown, it was not his personal property. When
Nebuchadnezzar felt his end draw nigh, he resolved to sink his
immense treasures in the Euphrates rather than let them ascend to
his son Evil-merodach, so great was his miserliness. But, again,
when Cyrus gave the Jews permission to build the Temple, his
divinely appointed reward was that he discovered the spot in the
river at which the treasures were sunk, and he was permitted to
take possession of them. These were the treasures of which
Ahasuerus availed himself to glorify his feast. So prodigious were
they that during the six months of the feast he unlocked six
treasure-chambers daily to display their contents to his guests. (9)

When Ahasuerus boasted of his wealth, which he had no right to
do, as his treasures had come from the Temple, God said: "Verily,
has the creature of flesh and blood any possessions of his own? I
alone possess treasures, for 'the silver is mind, and the gold is
mine.'" (10)

Among the treasures displayed were the Temple vessels, which
Ahasuerus had desecrated in his drinking bouts. When the noble
Jews who had been invited to the capital saw these, they began to
weep, and they refused to take further part in the festivities.
Thereupon the king commanded that a separate place be assigned
to the Jews, so that their eyes might be spared the painful sight.
(11)

This was not the only incident that aroused poignant memories in
them, for Ahasuerus arrayed himself in the robes of state once
belonging to the high priests at Jerusalem, and this, too, made the
Jews smart uncomfortably. (12) The Persian king had wanted to
mount the throne of Solomon besides, but herein he was thwarted,
because its ingenious construction was an enigma to him. Egyptian
artificers tried to fashion a throne after the model of Solomon's,
but in vain. After two years' work they managed to produce a weak
imitation of it, and upon this Ahasuerus sat during his splendid
feast. (13)

 THE FESTIVITIES IN SHUSHAN

At the expiration of the hundred and eighty days allotted to the
feast for the nobles, Ahasuerus arranged a great celebration for the
residents of Shushan, the capital city of Elam. From the creation of
the world until after the deluge the unwritten law had been in
force, that the first-born son of the patriarchs was to be the ruler of
the world. Thus, Seth was the successor to Adam, and he was
followed in turn by Enosh, and so the succession went on, from
first-born son to first-born son, down to Noah and his oldest son
Shem. Now, the first-born son of Shem was Elam, and, according
to custom, he should have been given the universal dominion
which was his heritage. Shem, being a prophet, knew that
Abraham and his posterity, the Israelites, would not spring from
the family of Elam, but from that of Arpachshad. Therefore he
named Arpachshad as his successor, and through him rulership
descended to Abraham, and so to Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, and to
David and his posterity, down to the last Judean king Zedekiah,
who was deprived of his sovereignty by Nebuchadnezzar.

Then it was that God spake thus: "So long as the government
rested in the hands of My children, I was prepared to exercise
patience. The misdeeds of the one were made good by the other. If
one of them was wicked, the other was pious. But now that the
dominions has been wrested from My children, it shall at least
revert to its original possessors. Elam was the first-born son of
Shem, and his seed shall be given the rule." So it happened that
Shushan, the capital city of Elam, became the seat of government.
(14)

That there were any celebrations in Shushan was due to Haman,
who even in those early days was devising intrigues against the
Jews. He appeared before Ahasuerus, and said: "O king, this
people is a peculiar people. May it please thee to destroy it."
Ahasuerus replied: "I fear the God of this people; He is very
mighty, and I bear in mind what befell Pharaoh for his wicked
treatment of the Israelites." "Their God," said Haman, "hates an
unchaste life. Do thou, therefore, prepare feasts for them, and
order them to take part in the merry-makings. Have them eat and
drink and act as their heart desireth, so that their God may become
wrathful against them."

When Mordecai heard of the feasts that were planned, he advised
the Jews not to join in them. (15) All the prominent men of his
people and many of the lower classes took his advice to heart.
They fled from Shushan, to avoid being compelled to take part in
the festivities. (16) The rest remained in the city and yielded to
force; they participated in the celebrations, and even permitted
themselves to eat of food prepared by the heathen, though the king
had taken care not to offend the religious conscience of the Jews in
such details. (17) He had been so punctilious that there was no
need for them to drink wine touched by the hand of an idolater, let
alone eat forbidden food. The arrangements for the feast were
entirely in the charge of Haman and Mordecai, so that neither Jew
nor Gentile might absent himself for religious reasons. (18)

It was the aim of the king to let every guest follow the inclination
of his heart. When Ahasuerus issued the order, that the officers of
his house were to "do according to every man's pleasure," God
became wroth with him. "Thou villain," He said, "canst thou do
every man's pleasure? Suppose two men love the same woman, can
both marry her? Two vessels sail forth together from a port, the
one desires a south wind, the other a north wind. Canst thou
produce a wind to satisfy the two? On the morrow Haman and
Mordecai will appear before thee. Wilt thou be able to side with
both?" (19)

The scene of the festivities was in the royal gardens. The upper
branches of the high trees were made to interlace with each other,
so as to form vaulted arches, and the smaller trees with aromatic
foliage were taken up out of the ground, and placed in artfully
constructed tents. From tree to tree stretched curtains of byssus,
white and sapphire blue, and vivid green and royal purple, fastened
to their supports by ropes depending from round silver beams,
these in turn resting on pillars of red, green, yellow, white, and
glittering blue marble. The couches were made of delicate
draperies, their frames stood on silver feet, and the rods attached
to them were of gold. The floor was tiled with crystal and marble,
outlined with precious stones, whose brilliance illuminated the
scene far and wide. (20)

The wine and the other beverages were drunk only from golden
vessels, yet Ahasuerus was so rich that no drinking cup was used
more than a single time. (21) But magnificent as these utensils of
his were, when the holy vessels of the Temple were brought in, the
golden splendor of the others was dimmed; it turned dull as lead.
The wine was in each case older than its drinker. To prevent
intoxication from unaccustomed drinks, every guest was served
with the wine indigenous to his native place. In general, Ahasuerus
followed the Jewish rather than the Persian manner. It was a
banquet rather than a drinking bout. (22) 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
being, and do it he must, though he lost reason and life. The office
butler accordingly was very lucrative, 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 dared. This Persian habit of
compelling excess in drinking was ignored at Ahasuerus's banquet;
every guest did as he chose. (23)

The royal bounty did not show itself in food and drink alone. The
king's guests could also indulge in the pleasures of the dance if
they were so minded. Dancers were provided, who charmed the
company with their artistic figures displayed upon the
purple-covered floor. (24) That the enjoyment of the participants
might in no wise be marred, as by separation from their families,
all were permitted to bring their households with them, (25) and
merchants were released from the taxes imposed upon them. (26)

So sure was Ahasuerus of his success as a host that he dared say to
his Jewish guests: "Will your God be able to match this banquet in
the future world?" Whereunto the Jews replied: "The banquet God
will prepare for the righteous in the world to come is that of which
it is written, 'No eye hath seen it but God's; He will accomplish it
for them that wait upon Him.' If God were to offer us a banquet
like unto thine, O king, we should say, Such as this we ate at the
table of Ahasuerus." (27)

 VASTHI'S BANQUET

The banquet given by Queen Vashti to the women differed but
slightly from Ahasuerus's. She sought to emulate her husband's
example even in the point of exhibiting treasures. Six
store-chambers she displayed daily to the women she had bidden
as guests; aye, she did not even shrink from arraying herself in the
high-priestly garments. The meats and dishes, as at Ahasuerus's
table, were Palestinian, only instead of wine, liqueurs were served,
and sweets.

As the weak sex is subject to sudden attacks of indisposition, the
banquet was given in the halls of the palace, so that the guests
might at need withdraw to the adjoining chambers. The gorgeously
ornamented apartments of the palace, besides, were more
attractive to the feminine taste than the natural beauties of the
royal gardens, "for a woman would rather reside in beautiful
chambers and possess beautiful clothes than eat fatted calves."
(28) Nothing interested the women more than to become
acquainted with the arrangement of the interior of the palace, "for
women are curious to know all things." Vashti gratified their
desire. She showed them all there was to be seen, describing every
place as she came to it: This is the dining-hall, this the wine-room,
this the bed-chamber. (29)

Vashti, too, was actuated by a political motive when she
determined to give her banquet. By inviting the wives of hostages
in case the men rose in insurrection against the king. (30) For
Vashti knew the ways of statecraft. She not only was the wife of a
king, but also the daughter of a king, of Belshazzar. The night of
Belshazzar's murder in his own palace, Vashti, alarmed by the
confusion that ensued, and not knowing of the death of her father,
fled to the apartments in which he was in the habit of sitting. The
Median Darius had already ascended the throne of Belshazzar, and
so it happened that Vashti, instead of finding the hoped-for refuge
with her father, ran straight into the hands of his successor. But he
had compassion with her, and gave her to his son Ahasuerus for
wife.

 THE FATE OF VASHTI

Though Ahasuerus had taken every precaution to prevent
intemperate indulgence in wine, his banquet revealed the essential
difference between Jewish and pagan festivities. When Jews are
gathered about a festal board, they discuss a Halakah, or a
Haggadah, or, at the least, a simple verse from the Scriptures.
Ahasuerus and his boon companions rounded out the banquet with
prurient talk. The Persians lauded the charms of the women of
their people, while the Medians admitted none superior to the
Median women. Then "the fool" Ahasuerus up and spake: "My
wife is neither a Persian nor a Median, but a Chaldean, yet she
excels all in beauty. Would you convince yourselves of the truth of
my words?" "Yes," shouted the company, who were deep in their
cups, "but that we may properly judge of her natural charms, let
her appear before us unadorned, yes, without any apparel
whatsoever," and Ahasuerus agreed to the shameless condition.
(31)

The thing was from God, that so insensate a demand should be
made of Vashti by the king. A whole week Mordecai had spent in
fasting and praying, supplicating God to mete out punishment to
Ahasuerus for his desecration of the Temple utensils. On the
seventh day of the week, on the Sabbath, when Mordecai after his
long fast took food, because fasting is forbidden on the Sabbath
day, God heard his prayer and the prayer of the Sanhedrin. (32) He
sent down seven Angels of Confusion to put an end to Ahasuerus's
pleasure. They were named: Mehuman, Confusion; Biztha,
Destruction of the House; Harbonah, Annihilation; Bigtha and
Abagtha, the Pressers of the Winepress, for God had resolved to
crush the court of Ahasuerus as one presses the juice from grapes
in a press; Zetha, Observer of Immorality; and Carcas, Knocker.
(33)

There was a particular reason why this interruption of the feast
took place on the Sabbath. Vashti was in the habit of forcing
Jewish maidens to spin and weave on the Sabbath day, and to add
to her cruelty, she would deprive them of all their clothes. It was
on the Sabbath, therefore, that her punishment overtook her, and
for the same reason it was put into the king's heart to have her
appear in public stripped of all clothing. (34)

Vashti recoiled from the king's revolting order. But it must not be
supposed that she shrank from carrying it out because it offended
her moral sense. She was not a whit better than her husband. She
fairly revelled in the opportunity his command gave her to indulge
in carnal pleasures once again, for it was exactly a week since she
had been delivered of a child. But God sent the angel Gabriel to
her to disfigure her countenance. Suddenly signs of leprosy
appeared on her forehead, and the marks of other diseases on her
person. (35) In this state it was impossible for her to show herself
to the king. She made a virtue of necessity, and worded her refusal
to appear before him arrogantly: "Say to Ahasuerus: 'O thou fool
and madman! Hast thou lost thy reason by too much drinking? I
am Vashti, the daughter of Belshazzar, who was a son of
Nebuchadnezzar, the Nebuchadnezzar who scoffed at kings and
unto whom princes were a derision, and even thou wouldst not
have been deemed worthy to run before my father's chariot as a
courier. Had he lived, I should never have been given unto thee for
wife. Not even those who suffered the death penalty during the
reign of my forefather Nebuchadnezzar were stripped bare of their
clothing, and thou demandest that I appear naked in public! Why,
it is for thine own sake that I refuse to heed they order. Either the
people will decide that I do not come up to thy description of me,
and will proclaim thee a liar, or, bewitched by my beauty, they will
kill thee in order to gain possession of me, saying, Shall this fool
be the master of so much beauty?'" (36)

The first lady of the Persian aristocracy encouraged Vashti to
adhere to her resolution. "Better," her adviser said, when
Ahasuerus's second summons was delivered to Vashti, together
with his threat to kill her unless she obeyed, "better the king
should kill thee and annihilate thy beauty, than that thy person
should be admired by other eyes than thy husband's, and thus thy
name be disgraced, and the name of thy ancestors." (37)

When Vashti refused to obey the repeated command to appear
before the king and the hundred and twenty-seven crowned princes
of the realm, Ahasuerus turned to the Jewish sages, and requested
them to pass sentence upon his queen. Their thoughts ran in this
wise: If we condemn the queen to death, we shall suffer for it as
soon as Ahasuerus becomes sober, and hears it was at our advice
that she was executed. But if we admonish him unto clemency
now, while he is intoxicated, he will accuse us of not paying due
deference to the majesty of the king. They therefore resolved upon
neutrality. "Since the destruction of the Temple," they said to the
king, "since we have not dwelt in our land, we have lost the power
to give sage advice, particularly in matters of life and death. Better
seek counsel with the wise men of Ammon and Moab, who have
ever dwelt at ease in their land, like wine that hath settled on its
lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel. (38)

Thereupon Ahasuerus put his charge against Vashti before the
seven princes of Persia, Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish,
Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, who came from Africa, India,
Edom, Tarsus, Mursa, Resen, and Jerusalem, respectively. (39)
The names of these seven officials, each representing his country,
were indicative of their office. Carshena had the care of the
animals, Shethar of the wine, Admatha of the land, Tarshish of the
palace, Meres of the poultry, Marsena of the bakery, and Memucan
provided for the needs of all in the palace, his wife acting as
housekeeper. (40)

