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Triennial Cycle (Triennial Torah Cycle) /
Septennial Cycle (Septennial Torah Cycle)
|
Three and 1/2 year
Lectionary Readings |
Second Year of the Triennial
Reading Cycle |
|
Kislev 25/Tebeth 03, 5773 – December 08, 2012/December
16, 2013 |
Fifth Year of the Shmita
Cycle |
Hanuka
Sameach!
We take
this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a very happy Hanuka – a
festival of freedom and of consecration to the work of G-d. And even if we do
not finish the task before us, still we should do our very best in this life to
radiate it with the healing light of the Torah. For as the Psalmist wrote: “in
Your light do we see light” (Psalm 36:10).
Roll of Honor:
This
Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of:
His Honor
Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David and beloved wife HH Giberet Batsheva bat Sarah
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His Honor
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Her
Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family
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Adon Barth Lindemann & beloved family
His Excellency
Adon John Batchelor & beloved wife
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Excellency Adon Ezra ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,
His
Excellency Dr. Adon Yeshayahu ben Yosef and beloved wife HE Giberet Tricia
Foster
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Sarah
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Sarah
Her
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Sarah
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Excellency Prof. Dr. Conny Williams & beloved family
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Excellency Giberet Gloria Sutton & beloved family
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Excellency Adon Albert Carlsson and beloved wife Giberet Lorraine Carlsson
For their regular and sacrificial giving, providing
the best oil for the lamps, we pray that G-d’s richest blessings be upon their
lives and those of their loved ones, together with all Yisrael and her Torah
Scholars, amen ve amen!
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Hanuka
First Day
Evening Saturday Dec.
08 – Evening Sunday Dec. 09, 2012
Torah: Numbers 7:1-17
Reader 1 - Num. 7:1-3
Reader 2 - Num. 7:4-11
Reader 3 - Num. 712-17
Yehudit (Judith) 1:1 –
2:28
1 Maccabees 1:1 – 2:48
Psalm 30:1-3
Nazareans add in their
private study and discussions: Genesis
1:1-5; & 1 John 1:1-10
For further
information please read and study:
http://www.betemunah.org/lapin.html, http://www.betemunah.org/connection.html,
http://www.betemunah.org/chanukah.html, & http://www.betemunah.org/lights.html
Rashi
& Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for:
B’Midbar (Numbers) 7:1-17
|
Rashi |
Targum
Pseudo Jonathan |
|
1. And it
was that on the day that Moses finished erecting the Mishkan, he anointed it,
sanctified it, and all its vessels, and the altar and all its vessels. |
1. And it was on the day
which begins the month of Nisan, when Mosheh had finished to rear up the
tabernacle, he took it not in pieces again, but anointed and consecrated it
and all its vessels, the altar and all the vessels thereof, and he anointed
them and hallowed them; |
|
2. The
chieftains of Israel, the heads of their fathers' houses, presented [their
offerings]. They were the leaders of the tribes. They were the ones who were
present during the counting, |
2. then
the leaders of Israel, who were the chiefs of the house of their fathers,
brought their offerings. These were they who had been appointed in Mizraim
chiefs over the numbered, |
|
3. They
brought their offering before the Lord: six covered wagons and twelve oxen, a
wagon for each two chieftains, and an ox for each one; they presented them in
front of the Mishkan. |
3. and
they brought their offering before the LORD; six wagons covered and fitted
up, and twelve oxen; one wagon for two princes and one ox for each. But
Mosheh was not willing to receive them, and they brought them before the
tabernacle. |
|
4. The
Lord spoke to Moses, saying: |
4. And the
Lord spoke with Mosheh, saying: |
|
5. Take
[it] from them, and let them be used in the service of the Tent of Meeting. You
shall give them to the Levites, in accordance with each man's work. |
5. Take
them, and let them be used for the need of the appointed (work), and let the
oxen and the wagons be for the work of the service of the tabernacle of
ordinance, and give them to the Levites, to each according to the measure of
his work. |
|
6. So
Moses took the wagons and the cattle and gave them to the Levites. |
6. And
Mosheh took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. |
|
7. He gave
two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their work. |
7. Two
wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to the amount
of their service, |
|
8. And he
gave four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, according to their
work under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. |
8. and
four wagons and eight oxen gave he to the sons of Merari, according to the
measure of their service, by the hand of Ithamar bar Aharon the priest. |
|
9. But to
the sons of Kohath he did not give, for incumbent upon them was the
work involving the holy [objects], which they were to carry on their
shoulders. |
9. But to
the sons of Kehath he gave neither wagons nor oxen, because on them was
laid the service of the sanctuary, to be carried on their shoulders. |
|
10. The chieftains
brought [offerings for] the dedication of the altar on the day it was
anointed; the chieftains presented their offerings in front of the altar. |
10. And the
princes offered at the dedication of the altar by anointing, on the day that
he anointed it did the princes present their oblations before the altar. |
|
11. The
Lord said to Moses: One chieftain each day, one chieftain each day, shall
present his offering for the dedication of the altar. |
11. And the
LORD said unto Mosheh, Let the princes offer each, one prince on one day,
their oblations at the dedication of the altar by anointing. |
|
12. The one
who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab of
the tribe of Judah. |
12. He who on the first
day presented his oblation was Nachshon bar Amminadab, prince of the house of
the fathers of the tribe Jehudah: |
|
13. And his
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
13. and his oblation which
he offered was one silver bowl, thickly embossed, (or, crusted,) in weight
one hundred and thirty shekels, in shekels of the sanctuary; one silver vase,
slightly embossed, of seventy shekels, in shekels of the sanctuary; both of
these vessels he brought filled with flour of the separation, sprinkled with
olive oil for a mincha; |
|
14. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels], filled with incense. |
14. one pan
(censer) weighing ten silver shekels, but it was itself of good gold; and he
brought it full of good sweet incense of the separation; |
|
15. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
15. one
young bullock of three years, one ram of two years, and one lamb of the year.
These three did the chief of the tribe Jehudah bring for a burnt offering; |
|
16. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
16. one kid
of the goats he brought for a sin offering; |
|
17. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab. |
17. and for consecrated
victims, two oxen, five rams, five goats, lambs of the year five: this is the
order of the oblation which Nachshon bar Amminadab offered of his wealth. |
|
|
|
Yehudit (Judith) 1:1 –
2:28
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
Judith 1:1 It was the
twelfth year of Nebuchadnezzar who reigned over the Assyrians in the great
city of Nineveh. Arphaxad was then reigning over the Medes in Ecbatana.
2 He surrounded this
city with walls of dressed stones three cubits thick and six cubits long, making
the rampart seventy cubits high and fifty cubits wide.
3 At the gates he
placed towers one hundred cubits high and, at the foundations, sixty cubits wide,
4 the gates themselves
being seventy cubits high and forty wide to allow his forces to march out in
a body and his infantry to parade freely.
5 About this time King
Nebuchadnezzar gave battle to King Arphaxad in the great plain lying in the
territory of Ragae.
6 Supporting him were
all the peoples from the highlands, all from the Euphrates and Tigris and
Hydaspes, and those from the plains who were subject to Arioch, king of
the Elymaeans. Thus many nations had mustered to take part in the battle of the
Cheleoudites.
7 Nebuchadnezzar king
of the Assyrians sent a message to all the inhabitants of Persia, to all the
inhabitants of the western countries, Cilicia, Damascus, Lebanon, Anti-Lebanon, to all
those along the coast,
8 to the peoples of
Carmel, Gilead, Upper Galilee, the great plain of Esdraelon,
9 to the people of
Samaria and its outlying towns, to those beyond Jordan, as far away as Jerusalem,
Bethany, Chelous, Kadesh, the river of Egypt, Tahpanhes, Rameses and the whole territory
of Goshen,
10 beyond Tanis too
and Memphis, and to all the inhabitants of Egypt as far as the frontiers of
Ethiopia.
11 But the inhabitants
of these countries ignored the summons of Nebuchadnezzar king of the
Assyrians and did not rally to him to make war. They were not afraid of him, since in
their view he appeared isolated.
Hence they sent his ambassadors back with nothing achieved and in disgrace.
12 Nebuchadnezzar was
furious with all these countries. He swore by his throne and kingdom to take
revenge on all the territories of Cilicia, Damascus and Syria, of the
Moabites and of the Ammonites, of Judaea and Egypt as far as the limits of the two
seas, and to ravage them with the sword.
13 In the seventeenth
year, he gave battle with his whole army to King Arphaxad and in this battle
defeated him. He routed Arphaxad's entire army and all his cavalry and chariots;
14 he occupied his
towns and advanced on Ecbatana; he seized its towers and plundered its market
places, reducing its former magnificence to a
mockery.
15 He later captured
Arphaxad in the mountains of Ragae and, thrusting him through with his
spears, destroyed him once and for all.
16 He then retired
with his troops and all who had joined forces with him: a vast horde of armed men.
Then he and his army gave themselves up to
carefree feasting for a hundred and twenty days.
NJB Judith 2:1 In the eighteenth year, on the
twenty-second day of the first month, a
rumour ran through the palace that Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians was to have
his revenge on all the countries, as he had threatened.
2 Summoning his
general staff and senior officers, he held a secret conference with them, and with
his own lips pronounced utter destruction on the
entire area.
3 It was then decreed
that everyone should be put to death who had not answered the king's appeal.
4 When the council was
over, Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians sent for Holofernes,
general-in-chief of his armies and subordinate only to himself. He said to him,
5 'Thus speaks the
Great King, lord of the whole world, "Go; take men of proven valour, about a
hundred and twenty thousand foot soldiers and a strong company of horse with twelve
thousand cavalrymen;
6 then advance against
all the western lands, since these people have disregarded my call.
7 Bid them have earth
and water ready, because in my rage I am about to march on them; the feet
of my soldiers will cover the whole face of the earth, and I shall plunder it.
8 Their wounded will
fill the valleys and the torrents, and rivers, blocked with their dead, will
overflow.
9 I shall lead them
captive to the ends of the earth.
10 Now go! Begin by
conquering this whole region for me. If they surrender to you, hold them for
me until the time comes to punish them.
11 But if they resist,
look on no one with clemency, hand them over to slaughter and plunder throughout
the territory entrusted to you.
12 For by my life and
by the living power of my kingdom I have spoken. All this I shall do by my
power.
13 And you, neglect
none of your master's commands, act strictly according to my orders without
further delay." '
14 Leaving the
presence of his sovereign, Holofernes immediately summoned all the marshals,
generals and officers of the Assyrian army
15 and detailed the
picked troops as his master had ordered, about a hundred and twenty thousand men
and a further twelve thousand mounted archers.
16 He organised these
in the normal battle formation.
17 He then secured
vast numbers of camels, donkeys and mules to carry the baggage, and
innumerable sheep, oxen and goats for food supplies.
18 Every man received
full rations and a generous sum of gold and silver from the king's purse.
19 He then set out for
the campaign with his whole army, in advance of King Nebuchadnezzar, to
overwhelm the whole western region with his chariots, his horsemen and
his picked body of foot.
20 A motley gathering
followed in his rear, as numerous as locusts or the grains of sand on the ground;
there was no counting their multitude.
21 Thus they set out
from Nineveh and marched for three days towards the Plain of Bectileth.
From Bectileth they went on to pitch camp near the mountains that lie to the north of
Upper Cilicia.
22 From there
Holofernes advanced into the highlands with his whole army, infantry, horsemen,
chariots.
23 He cut his way
through Put and Lud, carried away captive all the sons of Rassis and sons of
Ishmael living on the verge of the desert south of Cheleon,
24 marched along the
Euphrates, crossed Mesopotamia, rased all the fortified towns controlling the
Wadi Abron and reached the sea.
25 Next he attacked
the territories of Cilicia, butchering all who offered him resistance, advanced
on the southern frontiers of Japheth, facing Arabia,
26 completely
encircled the Midianites, burned their tents and plundered their sheep-folds,
27 made his way down
to the Damascus plain at the time of the wheat harvest, set fire to the fields,
destroyed the flocks and herds, sacked the towns, laid the countryside
waste and put all the young men to the sword.
28 Fear and trembling
seized all the coastal peoples; those of Sidon and Tyre, those of Sur, Ocina and
Jamnia. The populations of Azotos and Ascalon were panic-stricken.
1 Maccabees 1:1 – 2:48
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
NJB 1 Maccabees 1:1 Alexander of Macedon son of
Philip had come from the land of
Kittim and defeated Darius king of the Persians and Medes, whom he succeeded as
ruler, at first of Hellas.
2 He undertook many
campaigns, gained possession of many fortresses, and put the local kings to death.
3 So he advanced to
the ends of the earth, plundering nation after nation; the earth grew silent
before him, and his ambitious heart swelled with pride.
4 He assembled very
powerful forces and subdued provinces, nations and princes, and they became his
tributaries.
5 But the time came
when Alexander took to his bed, in the knowledge that he was dying.
6 He summoned his
officers, noblemen who had been brought up with him from his youth, and
divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive.
7 Alexander had
reigned twelve years when he died.
8 Each of his officers
established himself in his own region.
9 All assumed crowns
after his death, they and their heirs after them for many years, bringing
increasing evils on the world.
10 From these there
grew a wicked offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes son of King Antiochus; once a
hostage in Rome, he became king in the 107th year of the kingdom of the Greeks.
11 It was then that
there emerged from Israel a set of renegades who led many people astray. 'Come,'
they said, 'let us ally ourselves with the gentiles surrounding us, for
since we separated ourselves from them many misfortunes have overtaken us.'
12 This proposal
proved acceptable,
13 and a number of the
people eagerly approached the king, who authorised them to practise the
gentiles' observances.
14 So they built a
gymnasium in Jerusalem, such as the gentiles have,
15 disguised their
circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant, submitting to gentile rule as
willing slaves of impiety.
16 Once Antiochus had
seen his authority established, he determined to make himself king of Egypt and
the ruler of both kingdoms.
17 He invaded Egypt in
massive strength, with chariots and elephants (and cavalry) and a
large fleet.
18 He engaged Ptolemy
king of Egypt in battle, and Ptolemy turned back and fled before his advance,
leaving many casualties.
19 The fortified
cities of Egypt were captured, and Antiochus plundered the country.
20 After his conquest
of Egypt, in the year 143, Antiochus turned about and advanced on Israel and
Jerusalem in massive strength.
21 Insolently breaking
into the sanctuary, he removed the golden altar and the lamp-stand for the light
with all its fittings,
22 together with the
table for the loaves of permanent offering, the libation vessels, the cups, the
golden censers, the veil, the crowns, and the golden decoration on the
front of the Temple, which he stripped of everything.
23 He made off with
the silver and gold and precious vessels; he discovered the secret treasures
and seized them
24 and, removing all
these, he went back to his own country, having shed much blood and uttered words
of extreme arrogance.
25 There was deep
mourning for Israel throughout the country:
26 Rulers and elders
groaned; girls and young men wasted away; the women's beauty suffered a change;
27 every bridegroom
took up a dirge, the bride sat grief-stricken on her marriage-bed.
28 The earth quaked
because of its inhabitants and the whole House of Jacob was clothed with shame.
29 Two years later the
king sent the Mysarch through the cities of Judah. He came to Jerusalem with
an impressive force,
30 and addressing them
with what appeared to be peaceful words, he gained their confidence; then
suddenly he fell on the city, dealing it a terrible blow, and destroying
many of the people of Israel.
31 He pillaged the
city and set it on fire, tore down its houses and encircling wall,
32 took the women and
children captive and commandeered the cattle.
33 They then rebuilt
the City of David with a great strong wall and strong towers and made this their
Citadel.
34 There they
installed a brood of sinners, of renegades, who fortified themselves inside it,
35 storing arms and
provisions, and depositing there the loot they had collected from Jerusalem; they
were to prove a great trouble.
36 It became an ambush
for the sanctuary, an evil adversary for Israel at all times.
37 They shed innocent
blood all round the sanctuary and defiled the sanctuary itself.
38 The citizens of
Jerusalem fled because of them, she became a dwelling-place of strangers;
estranged from her own offspring, her children forsook her.
39 Her sanctuary
became as forsaken as a desert, her feasts were turned into mourning, her
Sabbaths into a mockery, her honour into reproach.
40 Her dishonour now
fully matched her former glory, her greatness was turned into grief.
41 The king then issued
a proclamation to his whole kingdom that all were to become a single people,
each nation renouncing its particular customs.
42 All the gentiles
conformed to the king's decree,
43 and many Israelites
chose to accept his religion, sacrificing to idols and profaning the Sabbath.
44 The king also sent
edicts by messenger to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, directing them to adopt
customs foreign to the country,
45 banning burnt
offerings, sacrifices and libations from the sanctuary, profaning Sabbaths and
feasts,
46 defiling the
sanctuary and everything holy,
47 building altars,
shrines and temples for idols, sacrificing pigs and unclean beasts,
48 leaving their sons
uncircumcised, and prostituting themselves to all kinds of impurity and
abomination,
49 so that they should
forget the Law and revoke all observance of it.
50 Anyone not obeying
the king's command was to be put to death.
51 Writing in such
terms to every part of his kingdom, the king appointed inspectors for the whole
people and directed all the towns of Judah to offer sacrifice city by city.
52 Many of the people
-- that is, every apostate from the Law -- rallied to them and so committed
evil in the country,
53 forcing Israel into
hiding in any possible place of refuge.
54 On the fifteenth
day of Chislev in the year 145 the king built the appalling abomination on top of
the altar of burnt offering; and altars were built in the surrounding
towns of Judah
55 and incense offered
at the doors of houses and in the streets.
56 Any books of the
Law that came to light were torn up and burned.
57 Whenever anyone was
discovered possessing a copy of the covenant or practising the Law, the king's decree
sentenced him to death.
58 Month after month
they took harsh action against any offenders they discovered in the towns of
Israel.
59 On the twenty-fifth
day of each month, sacrifice was offered on the altar erected on top of the
altar of burnt offering.
60 Women who had had
their children circumcised were put to death according to the edict
61 with their babies
hung round their necks, and the members of their household and those who had
performed the circumcision were executed with them.
62 Yet there were many
in Israel who stood firm and found the courage to refuse unclean food.
63 They chose death
rather than contamination by such fare or profanation of the holy covenant,
and they were executed.
64 It was a truly
dreadful retribution that visited Israel.
NJB 1 Maccabees 2:1 About then, Mattathias son of
John, son of Simeon, a priest of
the line of Joarib, left Jerusalem and settled in Modein.
2 He had five sons,
John known as Gaddi,
3 Simon called Thassi,
4 Judas called
Maccabaeus,
5 Eleazar, called
Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus.
6 When he saw the
blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem,
7 he said, 'Alas that
I should have been born to witness the ruin of my people and the ruin of the Holy
City, and to sit by while she is delivered over to her enemies, and the sanctuary
into the hand of foreigners.
8 'Her Temple has
become like someone of no repute,
9 the vessels that
were her glory have been carried off as booty, her babies have been slaughtered in
her streets, her young men by the enemy's sword.
10 Is there a nation
that has not claimed a share of her royal prerogatives, that has not taken
some of her spoils?
11 All her ornaments
have been snatched from her, her former freedom has become slavery.
12 See how the Holy
Place, our beauty, our glory, is now laid waste, see how the gentiles have
profaned it!
13 What have we left
to live for?'
14 Mattathias and his
sons tore their garments, put on sackcloth, and observed deep mourning.
15 The king's commissioners
who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modein for the sacrifices.
16 Many Israelites
gathered round them, but Mattathias and his sons drew apart.
17 The king's
commissioners then addressed Mattathias as follows, 'You are a respected
leader, a great man in this town; you have sons and brothers to support you.
18 Be the first to
step forward and conform to the king's decree, as all the nations have done, and the
leaders of Judah and the survivors in Jerusalem; you and your sons shall be reckoned among
the Friends of the King, you and your
sons will be honoured with gold and silver and many presents.'
19 Raising his voice,
Mattathias retorted, 'Even if every nation living in the king's dominions obeys
him, each forsaking its ancestral religion to conform to his decrees,
20 I, my sons and my
brothers will still follow the covenant of our ancestors.
21 May Heaven preserve
us from forsaking the Law and its observances.
22 As for the king's
orders, we will not follow them: we shall not swerve from our own religion
either to right or to left.'
23 As he finished
speaking, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in
Modein as the royal edict required.
24 When Mattathias saw
this, he was fired with zeal; stirred to the depth of his being, he gave vent
to his legitimate anger, threw himself on the man and slaughtered him on
the altar.
25 At the same time he
killed the king's commissioner who was there to enforce the sacrifice, and
tore down the altar.
26 In his zeal for the
Law he acted as Phinehas had against Zimri son of Salu.
27 Then Mattathias
went through the town, shouting at the top of his voice, 'Let everyone who has any
zeal for the Law and takes his stand on the covenant come out and follow me.'
28 Then he fled with
his sons into the hills, leaving all their possessions behind in the town.
29 Many people who
were concerned for virtue and justice went down to the desert and stayed
there,
30 taking with them
their sons, their wives and their cattle, so oppressive had their sufferings
become.
31 Word was brought to
the royal officials and forces stationed in Jerusalem, in the City of David,
that those who had repudiated the king's edict had gone down to the hiding places in
the desert.
32 A strong detachment
went after them, and when it came up with them ranged itself against them
in battle formation, preparing to attack them on the Sabbath day,
33 and said, 'Enough
of this! Come out and do as the king orders and you will be spared.'
34 The others,
however, replied, 'We refuse to come out, and we will not obey the king's orders and
profane the Sabbath day.'
35 The royal forces at
once went into action,
36 but the others
offered no opposition; not a stone was thrown, there was no barricading of the hiding
places.
37 They only said,
'Let us all die innocent; let heaven and earth bear witness that you are massacring
us with no pretence of justice.'
38 The attack was
pressed home on the Sabbath itself, and they were slaughtered, with their wives and
children and cattle, to the number of one thousand persons.
39 When the news
reached Mattathias and his friends, they mourned them bitterly
40 and said to one
another, 'If we all do as our brothers have done, and refuse to fight the gentiles
for our lives and institutions, they will only destroy us the sooner from
the earth.'
41 So then and there
they came to this decision, 'If anyone attacks us on the Sabbath day, whoever he
may be, we shall resist him; we must not all be killed, as our brothers were in the
hiding places.'
42 Soon they were
joined by the Hasidaean party, stout fighting men of Israel, each one a volunteer
on the side of the Law.
43 All the refugees
from the persecution rallied to them, giving them added support.
44 They organised
themselves into an armed force, striking down the sinners in their anger, and the
renegades in their fury, and those who escaped them fled to the gentiles
for safety.
45 Mattathias and his
friends made a tour, overthrowing the altars
46 and forcibly
circumcising all the boys they found uncircumcised in the territories of Israel.
47 They hunted down
the upstarts and managed their campaign to good effect.
48 They wrested the
Law out of the control of the gentiles and the kings and reduced the sinners to
impotence.
Tehillim
- Psalm 30:1-13
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. A
psalm; a song of dedication of the House, of David. |
1. A praise song for the
dedication of the sanctuary. Of David. |
|
2. I will
exalt You, O Lord, for You have raised me up, and You have not allowed my
enemies to rejoice over me. |
2. I will praise you, O
LORD, for you made me stand erect, and did not let my enemies rejoice over
me. |
|
3. O Lord,
I have cried out to You, and You have healed me. |
3. O LORD
my God, I prayed in Your presence and You healed me. |
|
4. O Lord,
You have brought my soul from the grave; You have revived me from my descent
into the Pit. |
4. O LORD,
You raised my soul out of Sheol; You preserved me from going down to the pit. |
|
5. Sing to
the Lord, His pious ones, and give thanks to His holy name. |
5. Sing
praise in the LORD's presence, you His devotees; and give thanks at the
invocation of His holy one. |
|
6. For His
wrath lasts but a moment; life results from His favor; in the evening,
weeping may tarry, but in the morning there is joyful singing. |
6. For His
anger is but a moment; eternal life is His good pleasure. In the evening one
goes to bed in tears, but in the morning one rises in praise. |
|
7. And I
said in my tranquility, "I will never falter." |
7. And I
said when I dwelt in trust, I will never be shaken. |
|
8. O Lord,
with Your will, You set up my mountain to be might, You hid Your countenance
and I became frightened. |
8. O LORD,
by Your will You prepared the mighty mountains; You removed Your presence, I
became afraid. |
|
9. To You,
O Lord, I would call, and to the Lord I would supplicate. |
9. In Your
presence, O LORD, I will cry out; and to You, O my God, I will pray. |
|
10. "What
gain is there in my blood, in my descent to the grave? Will
dust thank You; will it recite Your truth? |
10. And I
said, What profit is there in my blood, when I descend to the
grave? Can those who descend to the dust praise You? Will they tell of Your
faithfulness? |
|
11. Hear, O
Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my helper." |
11. Accept,
O LORD, my prayer, and have mercy on me; O LORD, be my helper. |
|
12. You
have turned my lament into dancing for me; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
12. You
turned my lament into my celebration; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
|
13. So that
my soul will sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will
thank You forever. |
13. Because
the nobles of the world will give You praise and not be silent, O LORD my
God, I too will give You praise. |
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|
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Genesis
1:1-5 - JPS
1. When God began to
create heaven and earth --
2. the earth being
unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from
God sweeping over the water --
3. God said, "Let
there be light"; and there was light.
4. God saw that the
light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.
5. God called the
light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there
was morning, a first day.
Yochanan
Alef (1 John) 1:1-10
Paqid
Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham &
Hakham
Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
1 What was from [the]
beginning (i.e. B’resheet – Gen.1:1ff.), what we have heard, what we
have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched,
concerning the Torah giving life,
2 and the life was
revealed, and we have seen and testify and announce to you the eternal life
which was with the Father and was revealed to us;
3 what we have seen
and heard, we announce to you also, in order that you also may have fellowship
with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His son (the
anointed King of Israel) Yeshua the Messiah.
4 And these things we
write, in order that our joy may be complete.
5 And this is the
message which we have heard from him (i.e. the Master) and announce to
you, that God is light and there is no darkness in Him (God) at all.
6 If we say that we
have fellowship with Him (i.e. God) and walk in the darkness, we lie and
do not practice the truth (i.e. the Torah – cf. Ps. 119:142).
7 But if we walk in
the light as he (the Master) is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another, and the life of Yeshua His son (anointed King of Israel)
purify us from every sin.
8 If we say that we do
not have sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth (i.e. the Torah – cf. Ps.
119:142) is not in us.
9 If we confess our
sins [to God and repent], He (God) is faithful and just, so that
He will forgive us our sins and will purify us from all injustices [that we
have committed].
10 If we say that we
have not sinned, we make Him (i.e. God) a liar, and His word (i.e.
Torah) is not in us.
END OF THE READINGS
FOR THE FIRST DAY OF HANUKA
Hanuka
Second Day
Evening Sunday Dec.
09, 2012 – Evening Monday Dec. 10, 2012
Torah: Numbers 7:18-29
Reader 1 - Num.
7:18-20
Reader 2 - Num.
7:21-23
Reader 3 - Num.
7:24-29
Yehudit (Judith) 3:1 –
5:17
1 Maccab. 2:49 – 4:40
Psalm 30:1-13
Nazareans add in their
private study and discussions: Isaiah
5:20-24; & 1 John 2:1-11
For further
information please read and study:
http://www.betemunah.org/lapin.html, http://www.betemunah.org/connection.html,
http://www.betemunah.org/chanukah.html, & http://www.betemunah.org/lights.html
Rashi
& Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for:
B’Midbar (Numbers) 7:18-29
|
Rashi |
Targum
Pseudo Jonathan |
|
18. On the
second day, Nethanel the son of Zu'ar, the chieftain of Issachar brought [his
offering]. |
18. On the second day, Nethanel
bar Zuar, chief of the house of the fathers of the tribe Issakar, brought his
oblation. |
|
19. He
brought his offering of one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty
[shekels], one silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according
to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a
meal offering. |
19. He
brought his oblation after Jehudah by commandment of the Holy: one silver
dish thickly embossed, one hundred and thirty shekels, &c., as the first. |
|
20. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
20. |
|
21. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
21. |
|
22. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
22. |
|
23. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zu'ar. |
23. |
|
24. On the
third day, the chieftain was of the sons of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon. |
24. On the
third day, Eliab bar Helon, prince of the Beni Zebulon, offered. |
|
25. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
25. |
|
26. One spoon
[weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
26. |
|
27. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
27. |
|
28. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
28. |
|
29. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon. |
29. |
|
|
|
Yehudit (Judith) 3:1 –
5:17
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
NJB Judith 3:1 They therefore sent envoys to him
to sue for peace, to say,
2 'We are servants of
the great King Nebuchadnezzar; we lie prostrate before you. Treat us as you think
fit.
3 Our cattle-farms,
all our land, all our wheat fields, our flocks and herds, all the sheep-folds in our
encampments are at your disposal. Do with them as you please.
4 Our towns and their
inhabitants too are at your service; go and treat them as you think fit.'
5 These men came to
Holofernes and delivered the message as above.
6 He then made his way
down to the coast with his army and stationed garrisons in all the fortified towns,
levying outstanding men there as auxiliaries.
7 The people of these
cities and of all the other towns in the neighbourhood welcomed him,
wearing garlands and dancing to the sound of tambourines.
8 But he demolished
their shrines and cut down their sacred trees, carrying out his commission to
destroy all local gods so that the nations should worship Nebuchadnezzar alone and
people of every language and
nationality should hail him as a god.
9 Thus he reached the
edge of Esdraelon, in the neighbourhood of Dothan, a village facing the
great ridge of Judaea.
10 He pitched camp
between Geba and Scythopolis and stayed there a full month to re-provision his
forces.
NJB Judith 4:1 When the Israelites living in
Judaea heard how Holofernes,
general-in-chief of Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians, had treated the
various nations, plundering their temples and destroying them,
2 they were thoroughly
alarmed at his approach and trembled for Jerusalem and the Temple of the
Lord their God.
3 They had returned
from captivity only a short time before, and the resettlement of the people in
Judaea and the reconsecration of the sacred furnishings, of the altar, and of the Temple,
which had been profaned, were of
recent date.
4 They therefore
alerted the whole of Samaria, Kona, Beth-Horon, Belmain, Jericho, Choba, Aesora
and the Salem valley.
5 They occupied the
summits of the highest mountains and fortified the villages on them; they laid
in supplies for the coming war, as the fields had just been harvested.
6 Joakim the high
priest, resident in Jerusalem at the time, wrote to the inhabitants of Bethulia and
of Betomesthaim, two towns facing Esdraelon, towards the plain of Dothan.
7 He ordered them to
occupy the mountain passes, the only means of access to Judaea, for there it
would be easy for them to halt an attacking force, the narrowness of the approach not
allowing men to advance more than two
abreast.
8 The Israelites
carried out the orders of Joakim the high priest and of the people's Council
of Elders in session at Jerusalem.
9 All the men of
Israel cried most fervently to God and humbled themselves before him.
10 They, their wives,
their children, their cattle, all their resident aliens, hired or slave, wrapped
sackcloth round their loins.
11 All the Israelites
in Jerusalem, including women and children, lay prostrate in front of the Temple,
and with ashes on their heads stretched out their
hands before the Lord.
12 They draped the
altar itself in sackcloth and fervently joined together in begging the God of
Israel not to let their children be carried off, their wives distributed as
booty, the towns of their heritage destroyed, the Temple profaned and desecrated for the
heathen to gloat over.
13 The Lord heard them
and looked kindly on their distress. The people fasted for many days
throughout Judaea as well as in Jerusalem before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty.
14 Joakim the high
priest and all who stood before the Lord, the Lord's priests and ministers,
wore sackcloth round their loins as they offered the perpetual burnt
offering and the votive and voluntary offerings of the people.
15 With ashes on their
turbans they earnestly called on the Lord to look kindly on the House of
Israel.
NJB Judith 5:1 Holofernes, general-in-chief of
the Assyrian army, received the
intelligence that the Israelites were preparing for war, that they had closed the
mountain passes, fortified all the high peaks and laid obstructions in the plains.
