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Esnoga
Bet Emunah 4544 Highline Dr. SE Olympia, WA 98501 United States of America © 2014 E-Mail: gkilli@aol.com |
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Esnoga
Bet El 102 Broken Arrow Dr. Paris TN 38242 United States of America © 2014 E-Mail: waltoakley@charter.net |
Triennial Cycle (Triennial Torah Cycle) /
Septennial Cycle (Septennial Torah Cycle)
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Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings |
Second Year of the Triennial Reading Cycle |
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Kislev 25, 5774 – Tebeth 02, 5774 Evening Tuesday December 16 – Evening Wednesday December 24, 2014 |
Seventh Year of the Shmita Cycle |
Part
II
Chanuka Sameach!
We take this
opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a very happy Chanuka – a festival
of freedom and of consecration/education to/for 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 constructive light of the Torah. For as the Psalmist
wrote: “in Your light do we see light” (Psalm 36:10).
Roll of
Honor:
His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Hillel
ben David and beloved wife HH Giberet Batsheva bat Sarah
His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu
ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah
His Honor Paqid Adon David ben
Abraham
His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben
Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,
Her Excellency Giberet Sarai
bat Sarah & beloved family
His Excellency Adon Barth
Lindemann & beloved family
His Excellency Adon John
Batchelor & beloved wife
Her Excellency Giberet Laurie
Taylor
Her Excellency Prof. Dr. Conny
Williams & beloved family
Her Excellency Giberet Gloria
Sutton & beloved family
His Excellency Adon Yoel ben
Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Rivka bat Dorit
His Excellency Adon Tsuriel ben
Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Gibora bat Sarah
His Excellency Adon Gabriel ben
Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Elisheba bat Sarah
His Excellency Adon Yehoshua
ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Rut bat Sarah
His Excellency Adon Ze’ev ben
Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Hadassah bat Sarah
Her Excellency Giberet Whitney
Mathison
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!
Also a great thank you and great blessings be upon
all who send comments to the list about the contents and commentary of the
weekly Torah Seder and allied topics.
If you want to subscribe to our list and ensure
that you never lose any of our commentaries, or would like your friends also to
receive this commentary, please do send me an E-Mail to benhaggai@GMail.com with your E-Mail or the E-Mail addresses of your
friends. Toda Rabba!
Halakhot and Minhagim for
Sefardim
Chanuka
means dedication. It is also an acronym for Heth Neroth
VeHalakha KeBeth Hillel (eight candles and the law
according to the House of Hillel). This refers to the famous difference of
opinion Between the Houses of Shammai and Hillel. The House of Shammai said
that we should light eight candles on the first night and reduce one every
subsequent night. The House of Hillel said that we should light one candle on
the first night and increase the amount by one every day. We light in
accordance with Beth Hillel.
The word Mashiach (Messiah) is an
acronym for Madliqin Shemonah Yeme Chanuka
(we light throughout the eight days of Chanuka). What is the significance
of this? By lighting the Hanukkah we perform three Mitsvoth (precepts)
together, as follows: When one enters one's home the Mezuzah is on the
right, the Canukiah is lit on the left, and the man who enters has Tsitsiyoth
(fringes) on his Tallith Qatan. The Acronym for Tsitsith,
Mezuzah and Chanuka is Tsemach (the
branch), who is the Mashiach.
During the eight days of Chanuka we kindle
lights in commemoration of the "miracles, deliverance, mighty deeds
salvations, wonders and solace" that our Heavenly Father performed for us
in those days, at this time. It was then that the suppressive and tyrannical
rule by the Greeks was overturned in battle and the Beth Hamiqdash (Temple) was
rededicated by the Hasmoneans.
There are different opinions as to why, when
they entered the Temple and found only one cruse of pure oil for the Menorah
(sufficient for only one day), they required eight days to make new oil.
One opinion is that they were defiled from war and had to wait to be purified
before making it. In any case, as is well known, this solitary cruse
lasted for eight days and in memory of this miracle the festival of Hanukkah
was established for eight days.