This Memucan, a native of Jerusalem, was none other than Daniel,
called Memucan, "the appointed one," because he was designated
by God to perform miracles and bring about the death of Vashti.
(41)

When the king applied for advice to these seven nobles, Memucan
was the first to speak up, though in rank he was inferior to the
other six, as appears from the place his name occupies in the list.
However, it is customary, as well among Persians as among Jews,
in passing death sentence, to begin taking the vote with the
youngest of the judges on the bench, to prevent the juniors and the
less prominent from being overawed by the opinion of the more
influential. (42)

It was Memucan's advice to the king to make an example of
Vashti, so that in future no woman should dare refuse obedience to
her husband. Daniel-Memucan had had unpleasant experiences in
his conjugal life. He had married a wealthy Persian lady, who
insisted upon speaking to him in her own language exclusively.
(43) Besides, personal antipathy existed between Daniel and
Vashti. He had in a measure been the cause of her refusal to
appear before the king and his princes. Vashti hated Daniel,
because it was he who had prophesied his death to her father, and
the extinction of his dynasty. She could not endure his sight,
wherefore she would not show herself to the court in his presence.
(44) Also, it was Daniel who, by pronouncing the Name of God,
had caused the beauty of Vashti to vanish, and her face to be
marred. (45) In consequence of all this, Daniel advised, not only
that Vashti should be cast off, but that she should be made
harmless forever by the hangman's hand. His advice was endorsed
by his colleagues, and approved by the king. That the king might
not delay execution of the death sentence, and Daniel himself thus
incur danger to his own life, he made Ahasuerus swear the most
solemn oath known to the Persians, that it would be carried out
forthwith. At the same time a royal edict was promulgated, making
it the duty of wives to obey their husbands. With special reference
to Daniel's domestic difficulties, it was specified that the wife
must speak the language of her lord and master. (46)

The execution of Vashti brought most disastrous consequences in
its train. His whole empire, which is tantamount to saying the
whole world, rose against Ahasuerus. The widespread rebellion
was put down only after his marriage with Esther, but not before it
had inflicted upon him the loss of one hundred and twenty-seven
provinces, the half of his kingdom. Such was his punishment for
refusing permission to rebuild the Temple. It was only after the fall
of Haman, when Mordecai had been made the chancellor of the
empire, that Ahasuerus succeeded in reducing the revolted
provinces to submission. (47)

The death of Vashti was not undeserved punishment, for it had
been she who had prevented the king from giving his consent to
the rebuilding of the Temple. "Wilt thou rebuild the Temple," said
she, reproachfully, "which my ancestors destroyed?" (48)

 THE FOLLIES OF AHASUERUS

Ahasuerus is the prototype of the unstable, foolish ruler. He
sacrificed his wife Vashti to his friend Haman-Memucan, and later
on again his friend Haman to his wife Esther. (49) Folly possessed
him, too, when he arranged extravagant festivities for guests from
afar, before he had won, by means of kindly treatment, the
friendship of his surroundings, of the inhabitants of his capital.
(50) Ridiculous is the word that describes his edict bidding wives
obey their husbands. Every one who read it exclaimed: "To be
sure, a man is master in his own house!" However, the silly decree
served its purpose. It revealed his true character to the subjects of
Ahasuerus, and thenceforward they attached little importance to
his edicts. This was the reason why the decree of annihilation
directed against the Jews failed of the effect expected by Haman
and Ahasuerus. The people regarded it as but another of the king's
foolish pranks, and therefore were ready to acquiesce in the
revocation of the edict when it came. (51)

The king's true character appeared when he grew sober after the
episode with Vashti. Learning that he had had her executed, he
burst out furiously against his seven counsellors, and in turn
ordered them to death. (52)

Foolish, too, is the only word to describe the manner in which he
set about discovering the most beautiful woman in his dominion.
King David on a similar occasion wisely sent out messengers who
were to bring to him the most beautiful maiden in the land, and
there was none who was not eager to enjoy the honor of giving a
daughter of his to the king. Ahasuerus's method was to have his
servants gather together a multitude of beautiful maidens and
women from all parts, and among them he proposed to make
choice. The result of this system was that the women concealed
themselves to avoid being taken into the harem of the king, when
it was not certain that they would be found worthy of becoming his
queen. (53)

With his stupidity Ahasuerus combined wantonness. He ordered
force to be used in taking the maidens from their parents and the
wives from their husbands, and then he confined them in his
harem. (54) On the other hand, the moral sense of the heathen was
so degraded that many maidens displayed their charms to public
view, so that they might be sure to attract the admiring attention of
the royal emissaries.

As for Esther, for four years Mordecai kept her concealed in a
chamber, so that the king's scouts could not discover her. But her
beauty had long been known to fame, and when they returned to
Shushan, they had to confess to the king, that the most superbly
beautiful woman in the land eluded their search. Thereupon
Ahasuerus issued a decree ordaining the death penalty for the
woman who should secrete herself before his emissaries. There
was nothing left for Mordecai to do but fetch Esther from her
hiding-place, and immediately she was espied and carried to the
palace of the king. (55)

 MORDECAI

The descent of Mordecai and of his niece Esther is disposed of in a
few words in the Scripture. But he could trace it all the way back
to the Patriarch Jacob, from whom he was forty-five degrees
removed. (56) Beside the father of Mordecai, the only ancestor of
his who is mentioned by name is Shimei, and he is mentioned for a
specific reason. This Shimei is none other then the notorious son
of Gera, the rebel who had so scoffed and mocked at David fleeing
before Absalom that he would have been killed by Abishai, if
David had not generously interfered in his favor. David's prophetic
eye discerned in Shimei the ancestor of Israel's savior in the time
of Ahasuerus. For this reason he dealt leniently with him, and on
his death-bed he bade his son Solomon reserve vengeance until
Shimei should have reached old age and could beget no more
children. Thus Mordecai deserves both appellations, the Benjamite
and the Judean, for he owed his existence not only to his actual
Benjamite forebears on his father's side, but also to the Judean
David, who kept his ancestor Shimei alive. (57)

Shimei's distinction as the ancestor of Israel's redeemer was due to
the merits of his wife. When Jonathan and Ahimaaz, David's spies
in his war against his son, fled before the myrmidons of Absalom,
they found the gate of Shimei's house open. Entering, they
concealed themselves in the well. That they escaped detection was
due to the ruse of Shimei's pious wife. She quickly transformed the
well into a lady's chamber. When Absalom's men came and looked
about, they desisted from searching the place, because they
reasoned, that men as saintly as Jonathan and Ahimaaz would not
have taken refuge in the private apartment of a woman. God
determined, that for having rescued two pious men He would
reward her with two pious descendants, who should in turn avert
the ruin of Israel. (58)

On his mother's side, Mordecai was, in very deed, a member of the
tribe of Judah. (59) In any event, he was a son of Judah in the true
sense of the word; he publicly acknowledged himself a Jew, and
he refused to touch of the forbidden food which Ahasuerus set
before his guest at his banquet. (60)

His other appellatives likewise point to his piety and his
excellencies. His name Mordecai, for instance, consists of Mor,
meaning "myrrh," and Decai, "pure," for he was as refined and
noble as pure myrrh. Again, he is called Ben Jair, because he
"illumined the eyes of Israel"; and Ben Kish, because when he
knocked at the gates of the Divine mercy, they were opened unto
him, which is likewise the origin of his name Ben Shimei, for he
was heard by God when he offered up prayer. (61) Still another of
Mordecai's epithets was Bilshan, "master of languages." Being a
member of the great Sanhedrin he understood all the seventy
languages spoken in the world. (62) More than that, he knew the
language of the deaf mutes. It once happened that no new grain
could be obtained at Passover time. A deaf mute came and pointed
with one hand to the roof and with the other to the cottage.
Mordecai understood that these signs meant a locality by the name
of Gagot-Zerifim, Cottage-Roofs, and, lo, new grain was found
there for the 'Omer offering. 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 door. Mordecai understood that he meant a place
called En-Soker, "dry well," for eye and spring are the same word,
En, in Aramaic, and Sikra also has a double meaning, staple and
exhaustion. (63)

Mordecai belonged to the highest aristocracy of Jerusalem,   he
was of royal blood,   and he was deported to Babylonian together
with King Jeconiah, by Nebuchadnezzar, who at that time exiled
only the great of the land. (64) Later he returned to Palestine, but
remained only for a time. He preferred to live in the Diaspora, and
watch over the education of Esther. When Cyrus and Darius
captured Babylon, Mordecai, Daniel, and the Jewish community of
the conquered city accompanied King Cyrus to Shushan, where
Mordecai established his academy. (65)

 ESTHER'S BEAUTY AND PIETY

The birth of Esther caused the death of her mother. Her father had
died a little while before, so she was entirely orphaned. Mordecai
and his wife interested themselves in the poor babe. His wife
became her nurse, and he himself did not hesitate, when there was
need for it, to do services for the child that are usually performed
only by women. (66)

Both her names, Esther as well as Hadassah, are descriptive of her
virtues. Hadassah, or Myrtle, she is called, because her good deeds
spread her fame abroad, as the sweet fragrance of the myrtle
pervades the air in which it grows. In general, the myrtle is
symbolic of the pious, because, as the myrtle is ever green,
summer and winter alike, so the saints never suffer dishonor,
either in this world or in the world to come. In another way Esther
resembled the myrtle, which, in spite of its pleasant scent, has a
bitter taste. Esther was pleasant to the Jews, but bitterness itself to
Haman and all who belonged to him.

The name Esther is equally significant. In Hebrew it means "she
who conceals," a fitting name for the niece of Mordecai, the
woman who well knew how to guard a secret, and long hid her
descent and faith from the king and the court. She herself had been
kept concealed for years in the house of her uncle, withdrawn from
the searching eyes of the king's spies. Above all she was the hidden
light that suddenly shone upon Israel in his rayless darkness.

In build, Esther was neither tall nor short, she was exactly of
average height, another reason for calling her Myrtle, a plant
which likewise is neither large nor small. In point of fact, Esther
was not a beauty in the real sense of the word. The beholder was
bewitched by her grace and her charm, and that in spite of her
somewhat sallow, myrtle-like complexion. (67) More than this, her
enchanting grace was not the grace of youth, for she was
seventy-five years old when she came to court, and captivated the
hearts of all who saw her, from king to eunuch. This was in
fulfilment of the prophecy which God made to Abraham when he
was leaving the home of his father: "Thou art leaving the house of
thy father at the age of seventy-five. As thou livest, the deliverer of
thy children in Media also shall be seventy-five years old."

Another historical event pointed forward to Esther's achievement.
When the Jews, after the destruction of Jerusalem, broke out into
the wail, "We are orphans and fatherless," God said: "in very sooth,
the redeemer whom I shall send unto you in Media shall also be an
orphan fatherless and motherless." (68)

Ahasuerus put Esther between two groups of beauties, Median
beauties to right of her, and Persian beauties to left of her. Yet
Esther's comeliness outshone them all. (69) Not even Joseph could
vie with the Jewish queen in grace. Grace was suspended above
him, but Esther was fairly laden down with it. (70) Whoever saw
her, pronounced her the ideal of beauty of his nation. The general
exclamation was: "This one is worthy of being queen." (71) In vain
Ahasuerus had sought a wife for four years, in vain fathers had
spent time and money bringing their daughters to him, in the hope
that one or the other would appeal to his fancy. None among the
maidens, none among the women, pleased Ahasuerus. But scarcely
had he set eyes upon Esther when he thrilled with the feeling, that
he had at last found what he had long yearned for. (72)

All these years the portrait of Vashti had hung in his chamber. He
had not forgotten his rejected queen. But once he beheld Esther,
Vashti's picture was replaced by hers. (73) Maiden grace and
womanly charm were in her united. (74)

The change in her worldly position wrought no change in Esther's
ways and manners. As she retained her beauty until old age, so the
queen remained as pure in mind and soul as ever the simple
maiden had been. All the other women who entered the gates of
the royal palace made exaggerated demands, Esther's demeanor
continued modest and unassuming. The others insisted that the
seven girl pages assigned to them should have certain peculiar
qualities, as, that they should not differ, each from her mistress, in
complexion and height. Esther uttered no wish whatsoever.

But her unpretending ways were far from pleasing to Hegai, chief
of the eunuchs of the harem. He feared lest the king discover that
Esther did nothing to preserve her beauty, and would put the blame
for it upon him, an accusation that might bring him to the gallows.
To avoid such a fate, he loaded Esther down with resplendent
jewels, distinguishing her beyond all the other women gathered in
the palace, as Joseph, by means of costly gifts lavished upon him,
had singled out her ancestor Benjamin from among his brethren.

Hegai paid particular attention to what Esther ate. For her he
brought dishes from the royal table, which, however, she refused
obstinately to ouch. Only such things passed her lips as were
permitted to Jews. She lived entirely on vegetable food, as
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah had aforetimes done at the court
of Nebuchadnezzar. (75) The forbidden tidbits she passed over to
the non-Jewish servants. (76) Her personal attendants were seven
Jewish maidens as consistently pious as herself, whose devotion to
the ritual law Esther could depend upon.