2 Holofernes was
furious. He summoned all the princes of Moab, all the generals of Ammon and all the
satraps of the coastal regions.
3 'Men of Canaan,' he
said, 'tell me: what people is this that occupies the hill-country? What towns does
it inhabit? How large is its army? What are the sources of its power and strength? Who
is the king who rules it and commands
its army?
4 Why have they
disdained to wait on me, as all the western peoples have?'
5 Achior, leader of
all the Ammonites, replied, 'May my lord be pleased to listen to what your
servant is going to say. I shall give you the facts about these mountain
folk whose home lies close to you. You will hear no lie from the mouth of your servant.
6 These people are
descended from the Chaldaeans.
7 They once came to
live in Mesopotamia, because they did not want to follow the gods of their
ancestors who lived in Chaldaea.
8 They abandoned the
way of their ancestors to worship the God of heaven, the God they learnt to
acknowledge. Banished from the presence of their own
gods, they fled to Mesopotamia where they lived for a long time.
9 When God told them
to leave their home and set out for Canaan, they settled there and
accumulated gold and silver and great herds of cattle.
10 Next, famine having
overwhelmed the land of Canaan, they went down to Egypt where they stayed
till they were well nourished. There they became a great multitude, a race beyond
counting.
11 But the king of
Egypt turned against them and exploited them by forcing them to make bricks; he
degraded them, reducing them to slavery.
12 They cried to their
God, who struck the entire land of Egypt with incurable plagues, and the
Egyptians expelled them.
13 God dried up the
Red Sea before them
14 and led them
forward by way of Sinai and Kadesh-Barnea. Having driven off all the inhabitants of
the desert,
15 they settled in the
land of the Amorites and in their strength exterminated the entire
population of Heshbon. Then, having crossed the Jordan, they took possession
of all the hill-country,
16 driving out the
Canaanites before them and the Perizzites, Jebusites, Shechemites and all
the Girgashites, and lived there for many years.
17 All the while they
did not sin before their God, prosperity was theirs, for they have a God who
hates wickedness.
1 Maccabees 2:49 –
4:40
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
49 As the days of
Mattathias were drawing to a close, he said to his sons, 'Arrogance and outrage
are now in the ascendant; it is a period of turmoil and bitter hatred.
50 This is the time,
my children, for you to have a burning zeal for the Law and to give your lives
for the covenant of our ancestors.
51 Remember the deeds
performed by our ancestors, each in his generation, and you will win great
honour and everlasting renown.
52 Was not Abraham
tested and found faithful, was that not considered as justifying him?
53 Joseph in the time
of his distress maintained the Law, and so became lord of Egypt.
54 Phinehas, our
father, in return for his burning zeal, received the covenant of everlasting
priesthood.
55 Joshua, for
carrying out his task, became judge of Israel.
56 Caleb, for his
testimony before the assembled people, received an inheritance in the land.
57 David for his
generous heart inherited the throne of an everlasting kingdom.
58 Elijah for his
consuming fervour for the Law was caught up to heaven itself.
59 Hananiah, Azariah
and Mishael, for their fidelity, were saved from the flame.
60 Daniel for his
singleness of heart was rescued from the lion's jaws.
61 Know then that,
generation after generation, no one who hopes in him will be overcome.
62 Do not fear the
threats of the sinner, all his brave show must come to the dunghill and the
worms.
63 Exalted today,
tomorrow he is nowhere to be found, for he has returned to the dust he came
from and his scheming is brought to nothing.
64 My children, be
resolute and courageous for the Law, for it will bring you glory.
65 'Here is your
brother Simeon, I know he is a man of sound judgement. Listen to him all your
lives; let him take your father's place.
66 Judas Maccabaeus,
strong and brave from his youth, let him be your general and conduct the war
against the gentiles.
67 The rest of you are
to enrol in your ranks all those who keep the Law, and to assure the vengeance
of your people.
68 Pay back the
gentiles to the full, and hold fast to the ordinance of the Law.'
69 Then he blessed
them and was joined to his ancestors.
70 He died in the year
146 and was buried in his ancestral tomb at Modein, and all Israel mourned him
deeply.
NJB 1 Maccabees 3:1 His son, Judas, known as
Maccabaeus, then took his place.
2 All his brothers,
and all who had attached themselves to his father, supported him, and they
fought for Israel with a will.
3 He extended the fame
of his people. Like a giant, he put on the breastplate and buckled on his war
harness; he engaged in battle after battle, protecting the ranks with his
sword.
4 He was like a lion
in his exploits, like a young lion roaring over its prey.
5 He pursued and
tracked down the renegades, he consigned those who troubled his people to the
flames.
6 The renegades quailed
with the terror he inspired, all evil-doers were utterly confounded, and
deliverance went forward under his leadership.
7 He brought
bitterness to many a king and rejoicing to Jacob by his deeds, his memory is
blessed for ever and ever.
8 He went through the
towns of Judah eliminating the irreligious from them, and diverted the
Retribution from Israel.
9 His name resounded
to the ends of the earth, he rallied those who were on the point of perishing.
10 Next, Apollonius
mustered the gentiles and a large force from Samaria to make war on Israel.
11 When Judas learned
of it, he went out to meet him and routed and killed him. Many fell wounded,
and the survivors took to flight.
12 Their spoils were
seized and the sword of Apollonius was taken by Judas, who used it to fight
with throughout his life.
13 On hearing that
Judas had raised a mixed force of believers and seasoned fighters,
14 Seron, commander of
the Syrian troops, said, 'I shall make a name for myself and gain honour in the
kingdom if I fight Judas and those supporters of his who are so contemptuous of
the king's orders.'
15 He therefore
launched another expedition, with a strong army of unbelievers to support him
in taking revenge on the Israelites.
16 He had nearly
reached the descent of Beth-Horon when Judas went out to confront him with a
handful of men.
17 But as soon as
these saw the force advancing to meet them, they said to Judas, 'How can we,
few as we are, engage such overwhelming numbers? We are exhausted as it is, not
having had anything to eat today.'
18 'It is easy', Judas
answered, 'for a great number to be defeated by a few; indeed, in the sight of
Heaven, deliverance, whether by many or by few, is all one;
19 for victory in war
does not depend on the size of the fighting force: Heaven accords the strength.
20 They are coming
against us in full-blown insolence and lawlessness to destroy us, our wives and
our children, and to plunder us;
21 but we are fighting
for our lives and our laws,
22 and he will crush
them before our eyes; do not be afraid of them.'
23 When he had
finished speaking, he made a sudden sally against Seron and his force and
overwhelmed them.
24 Judas pursued them
down from Beth-Horon as far as the plain. About eight hundred of their men
fell, and the rest took refuge in the country of the Philistines.
25 Judas and his
brothers began to be feared, and alarm seized the surrounding peoples.
26 His name even
reached the king's ears, and among the nations there was talk of Judas and his
battles.
27 The news of these
events infuriated Antiochus, and he ordered mobilisation of all the forces in
his kingdom, a very powerful army.
28 Opening his
treasury, he distributed a year's pay to his troops, telling them to be
prepared for any eventuality.
29 He then found that
the money in his coffers had run short and that the tribute of the province had
decreased, as a result of the dissension and disaster brought on the country by
his own abrogation of laws that had been in force from antiquity.
30 He began to fear
that, as had happened more than once, he would not have enough to cover the
expenses and the lavish bounties he had previously been accustomed to make on a
larger scale than his predecessors on the throne.
31 In this grave
quandary he resolved to invade Persia, there to levy tribute on the provinces
and so accumulate substantial funds.
32 He therefore left
Lysias, a nobleman and member of the royal family, to manage the royal affairs
between the River Euphrates and the Egyptian frontier,
33 making him
responsible for the education of his son Antiochus, until he should come back.
34 To him Antiochus
made over half his forces, with the elephants, giving him instructions about
what he wanted done, particularly with regard to the inhabitants of Judaea and
Jerusalem,
35 against whom he was
to send a force, to crush and destroy the power of Israel and the remnant of
Jerusalem, to wipe out their very memory from the place,
36 to settle
foreigners in all parts of their territory and to distribute their land into
lots.
37 The king took the
remaining half of his troops with him and set out from Antioch, the capital of
his kingdom, in the year 147; he crossed the River Euphrates and made his way
through the Upper Provinces.
38 Lysias chose
Ptolemy son of Dorymenes, with Nicanor and Gorgias, influential men from among
the Friends of the King,
39 and, under their
command, despatched forty thousand foot and seven thousand horse to invade the
land of Judah and devastate it, as the king had ordered.
40 The entire force
set out and reached the neighbourhood of Emmaus in the lowlands, where they
pitched camp.
41 The local
merchants, hearing the news of this, arrived at the camp, bringing with them a
large amount of gold and silver, and fetters as well, proposing to buy the
Israelites as slaves; they were accompanied by a company from Idumaea and the
Philistine country.
42 Judas and his
brothers saw that the situation was going from bad to worse and that armies
were camping in their territory; they were also well aware that the king had
ordered the people's total destruction.
43 So they said to
each other, 'Let us restore the ruins of our people and fight for our people
and our sanctuary.'
44 The Assembly was
summoned, to prepare for war, to offer prayer and to implore compassion and
mercy.
45 Jerusalem was as
empty as a desert, none of her children to go in and out. The sanctuary was
trodden underfoot, men of an alien race held the Citadel, which had become a
lodging for gentiles. There was no more rejoicing for Jacob, the flute and lyre
were mute.
46 After mustering,
they made their way to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem, since Mizpah was
traditionally a place of prayer for Israel.
47 That day they
fasted and put on sackcloth, covering their heads with ashes and tearing their
garments.
48 For the guidance
that the gentiles would have sought from the images of their false gods, they
opened the Book of the Law.
49 They also brought
out the priestly vestments, with first-fruits and tithes, and marshalled the
Nazirites who had completed the period of their vow.
50 Then, raising their
voices to Heaven, they cried, 'What shall we do with these people, and where
are we to take them?
51 Your holy place has
been trampled underfoot and defiled, your priests mourn in their humiliation,
52 and now the
gentiles are in alliance to destroy us: you know what they have in mind for us.
53 How can we stand up
and face them if you do not come to our aid?'
54 Then they sounded
the trumpets and raised a great shout.
55 Next, Judas
appointed leaders for the people, to command a thousand, a hundred, fifty or
ten men.
56 Those who were in
the middle of building a house, or were about to be married, or were planting a
vineyard, or were afraid, he told to go home again, as the Law allowed.
57 The column then
marched off and took up a position south of Emmaus.
58 'Stand to your
arms,' Judas told them, 'acquit yourselves bravely, in the morning be ready to
fight these gentiles massed against us to destroy us and our sanctuary.
59 Better for us to
die in battle than to watch the ruin of our nation and our Holy Place.
60 Whatever be the
will of Heaven, he will perform it.'
NJB 1 Maccabees 4:1 Gorgias took with him five
thousand foot and a thousand picked cavalry, and the force moved off by night
2 with the object of
attacking the Jewish position and dealing them an unexpected blow; the men from
the Citadel were there to guide him.
3 Judas got wind of it
and himself moved off with his fighters to strike at the royal army at Emmaus,
4 while its fighting
troops were still dispersed outside the camp.
5 Hence, when Gorgias
reached Judas' camp, he found no one and began looking for the Jews in the
mountains. 'For', he said, 'we have got them on the run.'
6 First light found
Judas in the plain with three thousand men, although these lacked the armour
and swords they would have wished.
7 They could now see
the gentile encampment with its strong fortifications and cavalry surrounding
it, clearly people who understood warfare.
8 Judas said to his
men, 'Do not be afraid of their numbers, and do not flinch at their attack.
9 Remember how our
ancestors were delivered at the Red Sea when Pharaoh was pursuing them in
force.
10 And now let us call
on Heaven: if he cares for us, he will remember his covenant with our ancestors
and will destroy this army confronting us today;
11 then all the
nations will know for certain that there is One who ransoms and saves Israel.'
12 The foreigners
looked up and, seeing the Jews advancing against them,
13 came out of the
camp to join battle. Judas' men sounded the trumpet
14 and engaged them.
The gentiles were defeated and fled towards the plain
15 and all the
stragglers fell by the sword. The pursuit continued as far as Gezer and the
plains of Idumaea, Azotus and Jamnia, and the enemy lost about three thousand
men.
16 Breaking off the
pursuit, Judas returned with his men
17 and said to the
people, 'Never mind the booty, for we have another battle ahead of us.
18 Gorgias and his
troops are still near us in the mountains. First stand up to our enemies and
fight them, and then you can safely collect the booty.'
19 The words were
hardly out of Judas' mouth, when a detachment came into view, peering down from
the mountain.
20 Observing that
their own troops had been routed and that the camp had been fired -- since the
smoke, which they could see, attested the fact-
21 they were
panic-stricken at the sight; and when, furthermore, they saw Judas' troops
drawn up for battle on the plain,
22 they all fled into
Philistine territory.
23 Judas then turned
back to plunder the camp, and a large sum in gold and silver, with violet and
sea-purple stuffs, and many other valuables were carried off.
24 On their return,
the Jews chanted praises to Heaven, singing, 'He is kind and his love is
everlasting!'
25 That day had seen a
remarkable deliverance in Israel.
26 Those of the
foreigners who had escaped came and gave Lysias an account of all that had
happened.
27 The news shocked
and dismayed him, for affairs in Israel had not gone as he intended, and the
result was quite the opposite to what the king had ordered.
28 The next year he
mobilised sixty thousand picked troops and five thousand cavalry with the
intention of finishing off the Jews.
29 They advanced into
Idumaea and made their base at Beth-Zur, where Judas met them with ten thousand
men.
30 When he saw their
military strength he offered this prayer, 'Blessed are you, Saviour of Israel,
who shattered the mighty warrior's attack at the hand of your servant David,
and delivered the Philistine camp into the hands of Jonathan son of Saul, and his
armour-bearer.
31 Crush this
expedition in the same way at the hands of your people Israel; let their troops
and cavalry bring them nothing but shame.
32 Sow panic in their
ranks, confound the confidence they put in their numbers and send them reeling in
defeat.
33 Overthrow them by
the sword of those who love you, and all who acknowledge your name will sing
your praises.'
34 The two forces
engaged, and five thousand men of Lysias' troops fell in hand-to-hand fighting.
35 Seeing the rout of
his army and the courage of Judas' troops and their readiness to live or die
nobly, Lysias withdrew to Antioch, where he recruited mercenaries for a further
invasion of Judaea in even greater strength.
36 Judas and his
brothers then said, 'Now that our enemies have been defeated, let us go up to
purify the sanctuary and dedicate it.'
37 So they marshalled
the whole army, and went up to Mount Zion.
38 There they found
the sanctuary deserted, the altar desecrated, the gates burnt down, and
vegetation growing in the courts as it might in a wood or on some mountain,
while the storerooms were in ruins.
39 They tore their
garments and mourned bitterly, putting dust on their heads.
40 They prostrated
themselves on the ground, and when the trumpets gave the signal they cried aloud
to Heaven.
Tehillim
- Psalm 30:1-13
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. A
psalm; a song of dedication of the House, of David. |
1. A praise song for the
dedication of the sanctuary. Of David. |
|
2. I will
exalt You, O Lord, for You have raised me up, and You have not allowed my
enemies to rejoice over me. |
2. I will praise you, O
LORD, for you made me stand erect, and did not let my enemies rejoice over
me. |
|
3. O Lord,
I have cried out to You, and You have healed me. |
3. O LORD
my God, I prayed in Your presence and You healed me. |
|
4. O Lord,
You have brought my soul from the grave; You have revived me from my descent
into the Pit. |
4. O LORD,
You raised my soul out of Sheol; You preserved me from going down to the pit. |
|
5. Sing to
the Lord, His pious ones, and give thanks to His holy name. |
5. Sing
praise in the LORD's presence, you His devotees; and give thanks at the
invocation of His holy one. |
|
6. For His
wrath lasts but a moment; life results from His favor; in the evening,
weeping may tarry, but in the morning there is joyful singing. |
6. For His
anger is but a moment; eternal life is His good pleasure. In the evening one
goes to bed in tears, but in the morning one rises in praise. |
|
7. And I
said in my tranquility, "I will never falter." |
7. And I
said when I dwelt in trust, I will never be shaken. |
|
8. O Lord,
with Your will, You set up my mountain to be might, You hid Your countenance
and I became frightened. |
8. O LORD,
by Your will You prepared the mighty mountains; You removed Your presence, I
became afraid. |
|
9. To You,
O Lord, I would call, and to the Lord I would supplicate. |
9. In Your
presence, O LORD, I will cry out; and to You, O my God, I will pray. |
|
10. "What
gain is there in my blood, in my descent to the grave? Will
dust thank You; will it recite Your truth? |
10. And I
said, What profit is there in my blood, when I descend to the
grave? Can those who descend to the dust praise You? Will they tell of Your
faithfulness? |
|
11. Hear, O
Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my helper." |
11. Accept,
O LORD, my prayer, and have mercy on me; O LORD, be my helper. |
|
12. You
have turned my lament into dancing for me; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
12. You
turned my lament into my celebration; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
|
13. So that
my soul will sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will
thank You forever. |
13. Because
the nobles of the world will give You praise and not be silent, O LORD my
God, I too will give You praise. |
|
|
|
Isaiah
5:20-24 JPS
20 Ah, Those who call evil good
And good evil;
Who present darkness as light
And light as darkness;
Who present bitter as sweet
And sweet as bitter!
21 Ah, Those who are so wise -- In
their own opinion;
So clever -- In their own judgment!
22 Ah, Those who are so doughty --
As drinkers of wine,
And so valiant -- As mixers of drink!
23 Who vindicate him who is in the
wrong
In return for a bribe,
And withhold vindication
From him who is in the right.
24 Assuredly,
As straw is consumed by a tongue of fire
And hay shrivels as it burns,
Their stock shall become like rot,
And their buds shall blow away like dust.
For they have rejected the
instruction in the Torah of the LORD of Hosts,
Spurned the word of the Holy One
of Israel.
Yochanan
Alef (1 John) 2:1-11
Paqid
Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham &
Hakham
Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
1 My sons, I am
writing these things to you in order that you may not sin. And if anyone sins,
we have an advocate with the Father, Yeshua the Messiah the righteous/generous
one,
2 and he was made the
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole [Gentile] world.
3 And by this we know
that we have come to have intimate knowledge of him (the Master), if we
keep His (God’s) commandments.
4 The one who says
"I have come to intimately know him," and does not keep His (God’s) commandments
is a liar, and the truth (i.e. the Torah – cf. Psalm 119:142) is not [dwelling]
in this person.
5 But whoever puts in
practice God’s Torah, truly in this person the love of God has been perfected.
By this we know that we are in him (Messiah).
6 The one who
says that he resides in him (Messiah) ought also to walk just as he
walked [in submissive obedience to the Torah and to the Torah Sages].
7 Dear friends, I am
not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had
from the beginning (i.e. B’resheet = Gen. 1:1ff). The old commandment is
the message which you have heard [from the Torah].
8 Again, I am writing
a new commandment to you, which is true in him (Messiah) and in you,
because the darkness is passing away and the true light already is shining.
9 The one who says he
is in the light and hates/belittles his [Jewish] brother is in the
darkness even now.
10 The one who loves
his [Jewish] brother resides in the light, and there is no cause for
stumbling in him.
11 But the one who
hates/belittles his [Jewish] brother is in the darkness, and walks in
the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded
his eyes.
END OF THE READINGS
FOR THE SECOND DAY OF HANUKA
Hanuka
Third Day
Evening Monday Dec.
10, 2012 – Evening Tuesday Dec. 11, 2012
Torah: Numbers 7:24-35
Reader 1 - Num.
7:24-26
Reader 2 - Num.
7:27-29
Reader 3 - Num.
7:30-35
Yehudit (Judith) 5:18
– 7:16
1 Maccab. 4:41 – 6:27
Psalm 30:1-13
Nazareans add in their
private study and discussions: Isaiah
42:18; & 1 John 2:12-29
For further
information please read and study:
http://www.betemunah.org/lapin.html, http://www.betemunah.org/connection.html,
http://www.betemunah.org/chanukah.html, & http://www.betemunah.org/lights.html
Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for: B’Midbar (Numbers) 7:24-35
|
Rashi |
Targum
Pseudo Jonathan |
|
24. On the
third day, the chieftain was of the sons of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon. |
24. On the
third day, Eliab bar Helon, prince of the Benei Zebulon, offered. |
|
25. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
25. |
|
26. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
26. |
|
27. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
27. |
|
28. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
28. |
|
29. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon. |
29. |
|
30. On the
fourth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Reuben, Elitzur the son of Shedeur. |
30. On the fourth, Elizur
bar Shedeur, prince of the Benei Reuben; |
|
31. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
31. |
|
32. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
32. |
|
33. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
33. |
|
34. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
34. |
|
35. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Elitzur the son of Shedeur. |
35. |
Yehudit (Judith) 5:18
– 7:16
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
18 But when they
turned from the path he had marked out for them some were exterminated in a
series of battles, others were taken captive to a foreign land. The Temple of
their God was rased to the ground and their towns were seized by their enemies.
19 Then having turned
once again to their God, they came back from the places to which they had been
dispersed and scattered, regained possession of Jerusalem, where they have
their Temple, and reoccupied the hill-country which had been left deserted.
20 So, now, master and
lord, if this people has committed any fault, if they have sinned against their
God, let us first be sure that they really have this reason to fail, then
advance and attack them.
21 But if their nation
is guiltless, my lord would do better to abstain, for fear that their Lord and
God should protect them. We should then become the laughing-stock of the whole
world.'
22 When Achior had
ended this speech, all the people crowding round the tent began protesting.
Holofernes' own senior officers, as well as all the coastal peoples and the
Moabites, threatened to tear him limb from limb.
23 'Why should we be
afraid of the Israelites? They are a weak and powerless people, quite unable to
stand a stiff attack.
24 Forward! Advance!
Your army, Holofernes our master, will swallow them in one mouthful!'
NJB Judith 6:1 When the uproar of those crowding
round the council had subsided, Holofernes, general-in-chief of the Assyrian
army, reprimanded Achior in front of the whole crowd of foreigners and
Ammonites.
2 'Achior, who do you think
you are, you and the Ephraimite mercenaries, playing the prophet like this with
us today, and trying to dissuade us from making war on the people of Israel?
You claim their God will protect them. And who is God if not Nebuchadnezzar? He
himself will display his power and wipe them off the face of the earth, and
their God will certainly not save them.
3 But we, his
servants, shall destroy them as easily as a single individual. They can never
resist the strength of our cavalry.
4 We shall burn them
all. Their mountains will be drunk with their blood and their plains filled
with their corpses. Far from being able to resist us, every one of them will
die; thus says King Nebuchadnezzar, lord of the whole world. For he has spoken,
and his words will not prove empty.
5 As for you, Achior,
you Ammonite mercenary, who in a rash moment said these words, you will not see
my face again until the day when I have taken my revenge on this brood from
Egypt.
6 And then the swords
of my soldiers and the spears of my officers will pierce your sides. You will
fall among their wounded, the moment I turn on Israel.
7 My servants will now
take you into the hill-country and leave you near one of the towns in the
passes;
8 you will not die,
until you share their ruin.
9 No need to look so
sad if you cherish the secret hope that they will not be captured! I have
spoken; none of my words will prove idle.'
10 Holofernes having
commanded his tent-orderlies to seize Achior, to take him to Bethulia and to
hand him over to the Israelites,
11 the orderlies took
him, escorted him out of the camp and across the plain, and then, making for
the hill-country, reached the springs below Bethulia.
12 As soon as the men
of the town sighted them, they snatched up their weapons, left the town and made
for the mountain tops, while all the slingers pelted them with stones to
prevent them from coming up.
13 However, they
managed to take cover at the foot of the slope, where they bound Achior and
left him lying at the bottom of the mountain and returned to their master.
14 The Israelites then
came down from their town, stopped by him, unbound him and took him to
Bethulia, where they brought him before the chief men of the town,
15 who at that time
were Uzziah son of Micah of the tribe of Simeon, Chabris son of Gothoniel and
Charmis son of Melchiel.
16 These summoned all
the elders of the town. The young men and the women also hurried to the
assembly. Achior was made to stand with all the people surrounding him, and
Uzziah questioned him about what had happened.
17 He answered by
telling them what had been said at Holofernes' council, and what he himself had
said in the presence of the Assyrian leaders, and how Holofernes had bragged of
what he would do to the House of Israel.
18 At this the people
fell to the ground and worshipped God.
19 'Lord God of
heaven,' they cried, 'take notice of their arrogance and have pity on the
humiliation of our race. Look kindly today on those who are consecrated to
you.'
20 They then spoke
reassuringly to Achior and praised him warmly.
21 After the assembly
Uzziah took him home and gave a banquet for the elders; all that night they
called on the God of Israel for help.
NJB Judith 7:1 The following day Holofernes
issued orders to his whole army and to the whole host of auxiliaries who had
joined him, to break camp and march on Bethulia, to occupy the mountain passes
and so open the campaign against the Israelites.
2 The troops broke
camp that same day. The actual fighting force numbered one hundred and twenty
thousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry, not to mention the baggage train
with the vast number of men on foot concerned with that.
3 They penetrated the
valley in the neighbourhood of Bethulia, near the spring, and deployed on a
wide front from Dothan to Balbaim and, in depth, from Bethulia to Cyamon, which
faces Esdraelon.
4 When the Israelites
saw this horde, they were all appalled and said to each other, 'Now they will
lick the whole country clean. Not even the loftiest peaks, the gorges or the
hills will be able to stand the weight of them.'
5 Each man snatched up
his arms; they lit beacons on their towers and spent the whole night on watch.
6 On the second day
Holofernes deployed his entire cavalry in sight of the Israelites in Bethulia.
7 He reconnoitred the
slopes leading up to the town, located the water-points, seized them and posted
pickets over them and returned to the main body.
8 The chieftains of
the sons of Esau, all the leaders of the Moabites and the generals of the
coastal district then came to him and said,
9 'If our master will
be pleased to listen to us, his forces will not sustain a single wound.
10 These Israelites do
not rely so much on their spears as on the height of the mountains where they
live. And admittedly it is not at all easy to scale these heights of theirs.
11 'This being the
case, master, avoid engaging them in a pitched battle and then you will not
lose a single man.
12 Stay in camp, keep
all your troops there too, while your servants seize the spring which rises at
the foot of the mountain,
13 since that is what
provides the population of Bethulia with their water supply. Thirst will then
force them to surrender their town. Meanwhile, we and our men will climb the
nearest mountain tops and form advance posts there to prevent anyone from
leaving the town.
14 Hunger will waste
them, with their wives and children, and before the sword can reach them they
will already be lying in the streets outside their houses.
15 And you will make
them pay dearly for their defiance and their refusal to meet you peaceably.'
16 Their words pleased
Holofernes as well as all his officers, and he decided to do as they suggested.
1 Maccabees 4:41 –
6:27
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
41 Judas then ordered
his men to keep the Citadel garrison engaged until he had purified the
sanctuary.
42 Next, he selected
priests who were blameless and zealous for the Law
43 to purify the
sanctuary and remove the stones of the 'Pollution' to some unclean place.
44 They discussed what
should be done about the altar of burnt offering which had been profaned,
45 and very properly
decided to pull it down, rather than later be embarrassed about it since it had
been defiled by the gentiles. They therefore demolished it
46 and deposited the
stones in a suitable place on the hill of the Dwelling to await the appearance
of a prophet who should give a ruling about them.
47 They took unhewn
stones, as the Law prescribed, and built a new altar on the lines of the old
one.
48 They restored the
Holy Place and the interior of the Dwelling, and purified the courts.
49 They made new
sacred vessels, and brought the lamp-stand, the altar of incense, and the table
into the Temple.
50 They burned incense
on the altar and lit the lamps on the lamp-stand, and these shone inside the
Temple.
51 They placed the
loaves on the table and hung the curtains and completed all the tasks they had
undertaken.
52 On the twenty-fifth
of the ninth month, Chislev, in the year 148 they rose at dawn
53 and offered a
lawful sacrifice on the new altar of burnt offering which they had made.
54 The altar was
dedicated, to the sound of hymns, zithers, lyres and cymbals, at the same time of year
and on the same day on which the gentiles had originally profaned it.
55 The whole people
fell prostrate in adoration and then praised Heaven who had granted them
success.
56 For eight days they
celebrated the dedication of the altar, joyfully offering burnt offerings,
communion and thanksgiving sacrifices.
57 They ornamented the
front of the Temple with crowns and bosses of gold, renovated the gates and
storerooms, providing the latter with doors.
58 There was no end to
the rejoicing among the people, since the disgrace inflicted by the
gentiles had been effaced.
59 Judas, with his
brothers and the whole assembly of Israel, made it a law that the days of the
dedication of the altar should be celebrated yearly at the proper season, for
eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month of Chislev, with rejoicing and
gladness.
60 They then proceeded
to build high walls with strong towers round Mount Zion, to prevent the
gentiles from coming and riding roughshod over it as in the past.
61 Judas stationed a
garrison there to guard it; he also fortified Beth-Zur, so that the people would
have a fortress confronting Idumaea.
NJB 1 Maccabees 5:1 When the surrounding nations
heard that the altar had been rebuilt
and the sanctuary restored to what it had been before, they became very angry
2 and decided to
destroy the descendants of Jacob living among them; they began to murder and
evict our people.
3 Judas made war on
the sons of Esau in Idumaea, in the region of Acrabattene where they were
besieging the Israelites. He dealt them a serious blow, drove them off and
despoiled them.
4 He also remembered
the wickedness of the sons of Baean, who were a menace and a trap for the
people with their ambushes on the roads.
5 Having blockaded
them in their town and besieged them, he put them under the curse of
destruction; he then set fire to their towers and burned them down with
everyone inside.
6 Next, he crossed
over to the Ammonites where he found a strong fighting force and a numerous
people, commanded by Timotheus.
7 He fought many
battles with them, defeated them and cut them to pieces.
8 Having captured
Jazer and its dependent villages, he retired to Judaea.
9 Next, the gentiles
of Gilead banded together to destroy the Israelites living in their territory. The
latter, however, took refuge in the fortress of Dathema,
10 and sent the
following letter to Judas and his brothers: 'The gentiles round us have banded
themselves together against us to destroy us,
11 and they are
preparing to storm the fortress in which we have taken refuge; Timotheus is in
command of their forces.
12 Come at once and
rescue us from their clutches, for we have already suffered great losses.
13 All our countrymen
living in Tobias' country have been killed, their women and children have
been taken into captivity, their property has been seized, and about a thousand men
have been destroyed there.'
14 While the letter
was being read, other messengers arrived from Galilee with their garments torn,
bearing similar news,
15 'The people of
Ptolemais, Tyre and Sidon have joined forces with the whole of gentile Galilee to
destroy us!'
16 When Judas and the
people heard this, they held a great assembly to decide what should be done for
their oppressed countrymen who were under attack from
their enemies.
17 Judas said to his
brother Simon, 'Pick your men and go and relieve your countrymen in Galilee, while
my brother Jonathan and I make our way into Gilead.'
18 He left Joseph son
of Zechariah and the people's leader Azariah with the remainder of the army in
Judaea to keep guard, and gave them these orders,
19 'You are to be
responsible for our people. Do not engage the gentiles until we return.'
20 Simon was allotted
three thousand men for the expedition into Galilee, Judas eight thousand for
Gilead.
21 Simon advanced into
Galilee, engaged the gentiles in several battles and swept all before him;
22 he pursued them to
the gate of Ptolemais, and they lost about three thousand men, whose spoils he
collected.
23 With him, he took
away the Jews of Galilee and Arbatta, with their wives and children and all their
possessions, and brought them into Judaea with great rejoicing.
24 Meanwhile Judas
Maccabaeus and his brother Jonathan crossed the Jordan and made a three-days'
march through the desert,
25 where they
encountered the Nabataeans, who gave them a friendly reception and told them
everything that had been happening to their brothers in Gilead,
26 many of whom, they
said, were shut up in Bozrah and Bosor, Alema, Chaspho, Maked and Carnaim,
all large fortified towns.