On each night of Chanuka, from when the time
for lighting arrives, we are not permitted to eat or even study Torah till the
lights are actually kindled. The choicest way of performing the precept of
the lighting of the Hanukkah lights is through the use of olive oil.
However two types of lights may not be mixed (such as olive oil and wax
candles) as it should not appear that two people lit them. In accordance
with the teachings of Sephardi Hakhamim, z"l, only the head of the
household may light Hanukkah lights in each household, as he is considered the
first-born of the house Halakhically. The other members of the family
stand beside him and watch. It is good, however, to allow one of the children
to light the additional candle - referred to as the Shamash - in order to train
them in the performance of the Mitsvoth. The Shamash, which is generally
considered to have some Mitsvah attached, should be lit last and should not be used to light the other
lights. This is in accordance with the Sephardim. Ashkenazim have
the Minhag of having each child light his own Hanukkah. In any case, each
one must do in accordance with the teachings of his forefathers or the Hakham
of his/her congregation and may not change.
One may not make use of the lights during the
time that they are required to burn and even though some hold that the light of
the Shamash may be used, according to the Qabbalah (Jewish Mysticism) it may
not. After the recitation of the benedictions of Lehadliq Ner Chanuka,
She'asa Nissim, (followed by Shechecheyanu on the first day), Haneroth Halalu
the kindling of the lights and Mizmor Shir Chanukath HaBayith, it is considered
to be a good omen to recite Vihi No'am and Yosheb Besether. The Ashkenazi
Minhagh is to follow the lighting with the singing of the hymn Ma'oz Tsur, a
traditional European song. Sepharadim have different songs for Hanukkah, but do
not have the custom of singing them after the lighting.
The story of Yehudith, daughter of the Kohen
Gadol (high Priest) Yochanan, bears some similarities to the events that are
commemorated in Hanukkah, and is also remembered during these days. As is
written in "Hemdath Yamim", the cruel Greek ruler desired Yehudith
and had her brought before him. She fed him with dairy foods and wine
till he fell asleep and then severed off his head. At the sight of their
leader's decapitated head, the enemy soldiers fled. For this and other
reasons, Chanuka is of specific importance to women. It is important,
therefore, that they do no Melakha (work) while the lights are burning each night,
- i.e. for the half hour that they are required to be alight. It is
appropriate also, for a woman whose livelihood does not depend on it, to
abstain from doing any Melakha on the first and last days of Chanuka. In
the memory of the afore-mentioned story of Yehudith, Sephardim (and some
Ashkenazim) partake of dairy foods during the Holiday. The Ashkenazi
custom is to eat foods fried in oil, in memory of the miracle of the cruse of
oil. In general, Sepharadim have not adopted this custom.
On Shabbath Chanuka and on Rosh Chodesh - and
especially if they fall on the same day - one should eat more and sing Shbahoth
(songs of praise) such as Vethismah Bakh Attah Malka. On 'Ereb Shabbath
Chanuka one must be particularly careful to pray Mincha before lighting the
Chanuka lights. And these, in turn, must be kindled before those of
Shabbath. At the close of the Shabbath, Sepharadim light the Chanuka in
the synagogue prior to Habdalah, but at home the order is reversed.
Ashkenazim have differing customs concerning this.
May
we merit to see the Chanuka (dedication) of the third Temple, speedily in our
days, Amen ve Amen!
MY
HANUKKAH CHECKLIST
Every
night, when lighting the Chanuka lights, I recite:
1.
Lehadliq
Ner Chanuka. (Not Ner Shel Chanuka - according to the Sod. This is the custom
of most Sephardim). Ashkenazim (most) say Ner Shel Hanukkah.
2.
Haneroth
Halalu.
3.
Mizmor
Chanuka HaBayith.
4.
Vihi
No'am (7 times).
5.
Yosheb
Besether 'Elyon.
Ashkenazim conclude the lighting with the hymn
Mao'z Sur. Sephardim do not have the custom of concluding the lighting
with songs of praise. However there are specific songs for Chanuka, such as Y-a Hassel Yona [Vethismah Bakh Atta Malka],
Yasa Limlokh, Yabbi'un Sephathai Shirah and Yithro'a'u.