Otherwise Esther was cut off from all intercourse with Jews, and
she was in danger of forgetting when the Sabbath bath came
around. She therefore adopted the device of giving her seven
attendants peculiar names, to keep her in mind of the passage of
time. The first one was called Hulta, "Workaday," and she was in
attendance upon Esther on Sundays. On Mondays, she was served
by Rok`ita, to remind her of Rek`ia, "the Firmament," which was
created on the second day of the world. Tuesday's maid was called
Genunita, "Garden," the third day of creation having produced the
world of plants. On Wednesday, she was reminded by Nehorita's
name, "the Luminous," that it was the day on which God had made
the great luminaries, to shed their light in the sky; on Thursday by
Ruhshita, "Movement," for on the fifth day the first animated
beings were created; on Friday, the day on which the beasts came
into being, by Hurfita, "little Ewelamb"; and on the Sabbath her
bidding was done by Rego`ita, "Rest." Thus she was sure to
remember the Sabbath day week after week. (77)

Mordecai's daily visits to the gate of the palace had a similar
purpose. Thus Esther was afforded the opportunity of obtaining
instruction from him on all ritual doubts that might assail her. (78)
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 niece. A much
closer bond, the bond between husband and wife, united them, for
when Esther had grown to maidenhood, Mordecai had espoused
her. (79) Naturally, Esther would have been ready to defend her
conjugal honor with her life. She would gladly have suffered death
at the hands of the king's bailiffs rather than yield herself to a man
not her husband. Luckily, there was no need for this sacrifice, for
her marriage with Ahasuerus was but a feigned union. God has
sent down a female spirit in the guise of Esther to take her place
with the king. Esther herself never lived with Ahasuerus as his
wife. (80)

At the advice of her uncle, Esther kept her descent and her faith a
secret. Mordecai's injunction was dictated by several motives. First
of all it was his modesty that suggested secrecy. He thought the
king, if he heard from Esther that she had been raised by him,
might offer to install him in some high office. In point of fact,
Mordecai was right in his conjecture; Ahasuerus had pledged
himself to make lords, princes, and kings of Esther's friends and
kinspeople, if she would but name them.

Another reason for keeping Esther's Jewish affiliations a secret
was Mordecai's apprehension, that the fate of Vashti overtake
Esther, too. If such were in store for her, he desired at least to
guard against the Jews' becoming her fellowsuffers. Besides,
Mordecai knew only too well the inimical feelings entertained by
the heathen toward the Jews, ever since their exile from the Holy
Land, and he feared that the Jew-haters, to gratify their hostility
against the Jews, might bring about the ruin of Esther and her
house. (81)

Mindful of the perils to which Esther was exposed, Mordecai
allowed no day to pass without assuring himself of her well-being.
His compensation therefore came from God: "Thou makest the
well-being of a single soul they intimate concern. As thou livest,
the well-being and good of thy whole nation Israel shall be
entrusted to thee as thy task." (82) And to reward him for his
modesty, God said: "Thou withdrawest thyself from greatness; as
thou livest, I will honor thee more than all men on earth." (83)

Vain were the efforts made by Ahasuerus to draw her secret from
Esther. He arranged great festivities for the purpose, but she
guarded it well. She had an answer ready for his most insistent
questions: "I know neither my people nor my family, for I lost my
parents in my earliest infancy." But as the king desired greatly to
show himself gracious to the nation to which the queen belonged,
he released all the peoples under his dominion from the payment
of taxes and imposts. In this way, he thought, her nation was bound
to be benefited. (84)

When the king saw that kindness and generosity left her
untouched, he sought to wrest the secret from her by threats. Once
when she parried his inquiries in the customary way, saying, "I am
an orphan, and God, the Father of the fatherless, in His mercy, has
brought me up," he retorted: I shall gather virgins together the
second time." His purpose was to provoke the jealousy of Esther,
"for a woman is jealous of nothing so much as a rival."

When Mordecai noticed that women were being brought to court
anew, he was overcome with anxiety for his niece. Thinking that
the fate of Vashti might have befallen her, he was impelled to
make inquires about her. (85)

As for Esther herself, she was but following the example of her
race. She could keep silent in all modesty, as Rachel, the mother of
Benjamin, had kept a modest silence when her father gave her
sister Leah to Jacob for wife instead of herself, and as Saul the
Benjamite was modestly reserved when, questioned by his uncle,
he told about the finding of his she-asses, but nothing about his
elevation to the kingship. Rachel and Saul were recompensed for
their self-abnegation by being given a descendant like Esther. (86)

 THE CONSPIRACY

Once the following conversation took place between Ahasuerus
and Esther. The king asked Esther: "Whose daughter art thou?"

Esther: "And whose son art thou?"

Ahasuerus: "I am a king, and the son of a king."

Esther: "And I am a queen, the daughter of kings, a descendant of
the royal family of Saul. If thou art, indeed, a real prince, how
couldst thou put Vashti to death?"

Ahasuerus: "It was not to gratify my own wish, but at the advice of
the great princes of Persia and Media."

Esther: "Thy predecessors took no advice from ordinary
intelligences; they were guided by prophetical counsel. Arioch
brought Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and
Belshazzar, too, summoned Daniel before him."

Ahasuerus: "Is there aught left of those toothsome morsels? Are
there still prophets abroad?

Esther: "Seek and thou wilt find." (87)

The result was that Mordecai was given the position at court once
occupied by the chamberlains Bigthan and Teresh. Indignant that a
place once filled by senators should be given to a barbarian, the
ousted officials resolved to be revenged upon the king and take his
life. Their purpose was to administer poison, which seemed easy
of accomplishment, as they were the royal butlers, and could find
many occasions to drop poison into a cup of water before handing
it to the king. The plan successfully carried out would have
satisfied their vengeful feelings, not only as to the king, but as to
Mordecai as well. It would have made it appear that the death of
Ahasuerus was attributable to the circumstance, that he had
entrusted his person to the care of the Jew, as his life had been
secure under Bigthan and Teresh. They discussed their plans in the
presence of Mordecai, acting upon the unwarranted assumption,
that he would not understand the language they spoke, the Tarsian,
their native tongue. They were ignorant of the fact, that Mordecai
was a member of the Sanhedrin, and as such knew all the seventy
languages of the world. Thus their own tongue betrayed them to
ruin.

However, Mordecai had no need to make use of his great
knowledge of languages; he obtained his information about the
plot of the two chamberlains through prophetical channels.
Accordingly, he appeared one night in the palace. By a miracle the
guards at the gates had not seen him, and he could enter
unrestrained. Thus he overheard the conversation between the two
conspirators.

Mordecai had more than a single reason for preventing the death
of Ahasuerus. In the first place, he desired to secure the king's
friendship for the Jews, and more especially his permission for the
rebuilding of the Temple. Then he feared, if the king were
murdered immediately after his rise to a high place in the state, 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 office.

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 king. She
believed that God would execute the wishes of Mordecai. Albeit
Bigthan and Teresh had no plans of the sort attributed to them by
her uncle, they would conceive then now in order to make
Mordecai's words true. That Esther's confidence was justified
appeared at once. The conspirators got wind of their betrayal to the
king, and in good time they removed the poison they had already
placed in Ahasuerus's cup. But that the lie might not be given to
Mordecai, God caused poison to appear where none had been, and
the conspirators were convicted of their crime. (88) The king had
the water analyzed which he was given to drink, and it was made
manifest that it contained poison. (89) Other evidence besides
existed against the two plotters. It was established that both had at
the same time busied themselves about the person of the king,
though the regulations of the palace assigned definite hours of
service to the one different from those assigned to the other. This
made it clear that they intended to perpetrate a dark deed in
common. (90)

The two conspirators sought to escape the legitimate punishment
for their dastardly deed by ending their own life. But their
intention was frustrated, and they were nailed to the cross. (91)

 HAMAN THE JEW-BAITER

The conspiracy of Bigthan and Teresh determined the king never
again to have two chamberlains guard his person. Henceforward he
would entrust his safety to a single individual, and he appointed
Haman to the place. This was an act of ingratitude toward
Mordecai, who, as the king's savior, had the most cogent claims
upon the post. (92) But Haman possessed one important
advantage, he was the owner of great wealth. With the exception
of Korah he was the richest man that had ever lived, for he had
appropriated to himself the treasures of the Judean kings and of
the Temple. (93)

Ahasuerus had an additional reason for distinguishing Haman. He
was well aware of Mordecai's ardent desire to see the Temple
restored, and he instinctively felt he could not deny the wish of the
man who had snatched him from untimely death. Yet he was not
prepared to grant it. To escape from the dilemma he endeavored to
make Haman act as a counterpoise against Mordecai, that "what
the one built up, the other might pull down." (94)

Ahasuerus had long been acquainted with Haman's feeling against
the Jews. When the quarrel about the rebuilding of the Temple
broke out between the Jews and their heathen adversaries, and the
sons of Haman denounced the Jews before Ahasuerus, the two
parties at odds agreed to send each a representative to the king, to
advocate his case. Mordecai was appointed the Jewish delegate,
and no more rabid Jew-hater could be found than Haman, to plead
the cause of the antagonists of the Temple builders. (95)

As for his character, that, too, King Ahasuerus had had occasion to
see in its true light, because Haman is but another name for
Memucan, the prince who is chargeable in the last resort with the
death of Vashti. At the time of the king's wrath against the queen,
Memucan was still lowest in the rank among the seven princes of
Persia, yet, arrogant as he was, he was the first to speak up when
the king put his question about the punishment due to Vashti   an
illustration of the popular adage: "The common man rushes to the
front." (96) Haman's hostility toward Vashti dated from her
banquet, to which the queen had failed to bid his wife as guest.
Moreover, she had once insulted him by striking him a blow in the
face. Besides, Haman calculated, if only Vashti's repudiation could
be brought about, he might succeed in marrying his own daughter
to the king. (97) He was not the only disappointed man at court. 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 theirs. (98)

Esther once married to the king, however, Haman made the best of
a bad bargain. He tried by every means in his power to win the
friendship of the queen. Whether she was Jewess or heathen, he
desired to claim kinship with her   as a Jewess through the
fraternal bond between Esau and Jacob, as a heathen easily
enough, "for all the heathen area akin to one another." (99)

 MORDECAI'S PRIDE

When Ahasuerus raised Haman to his high office, he at the same
time issued the order, that all who saw him were to prostrate
themselves before him and pay him Divine honors. To make it
manifest that the homage due to him had an idolatrous character,
Haman had the image of an idol fastened to his clothes, so that
whoever bowed down before him, worshipped an idol at the same
time. (100) Mordecai alone of all at court refused to obey the royal
order. The highest officials, even the most exalted judges, showed
Haman the reverence bidden by the king. The Jews themselves
entreated Mordecai not to call forth the fury of Haman, and cause
the ruin of Israel thereby. Mordecai, however, remained steadfast;
no persuasions could move him to pay to a mortal the tribute due
to Divinity. (101)

Also the servants of the king who sat at the gate of the royal palace
said to Mordecai: "Wherein art thou better than we, that we should
pay reverence to Haman and prostrate ourselves, and thou doest
naught of all commanded us in the matter?" Mordecai answered,
saying "O ye fools without understanding! Hear ye my words and
make meet reply thereunto. Who is man that he should act proudly
and arrogantly   man born of woman and few in days? At his birth
there is weeping and travailing, in his youth pain and groans, all
his days are 'full of trouble,' and in the end he returns unto dust.
Before such an one I should prostrate myself? I bend the knee
before God alone, the only living One in heaven, He who is the fire
consuming all other fires; who holds the earth in His arms; who
stretches out the heavens in His might; who darkens the sun when
it pleases Him, and illumines the darkness; who commanded the
sand to set bounds unto the seas; who made the waters of the sea
salt, and caused its waves to spread an aroma as of wine; who
chained the sea as with manacles, and held it fast in the depths of
the abyss that it might not overflow the land; it rages, yet it cannot
pass its limits. With His word He created the firmament, which He
stretched out like a cloud in the air; He cast it over the world like a
dark vault, like a tent it is spread over the earth. In His strength He
upholds all there is above and below. The sun, the moon, and the
Pleiades run before Him, the stars and the planets are not idle for a
single moment; they rest not, they speed before Him as His
messengers, going to the right and to the left, to do the will of Him
who created them. To Him praise is due, before Him we must
prostrate ourselves."

The court officials spake and said: "Yet we know well that thy
ancestor Jacob prostrated himself before Haman's ancestor Esau!"

Whereunto Mordecai made reply: "I am a descendant of Benjamin,
who was not yet born when his father Jacob and his brothers cast
themselves upon the earth before Esau. My ancestor never showed
such honor to a mortal. Therefore was Benjamin's allotment of
land in Palestine privileged to contain the Temple. 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 man. Therefore I will not bend my knee
before this sinner Haman, nor cast myself to earth before him."
(102)

Haman at first tried to propitiate Mordecai by a show of modesty.
As though he had not noticed the behavior of Mordecai, he
approached him, and saluted him with the words: "Peace be with
thee, my lord!" But Mordecai bluntly replied: "There is no peace,
saith my God, to the wicked." (103)

The hatred of Mordecai cherished by Haman was due to more than
the hereditary enmity between the descendants of Saul and Agag.
(104) Not even Mordecai's public refusal to pay the homage due to
Haman suffices to explain its virulence. Mordecai was aware of a
certain incident in the past of Haman. If he had divulged it, the
betrayal would have been most painful to the latter. This accounts
for the intensity of his feeling.

It once happened that a city in India rebelled against Ahasuerus. In
great haste troops were dispatched thither under the command of
Mordecai and Haman. It was estimated that the campaign would
require three years, and all preparations were made accordingly.
By the end of the first year Haman had squandered the provisions
laid in to supply the part of the army commanded by him, for the
whole term of the campaign. Greatly embarrassed, he requested
Mordecai to give him aid. Mordecai, however, refused him succor;
they both had been granted the same amount of provisions for an
equal number of men. Haman then offered to borrow from
Mordecai and pay him interest. This, too, Mordecai refused to do,
and for two reasons. If Mordecai had supplied Haman's men with
provisions, his own would have to suffer, and as for interest, the
law prohibits it, saying "Unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon
usury," and Jacob and Esau, the respective ancestors of Mordecai
and Haman, had been brothers.