27 Others were
blockaded in the other towns of Gilead, and the enemy planned to attack and
capture these strongholds the very next day, and destroy all the people
inside them on one day.
28 Judas and his army
at once turned off by the desert road to Bozrah. He took the town and,
having put all the males to the sword and collected the booty, burned it down.
29 When night came, he
left the place, and they continued their march until they reached the
fortress.
30 In the light of
dawn they looked, and there was an innumerable horde, setting up ladders and
engines to capture the fortress; the assault was just beginning.
31 When Judas saw that
the attack had begun and that the war cry was rising to heaven from the
city, mingled with trumpet calls and a great clamour,
32 he said to the men
of his army, 'Into battle today for your brothers!'
33 Dividing them into
three commands, he advanced on the enemy's rear, with trumpets sounding and
prayers shouted aloud.
34 The troops of
Timotheus, recognising that this was Maccabaeus, fled before his advance;
Maccabaeus dealt them a crushing defeat; about eight thousand of their men
fell that day.
35 Then, wheeling on
Alema, he attacked and captured it and, having killed all the males and
collected the booty, burned the place down.
36 From there he moved
on and took Chaspho, Maked, Bosor and the remaining towns of Gilead.
37 After these events,
Timotheus mustered another force and pitched camp opposite Raphon, on the far
side of the stream-bed.
38 Judas sent men to
reconnoitre the camp, and these reported back as follows, 'With him are massed
all the gentiles surrounding us, making a very numerous army,
39 with Arab mercenaries
as auxiliaries; they are encamped on the far side of the stream-bed, and ready
to launch an attack on you.' Judas then advanced to engage them,
40 and was approaching
the watercourse with his troops when Timotheus told the commanders of his army, 'If he
crosses first we shall not be able to
resist him, because he will have a great advantage over us;
41 but if he is afraid
and camps on the other side of the stream, we shall cross over to him and the
advantage will then be ours.'
42 As soon as Judas
reached the watercourse, he posted people's scribes along it, giving them
this order: 'Do not let anyone pitch his tent; all are to go into battle!'
43 He was himself the
first across to the enemy side, with all the people following. He defeated all
the opposing gentiles, who threw down their arms and ran for refuge in the sanctuary
of Carnaim.
44 The Jews first
captured the town and then burned down the temple with everyone inside. And so
Carnaim was overthrown, and the enemy could offer no further resistance to Judas.
45 Next, Judas
assembled all the Israelites living in Gilead, from the least to the greatest,
with their wives, children and belongings, an enormous muster, to take them to
Judaea.
46 They reached
Ephron, a large town straddling the road and strongly fortified. As it was
impossible to by-pass it either to right or to left, there was nothing for it
but to march straight through.
47 But the people of
the town denied them passage and barricaded the gates with stones.
48 Judas sent them a
conciliatory message in these terms, 'We want to pass through your territory to
reach our own; no one will do you any harm, we only want to go through on foot.' But they
would not open up for him.
49 So Judas sent an
order down the column for everyone to halt where he stood.
50 The fighting men
took up their positions; Judas attacked the town all day and night, and the town
fell to him.
51 He put all the
males to the sword, rased the town to the ground, plundered it and marched through
the town square over the bodies of the dead.
52 They then crossed
the Jordan into the Great Plain, opposite Beth-Shean,
53 Judas all the time
rallying the stragglers and encouraging the people the whole way until they
reached Judaea.
54 They climbed Mount
Zion in joy and gladness and presented burnt offerings because they had
returned safe and sound without having lost a single man.
55 While Judas and
Jonathan were in Gilead and Simon his brother in Galilee outside Ptolemais,
56 Joseph son of
Zechariah, and Azariah, who were in command of the army, heard of their valiant
deeds and of the battles they had been fighting,
57 and said, 'Let us
make a name for ourselves too and go and fight the nations around us.'
58 So they issued
orders to the men under their command and marched on Jamnia.
59 Gorgias and his men
came out of the town and gave battle.
60 Joseph and Azariah
were routed and pursued as far as the frontiers of Judaea. That day about two
thousand Israelites lost their lives.
61 Our people thus met
with a great reverse, because they had not listened to Judas and his
brothers, thinking that they would do something equally valiant.
62 They were not,
however, of the same breed of men as those to whom the deliverance of Israel
was entrusted.
63 The noble Judas and
his brothers, however, were held in high honour throughout Israel and
among all the nations wherever their name was heard,
64 and people thronged
round to acclaim them.
65 Judas marched out
with his brothers to fight the Edomites in the country towards the south; he
stormed Hebron and its dependent villages, threw down its fortifications and burned
down its encircling towers.
66 Leaving there, he
made for the country of the Philistines and passed through Marisa.
67 Among the fallen in
that day's fighting were some priests who sought to prove their courage
there by joining in the battle, a foolhardy venture.
68 Judas next turned
on Azotus, which belonged to the Philistines; he overthrew their altars, burned
the statues of their gods and, having pillaged their towns, withdrew to Judaea.
NJB 1 Maccabees 6:1 King Antiochus, meanwhile,
was making his way through the Upper
Provinces; he had heard that in Persia there was a city called Elymais,
renowned for its riches, its silver and gold,
2 and its very wealthy
temple containing golden armour, breastplates and weapons, left there by
Alexander son of Philip, the king of Macedon, the first to reign over the Greeks.
3 He therefore went
and attempted to take the city and pillage it, but without success, the citizens
having been forewarned.
4 They resisted him by
force of arms. He was routed, and began retreating, very gloomily,
towards Babylon.
5 But, while he was
still in Persia, news reached him that the armies which had invaded Judaea had been
routed,
6 and that Lysias in
particular had advanced in massive strength, only to be forced to turn and flee
before the Jews; that the latter were now stronger than ever, thanks to the
arms, supplies and abundant spoils acquired from the armies they had cut to pieces,
7 and that they had
pulled down the abomination which he had erected on the altar in
Jerusalem, had encircled the sanctuary with high walls as in the past, and had
fortified Beth-Zur, one of his cities.
8 When the king heard
this news he was amazed and profoundly shaken; he threw himself on his
bed and fell sick with grief, since things had not turned out for him as he had planned.
9 And there he
remained for many days, subject to deep and recurrent fits of melancholy,
until he realised that he was dying.
10 Then, summoning all
his Friends, he said to them, 'Sleep evades my eyes, and my heart is cowed by
anxiety.
11 I have been
wondering how I could have come to such a pitch of distress, so great a flood as
that which now engulfs me -- I who was so generous and well-loved in my
heyday.
12 But now I recall
how wrongly I acted in Jerusalem when I seized all the vessels of silver and
gold there and ordered the extermination of the inhabitants of Judah for
no reason at all.
13 This, I am
convinced, is why these misfortunes have overtaken me, and why I am dying of
melancholy in a foreign land.'
14 He summoned Philip,
one of his Friends, and made him regent of the whole kingdom.
15 He entrusted him
with his diadem, his robe and his signet, on the understanding that he was to
educate his son Antiochus and train him for the throne.
16 King Antiochus then
died, in the year 149.
17 Lysias, learning
that the king was dead, established on the throne in succession to him his son
Antiochus, whom he had brought up from childhood -- and styled him Eupator.
18 The people in the
Citadel at the time were blockading Israel round the sanctuary and were taking
every opportunity to harm them and to support the gentiles.
19 Judas decided that
they must be destroyed, and he mobilised the whole people to besiege them.
20 They assembled and
laid siege to the Citadel in the year 150, building batteries and
siege-engines.
21 But some of the
besieged broke through the blockade, and to these a number of renegades from Israel
attached themselves.
22 They made their way
to the king and said, 'How much longer are you going to wait before you see
justice done and avenge our fellows?
23 We were content to
serve your father, to comply with his orders, and to obey his edicts.
24 As a result our own
people will have nothing to do with us; what is more, they have killed all those
of us they could catch, and looted our family property.
25 Nor is it on us
alone that their blows have fallen, but on all your territories.
26 At this moment,
they are laying siege to the Citadel of Jerusalem, to capture it, and they have
fortified the sanctuary and Beth-Zur.
27 Unless you
forestall them at once, they will go on to even bigger things, and then you will never
be able to control them.'
Tehillim
- Psalm 30:1-13
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. A
psalm; a song of dedication of the House, of David. |
1. A praise song for the
dedication of the sanctuary. Of David. |
|
2. I will
exalt You, O Lord, for You have raised me up, and You have not allowed my
enemies to rejoice over me. |
2. I will praise you, O
LORD, for you made me stand erect, and did not let my enemies rejoice over
me. |
|
3. O Lord,
I have cried out to You, and You have healed me. |
3. O LORD
my God, I prayed in Your presence and You healed me. |
|
4. O Lord,
You have brought my soul from the grave; You have revived me from my descent
into the Pit. |
4. O LORD,
You raised my soul out of Sheol; You preserved me from going down to the pit. |
|
5. Sing to
the Lord, His pious ones, and give thanks to His holy name. |
5. Sing
praise in the LORD's presence, you His devotees; and give thanks at the
invocation of His holy one. |
|
6. For His
wrath lasts but a moment; life results from His favor; in the evening,
weeping may tarry, but in the morning there is joyful singing. |
6. For His
anger is but a moment; eternal life is His good pleasure. In the evening one
goes to bed in tears, but in the morning one rises in praise. |
|
7. And I
said in my tranquility, "I will never falter." |
7. And I
said when I dwelt in trust, I will never be shaken. |
|
8. O Lord,
with Your will, You set up my mountain to be might, You hid Your countenance
and I became frightened. |
8. O LORD,
by Your will You prepared the mighty mountains; You removed Your presence, I
became afraid. |
|
9. To You,
O Lord, I would call, and to the Lord I would supplicate. |
9. In Your
presence, O LORD, I will cry out; and to You, O my God, I will pray. |
|
10. "What
gain is there in my blood, in my descent to the grave? Will
dust thank You; will it recite Your truth? |
10. And I
said, What profit is there in my blood, when I descend to the
grave? Can those who descend to the dust praise You? Will they tell of Your
faithfulness? |
|
11. Hear, O
Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my helper." |
11. Accept,
O LORD, my prayer, and have mercy on me; O LORD, be my helper. |
|
12. You
have turned my lament into dancing for me; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
12. You
turned my lament into my celebration; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
|
13. So that
my soul will sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will
thank You forever. |
13. Because
the nobles of the world will give You praise and not be silent, O LORD my
God, I too will give You praise. |
|
|
|
Isaiah
42:18 - JPS
18.
Listen, you who are deaf; You blind ones, look up and see!
Yochanan
Alef (1 John) 2:12-29
Paqid
Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham &
Hakham
Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
12 I am writing to you,
sons, because your sins have been forgiven you on account of His (God’s)
name (i.e. authority).
13 I am writing to
you, fathers, because you have known him who [is] from [the] beginning
(i.e. Genesis 1:1ff). I am writing to you, young men, because you have
overcome wickednes/Lawlessness. I have written to you, young boys, because you
have known the Father.
14 I have written to
you, fathers, because you have known him who [is] from [the] beginning (i.e.
Genesis 1:1ff). I have written to you, young men, because you are strong,
and the Word of God resides in you, and you have overcome
wickedness/Lawlessness.
15 Love not the [pagan]
world nor the things in the [pagan] world. If anyone should love the [pagan]
world, the love of the Father is not in him,
16 because all that is
in the [pagan] world, the desire of the Yetser Hara (Heb. for “The
Evil Inclination”) and the desire of the eyes, and the boasting of life (material
possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the [pagan] world.
17 And the [pagan] world
and its desire is passing away, but the one who does the will of God abides
forever.
18 My sons, it is the
last time, and according to what you have heard that the antimessiah (false
messiah) is coming, even now many antimessiahs (false messiahs) have
arisen, by which we know that it is the last time.
19 They went out from
us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have
remained with us. But they went out, in order that it might be known that all
of them were not of us.
20 And you have an
anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.
21 I have not written
to you because you do not know the truth (i.e. Torah – Psalm 119:142),
but because you do know it, and because any lie is not of the truth (i.e.
Torah – Psalm 119:142).
22 Who is the liar
except the one who denies that Yeshua is the Messiah? This person is the
antimesiah (false messiah) the one who denies the Father and the son (anointed
King of Israel).
23 Everyone who denies
the son (i.e. the anointed King of Israel) does not has the Father
either; the one who agrees with the son (i.e. the anointed King of Israel)
has the Father also.
24 As for you, what
you have heard from the beginning (i.e. Gen. 1:1ff) let it be
established in you. If what you have heard from the beginning (i.e. Gen.
1:1ff) is established in you, you also will be established in the [knowledge
of the] son (i.e. the anointed King of Israel) and in the Father.
25 And this is the
promise which He (i.e. God) Himself promised us: eternal life.
26 These things I have
written to you concerning the ones who are trying to lead you astray.
27 And as for you, the
anointing (Smikha – ordination) which you received from Him (i.e.
God) is established in you, and you do not have need that anyone teach you [anything
different]. But as His anointing (Smikha – ordination) teaches you
about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you,
you are established in Him (i.e. God).
28 And now, my sons,
be established in him (i.e. the Master), so that whenever he is revealed
we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him (i.e. the Master)
at his coming.
29 If you know that He
(i.e. God) is righteous/generous, you know that everyone who practices
righteousness/ generosity has been fathered by Him (i.e. God).
END OF THE READINGS
FOR THE THIRD DAY OF HANUKA
Hanuka
Fourth Day
Evening Tuesday Dec.
11, 2012 – Evening Wednesday Dec. 12, 2012
Torah: Numbers 7:30-41
Reader 1 - Num.
7:30-32
Reader 2 - Num.
7:33-35
Reader 3 - Num.
7:36-41
Yehudit (Judith) 7:17
– 8:27
1 Maccab. 6:28 – 8:32
Psalm 30:1-13
Nazareans add in their
private study and discussions: Isaiah
42:16; & 1 John 3:1-24
For further
information please read and study:
http://www.betemunah.org/lapin.html, http://www.betemunah.org/connection.html,
http://www.betemunah.org/chanukah.html, & http://www.betemunah.org/lights.html
Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for: B’Midbar (Numbers) 7:30-41
|
Rashi |
Targum
Pseudo Jonathan |
|
30. On the
fourth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Reuben, Elitzur the son of
Shedeur. |
30. On the fourth, Elizur
bar Shedeur, prince of the Benei Reuben; |
|
31. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
31. |
|
32. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
32. |
|
33. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
33. |
|
34. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
34. |
|
35. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Elitzur the son of Shedeur. |
35. |
|
36. On the
fifth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of
Zurishaddai. |
36. on the
fifth, Shelumiel bar Zurishaddai, prince of Shemeon; |
|
37. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
37. |
|
38. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
38. |
|
39. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
39. |
|
40. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
40. |
|
41. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. |
41. |
|
|
|
Yehudit (Judith) 7:17
– 8:27
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
17 Accordingly, a
troop of Moabites moved forward with a further five thousand Assyrians. They
penetrated the valley and seized the Israelites' waterpoints and springs.
18 Meanwhile the
Edomites and Ammonites went and took up positions in the highlands
opposite Dothan, sending some of their men to the south-east opposite
Egrebel near Chous on the Wadi Mochmur. The rest of the Assyrian army took
up positions in the plain, covering every inch of the ground; their tents and equipment
made an immense encampment, so vast
were their numbers.
19 The Israelites
called on the Lord their God, dispirited because the enemy had surrounded them and cut
all line of retreat.
20 For thirty-four
days the Assyrian army, infantry, chariots, cavalrymen, had them surrounded.
Every water-jar the inhabitants of Bethulia had was empty,
21 their storage-wells
were drying up; on no day could a man drink his fill, since their water was
rationed.
22 Their little
children pined away, the women and young men grew weak with thirst; they collapsed
in the streets and gateways of the town; they had no strength left.
23 Young men, women,
children, the whole people thronged clamouring round Uzziah and the chief men of the
town, shouting in the presence of the
assembled elders,
24 'May God be judge
between you and us! For you have done us great harm, by not suing for
peace with the Assyrians.
25 And now there is no
one to help us. God has delivered us into their hands to be prostrated
before them in thirst and utter helplessness.
26 Call them in at
once; hand the whole town over to be sacked by Holofernes' men and all his army.
27 After all, we
should be much better off as their booty than we are now; no doubt we shall be
enslaved, but at least we shall be alive and not see our little ones dying
before our eyes or our wives and children perishing.
28 By heaven and earth
and by our God, the Lord of our fathers, who is punishing us for our sins and
the sins of our ancestors, we implore you to take this course now, today.'
29 Bitter lamentations
rose from the whole assembly, and they all cried loudly to the Lord God.
30 Then Uzziah spoke
to them, 'Take heart, brothers! Let us hold out five days more. By then the Lord
our God will take pity on us, for he will not desert us altogether.
31 At the end of this
time, if no help is forthcoming, I shall do as you have said.'
32 With that he
dismissed the people to their various quarters. The men went to man the walls and
towers of the town, sending the women and children home. The town was full of
despondency.
NJB Judith 8:1 Judith was informed at the time of
what had happened. She was the
daughter of Merari son of Ox, son of Joseph, son of Oziel, son of Elkiah, son
of Ananias, son of Gideon, son of Raphaim, son of Ahitub, son of Elijah, son of
Hilkiah, son of Eliab, son of Nathanael, son
of Salamiel, son of Sarasadai, son of Israel.
2 Her husband
Manasseh, of her own tribe and family, had died at the time of the barley harvest.
3 He was supervising
the men as they bound up the sheaves in the field when he caught sunstroke
and had to take to his bed. He died in Bethulia, his home town, and was
buried with his ancestors in the field that lies between Dothan and
Balamon.
4 As a widow, Judith
stayed inside her home for three years and four months.
5 She had had an upper
room built for herself on the roof. She wore sackcloth next to the skin and
dressed in widow's weeds.
6 She fasted every day
of her widowhood except for the Sabbath eve, the Sabbath itself, the eve of
New Moon, the feast of New Moon and the joyful festivals of the House of Israel.
7 Now she was very
beautiful, charming to see. Her husband Manasseh had left her gold and
silver, menservants and maidservants, herds and land; and she lived among all her
possessions
8 without anyone
finding a word to say against her, so devoutly did she fear God.
9 Hearing how the
water shortage had demoralised the people and how they had complained bitterly
to the headman of the town, and being also told what Uzziah had said to them and how
he had given them his oath to
surrender the town to the Assyrians in five days' time,
10 Judith immediately
sent the serving-woman who ran her household to summon Chabris and Charmis, two elders
of the town.
11 When these came in
she said: 'Listen to me, leaders of the people of Bethulia. You were wrong to
speak to the people as you did today and to bind yourself by oath, in defiance of God, to
surrender the town to our enemies if
the Lord did not come to your help within a set number of days.
12 Who are you, to put
God to the test today, you, of all people, to set yourselves above him?
13 You put the Lord
Almighty to the test! You do not understand anything, and never will.
14 If you cannot sound
the depths of the human heart or unravel the arguments of the human mind, how
can you fathom the God who made all things, or
sound his mind or unravel his purposes? No, brothers, do not provoke the
anger of the Lord our God.
15 Although it may not
be his will to help us within the next five days, he has the power to protect
us for as many days as he pleases, just as he has the power to destroy us before our
enemies.
16 But you have no
right to demand guarantees where the designs of the Lord our God are concerned.
For God is not to be threatened as a human being is, nor is he, like a mere human, to be
cajoled.
17 Rather, as we wait
patiently for him to save, let us plead with him to help us. He will hear our
voice if such is his good pleasure.
18 'And indeed of
recent times and still today there is not one tribe of ours, or family, or village, or
town that has worshipped gods made by human hand, as once was done,
19 which was the
reason why our ancestors were delivered over to sword and sack, and perished in
misery at the hands of our enemies.
20 We for our part
acknowledge no other God but him; and so we may hope he will not look on us
disdainfully or desert our nation.
21 'If indeed they
capture us, as you expect, then all Judaea will be captured too, and our holy places
plundered, and we shall answer with our blood for their profanation.
22 The slaughter of
our brothers, the captivity of our country, the unpeopling of our heritage, will
recoil on our own heads among the nations whose slaves we shall become, and our new
masters will look down on us as an
outrage and a disgrace;
23 for our surrender
will not reinstate us in their favour; no, the Lord our God will make it a thing to
be ashamed of.
24 So now, brothers,
let us set an example to our brothers, since their lives depend on us, and the
sanctuary -- Temple and altar -- rests on us.
25 'All this being so,
let us rather give thanks to the Lord our God who, as he tested our ancestors,
is now testing us.
26 Remember how he
treated Abraham, all the ordeals of Isaac, all that happened to Jacob in Syrian
Mesopotamia while he kept the sheep of Laban, his
mother's brother.
27 For as these
ordeals were intended by him to search their hearts, so now this is not
vengeance that God is exacting on us, but a warning inflicted by the Lord on those
who are near his heart.'
1 Maccabees 6:28-8:32
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
28 The king was
furious when he heard this and summoned all his Friends, the generals of his
forces and the marshals of horse.
29 He recruited
mercenaries from other kingdoms and the Mediterranean islands.
30 His forces numbered
a hundred thousand foot soldiers, twenty thousand cavalry and thirty-two
elephants with experience of battle conditions.
31 They advanced
through Idumaea and besieged Beth-Zur, pressing the attack for days on end; they
also constructed siege-engines, but the defenders made a sortie and set
these on fire, putting up a brave resistance.
32 At this, Judas left
the Citadel and pitched camp at Beth-Zechariah opposite the royal encampment.
33 The king rose at
daybreak and marched his army at top speed down the road to Beth-Zechariah,
where his forces took up their battle formations and sounded the trumpets.
34 The elephants were
given a syrup of grapes and mulberries to prepare them for the battle.
35 These animals were
distributed among the phalanxes, to each elephant being allocated a
thousand men dressed in coats of mail with bronze helmets on their heads;
five hundred picked horsemen were also assigned to each beast.
36 The horsemen
anticipated every move their elephant made; wherever it went they went with
it, never quitting it.
37 On each elephant,
to protect it, was a stout wooden tower, kept in position by girths, each with its
three combatants, as well as its mahout.
38 The remainder of
the cavalry was stationed on one or other of the two flanks of the army, to harass
the enemy and cover the phalanxes.
39 When the sun
glinted on the bronze and golden shields, the mountains caught the glint and
gleamed like fiery torches.
40 One part of the
royal army was deployed on the upper slopes of the mountain and the other in the
valley below; they advanced in solid,
well-disciplined formation.
41 Everyone trembled
at the noise made by this vast multitude, the thunder of the troops on the
march and the clanking of their armour, for it was an immense and mighty
army.
42 Judas and his army
advanced to give battle, and six hundred of the king's army were killed.
43 Eleazar, called
Avaran, noticing that one of the elephants was royally caparisoned and was also
taller than all the others, and supposing that the king was mounted on it,
44 sacrificed himself
to save his people and win an imperishable name.
45 Boldly charging
towards the creature through the thick of the phalanx, dealing death to right
and left, so that the enemy scattered on either side at his onslaught,
46 he darted in under
the elephant, thrust at it from underneath, and killed it. The beast collapsed on
top of him, and he died on the spot.
47 The Jews however
realising how strong the king was and how ferocious his army, retreated
ahead of them.
48 The royal army
moved up to encounter them outside Jerusalem, and the king began to blockade
Judaea and Mount Zion.
49 He granted peace
terms to the people of Beth-Zur, who evacuated the town; it lacked store of provisions
to withstand a siege, since the land was enjoying a sabbatical year.
50 Having occupied
Beth-Zur, the king stationed a garrison there to hold it.
51 He besieged the
sanctuary for a long time, erecting batteries and siege-engines, flame-throwers and
ballistas, scorpions to discharge arrows, and catapults.
52 The defenders
countered these by constructing their own engines and were thus able to prolong
their resistance.
53 But they had no
food in their stores since it was the seventh year, and because those who had taken
refuge in Judaea from the gentiles had eaten up the last of their reserves.
54 Only a few men were
left in the Holy Place, owing to the severity of the famine; the rest had
dispersed and gone home.
55 Meanwhile Philip,
whom King Antiochus before his death had appointed to train his son
Antiochus for the throne,
56 had returned from
Persia and Media with the forces that had accompanied the king, and was
planning to seize control of affairs.
57 On hearing this,
Lysias at once decided to leave, and said to the king, the generals of the army
and the men, 'We are growing weaker every day, we are short of food, and the place we
are besieging is well fortified; moreover
the affairs of the kingdom demand our attention.
58 Let us offer the
hand of friendship to these men and make peace with them and with their whole
nation.
59 Let us grant them
permission to follow their own customs as before, since it is our abolition
of these customs that has provoked them into acting like this.'
60 The king and his
commanders approved this argument, and he offered the Jews peace terms,
which they accepted.
61 The king and the
generals ratified the treaty by oath, and the besieged accordingly left the
fortress.
62 The king then
entered Mount Zion, but on seeing how impregnable the place was, he broke the oath
he had sworn and gave orders for the encircling wall to be demolished.
63 He then hurriedly
withdrew, making off for Antioch, where he found Philip already master of
the city. Antiochus gave battle and captured the city by force of arms.
NJB 1 Maccabees 7:1 In the year 151, Demetrius
son of Seleucus left Rome and arrived with
a few men at a town on the coast, where he inaugurated his reign.
2 It so happened that,
as he was entering the royal residence of his ancestors, the army captured
Antiochus and Lysias, and intended to bring them to him.
3 On hearing this, he
said, 'Keep them out of my sight.'
4 The army put them to
death, and Demetrius ascended his throne.
5 Next, all those
Israelites without law or piety, led by Alcimus, whose ambition was to become high
priest,
6 approached the king
and denounced our people to him. 'Judas and his brothers', they said, 'have
killed all your friends, and he has driven us out of our country.
7 Send someone now
whom you can trust; let him go and see the wholesale ruin Judas has brought
on us and on the king's dominions, and let him punish the wretches and all who assist
them.'
8 The king chose
Bacchides, one of the Friends of the King, governor of Transeuphrates, an important
personage in the kingdom and loyal to the king.
9 He sent him with the
godless Alcimus, whom he confirmed in the high priesthood, with orders to
exact retribution from the Israelites.
10 So they set out
with a large force and, on reaching Judaea, sent emissaries to Judas and his
brothers with proposals peaceable yet treacherous.
11 The latter,
however, did not put any faith in their words, aware that they had come with a large
force.
12 Nevertheless, a
commission of scribes presented themselves before Alcimus and Bacchides, to
sue for just terms.
13 The first among the
Israelites to ask them for peace terms were the Hasidaeans,
14 who reasoned thus,
'This is a priest of Aaron's line who has come with the armed forces; he will
not wrong us.'
15 He did in fact
discuss peace terms with them and gave them his oath, 'We shall not attempt to
injure you or your friends.'
16 They believed him,
but he arrested sixty of them and put them to death on one day, fulfilling the
words of scripture:
17 They have scattered
the bodies of your faithful, and shed their blood all round Jerusalem,
leaving no one to bury them!
18 At this, fear and
dread gripped the whole people. 'There is no truth or virtue in them,' they said,
'they have broken their agreement and their sworn oath.'
19 Bacchides then left
Jerusalem and encamped at Beth-Zeth, and from there sent and arrested many
of the men who had deserted him and a few of our people too; he had them killed and
thrown down the great well.
20 He then put Alcimus
in charge of the province, leaving an army with him to support him;
Bacchides himself returned to the king.
21 Alcimus continued
his struggle to become high priest,
22 and all who were
disturbing the peace of their own people rallied to him, and, having won control
of Judaea, did much harm in Israel.
23 Seeing that all the
wrongs done to the Israelites by Alcimus and his supporters exceeded what the
gentiles had done,
24 Judas went right
round the whole territory of Judaea to take vengeance on those who had
deserted him and to prevent their free movement about the country.
25 When Alcimus saw
how strong Judas and his supporters had grown and realised that he was
powerless to resist them, he went back to the king, to whom he made
malicious accusations against them.
26 The king sent
Nicanor, one of his generals ranking as Illustrious and a bitter enemy of Israel,
with orders to exterminate the people.
27 Reaching Jerusalem
with a large force, Nicanor sent a friendly, yet treacherous, message to Judas and
his brothers, as follows:
28 'Let us have no
fighting between you and me; I shall come with a small escort for a peaceful
meeting with you.'
29 He met Judas and
they exchanged friendly greetings; the enemy, however, had made preparations to
abduct Judas.
30 When Judas became
aware of Nicanor's treacherous purpose in coming to see him, he took fright
and refused any further meeting.
31 Nicanor then
realised that his plan had been discovered, and took the field against Judas, to give
battle near Caphar-Salama.
32 About five hundred
of Nicanor's men fell; the rest took refuge in the City of David.
33 After these events
Nicanor went up to Mount Zion. Some of the priests came out of the Holy
Place with some elders, to give him a friendly welcome and show him the burnt offering
being presented for the king.
34 But he ridiculed
them, laughed at them, defiled them and used insolent language, swearing in
his rage,
35 'Unless Judas is
handed over to me this time with his army, as soon as I am safely back, I
promise you, I shall burn this building down!'
36 Then he went off in
a fury. At this, the priests went in again, and stood weeping in front of the
altar and the Temple, saying,
37 'You have chosen
this house to be called by your name, to be a house of prayer and petition for
your people.
38 Take vengeance on
this man and on his army, and let them fall by the sword; remember their
blasphemies and give them no respite.'
39 Nicanor left
Jerusalem and encamped at Beth-Horon, where he was joined by an army from Syria.
40 Judas, meanwhile,
camped at Adasa with three thousand men, and offered this prayer,
41 'When the king's
envoys blasphemed, your angel went out and struck down one hundred and
eighty-five thousand of his men.
42 In the same way let
us see you crush this army today, so that everyone else may know that this
man has spoken blasphemously against your
sanctuary: pass judgement on him as his wickedness deserves!'
43 The armies met in
battle on the thirteenth of the month Adar, and Nicanor's army was crushed, he
himself being the first to fall in the battle.
44 When Nicanor's
soldiers saw him fall, they threw down their arms and fled.
45 The Jews pursued
them a day's journey, from Adasa to the approaches of Gezer; they sounded
their trumpets in warning as they followed them,
46 and people came out
of all the surrounding Judaean villages to encircle the fugitives, who then
turned back on their own men. All fell by the sword, not one being left
alive.
47 Having collected
the spoils and booty, they cut off Nicanor's head and the right hand he had
stretched out in a display of insolence; these were taken and displayed within
sight of Jerusalem.
48 The people were
overjoyed and kept that day as a great holiday:
49 indeed they decided
to celebrate it annually on the thirteenth of Adar.
50 For a short while
Judaea enjoyed peace.
NJB 1 Maccabees 8:1 Now Judas had heard of the
reputation of the Romans: how strong
they were, and how well disposed towards any who made common cause with them,
making a treaty of friendship with anyone who
approached them.
2 (And, indeed, they
were extremely powerful.) He had been told of their wars and of their prowess
among the Gauls, whom they had conquered and put
under tribute;
3 and of all they had
done in the province of Spain to gain possession of the silver and gold mines
there,
4 making themselves
masters of the whole country by their determination and perseverance, despite its great
distance from their own; of the kings who
came from the ends of the earth to attack them, only to be crushed by them and
overwhelmed with disaster, and of others who paid them annual tribute;
5 Philip, Perseus king
of the Kittim, and others who had dared to make war on them, had been
defeated and reduced to subjection,
6 while Antiochus the
Great, king of Asia, who had advanced to attack them with a hundred and
twenty elephants, cavalry, chariots and a very large army, had also suffered defeat at
their hands;
7 they had taken him
alive and imposed on him and his successors, on agreed terms, the payment of
an enormous tribute, the surrender of hostages, and the cession
8 of the Indian
territory, with Media, Lydia, and some of their best provinces, which they took from
him and gave to King Eumenes.