If I am Sephardi, I do not use the Shammash to
light the other candles, but instead, I use matches or a separate candle to
light them. I then light the Shammash last. If I am
Ashkenazi, I light all candles with the Shammash. If I am Sephardi, we
only light one Chanuka (Chanukia Menorah) in my home, which is lit by the head
of the household. All other members stand by and watch. (There is a
difference in ruling between Sepharadi and Ashkenazi Hakhamim). If I am
Ashkenazi, the children light too.
We eat special foods on Chanuka. Sephardim eat
dairy foods all through Chanuka in memory of the miracle that occurred through
dairy foods at the hand of Yehudith. We also eat Buňuelos[1]
and “Arroz con Leche y Canela.”[2]
Ashkenazim eat foods fried in oil, such as donuts and potato pancakes, in
memory of the miracle of the cruse of oil. This is not the Sephardi
custom. We eat more during Chanuka, and especially on Shabbath and Rosh Chodesh
of Chanuka and sing Shbahoth (songs of praise).
Sephardic children are trained in the Mitsvah
of giving money to charity and helping those in need. Ashkenazim have the
minhagh of giving Hanukkah money [and presents] to the children. Although
there is a source for it, this is not the prevalent custom among Sephardim.
Women abstain from Melakha (servile work) at least during the time that the
lights of the Chanukiya are required to be alight.
Chanuka Sixth Day
Kislev 30, 5775
Evening Sunday Dec. 21, 2014 – Evening Monday
Dec. 22, 2014
Rosh Chodesh Tebet – New Moon of the Month of
Tebet
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
Nazareans add in their private study and
discussions: Psalm 27:1; 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
By: Rabbi Dr. 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 (i.e. Oral Torah).
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 CHANUKA
Chanuka Seventh Day
Tebet 01, 5775
Evening Monday Dec. 22, 2014 - Evening Tuesday
Dec. 23, 2014
Rosh Chodesh Tebet (Second Day) – New Moon of
the Month of Tebet (Second Day)
Torah: Numbers 28:1-15; 7:48-53
Reader 1 - Num. 28:1-5
Reader 2 - Num. 28:6-10
Reader 3 - Num. 28:11-15
Reader 4 – Num. 7:48-53
Yehudit (Judith) 13:1 – 14:19
1
Maccabees 11:60 – 13:47
Psalm 30:1-13
Nazareans add in their private study and
discussions: Is. 9:1-2;
& 1 John 5:1-12
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) 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) 7:48-53
|
Rashi |
Targum PseudoJonathan |
|
|
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; |
53. |
|
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.
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
By: Rabbi Dr. 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 CHANUKA
Chanuka Eighth Day
Tebet 02, 5775
Evening Tuesday Dec.
23, 2014 – Evening Wednesday Dec. 24, 2014
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-; & 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. |
|
|
70. One young he goat for a sin offering. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
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; |
|
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. |
|
|
74. One spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with
incense. |
|
|
75. One young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first
year for a burnt offering. |
|
|
76, One young he goat for a sin offering. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
|
80. One spoon [weighing] ten gold [shekels] filled with
incense. |
|
|
81. One young bull, one ram and one lamb in its first
year for a burnt offering. |
|
|
82. One young he goat for a sin offering. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
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). |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
|
|
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
By: Rabbi Dr. 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 yourselves 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 yourselves 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 the death penalty, he will ask [for G-d’s forgiveness],
and He will grant life to him, for those who sin not unto the death penalty.
(There is a sin unto the death penalty; I do not say that
he should ask about that.
17 All unrighteousness/injustices is sin, and [there]
are sins not unto the death penalty.)
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 [i.e.,
the Torah tabernacling in the flesh], and we are in him who is true [i.e.,
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!
END OF THE READINGS
FOR THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHANUKA
We have been worthy to
begin and complete all the readings for the eight days of the Festival of
Chanuka 5775. 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 ve Amen, may this be His
will! Praise to G-d, most blessed be He, Creator of the ages!
Chanuka Sameach!
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben
Haggai
Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben
David
Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben
Abraham