When starvation stared them in the face, the troops commanded by
Haman threatened him with death unless he gave them their
rations. Haman again resorted to Mordecai, and promised to pay
him as much as ten per cent interest. The Jewish general continued
to refuse the offer. But he professed himself willing to help him
out of his embarrassment on one condition, that Haman sell
himself to Mordecai as his slave. Driven into a corner, he
acquiesced, and the contract was written upon Mordecai's
knee-cap, because there was no paper to be found in the camp.

The bill of sale ran thus: "I, Haman, the son of Hammedatha of the
family of Agag, was sent out by King Ahasuerus to make war upon
an Indian city, with an army of sixty thousand soldiers, furnished
with the necessary provisions. Precisely the same commission was
given by the king to Mordecai, the son of Shimei of the tribe of
Benjamin. But I squandered the provisions entrusted to me by the
king, so that I had no rations to give to my troops. I desired to
borrow from Mordecai on interest, but, having regard to the fact
that Jacob and Esau were brothers, he refused to lend me upon
usury, and I was forced to sell myself as slave to him. If, now, I
should at any time decline to serve him as a slave, or deny that I
am his slave, or if my children and children's children unto the end
of all time should refuse to do him service, if only a single day of
the week; or if I should act inimically toward him on account of
this contract, as Esau did toward Jacob after selling him his
birthright; in all these cases, a beam of wood is to be plucked out
of the house of the recalcitrant, and he is to be hanged upon it. I,
Haman, the son of Hammedatha of the family of Agag, being
under no restraint, do hereby consent with my own will, and bind
myself to be slave in perpetuity to Mordecai, in accordance with
the contents of this document."

Later, when Haman attained to high rank in the state, Mordecai,
whenever he met him, was in the habit of stretching out his knee
toward him, so that he might see the bill of sale. This so enraged
him against Mordecai and against the Jews that he resolved to
extirpate the Jewish people. (105)

 CASTING THE LOTS

Haman's hatred, first directed against Mordecai alone, grew apace
until it included Mordecai's colleagues, all the scholars, whom he
sought to destroy, and not satisfied with even this, he plotted the
annihilation of the whole of Mordecai's people, the Jews. (106)

Before beginning to lay out his plans, he desired to determine the
most favorable moment for his undertaking, which he did by
casting lots.

First of all he wanted to decide on the day of the week. The scribe
Shimshai began to cast lots. Sunday appeared inappropriate, being
the day on which God created heaven and earth, whose
continuance depends on Israel's existence. Were it not for God's
covenant with Israel, there would be neither day nor night, neither
heaven nor earth. Monday showed itself equally unpropitious for
Haman's devices, for it was the day on which God effected the
separation between the celestial and the terrestrial waters,
symbolic of the separation between Israel and the heathen.
Tuesday, the day on which the vegetable world was created,
refused to give its aid in bringing about the ruin of Israel, who
worships God with branches of palm trees. Wednesday, too,
protested against the annihilation of Israel, saying: "On me the
celestial luminaries were created, and like unto them Israel is
appointed to illumine the whole world. First destroy me, and then
Thou mayest destroy Israel." Thursday said: "O Lord, on me the
birds were created, which are used for sin offerings. When Israel
shall be no more, who will bring offerings? First destroy me, and
then Thou mayest destroy Israel." Friday was unfavorable to
Haman's lots, because it was the day of the creation of man, and
the Lord God said to Israel, "Ye are men." Least of all was the
Sabbath day inclined to make itself subservient to Haman's wicked
plans. It said: "The Sabbath is a sign between Israel and God. First
destroy me, and then Thou mayest destroy Israel!" (107)

Baffled, Haman gave up all idea of settling upon a favorable day of
the week. He applied himself to the task of searching out the
suitable month for his sinister undertaking. As it appeared to him,
Adar was the only one of the twelve owning naught that might be
interpreted in favor of the Jews. The rest of them seemed to be
enlisted on their side. In Nisan Israel was redeemed from Egypt; in
Iyar Amlek was overcome; In Siwan the Ethiopian Zerah was
smitten in the war with Asa; in Tammuz the Amorite kings were
subjugated; in Ab the Jews won a victory over Arad, the
Canaanite; in Tishri the Jewish kingdom was firmly established by
the dedication of Solomon's Temple, while in Heshwan the
building of the Temple at Jerusalem was completed; Kislew and
Tebet were the months during which Sihon and Og were
conquered by the Israelites, and in Shebat occurred the sanguinary
campaign of the eleven tribes against the godless children of
Benjamin. Not alone was Adar a month without favorable
significance in Jewish history, but actually a month of misfortune,
the month in which Moses died. What Haman did not know was,
that Adar was the month in which occurred also the birth of
Moses. (108)

Then Haman investigated the twelve signs of the zodiac in relation
to Israel, and again it appeared that Adar was the most unfavorable
month for the Jews. The first constellation, the Ram, said to
Haman, "'Israel is a scattered sheep,' and how canst thou expect a
father to offer his son for slaughter?"

The Bull said: "Israel's ancestor was 'the firstling bullock.'"

The Twins: "As we are twins, so Tamar bore twins to Judah."

The Crab: "As I am called Saratan, the scratcher, so it is said of
Israel, 'All that oppress him, he shall scratch sorely.'"

The Lion: "God is called the lion, and is it likely the lion will
permit the fox to bite his children?"

The Virgin: "As I am a virgin, so Israel is compared unto a virgin."

The Balance: "Israel obeys the law against unjust balances in the
Torah, and must therefore be protected by the Balance."

The Scorpion: "Israel is like unto me, for he, too, is called
scorpion."

The Archer: "The sons of Judah are masters of the bow, and the
bows of mighty men directed against them will be broken."

The Goat: "It was a goat that brought blessing unto Jacob, the
ancestor of Israel, and it stands to reason that the blessing of the
ancestor cannot cause misfortune to the descendant."

The Water-bearer: "His dominion is likened unto a bucket, and
therefore the Water-bearer cannot but bring him good." (109)

The Fishes were the only constellation which, at least according to
Haman's interpretation, made unfavorable prognostications as to
the fate of the Jews. It said that the Jews would be swallowed like
fishes. God however spake: "O thou villain! Fishes are sometimes
swallowed, but sometimes they swallow, and thou shalt be
swallowed by the swallowers." (110) And when Haman began to
cast lots, God said: "O thou villain, son of a villain! What thy lots
have shown thee is thine own lot, that thou wilt be hanged." (111)

 THE DENUNCIATION OF THE JEWS

His resolve to ruin the Jews taken, Haman appeared before
Ahasuerus with his accusation against them. "There is a certain
people," he said, "the Jews, scattered abroad and dispersed among
the peoples in all the provinces of the kingdom. They are proud
and presumptuous. In Tebet, in the depth of winter, they bathe in
warm water, and they sit in cold water in summer. Their religion is
diverse from the religion of every other people, and their laws
from the laws of every other land. To our laws they pay no heed,
our religion finds no favor with them, and the decrees of the king
they do not execute. When their eye falls upon us, they spit out
before us, and they consider us as unclean vessels. When we levy
them for the king's service, they either jump upon the wall, and
hide within the chambers, or they break through the walls and
escape. If we hasten to arrest them, they turn upon us, glare at us
with their eyes, grind their teeth, stamp their feet, and so
intimidate us that we cannot hold them fast. They do not give us
their daughters unto wives, nor do they take our daughters unto
wives. If one of them has to do the king's service, he idles all the
day long. If they want to buy aught of us, they say, 'This is a day
for doing business.' But if we want to buy aught of them, they say,
'We may do no business to-day,' and thus we can buy nothing from
them on their market-days.

"Their time they pass in this wise: The first hour of the day, they
say, they need for reciting the Shema; the second for praying; the
third for eating; the fourth for saying grace, to give thanks to God
for the food and drink He has granted them; the fifth hour they
devote to their business affairs; in the sixth they already feel the
need of rest; in the seventh their wives call for them, saying, 'come
home, ye weary ones, who are so exhausted by the king's service!'

"The seventh day they celebrate as their Sabbath; they go to the
synagogues on that day, read out of their books, translate pieces
from their Prophets, curse our king, and execrate our government,
saying: 'This is the day whereon the great God rested; so may He
grant us rest from the heathen.'

"The women pollute the waters with their ritual baths, which they
take after the seven days of their defilement. On the eighth day
after the birth of sons, they circumcise them mercilessly, saying,
'This shall distinguish us from all other nations.' At the end of
thirty days, and sometimes twenty-nine, they celebrate the
beginning of the month. In the month of Nisan they observe eight
days of Passover, beginning the celebration by kindling a fire of
brushwood to burn up the leaven. They put all the leaven in their
homes out of sight before they use the unleavened bread, saying,
'This is the day whereon our fathers were redeemed from Egypt.'
Such is the festival they call Pesah. They go to their synagogues,
read out of their books, and translate from the writings of the
Prophets, saying: 'As the leaven has been removed out of our
houses, so may this wicked dominion be removed from over us.'

"Again, in Siwan, they celebrate two days, on which they go to
their synagogues, recite the Shema, and offer up prayers, read out
of the Torah, and translate from the books of their Prophets, curse
our king, and execrate our government. This is the holiday which
they call Azarta, the closing festival. They ascend to the roofs of
their synagogues, and throw down apples, which are picked up by
those below, with the words, 'As these apples are gathered up, so
may we be gathered together from our dispersion among the
heathen.' They say they observe this festival, because on these days
the Torah was revealed to their ancestors on Mount Sinai.

"On the first of Tishri they celebrate the New Year   again they go
to their synagogues, read out of their books, translate pieces from
the writings of their Prophets, curse our king, execrate our
government, and blow the trumpets, saying: 'On this Day of
Memorial may we be remembered unto good, and our enemies
unto evil.'

"On the ninth day of the same month they slaughter cattle, geese,
and poultry, they eat and drink and indulge in dainties, they and
their wives, their sons and their daughters. But the tenth day of the
same month they call the Great Fast, and all of them fast, they
together with their wives, their sons, and their daughters, yea, they
even torture their little children without mercy, forcing them to
abstain from food. They say: 'On this day our sins are pardoned,
and are added to the sum of the sins committed by our enemies.'
They go to their synagogues, read from their books, translate from
the writings of their Prophets, curse our king, and execrate our
government, saying: 'May this empire be wiped off from the face
of the earth like unto our sins.' They supplicate and pray that the
king may die, and his rule be made to cease.

"On the fifteenth of the same month they celebrate the Feast of
Tabernacles. They cover the roofs of their houses with foliage,
they resort to our parks, where they cut down palm branches for
their festal wreaths, pluck the fruit of the Etrog, and cause havoc
among the willows of the brook, by breaking down the hedges in
their quest after Hosha'not, saying: 'As does the king in the
triumphal procession, so do we.' Then they repair to their
synagogues to pray, and read out of their books, and make circuits
with their Hosha'not, all the while jumping and skipping like goats,
so that there is no telling whether they curse us or bless us. This is
Sukkot, as they call it, and while it lasts, they do none of the king's
service, for, they maintain, all work is forbidden them on these
days.

"In this way they waste the whole year with tomfoolery and
fiddle-faddle, only in order to avoid doing the king's service. At the
expiration of every period of fifty years they have a jubilee year,
and every seventh year is a year of release, during which the land
lies fallow, for they neither sow nor reap therein, and sell us
neither fruits nor other products of the field, so that those of us
who live among them die of hunger. At the end of every period of
twelve months, they observe the New Year, at the end of every
thirty days the New Moon, and every seventh day is the Sabbath,
the day on which, as they say, the Lord of the world rested." (112)

After Haman had finished his arraignment of the Jews, God said:
"Thou didst well enumerate the holidays of the Jews, yet thou didst
omit the two   Purim and Shushan-Purim  which the Jews will
celebrate to commemorate thy fall."

Clever though Haman's charge was, the vindication of the Jews
was no whit less clever. For they found a defender in the archangel
Michael. While Haman was delivering his indictment, he spoke
thus to God: "O Lord of the world! Thou knowest well that the
Jews are not accused of idolatry, nor of immoral conduct, nor of
shedding blood; they are accused only of observing Thy Torah."
God pacified him: "As thou livest, I have not abandoned them, I
will not abandon them."

Haman's denunciations of the Jewish people found a ready echo in
the heart of the king. He replied: "I, too, desire the annihilation of
the Jews, but I fear their God, for He is mighty beyond compare,
and He loves His people with a great love. Whoever rises up
against them, He crushes under their feet. Just think of Pharaoh!
Should his example not be a warning to us? He ruled the whole
world, yet, because he oppressed the Jews, he was visited with
frightful plagues. God delivered them from the Egyptians, and
cleft the sea for them, a miracle never done for any other nation,
and when Pharaoh pursued them with an army of six hundred
thousand warriors, he and his host together were drowned in the
sea. Thy ancestor Amalek, O Haman, attacked them with four
hundred thousand heroes, and all of them God delivered into the
hands of Joshua, who slew them. Sisera had forty thousand
generals under him, each one commander of a hundred thousand
men, yet they all were annihilated. The God of the Jews ordered
the stars to consume the warriors of Sisera, and then He caused the
great general to fall into the power of a woman, to become a
by-word and a reproach forever. Many and valorous rulers have
risen up against them, they all were cast down by their God and
crushed unto their everlasting disgrace. Now, then, can we venture
aught against them?"