9 Judas had also heard
how, when the Greeks planned an expedition to destroy the Romans,
10 the latter had got
wind of it and, sending a single general against them, had fought a campaign in
which they inflicted heavy casualties, carried their women and children
away into captivity, pillaged their goods, subdued their country, tore down their
fortresses and reduced them to a slavery
lasting to the present day;
11 and how they had
destroyed and subjugated all the other kingdoms and islands that resisted them.
12 But where their
friends and those who relied on them were concerned, they had always stood
by their friendship. They had subdued kings far and
near, and all who heard their name went in terror of them.
13 One man, if they
determined to help him and advance him to a throne, would certainly occupy
it, while another, if they so determined, would find
himself deposed; their influence was paramount.
14 In spite of all
this, no single one of them had assumed a crown or put on the purple for his own
aggrandisement.
15 They had set up a
senate, where three hundred and twenty councillors deliberated daily,
constantly debating how best to regulate public affairs.
16 They entrusted
their government to one man for a year at a time, with absolute power over their
whole empire, and this man was obeyed by all without
envy or jealousy.
17 Having chosen
Eupolemus son of John, of the family of Accos, and Jason son of Eleazar, Judas
sent them to Rome to make a treaty of friendship and alliance with these people,
18 in the hope of
being rid of the yoke, for they could see that Greek rule was reducing Israel to
slavery.
19 The envoys made the
lengthy journey to Rome and presented themselves before the Senate with their formal
proposal:
20 'Judas Maccabaeus
and his brothers, with the Jewish people, have sent us to you to conclude a
treaty of alliance and peace with you, and to enrol ourselves as your allies
and friends.'
21 The proposal met
with the approval of the senators.
22 Here is a copy of
the rescript which they engraved on bronze tablets and sent to Jerusalem to
be kept there by the Jews as a record of peace and alliance:
23 'Good fortune
attend the Romans and the Jewish nation by sea and land for ever; may sword or enemy
be far from them!
24 'If war comes first
to Rome or any of her allies throughout her dominions,
25 the Jewish nation
will take action as her ally, as occasion may require, and do it
wholeheartedly.
26 They will not give
or supply to the enemy any grain, arms, money or ships: thus has Rome decided,
and they are to honour their obligations without
guarantees.
27 In the same way, if
war comes first to the Jewish nation, the Romans will support them
energetically as occasion may offer,
28 and the aggressor
will not be furnished with grain, arms, money or ships: such is the Roman
decision, and they will honour these obligations without treachery.
29 Such are the
articles under which the Romans have concluded their treaty with the Jewish
people.
30 If, later, either
party should decide to make any addition or deletion, they will be free to do
so, and any such addition or deletion will be binding.
31 'As regards the
wrongs done to them by King Demetrius, we have written to him in these terms:
Why have you made your yoke lie heavy on our friends and allies the Jews?
32 If they appeal
against you again, we shall uphold their rights and make war on you by sea and land.'
Tehillim
- Psalm 30:1-13
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. A
psalm; a song of dedication of the House, of David. |
1. A praise song for the dedication
of the sanctuary. Of David. |
|
2. I will
exalt You, O Lord, for You have raised me up, and You have not allowed my
enemies to rejoice over me. |
2. I will praise you, O
LORD, for you made me stand erect, and did not let my enemies rejoice over
me. |
|
3. O Lord,
I have cried out to You, and You have healed me. |
3. O LORD
my God, I prayed in Your presence and You healed me. |
|
4. O Lord,
You have brought my soul from the grave; You have revived me from my descent
into the Pit. |
4. O LORD,
You raised my soul out of Sheol; You preserved me from going down to the pit. |
|
5. Sing to
the Lord, His pious ones, and give thanks to His holy name. |
5. Sing
praise in the LORD's presence, you His devotees; and give thanks at the
invocation of His holy one. |
|
6. For His
wrath lasts but a moment; life results from His favor; in the evening,
weeping may tarry, but in the morning there is joyful singing. |
6. For His
anger is but a moment; eternal life is His good pleasure. In the evening one
goes to bed in tears, but in the morning one rises in praise. |
|
7. And I
said in my tranquility, "I will never falter." |
7. And I
said when I dwelt in trust, I will never be shaken. |
|
8. O Lord,
with Your will, You set up my mountain to be might, You hid Your countenance
and I became frightened. |
8. O LORD,
by Your will You prepared the mighty mountains; You removed Your presence, I
became afraid. |
|
9. To You,
O Lord, I would call, and to the Lord I would supplicate. |
9. In Your
presence, O LORD, I will cry out; and to You, O my God, I will pray. |
|
10. "What
gain is there in my blood, in my descent to the grave? Will
dust thank You; will it recite Your truth? |
10. And I
said, What profit is there in my blood, when I descend to the
grave? Can those who descend to the dust praise You? Will they tell of Your
faithfulness? |
|
11. Hear, O
Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my helper." |
11. Accept,
O LORD, my prayer, and have mercy on me; O LORD, be my helper. |
|
12. You
have turned my lament into dancing for me; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
12. You
turned my lament into my celebration; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
|
13. So that
my soul will sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will
thank You forever. |
13. Because
the nobles of the world will give You praise and not be silent, O LORD my
God, I too will give You praise. |
|
|
|
Isaiah
42:16 - JPS
I will lead the blind
by a road they did not know, And I will make them walk by paths they never
knew. I will turn darkness before them to light, rough places into level
ground. These are the promises -- I will keep them without fail.
1
John 3:1-24
Paqid
Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham &
Hakham
Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
1. Behold what [manner]
of love has the Father given to us [Jews] that we are given the vocation
(calling) to [prepare ourselves to] become B’ne Elohim (i.e.
Rabbis/Hakhamim). Because of this the [pagan] world knows us not,
because it has not known Him (i.e. God).
2 Beloved, now we are [potentially]
B’ne Elohim (i.e. Rabbis/Hakhamim), and what we will be has not yet been
revealed. But we know that whenever he (i.e. Messiah) be revealed, in
his (i.e. Messiah’s) likeness (i.e. a Hakham) we will be, because
we will see him (i.e. Messiah) just as he is.
3 And everyone who
holds this expectation in him purifies (ceremonially and morally)
himself, even as he (i.e. Messiah) is (ceremonially and morally) pure.
4 Everyone who
practices sin also practices Lawlessness, for sin is Lawlessness (i.e.
transgression of the Law).
5 And you know that
that he was revealed that our sins he might take away, and in him [there]
is no sin.
6 Everyone that tabernacles
in him (i.e. Messiah) does not [continually and habitually] sin.
Everyone that sins [continually and habitually] has neither [prophetically]
seen him (i.e. Messiah) nor [intimately] known him (i.e.
Messiah).
7 [My] sons,
let no one lead you astray: the one who [continually and habitually] practices
righteousness/generosity is righteous/generous, just as he (i.e. Messiah)
is righteous/generous.
8 He who [continually
and habitually] practices sin is of the Accuser (i.e. Heb. “HaSatan”),
because the Accuser (i.e. “HaSatan”) has been [continually and
habitually] sinning from the beginning (i.e. Beresheet – cf. Gen.
1:1ff). For this [reason] the son of God (Heb. Ben Elohim – lit.
“the son of the Judge” – i.e. the King Messiah of Israel) was revealed:
that he may destroy (loosen) the works of the Accuser (i.e. Heb.
“HaSatan”). .
9 Everyone who is
fathered (begotten) of God does not [continually and habitually] practices
sin (i.e. Lawlessness –cf v.4 above), because His (God’s) seed (Greek:
“Sperm” – i.e. the Torah) tabernacles in him, and he is not capable to [continually
and habitually] sin, because he has been fathered (begotten) by God.
10 In this the sons of
God (Heb. B’ne Elohim - i.e. Rabbis/Hakhamim) and the sons of the
Accuser (Heb. “HaSatan”) are manifest: everyone who does not practice
righteousness/generosity is not of God, nor the one who does not love [and
treasure greatly] his [Jewish] brother/sister.
11 For this is the
message that you have heard from [the] beginning (i.e. Beresheet –
Gen. 1:1ff): that we should love [and treasure greatly] one another,
12 not as Cain, [who]
was of the Lawless one and [violently] murdered his brother. And for what
reason did he [violently] murder him? Because his deeds were Lawless and
those of his brother [were] righteous/generous.
13 Do not be surprised,
my brothers, if the [pagan] world hates you.
14 We [intimately]
know that we have departed from the sentence of [eternal] death to [eternal]
life because we love [and treasure greatly] the [Jewish]
brotherhood. The one who does not love [and treasure greatly] his [Jewish]
brother/sister remains under the sentence of [eternal] death.
15 Everyone who hates
his [Jewish] brother/sister is a murderer, and you know that every
murderer does not have eternal life tabernacling in him.
16 In this we have [intimately]
know love, because he (i.e. Messiah) shared his life for us, and we must
[consequently following his example] lay down our lives for the [Jewish]
brotherhood.
17 But whoever may
have the world's means of life (i.e. material possessions) and sees his [Jewish]
brother/sister having need and shuts up his sympathy/affection from him/her,
how does the love of God tabernacle in him/her?
18 My sons, we must
not love with words nor with tongue, but in deeds and truth (i.e. Torah -
cf. Psalm 119:142).
19 And in this we intimately
know that we are of the truth (i.e. Torah - cf. Psalm 119:142) and before
Him (i.e. God’s Presence) we will persuade our hearts,
20 that if our hearts should
condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and He knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our
hearts should not condemn us, we have confidence before God,
22 and whatever we may
ask we receive from Him (i.e. God), because we keep/observe His
commandments and practice what is pleasing before His [presence].
23 And this is His (God’s)
commandment: that we should adhere to the authority of his son (i.e. the
King Messiah of Israel) Yeshua the Messiah and should love [and treasure
greatly] one another, just as he (i.e. the Master) commanded us.
24 And the one who
keeps/observe His (God’s) commandments tabernacles in him (i.e.
Messiah), and he (i.e. Messiah) in him. And in this we [intimately]
know that he (i.e. Messiah) tabernacles in us: by the spirit [of God]
which he (i.e. Messiah) has given to us.
END OF THE READINGS
FOR THE FOURTH DAY OF HANUKA
Hanuka
Fifth Day
Evening Wednesday Dec.
12, 2012 – Evening Thursday Dec. 13, 2012
Torah: Numbers 7:36-47
Reader 1 - Num.
7:36-38
Reader 2 - Num.
7:39-41
Reader 3 - Num.
7:42-47
Yehudit (Judith) 8:28
– 10:23
1 Maccabees 9:1 - 10:32
Psalm 30:1-13
Nazareans add in their
private study and discussions: Psalm 43:3; Proverbs 20:27;
& 1 John 4:1-12
For further
information please read and study:
http://www.betemunah.org/lapin.html, http://www.betemunah.org/connection.html,
http://www.betemunah.org/chanukah.html, & http://www.betemunah.org/lights.html
Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for: B’Midbar (Numbers) 7:36-47
|
Rashi |
Targum
Pseudo Jonathan |
|
36. On the
fifth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of
Zurishaddai. |
36. on the
fifth, Shelumiel bar Zurishaddai, prince of Shemeon; |
|
37. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
37. |
|
38. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
38. |
|
39. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
39. |
|
40. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
40. |
|
41. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. |
41. |
|
42. On the
sixth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Gad, Eliasaph the son of De'uel. |
42. on the
sixth, Eljasaph bar Dehuel, prince of the Benei Gad; |
|
43. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
43. |
|
44. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
44. |
|
45. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
45. |
|
46. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
46. |
|
47. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Eliasaph the son of De'uel. |
47. |
Yehudit (Judith) 8:28
– 10:23
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
28 Uzziah replied,
'Everything you have just said comes from an honest heart and no one will
contradict a word of it.
29 Not that today is
the first time your wisdom has been displayed; from your earliest years all the
people have known how shrewd you are and of how sound a heart.
30 But, parched with
thirst, the people forced us to act as we had promised them and to bind
ourselves by an inviolable oath.
31 You are a devout
woman; pray to the Lord, then, to send us a downpour to fill our
storage-wells, so that our faintness may pass.'
32 Judith replied,
'Listen to me, I intend to do something, the memory of which will be handed down to
the children of our race from age to age.
33 Tonight you must be
at the gate of the town. I shall make my way out with my attendant. Before the
time fixed by you for surrendering the town to our enemies, the Lord will make use of
me to rescue Israel.
34 You must not ask
what I intend to do; I shall not tell you until I have done it.'
35 Uzziah and the
chief men said, 'Go in peace. May the Lord show you a way to take revenge on our
enemies.'
36 And leaving the
upper room they went back to their posts.
NJB Judith 9:1 Judith threw herself face to the
ground, scattered ashes on her head,
undressed as far as the sackcloth she was wearing and cried loudly to the Lord. At
the same time in Jerusalem the evening incense was
being offered in the Temple of God. Judith said:
2 Lord, God of my
ancestor Simeon, you armed him with a sword to take vengeance on the foreigners
who had undone a virgin's belt to her shame, laid bare her thigh to her confusion,
violated her womb to her dishonour, since,
though you said, 'This must not be,' they did it.
3 For this you handed
their leaders over to slaughter, and their bed, defiled by their treachery, was
itself betrayed in blood. You struck the slaves with the chieftains and
the chieftains with their retainers.
4 You left their wives
to be carried off, their daughters to be taken captive, and their spoils to be
shared out among the sons you loved, who had been so zealous for you, had loathed the
stain put on their blood and called on
you for help. O God, my God, now hear this widow too;
5 for you have made
the past, and what is happening now, and what will follow. What is, what will
be, you have planned; what has been, you designed.
6 Your purposes stood
forward; 'See, here we are!' they said. For all your ways are prepared and your
judgements delivered with foreknowledge.
7 See the Assyrians,
with their army abounding glorying in their horses and their riders, exulting
in the strength of their infantry. Trust as they may in shield and spear,
in bow and sling, in you they have not recognised the Lord, the breaker of
battle-lines;
8 yours alone is the
title of Lord. Break their violence with your might, in your anger bring down
their strength. For they plan to profane your holy places, to defile the tabernacle,
the resting place of your glorious name,
and to hack down the horn of your altar.
9 Observe their
arrogance, send your fury on their heads, give the strength I have in mind to this
widow's hand.
10 By guile of my lips
strike down slave with master, and master with retainer. Break their pride by a
woman's hand.
11 Your strength does
not lie in numbers, nor your might in strong men; since you are the God of the
humble, the help of the oppressed, the support of the weak, the refuge of the forsaken,
the Saviour of the despairing.
12 Please, please, God
of my father, God of the heritage of Israel, Master of heaven and earth,
Creator of the waters, King of your whole creation, hear my prayer.
13 Give me a beguiling
tongue to wound and kill those who have formed such cruel designs against
your covenant, against your holy dwelling-place, against Mount Zion, against the
house belonging to your sons.
14 And demonstrate to
every nation, every tribe, that you are the Lord, God of all power, all
might, and that the race of Israel has no protector but you.
NJB Judith 10:1 Thus Judith called on the God of
Israel. When she had finished praying,
2 she got up from the
floor, summoned her maid and went down into the rooms which she used on
Sabbath days and festivals.
3 There she removed
the sackcloth she was wearing and taking off her widow's dress, she washed all
over, anointed herself plentifully with perfumes, dressed her hair, wrapped a turban
round it and put on the robe of joy she
used to wear when her husband Manasseh was alive.
4 She put sandals on
her feet, put on her necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and all her jewellery,
and made herself beautiful enough to beguile the eye of any man who saw her.
5 Then she handed her
maid a skin of wine and a flask of oil, filled a bag with barley girdle-cakes,
cakes of dried fruit and pure loaves, and wrapping all these provisions up
gave them to her as well.
6 They then went out,
making for the town gate of Bethulia. There they found Uzziah waiting with
the two elders of the town, Chabris and Charmis.
7 When they saw
Judith, her face so changed and her clothes so different, they were lost in
admiration of her beauty. They said to her:
8 May the God of our
ancestors keep you in his favour! May he crown your designs with success
to the glory of the children of Israel, to the greater glory of
Jerusalem!
9 Judith worshipped
God, and then she said, 'Have the town gate opened for me so that I can go
out and fulfil all the wishes you expressed to me.' They did as she asked and gave
orders to the young men to open the gate
for her.
10 This done, Judith
went out accompanied by her maid, while the men of the town watched her all
the way down the mountain and across the valley,
until they lost sight of her.
11 As the women were
making straight through the valley, an advance unit of Assyrians
intercepted them,
12 and, seizing
Judith, began to question her. 'Which side are you on? Where do you come from? Where are
you going?' 'I am a daughter of the Hebrews,' she replied, 'and I am fleeing from
them since they will soon be your prey.
13 I am on my way to
see Holofernes, the general of your army, to give him trustworthy information.
I shall show him the road to take if he wants to capture all the hill-country without
losing one man or one life.'
14 As the men listened
to what she was saying, they stared in astonishment at the sight of such
a beautiful woman.
15 'It will prove the
saving of you,' they said to her, 'coming down to see our master of your own
accord. You had better go to his tent; some of our men will escort you
and hand you over to him.
16 Once you are in his
presence do not be afraid. Tell him what you have just told us and you will be
well treated.'
17 They then detailed
a hundred of their men as escort for herself and her attendant, and these led
them to the tent of Holofernes.
18 News of her coming
had already spread through the tents, and there was a general stir in the
camp. She was still outside the tent of Holofernes waiting to be
announced, when a crowd began forming round her.
19 They were
immediately impressed by her beauty and impressed with the Israelites because of
her. 'Who could despise a people who have women like this?' they kept saying. 'Better not
leave one of them alive; let any go and
they could twist the whole world round their fingers!'
20 The bodyguard and
adjutants of Holofernes then came out and led Judith into the tent.
21 Holofernes was
resting on his bed under a canopy of purple and gold studded with emeralds and
precious stones.
22 The men announced
her and he came out to the entrance to the tent, with silver torches carried
before him.
23 When Judith
confronted the general and his adjutant, the beauty of her face astonished them all. She
fell on her face and did homage to him, but his servants raised her from the ground.
1 Maccabees 9:1 -
10:32
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
NJB 1 Maccabees 9:1
Demetrius, hearing that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, sent
Bacchides and Alcimus a second time into Judaea, and with them the right wing
of his army.
2 They took the road
to Galilee and besieged Mesaloth in Arbela, and captured it, putting many
people to death.
3 In the first month
of the year 152, they encamped outside Jerusalem;
4 they then moved on,
making their way to Beer-Zaith with twenty thousand foot and two thousand
horse.
5 Judas lay in camp at
Elasa, with three thousand picked men.
6 When they saw the
huge size of the enemy forces they were terrified, and many slipped out of the
camp, until no more than eight hundred of the force were left.
7 With battle now
inevitable, Judas realised that his army had melted away; he was aghast, for he
had no time to rally them.
8 Yet, dismayed as he
was, he said to those who were left, 'Up! Let us face the enemy; we may yet
have the strength to fight them.'
9 His men tried to
dissuade him, declaring, 'We have no strength for anything but to escape with
our lives this time; then we can come back with our brothers to fight them; by
ourselves we are too few.'
10 Judas retorted,
'That I should do such a thing as run away from them! If our time has come, at
least let us die like men for our countrymen, and leave nothing to tarnish our
reputation.'
11 The army marched
out of camp and drew up, facing the enemy. The cavalry was drawn up in two
squadrons; the slingers and archers marched in the van of the army, and all the
best fighters were put in the front rank;
12 Bacchides was on
the right wing. The phalanx advanced from between the two squadrons, sounding
the trumpets; the men on Judas' side also blew their trumpets,
13 and the earth shook
with the noise of the armies. The engagement lasted from morning until evening.
14 Judas saw that
Bacchides and the main strength of his army lay on the right; all the
stout-hearted rallied to him,
15 and they crushed
the right wing, pursuing them as far as the Azara Hills.
16 But when the
Syrians on the left wing saw that the right had been broken, they turned and
followed hot on the heels of Judas and his men to take them in the rear.
17 The fight became
desperate, and there were many casualties on both sides.
18 Judas himself fell,
and the remnant fled.
19 Jonathan and Simon
took up their brother Judas and buried him in his ancestral tomb at Modein.
20 All Israel wept and
mourned him deeply and for many days they repeated this dirge.
21 'What a downfall
for the strong man, the man who kept Israel safe!'
22 The other deeds of
Judas, the battles he fought, the exploits he performed, and all his titles to
greatness have not been recorded; but they were very many.
23 After the death of
Judas, the renegades came out of hiding throughout Israel and all the evil-doers
reappeared.
24 At that time there
was a severe famine, and the country went over to their side.
25 Bacchides
deliberately chose the enemies of religion to administer the country.
26 These traced and
searched out the friends of Judas and brought them before Bacchides, who
ill-treated and mocked them.
27 A terrible
oppression began in Israel; there had been nothing like it since the
disappearance of prophecy among them.
28 The friends of
Judas then all united in saying to Jonathan,
29 'Since your brother
Judas died, there has been no one like him to head the resistance against our
enemies, people like Bacchides and others who hate our nation.
30 Accordingly, we
have today chosen you to take his place as our ruler and leader and to fight
our campaigns.'
31 Whereupon, Jonathan
took command, in succession to his brother Judas.
32 Bacchides, when he
heard the news, made plans to kill Jonathan.
33 But this became
known to Jonathan, his brother Simon and all his supporters, and they took
refuge in the desert of Tekoa, camping by the water-supply at Asphar
storage-well.
34 (Bacchides came to
know of this on the Sabbath day, and he too crossed the Jordan with his entire
army.)
35 Jonathan sent his
brother, who was one of his commanders, to ask his friends the Nabataeans to
store their considerable baggage for them.
36 The sons of Amrai,
however, those of Medeba, intercepted them, captured John and everything he had
and made off with their prize.
37 Later, Jonathan and
his brother Simon were told that the sons of Amrai were celebrating an
important wedding, and were escorting the bride, a daughter of one of the great
notables of Canaan, from Nabata with a large retinue.
38 Remembering the
bloody end of their brother John, they went up and hid under cover of the mountain.
39 As they were
keeping watch, a noisy procession came into sight with a great deal of baggage,
and the bridegroom, with his groomsmen and his family, came out to meet it with
tambourines and a band, and rich, warlike display.
40 The Jews rushed
down on them from their ambush and killed them, inflicting heavy casualties;
the survivors escaped to the mountain, leaving their entire baggage train to be
captured.
41 Thus, the wedding
was turned into mourning and the music of their band into lamentation.
42 Having in this way
avenged in full the blood of their brother, they returned to the marshes of the
Jordan.
43 As soon as
Bacchides heard this, he came on the Sabbath day with a considerable force to
the steep banks of the Jordan.
44 Jonathan said to
his men, 'Up! Let us fight for our lives, for today it is not as in the old
days.
45 You can see, we
shall have to fight on our front and to our rear; we have the waters of the
Jordan on one side, the marsh and scrub on the other, and we have no line of
withdrawal.
46 This is the moment
to call on Heaven, to deliver you from the clutches of your enemies.'
47 The engagement was
begun by Jonathan, who aimed a blow at Bacchides, but the Syrian disengaged
himself and withdrew,
48 whereupon Jonathan
and his men leapt into the Jordan and swam to the other bank; the enemy did
not, however, cross the Jordan in pursuit.
49 That day, Bacchides
lost about a thousand men.
50 Bacchides went back
to Jerusalem and began fortifying some of the Judaean towns: the fortresses of
Jericho, Emmaus, Beth-Horon, Bethel, Timnath, Pharathon and Tephon, with high
walls and barred gates,
51 and stationed a
garrison in each of them to harass Israel.
52 He also fortified
the town of Beth-Zur, Gezer and the Citadel, and placed troops in them with
supplies of provisions.
53 He took the sons of
the leading men of the country as hostages, and had them placed under guard in
the Citadel of Jerusalem.
54 In the year 153, in
the second month, Alcimus ordered the demolition of the wall of the inner court
of the sanctuary, destroying the work of the prophets. Alcimus had just begun
the demolition
55 when he suffered a
stroke, and his work was interrupted. His mouth became obstructed, and his
paralysis made him incapable of speaking at all or giving directions to his
household;
56 it was not long
before he died in great agony.
57 On the death of
Alcimus, Bacchides went back to the king, and Judaea was left in peace for two
years.
58 The renegades then
all agreed on a plan. 'Now is the time,' they said, 'while Jonathan and his
supporters are living in peace and are full of confidence, for us to bring back
Bacchides, and he will arrest the lot of them in one night.'
59 So they went to him
and reached an understanding.
60 Bacchides at once
set out with a large force, and sent secret instructions to all his allies in
Judaea to seize Jonathan and his supporters. But they were unable to do this
because their plan became known,
61 and Jonathan and
his men arrested some fifty of the men of the country who were ringleaders in
the plot, and put them to death.
62 Jonathan and Simon
then retired with their partisans to Beth-Bassi in the desert; they rebuilt the
ruinous parts of the place and fortified it.
63 When Bacchides
heard this, he mustered his whole force and notified his adherents in Judaea.
64 He then proceeded
to lay siege to Beth-Bassi, the fighting was protracted, and he constructed
siege-engines.
65 Jonathan, however,
leaving his brother Simon in the town, broke out into the countryside with a
handful of men.
66 He launched a blow
at Odomera and his brothers, and at the sons of Phasiron in their encampment;
whereupon, these too came into the struggle, joining forces with him.
67 Simon and his
people, meanwhile, made a sortie from the town and set fire to the siege-engines.
68 Taking the
offensive against Bacchides, they defeated him. He was greatly disconcerted to
find that his plan and his assault had come to nothing,
69 and vented his
anger on those renegades who had induced him to enter the country, putting many
of them to death; he then decided to take his own troops home.
70 Discovering this,
Jonathan sent envoys to negotiate peace terms and the release of prisoners with
him.
71 Bacchides agreed to
this, accepting his proposals and swearing never to seek occasion to harm him
for the rest of his life.
72 Having surrendered
to Jonathan those prisoners he had earlier taken in Judaea, he turned about and
withdrew to his own country, and never again came near their frontiers.
73 The sword no longer
hung over Israel, and Jonathan settled in Michmash, where he began to judge the
people and to rid Israel of the godless.
NJB 1 Maccabees 10:1
In the year 160, Alexander, son of Antiochus Epiphanes, raised an army and
occupied Ptolemais. He was well received, and there inaugurated his reign.
2 On hearing this,
King Demetrius assembled a very large army and marched off to do battle with
him.
3 Demetrius
furthermore sent Jonathan a most conciliatory letter, promising to promote him
in rank,
4 for, as he said, 'We
had better move first to come to terms with these people before he makes common
cause with Alexander against us;
5 he will not have
forgotten all the wrongs we inflicted on him and his brothers, and on his
nation.'
6 He even authorised
him to raise an army, to manufacture arms, and to describe himself as his ally,
and ordered the hostages in the Citadel to be surrendered to him.
7 Jonathan went
straight to Jerusalem and read the letter in the hearing of the whole people
and of the men in the Citadel.
8 They were terrified
when they heard that the king had given him authority to raise an army.
9 The men in the
Citadel surrendered the hostages to Jonathan, who handed them back to their
parents.
10 Jonathan then took
up residence in Jerusalem and began the rebuilding and restoration of the city.
11 He ordered those
responsible for the work to build the walls and the defences round Mount Zion
of squared stone blocks to make them stronger, and this was done.
12 The foreigners in
the fortresses built by Bacchides abandoned them,
13 one after another
leaving his post to go back to his own country.
14 Only at Beth-Zur
were a few left of those who had forsaken the Law and the precepts, since this
was their refuge.
15 King Alexander
heard of all the promises Demetrius had sent to Jonathan, and he was also given
an account of the battles and exploits of this man and his brothers and of the
hardships they had endured.
16 'Shall we ever find
another man like him?' he exclaimed. 'We must make him our friend and ally!'
17 He therefore wrote
him a letter, addressing him in these terms:
18 'King Alexander to
his brother Jonathan, greetings.
19 'You have been
brought to our notice as a strong man of action and as someone who deserves to
be our friend.
20 Accordingly, we
have today appointed you high priest of your nation, with the title of
"Friend of the King" ' -- he also sent him a purple robe and a golden
crown-'and you are to study our interests and maintain friendly relations with
us.'
21 Jonathan put on the
sacred vestments in the seventh month of the year 160, on the feast of
Shelters; he then set about raising troops and manufacturing arms in quantity.
22 Demetrius was
displeased when he heard what had happened.
23 'What have we been
doing,' he said, 'for Alexander to forestall us in winning the friendship of
the Jews and so improving his own position?
24 I too shall address
an appeal to them, offering them advancement and riches as an inducement to
support me.'
25 And he wrote to
them as follows: 'King Demetrius to the Jewish nation, greetings.
26 'We have heard how
you have kept your agreement with us and have maintained friendly relations
with us and have not gone over to our enemies, and it has given us great
satisfaction.
27 If you now continue
to keep faith with us, we shall make you a handsome return for what you do on
our behalf.
28 We shall accord you
many exemptions and grant you privileges.
29 'Henceforth I
release you and exempt all the Jews from the tribute, the salt dues and the
crown levies,
30 and whereas I am
entitled to one-third of the grain and one-half of the fruit of the trees, I
release from this levy, from today and for the future, Judaea and the three
districts annexed to it from Samaria-Galilee, from this day henceforth in
perpetuity.
31 Jerusalem will be sacred
and exempt, with its territory, from tithes and dues.
32 I relinquish
control of the Citadel in Jerusalem and make it over to the high priest, so
that he may man it with a garrison of his own choosing.
Tehillim
- Psalm 30:1-13
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. A psalm;
a song of dedication of the House, of David. |
1. A praise song for the
dedication of the sanctuary. Of David. |
|
2. I will
exalt You, O Lord, for You have raised me up, and You have not allowed my
enemies to rejoice over me. |
2. I will praise you, O
LORD, for you made me stand erect, and did not let my enemies rejoice over
me. |
|
3. O Lord,
I have cried out to You, and You have healed me. |
3. O LORD
my God, I prayed in Your presence and You healed me. |
|
4. O Lord,
You have brought my soul from the grave; You have revived me from my descent
into the Pit. |
4. O LORD,
You raised my soul out of Sheol; You preserved me from going down to the pit. |
|
5. Sing to
the Lord, His pious ones, and give thanks to His holy name. |
5. Sing
praise in the LORD's presence, you His devotees; and give thanks at the
invocation of His holy one. |
|
6. For His
wrath lasts but a moment; life results from His favor; in the evening,
weeping may tarry, but in the morning there is joyful singing. |
6. For His
anger is but a moment; eternal life is His good pleasure. In the evening one
goes to bed in tears, but in the morning one rises in praise. |
|
7. And I
said in my tranquility, "I will never falter." |
7. And I
said when I dwelt in trust, I will never be shaken. |
|
8. O Lord,
with Your will, You set up my mountain to be might, You hid Your countenance
and I became frightened. |
8. O LORD,
by Your will You prepared the mighty mountains; You removed Your presence, I
became afraid. |
|
9. To You,
O Lord, I would call, and to the Lord I would supplicate. |
9. In Your
presence, O LORD, I will cry out; and to You, O my God, I will pray. |
|
10. "What
gain is there in my blood, in my descent to the grave? Will
dust thank You; will it recite Your truth? |
10. And I
said, What profit is there in my blood, when I descend to the
grave? Can those who descend to the dust praise You? Will they tell of Your
faithfulness? |
|
11. Hear, O
Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my helper." |
11. Accept,
O LORD, my prayer, and have mercy on me; O LORD, be my helper. |
|
12. You
have turned my lament into dancing for me; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
12. You
turned my lament into my celebration; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
|
13. So that
my soul will sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will
thank You forever. |
13. Because
the nobles of the world will give You praise and not be silent, O LORD my
God, I too will give You praise. |
|
|
|
Psalm
43:3 - JPS
3 Send forth Your
light and Your truth; they will lead me; they will bring me to Your holy
mountain, to Your dwelling-place,
Proverbs
10:27 - JPS
27 The fear of the LORD prolongs
life, While the years of the wicked will be shortened.
1
John 4:1-12
Paqid
Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham
&
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
1 Beloved, do not
faithfully obey every spirit, but test the spirits [to determine] if
they are from God, because many pseudo prophets have come forth into the world.
2 By this you [will
intimately] know the spirit of God: every spirit that professes
[that] Yeshua the Messiah came in (or, according to) [the] flesh is from God,
3 and every spirit
that does not profess [that] Yeshua the Messiah came in (or, according to) [the]
flesh is not from God, and this is of the anti-messiah, that you have
heard that is coming, and now he is already in the [pagan] world.
4 You are from God,
sons, and have conquered them (the pseudo-prophets), because greater is
He who [is] in you than he who [is] in the [pagan] world.
5 They (the
pseudo-prophets) are from the [pagan] world; because of this they
speak from the [pagan] world and the [pagan] world listens to
them.
6 We are from God. The
one who knows God listens to us [Jewish Hakhamim]; whoever is not from
God does not listen to us [Jewish Hakhamim]. By this we know/distinguish
the spirit of truth (i.e. of the Torah – cf. Psalm 119:142) and/from the
spirit of deceit.
7 Beloved, we must
love [and treasure greatly] one another, because love is from God (the
numerical value of Ahavah and Echad = 13), and everyone who loves [and
treasures greatly the Jewish brethren] has been fathered (begotten) by
God and knows God.
8 The one who does not
love [and does not treasure greatly the Jewish brethren] does not know
God, because God is love (the numerical value of Ahavah and Echad = 13).
9 In this the love of
God is revealed in us: that God has sent his only begotten son (i.e. the
King Messiah of Israel) into the [pagan] world that we may live
through him.
10 In this is love:
not that we loved God, but that He (God) loved us and sent his son (i.e. the
King Messiah of Israel) [as] a propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God
loved us so, we must also love [and treasure greatly] one another.
12 No one has seen God
at any time. If we should love [and treasure greatly] one another, God tabernacles
in us and His love has been achieved in us.
END OF THE READINGS
FOR THE FIFTH DAY OF HANUKA
Hanuka
Sixth Day &
Rosh
Chodesh Tebet (New Moon for the Month of Tebet) Day One
Evening Thursday Dec.
13, 2012 – Evening Friday Dec. 14, 2012
Torah: Numbers 28:1-15
& 7:42-47
Reader 1 - Num. 28:1-5
Reader 2 - Num.
28:6-10
Reader 3 - Num.
28:11-15
Reader 4 – Num.
7:42-47
Yehudit (Judith) 11:1
– 12:20
1 Maccabees 10:33 - 11:59
Psalm 30:1-13
Proverbs 7:1-27
Nazareans add in their
private study and discussions: Psalm 27:1; Psalm 119:105; & 1 John 4:13-21
For further
information please read and study:
http://www.betemunah.org/lapin.html, http://www.betemunah.org/connection.html,
http://www.betemunah.org/chanukah.html, & http://www.betemunah.org/lights.html
Rashi
& Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for:
B’Midbar (Numbers) 28:1-15
|
Rashi |
Targum
Pseudo Jonathan |
|
1. The
Lord spoke to: Moses, saying: |
1. And the LORD spoke with
Mosheh, saying: |
|
2. Command
the children of Israel and say to them: My offering, My food for My fire
offerings, a spirit of satisfaction for Me, you shall take care to offer to
Me at its appointed time. |
2. Instruct the children
of Israel, and say to them: The priests may eat of My oblation the bread of
the order of My table; but that which you offer upon My altar may no man eat.
Is there not a fire that will consume it? And it will be accepted before Me
as a pleasant smell. Sons of Israel, My people, be admonished to offer it
from the firstlings on the Sabbath, an oblation before Me in its time. |
|
3. And you
shall say to them: This is the fire offering which you shall offer to the
Lord: two unblemished lambs in their first year each day as a continual burnt
offering. |
3. And say to them: This
is the order of the oblations you will offer before the LORD; two lambs of
the year, unblemished, daily, a perpetual burnt offering. |
|
4. The one
lamb you shall offer up in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer up
in the afternoon. |
4. The one lamb you will
perform in the morning to make atonement for the sins of the night; and the
second lamb you will perform between the suns to atone for the sins of the
day; |
|
5. And one
tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with a quarter of
a hin of crushed [olive] oil. |
5. and the tenth of three
seahs of wheat flour as a mincha mingled with beaten olive oil, the fourth of
a hin. |
|
6. A
continual burnt offering, as the one offered up at Mount Sinai, for a spirit
of satisfaction, a fire offering to the Lord. |
6. It is a perpetual burnt
offering, such as was (ordained to be) offered at Mount Sinai, to be received
with favor as an oblation before the LORD. |
|
7. Its
libation shall be one quarter of a hin for each lamb, to be poured on the
holy [altar] as a libation of strong wine to the Lord. |
7. And its libation will
be the fourth of a hin for one lamb; from the vessels of the house of the
Sanctuary will it be outpoured, a libation of old wine. But if old wine may
not be found, bring wine of forty days to pour out before the LORD. |
|
8. And the
second lamb you shall offer up in the afternoon. You shall offer up it with
the same meal offering and libation as the morning [sacrifice], a fire
offering with a spirit of satisfaction to the Lord. |
8. And the second lamb you
will perform between the suns, according to the presentation of the morning,
and according to its oblation will you make the offering, that it may be
accepted with favor before the LORD. |
|
9. And on
the Sabbath day, two unblemished lambs in the first year, and two tenths fine
flour as a meal offering, mixed with oil, and its libation. |
9. but on the day of
Shabbat two lambs of the year without blemish, and two-tenths of flour mixed
with olive oil for the mincha and its libation. |
|
10. [This
is] the burnt offering of each Sabbath on its Sabbath, in addition to the
continual burnt offering and its libation. |
10. On the
Sabbath you will make a Sabbath burnt sacrifice in addition to the perpetual
burnt sacrifice and its libation. |
|
11. And on
the beginning of your months, you shall offer up a burnt offering to the
Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs in the first year, [all]
unblemished. |
11. And at
the beginning of your months you will offer a burnt sacrifice before the
LORD; two young bullocks, without mixture, one ram, lambs of the year seven,
unblemished; |
|
12. Three
tenths fine flour as a meal offering, mixed with oil for each bull, and two
tenths fine flour as a meal offering, mixed with oil for each ram. |
12. and
three tenths of flour mingled with oil for the mincha for one bullock; two
tenths of flour with olive oil for the mincha of the one ram; |
|
13. And one
tenth of fine flour mixed with oil as a meal offering for each lamb. A burnt
offering with a spirit of satisfaction, a fire offering to the Lord. |
13. and
one tenth of flour with olive oil for the mincha for each lamb of the burnt
offering, an oblation to be received with favor before the LORD. |
|
14. And
their libations: a half of a hin for each bull, a third of a hin for each
ram, and a quarter of a hin for each lamb; this is the burnt offering of each
new month in its month, throughout the months of the year. |
14. And for
their libation to be offered with them, the half of a bin for a bullock, the
third of a bin for the ram, and the fourth of a hin for a lamb, of the wine
of grapes. This burnt sacrifice will be offered at the beginning of every
month in the time of the removal of the beginning of every month in the year; |
|
15. And one
young male goat for a sin offering to the Lord; it shall be offered up in
addition to the continual burnt offering and its libation. |
15. and one
kid of the goats, for a sin offering before the LORD at the disappearing
(failure) of the moon, with the perpetual burnt sacrifice will you perform
with its libation. |
|
|
|
Rashi
& Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for:
B’Midbar (Numbers) 7:42-47
|
Rashi |
Targum
PseudoJonathan |
|
42. On the
sixth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Gad, Eliasaph the son of De'uel. |
42. on the
sixth, Eljasaph bar Dehuel, prince of the Benei Gad; |
|
43. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
43. |
|
44. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
44. |
|
45. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
45. |
|
46. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
46. |
|
47. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Eliasaph the son of De'uel. |
47. |
|
|
|
Yehudit (Judith) 11:1
– 12:20
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
NJB Judith 11:1 'Courage, woman,' Holofernes
said, 'do not be afraid. I have never hurt anyone who chose to serve
Nebuchadnezzar, king of the whole world.
2 Even now, if your
nation of mountain dwellers had not insulted me, I would not have raised a
spear against them. This was their fault, not mine.
3 But tell me, why
have you fled from them and come to us? . . . Anyhow, this will prove the
saving of you. Courage! You will live through this night, and many after.
4 No one will hurt
you. On the contrary, you will be treated as well as any who serve my lord King
Nebuchadnezzar.'
5 Judith said, 'Please
listen favourably to what your slave has to say. Permit your servant to speak
in your presence, I shall speak no word of a lie to my lord tonight.
6 You have only to
follow your servant's advice and God will bring your work to a successful
conclusion; in what my lord undertakes he will not fail.
7 Long life to
Nebuchadnezzar, king of the whole world, who has sent you to set every living
soul to rights; may his power endure! Since, thanks to you, he is served not
only by human beings, but because of your might the wild animals themselves,
the cattle, and the birds of the air are to live in the service of
Nebuchadnezzar and his whole House.
8 'We have indeed
heard of your genius and adroitness of mind. It is known everywhere in the
world that throughout the empire you have no rival for ability, wealth of
experience and brilliance in waging war.
9 We have also heard
what Achior said in his speech to your council. The men of Bethulia having
spared him, he has told them everything that he said to you.
10 Now, master and
lord, do not disregard what he said; keep it in your mind, since it is true;
our nation will not be punished, the sword will indeed have no power over them,
unless they sin against their God.
11 But as it is, my
lord need expect no repulse or setback, since death is about to fall on their
heads, for sin has gained a hold over them, provoking the anger of their God
each time that they commit it.
12 As they are short of
food and their water is giving out, they have resolved to fall back on their
cattle and decided to make use of all the things that God has, by his laws,
forbidden them to eat.
13 Not only have they
made up their minds to eat the first-fruits of corn and the tithes of wine and
oil, though these have been consecrated by them and set apart for the priests
who serve in Jerusalem in the presence of our God, and may not lawfully even be
handled by ordinary people,
14 but they have sent
men to Jerusalem -- where the inhabitants are doing much the same -- to bring
them back authorisation from the Council of Elders.
15 Now this will be
the outcome: when the permission arrives and they act on it, that very day they
will be delivered over to you for destruction.
16 'When I, your
servant, came to know all this, I fled from them. God has sent me to do things
with you at which the world will be astonished when it hears.
17 Your servant is a
devout woman; she honours the God of heaven day and night. I therefore propose,
my lord, to stay with you. I, your servant, shall go out every night into the
valley and pray to God to let me know when they have committed their sin.
18 I shall then come
and tell you, so that you can march out with your whole army; and none of them
will be able to resist you.
19 I shall be your
guide right across Judaea until you reach Jerusalem; there I shall enthrone you
in the very middle of the city. And then you can round them up like
shepherd-less sheep, with never a dog daring to bark at you. Foreknowledge
tells me this; this has been foretold to me and I have been sent to reveal it
to you.'
20 Her words pleased
Holofernes, and all his adjutants. Full of admiration at her wisdom they
exclaimed,
21 'There is no woman
like her from one end of the earth to the other, so lovely of face and so wise
of speech!'
22 Holofernes said,
'God has done well to send you ahead of the others. Strength will be ours, and
ruin theirs who have insulted my lord.
23 As for you, you are
as beautiful as you are eloquent; if you do as you have promised, your God
shall be my God, and you yourself shall make your home in the palace of King
Nebuchadnezzar and be famous throughout the world.'
NJB Judith 12:1 With that he had her brought in
to where his silver dinner service was already laid, and had his own food
served to her and his own wine poured out for her.
2 But Judith said, 'I
would rather not eat this, in case I incur some fault. What I have brought will
be enough for me.'
3 'Suppose your
provisions run out,' Holofernes asked, 'how could we get more of the same sort?
We have no one belonging to your race here.'
4 'May your soul live,
my lord,' Judith answered, 'the Lord will have used me to accomplish his plan,
before your servant has finished these provisions.'
5 Holofernes'
adjutants then took her to a tent where she slept until midnight. A little
before the morning watch, she got up.
6 She had already sent
this request to Holofernes, 'Let my lord kindly give orders for your servant to
be allowed to go out and pray,'
7 and Holofernes had
ordered his guards not to prevent her. She stayed in the camp for three days;
she went out each night to the valley of Bethulia and washed at the spring
where the picket had been posted.
8 As she went she
prayed to the Lord God of Israel to guide her in her plan to relieve the
children of her people.
9 Having purified
herself, she would return and stay in her tent until her meal was brought her
in the evening.
10 On the fourth day
Holofernes gave a banquet, inviting only his own staff and none of the other
officers.
11 He said to Bagoas,
the officer in charge of his personal affairs, 'Go and persuade that Hebrew
woman you are looking after to come and join us and eat and drink in our
company.
12 We shall be
disgraced if we let a woman like this go without seducing her. If we do not
seduce her, everyone will laugh at us!'
13 Bagoas then left
Holofernes and went to see Judith. 'Would this young and lovely woman
condescend to come to my lord?' he asked. 'She will occupy the seat of honour
opposite him, drink the joyful wine with us and be treated today like one of
the Assyrian ladies who stand in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar.'
14 'Who am I', Judith
replied, 'to resist my lord? I shall not hesitate to do whatever he wishes, and
doing this will be my joy to my dying day.'
15 So she got up and
put on her dress and all her feminine adornments. Her maid preceded her, and on
the floor in front of Holofernes spread the fleece which Bagoas had given
Judith for her daily use to lie on as she ate.
16 Judith came in and
took her place. The heart of Holofernes was ravished at the sight; his very
soul was stirred. He was seized with a violent desire to sleep with her; and
indeed since the first day he saw her, he had been waiting for an opportunity
to seduce her.
17 'Drink then!'
Holofernes said. 'Enjoy yourself with us!'
18 'I am delighted to
do so, my lord, for since my birth I have never felt my life more worthwhile
than today.'
19 She took what her
maid had prepared, and ate and drank facing him.
20 Holofernes was so
enchanted with her that he drank far more wine than he had drunk on any other
day in his life.
1 Maccabees 10:33 -
11:59
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
33 Every Jewish person
taken from Judaea into captivity in any part of my kingdom I set free without
ransom, and decree that all will be exempt from taxes, even on their livestock.
34 All festivals,
Sabbaths, New Moons and days of special observance, and the three days before
and three days after a festival, will be days of exemption and quittance for
all the Jews in my kingdom,
35 and no one will
have the right to exact payment from, or to molest, any of them for any matter
whatsoever.
36 'Jews will be
enrolled in the king's forces to the number of thirty thousand men and receive
maintenance on the same scale as the rest of the king's forces.
37 Some of them will
be stationed in the king's major fortresses, and from among others appointments
will be made to positions of trust in the kingdom. Their officers and
commanders will be appointed from their own number and will live under their
own laws, as the king has prescribed for Judaea.
38 'As regards the
three districts annexed to Judaea from the province of Samaria, these will be
integrated into Judaea and considered as coming under one governor, obeying the
high priest's authority and no other.
39 Ptolemais and the
land thereto pertaining I present to the sanctuary in Jerusalem, to meet the
necessary expenses of public worship.
40 And I make a
personal grant of fifteen thousand silver shekels annually chargeable to the
royal revenue from appropriate places.
41 And the entire
surplus, which has not been paid in by the officials as in previous years, will
henceforth be paid over by them for work on the Temple.
42 In addition, the
sum of five thousand silver shekels, levied annually on the profits of the
sanctuary, as shown in the annual accounts, is also relinquished as the
perquisite of the priests who perform the liturgy.
43 Anyone who takes
refuge in the Temple in Jerusalem or any of its precincts, when in debt to the
royal exchequer or otherwise, will be discharged in full possession of all the
goods he owns in my kingdom.
44 As regards the
building and restoration of the sanctuary, the expense of the work will be met
from the royal exchequer.
45 The reconstruction
of the walls of Jerusalem and the fortification of the perimeter will also be a
charge on the royal exchequer, as also the reconstruction of other city walls
in Judaea.'
46 When Jonathan and
the people heard these proposals, they put no faith in them and refused to
accept them, remembering what great wrongs Demetrius had done to Israel and how
cruelly he had oppressed them.
47 They decided in
favour of Alexander, since he seemed to offer the better inducements of the
two, and they became his constant allies.
48 King Alexander now
mustered large forces and advanced against Demetrius.
49 The two kings met
in battle. Alexander's army was routed, and Demetrius pursued him and defeated
his troops.
50 He continued the
battle with vigour until sunset. Demetrius himself, however, was killed the
same day.
51 Alexander sent
ambassadors to Ptolemy king of Egypt, with this message:
52 'Since I have
returned to my kingdom, have ascended the throne of my ancestors, have gained
control by crushing Demetrius, and so recovered our country-
53 for I fought him
and we crushed both him and his army, and I now occupy his royal throne-
54 let us now make a
treaty of friendship. Give me your daughter in marriage: as your son-in-law, I
shall give you, and her, presents which are worthy of you.'
55 King Ptolemy
replied as follows: 'Happy the day when you returned to the land of your
ancestors and ascended their royal throne!
56 I shall at once do
for you what your letter proposes; but meet me at Ptolemais, so that we can see
one another, and I shall become your father-in-law, as you have asked.'
57 Ptolemy left Egypt
with his daughter Cleopatra and reached Ptolemais in the year 162.
58 King Alexander went
to meet him, and Ptolemy gave him the hand of his daughter Cleopatra and
celebrated her wedding in Ptolemais with great magnificence, as kings do.
59 King Alexander then
wrote to Jonathan to come and meet him.
60 Jonathan made his
way in state to Ptolemais and met the two kings; he gave them and their friends
silver and gold, and many gifts, and made a favourable impression on them.
61 A number of
scoundrels, the pest of Israel, combined to denounce him, but the king paid no
attention to them.
62 In fact, the king
commanded that Jonathan should be divested of his own garments and clothed in
the purple, which was done.
63 The king then
seated him by his side and said to his officers, 'Escort him into the centre of
the city and proclaim that no one is to bring charges against him on any count;
no one is to molest him for any reason.'
64 And so, when his
accusers saw the honour done him by this proclamation, and Jonathan himself
invested in the purple, they all fled.
65 The king did him
the honour of enrolling him among the First Friends, and appointed him
commander-in-chief and governor-general.
66 Jonathan then
returned to Jerusalem in peace and gladness.
67 In the year 165,
Demetrius son of Demetrius came from Crete to the land of his ancestors.
68 When King Alexander
heard of it he was plunged into gloom, and retired to Antioch.
69 Demetrius confirmed
Apollonius as governor of Coele-Syria; the latter assembled a large force,
encamped at Jamnia and sent the following message to Jonathan the high priest:
70 'You are entirely
alone in rising against us, and now I find myself ridiculed and reproached on
your account. Why do you use your authority to our disadvantage in the
mountains?
71 If you are so
confident in your forces, come down now to meet us on the plain and let us take
each other's measure there; on my side I have the strength of the towns.
72 Ask and learn who I
am and who the others supporting us are. You will hear that you cannot stand up
to us, since your ancestors were twice routed on their own ground,
73 nor will you now be
able to withstand the cavalry or so great an army on the plain, where there is
neither rock, nor stone, nor refuge of any kind.'
74 On hearing
Apollonius' words, Jonathan's spirit was roused; he picked ten thousand men and
left Jerusalem, and his brother Simon joined him with reinforcements.
75 He drew up his
forces outside Joppa, the citizens having shut him out, since Apollonius had a
garrison in Joppa. When they began the attack,
76 the citizens took
fright and opened the gates, and Jonathan occupied Joppa.
77 Hearing this,
Apollonius marshalled three thousand cavalry and a large army and made his way
to Azotus as though intending to march through, while in fact pressing on into
the plain, since he had a great number of cavalry on which he was relying.
78 Jonathan pursued
him as far as Azotus, where the armies joined battle.
79 Now, Apollonius had
left a thousand horsemen in concealment behind them.
80 Jonathan knew of
this enemy position behind him; the horsemen surrounded his army, firing their
arrows into his men from morning till evening.
81 But the troops
stood firm, as Jonathan had ordered. Once the cavalry was exhausted,
82 Simon sent his own
troops into attack against the phalanx, which he cut to pieces and routed.
83 The cavalry
scattered over the plain and fled to Azotus, where they took sanctuary in
Beth-Dagon, the temple of their idol.
84 Jonathan, however,
set fire to Azotus and the surrounding towns, plundered them, and burned down
the temple of Dagon, with all the fugitives who had crowded into it.
85 The enemy losses,
counting those who fell by the sword and those burnt to death, totalled about
eight thousand men.
86 Jonathan then left
and pitched camp outside Ascalon, where the citizens came out to meet him with
great ceremony.
87 Jonathan then
returned to Jerusalem with his followers, laden with booty.
88 In the event, when
King Alexander heard what had happened, he awarded Jonathan further honours:
89 he sent him the
golden brooch, of the kind customarily presented to the King's Cousins, and
gave him proprietary rights over Ekron and the land adjoining it.
NJB 1 Maccabees 11:1 The king of Egypt then
assembled an army as numerous as the sands of the seashore, with many ships,
and set out to take possession of Alexander's kingdom by a ruse and add it to
his own kingdom.
2 He set off for Syria
with protestations of peace, and the people of the towns opened their gates to
him and came out to meet him, since King Alexander's orders were to welcome
him, Ptolemy being his father-in-law.
3 On entering the
towns, however, Ptolemy quartered troops as a garrison in each one.
4 When he reached
Azotus he was shown the burnt-out temple of Dagon, with Azotus and its suburbs
in ruins, corpses scattered here and there, and the charred remains of those
whom Jonathan had burnt to death in the battle, piled into heaps along his
route.
5 They explained to
the king what Jonathan had done, hoping for his disapproval; but the king said
nothing.
6 Jonathan went in
state to meet the king at Joppa, where they greeted each other and spent the
night.
7 Jonathan accompanied
the king as far as the river called Eleutherus, and then returned to Jerusalem.
8 King Ptolemy for his
part occupied the coastal towns as far as Seleucia on the coast, all the while
maturing his wicked designs against Alexander.
9 He sent envoys to
King Demetrius to say, 'Come and let us make a treaty; I shall give you my
daughter, whom Alexander now has, and you shall rule your father's kingdom.
10 I regret having
given my daughter to that man, since he has tried to kill me.'
11 He made this
accusation because he coveted his kingdom.
12 Having carried off
his daughter and bestowed her on Demetrius, he broke with Alexander, and their
enmity became open.
13 Ptolemy next
entered Antioch and assumed the crown of Asia; he now wore on his head the two
crowns of Egypt and Asia.
14 King Alexander was
in Cilicia at the time, since the people of those parts had risen in revolt,
15 but when he heard
the news, he advanced on his rival to give battle, while Ptolemy for his part
also took the field, met him with a strong force and routed him.
16 Alexander fled to
Arabia for refuge, and King Ptolemy reigned supreme.
17 Zabdiel the Arab
cut off Alexander's head and sent it to Ptolemy.
18 Three days later
King Ptolemy died, and the Egyptian garrisons in the strongholds were killed by
the local inhabitants.
19 So Demetrius became
king in the year 167.
20 At the same time,
Jonathan mustered the men of Judaea for an assault on the Citadel of Jerusalem,
and they set up numerous siege-engines against it.
21 But some renegades
who hated their nation made their way to the king and told him that Jonathan
was besieging the Citadel.
22 The king was
angered by the news. No sooner had he been informed than he set out and came to
Ptolemais. He wrote to Jonathan, telling him to raise the siege and to meet him
for a conference in Ptolemais as soon as possible.
23 When Jonathan heard
this, he gave orders for the siege to continue; he then selected a deputation
from the elders of Israel and the priests, and took the deliberate risk
24 of himself taking
silver and gold, clothing and numerous other presents, and going to Ptolemais
to face the king, whose favour he succeeded in winning;
25 and although one or
two renegades of his nation brought charges against him,
26 the king treated
him as his predecessors had treated him, and promoted him in the presence of
all his friends.
27 He confirmed him in
the high-priesthood and whatever other distinctions he already held, and had
him ranked among the First Friends.
28 Jonathan asked the
king to exempt Judaea and the three Samaritan districts from taxation,
promising him three hundred talents in return.
29 The king consented,
and wrote Jonathan a rescript covering the whole matter, in these terms:
30 'King Demetrius to
Jonathan his brother, and to the Jewish nation, greetings.
31 'We have written to
Lasthenes our cousin concerning you, and now send you this copy of our rescript
for your own information:
32 "King
Demetrius to his father Lasthenes, greetings.
33 "The nation of
the Jews is our ally; they fulfil their obligations to us, and in view of their
goodwill towards us we have decided to show them our bounty.
34 We confirm them in
their possession of the territory of Judaea and the three districts of
Aphairema, Lydda and Ramathaim; these were annexed to Judaea from Samaritan
territory, with all their dependencies, in favour of all who offer sacrifice in
Jerusalem, instead of the royal dues which the king formerly received from them
every year, from the yield of the soil and the fruit crops.
35 As regards our
other rights over the tithes and taxes due to us, over the salt marshes, and
the crown taxes due to us, as from today we release them from them all.
36 None of these
grants will be revoked henceforth or anywhere.
37 You will make yourself
responsible for having a copy of this made, to be given to Jonathan and
displayed on the holy mountain in a conspicuous place." '
38 When King Demetrius
saw that the country was at peace under his rule and that no resistance was
offered him, he dismissed his forces, and sent all the men home, except for the
foreign troops that he had recruited in the foreign island, thus incurring the
enmity of the veterans who had served his ancestors.
39 Now Trypho, one of
Alexander's former supporters, noting that all the troops were muttering
against Demetrius, went to see Iamleku, the Arab who was bringing up Antiochus,
Alexander's young son,
40 and repeatedly
urged him to let him have the boy, so that he might succeed his father as king;
he told him of Demetrius' decision and of the resentment it had aroused among
his troops. He spent a long time there.
41 Jonathan,
meanwhile, sent to ask King Demetrius to withdraw the garrisons from the
Citadel in Jerusalem and from the other fortresses, since they were constantly
fighting Israel.
42 Demetrius sent word
back to Jonathan, 'Not only will I do this for you and for your nation, but I
shall heap honours on you and your nation if I find a favourable opportunity.
43 For the present,
you would do well to send me reinforcements, since all my troops have
deserted.'
44 Jonathan sent three
thousand experienced soldiers to him in Antioch; when they reached the king, he
was delighted at their arrival.
45 The citizens
crowded together in the centre of the city, to the number of some hundred and
twenty thousand, intending to kill the king.
46 The king took
refuge in the palace, while the citizens occupied the thoroughfares of the city
and began to attack.
47 The king then
called on the Jews for help; and these all rallied round him, then fanned out
through the city, and that day killed about a hundred thousand of its
inhabitants.
48 They fired the
city, seizing a great deal of plunder at the same time, and secured the king's
safety.
49 When the citizens
saw that the Jews had the city at their mercy, their courage failed them, and
they made an abject appeal to the king,
50 'Give us the right
hand of peace, and let the Jews stop their fight against us and the city.'
51 They threw down
their arms and made peace. The Jews were covered in glory, in the eyes of the
king and of everyone else in his kingdom. Having won renown in his kingdom,
they returned to Jerusalem laden with booty.
52 Thus, King
Demetrius sat all the more securely on his royal throne, and the country was
quiet under his government.
53 But he gave the lie
to all the promises he had made, and changed his attitude to Jonathan, giving
nothing in return for the services Jonathan had rendered him, but thwarting him
at every turn.
54 After this, Trypho
came back with the little boy Antiochus, who became king and was crowned.
55 All the troops that
Demetrius had summarily dismissed rallied to Antiochus, and made war on
Demetrius, who turned tail and fled.
56 Trypho captured the
elephants and seized Antioch.
57 Young Antiochus then
wrote as follows to Jonathan: 'I confirm you in the high-priesthood and set you
over the four districts and appoint you one of the Friends of the King.'
58 He sent him a
service of gold plate, and granted him the right to drink from gold vessels,
and to wear the purple and the golden brooch.
59 He appointed his
brother Simon commander-in-chief of the region from the Ladder of Tyre to the
frontiers of Egypt.
Tehillim
- Psalm 30:1-13
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. A
psalm; a song of dedication of the House, of David. |
1. A praise song for the
dedication of the sanctuary. Of David. |
|
2. I will
exalt You, O Lord, for You have raised me up, and You have not allowed my
enemies to rejoice over me. |
2. I will praise you, O
LORD, for you made me stand erect, and did not let my enemies rejoice over
me. |
|
3. O Lord,
I have cried out to You, and You have healed me. |
3. O LORD
my God, I prayed in Your presence and You healed me. |
|
4. O Lord,
You have brought my soul from the grave; You have revived me from my descent
into the Pit. |
4. O LORD,
You raised my soul out of Sheol; You preserved me from going down to the pit. |
|
5. Sing to
the Lord, His pious ones, and give thanks to His holy name. |
5. Sing
praise in the LORD's presence, you His devotees; and give thanks at the
invocation of His holy one. |
|
6. For His
wrath lasts but a moment; life results from His favor; in the evening,
weeping may tarry, but in the morning there is joyful singing. |
6. For His
anger is but a moment; eternal life is His good pleasure. In the evening one
goes to bed in tears, but in the morning one rises in praise. |
|
7. And I
said in my tranquility, "I will never falter." |
7. And I
said when I dwelt in trust, I will never be shaken. |
|
8. O Lord,
with Your will, You set up my mountain to be might, You hid Your countenance
and I became frightened. |
8. O LORD,
by Your will You prepared the mighty mountains; You removed Your presence, I
became afraid. |
|
9. To You,
O Lord, I would call, and to the Lord I would supplicate. |
9. In Your
presence, O LORD, I will cry out; and to You, O my God, I will pray. |
|
10. "What
gain is there in my blood, in my descent to the grave? Will
dust thank You; will it recite Your truth? |
10. And I
said, What profit is there in my blood, when I descend to the
grave? Can those who descend to the dust praise You? Will they tell of Your
faithfulness? |
|
11. Hear, O
Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my helper." |
11. Accept,
O LORD, my prayer, and have mercy on me; O LORD, be my helper. |
|
12. You
have turned my lament into dancing for me; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
12. You
turned my lament into my celebration; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
|
13. So that
my soul will sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will
thank You forever. |
13. Because
the nobles of the world will give You praise and not be silent, O LORD my
God, I too will give You praise. |
|
|
|
Special Ketubim Rosh Chodesh –
Proverbs 7:1-27
1 ¶ My son, keep my words, and
lay up my commandments with you.
2 Keep my commandments and
live, and my teaching as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them upon your fingers,
write them upon the table of thy heart.
4 Say unto wisdom: ‘You are my
sister’, and call understanding your kinswoman;
5 That they may keep you from
the strange woman, from the alien woman that makes smooth her words.
6 ¶ For at the window of my
house I looked forth through my lattice;
7 And I beheld among the
thoughtless ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of
understanding,
8 Passing through the street
near her corner, and he went the way to her house;
9 In the twilight, in the
evening of the day, in the blackness of night and the darkness.
10 And, behold, there met him a
woman with the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.
11 She is riotous and
rebellious, her feet abide not in her house;
12 Now she is in the streets,
now in the broad places, and lies in wait at every corner.
13 So she caught him, and
kissed him, and with an impudent face she said unto him:
14 ‘Sacrifices of
peace-offerings were due from me; this day have I paid my vows.
15 Therefore came I forth to
meet you, to seek your face, and I have found you.
16 I have decked my couch with
coverlets, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with
myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill
of love until the morning; let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 For my husband is not at home,
he is gone a long journey;
20 He has taken the bag of money
with him; he will come home at the appointed day (new moon).’
21 With her much fair speech
she causes him to yield, with the blandishment of her lips she entices him
away.