Haman, however, persisted. Day after day he urged the king to
consent to his plan. Ahasuerus thereupon called together a council
of the wise men of all nations and tongues. To them he submitted
the question, whether the Jews ought not to be destroyed, seeing
they differed from all other peoples. The sage councillors inquired:
"Who is it that desires to induce thee to take so fatal a step? If the
Jewish nation is destroyed, the world itself will cease to be, for the
world exists only for the sake of the Torah studied by Israel. Yea,
the very sun and moon shed their light only for the sake of Israel,
and were it not for him, there were neither day nor night, and
neither dew nor rain would moisten the earth. More than this, all
other nations beside Israel are designated as 'strangers' by God, but
Israel He called in His love 'a people near to Him,' and His
'children.' If men do not suffer their children and kinsmen to be
attacked with impunity, how much less will God sit by quiet when
Israel is assailed   God the Ruler over all things, over the powers in
heaven above and on earth beneath, over the spirits and the souls
God with whom it lies to exalt and to degrade, to slay and to
revive."

Haman was ready with a reply to these words of the wise: "The
God who drowned Pharaoh in the sea, and who did all the wonders
and signs ye have recounted, that God is now in His dotage, He can
neither see nor protect. For did not Nebuchadnezzar destroy His
house, burn His palace, and scatter His people to all corners of the
earth, and He was not able to do one thing against it? If He had had
power and strength, would he not have displayed them? This is the
best proof that He was waxed old and feeble."

When the heathen sages heard these arguments advance by
Haman, they agreed to his plan, and put their signature to an edict
decreeing the persecution of the Jews. (113)

 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 Jews: "This herein
is written by me, the great officer of the king, his second in rank,
the first among the grandees, and one of the seven princes, and the
most distinguished among the nobles of the realm. I, in agreement
with the rulers of the provinces, the princes of the king, the chiefs
and the lords, the Eastern kings and the satraps, all being of the
same language, write you at the order of King Ahasuerus this
writing sealed with his signet, so that it may not be sent back,
concerning the great eagle Israel. The great eagle had stretched out
his pinions over the whole world; neither bird nor beast could
withstand him. But there came the great lion Nebuchadnezzar, and
dealt the great eagle a stinging blow. His pinions snapped, his
feathers were plucked out, and his feet were hacked off. The whole
world has enjoyed rest, cheer, and tranquillity since the moment
the eagle was chased from his eyrie until this day. Now we notice
that he is using all efforts to secure wings. He is permitting his
feathers to grow, with the intention of covering us and the whole
world, as he did unto our forefathers. At the instance of King
Ahasuerus, all the magnates of the king of Media and Persia are
assembled, and we are writing you our joint advice, as follows: 'Set
snares for the eagle, and capture him before he renews his
strength, and soars back to his eyrie.' We advise you to tear out his
plumage, break his wings, give his flesh to the fowl of heaven,
split the eggs lying in his nest, and crush his young, so that his
memorial may vanish from the world. Our counsel is not like unto
Pharaoh's; he sought to destroy only the men of Israel; to the
women he did no harm. It is not like unto the plan of Esau, who
wanted to slay his brother Jacob and keep his children as slaves. It
is not like unto the tactics of Amalek, who pursued Israel and
smote the hindmost and feeble, but left the strong unscathed. It is
not like unto the policy of Nebuchadnezzar, who carried them
away into exile, and settled them near his own throne. And it is not
like unto the way of Sennacherib, who assigned a land unto the
Jews as fair as their own had been. We, recognizing clearly what
the situation is, have resolved to slay the Jews, annihilate them,
young and old, so that their name and their memorial may be no
more, and their posterity may be cut off forever." (114)

The edict issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews ran thus: "To all
the peoples, nations, and races: Peace be with you! This is to
acquaint you that one came to us who is not of our nation and of
our land, an Amalekite, the son of great ancestors, and his name is
Haman. He made a trifling request of me, saying: 'Among us there
dwells a people, the most despicable of all, who are a
stumbling-block in every time. They are exceeding presumptuous,
and they know our weakness and our shortcomings. They curse the
king in these words, which are constantly in their mouths: "God is
the King of the world forever and ever: He will make the heathen
to perish out of His land: He will execute vengeance and
punishments upon the peoples." From the beginning of all time
they have been ungrateful, as witness their behavior toward
Pharaoh. With kindness he received them, their wives, and their
children, at the time of a famine. He gave up to them the best of
his land. He provided them with food and all they needed. Then
Pharaoh desired to build a palace, and he requested the Jews to do
it for him. They began the work grudgingly, amid murmurings, and
it is not completed unto this day. In the midst of it, they
approached Pharaoh with these words: "We wish to offer sacrifices
to our God in a place that is a three days' journey from here, and
we petition thee to lend us silver and gold vessels, and clothes, and
apparel." So much did they borrow, that each one bore ninety
ass-loads off with him, and Egypt was emptied out. When, the
three days having elapsed, they did not return, Pharaoh pursued
them in order to recover the stolen treasures. What did the Jews?
They had among them a man by the name of Moses, the son of
Amram, an arch-wizard, who had been bred in the house of
Pharaoh. When they reached the sea, this man raised his staff, and
cleft the waters, and led the Jews through them dryshod, while
Pharaoh and his host were drowned.

"'Their God helps them as long as they observe His law, so that
none can prevail against them. Balaam, the only prophet we
heathens ever had, they slew with the sword, as they did unto
Sihon and Og, the powerful kings of Canaan, whose land they took
after killing them. Likewise they brought ruin upon Amalek, the
great and glorious ruler   they, and Saul their king, and Samuel
their prophet. Later they had an unmerciful king, David by name,
who smote the Philistines, the Ammonites, and the Moabites, and
not one of them could discomfit him. Solomon, the son of this
king, being wise and sagacious, built them a house of worship in
Jerusalem, that they might not scatter to all parts of the world. But
after they had been guilty of many crimes against their God, He
delivered them into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar, who
deported them to Babylonia.

"'To this day they are among us, and though they are under our
hand, we are of none account in their eyes. Their religion and their
laws are different from the religion and he laws of all the other
nations. Their sons do not marry with our daughters, our gods they
do not worship, they have no regard for our honor, and they refuse
to bend the knee before us. Calling themselves freemen, they will
not do our service, and our commands they heed not.'

"Therefore the grandees, the princes, and the satraps have been
assembled before us, we have taken counsel together, and we have
resolved an irrevocable resolution, according to the laws of the
Medes and Persians, to extirpate the Jews from among the
inhabitants of the earth. We have sent the edict to the hundred and
twenty-seven provinces of my empire, to slay them, their sons,
their wives, and their little children, on the thirteenth day of the
month of Adar   none is to escape. As they did to our forefathers,
and desired to do unto us, so shall be done unto them, and their
possessions are to be given over to the spoilers. Thus shall ye do,
that ye may find grace before me. This is the writing of the letter
which I send to you, Ahasuerus king of Media and Persia." (115)

The price Haman offered the king for the Jews was ten thousand
hundredweights of silver. He took the number of the Jews at their
exodus from Egypt, six hundred thousand, as the basis of his
calculation, and offered a half-shekel for every soul of them, the
sum each Israelite had to pay yearly for the maintenance of the
sanctuary. Though the sum was so vast that Haman could not find
coin enough to pay it, but promised to deliver it in the form of
silver bars, Ahasuerus refused the ransom. When Haman made the
offer, he said: "Let us cast lots. If thou drawest Israel and I draw
money, then the sale stands as a valid transaction. If the reverse, it
is not valid." Because of the sins of the Jews, the sale was
confirmed by the lots. But Haman was not too greatly pleased with
his own success. He disliked to give up so large a sum of money.
Observing his ill humor, Ahasuerus said: "Keep the money; I do
not care either to make or to lose money on account of the Jews."
(116)

For the Jews it was fortunate that the king did not accept money
for them, else his subjects would not have obeyed his second edict,
the one favorable to the Jews. They would have been able to
advance the argument, that the king, by accepting a sum of money
for them, had resigned his rights over the Jews in favor of Haman,
who, therefore, could deal with them as he pleased. (117)

The agreement between Ahasuerus and Haman was concluded at a
carouse, by way of punishment for the crime of the sons of Jacob,
who had unmercifully sold their brother Joseph into slavery to the
Ishmaelites while eating and drinking. (118)

The joy of this Jew-hating couple   for Ahasuerus hated the Jews
with no less fierce a hatred than Haman did (119)   was shared by
none. The capital city of Shushan was in mourning and sorely
perplexed. Scarcely had the edict of annihilation been promulgated
against the Jews, when all sorts of misfortunes began to happen in
the city. Women who were hanging up their wash to dry on the
roofs of the houses dropped dead; men who went to draw water
fell into the wells, and lost their lives. While Ahasuerus and
Haman were making merry in the palace, the city was thrown into
consternation and mourning. (120)

 SATAN INDICTS THE JEWS

The position of the Jews after the royal edict became known
beggars description. If a Jew ventured abroad on the street to make
a purchase, he was almost throttled by the Persians, who taunted
him with these words: "Never mind, to-morrow will soon be here,
and then I shall kill thee, and take thy money away from thee." If a
Jew offered to sell himself as a slave, he was rejected; not even the
sacrifice of his liberty could protect him against the loss of his life.
(121)

Mordecai, however, did not despair; he trusted in the Divine help.
On his way from the court, after Haman and his ilk had informed
him with malicious joy of the king's pleasure concerning the Jews,
he met Jewish children coming from school. He asked the first
child what verse from the Scriptures he had studied in school that
day, and the reply was: "Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the
desolation of the wicked when it cometh." The verse committed to
memory by the second was: "Let them take counsel together, but it
shall be brought to naught; let them speak the word, but it shall not
stand; for God is with us." And the verse which the third had learnt
was: "And even to old age I am He, and even to hoar hairs I will
carry you: I have made and will bear; yea, I will carry and will
deliver."

When Mordecai heard these verses, he broke out into jubilation,
astonishing Haman not a little. Mordecai told him, "I rejoice at the
good tidings announced to me by the school children." Haman
thereupon fell into such a rage that he exclaimed: "In sooth, they
shall be the first to feel the weight of my hand."

What gave Mordecai the greatest concern, was the certainty that
the danger had been invited by the Jews themselves, through their
sinful conduct in connection with the banquets given by
Ahasuerus. Eighteen thousand five hundred Jews had taken part in
them; they had eaten and drunk, intoxicated themselves and
committed immoralities, as Haman had foreseen, the very reason,
indeed, he had advised the king to hold the banquets.

Thereupon Satan had indicted the Jews. 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
annihilation, and it was written and sealed.

When the Torah heard that Satan's designs against the Jews had
succeeded, she broke out into bitter weeping before God, and her
lamentations awakened the angels, who likewise began to wail,
saying: "If Israel is to be destroyed, of what avail is the whole
world?"

The sun and the moon heard the lamentations of the angels, and
they donned their mourning garb and also wept bitterly and wailed,
saying: "Is Israel to be destroyed, Israel who wanders from town to
town, and from land to land, only for the sake of the study of the
Torah; who suffers grievously under the hand of the heathen, only
because he observes the Torah and the sign of the covenant?"

In great haste the prophet Elijah ran to the Patriarchs and to the
other prophets, and to the saints in Israel, and addressed these
words to them: "O ye fathers of the world! Angels, and the sun and
the moon, and heaven and earth, and all the celestial hosts are
weeping bitterly. The whole world is seized with throes as of a
woman in travail, by reason of your children, who have forfeited
their life on account of their sins, and ye sit quiet and tranquil."
Thereupon Moses said to Elijah: "Knowest thou any saints in the
present generation of Israel?" Elijah named Mordecai, and Moses
sent the prophet to him, with the charge that he, the "saint of the
living generation," should unite his prayers with the prayers of the
saints among the dead, and perhaps the doom might be averted
from Israel. But Elijah hesitated. "O faithful shepherd," he said,
"the edict of annihilation issued by God is written and sealed."
Moses, however, did not desist; he urged the Patriarchs: "If the
edict is sealed with wax, your prayers will be heard; if with blood,
then all is vain."

Elijah hastened to Mordecai, who, when first he heard what God
had resolved upon, tore his garments and was possessed by a great
fear, though before he had confidently hoped that help would
come form God. He gathered together all the school children, and
had them fast, so that their hunger should drive them to moan and
groan. Then it was that Israel spoke to God: "O Lord of the world!
When the heathen rage against me, they do not desire my silver
and gold, they desire only that I should be exterminated from off
the face of the earth. Such was the design of Nebuchadnezzar
when he wanted to compel Israel to worship the idol. Had it not
been for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, I had disappeared from
the world. Now it is Haman who desires to uproot the whole vine."
(122)

Then Mordecai addressed all the people thus: "O people of Israel,
that art so dear and precious in the sight of thy Heavenly Father!
Knowest thou not what has happened? Hast thou not heard that the
king and Haman have resolved to remove us off the face of the
earth, to destroy us from beneath the sun? We have no king on
whom we can depend, and no prophet to intercede for us with
prayers. There is no place whither we can flee, no land wherein we
can find safety. We are like sheep without a shepherd, like a ship
upon the sea without a pilot. We are like an orphan born after the
death of his father, and death robs him of his mother, too, when he
has scarce begun to draw nourishment from her breast."

After this address a great prayer-meeting was called outside of
Shushan. The Ark containing the scroll of the law, covered with
sackcloth and strewn with ashes, was brought thither. The scroll
was unrolled, and the following verses read from it: "When thou
art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, in the
latter days thou shalt return to the Lord thy God, and hearken unto
His voice, for the Lord thy God is a merciful God: He will not fail
thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of they fathers
which He swore unto them."