22 He goes after her
straightway, as an ox that goes to the slaughter, or as one in fetters to the
correction of the fool;
23 Till an arrow strike through
his liver; as a bird hastens to the snare—and knows not that it is at the cost
of his life.
24 ¶ Now therefore, O you
children, hearken unto me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart decline
to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
26 For she has cast down many
wounded; yes, a mighty host are all her slain.
27 Her house is the way to the
nether-world, going down to the chambers of death.
Psalm
27:1 - JPS
1 Of David. The LORD
is my light and my help; whom should I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my
life, whom should I dread?
Psalm
119:105 - JPS
105 Your word is a
lamp to my feet, a light for my path. (Psa 119:105)
1
John 4:13-21
Paqid
Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham
&
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
13 In this we know
that we tabernacle in him (the Master) and he (the Master) in us: that he (the
Master) has given to us of his spirit.
14 And we have seen
and bear witness that the Father has sent His son (i.e. the King Messiah of
Israel) as redeemer of the [pagan] world.
15 Whosoever
acknowledges that Yeshua is the son of God (i.e. the King Messiah of Israel),
God tabernacles in him and he in God.
16 And we have come to
know and have believed the love that God has for us [i.e. the Jewish people].
God is love (the numerical value of Ahavah and Echad = 13), and the one
who tabernacles in love [for the Jewish people] tabernacles in God, and
God tabernacles in him.
17 In this love is
achieved in us, [so] that we may have confidence in the day of judgment,
because just as he (i.e. the King Messiah of Israel) is [an agent of
G-d], so also are we [agents of G-d] in this [pagan] world.
18 There is no fear in
[the] love [of God and His Jewish people], but perfect love [of
God and His Jewish people] drives out fear [from anyone or anything],
because fear includes punishment, and the one who is afraid has not been
perfected in [the] love [of God and the Jewish people].
19 We love, because he
first loved us.
20 If anyone says,
"I love God," and hates his [Jewish] brother/sister, he is a
liar, for the one who does not love his [Jewish] brother/sister whom he
has seen is not able to love God whom he has not seen.
21 And this is the commandment we have from
him (i.e. the Master): that the one who loves God should love his [Jewish]
brother/sister also.
END OF THE READINGS
FOR THE SIXTH DAY OF HANUKA
Shabbat
“Seventh Day of Hanuka”
(Friday Evening
December 14, 2012 – Saurday Evening December 15, 2012)
Candle Lighting and Havdalah Times:
|
Conroe & Austin, TX, U.S. Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 5:14 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 6:12 PM |
Brisbane, Australia Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 6:20 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 7:19 PM |
Bucharest, Romania Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 4:18 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 5:26 PM |
|
Chattanooga, & Cleveland,
TN, U.S. Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 5:13 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 6:13 PM |
Jakarta, Indonesia Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 5:44 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 6:36 PM |
Manila & Cebu,
Philippines Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 5:11 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 6:04 PM |
|
Miami, FL, U.S. Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 5:14 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 6:09 PM |
Olympia, WA, U.S. Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 4:05 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 5:15 PM |
Murray, KY, & Paris, TN. U.S. Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 4:20 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 5:21 PM |
|
Sheboygan
& Manitowoc, WI, US Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 3:56 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 5:03 PM |
Singapore, Singapore Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 6:43 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 7:35 PM |
St. Louis, MO, U.S. Fri. Dec 14 2012 – Candles at 4:22 PM Sat. Dec 15 2012 – Habdalah 5:25PM |
|
|
|
|
For other places see: http://chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.asp
|
Shabbat |
Torah Reading: |
Weekday Torah Reading: |
|
בְּיוֹם
כַּלּוֹת
מֹשֶׁה |
|
|
|
“B’Yom
Khalot Mosheh” |
Reader 1 – B’Midbar 7:1-11 |
Reader 1 – B’resheet 44:18-20 |
|
“And on the
day Mosheh finished” |
Reader 2 – B’Midbar 7:12-23 |
Reader 2 – B’resheet 44:21-23 |
|
“En el día Moisés hubo acabado” |
Reader 3 – B’Midbar 7:24-29 |
Reader 3 – B’resheet 44:18-23 |
|
B’Midbar
(Num.) 7:1-59 & 28:1-15 |
Reader 4 – B’Midbar 7:30-35 |
|
|
Ashlamatah:
Zechariah 2:14 – 4:7 |
Reader 5 – B’Midbar 7:36-41 |
|
|
Special: Isaiah 9:1-2 |
Reader 6 – B’Midbar 7:42-47 |
Reader 1 – B’resheet 44:18-20 |
|
Psalm
30:1-13 |
Reader 7 – B’Midbar 7:48-59 |
Reader 2 – B’resheet 44:21-23 |
|
Yehudit (Judith) 13:1 – 14:19 1 Maccab. 11:60 – 13:47 |
Maftir – B’Midbar 28:1-15 |
Reader 3 – B’resheet 44:18-23 |
|
N.C.:
1 John
5:1-12 |
Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7 |
|
Rashi
& Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for:
B’Midbar (Numbers) 7:1-59
|
Rashi |
Targum
Pseudo Jonathan |
|
1. And it
was that on the day that Moses finished erecting the Mishkan, he anointed it,
sanctified it, and all its vessels, and the altar and all its vessels. |
1. And it was on the day
which begins the month of Nisan, when Mosheh had finished to rear up the
tabernacle, he took it not in pieces again, but anointed and consecrated it
and all its vessels, the altar and all the vessels thereof, and he anointed
them and hallowed them; |
|
2. The
chieftains of Israel, the heads of their fathers' houses, presented [their
offerings]. They were the leaders of the tribes. They were the ones who were
present during the counting, |
2. then
the leaders of Israel, who were the chiefs of the house of their fathers,
brought their offerings. These were they who had been appointed in Mizraim chiefs
over the numbered, |
|
3. They
brought their offering before the Lord: six covered wagons and twelve oxen, a
wagon for each two chieftains, and an ox for each one; they presented them in
front of the Mishkan. |
3. and
they brought their offering before the LORD; six wagons covered and fitted
up, and twelve oxen; one wagon for two princes and one ox for each. But
Mosheh was not willing to receive them, and they brought them before the
tabernacle. |
|
4. The
Lord spoke to Moses, saying: |
4. And the
Lord spoke with Mosheh, saying: |
|
5. Take
[it] from them, and let them be used in the service of the Tent of Meeting.
You shall give them to the Levites, in accordance with each man's work. |
5. Take
them, and let them be used for the need of the appointed (work), and let the
oxen and the wagons be for the work of the service of the tabernacle of
ordinance, and give them to the Levites, to each according to the measure of
his work. |
|
6. So
Moses took the wagons and the cattle and gave them to the Levites. |
6. And
Mosheh took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. |
|
7. He gave
two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their work. |
7. Two
wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to the amount
of their service, |
|
8. And he
gave four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, according to their
work under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. |
8. and
four wagons and eight oxen gave he to the sons of Merari, according to the
measure of their service, by the hand of Ithamar bar Aharon the priest. |
|
9. But to
the sons of Kohath he did not give, for incumbent upon them was the
work involving the holy [objects], which they were to carry on their
shoulders. |
9. But to
the sons of Kehath he gave neither wagons nor oxen, because on them was
laid the service of the sanctuary, to be carried on their shoulders. |
|
10. The
chieftains brought [offerings for] the dedication of the altar on the day it
was anointed; the chieftains presented their offerings in front of the altar. |
10. And the
princes offered at the dedication of the altar by anointing, on the day that
he anointed it did the princes present their oblations before the altar. |
|
11. The
Lord said to Moses: One chieftain each day, one chieftain each day, shall
present his offering for the dedication of the altar. |
11. And the
LORD said unto Mosheh, Let the princes offer each, one prince on one day,
their oblations at the dedication of the altar by anointing. |
|
12. The one
who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab of
the tribe of Judah. |
12. He who on the first
day presented his oblation was Nachshon bar Amminadab, prince of the house of
the fathers of the tribe Jehudah: |
|
13. And his
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
13. and his oblation which
he offered was one silver bowl, thickly embossed, (or, crusted,) in weight
one hundred and thirty shekels, in shekels of the sanctuary; one silver vase,
slightly embossed, of seventy shekels, in shekels of the sanctuary; both of
these vessels he brought filled with flour of the separation, sprinkled with
olive oil for a mincha; |
|
14. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels], filled with incense. |
14. one pan
(censer) weighing ten silver shekels, but it was itself of good gold; and he
brought it full of good sweet incense of the separation; |
|
15. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
15. one
young bullock of three years, one ram of two years, and one lamb of the year.
These three did the chief of the tribe Jehudah bring for a burnt offering; |
|
16. One young
he goat for a sin offering. |
16. one kid
of the goats he brought for a sin offering; |
|
17. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab. |
17. and for consecrated
victims, two oxen, five rams, five goats, lambs of the year five: this is the
order of the oblation which Nachshon bar Amminadab offered of his wealth. |
|
18. On the
second day, Nethanel the son of Zu'ar, the chieftain of Issachar brought [his
offering]. |
18. On the second day,
Nethanel bar Zuar, chief of the house of the fathers of the tribe Issakar,
brought his oblation. |
|
19. He
brought his offering of one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty
[shekels], one silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according
to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a
meal offering. |
19. He
brought his oblation after Jehudah by commandment of the Holy: one silver
dish thickly embossed, one hundred and thirty shekels, &c., as the first. |
|
20. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
20. |
|
21. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
21. |
|
22. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
22. |
|
23. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zu'ar. |
23. |
|
24. On the
third day, the chieftain was of the sons of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon. |
24. On the
third day, Eliab bar Helon, prince of the Benei Zebulon, offered. |
|
25. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
25. |
|
26. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
26. |
|
27. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
27. |
|
28. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
28. |
|
29. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon. |
29. |
|
30. On the
fourth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Reuben, Elitzur the son of
Shedeur. |
30. On the fourth, Elizur
bar Shedeur, prince of the Benei Reuben; |
|
31. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
31. |
|
32. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
32. |
|
33. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
33. |
|
34. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
34. |
|
35. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Elitzur the son of Shedeur. |
35. |
|
36. On the
fifth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of
Zurishaddai. |
36. on the
fifth, Shelumiel bar Zurishaddai, prince of Shemeon; |
|
37. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
37. |
|
38. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
38. |
|
39. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
39. |
|
40. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
40. |
|
41. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. |
41. |
|
42. On the
sixth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Gad, Eliasaph the son of De'uel. |
42. on the
sixth, Eljasaph bar Dehuel, prince of the Benei Gad; |
|
43. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
43. |
|
44. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
44. |
|
45. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
45. |
|
46. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
46. |
|
47. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Eliasaph the son of De'uel. |
47. |
|
48. On the
seventh day, the chieftain was of the sons of Ephraim, Elishama the son of
Ammihud. |
48. on the
seventh, Elishama bar Ammihud, prince of the Benei Ephraim; |
|
49. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
49. |
|
50. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
50. |
|
51. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
51. |
|
52. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
52. |
|
53. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud; |
43. |
|
54. On the
eighth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Manasseh, Gamliel the son of
Pedazhur. |
54. on the
eighth, Gamaliel bar Pedazur, prince of Menasheh; |
|
55. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
55. |
|
56. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
56. |
|
57. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
57. |
|
58. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
58. |
|
59. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Gamliel the son of Pedazhur. |
59. |
|
|
|
Rashi
& Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for:
B’Midbar (Numbers) 28:1-15
|
Rashi |
Targum
Pseudo Jonathan |
|
1. The
Lord spoke to: Moses, saying: |
1. And the LORD spoke with
Mosheh, saying: |
|
2. Command
the children of Israel and say to them: My offering, My food for My fire
offerings, a spirit of satisfaction for Me, you shall take care to offer to
Me at its appointed time. |
2. Instruct the children
of Israel, and say to them: The priests may eat of My oblation the bread of
the order of My table; but that which you offer upon My altar may no man eat.
Is there not a fire that will consume it? And it will be accepted before Me
as a pleasant smell. Sons of Israel, My people, be admonished to offer it
from the firstlings on the Sabbath, an oblation before Me in its time. |
|
3. And you
shall say to them: This is the fire offering which you shall offer to the
Lord: two unblemished lambs in their first year each day as a continual burnt
offering. |
3. And say to them: This
is the order of the oblations you will offer before the LORD; two lambs of
the year, unblemished, daily, a perpetual burnt offering. |
|
4. The one
lamb you shall offer up in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer up
in the afternoon. |
4. The one lamb you will
perform in the morning to make atonement for the sins of the night; and the
second lamb you will perform between the suns to atone for the sins of the
day; |
|
5. And one
tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with a quarter of
a hin of crushed [olive] oil. |
5. and the tenth of three
seahs of wheat flour as a mincha mingled with beaten olive oil, the fourth of
a hin. |
|
6. A
continual burnt offering, as the one offered up at Mount Sinai, for a spirit
of satisfaction, a fire offering to the Lord. |
6. It is a perpetual burnt
offering, such as was (ordained to be) offered at Mount Sinai, to be received
with favor as an oblation before the LORD. |
|
7. Its
libation shall be one quarter of a hin for each lamb, to be poured on the
holy [altar] as a libation of strong wine to the Lord. |
7. And its libation will
be the fourth of a hin for one lamb; from the vessels of the house of the
Sanctuary will it be outpoured, a libation of old wine. But if old wine may
not be found, bring wine of forty days to pour out before the LORD. |
|
8. And the
second lamb you shall offer up in the afternoon. You shall offer up it with
the same meal offering and libation as the morning [sacrifice], a fire
offering with a spirit of satisfaction to the Lord. |
8. And the second lamb you
will perform between the suns, according to the presentation of the morning,
and according to its oblation will you make the offering, that it may be
accepted with favor before the LORD. |
|
9. And on
the Sabbath day, two unblemished lambs in the first year, and two tenths fine
flour as a meal offering, mixed with oil, and its libation. |
9. but on the day of
Shabbat two lambs of the year without blemish, and two-tenths of flour mixed
with olive oil for the mincha and its libation. |
|
10. [This
is] the burnt offering of each Sabbath on its Sabbath, in addition to the
continual burnt offering and its libation. |
10. On the
Sabbath you will make a Sabbath burnt sacrifice in addition to the perpetual
burnt sacrifice and its libation. |
|
11. And on
the beginning of your months, you shall offer up a burnt offering to the
Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs in the first year, [all]
unblemished. |
11. And at
the beginning of your months you will offer a burnt sacrifice before the
LORD; two young bullocks, without mixture, one ram, lambs of the year seven,
unblemished; |
|
12. Three
tenths fine flour as a meal offering, mixed with oil for each bull, and two tenths
fine flour as a meal offering, mixed with oil for each ram. |
12. and
three tenths of flour mingled with oil for the mincha for one bullock; two
tenths of flour with olive oil for the mincha of the one ram; |
|
13. And one
tenth of fine flour mixed with oil as a meal offering for each lamb. A burnt
offering with a spirit of satisfaction, a fire offering to the Lord. |
13. and
one tenth of flour with olive oil for the mincha for each lamb of the burnt
offering, an oblation to be received with favor before the LORD. |
|
14. And
their libations: a half of a hin for each bull, a third of a hin for each
ram, and a quarter of a hin for each lamb; this is the burnt offering of each
new month in its month, throughout the months of the year. |
14. And for
their libation to be offered with them, the half of a bin for a bullock, the
third of a bin for the ram, and the fourth of a hin for a lamb, of the wine
of grapes. This burnt sacrifice will be offered at the beginning of every
month in the time of the removal of the beginning of every month in the year; |
|
15. And one
young male goat for a sin offering to the Lord; it shall be offered up in
addition to the continual burnt offering and its libation. |
15. and one
kid of the goats, for a sin offering before the LORD at the disappearing
(failure) of the moon, with the perpetual burnt sacrifice will you perform
with its libation. |
|
|
|
Welcome
to the World of P’shat Exegesis
In order to understand
the finished work of the P’shat mode of interpretation of the Torah, one needs
to take into account that the P’shat is intended to produce a catechetical
output, whereby a question/s is/are raised and an answer/a is/are given using the
seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel and as well as the laws of Hebrew Grammar
and Hebrew expression.
The Seven Hermeneutic
Laws of R. Hillel are as follows
[cf. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=472&letter=R]:
1. Ḳal va-ḥomer: "Argumentum a
minori ad majus" or "a majori ad minus"; corresponding to the
scholastic proof a fortiori.
2. Gezerah shavah: Argument from
analogy. Biblical passages containing synonyms or homonyms are subject, however
much they differ in other respects, to identical definitions and applications.
3. Binyan ab mi-katub
eḥad:
Application of a provision found in one passage only to passages which are
related to the first in content but do not contain the provision in question.
4. Binyan ab mi-shene
ketubim:
The same as the preceding, except that the provision is generalized from two
Biblical passages.
5. Kelal u-Peraṭ
and Peraṭ u-kelal:
Definition of the general by the particular, and of the particular by the
general.
6. Ka-yoẓe bo
mi-maḳom aḥer:
Similarity in content to another Scriptural passage.
7. Dabar ha-lamed
me-'inyano:
Interpretation deduced from the context.
Rashi Commentary for: B’Midbar (Numbers) 7:1-59
1 And it
was that on the day that Moses finished Heb. כַּלּוֹת . The text כַּלּוֹת on the day the Mishkan was erected, the Israelites
were like a bride (כַּלּוֹת) entering the nuptial canopy.-[Tanchuma Naso 20,
26, Pesikta Rabbathi 5:5, Pesikta d’Rav Kahana p. 6a, and other sources]
[According to Tanchuma, the derash is based on the spelling כַּלַּת , which differs from the spelling in all extant sifrei Torah.
Some believe that the derash is based on the vowelization כַּלוֹת , instead כְּלוֹת , which would clearly mean “finishing.” Heidenheim
believes that the choice of the word כַּלוֹת , the root of which is ambiguous, indicates the
intention of the Torah to include both meanings: finishing and nuptials. See
fn. 104, to Pesikta d’Rav Kahana.
Moses
finished Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the wise-hearted [men] assembled the
Mishkan, yet Scripture credits Moses with it, because he utterly devoted
himself to it, overseeing that the design of each article conformed with what
he was shown on the mount [Sinai], to instruct the craftsmen, and he did not
err in any design. Similarly, we find with David, that since he devoted himself
to the building of the Temple, as it says, “O Lord, remember for David all his
affliction, that he swore to the Lord...” (Ps. 132:1-2), therefore, it [the
Temple] was called by his name, as it says, “See your House, David” (I Kings
12:16). -[See Midrash Tanchuma Naso 21]
[On the
day] that Moses finished erecting It does not say: “On the day he erected.”
This teaches us that throughout the seven days of investitures, Moses erected
it and dismantled it, but on that day he erected it but did not dismantle it.
Therefore, it says, "Moses finished erecting"—that day marked the end
of his erecting [the Mishkan]. It was the New Moon of Nissan. On the second
[day], the red cow was burned; on the third [day], they sprinkled the first
sprinkling (See below ch. 19); and on the seventh [day], they [the Levites]
were shaved (see below 5:7). -[Sifrei 1:145]
2 They
were the leaders of the tribes They were the officers [appointed] over them in
Egypt, and they were beaten on account of them, as it says, “The officers of
the children of Israel were beaten” (Exod. 5:14). [Rashi interprets הַמַּטּֽת as “the sticks.” Hence, נְשִׂיאֵי הַמַּטּֽת means “the chieftains who were beaten with
sticks.”] -[Sifrei 1:145]
who were
present during the counting They stood with Moses and Aaron when they counted
the Israelites, as it says, “With you [Moses and Aaron] there shall be [a man
from each tribe]” (Num. 1:4).
3 six
covered wagons The word צָב can denote only “covered.” Similarly, “In covered wagons (בַּצַּבִּים) and on mules” (Isa. 66:20). Covered wagons are
called צַבִּים . [Some expound the word צָב in the sense of הַצְבִי
יִשְׂרָאֵל , “O beauty of Israel” (II Sam. 1:19), (meaning)
that they were elegant.] - [Sifrei Naso 1:148, Num. Rabbah 12:17. See
Maharzav.]
they
presented them in front of the Mishkan for Moses did not accept them from their
hands until he was instructed to do so by the Omnipresent. Rabbi Nathan says:
Why did the chieftains see fit to be the first to contribute here, whereas
concerning the work of the Mishkan, they were not the first to contribute [but
the last]? However, the chieftains said as follows, “Let the people contribute
what they can, and then we will complement whatever is missing.” When they saw
that the people had supplied everything—as it says, “And the work was
sufficient for them” (Exod. 36:7)—they said, “What is left for us to do now?”
So they brought the shoham stones and the filling [stones] for the ephod and
the choshen. Therefore, [in order to make amends,] here they were first to
contribute.-[Sifrei Naso 1:150]
7
according to their work Because the burden of the sons of Gershon was lighter
than that of [the sons of] Merari, who carried the planks, the pillars, and the
sockets.
9 for
incumbent upon them was the work involving the holy [objects] [I.e.,] the
burden of the holy objects [such as] the ark and the table, etc. [was incumbent
upon them]. Therefore “they were to carry on their shoulders” [and not in
wagons].
10 The
chieftains brought [offerings for] the dedication of the altar After they had
contributed the wagons and the oxen for carrying the Mishkan, they were
inspired to contribute offerings for the altar to dedicate it.
the
chieftains presented their offerings in front of the altar For Moses did not
accept it from their hands until instructed to do so by the Almighty.-[Sifrei
Naso 1:152]
11 shall
present his offering for the dedication of the altar But Moses still did not
know how they should bring [the offerings], whether in the order of their
births [namely, the order in which Jacob’s sons were born] or according to the
order in which they traveled—until he was instructed by the Holy One, blessed
is He, that they should bring the offerings according to the order in which
they traveled, each one in his day.-[Sifrei Naso 1:152]
12 on the
first day That day acquired ten crowns; it was the first day of Creation, the
first day of the [offerings of the] chieftains, etc., as it is stated in Seder
Olam.
of the
tribe of Judah Scripture traces his kinship to his tribe, but not that he
solicited [the offering] from his tribe and then offered it up. Or perhaps it
says, “of the tribe of Judah” to teach that he indeed solicited [the offering]
from his tribe and then brought [it]? Scripture therefore states, “This was the
offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab” (verse 17), [to teach us that] he
brought from his own [resources].-[Sifrei Naso 1:153, 157]
13 both
filled with fine flour for a voluntary meal offering.-[Sifrei Naso 1:155]
14 ten
gold [shekels] Heb. עֲשָָׂרָה זָהָב . As Targum [Onkelos] renders: it contained the
weight of ten [shekels of] gold according to the holy shekel.
filled
with incense We never find incense brought by an individual or on the outer
[i.e., copper] altar except in this case; this was a temporary order.- [Men.
50a]
15 One
young bull The choice of the herd.-[Sifrei Naso 1:146]
16 One
young he-goat for a sin-offering to atone for [uncleanness caused by] a grave
in the depths [i.e., an unknown grave which may lie in the earth over which
people unknowingly pass, rendering them unclean],which is a [case of] uncertain
contamination. -[Sifrei Naso 1:156]
18 Nethanel
the son of Zu’ar... brought...
19 He
brought his offering Why is the word הִקְרִב , “brought [his offering],” used in connection
with the tribe of Issachar, but is not used in connection with any of the
[other] tribes? Because [the tribe of] Reuben came and complained, “Is it not
enough that my brother Judah has preceded me? Let me [at least] offer up after
him.” Moses said to him, “I was told by the Almighty that they should offer up
in the order in which they travel, according to their divisions.” This is why
it says: אֶת־קָרְבָּנוֹ הִקְרִב , [in which the word הִקְרִב is] missing a “yud,” [thus] giving it the meaning
of הַקְרִב , in the imperative—for he was commanded by the
Almighty, “Bring the offering!” (Sifrei Naso 1:158) What is the meaning of הִקְרִב ... הִקְרִב , twice? For because of two reasons he [Issachar]
merited to be the second of the tribes to offer their sacrifices: One, because
they were [well] versed in the Torah, as it says, “And of the sons of Issachar,
those who had understanding of the times” (I Chron. 12:32). Another, because
they advised the chieftains to contribute these offerings (Sifrei). In the
writings of Rabbi Moses Hadarshan ["the preacher"], I found [the
following]: Rabbi Phinehas the son of Yair says [that] Nethaniel the son of
Zu’ar gave them this idea.
one
silver bowl Heb. קַעֲרַתכֶּסֶף . The numerical value of [the two words] in
gematria amounts to nine hundred and thirty, corresponding to the years of
Adam, the first man (Gen. 5:5). ק = 100 ע = 70 ר = 200 ת =400 כ = 20 ס = 60 פ = 80 - = 930
weighing
one hundred and thirty shekels Alluding to the fact that when he [Adam] began
to raise a family to maintain the existence of the world, he was one hundred
and thirty years old, as it says, “Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and
he begot...” (Gen. 5:3).
one
silver sprinkling basin Heb. מִזְרָק
אֶחָד כֶּסֶף . The gematria of these[three words] is five
hundred and twenty- מ = 40 ז = 7 ר = 200 ק = 100 א = 1 ח = 8 ד = 4 כ = 20 ס = 60 פ = 80 - =520 alluding to Noah, who began raising a family at the
age of five hundred, and alluding to the twenty years before his children were
born in which the decree of the [Great] Flood was enacted, as I explained [to
be the meaning of the verse], “His days shall be one hundred and twenty years”
(Gen. 6:3). This is why it says מִזְרָק
אֶחָד כֶּסֶף rather than מִזְרָק כֶּסֶף
אֶחָד , as it says in the case of the [silver] bowl [i.e., קַעֲרַתכֶּסֶף אַַחַת ], to tell us that even the letters of [the word] אֶחָד are included in the calculation.
seventy
shekels Corresponding to the seventy nations who emanated from his [Noah’s]
sons.
20 One
spoon Corresponding to the Torah, which was given by the hand of the Holy One,
blessed is He. [ כַּף also means “hand.”]
ten gold
[shekels] Corresponding to the Ten Commandments.
filled
with incense - קְטֽרֶת . The gematria of קְטֽרֶת [i.e., 613] corresponds to the six hundred and
thirteen commandments—provided that you convert the “chaph” into a “daleth” in
accordance with the cipher known as, ק “ ד ר ” ג ש “ ב ת ” א [in which the first and last letters of the alphabet are
interchangeable, the second and the second-to-last letters, etc. Thus, ד = 4 ט = 9 ר =200 ת = 400 totalling 613].
21 One
young bull Corresponding to Abraham, of whom it says, “He took a young bull”
(Gen. 18:7).
one ram
Corresponding to Isaac [of whom it says,] “and took the ram [and offered it up
as a burnt offering instead of his son]...” (Gen. 22:13).
one lamb
Corresponding to Jacob, [about whom it says,] “Jacob separated the lambs” (Gen.
30:40).
22 One
young he-goat to atone for the sale of Joseph, about which it says, “and they
slaughtered a kid” (Gen. 37:31).
23 And
for the peace-offering: two oxen Corresponding to Moses and Aaron, who
established peace between Israel and their Father in heaven.
Rams...he-goats...lambs
Three types, corresponding to kohanim, Levites, and Israelites, and
corresponding to the Torah, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings. The three
fives [in this verse] correspond to the five books of the Pentateuch, to the
five commandments inscribed on the first tablet, and the five commandments
inscribed on the second one. Until this point, [my comments were] in the name
of Rabbi Moses Hadarshan [the preacher].
24 On the
third day, the chieftain... On the third day, the chieftain who brought the
offering was from the sons of Zebulun, and so with all of them. However,
regarding Nethanel, about whom it states, הִקְרִיב
נְתַנְאֵל , “Nethanel... brought,” it is appropriate to
follow it with the phrase “the chieftain of Issachar” [unlike the other
instances, where the verse refers to the chieftain as “the chieftain of the
sons of so-and- so,” followed by his name], since his name and what he had
offered has already been mentioned. Concerning the others, where it does not
say: הִקְרִיב , “he offered,” the appropriate wording is this,
"the chieftain was of the sons of so-and-so"—that day, the chieftain
who brought his offering was from such-and-such a tribe. [Why the word הִקְרִיב is written only in reference to Nethanel is
discussed above on verses 18 and 19.]
Tehillim
- Psalm 30:1-13
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. A
psalm; a song of dedication of the House, of David. |
1. A praise song for the
dedication of the sanctuary. Of David. |
|
2. I will
exalt You, O Lord, for You have raised me up, and You have not allowed my
enemies to rejoice over me. |
2. I will praise you, O
LORD, for you made me stand erect, and did not let my enemies rejoice over
me. |
|
3. O Lord,
I have cried out to You, and You have healed me. |
3. O LORD
my God, I prayed in Your presence and You healed me. |
|
4. O Lord,
You have brought my soul from the grave; You have revived me from my descent
into the Pit. |
4. O LORD,
You raised my soul out of Sheol; You preserved me from going down to the pit. |
|
5. Sing to
the Lord, His pious ones, and give thanks to His holy name. |
5. Sing
praise in the LORD's presence, you His devotees; and give thanks at the
invocation of His holy one. |
|
6. For His
wrath lasts but a moment; life results from His favor; in the evening,
weeping may tarry, but in the morning there is joyful singing. |
6. For His
anger is but a moment; eternal life is His good pleasure. In the evening one
goes to bed in tears, but in the morning one rises in praise. |
|
7. And I
said in my tranquility, "I will never falter." |
7. And I
said when I dwelt in trust, I will never be shaken. |
|
8. O Lord,
with Your will, You set up my mountain to be might, You hid Your countenance
and I became frightened. |
8. O LORD,
by Your will You prepared the mighty mountains; You removed Your presence, I
became afraid. |
|
9. To You,
O Lord, I would call, and to the Lord I would supplicate. |
9. In Your
presence, O LORD, I will cry out; and to You, O my God, I will pray. |
|
10. "What
gain is there in my blood, in my descent to the grave? Will
dust thank You; will it recite Your truth? |
10. And I
said, What profit is there in my blood, when I descend to the
grave? Can those who descend to the dust praise You? Will they tell of Your
faithfulness? |
|
11. Hear, O
Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my helper." |
11. Accept,
O LORD, my prayer, and have mercy on me; O LORD, be my helper. |
|
12. You
have turned my lament into dancing for me; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
12. You
turned my lament into my celebration; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
|
13. So that
my soul will sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will
thank You forever. |
13. Because
the nobles of the world will give You praise and not be silent, O LORD my
God, I too will give You praise. |
|
|
|
Rashi’s Commentary for: Psalm 30:1-13
1 A song
of dedication of the House which the Levites will say at the dedication of the
House in the days of Solomon.
2 I will
exalt You, O Lord, for You have raised me up Heb. דליתני , You have lifted me on high.
and You
have not allowed my enemies to rejoice over me Heb. לי , like עלי , over me, for they would say, “David has no share
in the world to come,” but when they saw that the doors opened for the Ark
because of me, then they knew that the Holy One, blessed be He, had forgiven me
for that sin, and the faces of David’s enemies became as black as the bottom of
a pot.
3 and You
have healed me That is the forgiving of iniquity, as (in Isa. 6:10),
“and he repent and be healed.”
4 from my
descent into the Pit, etc. Heb. מירדי , like מִיְרִדָתִי , from my descent into the Pit, that I should not
descend into Gehinnom.
5 Sing to
the Lord, His pious ones about what He did for me, because you can take refuge
in Him, and He will benefit you; and even if you are experiencing pain, have no
fear.
6
For...but a moment [For] His wrath lasts but a short [moment]; life
results from His favor, there is long life in appeasing and placating Him.
7 And I
said in my tranquility In my tranquility, I thought that I would never
falter. However, the matter is not in my power, but in the power of the Holy
One, blessed be He. With His will, He set up my mountain, my greatness to be
[my] mightbut when He hid His countenance from me, I was immediately
frightened.
9 To You,
O Lord, I would call I would call to You and supplicate constantly, saying
before You: “What gain is there in my blood, etc.,” and You heard my voice and
turned my lament into dancing for me.
12 You
loosened Heb. פתחת , alachas in Old French, to release, like (Gen.