Thereunto Mordecai added words of admonition: "O people of
Israel, thou art dear and precious to thy Father in heaven, let us
follow the example of the inhabitants of Nineveh, doing as they
did when the prophet Jonah came to them to announce the
destruction of the city. The king arose from his throne, laid his
crown from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes,
and he made proclamation, and published through Nineveh by the
decree of the king and his nobles, saying, 'Let neither man nor
beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink
water, but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast,
and let them cry mightily unto God; yea, let them turn every one
from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.'
Then God repented Him of the evil He had designed to bring upon
them, and He did it not. Now, then, let us follow their example, let
us hold a fast, mayhap God will have mercy upon us." (123)

Furthermore spake Mordecai: "O Lord of the world! Didst Thou
not swear unto our fathers to make us as many as the stars in the
heavens? And now we are as sheep in the shambles. What has
become of Thine oath?" (124) He cried aloud, though he knew
God hears the softest whisper, for he said: "O Father of Israel, what
hast Thou done unto me? One single cry of anguish uttered by
Esau Thou didst repay with the blessing of his father Isaac, 'By thy
sword shall thou live,' and now we ourselves are abandoned to the
mercy of the sword." (125) What Mordecai was not aware of, was
that he, the descendant of Jacob, was brought unto weeping and
wailing by Haman, the descendant of Esau, as a punishment,
because Jacob himself had brought Esau unto weeping and
wailing. (126)

 THE DREAM OF MORDECAI FULFILLED

Esther, who knew naught of what was happening at court, was
greatly alarmed when her attendants told her that Mordecai had
appeared in the precincts of the palace clothed in sackcloth and
ashes. She was so overcome by fright that she was deprived of the
joys of motherhood to which she had been looking forward with
happy expectancy. (127) She sent clothes to Mordecai, who,
however, refused to lay aside his garb of mourning until God
permitted miracles to come to pass for Israel, wherein he followed
the example of such great men in Israel as Jacob, David, and Ahab,
and of the Gentile inhabitants of Nineveh at the time of Jonah. By
no means would he array himself in court attire so long as his
people was exposed to sure suffering. (128) The queen sent for
Daniel, called also Hathach in the Scriptures, and charged him to
learn from Mordecai wherefore he was mourning. (129)

To escape all danger from spying ears, Hathach and Mordecai had
their conversation in the open, like Jacob when he consulted with
his wives Leah and Rachel about leaving their father Laban. (130)
By Hathach Mordecai sent word to the queen, that Haman was an
Amalekite, who like his ancestor sought to destroy Israel. (131) He
requested her to appear before the king and plead for the Jews,
reminding her at the same time of a dream he had once had and
told her about.

Once, when Mordecai had spent a long time weeping and
lamenting over the misery of the Jews in the Dispersion, and
prayed fervently to God to redeem Israel and rebuild the Temple,
he fell asleep, and in his sleep a dream visited him. He dreamed he
was transported to a desert place he had never seen before. Many
nations lived there jumbled together, only one small and despised
nation kept apart at a short distance. Suddenly a snake shot up
from the midst of the nations, rising higher and higher, and
growing stronger and larger in proportion as it rose. It darted in the
direction of the spot in which they tiny nation stood, and tried to
project itself upon it. Impenetrable clouds and darkness enveloped
the little nation, and when the snake was on the point of seizing it,
a hurricane arose from the four corners of the world, covering the
snake as clothes cover a man, and blew it to bits. The fragments
scattered hither and thither like chaff before the wind, until not a
speck of the monster was to be found anywhere. Then the cloud
and the darkness vanished from above the little nation, the
splendor of the sun again enveloped it. (132)

This dream Mordecai recorded in a book, and when the storm
began to rage against the Jews, he thought of it, and demanded that
Esther go to the king as the advocate of her people. At first she did
not feel inclined to accede to the wishes of Mordecai. By her
messenger she recalled to his mind, that he himself had insisted
upon her keeping her Jewish descent a secret. (133) Besides, she
had always tried to refrain from appearing before the king at her
own initiative, in order that she might not be instrumental in
bringing down sin upon her soul, for she well remembered
Mordecai's teaching, that "a Jewish woman, captive among the
heathen, who of her own accord goes to them, loses her portion in
the Jewish nation." She had been rejoicing that her petitions had
been granted, and the king had not come nigh unto her this last
month. Was she now voluntarily to present herself before him?
(134) Furthermore, she had her messenger inform Mordecai, that
Haman had introduced a new palace regulation. Any one who
appeared before the king without having been summoned by
Haman, would suffer the death penalty. Therefore, she could not,
if she would, go to the king to advocate the cause of the Jews.
(135)

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 nation. Mordecai, however, was
firmly convinced that Esther was destined by God to save Israel.
How could her miraculous history be explained otherwise? At the
very moment Esther was taken to court, he had thought: "Is it
conceivable that God would force so pious a woman to wed with a
heathen, were it not that she is appointed to save Israel from
menacing dangers?" (136)

Firm as Mordecai was in his determination to make Esther take a
hand in affairs, he yet did not find it a simple matter to
communicate with her. For Hathach was killed by Haman as soon
as it was discovered that he was acting as mediator between
Mordecai and Esther. (137) There was none to replace him, unto
God dispatched the archangels Michael and Gabriel to carry
messages from one to the other and back again. (138)

Mordecai sent word to her, if she let the opportunity to help Israel
slip by, she would have to give account for the omission before the
heavenly court. (139) To Israel in distress, however, help would
come from other quarters. Never had God forsaken His people in
time of need. Moreover, he admonished her, that, as the
descendant of Saul, it was her duty to make reparation for her
ancestor's sin in not having put Agag to death. Had he done as he
was bidden, the Jews would not now have to fear the machinations
of Haman, the offspring of Agag. He bade her supplicate her
Heavenly Father to deal with the present enemies of Israel as He
had dealt with his enemies in former ages. To give her
encouragement, Mordecai continued: "Is Haman so surpassing
great that his plan against the Jews must succeed? Dost though
mean to say that he is superior to his own ancestor Amalek, whom
God crushed when he precipitated himself upon Israel? Is he
mightier than the thirty-one kings who fought against Israel and
whom Joshua slew 'with the word of God'? Is he stronger than
Sisera, who went out against Israel with nine hundred iron
chariots, and yet met his death at the hands of a mere woman, 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 duty?
Is he more powerful than Goliath, who reviled the warriors of
Israel, and was slain by David? Or is he more invincible than the
sons of Orpah, who waged wars with Israel, and were killed by
David and his men? Therefore, do not refrain thy mouth from
prayer, and thy lips from supplication, for on account of the merits
of our fathers, Israel has ever and ever been snatched out of the
jaws of death. He who has at all times done wonders for Israel,
will deliver the enemy into our hands now, for us to do with him as
seemeth best to us."

What he endeavored to impress upon Esther particularly, was that
God would bring help to Israel without her intermediation, but it
was to her interest to use the opportunity, for which alone she had
reached her exalted place, to make up for the transgressions
committed by her house, Saul and his descendants. (140)

Yielding at last to the arguments of Mordecai, Esther was prepared
to risk life in this world, in order to secure life in the world to
come. She made only one request of her uncle. He was to have the
Jews spend three days in prayer and fasting in her behalf, that she
might find favor in the eyes of the king. At first Mordecai was
opposed to the proclamation of a fast, because it was Passover
time, and the law prohibits fasting on the holidays. But he finally
assented to Esther's reasoning: "Of what avail are the holidays, if
there is no Israel to celebrate them, and without Israel, there would
not be even a Torah. Therefore it is advisable to transgress on law,
that God may have mercy upon us." (141)

 THE PRAYER OF ESTHER

Accordingly Mordecai made arrangements for a fast and a
prayer-meeting. On the very day of the festival, he had himself
ferried across the water to the other side of Shushan, where all the
Jews of the city could observe the fast together. (142) It was
important that the Jewish residents of Shushan beyond all other
Jews should do penance and seek pardon from God, because they
had committed the sin of partaking of Ahasuerus's banquet.
Twelve thousand priests marched in the procession, trumpets in
their right hands, and the holy scrolls of the law in their left,
weeping and mourning, and exclaiming against God: "Here is the
Torah Thou gavest us. Thy beloved people is about to be
destroyed. When that comes to pass, who will be left to read the
Torah and make mention of Thy name? The sun and the moon will
refuse to shed their light abroad, for they were created only for the
sake of Israel." Then they fell upon their faces, and said: "Answer
us, our Father, answer us, our King." The whole people joined in
their cry, and the celestials wept with them, and the Fathers came
forth from their graves.

After a three days' fast, Esther arose from the earth and dust, and
made preparations to betake herself to the king. She arrayed
herself in a silken garment, embroidered with gold from Ophir and
spangled with diamonds and pearls sent her from Africa; a golden
crown was on her head, and on her feet shoes of gold.

After she had completed her attire, she pronounced the following
prayer: "Thou art the great God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, and the God of my father Benjamin. Not because I consider
myself without blemish, do I dare appear before the foolish king,
but that the people of Israel may not be cut off from the world. Is it
not for the sake of Israel alone that the whole world was created,
and if Israel should cease to exist, who will come and exclaim
'Holy, holy, holy' thrice daily before Thee? As Thou didst save
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah out of the burning furnace, and
Daniel out of the den of lions, so save me out of the hand of this
foolish king, and make me to appear charming and graceful in his
eyes. I entreat Thee to give ear to my prayer in this time of exile
and banishment from our land. By reason of our sins the
threatening words of the Holy Scriptures are accomplished upon
us: 'Ye shall sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and
for bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.' The decree to kill us
has been issued. We are delivered up unto the sword for
destruction, root and branch. The children of Abraham covered
themselves with sackcloth and ashes, but though the elders sinned,
what wrongs have the children committed, and though the children
committed wrongs, what have the sucklings done? The nobles of
Jerusalem came forth from their graves, for their children were
given up to the sword.

"How quickly have the days of our joy flown by! The wicked
Haman has surrendered us to our enemies for slaughter.

"I will recount before Thee the deeds of Thy friends, and with
Abraham will I begin. Thou didst try him with all temptations, yet
didst Thou find him faithful. O that Thou wouldst support his
beloved children for his sake, and aid them, so that Thou wouldst
bear them as an unbreakable seal upon Thy right hand. Call
Haman to account for the wrong he would do us, and be revenged
upon the son of Hammedatha. Demand requital of Haman and not
of Thy people, for he sought to annihilate us all at one stroke, he,
the enemy and afflicter of Thy people, whom he endeavors to hem
in on all sides.

"With an eternal bond Thou didst bind us unto Thee. O that Thou
wouldst uphold us for the sake of Isaac, who was bound. Haman
offered the king ten thousand talents of silver for us. Raise Thou
our voice, and answer us, and bring us forth out of the narrow
place into enlargement. Thou who breakest the mightiest, crush
Haman, so that he may never again rise from his fall. I am ready to
appear before the king, to entreat grace for my inheritance. Send
Thou an angel of compassion with me on mine errand, and let
grace and favor be my companions. May the righteousness of
Abraham go before me, the binding of Isaac raise me, the charm of
Jacob be put into my mouth, and the grace of Joseph upon my
tongue. Happy the man who putteth his trust in God; he is not
confounded. He will lend me His right hand and His left hand,
with which He created the whole world. Ye, all ye of Israel, pray
for me as I pray in your behalf. For whatsoever a man may ask of
God in the time of his distress, is granted unto him. Let us look
upon the deeds of our fathers and do like unto them, and He will
answer our supplications. The left hand of Abraham held Isaac by
the throat, and his right hand grasped the knife. He willingly did
Thy bidding, nor did he delay to execute Thy command. Heaven
opened its windows to give space to the angels, who cried bitterly,
and said: 'Woe to the world, if this thing should come to pass!' I
also call upon Thee! O answer me, for Thou givest ear unto all
who are afflicted and oppressed. Thou art called the Merciful and
the Gracious; Thou art slow to anger and great in lovingkindness
and truth. Hear our voice and answer us, and lead us out of distress
into enlargement. For three days have I fasted in accordance with
the number of days Abraham journey to bind his son upon the altar
before Thee. Thou didst make a covenant with him, and didst
promise him: 'Whenever thy children shall be in distress, I will
remember the binding of Isaac favorably unto them, and deliver
them out of their troubles.' Again, I fasted three days
corresponding to the three classes Israel, priests, Levites, and
Israelites, who stood at the foot of Sinai, and said: 'All the Lord
hath spoken will we do, and be obedient.'"

Esther concluded her prayer and said: "O God, Lord of hosts! Thou
that searchest the heart and the reins, in this hour do Thou
remember the merits of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that my
petition to Thee may not be turned aside, nor my request be left
unfulfilled.' (143)

 ESTHER INTERCEDES

After finishing her prayer, Esther betook herself to the king,
accompanied by three attendants, one walking to the right of her,
the second on the other side, and the third bearing her train, heavy
with the precious stones with which it was studded. (144) Her
chief adornment was the holy spirit that was poured out over her.
But scarcely did she enter the chamber containing the idols, when
the holy spirit departed from her, and she cried out in great
distress: "Eli, Eli, lamah azabtani! Shall I be chastised for acts that
I do against my will, and only in obedience to the promptings of
sore need? (145) Why should my fate be different from that of the
Mother? When Pharaoh only attempted to approach Sarah, plagues
came upon him and his house, but I have been compelled for years
to live with this heathen, and Thou dost not deliver me out of his
hand. O Lord of the world! Have I not paid scrupulous heed to the
three commands Thou didst specially ordain for women?"

To reach the king, Esther had to pass through seven apartments,
each measuring ten ells in length. The first three she traversed
unhindered; they were too far off for the king to observe her
progress through them. But barely had she crossed the threshold of
the fourth chamber, when Ahasuerus caught sight of her, and,
overcome by rage, he exclaimed: "O for the departed, their like is
not found again on earth! How I urged and entreated Vashti to
appear before me, but she refused, and I had her killed therefor.
This Esther come hither without invitation, like unto a public
prostitute."

In consternation and despair Esther stood rooted to the centre of
the fourth chamber. Having once allowed her to pass through the
doors under their charge, the guards of the first four rooms had
forfeited their authority over her; and to the guards in the other
three rooms, she had not yet given cause for interfering with her.
Yet the courtiers were so confident that Esther was about to suffer
the death penalty, that the sons of Haman were already busy
dividing her jewels among themselves, and casting lots for her
royal purple. Esther herself was keenly aware of her dangerous
position. In her need, she besought God: "Eli, Eli, lamah azabtani,"
and prayed to Him the words which have found their place in the
Psalter composed by King David. (146) Because she put her
confidence in God, He answered her petition, and sent her three
angels to help her: the one enveloped her countenance with "the
threads of grace," the second raised her head, and the third drew
out the sceptre of Ahasuerus until it touched her. (147) The king
turned his head round, to avoid seeing Esther, but the angels forced
him to look her way, and be conquered by her seductive charm.
(148)

By reason of her long fast, Esther was so weak that she was unable
to extend her hand toward the sceptre of the king. The archangel
Michael had to draw her near it. Ahasuerus then said: "I see, thou
must have a most important request to prefer, else thou hadst not
risked thy life deliberately. (149) I am ready to give it thee, even to
the half of the kingdom. There is but one petition I cannot grant,
and that is the restoration of the Temple. I gave my oath to
Geshem the Arabian, Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the
Ammonite, not to allow it to be rebuilt, from fear of the Jews, lest
they rise up against me." (150)

For the moment, Esther refrained from uttering her petition. All
she asked was, that the king and Haman would come to a banquet
she proposed to give. She had good reasons for this peculiar course
of conduct. She desired to disarm Haman's suspicions regarding
her Jewish descent, and to lead her fellow-Jews to fix their hope
upon God and not upon her. At the same time, it was her plan to
arouse jealousy of Haman in both the king and the princes. She
was quite ready to sacrifice her own life, if her stratagems would
but involve the life of Haman, too. (151) At the banquet she
therefore favored Haman in such manner that Ahasuerus could not
but be jealous. She moved her chair close to Haman's, and when
Ahasuerus handed her his wine-cup, to let her drink of it first, she
passed it on to his minister.

After the banquet, the king repeated his question, and again made
the asseveration, that he would fulfill all her wishes at whatever
cost, barring only the restoration of the Temple. Esther, however,
was not yet ready; she preferred to wait another day before taking
up the conflict with Haman. She had before her eyes the example
of Moses, who also craved a day's preparation before going out
against Amalek, the ancestor of Haman. (152)

Deceived by the attention and distinction accorded him by Esther,
Haman felt secure in his position, priding himself not only on the
love of the king, but also on the respect of the queen. He felt
himself to be the most privileged being in all the wide realm
governed by Ahasuerus. (153)

Filled with arrogant self-sufficiency, he passed by Mordecai, who
not only refused to give him the honors decreed in his behalf, but,
besides, pointed to his knee, inscribed with the bill of sale whereby
Haman had become the slave of Mordecai. (154) Doubly and triply
enraged, he resolved to make an example of the Jew. But he was
not satisfied with inflicting death by a simple kick.

On reaching his home he was disappointed not to find his wife
Zeresh, the daughter of the Persian satrap Tattenai. As always
when Haman was at court, she had gone to her paramours. He sent
for her and his three hundred and sixty-five advisers, and with
them he took counsel as to what was to be done to Mordecai. (155)
Pointing to a representation of his treasure chamber, which he
wore on his bosom, (156) he said: "And all this is worthless in my
sight when I look upon Mordecai, the Jew. What I eat and drink
loses its savor, if I but think of him." (157)

Among his advisers and sons, of whom there were two hundred
and eight, none was so clever as Zeresh his wife. She spoke thus:
"If the man thou tellest of is a Jew, thou wilt not be able to do
aught to him except by sagacity. If thou castest him into the fire, it
will have no effect upon him, for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah
escaped from the burning furnace unhurt; Joseph went free from
prison; Manasseh prayed to God, and He heard him, and saved him
from the iron furnace; to drive him out in the wilderness is useless,
thou knowest the desert did no evil to the Israelites that passed
through it; putting out his eyes avails naught, for Samson blind did
more mischief than ever Samson seeing. Therefore hang him, for
no Jew has ever escaped death by hanging." (158)

Haman was well pleased with the words of his wife. She fetched
artificers in wood and iron, the former to erect the cross, the latter
to make the nails. Their children danced around in high glee while
Zeresh played upon the cithern, and Haman in his pleasurable
excitement said: "To the wood workers I shall give abundant pay,
and the iron workers I shall invite to a banquet."

When the cross was finished, Haman himself tested it, to see that
all was in working order. A heavenly voice was heard: "It is good
for Haman the villain, and for the son of Hammedatha it is fitting."
(159)

 THE DISTURBED NIGHT

The night during which Haman erected the cross for Mordecai was
the first night of Passover, the very night in which miracles
without number had ever been done for the Fathers and for Israel.
But this time the night of joy was changed into a night of
mourning and a night of fears. Wherever there were Jews, they
passed the night in weeping and lamenting. The greatest terrors it
held for Mordecai, because his own people accused him of having
provoked their misfortunes by his haughty behavior toward
Haman. (160)

Excitement and consternation reigned in heaven as well as on
earth. (161) When Haman had satisfied himself that the cross
intended for his enemy was properly constructed, he repaired to
the Bet ha-Midrash, where he found Mordecai and all the Jewish
school children, twenty-two thousand in number, in tears and
sorrow. He ordered them to be put in chains, saying: "First I shall
kill off these, and then I shall hang Mordecai." The mothers
hastened thither with bread and water, and coaxed their children to
take something before they had to encounter death. The children,
however, laid their hands upon their books, and said: "As our
teacher Mordecai liveth, we will neither eat nor drink, but we will
perish exhausted with fasting." They rolled up their sacred scrolls,
and handed them to their teachers with the words: "For our
devotion to the study of the Torah, we had hoped to be rewarded
with long life, according to the promised held out in the Holy
Scriptures. As we are not worthy thereof, remove the books!" The
out-cries of the children and of the teachers in the Bet ha-Midrash,
and the weeping of the mothers without, united with the
supplications of the Fathers, reached unto heaven in the third hour
of the night, and God said: "I hear the voice of tender lambs and
sheep!" Moses arose and addressed God thus: "Thou knowest well
that the voices are not of lambs and sheep, but of the young of
Israel, who for three days have been fasting and languishing in
fetters, only to be slaughtered on the morrow to the delight of the
arch-enemy."

Then God felt compassion with Israel, for the sake of his innocent
little ones. He broke the seal with which the heavenly decree of
annihilation had been fastened, and the decree itself he tore in
pieces. (162) From this moment on Ahasuerus became restless,
and sleep was made to flee his eyes, for the purpose that the
redemption of Israel might be brought to pass. God sent down
Michael, the leader of the hosts of Israel, who was to keep sleep
from the king, (163) and the archangel Gabriel descended, and
threw the king out of his bed on the floor, no less than three
hundred and sixty-five times, continually whispering in his ear: "O
thou ingrate, reward him who deserves to be rewarded."

To account for his sleeplessness, Ahasuerus thought he might have
been poisoned, and he was about to order the execution of those
charged with the preparation of his food. But they succeeded in
convincing him of their innocence, by calling to his attention that
Esther and Haman had shared his evening meal with him, yet they
felt no unpleasant effects. (164) Then suspicions against his wife
and his friend began to arise in his mind. He accused them
inwardly of having conspired together to put him out of the way.
He sought to banish this thought with the reflection, that if a
conspiracy had existed against him, his friends would have warned
him of it. But the reflection brought others in its train: Did he have
any friends? Was it not possible that by leaving valuable services
unrewarded, he had forfeited the friendly feelings toward him?
(165) He therefore commanded that the chronicles of the kings of
Persia be read to him. He would compare his own acts with what
his predecessors had done, and try to find out whether he might
count upon friends. (166)

What was read to him, did not restore his tranquility of mind, for
he saw a poor man before him   none other than the angel Michael
who called to him continually: "Haman wants to kill thee, and
become king in thy stead. Let this serve thee as proof that I am
telling thee the truth: Early in the morning he will appear before
thee and request permission of thee to kill him who saved thy life.
And when thou inquirest of him what honor should be done to him
whom the king delighteth to honor, he will ask to be given the
apparel, the crown, and the horse of the king as signs of
distinction." (167)

Ahasuerus's excitement was soothed only when the passage in the
chronicles was reached describing the loyalty of Mordecai. Had
the wishes of the reader been consulted, Ahasuerus had never
heard this entry, for it was a son of Haman who was filling the
office of reader, and he was desirous of passing the incident over
in silence. But a miracle occurred   the words were heard though
they were not uttered!

The names of Mordecai and Israel had a quieting influence upon
the king, and he dropped asleep. He dreamed that Haman, sword in
hand, was approaching him with evil intent, and when, early in the
morning, Haman suddenly, without being announced, entered the
antechamber and awakened the king, Ahasuerus was persuaded of
the truth of his dream. The king was still further set against Haman
by the reply he gave to the question, how honor was to be shown to
the man whom the king delighteth to honor. Believing himself to
be the object of the king's good-will, he advised Ahasuerus to have
his favorite arrayed in the king's coronation garments, and the
crown royal put upon his head. Before him one of the grandees of
the kingdom was to run, doing herald's service, proclaiming that
whosoever did not prostrate himself and bow down before him
whom the king delighteth to honor, would have his head cut off,
and his house given over to pillage.

Haman was quick to notice that he had made a mistake, for he saw
the king's countenance change color at the mention of the word
crown. He therefore took good care not to refer to it again. In spite
of this precaution, Ahasuerus saw in the words of Haman a striking
verification of his vision, and he was confident that Haman
cherished designs against his life and his throne. (168)

 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
honor. The king's command ran: "Hasten to the royal treasure
chambers; fetch thence a cover of find purple, a raiment of
delicate silk, furnished forth with golden bells and pomegranates
and bestrewn with diamonds and pearls, and the large golden
crown which was brought me from Macedonia upon the day I
ascended the throne. Furthermore, fetch thence the sword and the
coat of mail sent me from Ethiopia, and the two veils embroidered
with pearls which were Africa's gift. Then repair to the royal
stables, and lead forth the black horse whereon I sat at my
coronation. With all these insignia of honor, seek out Mordecai!"

Haman: "Which Mordecai?"

Ahasuerus: "Mordecai the Jew."

Haman: "There be many Jews named Mordecai."

Ahasuerus: "The Jew Mordecai who sits at the king's gate."

Haman: "There be many royal gates; I know not which thou
meanest."

Ahasuerus: "The gate that leads from the harem to the palace."

Haman: "This man is my enemy and the enemy of my house.
Rather would I give him ten thousand talents of silver than do him
this honor."

Ahasuerus: "Ten thousand talents of silver shall be given him, and
he shall be made lord over thy house, but these honors must thou
show unto him."

Haman: "I have ten sons. I would rather have them run before his
horse than do him this honor."

Ahasuerus: "Thou, thy sons, and thy wife shall be slaves to
Mordecai, but these honors must thou show unto him."

Haman: "O my lord and king, Mordecai is a common man.
Appoint him to be ruler over a city, or, if thou wilt, even over a
district, rather than I should do him this honor."

Ahasuerus: "I will appoint him ruler over cities and districts. All
the kings on land and on water shall pay him obedience, but these
honors must thou show unto him."

Haman: "Rather have coins struck bearing thy name together with
his, instead of mine as hitherto, than I should do him this honor."

Ahasuerus: "The man who saved the life of the king deserves to
have his name put on the coin of the realm. Nevertheless, these
honors must thou show unto him."

Haman: "Edicts and writings have been issued to all parts of the
kingdom, commanding that the nation to which Mordecai belongs
shall be destroyed. Recall them rather than I should do him this
honor."

Ahasuerus: "The edicts and writings shall be recalled, yet these
honors must thou show unto Mordecai."

Seeing that all petitions and entreaties were ineffectual, and
Ahasuerus insisted upon the execution of his order, Haman went to
the royal treasure chambers, walking with his head bowed like a
mourner's, his ears hanging down, his eyes dim, his mouth screwed
up, his heart hardened, his bowels cut in pieces, his loins
weakened, and his knees knocking against each other. (169) He
gathered together the royal insignia, and took them to Mordecai,
accompanied on his way by Harbonah and Abzur, who, at the order
of the king, were to take heed whether Haman carried out his
wishes to the letter.

When Mordecai saw his enemy approach, he thought his last
moment had come. He urged his pupils to flee, that they might not
"burn themselves with his coals." But they refused, saying: "In life
as in death we desire to be with thee." The few moments left him,
as he thought, Mordecai spent in devotion. With words of prayer
on his lips he desired to pass away. Haman, therefore, had to
address himself to the pupils of Mordecai: "What was the last
subject taught you by your teacher Mordecai?" They told him they
had been discussing the law of the `Omer, the sacrifice brought on
that very day so long as the Temple had stood. At his request, they
described some of the details of the ceremony in the Temple
connected with the offering. He exclaimed: "Happy are you that
your ten farthings, with which you bought the wheat for the `Omer,
produced a better effect than my ten thousand talents of silver,
which I offered unto the king for the destruction of the Jews."

Meantime Mordecai had finished his prayer. Haman stepped up to
him, and said: "Arise, thou pious son of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. Thy sackcloth and ashes availed more than my ten thousand
talents of silver, which I promised unto the king. They were not
accepted, but thy prayers were accepted by thy Father in heaven."

Mordecai, not yet disabused of the notion that Haman had come to
take him to the cross, requested the grace of a few minutes for his
last meal. Only Haman's repeated protests assured him. When
Haman set about arraying him with the royal apparel, Mordecai
refused to put it on until he had bathed, and had dressed his hair.
Royal apparel agreed but ill with his condition after three days of
sackcloth and ashes. As luck would have it, Esther had issued the
command that the bathkeepers and barbers were not to ply their
trades on that day, and there was nothing for Haman to do but
perform the menial services Mordecai required. Haman tried to
play upon the feelings of Mordecai. Fetching a deep sigh, he said:
"The greatest in the king's realm is now acting as bathkeeper and
barber!" Mordecai, however, did not permit himself to be imposed
upon. He knew Haman's origin too well to be deceived; he
remembered his father, who had been bathkeeper and barber in a
village.

Haman's humiliation was not yet complete. Mordecai, exhausted
by his three days' fast, was too weak to mount his horse unaided.
Haman had to serve him as footstool, and Mordecai took the
opportunity to give him a kick. Haman reminded him of the
Scriptural verse: "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let
not thine heart be glad when he is overthrown." Mordecai,
however, refused to apply it to himself, for he was chastising, not a
personal enemy, but the enemy of his people, and of such it is said
in the Scriptures: "And thou shalt tread upon the high places of
thine enemies." (170)

Finally, Haman caused Mordecai to ride through the streets of the
city, and proclaimed before him: "Thus shall it be done unto the
man whom the king delighteth to honor." In front of them marched
twenty-seven thousand youths detailed for this service from the
court. In their right hands they bore golden cups, and golden
beakers in their left hands, and they, too, proclaimed: "Thus shall
be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor." The
procession furthermore was swelled by the presence of Jews.
They, however, made a proclamation of different tenor. "Thus
shall be done," they cried out, "unto the man whose honor is
desired by the King that hath created heaven and earth." (171)

As he rode along, Mordecai gave praise to God: "I will extol Thee,
O Lord; for Thou hast raised me up, and hast not made my foes to
rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast
healed me. O Lord, Thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol;
Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit."
Whereupon his pupils joined in with: "Sing praise unto the Lord, O
ye saints of His, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is
but for a moment; in His favor is life; weeping may tarry for the
night, but joy cometh in the morning." Haman added the verse
thereto: "As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be
moved. Thou, Lord, of Thy favor hadst made my mountain to
stand strong. Thou didst hide Thy face; I was troubled." Queen
Esther continued: "I cried to Thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I
made supplication. What profit is there in my blood, when I go
down to the pit? Shall the dust praise Thee? Shall it declare Thy
truth?" and the whole concourse of Jews present cried out: "Thou
hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed
my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness, to the end that my
glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I
will give thanks unto Thee forever." (172)

When this procession passed the house of Haman, his daughter
was looking out of the window. She took the man on the horse to
be her father, and the leader of it, Mordecai. Raising a vessel filled
with offal, she emptied it out over the leader   her own father.
Scarce had the vessel left her hand, when she realized the truth,
and she threw herself from the window, and lay crushed to death
on the street below. (173)

In spite of the sudden change in his fortunes, Mordecai ended the
eventful day as he had begun it, in prayer and fasting. No sooner
was the procession over than he put off the royal robes, and, again
covering himself with sackcloth, he prayed until night fell.

Haman was plunged in mourning, partly on account of the deep
disgrace to which he had been subjected, partly on account of the
death of his daughter. (174) Neither his wife nor his friends could
advise him how to mend his sad fortunes. They could hold out only
sorry consolation to him: "If this Mordecai is of the seed of the
saints, thou wilt not be able to prevail against him. Thou wilt
surely encounter the same fate as the kings in their battle with
Abraham, and Abimelech in his quarrel with Isaac. As Jacob was
victorious over the angel with whom he wrestled, and Moses and
Aaron caused the drowning of Pharaoh and his host, so Mordecai
will overcome thee in the end." (175)

While they were yet talking, the king's chamberlains came, and
hastily carried Haman off to the banquet Esther had prepared, to
prevent him and his influential sons from plotting against the king.
(176) Ahasuerus repeated his promise, to give Esther whatever she
desired, always expecting the restoration of the Temple. This time,
casting her eyes heavenward, Esther replied: "If I have found favor
in thy sight, O Supreme King, and if it please Thee, O King of the
world, let my life be given me, and let my people be rescued out of
the hands of its enemy." (177) Ahasuerus, thinking these words
were addressed to him, asked in irritation: "Who is he, and where
is he, this presumptuous conspirator, who thought to do thus?"
These were the first words the king had ever spoken to Esther
herself. Hitherto he had always communicated with her through an
interpreter. He had not been quite satisfied she was worthy enough
to be addressed by the king. Now made cognizant of the fact that
she was a Jewess, and of royal descent besides, he spoke to her
directly, without the intervention of others. (178)

Esther stretched forth her hand to indicate the man who had sought
to take her life, as he had actually taken Vashti's, but in the
excitement of the moment, she pointed to the king. Fortunately the
king did not observe her error, because an angel guided her hand
instantaneously in the direction of Haman, (179) whom her words
described: "This is the adversary and the enemy, he who desired to
murder thee in thy sleeping-chamber during the night just passed;
he who this very day desired to array himself in the royal apparel,
ride upon thy horse, and wear they golden crown upon his head, to
rise up against thee and deprive thee of thy sovereignty. But God
set his undertaking at naught, and the honors he sought for himself,
fell to the share of my uncle Mordecai, who this oppressor and
enemy thought to hang." (180)

The anger of the king already burnt so fiercely that he hinted to
Esther, that whether Haman was the adversary she had in mind or
not, she was to designate him as such. To infuriate him still more,
God sent ten angels in the guise of Haman's ten sons, to fell down
the trees in the royal park. When Ahasuerus turned his eyes toward
the interior of the park, he saw the ruthless destruction of which
they were guilty. In his rage he went out into the garden. This was
the instant utilized by Haman to implore grace for himself from
Esther. Gabriel intervened, and threw Haman upon the couch in a
posture as though he were about to do violence to the queen. At
that moment Ahasuerus reappeared. Enraged beyond description
by what he saw, he cried out: "Haman attempts the honor of the
queen in my very presence! Come, then, ye peoples, nations, and
races, and pronounce judgment over him!" (181)

When Harbonah, originally a friend of Haman and an adversary of
Mordecai, heard the king's angry exclamation, he said to him: "Nor
is this the only crime committed by Haman against thee, for he
was an accomplice of the conspirators Bigthan and Teresh, and his
enmity to Mordecai dates back to the time when Mordecai
uncovered their foul plots. Out of revenge therefor, he has erected
a cross for him." Harbonah's words illustrate the saying: "Once the
ox has been cast to the ground, slaughtering knives can readily be
found." Knowing that Haman had fallen from his high estate,
Harbonah was intent upon winning the friendship of Mordecai.
(182) Harbonah was altogether right, for Ahasuerus at once
ordered Haman to be hanged. Mordecai was charged with the
execution of the king's order, and Haman's tears and entreaties did
not in the least move him. He insisted upon hanging him like the
commonest of criminals, instead of executing him with the sword,
the mode of punishment applied to men of rank guilty of serious
misdemeanors. (183)

The cross which Haman, at the advice of his wife Zeresh and of
his friends, had erected for Mordecai, was now used for himself. It
was made of wood from a thorn-bush. God called all the trees
together and inquired which one would permit the cross for Haman
to be made of it. The fig-tree said: "I am ready to serve, for I am
symbolic of Israel, and, also, my fruits were brought to the Temple
as firstfruits." The vine said: "I am ready to serve, for I am
symbolic of Israel and, also, my wine is brought to the altar." The
apple-tree said: "I am ready to serve, for I am symbolic of Israel."
The nut-tree said: "I am ready to serve, for I am symbolic of
Israel." The Etrog tree said: "I should have the privilege, for with
my fruit Israel praises God on Sukkot." The willow of the brook
said: "I desire to serve, for I am symbolic of Israel." The cedar-tree
said: "I desire to serve, for I am symbolic of Israel." The palm-tree
said: "I desire to serve, for I am symbolic of Israel." Finally the
thorn-bush came and said: "I am fitted to do this service, for the
ungodly are like pricking thorns." The offer of the thorn-bush was
accepted, after God gave a blessing to each of the other trees for its
willingness to serve.

A sufficiently long beam cut from a thorn-bush could be found
only in the house of Haman, which had to be demolished in order
to obtain it. (184) The cross was tall enough for Haman and his ten
sons to be hanged upon it. It was planted three cubits deep in the
ground, each of the victims required three cubits space in length,
one cubit space was left vacant between the feet of the one above
and the head of the one below, and the youngest son, Vaizatha, had
his feet four cubits from the ground as he hung. (185)

Haman and his ten sons remained suspended a long time, to the
vexation of those who considered it a violation of the Biblical
prohibition in Deuteronomy, not to leave a human body hanging
upon a tree overnight. Esther pointed to a precedent, the
descendants of Saul, whom the Gibeonites left hanging half a year,
whereby the name of God was sanctified, for whenever the
pilgrims beheld them, they told the heathen, that the men had been
hanged because their father Saul had laid hand on the Gibeonites.
"How much more, then," continued Esther, "are we justified in
permitting Haman and his family to hang, they who desired to
destroy the house of Israel?" (186)

Beside these ten sons, who had been governors in various
provinces, Haman had twenty others, ten of whom died, and the
other ten of whom were reduced to beggary. (187) The vast fortune
of which Haman died possessed was divided in three parts. The
first part was given to Mordecai and Esther, the second to the
students of the Torah, and the third was applied to the restoration
of the Temple. (188) Mordecai thus became a wealthy man. He
was also set up as king of the Jews. As such he had coins struck,
which bore the figure of Esther on the obverse, and his own figure
on the reverse. (189) However, in the measure in which Mordecai
gained in worldly power and consideration, he lost spiritually,
because the business connected with his high political station left
him no time for the study of the Torah. Previously he had ranked
sixth among the eminent scholars of Israel, he now dropped to the
seventh place among them. (190) Ahasuerus, on the other hand,
was the gainer by the change. As soon as Mordecai entered upon
the office of grand chancellor, he succeeded in subjecting to his
sway the provinces that had revolted on account of Vashti's
execution. (191)

 THE EDICT OF THE KING

The edict issued against the Jews was revoked by Ahasuerus in the
following terms:

"King Ahasuerus sends this letter to all the inhabitants of water
and earth, to all the rulers of districts, and to generals of the army,
who dwell in every country; may your peace be great! I write this
to you to inform you, that although I rule over many nations, over
the inhabitants of land and sea, yet I am not proud of my power,
but will rather walk in lowliness and meekness of spirit all my
days, in order to provide for you great peace. Unto all who dwell
under my dominion, unto all who seek to carry on business on land
or on sea, unto all who desire to export goods from one nation to
the other, from one people to the other   unto them all, I am the
same, from one end of the earth to the other, and none may seek to
cause excitement on land or on sea, or enmities between one
nation and another, between one people and another. I write this,
because in spite of our sincerity and honesty with which we love
all the nations, revere all the rulers, and do good to all the
potentates, there are nevertheless people who were near to the
king, and into whose hand the government was entrusted, who by
their intrigues and falsehoods misled the king, and wrote letters
which are not right before heaven, which are evil before men, and
harmful for the empire. This was the petition they requested from
the king: that righteous men should be killed, and most innocent
blood be shed, of those who have not done any evil, nor were
guilty of death   such righteous people as Esther, celebrated for all
virtues, and Mordecai, wise in every branch of wisdom, there is no
blemish to be found in them nor in their nation. I thought that I
was requested concerning another nation, and did not know it was
concerning the Jews, who were called the Children of the Lord of
All, who created heaven and earth, and who led them and their
fathers through great and mighty empires. And now as he, Haman,
the son of Hammedatha, from Judea, a descendant of Amalek, who
came to us and enjoyed much kindness, praise, and dignity from
us, whom we made great, and called 'father of the king,' and seated
him at the right of the king, did not know how to appreciate the
dignity, and how to conduct the affairs of state, but harbored
thoughts to kill the king and take away his kingdom, therefore we
ordered the son of Hammedatha to be hanged, and all that he
desired we have brought upon his head; and the Creator of heaven
and earth brought his machinations upon his head." (192)

As a memorial of the wonderful deliverance from the hands of
Haman, the Jews of Shushan celebrated the day their arch-enemy
had appointed for their extermination, and their example was
followed by the Jews of the other cities of the Persian empire, and
by those of other countries. Yet the sages, when besought by
Esther, refused at first to make it a festival for all times, lest the
hatred of the heathen be excited against the Jews. They yielded
only after Esther had pointed out to them that the events on which
the holiday was based, were perpetuated in the annals of the kings
of Persia and Media, and thus the outside world would not be able
to misinterpret the joy of the Jews.

Esther addressed another petition to the sages. She begged that the
book containing her history should be incorporated in the Holy
Scriptures. Because they shrank from adding anything to the triple
Canon, consisting of the Torah, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa,
they again refused, and again they had to yield to Esther's
argument. She quoted the words from Exodus, "Write this for a
memorial in a book," spoken by Moses to Joshua, after the battle
of Rephidim with the Amalekites. They saw that it was the will of
God to immortalize the warfare waged with the Amalekite Haman.
Nor is the Book of Esther an ordinary history. Without aid of the
holy spirit, it could not have been composed, and therefore its
canonization resolved upon "below" was endorsed "above." (193)
And as the Book of Esther became an integral and indestructible
part of the Holy Scriptures, so the Feast of Purim will be
celebrated forever, now and in the future world, and Esther herself
by her pious deeds acquired a good name both in this world and in
the world to come. (194)





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