24:32): “and he untied (ויפתח) the camels.” Our Sages, however, explained the entire psalm as
referring to Mordecai, Esther, and Haman, in Pesikta Zuta.
and I
said in my tranquility Haman said this.
To You, O
Lord, I would call Esther said this etc. until “be my helper.”
You
turned my lament into dancing for me Mordecai and all Israel said this.
Ashlamatah:
Zechariah 2:14 – 4:7
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
14. Sing
and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for, behold! I will come and dwell in your
midst, says the Lord. |
14. “Rejoice and be glad,
O congregation of Zion, for behold, I will reveal Myself and I will make My
Shekhinah dwell in your midst” says the LORD. |
|
15. And
many nations shall join the Lord on that day, and they shall be My people;
and I will dwell in your midst and you shall know that the Lord of Hosts sent
me to you. |
15. And many Gentiles will
be added to the people of the LORD at that time, and they will be for a
people before Me, and I will make My Shekhinah dwell in your midst; and you
will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent me to prophesy to you. |
|
16. And the
Lord shall inherit Judah as His share on the Holy Land, and He shall again
choose Jerusalem. |
16. And the LORD will make
the people of the house of Judah to inherit their portion in the holy land
and will again take pleasure in Jerusalem. |
|
17. Silence
all flesh from before the Lord, for He is aroused out of His holy habitation. |
17. All the wicked/Lawless
have perished from before the LORD, for He has revealed Himself from His holy
abode. |
|
|
|
|
1. And He
showed me Joshua, the High Priest, standing before the angel of the Lord. And
Satan was standing on his right, to accuse him. |
1. And He showed me Joshua
the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD and the Accuser
standing at His right hand to accuse him. |
|
2. And the Lord said to
Satan: The Lord shall rebuke you, O Satan; and the Lord shall rebuke you, He
who chose Jerusalem. Is this one not a brand plucked from fire? |
2. And the LORD said to
the Accuser, “The LORD rebuke you, O Accuser! May the LORD who has been
pleased to make His Shekhinah dwell in Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a
brand rescued from the burning?” |
|
3. Now Joshua was wearing
filthy garments and standing before the angel. |
3. And Joshua had sons who
had married wives who were unsuitable for priests, and he was standing before
the angel. |
|
4. And he
[the angel] raised his voice and said to those standing before him, saying,
"Take the filthy garments off him." And he said to him, "See,
I have removed your iniquity from you, and I have clad you with clean
garments." |
4. And he answered and
spoke to those in attendance before him, saying, Speak to him and let him
drive out from his house the wives who are unsuitable for priests, and he
said to him, Look, for I have removed your sins from you and have clothed you
with righteous/generous deeds. |
|
5. And I said, "Let
them put a pure miter on his head," and they put the pure miter on his
head. And they had clothed him with garments while the angel of the Lord was
standing. |
5. And he said, “Set a
clean turban upon his head.” And they set a clean turban upon his head, and
made him marry a wife who was suitable for a priest; and the angel of the
LORD was standing by. |
|
6. And the angel of the
Lord warned Joshua, saying, |
6. And the angel of the
LORD charged Joshua, saying: |
|
7. So said the Lord of
Hosts: If you walk in My ways, and if you keep My charge, you, too, shall
judge My house, and you, too, shall guard My courtyards, and I will give you
free access among these who stand by. |
7. “Thus says the LORD of
Hosts, ‘If you walk in paths which are good before Me, and if you keep the
charge of My Memra, then you will judge those who serve in My Sanctuary, and
you will have charge of My courts, and at the resurrection of the dead I will
raise you to life and will give you feet to walk among the Seraphim. |
|
8. Hearken,
now, O Joshua the High Priest-you and your companions who sit before you, for
they are men worthy of a miracle-for, behold! I bring My servant, the Shoot. |
8. Hear now, Joshua the
high priest, you and your companions who sit before you, for they are men who
are worthy that a sign be performed for them; for behold I will bring My
servant the anointed One (Messiah), and he will be revealed. |
|
9. For,
behold the stone that I have placed before Joshua. Seven eyes are directed to
one stone. Behold! I untie its knots, says the Lord of Hosts, and I will
remove the iniquity of that land in one day. |
9. For behold, the stone
which I have set before Joshua, upon one stone are seven facets; behold I
will reveal its facets’, says the LORD of Hosts, ‘and I will remove the sin
of that land in one day.’ |
|
10. On that day, says the
Lord of Hosts, you shall call-each man to his neighbor-to come under his vine
and under his fig tree. |
10. ‘At that time’, says
the LORD of Hosts, ‘you will call each to his neighbor under the fruit of his
vines and under the fruit of his fig trees.’”
|
|
|
|
|
1. And the angel who spoke
with me returned, and he awakened me as a man who wakes up from his sleep. |
1. And the angel who was
speaking with me returned and roused me like a man that is roused from his
sleep. |
|
2. And he said to me,
"What do you see?" And I said, "I saw, and behold [there was]
a candelabrum all of gold, with its oil-bowl on top of it, and its seven
lamps thereon; seven tubes each to the lamps that were on top of it. |
2. And he said to me,
“What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and behold, a menorah all of gold and
a bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps which are upon it, seven, and
seven pipes which pour oil from them to the lamps which are on top of it; |
|
3. And [there were] two
olive trees near it; one on the right of the bowl, and one on its left. |
3. and two olive trees
which are beside it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” |
|
4. So I answered and spoke
to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?" |
4. And I answered and
spoke to the angel who was talking with me, saying, “What are these my lord?” |
|
5. And the
angel who spoke with me answered, and he said to me, "Do you not know
what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." |
5. And the angel who was
speaking with me, answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?”
And I said, “No, my lord.” |
|
6. And he
answered and spoke to me, saying, "This is the word of the Lord to
Zerubbabel, saying: 'Not by military force and not by physical strength, but
by My spirit,' says the Lord of Hosts. |
6. And he answers and
spoke to me, saying, “This is the Word of the LORD with Zerubbabel, saying,
‘Not by strength, nor by might, but by My Memra’, says the LORD of Hosts. |
|
7. Who are
you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you sink to a plain! He will bring
out the stone of the main architect, with shouts of grace, grace to
it." |
7. What are you reckoned,
O foolish kingdom? Are you not like a plain before Zerubbabel? And He will
reveal His anointed One (Messiah), whose name was told from old, and he will
rule over all kingdoms.” |
|
|
|
Rashi’s Commentary for: Zechariah
2:14 – 4:7
15 And many
nations shall join many Gentiles will
join.
16 And the Lord
shall inherit Judah as His inheritance and His share.
17 Silence all
flesh All the rest of the nations.
for He is aroused An expression [denoting]
arousal and awakening.
Chapter 3
1 to accuse him
To accuse him because his sons were married to gentile women, as it is written
in the Book of Ezra (10:18): “And it was found of the sons of the priests who
had taken foreign wives, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, etc.”
2 The Lord shall
rebuke you, O Satan The Holy One, blessed be He, shall rebuke you, O you
Satan (and then he repeated and said: The Lord shall rebuke you, He who chose
Jerusalem Moharaz Margolioth); and He
Who rebukes you is the One Who chose Jerusalem, that you shall not enter before
Him to accuse this righteous man. Is he not fit, and has he not merited this?
For he was saved from the consuming fire.
Is this one not a brand plucked from fire? It is
related in the Aggadah of [chapter] Helek
Helek (Sanh. 93a) that he [Joshua] was
cast into the fire with Ahab son of Kolaiah and his colleague.
3 was wearing
filthy garments This is to be explained according to the Targum: He had
sons who had married women who were unfit [to marry into] the priesthood, and
he was punished because he did not interfere with the [sons’ marriages].
4 “Take the
filthy garments off him.” Let his sons separate from their wives, and he
will be forgiven.
clean garments A change of beautiful
garments; i.e., merits. Since he compared the iniquity to filthy garments, he
compares the merit to clean garments; beautiful, white garments.
5 And I said
I, Zechariah.
“Let them put a pure miter, etc.” I begged
mercy for him.
6 warned an
expression of warning, as in (Deut. 31:28): “And I will warn them before the
heaven and the earth.”
7 If you walk in
My ways, etc. Then I, too, will do this for you.
you, too, shall judge My house You
shall judge and be the officer over My Temple.
and I will give you free access
According to the Targum: and when the dead will be resurrected, I will
resurrect you; and I will give you walkers who walk among these seraphim.
According to its simple meaning, he brings him tidings that his sons will be
meritorious in the future.
who stand by Seraphim and ministering angels, who never sit.
8 you and your
companions They were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
for they are men worthy of a miracle [Jonathan renders:] Men worthy to have
miracles performed for them, for a miracle was performed for them, too.
for, behold! I bring My servant, the Shoot For now
Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, is insignificant in the king’s court, but I
will make his greatness burgeon. I will also give him favor in the eyes of the
king, so that he will grant [Zerubbabel’s] request for the building of the
Temple and the city, as explained in Nehemiah (1:1): “The words of Nehemiah,
the son of Hachaliah.” Nehemiah was identical with Zerubbabel, as we say in Sanhedrin (38a).
9 For, behold
the stone The foundation of the house that you laid in the days of Cyrus -
they stopped you, and that foundation and the thickness of the wall appeared
little in your sight, as explained in Ezra (3:12f.) and in the prophecy of
Haggai (2:2f.).
Seven eyes are directed to one stone It will
eventually be widened seven times as much. And so did Jonathan render: On one stone, seven eyes see it. The expression of
עינים is an expression of appearances. It appears to me
that the seven eyes are because of the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He in
Whose eyes and heart it is [planned] to add seven times as much because of the
prophecy similar to this one (4:10): “And they shall see the plummet in the hand
of Zerubbabel these seven times; the eyes of the Lord they are roving to and
fro throughout the land.” This is but to say that He directed His eyes to
increase the glory of the Temple in its building.
Behold! I untie its knots I untie
its knots I thwart the plot of the enemies who wrote an accusation to stop the
work.
and I will remove Heb. ומשתי.
in one day I do not know what day.
Chapter 4
2 with its oil -
bowl on top of it as in (Josh. 15:19): “The upper springs”. This is an
expression for a spring, [hence] a sort of large round bowl.
and its seven lamps A type of vessel into which
oil and wicks are inserted.
seven tubes each Seven small tubes come to
every lamp, for the oil flows from the bowl through those tubes into each lamp.
3 And [there
were] two olive trees near it Beside it were two trees upon which olives
were growing, one on the right of the bowl, one on the its left, etc. Here [the
prophet] does not explain about the two golden vats mentioned below in the
chapter, which are the sorts of bowls or vats of the oil press. [These vats]
stand beside the olive trees. The olives beat themselves into the vats and are
heated there as [if] in a vat or pit where olives are generally packed. There
they are pressed in the oil press, and the oil falls into the vats, and from
the vats into the bowl, and from the bowl into the tubes, and from the tubes
into the lamps. The tubes and the lamps number forty-nine, an allusion to the
light, for in the future the light of the sun will be sevenfold the light of
the seven days forty-nine times the light of a day of Creation.
4 “What are
these, my Lord?” What is this, that the olive trees are picked by
themselves, and the oil comes into the lamps by itself?
6 “This is the
word of the Lord to Zerubbabel” This is a sign for you to promise
Zerubbabel that just as the olives and this oil are finished by themselves in
all respects, so will you not build My house with your [own] power or with your
[own] strength.
but by My spirit I will place My spirit upon
Darius, and he will command you to build and to pay all the building expenses
from his [treasury]; and [he will] help you with wheat, wine, oil, and wood, as
is explained in Ezra (6, 7): They required no aid from any man.
7 Who are you, O
great mountain? You, the princes of the other side of the river Tattenai,
the governor of the other side of the river; Shethar Bozenai, and their
companions (Ezra 6:6), who have stopped the work until now - from now on you
shall be before Zerubbabel as a plain; you have no more ruling power or
superiority over him.
He will bring out the stone of the main architect The main
architect will take the plummet in his hand to be the main architect at the
head of the builders, and they will build everything according to his words
[everything] that he will order concerning a beautiful and glorious building.
with shouts of grace, grace to it To that
stone, for everyone will say, “How beautiful is this building that was made
with this plummet.” [The expression] “shouts of grace” is as (Job 39:7) “the
shouts of a driver,” and (Isa. 66:6) “a sound of stirring” both of which are
expressions of making a voice heard.
Yehudit (Judith) 13:1
– 14:19
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
NJB Judith 13:1 It grew late and his staff
hurried away. Bagoas closed the tent from the outside, having shown out those
who still lingered in his lord's presence. They went to their beds wearied with
too much drinking,
2 and Judith was left alone in the tent with Holofernes
who had collapsed wine-sodden on his bed.
3 Judith then told her maid to stay just
outside the bedroom and wait for her to come out, as she did every morning. She
had let it be understood she would be going out to her prayers and had also
spoken of her intention to Bagoas.
4 By now everyone had left Holofernes, and no
one, either important or unimportant, was left in the bedroom. Standing beside
the bed, Judith murmured to herself: Lord God, to whom all strength belongs,
prosper what my hands are now to do for the greater glory of Jerusalem;
5 now is the time to recover your heritage and
to further my plans to crush the enemies arrayed against us.
6 With that she went up to the bedpost by
Holofernes' head and took down his scimitar;
7 coming closer to the bed she caught him by
the hair and said, 'Make me strong today, Lord God of Israel!'
8 Twice she struck at his neck with all her
might, and cut off his head.
9 She then rolled his body off the bed and
pulled down the canopy from the bedposts. After which, she went out and gave
the head of Holofernes to her maid
10 who put it in her food bag. The two then
left the camp together, as they always did when they went to pray. Once they
were out of the camp, they skirted the ravine, climbed the slope to Bethulia
and made for the gates.
11 From a distance, Judith shouted to the
guards on the gates, 'Open the gate! Open! For the Lord our God is with us
still, displaying his strength in Israel and his might against our enemies, as
he has done today!'
12 Hearing her voice, the townsmen hurried
down to the town gate and summoned the elders.
13 Everyone, great and small, came running
down, since her arrival was unexpected. They threw the gate open, welcomed the
women, lit a fire to see by and crowded round them.
14 Then Judith raised her voice and said,
'Praise God! Praise him! Praise the God who has not withdrawn his mercy from
the House of Israel, but has shattered our enemies by my hand tonight!'
15 She pulled the head out of the bag and held
it for them to see. 'This is the head of Holofernes, general-in-chief of the
Assyrian army; here is the canopy under which he lay drunk! The Lord has struck
him down by the hand of a woman!
16 Glory to the Lord who has protected me in
the course I took! My face seduced him, only to his own undoing; he committed
no sin with me to shame me or disgrace me.'
17 Overcome with emotion, the people all
prostrated themselves and worshipped God, exclaiming with one voice, 'Blessings
on you, our God, for confounding your people's enemies today!'
18 Uzziah then said to Judith: May you be
blessed, my daughter, by God Most High, beyond all women on earth; and blessed
be the Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth, who guided you to cut off the
head of the leader of our enemies!
19 The trust which you have shown will not
pass from human hearts, as they commemorate the power of God for evermore.
20 God grant you may be always held in honour
and rewarded with blessings, since you did not consider your own life when our
nation was brought to its knees, but warded off our ruin, walking in the right
path before our God. And the people all said, 'Amen! Amen!'
NJB Judith 14:1 Judith said, 'Listen to me,
brothers. Take this head and hang it on your battlements.
2 When morning comes and the sun is up, let
every man take his arms and every able-bodied man leave the town. Appoint a
leader for them, as if you meant to march down to the plain against the Assyrian
advanced post. But you must not do this.
3 The Assyrians will gather up their
equipment, make for their camp and wake up their commanders; they in turn will
rush to the tent of Holofernes and not be able to find him. They will then be
seized with panic and flee at your advance.
4 All you and the others who live in the
territory of Israel will have to do is to give chase and slaughter them as they
retreat.
5 'But before you do this, call me Achior the
Ammonite, for him to see and identify the man who held the House of Israel in
contempt, the man who sent him to us as someone already doomed to die.'
6 So they had Achior brought from Uzziah's
house. No sooner had he arrived and seen the head of Holofernes held by a
member of the people's assembly than he fell on his face in a faint.
7 They lifted him up. He then threw himself at
Judith's feet and, prostrate before her, exclaimed: May you be blessed in all
the tents of Judah and in every nation; those who hear your name will be seized
with dread!
8 'Now tell me everything that you have done
in these past few days.' And surrounded by the people, Judith told him
everything she had done from the day she left Bethulia to the moment when she
was speaking.
9 When she came to the end, the people cheered
at the top of their voices until the town echoed.
10 Achior, recognising all that the God of
Israel had done, believed ardently in him and, accepting circumcision, was
permanently incorporated into the House of Israel.
11 At daybreak they hung the head of Holofernes
on the ramparts. Every man took his arms and they all went out in groups to the
slopes of the mountain.
12 Seeing this, the Assyrians sent word to
their leaders, who in turn reported to the generals, the captains of thousands
and all the other officers;
13 and these in their turn reported to the
tent of Holofernes. 'Rouse our master,' they said to his major-domo, 'these
slaves have dared to march down on us to attack -- and to be wiped out to a
man!'
14 Bagoas went inside and struck the curtain
dividing the tent, thinking that Holofernes was sleeping with Judith.
15 But as no one seemed to hear, he drew the
curtain and went into the bedroom, to find him thrown down dead on the
threshold, with his head cut off.
16 He gave a great shout, wept, sobbed,
shrieked and rent his clothes.
17 He then went into the tent which Judith had
occupied and could not find her either. Then, rushing out to the men, he
shouted,
18 'The slaves have rebelled! A single Hebrew
woman has brought shame on the House of Nebuchadnezzar. Holofernes is lying
dead on the ground, without his head!'
19 When they heard this, the leaders of the
Assyrian army tore their tunics in consternation, and the camp rang with their
wild cries and their shouting.
1 Maccabees 11:60 -
13:47
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
60 Jonathan then set
out and made a progress through Transeuphrates and its towns, and the entire
Syrian army rallied to his support. He came to Ascalon and was received in
state by the inhabitants.
61 From there he proceeded to Gaza, but the
people of Gaza shut him out, so he laid siege to it, burning down its suburbs
and plundering them.
62 The people of Gaza then pleaded with
Jonathan, and he made peace with them; but he took the sons of their chief men
as hostages and sent them away to Jerusalem. He then travelled through the
country as far as Damascus.
63 Jonathan now learned that Demetrius'
generals had arrived at Kadesh in Galilee with a large army, intending to
remove him from office,
64 and went to engage them, leaving his
brother Simon inside the country.
65 Simon laid siege to Beth-Zur, attacking it
day after day, and blockading the inhabitants
66 till they sued for peace, which he granted
them, though he expelled them from the town and occupied it, stationing a
garrison there.
67 Jonathan and his army, meanwhile, having
pitched camp by the Lake of Gennesar, rose early, and by morning were already
in the plain of Hazor.
68 The foreigners' army advanced to fight them
on the plain, having first positioned an ambush for him in the mountains. While
the main body was advancing directly towards the Jews,
69 the troops in ambush broke cover and
attacked first.
70 All the men with Jonathan fled; no one was
left, except Mattathias son of Absalom and Judas son of Chalphi, the generals
of his army.
71 At this, Jonathan tore his garments, put
dust on his head, and prayed.
72 Then he returned to the fight and routed
the enemy, who fled.
73 When the fugitives from his own forces saw
this, they came back to him and joined in the pursuit as far as Kadesh where
the enemy encampment was, and there they themselves pitched camp.
74 About three thousand of the foreign troops
fell that day. Jonathan then returned to Jerusalem.
NJB 1 Maccabees 12:1 When Jonathan saw that
circumstances were working in his favour, he sent a select mission to Rome to
confirm and renew his treaty of friendship with the Romans.
2 He also sent letters to the same effect to
the Spartans and to other places.
3 The envoys made their way to Rome, entered
the Senate and said, 'Jonathan the high priest and the Jewish nation have sent
us to renew your treaty of friendship and alliance with them as before.'
4 The Senate gave them letters to the
authorities of each place, to procure their safe conduct to Judaea.
5 The following is the copy of the letter
Jonathan wrote to the Spartans:
6 'Jonathan the high priest, the senate of the
nation, the priests and the rest of the Jewish people to the Spartans their
brothers, greetings.
7 'In the past, a letter was sent to Onias,
the high priest, from Areios, one of your kings, stating that you are indeed
our brothers, as the copy subjoined attests.
8 Onias received the envoy with honour, and
accepted the letter, in which a clear declaration was made of friendship and
alliance.
9 For our part, though we have no need of
these, having the consolation of the holy books in our possession,
10 we venture to send to renew our fraternal
friendship with you, so that we may not become strangers to you, a long time
having elapsed since you last wrote to us.
11 We, for our part, on every occasion, at our
festivals and on other appointed days, unfailingly remember you in the
sacrifices we offer and in our prayers, as it is right and fitting to remember
brothers.
12 We rejoice in your renown.
13 'We ourselves, however, have had many
trials and many wars, the neighbouring kings making war on us.
14 We were unwilling to trouble you or our
other allies and friends during these wars,
15 since we have the support of Heaven to help
us, thanks to which we have been delivered from our enemies, and they are the
ones who have been brought low.
16 We have therefore chosen Numenius son of
Antiochus, and Antipater son of Jason, and sent them to the Romans to renew our
former treaty of friendship and alliance,
17 and we have ordered them also to visit you,
to greet you and deliver you this letter of ours concerning the renewal of our
brotherhood;
18 we shall be grateful for an answer to it.'
19 The following is the copy of the letter
sent to Onias:
20 'Areios king of the Spartans, to Onias the
high priest, greetings.
21 'It has been discovered in records
regarding the Spartans and Jews that they are brothers, and of the race of
Abraham.
22 Now that this has come to our knowledge, we
shall be obliged if you will send us news of your welfare.
23 Our own message to you is this: your flocks
and your possessions are ours, and ours are yours, and we are instructing our
envoys to give you a message to this effect.'
24 Jonathan learned that Demetrius' generals
had returned with a larger army than before to make war on him.
25 He therefore left Jerusalem and went to
engage them in the area of Hamath, not giving them the time to invade his own
territory.
26 He sent spies into their camp, who told him
on their return that the enemy were taking up positions for a night attack on
the Jews.
27 At sunset, Jonathan ordered his men to keep
watch with their weapons at hand, in readiness to fight at any time during the
night, and posted advance guards all round the camp.
28 On learning that Jonathan and his men were
ready to fight, the enemy took fright and, with quaking hearts, lit fires in
their bivouac and decamped.
29 Jonathan and his men, watching the glow of
the fires, were unaware of their withdrawal until morning,
30 and although Jonathan pursued them, he
failed to overtake them, for they had already crossed the river Eleutherus.
31 So Jonathan wheeled round on the Arabs
called Zabadaeans, beat them and plundered them;
32 then, breaking camp, he went to Damascus,
thus crossing the whole province.
33 Simon, meanwhile, had also set out and had
penetrated as far as Ascalon and the neighbouring towns. He then turned on
Joppa and moved quickly to occupy it,
34 for he had heard of their intention to hand
over this strong point to the supporters of Demetrius; he stationed a garrison
there to hold it.
35 Jonathan, on his return, called a meeting
of the elders of the people and decided with them to build fortresses in Judaea
36 and to heighten the walls of Jerusalem and
erect a high barrier between the Citadel and the city, to cut the former off
from the city and isolate it, to prevent the occupants from buying or selling.
37 Rebuilding the city was a co-operative
effort: part of the wall over the eastern ravine had fallen down; he restored
the quarter called Chaphenatha.
38 Simon, meanwhile, rebuilt Adida in the
lowlands, fortifying it, and erecting gates with bolts.
39 Trypho's ambition was to become king of
Asia, assume the crown, and overpower King Antiochus.
40 He was apprehensive that Jonathan might not
allow him to do this, and might even make war on him, so he set out and came to
Beth-Shean, in the hopes of finding some pretext for having him arrested and
put to death.
41 Jonathan went out to intercept him, with
forty thousand picked men in battle order, and arrived at Beth-Shean.
42 When Trypho saw him there with a large
force, he hesitated to make any move against him.
43 He even received him with honour, commended
him to all his friends, gave him presents and ordered his friends and his
troops to obey him as they would himself.
44 He said to Jonathan, 'Why have you given
all these people so much trouble, when there is no threat of war between us?
45 Send them back home; pick yourself a few
men as your bodyguard, and come with me to Ptolemais, which I am going to hand
over to you, with the other fortresses and the remaining troops and all the
officials; after which, I shall take the road for home. This was my purpose in
coming here.'
46 Jonathan trusted him and did as he said; he
dismissed his forces, who went back to Judaea.
47 With him he retained three thousand men, of
whom he left two thousand in Galilee, while a thousand accompanied him.
48 But as soon as Jonathan had entered
Ptolemais, the people of Ptolemais closed the gates, seized him, and put all
those who had entered with him to the sword.
49 Trypho sent troops and cavalry into Galilee
and the Great Plain to destroy all Jonathan's supporters.
50 These, concluding that he had been taken
and had perished with his companions, encouraged one another, marching with
closed ranks and ready to give battle,
51 and when their pursuers saw that they would
fight for their lives, they turned back.
52 All reached Judaea safe and sound, and
there they lamented Jonathan and his companions, being very frightened indeed;
all Israel was plunged into mourning.
53 The surrounding nations were all now
looking for ways of destroying them: 'They have no leader,' they said, 'no
ally; we have only to attack them now, and we shall blot out their very memory
from all peoples.'
NJB 1 Maccabees 13:1 Simon heard that Trypho had
collected a large army to invade and devastate Judaea,
2 and when he saw how the people were quaking
with fear, he went up to Jerusalem, called the people together,
3 and exhorted them thus, 'You know yourselves
how much I and my brothers and my father's family have done for the laws and
the sanctuary; you know what wars and hardships we have experienced.
4 That is why my brothers are all dead, for
Israel's sake, and I am the only one left.
5 Far be it from me, then, to be sparing of my
own life in any time of oppression, for I am not worth more than my brothers.
6 Rather will I avenge my nation and the
sanctuary and your wives and children, now that the foreigners are all united
in malice to destroy us.'
7 The people's spirit rekindled as they
listened to his words,
8 and they shouted back at him, 'You are our
leader in place of Judas and your brother Jonathan.
9 Fight our battles for us, and we will do
whatever you tell us.'
10 So he assembled all the fighting men and
hurried on with completing the walls of Jerusalem, fortifying the whole
perimeter.
11 He sent a considerable force to Joppa under
Jonathan son of Absalom who drove out the inhabitants and remained there in
occupation.
12 Trypho now left Ptolemais with a large army
to invade Judaea, taking Jonathan with him under guard.
13 Simon pitched camp in Adida, facing the
plain.
14 When Trypho learned that Simon had taken
the place of his brother Jonathan and that he intended to join battle with him,
he sent envoys to him with this message,
15 'Your brother Jonathan was in debt to the
royal exchequer for the offices he held; that is why we are detaining him.
16 If you send a hundred talents of silver and
two of his sons as hostages, to make sure that on his release he does not
revolt against us, we shall release him.'
17 Although Simon was aware that the message
was a ruse, he sent for the money and the boys for fear of incurring great
hostility from the people,
18 who would have said that Jonathan had died
because Simon would not send Trypho the money and the children.
19 He therefore sent both the boys and the
hundred talents, but Trypho broke his word and did not release Jonathan.
20 Next, Trypho set about the invasion and
devastation of the country; he made a detour along the Adora road, but Simon
and his army confronted him wherever he attempted to go.
21 The men in the Citadel kept sending
messengers to Trypho, urging him to get through to them by way of the desert
and send them supplies.
22 Trypho organised his entire cavalry to go,
but that night it snowed so heavily that he could not get through for the snow,
so he left there and moved off into Gilead.
23 As he approached Baskama he killed
Jonathan, who was buried there.
24 Trypho turned back and regained his own
country.
25 Simon sent and recovered the bones of his
brother Jonathan, and buried him in Modein, the town of his ancestors.
26 All Israel kept solemn mourning for him and
long bewailed him.
27 Over the tomb of his father and brothers,
Simon raised a monument high enough to catch the eye, using dressed stone back
and front.
28 He erected seven pyramids facing each
other, for his father and mother and his four brothers,
29 surrounding them with a structure
consisting of tall columns surmounted by trophies of arms to their everlasting
memory and, beside the trophies of arms, ships sculpted on a scale to be seen
by all who sail the sea.
30 Such was the monument he constructed at
Modein, and it is still there today.
31 Now Trypho, betraying the trust of young
King Antiochus, put him to death.
32 He usurped his throne, assuming the crown
of Asia, and brought great havoc on the country.
33 Simon built up the fortresses of Judaea,
surrounding them with high towers, great walls and gates with bolts, and
stocked these fortresses with food.
34 He also sent a delegation to King
Demetrius, to get him to grant the province a remission, since all Trypho did
was to despoil.
35 King Demetrius replied to his request in a
letter framed as follows:
36 'King Demetrius to Simon, high priest and
Friend of Kings, and to the elders and nation of the Jews, greetings.
37 'It has pleased us to accept the golden
crown and the palm you have sent us, and we are disposed to make a general
peace with you, and to write to the officials to grant you remissions.
38 Everything that we have decreed concerning
you remains in force, and the fortresses you have built may remain in your
hands.
39 We pardon all offences, unwitting or
intentional, hitherto committed, and remit the crown tax you now owe us; and
whatever other taxes were levied in Jerusalem are no longer to be levied.
40 If any of you are suitable for enrolment in
our bodyguard, let them be enrolled, and let there be peace between us.'
41 The gentile yoke was thus lifted from
Israel in the year 170,
42 when our people began engrossing their
documents and contracts: 'In the first year of Simon, eminent high priest,
commander-in-chief and ethnarch of the Jews'.
43 About that time Simon laid siege to Gezer,
surrounding it with his troops. He constructed a mobile tower, brought it up to
the city, opened a breach in one of the bastions and took it.
44 The men in the mobile tower sprang out into
the city, where great confusion ensued.
45 The citizens, accompanied by their wives
and children, mounted the ramparts with their garments torn and loudly implored
Simon to make peace with them:
46 'Treat us', they said, 'not as our
wickedness deserves, but as your mercy prompts you.'
47 Simon came to terms with them and stopped
the fighting; but he expelled them from the city, purified the houses which
contained idols, and then made his entry with songs of praise.
Isaiah
9:1-2 - JPS
1 The people that
walked in darkness have seen a brilliant light; On those who dwelt in a land of
gloom light has dawned.
2 You have magnified that nation, have given
it great joy; They have rejoiced before You As they rejoice at reaping time, as
they exult when dividing spoil.
1
John 5:1-12
Paqid
Dr. Adon Eliyahuben Abraham &
Hakham
Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
1
Everyone who is confident that Yeshua is the King Messiah of Israel
(i.e. has accepted the yokes of the kingdom and of the Torah) has been
fathered (begotten) by God, and everyone who loves Him (God) that
fathered (begat) [him/her] also loves the [the Jewish sons and
daughters] fathered by Him (God).
2 In this
we know that we love the sons/daughters of God: when we [continually and
earnestly] love God and keep/observe [faithfully] His commandments.
3 For
this is the love of God: that we must [faithfully] keep/observe His
commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome (difficult to
observe/keep),
4 because
everyone who is fathered (begotten) by God conquers the [pagan]
world; and this is [the conquering tool] which conquers the [pagan]
world, our faithful obedience [to God].
5 Now who
is the one who conquers the [pagan] world except the one who is
confident that Yeshua is the son of God (i.e. the King Messiah of
Israel – i.e. has accepted the yokes of the kingdom and of the Torah)?
6 This is
the one who came by [the] blood [of circumcision] and [the] waters
[of the Mikveh] Yeshua the Messiah, not with the waters [of the
Mikveh] only, but with the blood [of circumcision] and the waters [of
the Mikveh]. And the Spirit [of G-d in the Bet Din] is the one who
testifies, because the Spirit is the truth [i.e. Torah – cf. Psalm 119:142).
7 For there
are three that testify,
8 the
Spirit [of G-d in the Bet Din], the blood [of circumcision] and
the waters [of the Mikveh], and the three are in unity.
9 If we
receive the witness of [Torah observant] persons, the witness of God is
greater, because this is the witness of God that He has witnessed concerning
his son (i.e.
the King Messiah of Israel).
10 (The
one who adheres to (or, puts his/her trust in) the son of God (i.e. the King Messiah
of Israel- i.e. has accepted the yokes of the kingdom and of the Torah) has the
testimony [of the Bet Din, of circumcision and of the Mikveh] in himself.
The one who does not adhere [to
the King Messiah of Israel- i.e. has not accepted the yokes of the kingdom and of the
Torah] God has
made him a liar, because he has not adhered in the testimony that God has
testified concerning his son (i.e. the King Messiah of Israel).)
11 And
this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in
his son (i.e.
the King Messiah of Israel).
12 The
one who has the son (i.e.
the King Messiah of Israel – i.e. has accepted the yokes of the kingdom and of the Torah) has that
[eternal] life; the one who does not have the son of God (i.e. the King Messiah
of Israel – i.e. the yokes of the kingdom and of the Torah)
does not have that [eternal] life.
END OF THE READINGS
FOR THE SEVENTH DAY OF HANUKA
Hanuka
Eighth Day
Evening Saturday Dec.
15, 2012 – Evening Sunday Dec. 16, 2012
Torah: Numbers 7:54-89
Reader 1 - Num.
7:54-56
Reader 2 - Num.
7:57-59
Reader 3 - Num.
7:60-89
Yehudit (Judith) 15:1
– 16:25
1 Maccabees 13:48 - 16:24
Psalm 30:1-13
Nazareans add in their
private study and discussions: Zechariah 14:6-7;
& 1 John 5:13-21
For further
information please read and study:
http://www.betemunah.org/lapin.html, http://www.betemunah.org/connection.html,
http://www.betemunah.org/chanukah.html, & http://www.betemunah.org/lights.html
Rashi
& Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for:
B’Midbar (Numbers) 7:54-89
|
Rashi |
Targum
Pseudo Jonathan |
|
54. On the
eighth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Manasseh, Gamliel the son of
Pedazhur. |
54. on the
eighth, Gamaliel bar Pedazur, prince of Menasheh; |
|
55. His offering
was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one silver
sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy shekel,
both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
55. |
|
56. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
56. |
|
57. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
57. |
|
58. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
58. |
|
59. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Gamliel the son of Pedazhur. |
59. |
|
60. On the
ninth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Benjamin, Abidan the son of
Gideoni. |
60. on the ninth, Abidan bar
Gideoni, prince of Benjamin; |
|
61. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
|
|
62. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
|
|
63. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
|
|
64. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
|
|
65. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni. |
|
|
66. On the
tenth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Dan, Ahiezer the son of
Ammishaddai. |
66. on the tenth, Achiezer bar
Amishaddai, prince of the Beni Dan; |
|
67. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
|
|
68. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
|
|
69. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
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70. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
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71. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. |
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72. On the
eleventh day, the chieftain was of the sons of Asher, Pag'iel the son of
Ochran. |
72. on the eleventh, Pagiel bar
Achran, prince of Asher; |
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73. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
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74. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
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75. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
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76, One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
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77. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Pag'iel the son of Ochran. |
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78. On the
twelfth day, the chieftain was of the sons of Naphtali, Ahira the son of
Enan. |
78. and on the twelfth day,
Achira bar Enan, prince of the Beni Naphtali, offered. |
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79. His
offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one
silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy
shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering. |
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80. One
spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with incense. |
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81. One
young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering. |
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82. One
young he goat for a sin offering. |
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83. And for
the peace offering: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs in their
first year; this was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan. |
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84. This
was the dedication offering of the altar presented by the chieftains on the
day it was anointed; there were twelve silver bowls, twelve silver basins and
twelve gold spoons. |
84. This is the oblation at the
anointing of the altar, on the day that they anointed it, from the riches of
the princes of Israel: twelve silver bowls, answering to the twelve tribes;
twelve silver vases, answering to the twelve princes of the B’ne Yisrael;
twelve golden pans, answering to the twelve signs (mazalot). |
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85. The
weight of each silver bowl was one hundred and thirty [shekels], and that of
each basin was seventy [shekels]; all the silver of the vessels weighed in
total two thousand four hundred [shekels] according to the holy shekel. |
85. One hundred and thirty
shekels was the weight of each silver bowl, answering to the years of Jokebed
when she bare Mosheh; and seventy shekels was the weight of each vase,
answering to the seventy elders of the great Sanhedrin: all the silver
vessels, two thousand four hundred shekels, in shekels of the sanctuary. |
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86. Twelve
gold spoons filled with incense; each spoon weighing ten [shekels] according
to the holy shekel; all the gold spoons totaled one hundred and twenty
shekels. |
86. The golden pans were
twelve, answering to the princes of Israel, full of good sweet incense; the
weight of ten shekels was the weight of each pan, answering to the Ten Words;
all the gold of the pans, one hundred and twenty (shekels), answering to the
years lived by Mosheh the prophet. |
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87. The
total of the cattle for the burnt offerings was twelve bulls, twelve rams,
and twelve lambs in their first year with their meal offerings. And [there
were] twelve young he goats for sin offerings. |
87. All the bullocks for the
burnt offering, twelve, a bullock for a prince of the house of the fathers;
twelve rams, because the twelve princes of Ishmael would perish; twelve lambs
of the year, because the twelve princes of Persia would perish; and their
minchas, that famine might be removed from the world; and twelve kids of the
goats for the sin offering, to atone for the sins of the twelve tribes. |
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88. The
total of cattle for the peace offerings was twenty four oxen, sixty rams,
sixty he goats, and sixty lambs in their first year. This was the dedication
offering for the altar, after it was anointed. |
88. And all the oxen for
consecrated victims, twenty‑four, answering to the twenty‑four
orders (of the priests); the rams, sixty, answering, to the sixty years which
Izhak had lived when he begat Jakob; the goats, sixty, answering to the sixty
letters in the benediction of the priests; lambs of the year, sixty, to atone
for the sixty myriads of Israel. This was the dedication of the altar by
anointment on the day that they anointed it. |
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89. When Moses
would come into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he would hear the
voice speaking to him from the two cherubim above the covering which was over
the Ark of Testimony, and He spoke to him. |
89. And when Mosheh entered
into the tabernacle of ordinance to speak with Him, he heard the voice of the
Spirit who spoke with him descending from the heaven of heavens upon the
Mercy Seat which was upon the Ark of the Testimony between the two Cherubim,
and from thence was the Oracle speaking with him. |
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Yehudit (Judith) 15:1
– 16:25
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
NJB Judith 15:1 When the men who were still in
their tents heard the news they were
appalled.
2 Panic-stricken and
trembling, no two of them could keep together, the rout was complete, with one
accord they fled along every track across the plain or through the mountains.
3 The men who had been
bivouacking in the mountains round Bethulia were fleeing too. Then all the Israelite
warriors charged down on them.
4 Uzziah sent
messengers to Betomasthaim, Bebai, Choba, Kola, throughout the whole territory of
Israel, to inform them of what had happened and to urge them all to hurl themselves on
the enemy and annihilate them.
5 As soon as the
Israelites heard the news, they fell on them as one man and massacred them all the
way to Choba. The men of Jerusalem and the entire mountain country also rallied to
them, once they had been informed of the
events in the enemy camp. Then the men of Gilead and Galilee attacked them
on the flank and struck at them fiercely till they neared Damascus and its
territory.
6 All the other
inhabitants of Bethulia fell on the Assyrian camp and looted it to their great profit.
7 The Israelites
returning from the slaughter seized what was left. The hamlets and villages of the
mountain country and the plain also captured a great deal of booty, since there were
vast stores of it.
8 Joakim the high
priest and the entire Council of Elders of Israel, who were in Jerusalem, came to
gaze on the benefits that the Lord had lavished on Israel and to see
Judith and congratulate her.
9 On coming to her
house, they blessed her with one accord, saying: You are the glory of Jerusalem!
You are the great pride of Israel! You are the highest honour of our
race!
10 By doing all this
with your own hand you have deserved well of Israel, and God has approved what
you have done. May you be blessed by the Lord
Almighty in all the days to come! And the people all said, 'Amen!'
11 The people looted
the camp for thirty days. They gave Judith the tent of Holofernes, all his
silver plate, his divans, his drinking bowls and all his furniture. She took
this, loaded her mule, harnessed her carts and heaped the things into them.
12 All the women of
Israel, hurrying to see her, formed choirs of dancers in her honour. Judith
took wands of vine-leaves in her hand and distributed them to the women who accompanied
her;
13 she and her
companions put on wreaths of olive. Then she took her place at the head of the
procession and led the women as they danced. All the men of Israel, armed and garlanded,
followed them, singing hymns.
14 With all Israel
round her, Judith broke into this song of thanksgiving and the whole people
sang this hymn:
NJB Judith 16:1 Break into song for my God, to
the tambourine, sing in honour of the Lord,
to the cymbal, let psalm and canticle mingle for him, extol his name, invoke it!
2 For the Lord is a
God who breaks battle-lines; he has pitched his camp in the middle of his people
to deliver me from the hands of my oppressors.
3 Assyria came down
from the mountains of the north, came with tens of thousands of his army.
Their multitude blocked the ravines, their horses covered the hills.
4 He threatened to
burn up my country, destroy my young men with the sword, dash my sucklings to
the ground, make prey of my little ones, carry off my maidens;
5 but the Lord
Almighty has thwarted them by a woman's hand.
6 For their hero did
not fall at the young men's hands, it was not the sons of Titans struck him down,
no proud giants made that attack, but Judith, the daughter of Merari, who disarmed him
with the beauty of her face.
7 She laid aside her
widow's dress to raise up those who were oppressed in Israel; she anointed
her face with perfume,
8 bound her hair under
a turban, put on a linen gown to seduce him.
9 Her sandal ravished
his eye, her beauty took his soul prisoner and the scimitar cut through his
neck!
10 The Persians
trembled at her boldness, the Medes were daunted by her daring.
11 These were struck
with fear when my lowly ones raised the war cry, these were seized with
terror when my weak ones shouted, and when they raised their voices these gave ground.
12 The children of
mere girls ran them through, pierced them like the offspring of deserters. They
perished in the battle of my Lord!
13 I shall sing a new
song to my God. Lord, you are great, you are glorious, wonderfully strong,
unconquerable.
14 May your whole
creation serve you! For you spoke and things came into being, you sent your
breath and they were put together, and no one can resist your voice.
15 Should mountains be
tossed from their foundations to mingle with the waves, should rocks melt like
wax before your face, to those who fear you, you would still be merciful.
16 A little thing
indeed is a sweetly smelling sacrifice, still less the fat burned for you in
burnt offering; but whoever fears the Lord is great for ever.
17 Woe to the nations
who rise against my race! The Lord Almighty will punish them on judgement
day. He will send fire and worms in their flesh and they will weep with pain for
evermore.
18 When they reached
Jerusalem they fell on their faces before God and, once the people had been
purified, they presented their burnt offerings, voluntary offerings and gifts.
19 All Holofernes'
property given her by the people, and the canopy she herself had stripped from his
bed, Judith vowed to God as a dedicated offering.
20 For three months
the people gave themselves up to rejoicings in front of the Temple in Jerusalem,
where Judith stayed with them.
21 When this was over,
everyone returned home. Judith went back to Bethulia and lived on her
property; as long as she lived, she enjoyed a great reputation throughout the
country.
22 She had many
suitors, but all her days, from the time her husband Manasseh died and was gathered to
his people, she never gave herself to another man.
23 Her fame spread
more and more, the older she grew in her husband's house; she lived to the
age of one hundred and five. She emancipated her maid, then died in Bethulia and was
buried in the cave where Manasseh
her husband lay.
24 The House of Israel
mourned her for seven days. Before her death she had distributed her property
among her own relations and those of her husband Manasseh.
25 Never again during
the lifetime of Judith, nor indeed for a long time after her death, did anyone
trouble the Israelites.
1 Maccabees 13:48 -
16:24
New Jerusalem Bible
Version
48 He banished all
impurity from it, settled in it people who observed the Law, and having
fortified it, built a residence there for himself.
49 The occupants of
the Citadel in Jerusalem, prevented as they were from coming out and going into
the countryside to buy and sell, were in desperate need of food, and numbers of
them were being carried off by starvation.
50 They begged Simon
to make peace with them, and he granted this, though he expelled them and
purified the Citadel from its pollutions.
51 The Jews made their
entry on the twenty-third day of the second month in the year 171, with
acclamations and carrying palms, to the sound of lyres, cymbals and harps,
chanting hymns and canticles, since a great enemy had been crushed and thrown
out of Israel. Simon made it a day of annual rejoicing.
52 He fortified the
Temple hill on the Citadel side, and took up residence there with his men.
53 Since his son John
had come to manhood, Simon appointed him general-in-chief, with his residence
in Gezer.
NJB 1 Maccabees 14:1 In the year 172, King
Demetrius assembled his forces and marched into Media to raise help for the
fight against Trypho.
2 When Arsaces king of
Persia and Media heard that Demetrius had entered his territory, he sent one of
his generals to capture him alive.
3 The general defeated
the army of Demetrius, seized him and brought him to Arsaces, who imprisoned
him.
4 The country was at
peace throughout the days of Simon. He sought the good of his nation and they
were well pleased with his authority, as with his magnificence, throughout his
life.
5 To crown his titles
to glory, he took Joppa and made it a harbour, gaining access to the
Mediterranean Isles.
6 He enlarged the
frontiers of his nation, keeping his mastery over the homeland,
7 resettling a host of
captives. He conquered Gezer, Beth-Zur and the Citadel, ridding them of every
impurity, and no one could resist him.
8 The people farmed
their land in peace; the land gave its produce, the trees of the plain their
fruit.
9 The elders sat at
ease in the squares, all their talk was of their prosperity; the young men wore
splendid armour.
10 He kept the towns
supplied with provisions and furnished with fortifications, until his fame resounded
to the ends of the earth.
11 He established
peace in the land, and Israel knew great joy.
12 Each man sat under
his own vine and his own fig tree, and there was no one to make them afraid.
13 No enemy was left
in the land to fight them, the very kings of those times had been crushed.
14 He encouraged the
afflicted members of his people, suppressing every wicked man and renegade. He
strove to observe the Law,
15 and gave new
splendour to the Temple, enriching it with many sacred vessels.
16 When it became
known in Rome and as far as Sparta that Jonathan was dead, people were deeply
grieved.
17 But as soon as they
heard that his brother Simon had succeeded him as high priest and was master of
the country and the cities in it,
18 they wrote to him
on bronze tablets to renew the treaty of friendship and alliance which they had
made with his brothers, Judas and Jonathan,
19 and the document
was read out before the assembly in Jerusalem.
20 This is the copy of
the letter sent by the Spartans: 'The rulers and the city of Sparta, to Simon
the high priest and to the elders and priests and the rest of the people of the
Jews, greetings.
21 'The ambassadors
whom you sent to our people have informed us of your glory and prosperity, and
we are delighted with their visit.
22 We have recorded
their declarations in the minutes of our public assemblies, as follows,
"Numenius son of Antiochus, and Antipater son of Jason, ambassadors of the
Jews, came to us to renew their friendship with us.
23 And it was the
people's pleasure to receive these personages with honour and to deposit a copy
of their statements in the public archives, so that the people of Sparta might
preserve a record of them. A copy was also made for Simon the high
priest." '
24 After this, Simon
sent Numenius to Rome as the bearer of a large golden shield weighing a
thousand mina, to confirm the alliance with them.
25 When these events
were reported to our people, they said, 'What mark of appreciation shall we
give to Simon and his sons?
26 He stood firm, he
and his brothers and his father's house: he fought off the enemies of Israel
and secured its freedom.' So they recorded an inscription on bronze tablets and
set it up on pillars on Mount Zion.
27 This is a copy of
the text: 'The eighteenth of Elul, in the year 172, being the third year of
Simon, eminent high priest:
28 'In Asaramel, in
the Grand Assembly of priests and people, of princes of the nation and of
elders of the country: 'We are acquainted with the matters following:
29 'When there was
almost incessant fighting in the country Simon, son of Mattathias, a priest of
the line of Joarib, and his brothers courted danger and withstood their
nation's enemies to safeguard the integrity of their sanctuary and of the Law,
and so brought their nation great glory;
30 'For when, Jonathan
having rallied his nation and become its high priest and having then been
gathered to his ancestors,
31 the enemy planned
to invade the country, intending to devastate their territory and to lay hands
on their sanctuary,
32 Simon next came
forward to fight for his nation: spending much of his personal wealth on arming
his nation's fighting men and on providing their pay;
33 fortifying the
towns of Judaea, as well as Beth-Zur on the Judaean frontier where the enemy
arsenal had formerly been, and stationing in it a garrison of Jewish soldiers;
34 fortifying Joppa on
the coast, and Gezer on the borders of Azotus, a place formerly inhabited by
the enemy, founding a Jewish colony there, and providing the settlers with
everything they needed to set them on their feet;
35 'In consequence of
which, the people, aware of Simon's loyalty and of the glory which he was
determined to win for his nation, have made him their ethnarch and high priest,
for all his services and for the integrity and loyalty which he has shown
towards his nation, and for having by every means sought to enhance his
people's power;
36 'It has fallen to
him in his time to expel the foreigners from his country, including those in
the City of David in Jerusalem, who had converted it into a citadel for their
own use, from which they would sally out to defile the surroundings of the
sanctuary and to violate its sacred character;
37 to station Jewish
soldiers there instead for the security of the country and the city; and to
heighten the walls of Jerusalem;
38 'And since King
Demetrius has heard that the Romans call the Jews their friends, allies and
brothers,
39 and that they have
given an honourable reception to Simon's ambassadors, and, furthermore,
40 that the Jews and priests
are happy that Simon should, pending the advent of a genuine prophet, be their
ethnarch and high priest for life
41 therefore he has
confirmed him in the high-priestly office, has raised him to the rank of Friend
and has showered great honours on him, also confirming him as their
commander-in-chief,
42 with the right to
appoint officials to oversee the fabric of the sanctuary and to administer the
country, munitions and fortresses;
43 he is to have
personal charge of the sanctuary, and to be obeyed by all; all official
documents in the country must be drawn up in his name; and he may assume the
purple and may wear golden ornaments;
44 'Furthermore, it is
against the law for any member of the public or of the priesthood to contravene
any of these enactments or to contest his decisions, or to convene a meeting
anywhere in the country without his permission, or to assume the purple or wear
the golden brooch;
45 and anyone acting
contrary to, or rejecting any article of, these enactments is liable to punishment;
46 'And since the
people have unanimously agreed to grant Simon the right to act as aforesaid,
and
47 since Simon, for
his part, has given his assent, and has consented to assume the high-priestly
office and to be commander-in-chief and ethnarch of the Jews and their priests,
and to preside over all:
48 'So, be it now
enacted: that this record be inscribed on bronze tablets and be erected at some
conspicuous place within the precincts of the Temple,
49 and that copies be
deposited in the Treasury for Simon and his descendants.'
NJB 1 Maccabees 15:1 Antiochus son of King
Demetrius addressed a letter from the Mediterranean Isles to Simon, priest and
ethnarch of the Jews, and to the whole nation;
2 this was how it
read: 'King Antiochus to Simon, high priest and ethnarch, and to the Jewish
nation, greetings.
3 'Whereas certain
scoundrels have seized control of the kingdom of our fathers, and I propose to
claim back the kingdom so that I may re-establish it as it was before, and
whereas I have accordingly recruited very large forces and fitted out warships,
4 intending to make a
landing in the country and to hunt down the men who have ruined it and laid
waste many towns in my kingdom;
5 'I now, therefore,
confirm in your favour all remissions of taxes granted to you by the kings my
predecessors, as well as the waiving of whatever presents they may have
conceded.
6 I hereby authorise
you to mint your own coinage as legal tender for your own country.
7 I declare Jerusalem
and the sanctuary to be free; all the arms you have manufactured and the
fortresses you have built and now occupy may remain yours.
8 All debts to the
royal treasury, present or future, are cancelled henceforth in perpetuity.
9 Furthermore, when we
have won back our kingdom, we shall bestow such great honour on yourself, your
nation and the sanctuary as will make your glory known throughout the world.'
10 Antiochus invaded
the land of his ancestors in the year 174 and, since the troops all rallied to
him, Trypho was left with few supporters.
11 Antiochus pursued
the usurper, who took refuge in Dora on the coast,
12 knowing that
misfortunes were piling up on him and that his troops had deserted him.
13 Antiochus pitched
camp outside Dora with a hundred and twenty thousand fighting men and eight
thousand cavalry.
14 He laid siege to
the city while the ships closed in from the sea, so that he had the city under
attack from land and sea, and allowed no one to go in or come out.
15 Numenius and his
companions, meanwhile, arrived from Rome, bringing letters addressed to various
kings and states, in the following terms:
16 'Lucius, consul of
the Romans, to King Ptolemy, greetings.
17 'The Jewish
ambassadors have come to us as our friends and allies to renew our original
friendship and alliance in the name of the high priest Simon and the Jewish
people.
18 They have brought a
golden shield worth a thousand mina.
19 Accordingly, we
have seen fit to write to various kings and states, warning them neither to
molest the Jewish people nor to attack either them or their towns or their
country, nor to ally themselves with any such aggressors.
20 We have seen fit to
accept the shield from them.
21 If, therefore, any
scoundrels have fled their country to take refuge with you, hand them over to
Simon the high priest, to be punished by him according to their law.'
22 The consul sent the
same letter to King Demetrius, to Attalus, Ariarathes and Arsaces,
23 and to all states,
including Sampsames, the Spartans, Delos, Myndos, Sicyon, Caria, Samos,
Pamphylia, Lycia, Halicarnassus, Rhodes, Phaselis, Cos, Side, Arados, Gortyn,
Cyprus and Cyrene.
24 They also drew up a
copy for Simon the high priest.
25 Antiochus,
meanwhile, from his positions on the outskirts of Dora, was continually
throwing detachments against the town. He constructed siege-engines, and
blockaded Trypho, preventing movement in or out.
26 Simon sent him two
thousand picked men to support him in the fight, with silver and gold and
plenty of equipment.
27 But Antiochus would
not accept them; instead, he repudiated all his previous agreements with Simon
and completely changed his attitude to him.
28 He sent him
Athenobius, one of his Friends, to confer with him and say, 'You are now
occupying Joppa and Gezer and the Citadel in Jerusalem, which are towns in my
kingdom.
29 You have laid waste
their territory and done immense harm to the country; and you have seized
control of many places properly in my kingdom.
30 Either now
surrender the towns you have taken and the taxes from the places you have
seized outside the frontiers of Judaea,
31 or else pay me five
hundred talents of silver in compensation for them and for the destruction you
have done, and another five hundred talents for the taxes from the towns;
otherwise we shall come and make war on you.'
32 When the King's
Friend, Athenobius, reached Jerusalem and saw Simon's magnificence, his cabinet
of gold and silver plate and the state he kept, he was dumbfounded. He
delivered the king's message,
33 but Simon gave him
this answer, 'We have not taken foreign territory or any alien property but
have occupied our ancestral heritage, for some time unjustly wrested from us by
our enemies;
34 now that we have a
favourable opportunity, we are merely recovering our ancestral heritage.
35 As regards Joppa
and Gezer, which you claim, these were towns that did great harm to our people
and laid waste our country; we are prepared to give a hundred talents for
them.' Without so much as a word in answer,
36 the envoy went back
to the king in a rage and reported on Simon's answer and his magnificence, and
on everything he had seen, at which the king fell into a fury.
37 Trypho now boarded
a ship and escaped to Orthosia.
38 The king appointed
Cendebaeus military governor of the coastal region and allotted him a force of
infantry and cavalry.
39 He ordered him to
deploy his men facing Judaea, and instructed him to rebuild Kedron and fortify
its gates, and to make war on our people, while the king himself went in
pursuit of Trypho.
40 Cendebaeus arrived
at Jamnia and began to provoke our people forthwith, invading Judaea, taking
prisoners, and massacring.
41 Having rebuilt
Kedron, he stationed cavalry and troops there to make sorties and patrol the
roads of Judaea, as the king had ordered.
NJB 1 Maccabees 16:1 John then went up from Gezer
and reported to his father Simon what Cendebaeus was busy doing.
2 At this, Simon
summoned his two elder sons, Judas and John, and said to them, 'My brothers and
I, and my father's House, have fought the enemies of Israel from our youth
until today, and many a time we have been successful in rescuing Israel.
3 But now I am an old
man, while you, by the mercy of Heaven, are the right age; take the place of my
brother and myself, go out and fight for our nation, and may Heaven's aid be
with you.'
4 He then selected
twenty thousand of the country's fighting men and cavalry, and these marched
against Cendebaeus, spending the night at Modein.
5 Making an early
start, they marched into the plain, to find a large army opposing them, both
infantry and cavalry; there was, however, a stream-bed in between.
6 John drew up facing
them, he and his army and, seeing that the men were afraid to cross the
stream-bed, crossed over first himself. When his men saw this, they too crossed
after him.
7 He divided his army
into two, with the cavalry in the centre and the infantry on either flank, as
the opposing cavalry was very numerous.
8 The trumpets rang
out; Cendebaeus and his army were put to flight, many of them falling mortally
wounded and the rest of them fleeing to the fortress.
9 Then it was that
Judas, John's brother, was wounded, but John pursued them until Cendebaeus
reached Kedron, which he had rebuilt.
10 Their flight took
them as far as the towers in the countryside of Azotus, and John burnt these
down. The enemy losses amounted to ten thousand men; John returned safely to
Judaea.
11 Ptolemy son of
Abubos had been appointed general in command of the Plain of Jericho; he owned
a great deal of silver and gold,
12 and was the high
priest's son-in-law.
13 His ambition was
fired; he hoped to make himself master of the whole country and therefore
treacherously began to plot the destruction of Simon and his sons.
14 Simon, who was
inspecting the towns up and down the country and attending to their
administration, had come down to Jericho with his sons Mattathias and Judas, in
the year 172, in the eleventh month, the month of Shebat.
15 The son of Abubos
lured them into a small fortress called Dok, which he had built, where he
offered them a great banquet, having previously hidden men in the place.
16 When Simon and his
sons were drunk, Ptolemy and his men reached for their weapons, rushed on Simon
in the banqueting hall and killed him with his two sons and some of his
servants.
17 He thus committed a
great act of treachery and rendered evil for good.
18 Ptolemy wrote a
report of the affair and sent it to the king, in the expectation of being sent
reinforcements and of having the cities and the province made over to him.
19 He also sent people
to Gezer to murder John, and sent written orders to the military commanders to
come to him so that he could give them silver, gold and presents;
20 and he also sent
others to seize control of Jerusalem and the Temple mount.
21 But someone had
been too quick for him and had already informed John in Gezer that his father
and brothers had perished, adding, 'He is sending someone to kill you too!'
22 Overcome as John
was by the news, he arrested the men who had come to kill him and put them to
death, being forewarned of their murderous design.
23 The rest of John's
acts, the battles he fought and the exploits he performed, the city walls he
built, and all his other achievements,
24 from the day he
succeeded his father as high priest, are recorded in the annals of his
pontificate.
Tehillim
- Psalm 30:1-13
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. A
psalm; a song of dedication of the House, of David. |
1. A praise song for the
dedication of the sanctuary. Of David. |
|
2. I will
exalt You, O Lord, for You have raised me up, and You have not allowed my
enemies to rejoice over me. |
2. I will praise you, O
LORD, for you made me stand erect, and did not let my enemies rejoice over
me. |
|
3. O Lord,
I have cried out to You, and You have healed me. |
3. O LORD
my God, I prayed in Your presence and You healed me. |
|
4. O Lord,
You have brought my soul from the grave; You have revived me from my descent
into the Pit. |
4. O LORD,
You raised my soul out of Sheol; You preserved me from going down to the pit. |
|
5. Sing to
the Lord, His pious ones, and give thanks to His holy name. |
5. Sing
praise in the LORD's presence, you His devotees; and give thanks at the
invocation of His holy one. |
|
6. For His
wrath lasts but a moment; life results from His favor; in the evening,
weeping may tarry, but in the morning there is joyful singing. |
6. For His
anger is but a moment; eternal life is His good pleasure. In the evening one
goes to bed in tears, but in the morning one rises in praise. |
|
7. And I
said in my tranquility, "I will never falter." |
7. And I
said when I dwelt in trust, I will never be shaken. |
|
8. O Lord,
with Your will, You set up my mountain to be might, You hid Your countenance
and I became frightened. |
8. O LORD,
by Your will You prepared the mighty mountains; You removed Your presence, I
became afraid. |
|
9. To You,
O Lord, I would call, and to the Lord I would supplicate. |
9. In Your
presence, O LORD, I will cry out; and to You, O my God, I will pray. |
|
10. "What
gain is there in my blood, in my descent to the grave? Will
dust thank You; will it recite Your truth? |
10. And I
said, What profit is there in my blood, when I descend to the
grave? Can those who descend to the dust praise You? Will they tell of Your
faithfulness? |
|
11. Hear, O
Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my helper." |
11. Accept,
O LORD, my prayer, and have mercy on me; O LORD, be my helper. |
|
12. You
have turned my lament into dancing for me; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
12. You
turned my lament into my celebration; You loosened my sackcloth and
girded me with joy. |
|
13. So that
my soul will sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will
thank You forever. |
13. Because
the nobles of the world will give You praise and not be silent, O LORD my
God, I too will give You praise. |
|
|
|
Zechariah
14:6-7 - JPS
6 In that day, there
shall be neither sunlight nor cold moonlight,
7 but there shall be a
continuous day -- only the LORD knows when -- of neither day nor night, and
there shall be light at eventide.
1
John 5:13-21
Paqid
Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham &
Hakham
Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
13 These things
I have written to you who have confidence in (or, adhere to) the
authority of the son of God (i.e.
the King Messiah of Israel – i.e. take upon the yokes of the kingdom and of the
Torah), that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may adhere
to the authority of the son of God (i.e. the King Messiah of Israel – i.e. taking upon
the yokes of the kingdom and of the Torah).
14 And
this is the confidence that we have before Him (i.e. G-d): that if we
ask anything [in] accordance to His (i.e. G-d’s) will, He (G-d)
hears us.
15 And if
we know that He hears us [in] whatever we ask, we know that we have the
requests that we have asked from Him.
16 If
anyone should see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he will ask [for
G-d’s forgiveness], and He will grant life to him, for those who sin not unto
death. (There is a sin unto death; I do not say that he should ask about
that.
17 All
unrighteousness/injustices is sin, and [there] are sins not unto death.)
18 We
know that everyone who is fathered (begotten) by God does not [habitually
and continually] sin, but the one fathered (begotten) by God, [He]
protects him, and the evil one (i.e. HaSatan) does not touch him [without
G-d’s permission].
19 We
know that we are from God, and the whole [pagan] world lies in the
power of the evil one [i.e. HaSatan].
20 And we
know that the son of God (i.e.
the King Messiah of Israel) has come and has given us understanding, that we may intimately
know the one who is true [the Torah tabernacling in the flesh], and we
are in him who is true [the Torah tabernacling in the flesh], in His son
Yeshua the Messiah King of Israel. This one is the true Elohim (Judge)
and [bringer of] eternal life.
21 My
sons, guard/keep yourselves from idols, Amen!
We have been worthy to
begin and complete all the readings for the eight days of the Festival of
Hanuka 5773. So may we be worthy of enjoying this festival again. May Eliyahu
the Tishbite come, who is called the one who will “restore the heart of the
fathers to the children” (Malachi 3:24). And from him we will seek G-d to
explain all these readings in “seventy ways.” Amen, may this be His will!
Praise to G-d, most blessed be He, Creator of the ages!
Hanukah Sameach!
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel
ben David
Paqid
Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham