THE TALMUD.








THE TALM U D.
SELECTIONS
FROM
THE CONTENTS OF THAT ANCIENT BOOK, ITS
COMMENTARIES, TEACHINGS, POETRY,
AND LEGENDS,
ALSO,
3rif g>etre0 of the fttn to mane antb enomenteb upon it.
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL
BY
H. POLANO,
PROFESSOR OF THE HEBREW LANGUAGE, AND AUTHOR OF " THE HIBR.EW SPELLER."
PHILADELPHIA:
LEARY'S  BOOK  STORE,
NINTH STREET, BELOW MARKET,




Copyright 1876, by H. Polano.
All rights reserved.




PR  E  A CE.
THE object of the following pages is to give to the student
and general reader a fair idea of the contents of the Talmud.
Some time since the translator was asked how it was that
no English translation of the Talmud was in existence, and
being convinced that many would be interested in its contents, he resolved upon the book which he now presents to
the public.  It is merely a collection of specimens, and
makes no pretensions to any more advanced standing. The
only object has been to give in plain, easy language, a correct idea of the scope, and as general an idea as possible of
the varied sections of the ancient and wonderful work.
A portion of the introduction is taken from the preface to
the Mishna of Maimonides; the chronology is from the
"Seder Haddoroth" (Order of Historical Ages), and the
sketches of the Rabbis of the Talmud are taken from various
hints afforded by the book itself, joined with opinions of the
translator. The sketches of Maimonides, Rashi, and Rabbi
Amnon of Metz, are translated from the "Seder Haddoroth,"
while the incidents, parables, legends, lectures, and aphorisms, all directly from the Talmud, are placed in order
thought suitable by the translator, and not as they regularly
occur. The portion devoted to the Holy Days is from a
work entitled "Menorath Hammdore" (The Lamp of the
Light), the greater part of which is originally from the
Talmud.
The translator believes that a perusal of his work wil




Vi                     PReEF1EA CE.
not only aid in informing the reader of what the Talmud is
but excite an interest in the same, which will make this
book, and others of a similar character following it, of
interest and demand.
It is probable that some errors and mistakes may be discovered, despite the care bestowed upon the pages of this
book; for these the translator craves the reader's kind
indulgence.  The work has been to him a labour of love,
and his satisfaction therewith would be incomplete, lacking
such kindness. In the spelling of the proper names, he has
taken advantage of a translator's arbitrary powers, and given
that English version which he deems nearest to the proper
pronunciation of the originals.
He desires to thank the friend who aided in the revision
of the manuscript and pages, for many a correction and kind
suggestion; and in the sincere hope and desire that his
effort may tend to promote a knowledge of God's Holy
Word, he leaves his cause with the indulgent reader.
TAMUZ, 5636




CO NT ENTS,
INTRODUCTION.
pAGP
NATURE AND SCOPE OF THE TALMUD.  I
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF ITS COMPILATION.  IC
PART FIRST.
BIBLICAL HISTORY.
CHAPTER I.
FROM  CAIN AND ABEL TO THE DESTRUCTION OF
BABEL'S TOWER....
Death of Abel-Enoch-Kenan-Lemech-Death of
Cain-Enoch, his righteousr.ss-Death of AdamEnoch's ascent to Ieaven —Methusaleh —LenechNoah-The Flood-Nimrod —The Building of the
Tower —Confusion of Language.
CHAPTER II.
FROM THE BIRTH OF ABRAHAM TO THE DESTRUCTION
OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH....  30
Therach-Birth of Abram his son-His early perilHis knowledge of God and studies with Noah-His
return to his father's house-He destroys his father's




.iii                  CONTENTS.
PAGe
idols-His deliverance from  Ur Caa/ldee-Death of
Charan his brother-Abram settles in Canaan-His
parting with Lot-Sodom-The wickedness of its
inhabitants-Legends of their wrongdoings-Destruction of the City.
CHAPTER III.
FROM THE BIRTH OF ISAAC TO THE WARS OF SHECHEM   50
Birth of Isaac-Dismissal of Hagar and IshmaelAbram's visits to Ishmael-" A good nail"-Sacrifice
of Isaac-His deliverance-Death of Sarah-Birth of
Esau and Jacob-Death of Abraham-Esau sells his
birthright-Jacob's flight-His reception by LabanMeeting of Esau and Jacob-Jacob settles in Shechem
-Dinah and the son of Chamor-The vengeance of
Jacob's sons-The threatening Emorites-Death of
Rachel.
CHAPTER IV.
FROM JOSEPH'S YOUTH TO HIS ELEVATION OVER EGYPT   72
The Master of Dreams-Joseph sold by his brethrenHe is taken to Egypt-The grief of Jacob-Zelicha,
the wife of Potiphar-The unjust accusation-Joseph
in prison-The Chief Butler-Death  of IsaacDivision of his property-Pharaoh's dreams-Failure
of the wise men-Joseph interprets the dreams-His
elevation to the office of Viceroy.
CHAPTER V.
JOSEPH'S GREATNESS AND JACOB'S ENTRY INTO EGYPT    92
Marriage of Joseph.-The famine-Joseph's brethren
journey to Egypt-They are brought before the Viceroy-The money in the sacks-Benjamin goes down
to Egypt-The silver cup-Joseph and Judah-Joseph
makes himself known-Jacob journeys to meet his son.




rAGC
CHAPTER VI.
DEATH OF JACOB-DIELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT!, 113
Death of Jacob-His burial-Esau's interference- Esau
killed by Hushim, the son of Dan-Death of Pharaoh
-Joseph's death-Death of Jacob's sons-The new
king-Pithom  and Rdamses-The proclamation of
Death-Birth of Moses-His adoption by Pharaoh's
daughter-His flight to Ethiopia-He travels to
Midian, and marries Ziporah, the daughter of Reiiel
-He is sent to Pharaoh-The Plagues-Deliverance
of the Israelites-The passage of the Red Sea.
PART SECOND.
SPECIMENS OF BIBLICAL COMMENTARIES.
I. The Deliverance from Egypt...          142
II. The Ten Plagues...... I55
Blood-Frogs-Lice-The Multitude of Beasts
- Pestilence — Boils — Hail  Locusts- Darkness-The Slaying of the First Born.
III. The Death of Moses...  63
IV. The Book of Esther.... I66
V. King Solomon, the Wise..                     192
PART THIRD.
THE RABBIS-THEIR TEACHINGS AND INCIDENTS IN THEIR
LIVES.
Rabbi Judah, the "Chief"... 205
Simon, the Righteous... 209
Rabbi Ishmael, the High Priest.....                  213
Rabbi Meir.....215
Hillel Hannasi....                  220
Fashi........  222
Maimonides.......       224
Rabbi Amnon, of Mcet...          ^. 227




x                      CONTEV TS.
PAG 
TEACHINGS OF'THIL RA I:I -,.
Benevolence......                     231
Meekness...                                         237
The Fear of God.....238
Honour to Parents....                         241
The Law and its Study... 245
Prayer.....   253
The Sabbath...                                   257
Rewards and Punishments...   260
Trades....... 262
Death.....   t   t                            263
Funeral Sermon over a Dead Rabbi,..  264
INCIDENTS IN THE LIVES OF THE RABBIS.
Rabbi Akiba...... 266
Elishah ben Abuyah....... 273
Rabbi Simon...                                        275
Rabbi Judah: Soul and Body equally answerable to God. 277
Rabbi Joshua: God's Knowledge of the Future.  279
Rabbi Gamliel: A Wife for a Rib... 279
Rabbi Joshua: Why Woman was made from the rib of Man  280
Rabbi Simon ben Jochai: Why the Manna fell daily. 280
Rabbi Eleazer: The Way of Life..... 28
Rabbi Johanan, son of Zakai: The Highwayman and the
Sneak Thief.                                        2SI
Rabbi Nachman: The Blessing of Rabbi Yitzchak.. 282
Gebiah ben Pesisah....                      283
A Wise King.......,. 284
PART FOURTH.
PROVERBS AND SAYINGS OF THE RABBIS, LEGENDS, &C.
Sayings of the Rabbis.......286
The Desert Island........ 299
The Emperor and the Aged Man... 302
Proving a Claim...*   *. 304




CONA./'/V. [S.xi
PAGE
A Payment with Interest...                            306
The Weasel and the Well..... 308
The Lawful Heir........   309
Nothing in the World without a UseIT.      3,  
The Reward of Faith...   I312
Abtinoss and Garmah.......    312
Trust in God......             313
The Bride and Bridegroom....              3i6
Truth......  317
The Destruction of Bithar..3.. 3I
The Destruction of Jerusalem...                       3I9
Second Destruction of Jerusalem..   322
Hannah and her Seven Sons...                        324
PART'  FIFTH.
CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LAW-TH —'      HOLY DA'YS,
Sketch of Civil and Criminal Codes.            329
Passover......332
Pentecost, or Feast of Weeks.  333
New Year, or Day of Memorial.... 335
The Day of Atonement....           34I
Succoth, or Feast of Tabernac.,... 349
Hannuckah..... 356
Purim..   *..... 358








INTRODUCTION.
THE TALMUD,
ITS NATURE AND SCOPE, WITH A CHRONOLOGICAL
TABLE OF ITS COMPILATION.
THE "Talmud" is a collection of early Biblical discussions,
with the comments of generations of teachers who devoted
their lives to the study of the Scriptures. It is an encyclopaedia of law, civil and penal, human and divine. It is more,
however, than a mere book of laws. It records the thoughts,
rather than the events, of a thousand years of the national
life of the Jewish people; all their oral traditions, carefully
gathered and preserved with a love devout in its trust and
simplicity. Accepted as a standard study, it became endeared to the people, who, as they were forbidden to add to
or diminish from the law of Moses, would not suffer this
work of their Rabbis to be tampered with in any manner.
As it was originally compiled it has been transmitted to us.
It is a literary wilderness. At the first view, everything
style, method, and language, seems tangled and confused.
The student, however, will soon observe two motives or
currents in the work; at times harmonious, at times diverse.
One displaying the logical mind, which compares, investigates, developes, and instructs; the other, imaginative anu
poetical. The first is called " Halachah" (Rule), and finds
a vast field in the Levitical and ceremonial laws; the other




:2                7THE TALM  UD.
takes possession of the ethical and historical portions of
Holy Writ.  It is called " Hagadah," or Legend, not so
much in our present acceptance of the term, as in the widei
sense of a saying without positive authority, an allegory, a
parable, a tale.
The Talmud is divided into two parts, lfishlna and
Gemarah.  They are the continued works of successive
Rabbis, chiefs or principals of the colleges in which they
devoted their lives to study.  Most of the redaczeurs of the
Aiishna were dead, however, long before the Gemarah was
commenced.  The time consumed in the completion of the
entire Talmud is stated to have been three hundred and
eleven years. In its present form it consists of twelve folio
volumes, containing the precepts of the Pentateuch with
extended  commentaries upon  them; amplified Biblical
incidents; occurrences affecting the religious life of those
who prepared it; philosophical treatises; stories, traditions,
and parables. It was called the oral or unwritten law, in
contradistinction to the Pentateuch, which remained under
all circumstances, the immutable code, the divinely given
constitution, the written law.
The guardianship of the laws and traditions was vested in
the chiefs of the colleges, known as "Scribes," "Men of
the Great Synod," " Princes and Fathers of the House of
Judgment."  They instructed the people, preached in the
synagogues, and taught in  the  schools.  Nothing was
allowed to seriously interrupt their duties. Palestine was
ruled by various dynasties; the masters were martyred; the
academies were destroyed; to study the law was made a
crime against the state; yet the chain of living tradition remained intact. The dying masters appointed their successors, and for one academy destroyed, three new ones sprang
up in another quarter.




ITS NATURE AND SCOPE.                   3
These masters were superior men, mentally and physically,
and the scope of their learning was almost unlimited. To
be eligible to the position, they were required to be men of
well-balanced mind, neither too young nor too old, that their
judgment might be neither hasty nor enfeebled. They were
required to be thorough linguists, to be masters of the
sciences of mathematics, botany, and natural history, and
familiar with the arts as well as the sciences.
The highest rank in the estimation of the people belonged
to these Chachamimz, wise men. Many of them were humble
tradesmen, yet they were considered greater than priest or
noble. Idleness was particularly abhorred by them, and
piety and learning were considered deserving of their full
meed of homage only when joined to active, bodily work,
Among the common sayings of the time, we find these:
" It is well to add a trade to your studies if you would
remain free from sin."
"The tradesman at his,work is the equal of the most
learned doctor."
" He who derives his livelihood from the labour of his
hands is as great as he who fears God."
The laws, traditions, and ordinances, during many hundred
years, grew to such immense proportions, that some better
method of their preservation than their scattered and chiefly
unwritten  form, became. a necessity.  Three different
attempts were made to reduce them into system and order.
The third alone was successful.
The progress of these laws, &c., from their revelation and
conception till their final rest in the Talmud, is thus traced
in the writings of Maimonides.
During the last forty years of the life of Moses, the Lord
gave to him six hundred and thirteen precepts, including the
Decalogue, with full explanation of their meaning and intent,




4            SE THE TALMUD.
that he might be able to properly instruct the people. The
manner in which Moses imparted these precepts to the
chosen race is thus recorded in the treatise Erubim. First,
he called his brother Aaron into his tent and spoke to him
alone, all the words which God had commanded; the sons
of Aaron were then admitted and the same words repeated
to them; the seventy elders of the people were then called
before Moses, and from his lips received the commandments
and ordinances of their God, and then any of the people
who so desired were allowed to enter the tent, and to them
Moses spoke again the same words. Thus Aaron heard
these precepts four times, his sons thrice, the elders twice,
and the people once, from the lips of Moses. After this
first course of instruction, the prophet retired and Aaron repeated the precepts; then his sons spoke the words which
they had heard; the elders reiterated them, and thus were
the commands delivered to Moses, impressed upon the
minds of the people, who were authorised in turn to teach
one another. The precepts themselves were written on
rolls of parchment, but the explanations thereof became
the basis of the oral law, the foundation and substance of
the Talmud.  These six hundred and thirteen precepts
were given between the years 2448 and 2488 (I312 and
1272 B. C. E.).
" And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh
month, on the first day of the month," that Moses called all
the people together and said unto them, " My last days on
earth are drawing nigh. If there be any among you who
have forgotten the precepts of the Lord which I have taught
to you, speak now and I will repeat them; or if there be
any one among you to whom the law is not clear, and who
desires an explanation of any point, behold I am here to
answer his questions."




ITS NA TURE AND SCOPE. 
Thus, on the first day of Shebat (February), Moses began
to repeat and explain the law and its traditions, as it is
written: " On this side of the Jordan, in the land of Moab,
Moses began to explain this law, saying" (Deut. I:5).
On the seventh day of Adar (March) he concluded this
labour. He wrote thirteen copies of the Pentateuch upon
parchment. He gave one copy into the keeping of each of
the tribes, and the thirteenth he placed in the hands of the
Levites, saying, "Take this book of the law and put it at
the side of the ark."
At noon, " on this self-same day," the Lord said to
Moses: " Go up to the Mount Nebo."  The earthly pilgrimage of the great prophet was completed, the rest of
Heaven and the smile of God was his for evermore, and
upon his friend and servant Joshua devolved the duty to
teach and to observe.
Toshua was born in the year 2406. He was eighty-two
years of age when he became the leader of the people, and
he died in the year 2516. After his death, the elders, chief
among whom were Caleb and Pinechas, undertook the duty
of preserving a general knowledge of the oral laws. They
lived about seventeen years after Joshua's death, and then
the charge descended to the judges and the prophets. First
of these was Eli, the High Priest. He became judge in
2830, the same year in which Samuel was born, and he died
in 2870, one year after Samuel had succeeded to his office.
Samuel judged the people eleven years, yielding up his spirit
whence it came upon the 28th of lyar (May), 2882. The
sacred guardianship fell then to David the son of Jesse,
from him it descended to Achiyah the Shelomite, and from
him to the pure Elijah. In the year 3047 Elijah ascended
to Heaven, and, with his mantle, his duties devolved upon
Elisha, his pupil.  Then Yehoyada, Zecheriah, Hosea,
B




I WE TALMUD.
Isaiah, Micah, and Joel were the successive guardians of the
law and its growing "fences" and traditions.  Nahum,
Zephaniah, Jeremiah, and Baruch, the son of Neriah, succeeded these, and in the year 34I3 the duty devolved upon
Ezra, high priest, scribe, and prophet. Ezra was a member
of the great senate, composed of one hundred and twenty
members, which introduced a regular order of prayers for
divine service. (Previously the people had composed their
own prayers-words from their hearts, appropriate to their
circumstances and conditions.  They had but three set
prayers, portions of the Pentateuch, recited from the moment
of its existence, viz.: "Hear, O Israel" (Deut. 6:4-1o);
" And it shall come to pass" (Deut. ii: I13-22); and "The
Lord spoke to Moses, saying" (Numb. 20: 31 to end).)
After the death of Ezra, the guardianship fell successively
upon Antigonus of Socho, Jose, the son of Joazur of Serada,
Jose, the son of Jochanan of Jerusalem, Judah, the son of
Tabai, Shemiah, Abtalyon, and then to Hillel, the great
teacher and sage in Israel. Hillel was chief of the college,
and among his pupils was Shamai, a learned man, but of
hasty temper and fond of argument.  He seceded from
Hillel's college and organised another one over which he
presided.  The controversies between the two were long,
sharp, and exhaustive.
Hillel was called the Hillel of Babel, having been born
in that place. At the age of forty years he journeyed to
Jerusalem, in order that he might study with Shemiah and
Abtalyon.  He pursued his studies for forty years, and was
chief of the college for forty years, dying when he was one
hundred and twenty years old. He was a very meek man,
and the many dissensions at the college of Hillel, which
form a not insignificant portion of the Biblical commentaries, owe their existence to the polemical disposition of




ITS NA TURE AND SCOPE.                  7
his friend Shamai. To Hillel the necessity of arranging,
simplifying, and committing to writing the great bulk of oral.aw and tradition seemed first to present itself in full force.
He commenced the work in the year 3728; but, though he
succeeded in arranging and condensing some six hundred
sections into six volumes, he died while the work was still
far from completion.
The generations which followed Hillel and Shamai were
even more disposed to controversies than had been their
predecessors, and for a century nothing was added to
Hillel's work. The guardianship of the traditions fell to
his son Simon, then to Simon's son, Gamliel. Rabbi Shimnon, the son of Gamliel, was the thirty-fourth teacher into
whose especial charge they were given, and from  him
they descended to Rabbi Judah, the successful redacteur,
commonly  called, by reason  of his  great eminence,
Rabbi."
Rabbi Judah was a man of immense learning, of a progressive mind, and thoroughly versed in the sciences of his
day. The Emperor Antoninus conceived for him a respect
and affection which resulted in many marks of favour and
distinction. Through his influence with the Roman ruler
he was enabled to do much towards the benefit of his race.
His great desire was to create among the people a love for
the study of the law, and a familiarity with its beauties and
its moral and religious code.  He saw that a complete
knowledge of the law was limited to a comparatively few,
who were dispersed through many countries, and he feared
it might in time be entirely forgotten if the interest in its
study was allowed to decrease as it had for some time been
diminishing. With the aid of the sages and pupils of his
college he set diligently to work, and collecting the rules,
explanations, and traditions extant since the death of




8                  THE TALMUD.
Mloses, he inscribed them into six volumes, which he called
the Mishna, or "Second Law."  In the year 3978, one
hundred and fifty years after the destruction of the second
temple, the redaction was completed.  Many of the laws
were already obsolete, even on their first publication.
Rome had long before substituted her own penal code for
that belonging to the Jewish nationality; the minute injunctions regulating the sacrifices and the temple services
had but an ideal value, and many of the other laws applied
particularly to Palestine, where but comparatively few of the
people remained. Yet the whole was received in Palestine
and Babylonia, not merely as a record of the past, but as a
holy work, an infallible text-book, a record of laws that,
with the restoration of the commonwealth, would come into
practice as in time past. All Israel gave thanks for the
completion of this great undertaking.
The six sections into which the Mishna was divided may
be indexed as follows:SECTION I., Seeds: The Agrarian Laws.  Tithes and
Donations to Priests, Levites, and the Poor.  The Sabbatical Year. Prohibited Mixtures in Plants, Animals, and
Garments.
SECTION II., Feasts: Sabbaths, Festivals, and Fast Days;
the Ceremonies Ordained, and the Sacrifices to be offered
on them. Special chapters are given to the Passover, the
New Year's Feast, the Day of Atonement, Succoth, and
Purim.
SECTION III., Woman: Betrothal, Marriage, and Divorce.
Vows and Obligations.
SECTION IV., Damages: This section includes the major
portion of the Civil and Criminal Law. Ordinary Money
Transactions. Idolatry. Witnesses.  Legal Punishments,
and "Sentences of t e Fathers."




ITS NA TURE AND SCOPE.                 9
SECTION V., Sacred /Things: Sacrifices.  First Born
Children.  Measurements and Details of the Temple and
its Utensils.
SECTION VI., Purifcation: Levitical and Hygienic Laws.
Impure persons and things, and the methods for their
purification.
Among the Rabbis who assisted Rabbi Judah were his
sons, Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Gamliel.
The Mishna being formed into a code, became in its turn
what the Scriptures had been to it-a basis of development
and discussion. After the death of Rabbi Judah, his successors, Rab and Samuel, began explanations of its principles. These were continued in a second generation by
Rabbi Judah bar Ezekiel, principal of the college at
Nehardea, and Rabbi Hunah, principal of the college at
Sura. The latter died in 4056, and until the sixth genera.
tion, 4127, the oral commentaries upon the Mishna, now
known as the Gemarah, were continued.
Rab Ashi inaugurated the collection of these commentaries, and it is said that from the days of Rabbi Judah the
Chief, never was the study of the law so prevalent as during
the life of this latter Rabbi. He died in 4180, before he
had completed his undertaking; and his successors, Mar
and Meremar, the latter being his son, were the last of the
generations of the " Rabbis of the Talmud."
The Talmud is without doubt the most reliable record of
Jewish law and tradition, yet its popularity is due more to
the force of circumstances than to its general acceptance at
the time of its redaction. During the bitter persecution of
the Jews in Persia the schools were closed, and oral instruction being in a great measure interfered with, the book
obtained a hold and authority which its authors never intended. This applies, of course, to its legal portions; the




so             fiETHE TALMUD.
legendary portion, the Haggadah, was poetry, imaginative
fancy.  But though the Rabbis themselves considered the
latter of secondary importance, and explained its character,
the majority of the people clung to it, and regarded the
Talmud as a complete whole, worthy of their reverence.
Condensed Chronological Tabl
2448. Promulgation of the Decalogue.
2488. Death of Moses.
25 6. Death of Joshua.
2830.  Oral laws transmitted to various elders.
2871.  Samuel, Judge of Israel.
2884.  David, King of Israel.
Achiyah the Shelomite, guardian of the law.
2962.  Guardianship transferred to Elijah.
3047. Elisha succeeded his teacher.
Yehoyadah, high priest.
3067. Zechariah, the son of Yehoyadah, the next custodian
of the law, killed in the Temple by order of
Joash.
3I10.  Guardianship transferred to Amos, his successor.
3140.  To Isaiah the son of Amoz.
3160. To Micah the Morashtite.
3I90. To Joel the son of PethueL
3240. To Nahum the Elkoshite.
3254. To Habakuk the prophet.
3280. To Zephaniah.
3321. To Jeremiah.
3332. To Ezekiel and Baruch, son of Neriya.
3413. To Ezra, chief of the great synod of 120 members,
including among its number Haggai, Malachi,
Daniel, Chananyah, Michael, Azaryah, Nehemiah,
Mordecai, and Zerubabel.




ITS NATURE AND SCOPE.                si
3448. To Simon " the Just," also a member of the synod,
the first of the sages of the Mishna.
3460. To Antigonus of Socho.
3500. To Jose ben Joezer of Zeredah, and Jose ben
Jochanan of Jerusalem.
3560. To Joshua ben Parachiah and Nitai the Arbelite.
362I. To Judah, the son of Tabbai, and Simon, the son
of Shatach.
3722. To Shemayah, Abtalyon, and other teachers in the
college.
3728. Charge received by Hillel.
3768. Intrusted to his son Simon, and to R. Jochanan
ben Zakkai.  During their time the "Common
Era" commenced.
3809. Rabbi Gamliel succeeded  R. Simon,-eighteen
years before the destruction of the Temple.
38Io. Charge descended to Rabbi Simon the second, who
died a martyr.
3840. To Rabbi Gamliel the second,-twelve years after
the destruction of the Temple.
3881. To Rabbi Simon the third.
3948  Rabbi Judah, Hannasee (the chief edited the
to     Mishna, the text of the "Talmud," putting the
3978.   traditions and enlargements on the precepts into
writing for the first time.
3979. Rab and Samuel succeeded R. Judah, and began
the commentaries on the Mishna in their college
at Babel.
4056. R. Huna, the successor of Samuel, became principal
of the college at Sura.
4060. Rabbah, the son of Nachamuni, chief Rabbi.
4111. Death of Rabbah, who died the same day Rab
Ashi the redacteur of the Gemarah was born.




12                 THtP TALMUD.
4028. Rabbi Jochanan edited the Jerusalem Talmud.
4I27. Rabbi Ashi became principal of the college, and
commenced his labours on the Gemarah.
4180, Death of Rab Ashi before the completion of his
undertaking.
4253. The work completed as it now is, by Mar, and
Meremar, the son of Rah A.!ti, ad] t1;'_,.,-:ceates




PART FIRST.
BIB1LICAL  HISTORY
CHAPTER I.
FROM CAIN AND ABEL TO THE DESTRUCTION Of BABEL'S
TOWER.
AND Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore
him two sons and three daughters.
The first-born she called " Cain," saying, " I have gotten
a man from the Lord."
Her second son she called "Abel," saying, "With nothing
we come into the world, and with nothing will we be taken
from it."
When the lads grew up, their father gave to each of them
a possession in the land. Cain became a tiller of the soil,
and Abel a shepherd.
And after a time it came to pass that the lads each
brought an offering to the Lord. Cain brought from the
fruit of the ground, and Abel brought from the firstlings of
his flock.  But while Abel selected the finest and bestconditioned animals, Cain offered fruit of an inferior quality,
the poorest which the earth offered.  Therefore Cain's
offering was unheeded, while the fire of acceptance fell
from heaven, consuming the gracious gift which his brother
had presented to his.Maker. Thus a feeling of jealousy
found birth in Cain's heart, and he resolved, when a good
opportunity should offer, to slay his brother.




~4                STh-S TA LMUD.
This time came upon an occasion when Cain was ploughing his fields. Abel, leading his flocks to pasture, crossed
the ground which his brother was tilling.
In  a wrathful spirit, Cain approached Abel, saying,
"Wherefore comest thou with thy flocks to dwell in and
to feed upon the land which belongs to me?"
And Abel answered:
"Wherefore eatest thou of the flesh of my sheep?
Wherefore clothe thyself in garments fashioned from their
wool? Pay me for the flesh which thou hast eaten, for the
garments in which thou art clothed, for they are mine, even
as this ground is thine; then will I go out of it, aye, and fly
through the air, so that I may not touch it."
Then said Cain to his brother:
" Behold, thou art in my power. If I should see fit to
slay thee now, to-day, who would avenge thy death?"
" God, who has placed us upon this earth," replied Abel.
"He is the judge who rewardeth the pious man according
to his deeds, and the wicked according to his wickedness.
Thou canst not slay me and hide from Him the action.
He will surely punish thee, aye, even for the evil words
which thou hast spoken to me but now."
This answer increased Cain's wrathful feelings, and,
raising the implement of his labour which he was holding
in his hand, he struck his brother suddenly therewith, and
killed him.
Thus was the blood of Abel spilled by Cain his brother,
and the blood ran along the ground, even to the place
where Abel's flocks were staying.
And it came to pass, after this rash action, that Cain
grieved and wept bitterly. Then, arising, he dug a hole in
the ground, and buried therein his brother's body from the
light of day.




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                5
And after this, the Lord appeared to Cain, and said to
him:
"Where is Abel, thy brother, who was with thee?"
And Cain replied unto the Lord:
"I know not! Am I my brother's keeper?
Then said the Lord:
"What hast thou done! Thy brother's blood cries to
me from the ground. Thou thinkest I know not of thy
action, of the crime which thou hast committed, which
thou wouldst now deny. Cursed be thou from the ground
which oped to swallow up thy brother's blood. No longer
shall it give its strength to thee and answer to thy efforts;
no longer shall it give thee aught but thorns. A fugitive
and wanderer shalt thou henceforth be upon the earth."
And Cain went forth a wanderer from the presence of
his Maker, forth to the land on the east of Eden.
Now, after this time, when God began to give Cain rest,
his wife conceived and bore a son. And Cain called his
son "Enoch," because God had at last given him rest
upon the earth.  And he began to build a city, and this,
too, he called " EIoch," for the same reason, because he
was no longer a fugitive and a wanderer as before.
Now, when Adam was one hundred and thirty years old,
he begat another son, whom he called " Seth."
And Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begat
"Enosh."
Then the people increased and grew many upon the
face of the earth. And they polluted their souls by sin
and rebellion against the Lord.  Their wickedness and
their transgressions increased day by day. They forgot
the Eternal who had formed them and given them the earth
as a possession. They made images of copper and iron,




?6                 THE PALMUD.
of wood and of stone, to which they prostrated themselves
in worship.
During the entire lifetime of Enosh the people continued
thus unrighteous.
Therefore God's wrath was kindled against them, and
he caused the river Gichon to overflow, and destroy and
consume them. But though one-third of the earth was
thus destroyed, the remaining people did not repent; they
continued in their evil ways, displeasing in the eyes of the
Lord.
During this time there was neither sowing nor reaping.
There was a grievous famine in the land, for when the
people became corrupt, the land was also corrupted, and,
instead of fruit for man's sustenance, it brought forth thorns
and thistles.
And Enosh lived ninety years, and begat "Kenan."
Kenan was a wise man who understood all things, and
when he grew to be forty years of age, he ruled over the
whole human race. Being an intelligent man, he instructed
the people, and imparted to them his wisdom and understanding. He foresaw that the people would be punished
for their continued wickedness, and he prophesied concerning the future and the flood which God would bring
upon the earth, and he wrote down his prophecies on stone
tablets, and deposited them in the Treasury.
When Kenan was seventy years old he begat children,
three sons and two daughters. These two daughters
became the wives of Lemech, the son of Methushael,
the fifth of the generations of Cain. Ada, his first wife,
bore him a son, whom she called "Jabal," and another son,
whom she called " Jubal;" but Zillah, her sister, was barren
for many years.




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  I7
But it came to pass, even in her old age, that Zillah
became the mother of a son, whom she called "TubalCain," saying, " After I have grown old, Almighty God has
granted me a son."  Then Zillah conceived again, and bore
a daughter, whom she called " Naama," which signifies joy
and pleasure in old age.
Now as Lemech grew old, his eyes grew very dim, and
finally all sight was taken from them, and Tubal-Cain, his
son, led him by the hand when he walked abroad.
And it came to pass, when Tubal-Cain was still quite
young, that he led his father into the fields to hunt, and he
said to his father:
" Lo, yonder is a beast of prey, shoot thy arrow in that
direction."
Lemech did as his son had spoken, and the arrow struck
Cain, who was walking afar off, and killed him. Thus was
Cain's blood shed even as he had shed the blood of Abel
his brother.
Now when Lemech and his son drew near and saw that
instead of a beast of prey they had killed their progenitor
Cain, Lemech trembled exceedingly and clapped his hands
heavily together in surprise, grief, and fright. Being blind,
he saw not his son, and struck the lad's head between his
hands, killing him instantly. When his wives discovered
what their husband had done they upbraided and despised
him. And he spoke to them, saying:
"Ada and Zillah, listen to my voice! Oh, wives of
Lemech, give ear unto my speech! I have slain a man to
my hurt, a child to my wounding, but not in cruelty
or with design. Ye know that I am old and hoary, that
my eyes are sightless; accidentally I did this thing to my
own wounding and my own hurt."
Then his wives became reconciled to their husband,




is                 THE TALMUD.
according to the advice of Adam, their father, but they
bore no more children.
"Mehalalel begat Jared, and Jared begat Enoch, and
Enoch begat Methusaleh."
And Enoch served the Lord and walked with him,
despising the wicked ones about him, and cleaving with
knowledge and understanding to the ways of the Most
High.
Enoch did not mix with the people, but lived alone as
a hermit for many years.
And it came to pass as he was praying in his apartment
an angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, saying,
Enoch, Enoch," and he answered, "Here am I."
Then said the angel:
"Arise, go forth from thy solitude and walk among the
people of the land. Teach to them the way they should
go, and instruct them in the actions they should perform."
And Enoch did as the Lord commanded him.
He walked among the people and taught them the ways
of the Creator, assembling them together and addressing
them in earnestness and truth. And he charged his fold
lowers to proclaim in all places where men dwelt"Who is he that desires to know the ways of the Lord
and to do righteously?  Let him  seek Enoch."  And
Enoch reigned over the human race and the people obeyed
him, and while Enoch was among them they served God.
And princes and rulers came to listen to his words of
wisdom and to make obeisance before him. And he made
peace through all the land.
And Enoch reigned over the human race for three
hundred and fifty-three years. In justice and righteousness
he ruled, and peace blessed the land during all this period.




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  19
Methusaleh was the son of Enoch, and Lemech was the
son of Methusaleh. Adam died, nine hundred and thirty
years old, when Lemech was sixty-five years of age. He
was buried with great honours by Seth, Enoch, and Methusaleh. His body was placed in a cave, which according
to some authorities was the cave of Machpelah.  From
this time, the time of Adam's burial, it has been the custom
to perform funeral obsequies over the dead.
Adam died because he had eaten of the fruit of the tree
of knowledge, and through his sin must all his descendants
likewise die, even as the Lord has spoken.
The year in which Adam died was the two hundred and
fifty-third year of the reign of Enoch.
And it came to pass about this time that Enoch again
felt a longing for solitude take possession of him, and he
again withdrew from frequent communion with his people.
He did not separate himself from them  altogether; for
three days he remained alone, and on the fourth he appeared to exhort and instruct them.  But when a few
years had passed he increased the periods of his withdrawal from the world, and separating himself from the
people for six days, he preached to them  upon  the
seventh. A.nd after this he appeared before the people
but one time in a year, and though they were desirous of
seeing him and hearkening to his voice, save at this one
time, they were unable to behold him.
And Enoch became so holy that the people feared him
and dared not approach when he appeared before them,
for the glory of heaven rested on his face. Yet when he
spoke they assembled and listened to his words, and
learning from his knowledge, they bowed before him, and
cried aloud, "Long live the King!"
And it came to pass when the inhabitants of the world




lo                 THE TALMUD.
had learned from Enoch the ways of the Lord, an angel
called to him from heaven, saying:
"Ascend, Enoch, ascend to heaven, and reign over the
children of God in heaven as thou hast reigned over the
children of men on earth."
Then Enoch assembled the people and said to them,
"I have been summoned to heaven, but I know not the
day I shall ascend. Therefore let me teach you ere I
go, reiterating the lessons which you have heard from my
lips."
And Enoch made peace and harmony among the people,
and pointed out to them the path to everlasting life. And
his followers proclaimed aloud wherever men dwelt, " Who
is he that wishes to live and to know the ways of the Lord?
Let him seek Enoch and learn, ere he is taken from us
and earth."
So Enoch taught the people and united them in peace
and harmony.
Then Enoch mounted his horse and rode away, and a
multitude of people followed him a day's journey.
And it came to pass on the second day that Enoch spoke
to those who followed him, saying:
" Return to your tents I Wherefore follow me? Return,
lest death overtake ye."
A number of the followers returned at these words, but
others continued to journey with him; and every day he
spoke to them, saying:
" Return, lest death overtake ye."
And on the sixth day there were still some who followed
after him, and they said, " Where thou goest will we go; as
the Lord liveth naught but death shall separate us;" so
when Enoch saw that they were thus determined he spoke
to them no more.




BIBLICAL HIS TORY.                21
Those who went back on the sixth day knew how many
they had left following, but of those whom they left on the
sixth day not one returned.
And on the seventh day Enoch ascended to heaven in a
whirlwind, with chariot and horses of fire.
And it came to pass after Enoch had gone up to heaven
that the people started out to search for those men who had
followed after him. And on the spot where they had left
them they found deep snow and ice. They cut through the
ice and they found there the dead bodies of the men for
whom they were searching, but Enoch they did not find.
Therefore is this the meaning of the words of Scripture,
" And Enoch walked with God; and he was not" (he was
not where search was made), "for God had taken him"
Gen. 5: 24).
And Enoch ascended to heaven when Lemech the son of
Methusaleh was one hundred and thirteen years old.
And it came to pass after Enoch had ascended to heaven
that the people appointed Methusaleh, his son, king over
them. And Methusaleh lived in the way of righteousness
which his father had taught him, and he continued to
instruct the people in morality and goodness even as Enoch
had done before him. But in the latter part of his reign
the people grew regardless of his teachings. They dis
regarded the personal rights of one another, and rebelled
against the commands of God.
And the wrath of the Lord was again kindled against
them, and the earth brought forth thorns and thistles instead
of its fruit for sustenance, yet they repented not, nor turned
from  their evil deeds.  Therefore did God resolve to
destroy them entirely from the face of the earth.
Now when Lemech, the son of Methusaleh, was one
0




22                 THE T, ALMUD.
hundred and eighty-six years old, Seth, the son of Adam,
died and was buried.
And about this time Lemech took to himself Ashmua,
the daughter of Elishua, the son of Enoch, for a wife, and
he begat a son and called him Noah.
Noah grew up in righteousness and followed zealously in
the ways of truth which Methusaleh taught him; but the
others of the people practised wickedness towards God and
deceit towards one another.
Then said God:
"'The whole earth is corrupt. I will destroy this man
whom I have created, the fowls of the heaven and the
beasts of the earth, for the wickedness of man proves him
undeserving of life, and I repent that I have made him."
But the Lord stayed his wrath until every man who
walked in His ways was dead, before He brought to pass
the evil which He had spoken, so that his faithful servants
might not see the punishment of their fellow-man.
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord; and God
selected Noah and his family from all the people of the
earth, to keep them alive through the destruction which He
designed.
And it came to pass in the eighty-fourth year of Noah's
life that Enosh, the son of Seth, died at the age of nine
hundred and five years. And when Noah was one hundred
and seventy, Kenan died nine hundred and ten years old.
And Mehalel died at the age of eight hundred and ninetyfive years, when Noah was two hundred and thirty years of
age; and when Noah was three hundred and sixty, Jared
died at the age of nine hundred and sixty-two years. And
also those people who fulfilled the words of the Lord died
in those days before He showed them the evil which He
had decreed.




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                 23
And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth
year of the life of Noah, that the only righteous ones left in
that generation were Methusaleh, and Noah with his family.
Then the word of the Lord came to Methusaleh and
Noah, saying:
"Go forth, proclaim  to all mankind,' Thus saith the
Lord: Turn from  your evil inclinations, abandon your
unrighteous ways, then may God forgive and spare you on
the face of the earth.  For thus saith the Eternal, one
hundred and twenty years will I give ye to repent; if ye
forsake your evil ways, then will I forsake my intentions of
destruction.'"
And Noah and Methusaleh went forth and spoke these
words of the Lord to the people. Every day, from morning
until night, they addressed the people, but the people
heeded not their words.
Noah was a righteous man in his generation, and the
Lord chose Noah's seed to be spread over the whole earth.
Then said God to Noah:
"Take thyself a wife, and beget children, for I have seen
thee to be a righteous man before me; only thyself, thy
wife, and thy sons, shall live on earth of all this generation."
And Noah did as God commanded him, and took to
wife Naamah, the daughter of Enoch; and Noah was four
hundred and ninety-eight years old when he married
Naamah. And Naamah conceived and bore a son, whom
she called "Japhet," saying, " God has enlarged us through
the land."  And she bore a second son, and called him
"Ham."  And she bore a third son, and called him
"Shem," saying, "God has given me a great name on
earth."  And Noah was five hundred and two years old
when she bore to him his third son, Shem.




24                 NiE TALMUD.
And the lads grew up and walked in the way of God, as
they were taught by Noah and by Methusaleh. And in
these days died Lemech, the father of Noah.  lie was not
as righteous either as his father or his son. He was seven
hundred and seventy-seven years old when he died.
And again the Lord spoke to Methusaleh and Noah,
saying:
"Once more call mankind to repentance; call once
again, ere my punishment falls upon the people."
But the people listened not, and the words of warning
were unheeded.
Then the Lord said unto Noah:
"The end of all flesh cometh before me, because of its
evil ways; behold, I will destroy the people with the earth.
But thou, take for thyself gopher wood, and build for thee
an ark. In this manner build it: Three hundred cubits in
length, fifty cubits in breadth, and thirty cubits in height;
make a door in its side, and to a cubit finish it above."
In the five hundred and ninety-fifth year of his age Noah
commenced building this ark, and he completed it in his six
hundredth year, and during the time of its building his three
sons married the three daughters of Methusaleh.
And it came to pass, also, during this time, that Methusaleh, the son of Enoch, died at the age of nine hundred
and sixty-nine years.
After his death the Lord spoke to Noah, saying:
" Go thou with all thy household into the ark, and, behold,
I will gather to thee all the beasts and fowls, and they will
surround the ark.
"Then place thyself in the doorway of the ark, and the
beasts and fowls will place themselves opposite to thee.
Those that lie down before thee let thy sons lead into the
ark, and those that remain standing thou shalt abandon."




BIBLICAL HISTORE.                  25
As the Lord had spoken so happened it. The aninmals
assembled in a great multitude opposite the ark. Those
which lay down were led into the ark, and the others were
al)andoned.
And at the end of seven days the thunder and lightnings
of the heavens frighted all the earth.  The glory of the sun
was darkened, the heavy rain fell, and the fury of the storm
exceeded all that man had heard of or imagined.
And the people came to the ark and clung to it, and cried
to Noah for help, but he answered them:
" For a hundred and twenty years I entreated ye to follow
my words; alas,'tis now too late."
For forty days and forty nights the rain fell, and with such
violence that even those in the ark were in trouble and
agony of mind, for they feared their vessel would not be
able to withstand its might.
Each animal in the ark, according to its nature, uttered
its cry of fear, of rage, of helplessness, and the noise was
loud and terrible.
Then Noah addressed the Eternal in prayer:
"0  Lord, I beseech Thee, save us now!  Without
strength to face this great calamity, we come to Thee.
The rivers of water terrify us, and death plays in waves
about us.  Lift up Thy countenance upon us, 0 Lord!
le gracious to us.  Redeem us, our God; deliver us, and
save us!"
And God heard the voice of Noah, and remembered him.
"And God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the
waters were assuaged,.... and the ark rested in the
seventh month.... upon the mountain of Ararat."
And Noah opened the window of the ark, and again
called to God, saying:




26                 THE TALMUD.
" 0 Lord, God of heaven and of earth, release our souls
from confinement, bring us out from the prison in which we
live; verily our hearts are weary with sighing."
And God answered Noah, saying:
"At the close of the year thou and thy family may go
forth out of the ark."
And it came to pass in the second month, on the sevenand-twentieth day of the month, the earth was perfectly dry.
Yet Noah and his family still tarried in the ark, and they
did not leave it until God called to them and said, "Go out
of the ark."
All the people and living things then departed from the
vessel in which their lives had been preserved.
Noah and his children served the Lord all the days of
their lives, and God blessed them. And the human race
increased rapidly after the flood, and the names of the
generations are written in the Bible.
Cush, the son of Ham and grandson of Noah, married in
his old age a young wife, and begat a son whom he called
" Nimrod," because in those days the people were beginning
to rebel again against the Lord's command, and Nimrod
signifies rebellion.
Now Nimrod grew up, and his father loved him exceedingly, because he was the child of his old age. And there
was a certain coat of skins which God had made for Adam.
When Adam died this coat became the possession of Enoch;
from him it descended to Methusaleh, his son; Methusaleh
gave it to Noah, who took it with him into the ark. And when
the people left the ark Ham stole this coat, and hid it from
his brothers, giving it secretly thereafter to Cush, his son.
Cush kept it hidden for many years, until out of his great
love he gave it to Nimrod, the child of his old age. When
Nimrod was twenty years of age he put on this coat, and it




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  27
gave him strength and might; might as a hunter in the
fields, and might as a warrior in the subjection of his
enemies and opponents. And his wars and undertakings
prospered until he became king over all the earth.
Behold, to this day his power is a proverb among men,
and he who instructs the youthful arm in the wielding of
weapons, and the youthful mind in the secrets of the chase,
wishes his pupils "even as Nimrod, who was a mighty
hunter in the land, and prosperous in his wars."
When Nimrod was forty years old his brethren, the sons
of Ham, quarrelled with the sons of Japhet. And Nimrod
assembled the tribe of Cush, and went forth to battle with
the sons of Japhet. And he addressed his army, saying:
"Be not dismayed, and banish fear from your hearts.
Our enemies shall surely be your booty, and ye shall do
with them as ye please."
Nimrod was victorious, and the opposing armies became
his subjects. And when he and his soldiers returned home
rejoicing the people gathered around and made him king,
and placed a crown upon his head. And he appointed
counsellors, judges, chiefs, generals, and captains.  He
established a national government, and he made Therach,
the son of Nahor, his chief officer.
When Nimrod had thus established his power he decided
to build a city, a walled town, which should be the capital
of his country. And he selected a certain plain and built a
large city thereon, and called it Shinar. And Nimrod dwelt
in Shinar in safety, and gradually became ruler over all the
world; and at that time all the people of the earth were of
one language and of one speech.
Nimrod in his prosperity did not regard the Lord. He
made gods of wood and stone, and the people copied after
his doings. His son Mordon served idols also, from which




z28                 THE TALMUD.
we have, even to this day, the proverb, "From  the wicked,
wickedness comes forth."
And it came to pass about this time that the officers of
Nimrod and the descendants of Phut, Mitzrayim, Cush,
and Canaan took counsel together, and they said to one
another:
" Let us build a city and also in its midst a tall tower for
a stronghold, a tower the top of which shall reach even to
the heavens.  Then shall we truly make for ourselves a
great and mighty name, before which all our enemies shall
tremble.  None will then be able to harm us, and no wars
may disperse our ranks."
And they spoke these words to the king, and he approved
of their design.
Therefore these families gathered together and selected a
suitable spot for their city and its tower on a plain towards
the east, in the land of Shinar.
And while they were building rebellion budded in their
hearts, rebellion against God, and they imagined that they
could scale the heavens and war with him.
They divided into three parties; the first party said:
" We will ascend to heaven and place there our gods, and
worship them."
The second party said:
"We will pour into the heavens of the Lord and match
our strength with His."
And the third party said:
" Yea, we will smite Him with arrow and with spear."
And God watched their evil enterprise, and knew their
thoughts, yet they builded on. If one of the stones which
they had raised to its height fell, they were sad at heart, and
even wept; vet when any of their brethren fell from the




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                   29
building and were killed, none took account of the life thus
lost.
Thus they continued for a space of years, till God said,
"We will confuse their language."  Then the people forgot
their language, and they spoke to one another in a strange
tongue.
And they quarrelled and fought on account of the many
misunderstandings occasioned by this confusion of language,
and many were destroyed in these quarrels, till at last they
were compelled to cease building.
According to their deserts did God punish the three
rebellious parties.  Those who had said, "We will place
our gods in the heavens," were changed in appearance, and
became like apes; those who had said, " We will smite Him
with arrows," killed one another through misunderstandings;
and those who had said, " Let us try our strength with His,"
were scattered over the face of the earth.
The tower was exceedingly tall.  The third part of it
sunk down into the ground, a second third was burned
down, but the remaining third was standing until the time of
the destruction of Babylon.
Thus were the people dispersed over the globe, and
divided into nations,




30o
CHAPTER II.
FROM THE BIRTH OF ABRAM TO THE DESTRUCTION OF
SODOM AND GOMORRAH.
THERACH, the son of Nahor, was the chief officer of King
Nimrod, and a great favourite with his royal master; and
when his wife Amtheta, the daughter of Karnebo, bore him
a son, she called the child Ab-ram, meaning " Great father;"
and Therach was seventy years old when his son Abram was
born.
Now it came to pass on the night of Abram's birth that
Therach entertained a number of his friends, including tho
wise men and magicians of Nimrod the king. They passed
the night in revelry and merriment, and when they went
forth from the house of their host mrorn was dawning.
Lifting their eyes heavenward, they beheld a large and
brilliant star rise before them in the east, and swallow up or
consume four stars from the four corers of the heavens.
The magicians wondered much at this occurrence, and they
said one to the other:
" Verily, this is an omen connected with the newly-born
child of Therach. When he grows up he will be fruitful and
increase greatly in power and excellence, and his descendants will destroy this kingdom and possess its lands."
And they went home and pondered over the matter, and
when they met in the house of assembly, they said:
" Behold, we had better inform the king of the wonderful
occurrence which greeted our sight. Should it come to his
knowledge indirectly, he will be wroth with us for keeping




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  31
it from him; he may even slay us for our neglect. Let us
go to him at once that we may be free from blame in the
matter."
Entering into the presence of the king, his wise men
saluted him, saying, " 0 king, live for ever!"
And the chief of the wise men then related to the king the
phenomenon which they had witnessed, and the interpretation or meaning which they assigned to it. Concluding the
relation, he added:
" And now, if it be pleasing to the king, we would advise
him to pay the value of this child unto his father and destroy
him while in his infancy, lest in the days to come, through
him and his descendants, we and our children be utterly
destroyed."
The king listened attentively to the words of his servants
and approved of their advice.  He sent a messenger for
Therach, and when the latter appeared before him he told
him all that the wise men had related, and said:
" Now, therefore, give up the child, that we may slay him
before misfortune falls upon us, and in payment we will fill
thy coffers with silver and with gold!"
Then answered Therach:
" I have listened to the words of my lord, and all that he
wishes I will do; yet first I beg, let me tell the king of a
request made to me but yesterday, and ask his advice
thereon."
" It is well," replied Nimrod; " speak."
Yesterday," said Therach, " Ayon, the son of Morad,
came to my house desiring to purchase from me the beautiful steed, which thou, oh king, didst graciously present to
me.'Sell me the horse,' said Ayon,'and I will pay thee
his full value and likewise fill thy stables with straw and
provender.' And I answered him that I did not feel at




32                  TILE TA LMUD.
liberty to so dispose of the king's gift without the king's ap.
proval; and now, oh king! I ask thee for advice."
Angrily the king answered:
"And thou wouldst think of selling my gift, of parting
with that noble steed for gold and silver, straw and provender! Art thou in such need of these things that thou
wouldst barter for them the horse which I have given thee,
a steed unequalled in the land?"
Then Therach bowed before the king, and said, " And if
such is thy feeling in regard to this horse, how canst thou
ask me to give up my child? Gold and silver cannot pay
me for the gift of my king, neither can gold or silver replace
for me my child?"
This application of his advice was exceedingly disagreeable to the king, and his feeling was so plainly pictured on
his countenance that Therach quickly added:
"All my possessions are my king's, even my child,
without money and without price."
"No," said the king, "for money will I buy him."
"Pardon, my lord," returned Therach, "give me three
days for consideration, and I will speak of this matter with
the mother of the boy."
Nimrod granted this request, and Therach departed fromn
his presence.
At the end of the three days the king sent a message to
Therach, commanding him to send the child or be himself
destroyed with all his family.
When Therach received this message, realising that the
king was determined in his purpose, he took the child of
one of his slaves, a child born on the day of Abram's birth,.nd sent it to King Nimrod, receiving the money for it and
ieclaring it to be his child.
The king himself slew the child, and Therach hid his wife,




BIBLICAL HIS TOR Y.                 3
Abram, and the child's nurse in a lonely cave, sending them
food secretly every week. And Abram remained in this
cave until he was ten years old.
At the end of ten years Nimrod and his officers had
forgotten all about Abram and the episode of his birth, and
Abram came forth from the cave and was sent to live with
Noah and his son Shem to learn from them the ways of the
Lord; and he lived there thirty-nine years.
During these years Charan, the son of Therach, the elder
brother of Abram, married, and his wife bore him a son
whom he called "Lot;" she bore him  also two daughters,
one of whom he called Milcah and the other Sarai.  At the
time of Sarai's birth, Abram was about forty-two years of
age.
From his earliest childhood Abram was a lover of the
Lord.  God had granted him a wise heart ready to comprehend and understand the majesty of the Eternal, and able
to despise the vanity of idolatry.
When quite a child, beholding the brilliant splendour of
the noonday sun and the reflected glory which it cast upon
all objects around, he said, " Surely this brilliant light must
be a god, to  him  will I render worship."   And  he
worshipped the sun and prayed to it.  But as the day
lengthened the sun's brightness faded, the radiance which it
rast upon the earth was lost in the lowering clouds of night,
atd as the twilight deepened the youth ceased his supplications, saying, "No, this cannot be a god. Where then can
I find the Creator, He who made the heavens and the
earth?"  He looked towards the west, the south, the north,
and to the east. The sun disappeared from his view, nature
became enveloped in the pall of a past day. Then th:
moon rose, and when Abram saw it shining in the heavens
surrounded by its myriads of stars, he said, " Perhaps thess




34                 THE TALMUD.
are the gods who have created all things," and he uttered
prayers to them. But when the morning dawned and the
stars paled, and the moon faded into silvery whiteness and
was lost in the returning glory of the sun, Abram knew God,
and said, "There is a higher power, a Supreme Being, and
these luminaries are but His servants, the work of His
hands."  From that day, even until the day of his death,
Abram knew the Lord and walked in all His ways.
While Abram, the son of Therach, added daily to his
wisdom and knowledge in the house of Noah, none knowing
aught of his whereabouts, the subjects of King Nimrod,
who then reigned in Babel, continued in their evil ways,
despite of the warnings which they had received of the
destruction of the wicked. And the servants of Nimrod
called him Amraphel. Merdon, the son of Nimrod, was
more unrighteous than his father, and even Therach, who
still remained chief officer to the king, became a worshipper
of idols. In his house he had twelve large images of wood
and stone, a separate god for each month in the year, and
to these he prayed and made obeisance.
When Abram was fifty years of age he left the house of
his instructor, Noah, and returned to Therach, his father.
He beheld the twelve idols occupying the places of honour
in his father's house, and his soul waxed full with wrath,
and he uttered a vow, saying:
"By the life of the Lord, if these images remain here
three days longer, may the God who created me make me
even such as they."
And Abram sought his father when he was surrounded
by his officers, and he spoke to him, saying:
"Father, tell me, I pray, where I may find the God who
created the heavens and the earth, thee, me, and all the
people in the world."




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  3
And Therach answered:
"My son, the creator of all things is here with us in the
house."
Then said Abram:
"Show him to me, my father."
And Therach led Abram into an inner apartment, and
pointing to the twelve large idols and the many smaller
ones around, he said:
" These are the gods who created the heavens and the
earth, thee, me, and all the people of the world."
Abram then sought his mother, saying:
"My mother, behold, my father has shown to me the
gods who have created the earth and all that it contains,
therefore, prepare for me, I pray thee, a kid for a sacrifice,
that the gods of my father may partake of the same and
receive it favourably."
Abram's mother did as her son had requested her, and
Abram placed the food which she prepared before the idols,
but none stretched forth a hand to eat.
Then Abram  jested, and said, "Perchance'tis not
exactly to their taste, or mayhap the quantity appears
stinted. I will prepare a larger offering, and strive to make
it still more savoury."
Next day Abram requested his mother to prepare two
kids and with her greatest skill, and placing them before
the idols he watched with the same result as on the previous
day.
Then Abram exclaimed:
"Woe to my father and to this evil generation; woe
to those who incline their hearts to vanity and worship
senseless images without the power to smell or eat, to see
or hear. Mouths they have, but sounds they cannot utter;
eyes they have, but lack all power to see; they have ears




THE TALMUDtJ
that cannot hear, hands that cannot move, and feet that
cannot walk. Senseless as they are the men who wrought
them, senseless all who trust in them  and bow before
them."
And seizing an iron implement, he destroyed and broke
with it all the images save one, into the hands of which he
placed the iron which he had used.
The noise of this proceeding reached  the  ears of
Therach, who hurried to the apartment, where he found
the broken idols and the food which Abram  had placed
before them.  In wrath and indignation he cried out unto
his son, saying:
" What is this that thou hast done unto my gods?"
And Abram answered:
" I brought them  savoury food, and behold they all
grasped for it with eagerness at the same time, all save
the largest one, who, annoyed and displeased with their
greed, seized that iron which he holds and destroyed them."
" False are thy words," answered Therach in anger.
"Had these images the breath of life, that they could
move and act as thou hast spoken?  Did I not fashion
them with my own hands?  How, then, could the larger
destroy the smaller ones?"
" Then why serve senseless, powerless gods?" replied
Abiam, "gods who can neither help thee in thy need nor
l^tar thy supplications?  Evil is it of thee and those who
unite with thee to serve ilmages of stone and wood, forgetting the Lord God who made the heaven and the earth
and all that is therein. Ye bring guilt upon your souls, the
sanle guilt for which your ancestors were punished by the
waters of the flood. Cease, oh, my father, to serve such
gods, lest evil fall upon thy soul and the souls of all thy
famil)y.




BIBLICAL HIS TORY.                37
And seizing the iron from the hands of the remaining
idol, he destroyed that also, before his father's eyes.
When Therach witnessed this deed of his son, he hastened
before King Nimrod and denounced Abram, saying, "A
son born to me fifty years ago has acted so and so,-let
him be brought before thee, I pray, for judgment."
When Abram was summoned before the king, Nimrod
said to him:
"What is this that thou hast done unto thy father's
gods?"
And Abram answered the king in the same words that
he had spoken to his father. And when Nimrod replied:
"The large god had no strength nor power to do this
thing," Abram continued, saying:
" Then wherefore serve him?  Why cause thy subjects
to follow in thy vain ways? Rather serve the great Lord
of the world who has power to do all things; who has the
power to kill, the power to keep alive. Woe to thee, thou
man of foolish heart. Turn from thy evil ways, serve Him
in whose hands is thy life and the lives of all thy people, or
die in reproach, thou and all who follow thee."
The king commanded his officers to seize Abram and
lead him to confinement, and he remained in prison ten
days. During this time Nimrod convened his council, and
thus addressed his princes and his officers:
"Ye have heard of the deeds of Abram, the son of
Therach. He has treated me with disrespect and shown
no dread of my power. Behold, he is in prison; therefore speak and tell me what punishment should be inflicted on this man, who has acted so audaciously before
me."
And the counsellors replied:
"He who acts disrespectfully to the king should meet
D




38                 TTIE  4ZALMUD.
death upon the gallows; this man has done more; he is
guilty of sacrilege, he has insulted our gods; therefore he
should be burned to death. If it be pleasing to the king
let a furnace be heated, day and night, and then let this
Abram be cast therein."
This advice pleased the king, and he commanded such
measures to be taken forthwith.
And when the furnace was heated to a great and consuming heat, all the officers assembled, and the people,
both great and small, to witness the carrying out of the
king's orders. The women, carrying their children with
them, ascended to the roofs of their houses, and the
men gathered in great numbers; but all stood afar off,
for none dared approach the great heat to look into the
furnace.
And it came to pass, when Abram was brought out from
prison and the wise men and magicians beheld him, that
they cried aloud unto Nimrod:
" Oh, king, we know this man! This is none other than
the child, at whose birth, fifty years ago, one large star consumed four other stars.  His father has mocked thee and
played thee false in sending another child in his stead, to
be slain according to thy will."
When the king heard these words he grew fiercely angry,
and ordered Therach to be immediately brought before
him. And he said to Therach:
"Thou hast heard what these magicians have asserted.
Tell me, now, have they spoken truly?"
And Therach, observing the great anger of the king
answered truly:' It is as these wise men have spoken. I had compassion
upon my child, and sent thee in his stead the child of one
of my slaves."




BIBLICAL HISTOR.                  9
" Who advised thee to this? Speak truly, and thou shalt
live?" demanded Nimrod.
The king's manner terrified Therach, and he answered
quickly, not knowing what he said, and altogether without
foundation:
" Charan, my other son, advised me to the thing."
Now Charan was a man without strength of mind in
faith, and undecided as to whether the idols of his father
or the God of Abram deserved his worship. When Abram
was cast in prison, Charan said in his heart, "Now will
I see what God is powerful. If Abram prevails I will profess his faith, and if he perishes I will follow the leading of
the king."
When  Therach  thus  accused  his  son,  Nimrod
answered:
"Then Charan must suffer with Abram, and both thy
sons be cast into the furnace."
And both Abram and Charan were brought before the
king, and in the presence of all the inhabitants their robes
were removed from them, their hands and feet were bound,
and they were cast into the flaming furnace.
Now the heat of the fire was so great that the twelve
men who cast them therein were consumed by it, yet God
had compassion upon his servant Abram, and though the
ropes which bound him were burned from off his limbs, he
walked upright through the fire, unharmed. But Charan,
his brother, whose heart was not the Lord's, met instantaneous death in the flames. And the servants of the king
called out to their master:
"Behold, Abram walks unhurt through the flames, the
ropes with which we bound him are consumed, yet he is
uninjured."
The king refused to belicrve o wonderful a thing, and




40s               PfP^r~H~ IAL.MUD.
sent trusted officers to look into the furnace, and when they
corroborated the words of their inferiors the king was lost
in amazement, and commanded his officers to take Abram
out of the fire. They were not able, however, to execute
his order, for the forks of flame blazed in their faces and
they fled from the great heat.
And the king reproached them, saying ironically:
"Haste ye,-take Abram out, else he may die!"
But their second attempt was fruitless as the first, and in
it eight men were burned to death.
Then the king called to Abram, saying:
"Servant of the God of Heaven, come forth from the fire
and stand before me."
And Abram walked out of the fire and the furnace and
stood before the king. And when the king saw that not
even a hair of Abram's head was singed by the flame, he
expressed wonder and amazement.
"The God of Heaven, in whom I trust," said Abram,
" and in whose hand are all things, hath delivered me from
the flames."
And the princes of the king bowed before Abram, but he
said to them:
" Bow not to me, but to the great God of the Universe,
who hath created you. Serve Him and walk in His ways;
He is powerful to deliver and to save from death."
The king, too, looked on Abram with awe, and made him
many valuable presents, and parted from him in peace.
And it came to pass after this that Nahor and Abram
took to themselves wives; the name of Nahor's wife was
Milcah, and the name of Abram's wife Sarai, or YiskIa.
They were both the daughters of Charan, the brother of
their husbands.
About two years after Abram's deliverance from death by




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  41
fire, King Nimrod dreamed. And behold, in this dream, he
was standing with his army in a valley, opposite to a great
furnace, in which a fire blazed; and a man, resembling
Abram, came forth from the furnace and stood before the
king, holding in his hand a drawn sword. And the man
approached Nimrod with this sword uplifted, and Nimrod
turned and fled. Then, as the king fled, the man threw
after him an egg, and a huge river of water flowed forth
from this egg, engulfing the king and all his army, and all
were drowned save the king with three men. As they fled,
the king turned to look at the companions who had been
saved with him, and behold they were men of tall stature
and commanding appearance, and attired in royal apparel.
And the river disappeared and only an egg remained. And
further in his dream, King Nimrod beheld a bird issue forth
from this egg, and the bird flew upon his head and pecked
out his eyes. Then the king awoke in great terror, and lo,
his heart was beating rapidly and his blood was feverish.
In the morning the king sent for his wise men, and
relating to them his dream, he demanded its interpretation.
And one of the wise men, whose name was Anuki, answered,
saying:
"Behold, this dream foreshadows the evil which Abram
and his descendants will cause the king in time to come.
It foretells the day when they will rise and smite our lord
the king with all his hosts, and there will none be saved
except the king, with three other kings who will battle on
his side. And the river and the bird, these that came forth
from the egg, lo, they but typify the descendants of this
man, who will work much evil to our nation and our people
in after days.
"This is the interpretation of the dream, its only meaning.
And well thou knowest, oh, my lord the king, that many




42                 THE TALMUD.
years ago thy wise men beheld this very thing, and yet to
thy own misfortune thou hast still allowed this man to live.
While he walks on earth thy kingdom remains imperilled."
The words of Anuki made a deep impression on the king,
and he sent secret emissaries to take Abram's life. The
king's design, however, was frustrated by Eleazer, a slave of
Abram's, whom Nimrod had presented to him. He learned
of the king's intention, and warned his master, saying:
"Arise, get thee quickly hence, that thou mayest escape
destruction."
And he told Abram of the king's dream, and the interpretation which the wise men had given to it.
So Abram hastened to the house of Noah, and remained
there hiding while the servants of the king searched his own
home and the surrounding country in vain, and he remained
a longer time, even until the people had forgotten him.
And it came to pass during this period of concealment
that Therach, who was still a favourite with the king, came
in secret to visit his son.  And Abram  spoke to him,
saying:
"Come, let us all journey to another land; let us go to
Canaan. Thou knowest that the king seeks my life, and
even though he honours and exalts thee, yet wealth and
power amount to naught in the hour of death and trouble.
Journey with me, oh, my father; abandon the vanity which
thou pursuest; let us live in safety, worshipping the great
God who created us in happiness and peace."
And Noah and his son Shem added their entreaties to
those of Abram, till Therach consented to do as they
wished. And Therach with Abram his son, and Lot his
son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, and all his family,
went forth from Ur Chaldee, from the city of Babel to the
land of Charan, and there they tarried.




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                 43
And the country around them was pleasant and fertile,
and there was ample space for the men and the cattle they
had with them. And the people of Charan respected and
honoured them, and God blessed them and looked with
favour on their household.
And it came to pass after Abram had dwelt in Charan
about three years, that the Lord appeared to him, and
said:
" I am the Lord who brought thee safely through the fire
of the Chaldeans, and delivered thee from the strength of
thy enemies. If thou wilt hearken earnestly to my words
and follow diligently my commands, I will make thy seed
even as the stars of the heaven, and those who hate shall
likewise fear thee. My blessing shall rest upon thee and
my favour on thy doings. Now, arise, take Sarai thy wife,
and those who belong to thee, and all thy possessions, and
journey to Canaan and dwell there, and I will be thy God
and bless thee."
And Abram  journeyed with his family to Canaan in
obedience to the Lord's command. And he was fifty-five
years old when he left Charan.
When Abram had pitched his tent in Canaan, among the
inhabitants of the land, God again appeared to him, and
said:
" This is the land which I have given as a permanent
possession to thee and thy descendants. For the generations to spring from thee shall be numerous as the stars
in heaven, and the countries which I have shown thee shall
be their heritage on earth."
Then Abram built an altar to God, and called it by the
name of the Lord. And he continued to dwell in Canaan,
and when he had lived there about three years Noah died
at the age of nine hundred and fifty years.




14                 THE TAL. MUD.
After this Abram returned to Charan to visit his father
and mother, and he remained with them in Charan for five
years. During this time he endeavoured to spread a knowledge of the Eternal, and he succeeded in gaining among
the Charanites many followers of the one God.
And the Lord appeared to him in Charan, saying:
"Arise and return to the land of Canaan, thou and thy
wife and all born in thy house, and all the souls which thou
hast made in Charan. To thee have I given the land from
the river of Egypt even unto the great river, the river
Euphrates."
And Abram did as the Lord commanded, and Lot, the
son of his brother, went with him out of Charan to the land
of Canaan.
Now Lot possessed large herds of cattle, for God had
prospered him in his undertakings. And it happened that
the herdsmen of Lot and the herdsmen of Abram quarrelled
and disputed in regard to rights of pasturage and water, and
they strove one with the other. Therefore Abram said to
Lot:
"Thou hast done wrong, and through thy herdsmen thou
wilt cause me to be hated by our neighbours. Thy shepherds have pastured their flocks on lands which belong to
others, and I must bear the reproach therefor.  Thou
knowest that I am but a stranger and sojourner in this
land, and thou shouldst bid thy servants to be heedful."
Despite the frequent rebukes of Abram, however, the
herdsmen of Lot continued to quarrel with Abram's men,
and to trespass upon the pastures of their neighbours. At
last Abram spoke earnestly, saying:
"Let there be no strife between us, for we are near
relations, yet we must separate. Go thou whither thou
plezsest, chlose thy dwelling-place where thou wilt, thou




IIBLICAL HISTORY.                   g
and thy cattle and all thy possessions, but bide no longer
with me. If thou art in danger I will haste to aid thee, and
in all things will I be with thee, but separate thyself from
me I pray."
And Lot lifted up his eyes and looked upon the land
opposite the river Jordan.  He saw rich plains and fertile
fields, a country pleasant for man, and with wide pastures
for flocks, rich in water and gratifying to the sight. And
Lot was much pleased with the country, and journeyed
thither even to Sodom, departing in peace from Abram
with his flocks and all his possessions. And Abram remained and dwelt in the groves of Mamrre, near to Hebron.
" The men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners before the
Lord exceedingly."
Now, in these days Sodom  and four other cities were
inhabited by men of evil actions, who provoked the anger
and indignation of the Most High.  They planted in the
valley a beautiful garden many miles in extent, a place
adorned with fruits and flowers, and objects pleasing to
the sight and intoxicating to the senses.  Thither the
people flocked four times a year with music and with
dancing, indulging in all sorts of excesses and acts of
idolatrous worship, with none to utter a word of warning
or rebuke.
In their daily life they were both cruel and treacherous,
oppressing the stranger and taking advantage of all persons
thrown in contact with them.  If a trader entered their city
they would seize his goods either with violence or through
trickery, and if he remonstrated they but mocked him and
drove him from the place.
It happened once that a man from Elam, journeying to a
place beyond Sodom, reached this latter city even  s the




46                 THE TALMUD.
sun was setting. He had with him an ass bearing a valuable
saddle to which some rare and precious merchandise was
attached. Unable to find a lodging for himself and stabling
for the animal, he resolved to pass the night in the streets of
Sodom, and journey on in the morning. A certain citizen
of Sodom, named Hidud, chanced to observe this stranger,
and being cunning and treacherous, he accosted him, saying:
"Whence comest thou, and whither art thou travelling?"
"I am journeying from Hebron," replied the stranger;
" my destination is beyond this place; but lo, the sun has
set; I can obtain no lodging, and so I remain here in the
streets. I have bread and water for myself and straw and
provender for my beast, so I need not be under obligation
to anybody."
" Nay, this is wrong," returned Hidud, "come pass the
night with me, thy lodging shall cost thee naught, and I will
attend also to the wants of thy animal."
Hidud led the stranger to his house. He removed the
valuable saddle from the ass, and the merchandise which
was attached to it he also removed, placing them in the
closet in his house, then he gave the ass provender and set
meat and drink before the stranger, who partook of the
meal, and lodged that night with him.
In the morning the stranger rose up early intending to
pursue his journey, but Hidud said to him, " Take first thy
morning meal, then go thy way."
After the man had eaten he rose to go on his way, but
Hidud stopped him, saying, " It is late in the day, remain I
pray thee, bide with me yet this day and then depart."
The stranger remained in Hidud's house until the following morning, and then, declining another pressing invitation
to remain one day more, he prepared for his departure.
Then said Hidud's wife:




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                   47
"This man has lived with us two days and paid us
naught."
But Hidud answered:
" Keep thy peace."
He then brought forth the stranger's ass, and bade him
"fare thee well."
"Hold," said the stranger, " my saddle, the spread of
many colours, and the strings attached to it, together with
my merchandise, where are they?"
"What!" exclaimed Hidud.
"I gave thee," returned the stranger, "a beautiful spread
with strings attached to it; thou hast hidden it in thy house."
"Ah!" said Hidud  pleasantly, " I will interpret thy
dream. That thou hast dreamed of strings, signifies that
thy days will be prolonged even as strings may be stretched
from end to end; that thou hast dreamed of a spread of
many colours signifieth that thou wilt one day possess a
garden rich in flowers and luscious fruits."
The stranger answered:
" No, my lord, I dreamed not; I gave to thee a spread
of many colours with strings attached, and thou hast hidden
it in thy house."
And Hidud said:
"And I have interpreted thy dream; I have told thee its
neaning,'tis useless to repeat it.  For the interpretation of
a dream people generally pay me four pieces of silver, but
as for thee, behold I will ask of thee only three."
The stranger was very angry at this outrageous conduct,
and he accused Hidud in the court of Sodom of stealing
his goods. Then when each man told his story, the judge
said:
" Hidud speaks the truth; he is an interpreter of dreams;
he is well known as such,"




48                  THE TALIA'UD
And Hidud said to the stranger:
"And as thou art such a liar, thou must even pay me the
full price, four pieces of silver, as well as for the four meals
eaten in my house."
" Willingly will I pay thee for thy meals," replied the
other, " if thou wilt but return my saddle and my goods."
Then the two men wrangled with angry words, and they
were driven forth from the court-house, and the men in the
streets joined on Hidud's side, and they fought the stranger
and thrust him  forth from  the city, robbed of all his
possessions.
When a poor man entered the city of Sodom the people
would give him money in order to save a reputation for
charity, but they made an agreement among themselves that
no one should either give or sell him food, or allow him to
depart from the city. The man would consequently die of
starvation, and the people would then regain the money they
had given him. They would even rob the body of the rags
which covered it, and bury it naked in the wilderness.
Upon one occasion Sarai sent her servant Eleazer to
Sodom to inquire concerning the welfare of Lot and his
family. As he entered the city, Eleazer observed a Sodomite
fighting with a stranger whom he had defrauded, and who,
running to Eleazer, implored him for assistance.
" What art thou doing to this poor man?" said Eleazer to
the Sodomite; "shame upon thee to act in this manner
towards a stranger in your midst!"
And the Sodomite replied:
" Is he thy brother? What is our quarrel to thee?" and
picking up a stone, he struck Eleazer with it on the forehead, causing his blood to flow freely in the street.  Ih.en
the Sodomite saw the blood, he caught hold of Elcazer,
crying




'BrBLICAL HISTORY.                  49
Pay me my fee as a leech; see, I have freed thee of this
impure blood; pay me quickly, for such is our law."
"What!" exclaimed Eleazer, "thou hast wounded me
and I am to pay thee for it!"
This Eleazer refused to do, and the Sodomite had him
brought into the court, and there before the judge reiterated
his demand for a fee.
"Thou must pay the man his fee," said the judge,
addressing Eleazer; " he has let thy blood, and such is our
law."
Eleazer paid the money, and then lifting up the stone he
struck the judge heavily with it, and the blood spurted out
in a strong stream.
" There!" exclaimed Eleazer, "follow thy law and pay
my fee to this man; I want not the money," and he left the
co-urt-house.
At another time a certain poor man entered Sodom, and
as everybody refused to give him food, he was very nearly
starved to death when Lot's daughter chanced to meet him.
For many days she supported him, carrying him  bread
whenever she went to draw water for her father.  The
people of the city, seeing the poor man still living, wondered
greatly as to how he managed to support life without food,
and three men constituted themselves a committee to watch
his goings and his doings. They saw Lot's daughter giving.im bread, and seizing her they carried her before the
Fudges, who condemnled her to death by burning, and this
punishment was inflicted on her.
Another maiden, who assisted  a poor stranger, was
smeared with honey, and left to be stung to death by bees.
For such acts were Sodom and her sister cities destroyed
by fire from Heaven, and only Lot and his family spared
through God's love for his servant Abram.




CHAPTER III.
FROM THE BIRTH OF ISAAC TO THE WARS OF SHECHEM.'AND the Lord visited Sarah and she bore a son unto
Abraham in his old age."
When Isaac was born Abraham prepared a great feast in
his honour, and invited thereto all the chiefs and men of
birth and position who were his neighbours, such as
Abimelech and the captains of his armies.  Therach,
Abraham's father, and Nahor, his brother, journeyed also
from Charan to join in the festivities, and Shem with Eber,
ifis son, were likewise of the party. They were all hearty
in their congratulations, and Abraham's heart was full with
gladness.
Ishmael, the son of Hagar and Abraham, was very fond
of hunting and field sports. He carried his bow with him
at all times, and upon one occasion, when Isaac was about
five years of age, Ishmael aimed his arrow at the child,
crying, "Now I am going to shoot thee."  Sarah witnessed
this action, and fearing for the life of her son, and disliking
the child of her handmaid, she made many complaints to
Abraham of the boy's doings, and urged him to dismiss both
Hagar and Ishmael from his tent, and send them to live at
some other place.
For some time Ishmael lived with his mother in the
wilderness of Paran, always indulging in his great passion
for hunting; then they journeyed to Egypt, where Ishmael
married, and where fout sons and a daughter were born to
him. But soon he returned to his favourite home in the




BIBLICAL HISTOR Y.                S
wilderness, building there tents for himself, his people and
his family, for God had blessed him, and he was the master
of large flocks and herds.
And it came to pass after many years that Abraham,
yielding to a longing which had always possessed him,
determined to visit his son, and informing Sarah of his intention he started off alone upon a camel.
He reached Ishmael's dwelling-place about noontime,
and found that his son was away from home, hunting.
He was rudely treated by Ishmael's wife, who did not
know him, and who refused him the bread and water which
he asked for. Therefore he said to her, " When thy husband returns say thus to him, describing my appearance,' An old man from the land of the Philistines came to our
door during thy absence, and he said to me, when thy
husband returns, tell him to remove the nail which he has
driven in his tent and to replace it with one more worthy,"
with which words Abraham rode away.
When Ishmael returned home his wife related to him the
occurrence, describing the man and repeating his words,
and Ishmael knew that his father had visited him  and
been treated with disrespect.  For which cause Ishmael
divorced his wife, and married a maiden from the land of
Canaan.
Some three years after this Abraham again visited his
son's tent, and again his son was away from home; but his
wife was pleasant and hospitable, and begged the stranger,
whom she did not know, to alight from his camel, and she
set before him bread and meat. Therefore he said to her,
"When thy husband returns, describe to him my appearance, and say,'This old man came to thee from the land
of the Philistines, and this message he left for thee: the
nail which thou hast driven in thy tent is good and worthy?




S2                  TPS  fALMUD.
see that it is properly esteemed;" and blessing Ishmael
and his family, Abraham returned to his home.
When Ishmael returned he was much pleased to hear his
father's message, and he thanked God for a good and
worthy wife, and after a time he and his family visited
Abraham, and remained with him  in the land of the
Philistines for many days.
When Abraham had dwelt here for six-and-twenty years,
he removed with all his family and possessions to Bear
Sheba, near Hebron.  Here he planted a grove and built
large houses, which he kept always open for the poor and
needy. Those who were hungry entered freely and partook
of food according to their desire, and those who were needy
were liberally supplied with the necessaries of life. When
any of the grateful ones would seek to Abraham to thank
him for his benevolence he replied to them:
"Address thy thanks to God.  To the Eternal, who
created all things, all that we receive belongs; through
His bounty we are fed and clothed."
To feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to speak kindly
to the unfortunate, to act justly towards all mankind, and
to be ever grateful to the Eternal, formed the articles of
the creed  according to which Abraham  fashioned  his
life.
And the word of the Lord came unto Abraham, saying,' Take now thy son whom thou lovest, and offer him tor
a burnt-offcring upon one of the mountains which I will
tell thee of."
When this command was delivered to Abraham, chief
among the many griefs and anxieties which oppressed his
mind, was the necessity of separating Isaac from his mother.
He could not tell her of his intention, and yet the lad was




BIBLICAL HrSTORY.                 53
always with her. Finally he proceeded to Sarah's tent, and
seating himself beside her, he said:
" Thy son is growing to manhood, and he has not yet
learned the service of heaven. To-morrow I will take him
with me to learn the ways of the Lord, with Shem and
Eber."
And Sarah replied:
" Go, my lord, and do as thou hast spoken; but do not
take the lad too great a distance, and keep him not a long
time from my presence."
And Abraham said:
" Pray to God for the happiness of thy son, for my happiness, and for thy own."
During that night Sarah was much troubled on account
of the approaching separation from Isaac; she was unable
to sleep, and when her husband and the lads who accompanied him appeared early in the morning, ready to start
upon their journey, she pressed Isaac to her bosom, and
weeping bitterly she sobbed:
" Oh, my son, my son! how can I allow thee to wander
from  me; my only child, my pride, my hope."  Then
turning to Abraham she said:
"Watch carefully the lad, for he is young and tender;
let him not travel in the heat, nor journey so as to weary
his frame."
She clothed Isaac in his richest garments, and she and
her maidens accompanied him on his way till Abraham bid
them depart and return unto their homes.
Abraham and Isaac journeyed on with the two lads, who
were Ishmael, Abraham's son, and Eleazer, the steward of
his house.
As they journeyed Ishmael spoke to Eleazer, saying:
" My father intends to sacrifice his son Isaac for a burnt
K,




54                  THE TALMUD.
offering; therefore, I will be his heir, for am I not his firstborn son?"
"Nay," answered Eleazer, "thy father drove thee forth
that thou shouldst not inherit his possessions; to me, his
faithful servant, will all his wealth descend."
As they proceeded on their way Isaac addressed his
father, saying:
"Behold, my father, here is the fire and the wood, but
where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"
And Abraham answered:
" Our God hath chosen thee, my son; thee, a creature
without blemish, as an acceptable burnt-offering to His
glory in place of the lamb."
And then said Isaac:
"To the will of the living God in thankfulness I bow."
My son," said Abraham, "is there any secret evil in
thy heart, or any wrong upon thy mind; if so,'ell me
freely, my son, keep naught from me in this great hour."
And Isaac answered:
" By the life of God, my father, I know no evil, I am
conscious of no regret.  Blessed be the Lord who has
desired me this day."
This answer of his son was very gratifying to the father's
heart, and they continued on in silence, until they reached
the spot which God had selected.
Then Abraham built an altar to the Lord, and his son
handed him the stones and assisted him in the work.
They who trust in God are ever strengthened, and though
their eyes were wet with tears their hearts were firm, confiding in their God.
When the altar was built Abraham  laid the wood upon
it in order, and then he bound his son Isaac upon the
o, )o.




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                   5
And Isaac spoke to his father, saying:
" IMy father, bind me well, in order that I may not, by
struggling, profane the sacrifice; be firm, my father, and
sharpen well the knife.  Tell my mother that her joy is
gone; the son she bore at ninety years surrendered to the
flame. When I am consumed, take with thee of the ashes
left, and say to Sarah, This is thy Isaac, who to God was
offered."
When Abraham heard these words he wept bitterly, but
Isaac continued with a firm voice:
"Now quickly, father, do the will of God."  And he
stretched his neck to meet the knife which rested in his
father's hand.
" And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him
up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son."
Abratham  sprinkled the ram's blood upon  the altar,
saying:
" May this blood be considered even as the blood of
my son, offered as a sacrifice before the Lord."
And so through the entire sacrificial service Abraham
prayed:
"May this be received even as the blood of my son,
offered as a burnt-offering before the Lord."
While Abraham and Isaac were away upon this mission
an old man approached Sarah, near her tent, and said to
her:
"Knowest thou that Abraham has offered up thy Isaac
as a sacrifice before the Lord. Aye, despite his struggles
and his cries, thy son has been made a victim  to the
knife."
Then Sarah uttered a heart-rending cry, and throwing
herself upon the ground she sobbed bitterly:




J4I^~~ THE TALMUD.' My son, my son, would that I had perished this day
for thee. Thee, whom I have raised and nourished, my
ife and all my love was thine.  Now  is my pride and
gladness turned to mourning, for the fire has consumed
my joy. Take comfort, oh, my heart! the lives of all God
carries in the hollow of his hand. Blessed are they who
follow Thy commands, for Thou art righteous, and Thy
words are truth; therefore, oh Lord, though mine eyes
weep bitter tears, my heart is glad."
Then Sarah rose and journeyed from  Bear Sheba to
Hebron, and she inquired upon the road concerning her
husband and her son, but she was unable to ascertain their
whereabouts.
Returning to her tents she was met by the same old man
who had before addressed her, and thus he spoke:
"Verily I did inform  thee falsely, for Isaac, thy son,
lives."
Sarah's heart was stronger for grief than joy. These
tidings and the revulsion in her feelings killed her; she
died and was gathered to her people.
And when Abraham and Isaac returned and found the
dead body of Sarah, they lifted up their voices in bitter
lamentation, and all their servants joined with Abraham and
Isaac in grief for the departed.
Now Isaac was fifty-nine years of age, and his wife
Rebecca was barren, and Isaac prayed unto the Lord to
visit his wife even as he had visited Sarah, his mother,
saying:
" Oh Lord, God of heaven and of earth, thou fillest both
with thy goodness and mercy.  From  the house of his
fatiher, and from  his kindred's home, thou didst bring
ay fathler to this place, promising to increase hls seed,




BIBLICAL HISTORY.7
even as the stars of the heavens, and to give to them this
land as a heritage and possession. Fulfil, oh God, these
words which thou hast spoken. To thee, oh God, we
look in hope and pray for children, for those whom thou
hast promised us. Oh, my God, to thee I look, in hope."
And God hearkened to the prayer of Isaac, and his wife
bore him two sons, twins. The one, the first, she called
" Esau," and the other " Jacob."
And Esau was fond of outdoor life, while Jacob stayed
at home learning from Abraham, his grandfather, the ways
and teachings of the Lord.
When the lads were about fifteen years old, Abraham
died at the age of one hundred and seventy-one years.
And when the inhabitants of Canaan learned of his decease
they, with all its kings and princes, hastened to do honour
to his remains, and all his relatives, who lived in Charan,
and the sons of his concubines, came also to the funeral.
And Isaac and  Ishmael buried him  in the cave of
Machpelah, and all who knew him  mourned for him a
year.
Very few men like Abraham has the sun looked upon.
From his youth he served his Maker and walked upright
before Him, and from his birth even unto the moment of
his death his God was with him. He spoke of God's goodness to all with whom he came in contact; he built a grove
for travellers and opened his doors in wide and generous
hospitality to the needy, the weary, and all who passed his
way. For Abraham's sake the Lord looked kindly on the
people of the earth, and after his death God blessed Isaac,
his son, and prospered him greatly.
And the sons of Isaac grew in strength and years. Esau
was a man of evil thoughts, of quick passions, and a lover
of outdoor life  Jacob was a shepherd, an intelligent and




58                 THE TALMUD.
domestic man, following in the path which Abraham had
pointed out to him.
And it came to pass that Esau went hunting in the field
upon a certain day, when Nimrod, too, was engaged in the
same pursuit. Both being mighty hunters a rivalry existed
between the two, a deadly jealousy.  Esau happened to
see Nimrod when all his attendants, save two men, had left
him. Esau concealed himself, and when Nimrod passed
the place where he was hiding pointed his arrow, pulled
the cord, and shot Nimrod through the heart. Then rushing from his concealment, Esau engaged in a deadly struggle
with Nimrod's two attendants, and overcame and killed
them both. Then stripping from Nimrod's shoulders the
wonderful coat, before mentioned, which God had made
for Adam, Esau hastened home, reaching his father's tent
weary, hungry, tired, and faint. Then Esau said to Jacob,
his brother:
" Give me of yonder red pottage,-let me eat of it, I
pray, for I am faint."
And Jacob said:
" Sell me this day thy right of first born."
And Esau thought in his heart, "They will surely avenge
upon me the death of Nimrod," and he answere:
"Behold, I am going to die. What can the right of first
born profit me?"
So Jacob bought from Esau his right of first born, and
also a burial plot for himself in the cave of Machpelah.
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils, and
Esau eat and drank and went his way.
For money did Jacob purchase these rights, and after the
bargain was concluded, he gave his brother the food he had
asked for.
The body of Nimrod was found and brought to Babel




BIBLICAL HISTOR Y.                S
and buried there. And Nimrod lived two hundred arid
fifteen years, and was killed by a descendant of Abraham,
even as he had foreseen in his dream.
When Jacob received the blessing which was intended for
Esau, Isaac was very old, and Esau said:
" My father will soon die, and then I will take vengeance
on Jacob for this wrong which he has done me."  This
threat was repeated to Rebecca, who called Jacob and bade
him flee to Charan, to her brother Laban, to tarry there
until his brother's fury had abated.
Then Isaac sent messengers after Jacob, with a repetition
of his blessing and this charge: " Take not a wife from the
daughters of Canaan, for thus has said my father Abraham,
in the word of the Lord, the word which has promised this
land to our seed if we obey the Lord and observe faithfully
his commands. Arise, go to Charan, to the house of
Bethuel, thy mother's father, and take heed that thou forgettest not the Lord thy God and all His ways. Turn
neither to the right nor to the left after the vanities of the
people among whom thou goest. The Almighty will give
thee grace in the eyes of the men of the land, and thou
shalt take a wife there according to thy desire, that God
may grant thee the blessing of Abraham, and make thee
fruitful and multiply thee until thou becomest an assembly
in the land. That He may bring thee back to this land
with children, gladness, and prosperity."
Jacob obeyed his father and journeyed on towards Mesopotamia. He was seventy-seven years of age when he
started forth from Bear Sheba.
When Jacob had departed from his father's house, Esau
called to him his son Eliphas, and said to him in secrecy,, Go follow after Jacob with thy bow in thy hand, lie in




6o                 THE TALMUD.
wait for him, slay him upon the mountains, take for thy own
what treasure he has with him, and then return to me."
Eliphas was then but thirteen years of age, yet he was
remarkably swift of foot and understood well the handling
of the bow. He obeyed his father, and taking some men
with him, followed after Jacob and overtook him on the
borders of Canaan.
When Jacob saw Eliphas coming after him he halted and
awaited his approach, thinking that his nephew carried some
message from home. When Eliphas came near he drew his
sword. Jacob inquired the reason of his pursuit, and the
lad answered, "Thus and thus has my father commanded
me, and I dare not disobey his orders."
When Jacob learned Esau's intention, and saw that the
lad seemed determined to do as he had been bidden, he
turned to him and the men with him, and said:
"Take all that I have, all that my father and my mother
gave into my hands, but spare my life. Your kindness will
be accounted to you as righteousness."
The Lord gave Jacob favour in their eyes, and they
allowed him to proceed unharmed on his journey. His
gold and silver, however, everything of value that he had
taken with him from his father's house, Eliphas and his
comrades seized and carried to Esau. Esau was strongly
displeased because they had listened to Jacob's pleadings,
and the treasure which they had seized he added to his own
store.
Jacob proceeded on his journey towards Charan. When
he reached the Mount of Moriah he tarried there and slept
that night. And the Lord appeared to him and said, " I
am the Lord, the God of Abraham and Isaac, thy father,
The ground whereon thou liest will I give to thy children
and behold I will be with thee, therefore fear not. I will




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                   61
guard thee wheresoever thou goest, and I will increase thy
seed as the stars of the heaven. I will disperse thy enemies
before thee; they will fight against thee, but they will not
prevail. With gladness and great wealth will I bring thee
back to thy father's land."
Jacob awoke from his sleep enchanted with the remembrance of the beautiful and encouraging vision which hlad
blessed his slumbers. He called the place Betll El.
When Jacob arrived in Charan he told his uncle Laban
how  Eliphas, the son of Esau, had despoiled him, and
bursting into tears, proclaimed himself a beggar.
"Then," said Laban, "surely thou art my bone and
my flesh.  I will take care of thee even though thou art
penniless."
After Laban's fruitless pursuit after Jacob when he left
with his wives, children, and chattels, and God had said to
the son of Bethuel, " Take heed to thee, speak with Jacob
neither good nor evil," he sent, after parting with his sonin-law, messengers to Esau, charged to deliver these words:
"We come  from  Laban, thy relative, thy mother's
brother, and in his words we say,'Knowest thou what
Jacob, thy brother, has done to me?  Faint and needy lie
came to me, and I received him into my house with honours
and affection. I gave him my daughters for wives, and the
handmaids of my daughters did I also give him. God blessed
him for my sake, and he accumulated much wealth.  He
begat children and acquired men-servants and maid-servants,
sheep, oxen, and cattle of all kinds, a great multitude, and
likewise silver and gold. With all this he left me, fled secretly
with all his possessions towards the land of Canaan, his
father's home. He denied me even the privilege of kissing
my daughters; as captives he led them with him, and worse




6^                 THE TALMUD.
than all, my gods he stole. By the brook of Jabak I left
him with all his substance, and if thou desirest to pursue
him, there will he be found. Go, then, and do with him
what is pleasing to thy heart. "
When Esau heard these words of the messengers of
Lsban, all the wrong which Jacob had done him freshened
in his memory, and his anger and hate against his brother
burned once more fiercely in his heart. He gathered
together his sons and servants, and all the family of Seer, a
company of four hundred men, and at their head he set out
to meet Jacob and to smite him.
After the messengers of Laban left Esau, they journeyed
to Canaan, and there informed Rebecca of her son Esau's
preparations and his intention to waylay and punish Jacob.
Rebecca immediately sent seventy-two of Isaac's men to
assist her favourite child. They met him  at the brook
Jabak, and when he saw them he said, " Surely here is help
from heaven," and he called the place Machanayim.
Jacob recognised his father's servitors, and asked after
the wellbeing of his parents, to which the messengers responded, "They live in peace, and farther we bring this
message from thy mother.'I have heard, my son, that
Esau, thy brother, intends to meet thee on the road with
the men of Seer. Therefore, I pray thee, heed my words.
When thou shalt see him, be not rash nor headstrong, but
greet him humbly and with a gracious present from the
abundance with which God hath blessed thee. When he
addresses thee, answer meekly, kindly, and thus will his
wrath be turned from thee. Remember, he is thy elder
brother, and to him is thy respect and honour due."'
Jacob wept at these words of his mother, but he obeyed
her request. He sent messengers to meet Esau on the road,
and to offer him such words as his mother had directed.




BIBLICAL HISTOR Y.                 63
These messengers met Esau and his company, and spoke as
Jacob had commanded them, but Esau answered with pride:
" Nay, nay, the truth I have heard. I know how Jacob
treated Laban; how he repaid the kindness of the relative
who gave him wives and substance; how he fled, taking the
children of Laban with him, as though they had been captives of the sword.  Not Laban only has he wronged;
twice he supplanted me. Therefore I come to meet him,
and the vengeance for which I have waited twenty years
shall now be mine."
When these words were carried to Jacob he was sorely
distressed. Earthly help seemed unavailable; with a full
heart he cast himself before the Lord and prayed earnestly
for deliverance from the trouble which threatened him and
all his people.
Then he divided his people and his flocks into two companies. One detachment he placed under the command of
Eleazer of Damascus, the servant of Abraham, with his sons,
and the other under Elinus, the son of Eleazer, and his sons.
And thus he commanded them:
" Travel apart, so that if one company shall perchance be
smitten, the other may escape."
Then, when he met Esau, he bowed to the ground before
him seven times, and God gave him grace in his brother's
eyes. Esau's hate died away, and natural affection gaining
the mastery, he raised Jacob from the ground and embraced
and kissed him.
Jacob encamped with all his family before the city of
Shechem, and purchased a lot of land for a dwelling from
the sons of Chamor for the sum of fifty shekels.
Here he made his home, and lived in peace and safety for
about eighteen months,




64                  tHE  rTAtLMUD.
Then the inhabitants of Shechem made a great feast, an
occasion of joyousness, dancing, singing, and merriment of
all kinds, and all the daughters of the land joined in the
general revelry. And it came to pass that Rachel and Leah,
the wives of Jacob, and Dinah, his daughter, felt a great
desire to witness this scene of enjoyment, and together they
repaired to the place where the festivities were held. All
the nobles of the city were present, and Shechem, the son
of the king, was also one of the participants.
He happened to see Dinah, and was immediately attracted
by her great beauty and modest appearance. He inquired
as to who she was, and learned that she was the daughter of
Jacob the Hebrew, who had lately settled in his father's
land. His passion grew very strong, and taking advantage
of an opportunity he carried the frightened girl forcibly to
his house.
Rachel and Leah hurried home and informed Jacob of
the occurrence.  He immediately sent twelve servants to
the house of Shechem to demand the girl, but they were
insolently met by the prince's retainers and driven back to
Jacob.  He said nothing, but waited quietly until his sons
should return to their home.
Shechem, in the meantime, sent a messenger to his father,
requesting him to visit Jacob and demand Dinah as a wife
for him. The king was much displeased with the affair, and
seeking his son, he sard, " Canst thou not find a wife among
the daughters of our 1. nd? Why shouldst thou desire this
Hebrew damsel, a stranger among thy race?"
Shechem replied to his father, "She is pleasing in my
eyes," and he impressed his father so completely with his
love for the maiden that the king at length consented to
seek the patriarch, Jacob, and gain his consent to the
marriage.




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                    65
Now when th: sons of Jacob returned home, and learned
of the occurrence and the violence with which their only
sister had been treated, their hearts burned with indignation.
" The penalty for this crime is death," they exclaimed;' our sister has been sinned against with the sin which God
warned Noah and his children to shun if they desired life.
Death shall be the punishment of this violator of our home,
death at our hands, to him, his family, and the whole city."
While the sons of Jacob were thus speaking, Chamor, the
father of Shechem, entered into their presence, and addressed
Jacob:
"My son Shechem desires thy daughter for a wife; give
her to him, I pray thee, and thy people may intermarry with
the daughters of our land. Our country is large, and it is
all before thee to trade therein, or do soever as thou pleasest,
if thou wilt but consent to the wishes of my son."
As Chamor concluded, his son, Shechem, entered, and
continued his father's propositions:
" Let me find grace in your eyes," he said to the men
before him.  " Give me the damsel for a wife, and whatever
dowry you may demand shall be cheerfully given."
Simeon and Levi, desiring time to perfect a plan for inlicting punishment for the wrong done their sister, replied
to Shechem and his father with a cunning tongue:
"What thou hast said to us we will consider.  Our sister
is in thy hands.  Give us time, however, to consult with
our grandfather, Isaac; he is wise, and knows well what
should be done in a case like this; according to his wolds
we will act."
Shechem acquiesced in this arrangement, and withdrew,
with his father, from Jacob's house.
When they had departed the sons of Jacob reiterated
their determination to put the man of violence to death, and




65                  THE TALMUD.
with him the men of the city who had encouraged him in
the act.
"Listen," said Simeon, "to my advice.  We will say to
these men,' Our God hath enjoined upon us the act of circumcision, and we cannot give our daughters and sisters to
those who have not entered into this covenant.  Become
like us, and then we may freely intermarry; if not, we will
take our sister and go from among you;' then when they
are weak and suffering we will fall upon them, and all their
males shall die by the sword."
This advice was pleasing to his brethren, and when
Shechem and Chamor came again to them for their decision,
they proclaimed this as the counsel of Isaac, saying that
their grandfather had decided that for them to give their
sister to an uncircumcised man would be a reproach to them
for ever.
Shechem and his father then gathered the people at the
gates of the city, and made known to them the proposition
of the Israelites, counselling them to accept the same.
All the citizens seemed willing to do the pleasure of their
king save Hadkam, the son of Pered, the father of Chamor,
and his six brothers. They scorned Jacob and his sons,
and defended the mothers of their city who refused to allow
their children to undergo the operation.
"Shame to you that you should consider such a thing,"
said they. " Are not the daughters of the Canaanites good
enough for wives, that you wish to wed the daughters of this
Hebrew, this stranger among you? Beware of this rash act,
which your fathers never enjoined upon you; the undertaking cannot be prosperous.  What answer can you make to
your brethren, the Canaanites, when they demand your
reason for this folly?  And how will you appear in the eyes
of your brethren, the children of Ham, when'tis said,' For




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  67
a Hebrew woman did Shechem, his father, and all the
inhabitants of his city, commit an abomination?' Whither
will ye flee?  Where will ye be able to hide your shame?
We will not bend beneath this yoke, which you take so
willingly upon you; we will gather our brethren, and we will
Wrlite you, aye to death."
Chamor and Shechem  began to regret their impulsive
proceeding, but they answered:
"Think not that we did  this because we love the
Hebrews; no, merely to blind their eyes, and obtain their
daughter.  Wait but till we have recovered from the operation, and they and all that is theirs shall be ours, to use
according to our pleasure."
Dinah overheard the discussion, and she sent a handmaiden to her father's house to inform him and her brethren
of the designs of Shechem.
" By the life of the Lord, the God of the universe," swore
Simeon and Levi, " to-morrow will we fall upon this people,
and not a remnant shall escape our just anger."
They carried out their intention, and coming suddenly
upon the people next day, while they were suffering from
the effects of their doing, the sons of Jacob slew Chamor,
Shechem, and all the inhabitants of the city, and carried
their sister Dinah to her home.
When Jacob realised the result of their rashness he was
grieved, angered, and alarmed.
"What is this that you have done to me!" he exclaimed.
"In this country I thought I had found rest, and now
when the relatives of these people learn what you have
done they will fall upon me and destroy me and mny
house."
But his sons answered:
"All this lies at the door of Shechem.  Wouldst thou




3                   SETHE TALMUD.
ILave us hold our peace and suffer quietly this immoral con.
duct and cruel wrong!"
The number of men killed by the Hebrews was fortyseven. The women they took for slaves.
And it came to pass when Simeon and Levi left the city
of Shechem that two men, who had been in hiding, hastened
to the city of Thapnah and told to its king and its inhabitants all that the sons of Jacob had wrought in Shechenm.
The king refused to believe that ten men could thus overcome a city, and he sent messengers to ascertain whether
the report was true. " Even in the time of Nimrod, when
men were mighty," said he, " such a thing would have been
impossible."  When his messengers returned, however, and
reported that in all Shechem they found but weeping women,
he gathered his men together, and said:
" Prepare yourselves to go and fight these Hebrews. We
will do to them even as they have done to our brethren of
Shechem."
But his princes answered his words, and said:
"With our people alone we cannot prevail over these
Hebrews. Ten men destroyed a city, and not one man
was able to stand up against them.  Let us send to the
kings around us for help, and then perchance we may be
able to cope with them."
This advice seemed reasonable to the king, and he sent
to the kings of the Emorites who dwelt around him, informing them of the action of Jacob's sons, and begging their
assistance in dealing out punishment for the same.
The Emorites answered his appeal, and gathered together
about ten thousand men, who started out to fight the children
of Jacob.
Jacob was greatly terrified at this, and again upbraided
his sons for their rashness.




BIBLICAL   S SOR Y.               69
Then Judah spoke to his father, and said:
" Did we act without cause, Simeon, Levi, and the rest of
us? Cruelly they wronged our sister, violating the chastity
of our house, and transgressing the command of our God.
For this reason did the Lord deliver the city into our hands.
Wherefore fear?  Why grieve, and find displeasure in thy
heart against thy sons? The same God who gave the men
of Shechem into our hands will deliver to us also these
Emorites who come against us. Keep thy peace, oh our
father! fear not, but pray to the Lord our God that
he may protect us and deliver our enemies into  our
power."
Then Judah summoned his servants and bade them go
and discover what men, and how many, were marching
against them. Then he addressed Simeon and Levi, and
said to them:
"Prepare yourselves, and act like heroes. The Lord our
God is with us. Gird on each man his sword and his bow;
trusting in heaven, we will fight these Emorites and find
deliverance."
The sons of Jacob and their servants and the servants of
Isaac, who lived in Hebron, then prepared themselves for
battle; and Isaac, the head of their house, prayed to God
for their success in these words:
"Oh Lord God, thou didst speak unto my father and
make a promise to him, saying,' I will increase thy seed as
the stars in heaven.'  To me hast Thou reiterated this
promise; and now, behold, the strength of Canaan comes
to wrestle with my son.  Oh Lord God of the universe,
turn the purpose of these kings; let the dread of my
children fall upon them and humble their pride.  Even
that they withdraw  and return to their homes without
shedding blood. Deliver my children and their servants
F




70                 THE TALMUD.
from the strength of these kings, for in Thy hand is the
might, the power, and the strength."
Jacob also uttered a solemn prayer to the same effect.
When the Emorites drew near to Jacob's sons and their
hosts, the kings and princes met to consult before beginning
the attack, for their hearts were not thoroughly rid of the
fear which the prowess of the Hebrews had cast upon them.
The Lord answered the prayers of Isaac and Jacob, and
this dread and fear augmented, and at last found vent in
these words from one of their number, words which the
others echoed in their hearts:
"We are acting foolishly in attempting to fight these
Hebrews; we are marching to our deaths. Ten men overcame the inhabitants of Shechem, and now these same ten
men with all their servants stand before us. Their God
delights in them, and they live under His especial protection. None of the gods of other nations are able to perform such wonders as their God has wrought in behalf of
this, his favourite people. Did not Nimrod endeavour to
destroy their progenitor Abraham, and did not their God
deliver him even from a furnace of fire?  Did not this
same Abraham defeat four kings who had carried off his
relative Lot, who lived in Sodom? Their God is powerful,
He delights in them, and He will give them the victory
over us. This same Jacob He delivered from Esau and
four hundred men. Could ten men have destroyed a city
without assistance from heaven? Were we a hundred times
greater in number than we are we should meet but with
defeat, for we do not fight against them, but against their
God. Let us turn back and attack them not."
One by one the kings of the Emorites withdrew and
journeyed homeward without disturbing Jacob. The Hebrews remained in position awaiting the attack until




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  71
evening, but when the Emorites came not they ietumed
unto their homes.  Then the Lord appeared to Jacob,
saying, "Arise, go up to Beth El, and dwell there, and
raise there an altar to the God who hath delivered thee
and thy children from trouble." And Jacob and his sons
journeyed to Be/h El according to the commands of God.
Jacob was then ninety-and-nine years of age. He had
lived at Beth El, formerly called Luz, for about six months
when the nurse of Rebecca, Deborah, died, and Jacob
buried her under an oak tree at Belt El. Rebecca, the
daughter of Bethuel, his mother, died also about this time,
and was buried in the cave of Machpelah. When Jacob
was one hundred years old the Lord appeared to him and
called him " Israel." He then journeyed with his family to
Hebron, to live with Isaac, his father. While on this journey his wife, Rachel, died, at the age of forty-five years.
And Jacob and his family lived with Isaac in the land of
Canaan, as the Lord had commanded Abraham, their father.




72
CHAPTER IV.
FROM JOSEPH'S YOUTH TO HIS ELEVATION OVER EGYPT.
JOSEPH, the son of Jacob and Rachel, did not take part in
the war of Shechem: he was but a lad, too young to associate with his brothers. Yet he experienced a desire to
emulate their greatness, and he felt that his fame would yet
be superior to theirs. His father loved him tenderly as the
son of his old age, and as a token of this love he made him
a handsome coat, a garment of many colours. This especial
mark of distinction increased Joseph's natural feeling of
superiority, and as he found fault with his brothers' doings
and carried tales to his father he soon gained their enmity;
they could not even speak to him in a peaceable manner.
When Joseph was seventeen years of age he dreamed his
well-known dream, and related it to his brethren.
"What " they exclaimed, "do you presume to tell us
that you shall reign over us?"
Joseph then related the dream to his father, who listened
attentively, and in his great love kissed and blessed the lad.
And when the other sons of Jacob learned of this action of
their father they hated Joseph still more. But when the
second dream was told them, and Joseph stated that the
sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him, their
anger reached a climax, and even Jacob felt himself called
upon to rebuke the ambitious dreamer.
And it came to pass, on a certain day, the sons of Jacob
started out to feed their father's flocks, and remained away




BIBLICAL HISTORY                  73
so long a time that Jacob became troubled for their welfare.
He thought that perhaps the men of Shechem had received
aid and wrought vengeance on his sons for the warfare they
had brought upon that city.
So Jacob called Joseph to him, and said:
"Thy brothers started out to feed the flocks in Shechem,
and they have not yet returned. Go, I pray, and seek
them, and bring me back word of their well-doing."
Joseph wandered around some time in the neighbourhood
of Shechem without seeing aught of his brethren, and he
did not know which way to turn to seek them, when a man
espied him straying aimlessly about, and asked, "Whom
seekest thou?" Joseph answered, " I am looking for my
brethren; knowest thou which way they have travelled?"
" I do," replied the man; " I saw thy brethren, and I heard
them say,' Let us go to Dothan.' "
When Joseph's brethren saw the lad approaching them
they conspired against him, and resolved to kill him.
"Behold," said Simeon, "the great master of dreams
comes this way. Now let us destroy him; we can cast his
body into one of the pits in the wilderness, and when our
father inquires concerning him we can say that a wild beast
has devoured him."
But when Reuben heard these words he said:
"No, we must not do this thing. Our father could
never pardon us for such a crime.  Rather cast him in
one of the pits and let him perish there, but shed not his
blood."
This proposition was made by Reuben with the purpose
of rescuing the lad later, and returning him safely to his
father.
When Joseph was cast into the pit, in accordance with
this suggestion, he cried loudly to his brethren:




74                  THE  TALAMUD.
"What are ye doing? wherefore are ye treating me thus?
What have I done,-what is my sin?  Have ye no fear of
the Lord that ye do this thing, for am I not of your flesh
and blood, the son of Jacob?  Reuben, Judah, Levi,
Simeon," he cried, " lift me up out of this pit,-oh, sons of
Jacob, have mercy upon me!  If I have sinned against
you, remember the precepts of your father, of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, to have mercy on the fatherless, to give
food to the hungry, drink to those who thirst, clothing to
the naked; and will ye deny mercy to your own flesh and
blood?  If I have sinned against you, oh pardon me for
the sake of our father, Jacob."
His brothers, however, moved away from  the pit, that
they might not hear his cries, and they sat down to partake
of their usual meal. While eating they consulted as to the
final disposition of their brother; they were undecided
whether to leave him as he was, to kill him, or to restore
him to his father.
While considering the matter they saw a party of Ishmaelites approaching, on their way down to Egypt, and
Judah said to his brethren, " What would it profit us to kill
our brother?  Let us sell him to this party of Ishmaelites,
let them carry him whither they will; perchance he may be
destroyed among the people of the earth; but our hands
will not have shed his blood."
The brothers agreed to this proposition, and resolved to
sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites.
But it happened that while they were discussing the
question, a party of Midianites on a journey were seeking
for a well of water. They lighted by chance upon the pit
in which Joseph was concealed, and looking in, they were
astonished to meet the gaze of a bright and handsome lad.
They drew Joseph up from the pit and carried him along




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  75
with them. As they passed by, the sons of Jacob saw
Joseph with them, and called aloud:
" Hold! Wherefore have ye done this, to steal our slave
whom we cast into the pit for disobedience? Come, give
him up."
"And is he your slave?" answered the Midianites;
"does he serve you?  Likely it is the reverse, for he is
handsomer and nobler than any among ye. We found the
lad in the pit, and we shall take him with us."
"Give us our slave," repeated the sons of Jacob,' or
peradventure we shall kill you."
The Midianites drew their weapons, and were ready to
enter upon a bloody fray at once.
"Beware," said Simeon, "do ye not know that we killed
a whole city? Beware, if ye give us not our slave we may
treat you as we treated the city of Shechem."
Upon hearing these words the Midianites lowered their
tone, and assumed a more amicable attitude.
" What do you want," they asked, " with a disobedient
slave?  Sell him  to us; we will pay you whatever you
may ask."
A bargain was at once concluded, and the sons of Jacob
sold their brother Joseph to the Midianites for twenty
pieces of silver, for Reuben was absent, unable to speak a
word to change their purpose.
The Midianites, taking Joseph with them, journeyed on
towards Gilead. As they journeyed, however, they regretted
the purchase which they had made, and they said one to the
other, "See, this is a lad of noble appearance; doubtless the
men from whom we bought him stole him from the land of
the Hebrews, and if search is made for him he may be found
in our hands; this will surely be death to us."
While they were speaking in this strain, the body of




76                 THE TAL MU).
Ishmaelites which the sons of Jacob had seen, approached
the Midianites, and the latter hailing them, sold Joseph for
the same amount they had paid for him, glad to be rid of
the fear which had seized them.
The Ishmaelites placed Joseph upon one of their camels
and carried him  with them  into Egypt.  Joseph wept
bitterly during this journey at the thought that each step
took him farther away from his father's house, and shut the
gates of hope more securely behind him. The Ishmaelites
were provoked at his sighs and weeping, and treated him
quite cruelly.
On their way they passed the spot where Rachel, Joseph's
mother, lay buried. Joseph knew the spot, and throwing
himself upon his mother's grave, he gave free vent to the
anguish of his soul.
" My mother, oh my mother," he cried, " rise from thy
grave and look upon thy son! He is sold for a slave, and
there is no eye to pity him. Arise and look upon thy son,
weep with him for his trouble and his distress! Answer
me, oh my mother! Awake from thy sleep, and take up
arms against my brethren for thy son! My coat they have
torn from me, and they have consigned me into bondage;
twice have I been sold, separated from my father, from
every compassionate heart, from every pitying eye. Arise,
my mother, call upon thy God! See, my mother, whom
the Eternal will justify, and whom  He will condemn!
Wake from thy sleep, my mother, seek my father, stricken
down in grief, whisper to him words of comfort and glad
tidings, that his heart may live again. Arise, my mother,
and look upon thy son!"
The Ishmaelites drove Joseph from his mother's grave
with blows and threats. Then Joseph spoke to them:
" Let me find grace in your eyes," said he; " take me




BIBLICAL ilISTOR Y.                77
home, I pray you, to my father's house, and he will make
all of you rich."
But they laughed, and answered him:
" Art thou not a slave? Who is thy father? Lo, thou
hast been twice sold; thou art a slave, and a disobedient
slave; hadst thou been worthy thou wouldst not have been
twice sold."
Joseph wept, and pined, and grew sick; and his masters
said:
" Behold, the boy will die upon our hands, and the
money which we have paid for him will be lost to us. He
wishes to go home to his father's house; let us carry him
thither, and'tis likely we shall receive the money that we
paid for him."
But others answered, " No, the distance is too great;
should we turn back now, we shall be kept but so much
longer from  our own homes.  Let us take the lad to
Egypt; we will be able to sell him there, and for a large
price."
This advice met with the approval of the majority of the
party, and they carried Joseph into Egypt.
Now when the sons of Jacob had sold their brother their
consciences smote them, and they wished to repurchase
him; but on account of the second sale they were unable
to find him.  While they were seeking for him  Reuben
returned to the pit in which Joseph had been placed,
designing to release him. He stood at the edge of the pit,
but he heard no sound. Then he called aloud, " Joseph,
Joseph!" but still there came no answer-all was still.
Reuben became greatly terrified; he thought that Joseph
had died of fright, and he descended into the pit, hoping
that the body might not be beyond resuscitation. When he
found the pit empty he rent his garments and cried aloud,




78                 TtE TALMUD.
" How can I return to my father! How look upon his face
and Joseph dead!"
He then hurried after his brethren, and found them consulting as to the manner in which they should inform their
father of Joseph's loss. Reuben upbraided his brethren,
and said to them, " Evil has been your behaviour; our
father's old age you bring in sorrow to the grave."
The brothers agreed to keep the fact of Joseph's fate a
secret, and acting upon the advice of Issachar, they took
Joseph's coat, tore it in several places, and killing a kid
dipped the garment in its blood, and then trampled it in
the dust. Then they sent the coat to their father by the
hands of Naphtali, and these words they charged him ta
deliver with the coat:
" Behold, we gathered our herds together and proceeded
upon the road to Shechem, and this coat we found by the
way, in the wilderness, torn, smeared with blood, and
trampled in the dust. Examine it, we pray thee, and see
whether or not it be the coat of thy son."
Jacob immediately recognised Joseph's coat, and fell
with his face to the ground. He remained motionless for
a long time, and then he arose and wept aloud, crying, " It
is my son's coat."
Towards evening he sent for his sons, and the messenger
found them with their clothing rent and dust upon their
heads.
When they reached home the bitter lamentation of their
father touched their hearts, and it was with self-accusing
consciences that they denied having seen Joseph and repeated their story of the finding of the coat.
Jacob gave himself up to the abandonment of grief, and
1.y with his face to the ground. Judah raised his father's
1 Mad and wiped the tears from his father's eyes, but Jacob




BIBLICAL HISTORY. 
refused to be comforted.  " Some wild beast has devoured
Joseph," he said, " I shall never see him more;" and he
mourned for Joseph many years.
The Ishmaelites carried Joseph down to Egypt, and
when they came near to the place they met four men, the
descendants of Medan, the son of Abraham and Keturah
and they said to them:
" Do you not wish to purchase this slave from us?
The men saw that Joseph was a handsome and likely
lad, and they bought him from the Ishmaelites for nine
shekels, and carried him into Egypt.
Then these Medanites said, " Behold, Potiphar, the
officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, desires to buy a
slave, a trusty, active youth, to superintend his household.
Let us see whether we can sell this lad to him."
The Medanites carried Joseph before Potiphar, and the
latter was very favourably impressed with his bearing and
appearance.
"What is his price? " he inquired.
" Four pieces of silver," replied the Medanites.
" I will buy him," said Potiphar, " provided you bring
before me the man from whom you purchased him. He
does not look like a slave, and I fear he has been stolen
from his country and his home."
The Medanites then hunted up the Ishmaelites from
whom they had bought Joseph, and Potiphar, satisfied with
their account of the manner in which they had obtained
possession of the lad, paid the four pieces of silver, and
purchased Joseph for his slave.
Joseph found grace in the eyes of Potiphar, and was
placed over the house of the latter, and over all his possessions. And the Lord was with Joseph, and for his sake
blessed Potiphar and all his household.




So                  THE TALMUD.
At this time Joseph was about eighteen years of age, and
a lad of such beautiful appearance that his equal could not
be found in the land of Egypt. Being obliged, i:n the pursuance of his duties, to enter freely all parts of his master's
house, he attracted the attention of Zelicha, Potiphar's wife.
She was fascinated by his manners and handsome form and
face, and declared to him day by day her passion, praying
for a return upon his part of the favour with which she
regarded him. Joseph refused to listen to her, and endeavoured to rid himself of her attentions. When she praised
his beauty, and said, " Thou art fairer than all the rest of
the world," he replied, " The same One who created me
created also all mankind."  When she admired his fine
eyes, he replied, " What can they avail me; they will not
move or sparkle in the grave."
When Zelicha found that Joseph could not be induced
by fair words to desecrate his master's house, she tried
threats of death and loss of freedom in case of further
obstinacy; but Joseph replied to them, " The God who
hath created man, looseneth the fetters of those who are
bound, and He will deliver me from thy chastisement."
Her female friends who called to see her also admired
Joseph, and lauded his beauty.  On one occasion when
fruit was set before the visitors, one of them, paring the
same, cut her fingers, and knew nothing of the accident till
her attention was called to the blood upon her garments,
for her eyes were fixed on Joseph, and her mind was filled
with thoughts of his appearance.
Thus time passed on, and though Zelicha still entreated,
Joseph remained cold to her allurements.
And it came to pass at the time of the overflowing of the
Nile, that all the inhabitants of Egypt left their houses, the
king, the princes, and all the people, to see the overflow




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                   I
and make a holiday in its honour.  And with the rest of
the people the family of Potiphar went also, all save Joseph,
who remained to protect his master's goods, and Zelicha,
who remained to be alone with Joseph.
She attired herself in her richest garments, and was more
ardent than ever in her appeals to Joseph, so that to escape
them he turned and fled abruptly from her presence. As
he did so she caught his garment to stay him, but it sundered, and a portion remained in her hand. As she looked
upon it, and became conscious of how she had been
shamed, a deep feeling of hate entered her heart, and she
was also terrified lest the affair might now become known
to her husband. She quickly replaced her elegant clothing
with her ordinary wear, and calling a lad she sent him to
summon home the men of the house. When they arrived
she met them with loud wailing, and related to them a story
of Joseph's presumption, crediting him with the entreaties
and protestations which she had herself made, and adding
to them a charge of violence.  " I caught hold of his garment," she said, " and cried with a loud voice; he became
frightened and fled, leaving this portion of his cloth in my
hand."
The men repeated these charges to Potiphar, who returned to his house in a great rage against Joseph, and
commanded at once that the lad  should be whipped
severely. During the infliction of this punishment Joseph
cried aloud, raising his hands to Heaven, " Thou knowest,
oh God," said he, " that I am innocent of all these things;
wherefore, shall I die through falsehood!"
Potiphar carried Joseph before the judges, and made an
accusation against him, saying, "Thus and thus has the
slave done."  The judges then addressed Joseph, and he
gave his version of the story, saying, "Not so; but thus




32                  THE TE  ALMUD.
and thus did it occur." The judges then ordered that the
rent garment should be brought to them, and upon an
examination of the same they pronounced Joseph "not
guilty." But still they sent him to prison, that the character
of the wife of one as high in the state as Potiphar might
not suffer.
For twelve long years Joseph was confined in prison, and
during this time Zelicha visited him, offering to restore him
to honour and liberty if he would but do her will. Yet
steadfastly he refused, till finally she abandoned the attempt.
And while Joseph was thus in custody, deprived of his
freedom, his father Jacob, in Canaan, mourned for him as a
father mourns for a beloved child torn from him by death.
It came to pass about this time that Pharaoh gave a feast
to his officers and princes, and the chief butler and the
chief baker waited upon the guests. The princes found
stone grits in the bread, and one of them discovered a fly
in his wine.  Pharaoh was very angry at this, and condemned the two officials to prison, where they remained a
whole year.
Then a son, his first child, was born to Pharaoh, and
there was great rejoicing in the land. When the infant was
three days old Pharaoh ordered a grand banquet, and
released the chief butler that he might attend to the same,
But the butler forgot his promise to Joseph to remember
him in the return to prosperity which he had predicted, and
for two years longer the prison was his home.
At this time Isaac, the son of Abraham, was still living
in the land of Canaan; he was one hundred and eight years
old. Esau, his son, was living then in Edom.  When Esau
learned that his father had grown very feeble, and that lhis




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                   83
last days on earth were approaching, he and his entire
family journeyed to Canaan, to his father's house. Jacob
and his sons, from  Hebron, also journeyed thither, Jacob
still mourning for the lost Joseph.
And Isaac said to Jacob, " Bring near to me thy children,
in order that I may bless them," and Jacob placed his
eleven sons and one daughter by his father's side.
Isaac laid his hands upon the heads of Jacob's children
and embraced them each in turn, and he said to them:
" The God of your fathers will bless you, and will increase
your seed as the stars of the heaven."
Isaac also blessed the children of Esau, saying:
" The dread of you shall be upon your enemies; your
God will fill their hearts with fear."
Then Isaac called them all together, children and grandchildren, and thus addressed them, speaking especially to
Jacob:
"The Lord, the God of the Universe, spoke unto me
saying:' Unto thy seed will I give this land to possess it, ii
thy children will keep my statutes and my ways; and I will
establish the oath which I have sworn unto thy father
Abraham.' And now, my son, teach thy children, and thy
children's children, to fear the Lord and traverse the path
which is pleasing in his eyes; for if thou wilt diligently
follow His statutes, He will keep with you the covenant
which He made with Abraham, and He will look with
favour on you and your seed for ever."
Then Isaac died, and Jacob and Esau wept together for
their father's demise. They carried his body to the cave of
Machpelah, which is in Hebron, and all the kings of Canaan
followed with the mourners in the funeral train of Isaac.
He was buried with great reverence, even as though he
had been a king; his children mourned for him twelve




84                  THE TAL MUD.
months, and the kings of Canaan lamented sorely for thirty
days.
Isaac bequeathed his cattle and all his possessions to his
two sons.
Esau said then to Jacob, " Behold, this which our father
has left us must be divided into two portions, then I will
select my share."
Jacob divided all his father's possessions into two portions
in the presence of Esau and his sons, and then addressing
his brother, said:
" Take unto thyself both these portions which thou seest
before thee, Behold, the God of Heaven and Earth spoke
unto our ancestors, Abraham and Isaac, saying,'Unto thy
seed will I give this land as an everlasting possession.'
Now, all that our father left is before thee; if thou desirest
the promised possession, the land of Canaan, take it, and
this other wealth shall be mine; or if thou desirest these
two portions, be it as it is pleasing in thy eyes, and the land
of Canaan shall be the share for me and mine."
Before Esau replied and made his choice, he sought
Nebaioth, the son of Ishmael, who was in that country, and
asked his advice as to the selection.
Nebaioth answered:
"Behold the Canaanites are now living in the land in
peace and safety; at present it is theirs; let Jacob believe
that he may inherit it some day; take thou the substance,
the personal wealth of thy father."
Esau followed this advice, and taking the personal substance, he gave Jacob for his portion the land of Canaan
from  the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river
Euphrates, also the cave of Machpelah, in Hebron, whicn
Abraham  purchased  from  Ephron  for a burying-place.
Jacob took it as a burying-place for himself and his seed




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                    85
forever.  Jacob drew up a deed and recorded all the par.
ticulars of the contract, which was duly witnessed and
sealed.  The following is the expression of the same:
"The land of Canaan and all the cities which it contains,-the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Amorites,
the Perizites, and all the seven nations, from the river of
Egypt to the river Euphrates; the city of JTebron, which is
Kiriath arbah, and the cave which is in it. All this hath
Jacob bought with money from  his brother Esau, as a
possession to him and an inheritance to his sons and their
descendants forever."
Jacob put this deed in an earthen vessel, that it might be
kept safely, and gave the same as a charge to his children.
Esau took what his father had left and parted from his
brother Jacob, as it is written:
" And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters,
and all the persons of his house, and his cattle and his
beasts, and all his substance which he had got in the land
of Canaan, and went into another country from the face of
his brother Jacob" (Gen. 37: 6).  He went with all his
possessions to the land of Seir, and never returned to
Canaan, which became an inheritance unto Israel for everlasting.
Then Pharaoh, the king, issued a proclamation throughout
the whole land of Egypt to the wise men thereof. And he
called upon all the wise men to seek his presence and listen
to the dreams which troubled him.
" He who can properly interpret to me the meaning of
these visions, shall have his dearest wishes granted as they
issue from his lips; but he who is able to read dreams and
neglects my bidding, shall surely be put to death.':
Then the wise men, and  the soothsayers, and  the
G




86                 THRE TALMUD.
magicians of the land of Egypt, came and stood before th*.
king.
And the king related to them his dream, and though
many interpreted no two agreed as to its meaning. They
contradicted one another, and they served but to confuse
the king. Many were the interpretations. " The seven fat
cows," said one, "are seven kings who will arise over Egypt
from royal families, and the seven lean cows are seven
princes who will arise from them, and in the end of days
destroy the seven kings. The seven rank ears are seven
great princes of this land who shall in a coming time of war
fall into the power of seven princes, now weak and in no
wise to be feared."
" The seven fat cows," said another, "are seven queens
whom thou shalt marry in the coming days, and the seven
lean cows declare that these queens shall die during thy
life, oh king! The seven rank ears and the seven lean ears
are fourteen children whom thou shalt beget, and they will
fight among themselves, and the seven weaker ones shall
conquer their stronger brethren."
But the king was not satisfied with these interpretations.
His mind was still unquiet, for the Lord had ordained that
Joseph was to be released from his prison and elevated to a
princely position; therefore did Pharaoh remain unsatisfied
with the words of his wise men.
And the king was wroth, and he dismissed the wise men
from his presence; and all the wise men and the soothsayers and magicians of Egypt went out from the presence
of their king in shame and confusion. And the king commanded in his wrath that all these men should be put to
death.
When the chief butler heard this he sought the presence of
the king, and in deep obeisance before him spoke as follows:




BIBLICAL HISTORY.i                 87
"Oh king, live forever! May thy greatness, oh king,
increase forever through the land.  Lo, thou wast wroth
with thy servant, and thou didst place him in confinement.
For a year was I imprisoned, I and the chief baker. And
with us in our dungeon was a Hebrew servant who belonged
to the captain of the guard.  His name was Joseph, and
nis master growing wroth with him, had placed him in prison,
where he served the captain of the guard, and he served
us also.
"And it came to pass when we had been in the prison
for a year we dreamed, each, a dream, and the Hebrew slave
interpreted for each of us his dream. And lo, as he interpreted our dreams so was the reality. As he spoke so did
it come to pass.
" Therefore, my lord king, I pray thee, do not kill the
wise men of Egypt for naught. Behold, this slave is still in
the prison. If it be pleasing in the eyes of the king let
him be sent for. Let him listen to the dreams which trouble
the mind of the king, and he will be able to solve them
correctly."
The king listened to the words of the chief butler, and
he ordered that Joseph should be brought before him. But
he commanded his officers to be careful not to frighten the
lad, lest through fear he should be unable to interpret
correctly.
And the servants of the king brought Joseph forth from
his dungeon, and shaved him and clothed him in new garments, and carried him before the king. The king was
seated upon his throne, and the glare and glitter of the
jewels which ornamented the throne dazzled and astonished
the eyes of Joseph.
Now the throne of the king was reached by seven steps
and it was the custom of Egypt for a prince or noble who




88                 THE TE ALMUD.
held audience with the king, to ascend to the sixth step;
but when an inferior or a private citizen of the land was
called into his presence, the king descended to the third
step and from there spoke with him. So when Joseph came
into the presence of the king he bowed to the ground at
the foot of the throne, and the king descended to the third
step and spoke to him.
And he said:
"Behold, I have dreamed a dream, and among all the
wise men and magicians of the land there is not one able
to read for me its meaning. I have heard that thou art
far-sighted and blest with the gift of divination, and I have
sent for thee to solve my dream."
And Joseph answered:
" Oh king, the power is not with me; but God will answer
and give Pharaoh peace."
And Joseph found favour in the eyes of the king, and he
told to him his dream. And the spirit of God was upon
Joseph, and the king inclined his ears and heart to the
words of Joseph.
And Joseph said to Pharaoh:
" Let not the king think that his dreams are two and distinct; they have but a single portent, and what the Lord
intends doing upon the earth He has shown to Pharaoh in
a vision. Let me advise thee, oh king, how thou mayest
preserve thy life and the lives of all the inhabitants of thy
land from the grievous evils of the famine which is soon to
drain and dry up its fruitfulness and its plenty. Let the
king appoint a man wise and discreet, a man well versed in
the laws of the country, and let him appoint other officers
under him to go out through all the length and breadth of
the land to gather food during the years of plenty and store
it carefully away for fut n e use, that the land may not die




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  89
in the years of famine which will follow. And let the king
command the people of the land, that they shall each and
every one gather and store up in the years of plenty of the
produce of the fields, to provide for their wants when the
ground shall be barren and the fields unproductive."
And the king answered, "How knowest thou that thou
hast read the dream aright?"
And Joseph said, " Lo, this shall be a sign that my words
are true. A son shall be born to the king, and upon the
day of his birth, thy first-born son, who is now two years
old, shall die."
And when Joseph finished speaking these words, he
bowed low  before the king and  departed  from  his
presence.
The occurrence which Joseph predicted came to pass.
The queen bore a son, and upon the day when it was told
to the king he rejoiced greatly.  But as the messenger of
glad tidings retired, the servants of the king found his firstborn son dead, and there was a great crying and wailing in
the palace of the king.
And when Pharaoh inquired as to the cause of this great
cry he was informed of his loss, and remembering the words
of Joseph he acknowledged them as true.
After these things the king sent and gathered together all
his princes, officers, and men of rank, and when they came
before him, he said, "You have seen and heard all the
words of this Hebrew, and you know that as he spoke so
has the thing occurred; therefore must we believe that his
solution of my dream was the correct one, and that his
words of advice were of good weight and consideration.
We must take measures of protection against the famine
which is surely to come upon us. Therefore search, I pray
you, over all Egypt for a man with wisdom and knowledge




90                 THE TA4LMUD.
in his heart, that we may appoint him governor over th:e
land."
And they answered the king, " The advice of this Hebrew
was very good; behold, the country is in the hands of the
king to do with it what is pleasing in his eyes; but the
Hebrew has proved himself wise and skilful, why should
our lord the king not select and appoint him as governor
over the land."
"Yea, surely," said the king, "if God has made these
things known to the Hebrew, then there is none among us
as wise and discreet as he is. What you have suggested is
in accordance with my own thoughts; we will appoint the
Hebrew our governor, and through his wisdom shall our
country be saved the pangs of want."
And Pharaoh sent for Joseph and said to him, " Thou
didst advise me to appoint a wise and discreet man to deliver
the land from the anguish of famine. Surely, there can be
none m.ore discreet than thyself to whom God has made
known all these things. Thy name shall no more be Joseph,
but'Zaphzenat/-Pdaneah' (Revealer of hidden things) shalt
thou hereafter be called among men.
" Thou shalt be second to me only, and according to thy
words shall the land of Egypt be ruled; only upon the
throne shall I be greater than thyself."
Then the king removed his ring from his finger and placed
it upon the hand of Joseph. And he dressed Joseph in
royal apparel, and placed a crown upon his head and a
chain of gold about his neck. And Pharaoh commanded
that Joseph should ride in his second chariot throughout
the land of Egypt. And the people followed him with
music, and a large concourse accompanied him upon his
journey.
Five thousand soldiers with drawn swords in their hands,




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                9.
swords glittering in the sunlight, preceded him, and twenty
thousand soldiers followed. And the people of the land,
men, women, and children gazed upon the pageant from
windows and from house-tops, and the beauty of Joseph
pleased all eyes.
And flowers were strewn in his path when he walked, and
the air was made sweet with perfume, and the savoury odour
of balms and spices. And proclamations were placed in
)rominent places declaring the authority of Joseph, and
threatening death to those who failed to pay him homage;
for he was considered as dishonouring his king who failed
to honour the man made second in the kingdom. The
people bowed down and shouted, " Long live the king and
his viceroy!" And Joseph, seated in his chariot, lifted his
eyes to Heaven, and exclaimed in the fulness of his heart:
" He raiseth the poor from the dust; from the dunghill
He lifteth up the needy. Oh Lord of Hosts, happy is the
man who trusteth in thee;'




92
CHAPTER  V.
JOSEPH'S GREATNESS AND JACOB'S ENTRY INTO EGYPT.
AND it came to pass after this, that Joseph saw Osnath, the
daughter of Potipharah, a pearl among the beauties of the
land, and he loved her and she became his wife. And
Joseph was but thirty years old when he was elevated to his
honourable and trustworthy position. He built for himself
a palace, elegant and complete in its details and surroundings, so elaborate that three years' time was required for its
completion. And the Lord was with Joseph, and increased
his wisdom  and understanding, and  blessed  him  with
manners so affable and deserving that he quickly won the
love and favour of all the inhabitants of the country.
And during seven years, as Joseph had foretold, the Lord
increased the produce of Egypt sevenfold. And Joseph
appointed officers to gather up the plenty. They built huge
storehouses and heaped up corn during the seven years of
plenty, till the amount stored grew so great that no man
could number it. And Joseph and his officers were watchful and diligent that their stores of grain should not suffer
from moth or mould.  The people of the land, too, stored
up their surplus crop, but they were not as careful and
watchful as was Joseph and his assistants.
And the wife of Joseph bore him two sons, Manassah and
Ephraim, and their father taught them diligently the way of
truth; they listened to his words and departed not from the
paths of pleasantness either to the right hand or to the left.




BIBLITCL HIS TORY.               93
They grew up bright and intelligent lads, and were honoured
among the people as were the children of the king.
But the seven years of plenty drew to an end, and the
fields became barren and the trees gave forth no fruit, and
the famine which Joseph had predicted threw its gloomy
shadow and threatening presence over the once fruitful land.
And when the people opened their storehouses, they
found to their sorrow that the moth and mould had taken
advantage of their neglect.  And they cried aloud to
Pharaoh, " Give us food;-let us not die of hunger before
thee, we and our children; give to us, we pray thee, from
the plenty of thy storehouses."
And Pharaoh answered, "Why cry ye unto me, oh careless people? did Joseph not tell ye of the famine which has
come upon us? Why did ye not hearken to his voice, and
obey his commands to be frugal and painstaking?"
"By thy life, our lord," replied the people, " as Joseph
spoke, so did we, and gathered in our corn during the years
of plenty, but lo, when the pangs of hunger and the barrenness of the land bid us open our granaries, the moth had
destroyed the provisions which we had garnered."
The king became alarmed lest all their precaution should
prove unavailing against the famine's blight, and he bade
the people to go to Joseph. "Obey his commands and
rebel not against his words."
And the people repeated to Joseph the cry for food they
had addressed to Pharaoh.
When Joseph heard the words of the people and learned
the result of their want of care, he opened the storehouses
of the king and sold food unto the hungry people.
And the famine grew sore in the land of Egypt and
spread through Canaan and the land of the Philistines, and
to the other side of the Jordan. And when the inhabitants




94                  THE TALMUD.
of these countries heard that corn could be obtained in
Egypt, they came all of them into that country to buy, so
that Joseph was obliged to appoint many officers to sell corn
to the large multitude of people.
And Joseph's thoughts reverted to his father's home, and
he knew that his brothers would be obliged to come to
Egypt to purchase food, for the famine was very grievous in
their neighbourhood.  Therefore he gave orders that no
man desiring corn should send his servant to purchase it,
but the head of each family should personally appear as a
purchaser; either the father of a family or his sons. He
proclaimed also as the order of the king and his viceroy, that
no man should be allowed to purchase corn in Egypt to sell
it again in other countries, but only such as he required
for the support of his immediate family; neither should any
purchaser be allowed to buy more corn than one animal
could carry.
And he put guards at all the gates of Egypt, and every
man who passed through the gates was obliged to record his
name and the name of his father in a book, which was
brought by the guards every night for Joseph's inspection.
Thus did Joseph design to ascertain when his brothers
came to buy food; and all the commands which he had
given were faithfully executed.
Now, when the patriarch Jacob learned that food could
be purchased in Egypt, he bade his sons proceed thither
and obtain a stock of provisions, for the famine was growing
very severe, and he feared that his family would suffer from
its pangs. Jacob instructed his sons to enter the city by
different gates, so that no objection should be made to the
amount of their purchases, and as he commanded so they
did.
Thus did the sons of Jacob go down to Egypt, and while




BIBLICAL HISTOR.                  95
upon the way they thought of their brother Joseph, and their
hearts chid them for their cruelty towards him, and they said!one to the other:
"Behold, we know that Joseph was carried down to
Egypt; now when we come to the city let us seek for him,
perchance we may discover his whereabouts, and then we
will redeem him from his master."
And so did Jacob's ten sons travel to Egypt. Benjamin
was not with them, for his father feared that mischief might
befall him as it did the other son of Rachel, and he kept
him at home by his side.
By ten different gates did the ten sons of the patriarch
enter into the land of Egypt, and the guards at the gates
took down their names, which were sent with the other
names to Joseph at the close of the day. When Joseph
read the names he commanded that all the storehouses save
one should be closed, and he ordered further, that every
purchaser at this storehouse should be required to give his
name; and mentioning the names of his brethren, he said,
"If these men come before ye, see that ye seize them,
every one."
When the sons of Jacob had entered the city they met
together, and before buying their corn they resolved to
make a thorough search for their brother. They visited all
places of public resort, and the houses of divination, but
though they continued their search for three days, it proved
unavailing.
Now when three days had passed, and his brothers had
not put in an appearance at the storehouse, Joseph wondered at their delay, and he sent sixteen of his servants to
search for them quietly through the city. They were found
among the Egyptian players, and brought straightway before
the viceroy.




96                  THE TALMfUD.
Joseph was seated upon his throne dressed in his royal
apparel, with his officers around him, when his brothers
bowed to the ground before him. They wondered exceedingly at the magnificence, the handsome appearance and
the majestic presence of the powerful man before them, but
they did not recognise in him their brother.
And Joseph spoke to them, saying, " Whence came ye?"
" rom the land of Canaan," they answered, " and to buy
food, for lo! the famine is sore in the land; and thy servants learning that corn might be purchased in Egypt, have
journeyed hither to provide for their support and the support
of their families."
But Joseph said, " Nay, ye are spies, else why did ye
enter the city by ten different gates?"
They answered, " We are true men; thy servants have
never been spies. Thy servants are brothers, the sons of
one father, and by his command did we enter the city separately, for coming together he feared our appearance might
attract unfavourable attention."
But Joseph repeated, "Ye are spies; to spy out the
nakedness of our land have ye come. Behold, every man
who comes to buy corn, makes his purchase and departs;
but ye, lo, three days have ye been in the city, in public
places and among the players; it is as I have spoken, ye
are spies."
" God forbid!" they exclaimed; "our lord misjudges us.
We are altogether twelve brothers, the sons of Jacob, in the
land of Canaan; Jacob, the son of Isaac, and grandson of
Abraham  the Hebrew.  Behold, our youngest brother is
with his father, we ten are here, and the other brother, alas,
he is not with us, we know not where he is. We thought
perchance he might be in your land, therefore have we
searched all public places these three days."




BIBLICTL HISTORY.                 97
"And what should the son of Jacob be doing in the
public places?" asked Joseph.
" We heard," they answered, "that the Ishmaelites had
sold him in Egypt, and being of very handsome appearance
we thought it likely he might have been sold in one of the
play-houses, therefore we went there hoping to find and to
redeem him."
"Suppose you had found him," said Joseph, "and his
master had asked for him an enormous amount of money;
were you prepared to comply with extraordinary demands?"
The brothers answered in the affirmative, and Joseph
continued:
" Suppose again that you should find him and his master
should refuse to sell or deliver him to you under any circumstances, what would you do in such a case?"
"In such a case," they answered, "if neither prayers nor
money should prove of avail, we would rescue our brother
by violence: aye, even the death of his master, and flee with
him to our father's house."
" It is as I have said," retorted Joseph; " ye are spies;
lo, with evil designs upon the inhabitants of our city ye have
come. We have heard and know indeed how ye killed all
the males of Shechem in the land of Canaan on your sister's
account, and now ye would treat the men of Egypt in the
same way for the sake of a brother. But yet we will give
ye an opportunity to prove yourselves true men. Send one
of your number to your father's house to bring hither the
youngest brother of whom you have spoken. If ye will do
this, I shall know that you have spoken truly. Take three
days to consider."
And in obedience to Joseph's commands his brothers
were held in ward for three days.
After this time the brothers concluded to leave one of




98                 THE TALMUD.
their number as a hostage, while the others returned to
Canaan to bring Benjamin down to Egypt. So Menassehi
the son of Joseph, chose Simeon as the hostage, and he was;
kept in ward.
Ere his brothers departed, Joseph spoke to them once more.
" Take heed," said he, " that ye forget not my commands. If ye bring this brother to me, I shall consider ye
true men, and ye shall be free to traffic in the land; neither
will I do harm to your brother; he shall be at liberty to
return with ye to your father's house, in peace."
And they bowed down to the ground and departed from
Egypt. As they proceeded upon their homeward journey,
they stopped at an inn to feed their asses, and Levi opened
his sack to provide the corn for the meal. And lo, when
he opened the sack, his money which he had paid for the
corn was lying on the top. And he was exceedingly afraid,
and he told the thing to his brethren, and they, too, were
filled with alarm. And when every man found his money
returned they cried aloud:
" What is this that God has done to us? Has the Lord
withdrawn from us the mercy which He showed to our
ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, that He has
given us into the hands of Egypt's prince to mock us and
make merry with us?"
But Judah said, " It is just! Are we not guilty and sinful
before the Lord?  We sold our brother, our flesh. Why
should we now complain that the favour God has lavished
on our ancestors is denied to us?"
" Did I not warn ye,'sin not against the child?'  said
Reuben, " and ye would not hearken to my words. His
blood is upon us,-why do ye say, therefore,' Where is
the kindness which the Lord promised unto our fathers?'
Verily we have forfeited His protection."




BIBLICAL HISSTOPk.                 99
Wrhen Jacob's sons approached their home, and the
Matriarch came forth to meet them, he quickly missed the
face of Simeon, and he asked, " Where is Simeon, your
orother?"
Then the brothers told their father all that had happened
to them in Egypt, and Jacob said to them:
" What is this that ye have done to me? Your brother
Joseph I sent to ye to inquire of your welfare, and his face
I looked upon no more,-his bloody garments ye brought
me, saying,' Lo, the wild beasts of the forest have destroyed
thy son.' Simeon I sent with ye to purchase food, and ye
tell me that he is imprisoned in a cruel land; and now
Benjamin ye wish to take also,-for Joseph and for Benjamin ye would bring my grey hairs in sorrow to the grave.
No, my son shall not go with ye."
And Reuben said, " The lives of my two sons I place in
your hands; if we do not bring back Benjamin safely to
thee, their lives shall prove the forfeit."
But Jacob said, " Neither shall ye return again to Egypt;
stay here, for my son shall not go with ye, to die as did his
brother."
And Judah said to his brothers, " Urge him no more at
present. Let us wait until these provisions have been consumed, and when cruel want and hunger press us he will
consent to what we ask."
And it came to pass when the provisions were gone, that
the sons of his children gathered around Jacob and cried
to him, " Oh, give us bread."
And the heart of Jacob was torn with anguish at the cry,
and summoning his sons, he said to them, "Hear ye not the
voices of your children crying for food?' Give us bread,'
they cried to me, and I-I have none to give them. Get
ye down to Egypt, I pray ye, and buy us a little food."




IO                 7THE TA LM UD.
Then Judah answered, and said to his father, " If thou
wilt send Benjamin with us, we will go,-otherwise we cannot.  The king of Egypt is a mighty potentate; we dare
not trifle with him.  Should we return to Egypt, and our
youngest brother be not with us, lo, he would destroy us
all. Our father, we cannot disobey this king; greater even
is he than Abimelech, the Philistine.  Thou hast not seen,
as we have, his throne, his palace, his myriads of officers;
thou hast not witnessed, as have we, his wisdom, knowledge,
and understanding.  God has blessed him with unequalled
gifts; greater is he than all on earth beside. Our names he
told us; what had happened to us in our youth; he inquired of thee, saying,' Is your father yet alive? Are all
things well with him?' Thou hast not heard, as we have,
of his power; over his people he is supreme; upon his
word they go out, and upon his word they come in; his
word governs, and the voice of his master, Pharaoh, is not
required.  Oh, my father, send the lad, —we cannot go
without him; if thou refusest, we must see our children die
with hunger."
And Jacob said, in his sorrow:
" Why did ye tell the man ye had a brother?  Oh, evil,
evil is this thing which ye have done!"
" Give the boy into my hands," said Judah, " and let us
go down to Egypt and buy the corn.  If I do not return
him safely to thee, a sinner against my father shall I be considered all my days.  Our children weep before thee, and
we have naught to stay their cries; have mercy on them,
send our brother with us.  Hast thou not often told us of
the mercy which our God has promised to thee?  Lo, He
will protect thy son and return him to thee safely. Pray
unto the Lord for our sakes, entreat Him to give us grace
and favour in the eyes of Egypt's Prince. Lo, had we not




BIBLICAL HIZSTORY.                io
tarried thus long, we should have now been back with food;
yea, back twice to thee, and with thy son in safety."
And Jacob answered:
"The Lord God give you grace in the eyes of the king
and officers of Egypt. In Him will I put my trust. Arise,
go unto the man, take with ye gifts, the best the land
affords; the Lord will be with ye, and ye shall bring back
to me your brothers, Benjamin and Simeon."
Then the sons of Jacob went down again to Egypt. And
they took Benjamin with them, and they took, also, presents and twofold money.
"Take heed of the lad," were Jacob's parting words;
" separate not from him either in Egypt or upon the road;"
and when they had gone, he sought the presence of the
Almighty in prayer:
" Oh, Lord, God of heaven and of earth, remember, I
beseech Thee, the covenant which Thou didst make with
our father Abraham; remember, I beseech Thee, the merit
of Isaac, my father, and for their sakes show kindness unto
my sons. Do not deliver them into the hands of Egypt's
king for evil; redeem them, I pray Thee, and bring them
back safely with their two brothers."
And the wives of Jacob's sons, and his grandchildren,
they, too, lifted their eyes and hearts to Heaven, and
cried:
" Deliver, oh Lord, our fathers from the hands of Egypt's
king."
Jacob also addressed the following letter, to be delivered
by his sons into the hands of Joseph:
" From thy servant, Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son d
Abraham the Hebrew.
" The prince of God unto the mighty and wise kinj
Zaphenath-Paaneah, the king of Egypt, peace.
IF




102                THE TALMUD.
"My lord, the king, knows well that the famine is sore in
the land of Canaan; therefore I sent my sons to thee to
buy food for our sustenance. I charged them not to enter\
the city by the same gate, lest coming together they might,
attract the attention of the inhabitants.  And, lo, their
obedience to my orders has caused them to be accused by
thee as spies.  Oh, my lord, could not an intelligent man,
such as thou art, read truth upon the faces of my sons?
Much have I heard of thy wisdom and the understanding
which thou didst display in the interpretation of Pharaoh's
dreams, in foretelling this grievous famine,-how, then, was
it possible that thou shouldst suspect my sons?
" Behold, I am surrounded with children; I am very old,
and my eyes wax dim; tearful have they been for twenty
years in lamenting the loss of my son Joseph, and now I
have sent to thee his brother Benjamin as thou didst command; I pray thee, oh, my lord, to be good to him, and
return him to me with his brothers. The strength of God
has ever been with us; He has listened to our prayers, and
He has never forsaken us; protect thou my son who is
coming unto thee, and God will look favourably upon thee
and upon thy kingdom. Send him home again with his
brothers, and Simeon also send with them in peace."
This letter was entrusted into Judah's hands.
Thus the sons of Jacob went down again to Egypt with
Benjamin and with the presents, and they stood before
Joseph. And Joseph released Simeon from  prison, and
restored him to his brethren. And Simeon told them of
the kind treatment which he had received since their
departure.
" I was not bound," said he, "4 or treated as a prisoner,
but I was taken to the governor's own house, and received
there as a guest."




IPBLICAL HISTORY.                  163
Then Judah took Benjamin and brought him  before
Joseph, and they prostrated themselves to the giound.
And the brothers gave Joseph the presents which their,father had sent to him. And Joseph asked them whether
all went well with their children and with their old father,
and they answered, " It is well with all of us."
Then Judah delivered his father's letter to Joseph, and
the latter recognised his father's hand, and his feelings
grew too strong for him; the recollections of his youth
overpowered him, and retiring into a side apartment he
wept bitterly.
Returning to the presence of his brother, Joseph's eyes
rested upon Benjamin, his mother's son, and he asked, " Is
this your youngest brother of whom ye told me?"  And
when Benjamin drew near, Joseph laid his hand upon his
brother's head, and said, "God be gracious unto thee, my son."
Then restraining his feelings, he ordered his officers to
-repare the dining-tables.
Then when the meal was ready Joseph took into his
id a cup,-a cup of solid silver, set with precious stones,
I holding it in his hand in the presence of his brothers,;eph said, " I know by this cup that Reuben is the first 
-rn of your father, therefore shall he sit first, and Simeon,
Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun shall follow him in this
order, according  to their ages; the rest shall follow
these according to their ages."  And he said further, " I
know  that your youngest brother has no mother, neither'lave I a mother, therefore will we two sit together."
And the men marvelled much at the words of Joseph, as
they ate and drank with Joseph upon that day.
Joseph placed two portions of food before his brother
Benjamin, and when his sons, Ephraim and Menasseh, saw
this they too gave their portions to Benjamin, and Osnath,




o104               rE TALMUD.
Joseph's wife, gave also hers.  Thus Benjamin had five
portions.
And Joseph brought wine to the board, and bade his
brethren drink and be glad, but they refused, saying," WeI
have not parcaken of wine since we lost our brother."
Joseph pressed them, however, and forced them  to drink
and be merry with him. And he said to Benjamin, " Hast
thou children?"  And Benjamin answered, "Thy servant
has ten sons, and I call them by names reminding me of the
brother whom I have never seen."
In the morning Joseph dismissed his brethren, and bade
them return to their father in peace. But when they had
departed he called his servants, and ordered them to pursue
after, overtake them, and bring them back.
And when the servants of Joseph overtook them, and
said to them.:
"Why have ye done this thing to steal our master's
cup?" the brothers of Joseph were indignant, and theanswered, " If ye find the cup in the possession of any o
of us, lo, he shall die, and we, his brethren, shall be y
master's slaves;" but when the cup was found where Jos(
had ordered it to be put, in Benjamin's sack, they return
grieving and crestfallen, to the presence of Joseph.
The viceroy was seated upon his throne, and his officers
of state were gathered about him when his brethren entered,
and speaking roughly to them, he said:
"What evil deed is this which ye have wrought?  Why
did ye take my silver cup?  Is it because you could not
find that brother you spoke of in the country that you
stole the cup instead? Answer and tell me why have ye
done this thing?"
And Judah spoke, saying, "What shall we say unto my
lord?  What shall we speak, for how shall we justify our



BIBLICAL HISTORY.                 I  
selves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants,
and sent this calamity upon us."
Then Joseph arose, and grasping hold of Benjamin he
led him to another room, and pushing him therein closed
the door upon him. He then told the others to return to
their homes in peace, saying, " I will keep the one in whose
possession the cup was found; return ye in peace."
Then Judah approached Joseph, and said:
"Let not thy anger, I pray thee, burn against thy servant,
but let thy servant speak  before thee;" and Joseph
answered, "Speak."
Then Judah continued:
" From the commencement, from the moment we set foot
in Egypt, thou hast mocked us. We have been accused as
spies; we have been forced to bring our brother Benjamin
hither with us; and now, still at this moment, thou art using
us for thy sport. Let the king now hearken to my words,
and heed them, and allow our brother to return to his
father with us, lest we destroy thee, aye, and all thy officers
who are stationed about thee. Thou knowest what two
brothers of us did to the city of Shechem for a sister's
sake; take heed that they work not the same revenge for
their brother Benjamin.  Lo, I am  stronger and more
powerful than both of them; give over thy idle trifling with
us, lest I strike thee with thy guard.  Knowest thou not the
punishment which God ordained upon Pharaoh when he
acted wickedly towards Sarai, our great grandmother? Even
to this day the people of thy land do tell about it! Beware,
therefore, lest He punish thee too for thy wickedness in
taking our brother Benjamin from his father. God will not
forget the covenant which He made with Abraham, to protect his seed and chastise their enemies; therefore listen, oh,
my lord, to the words which I am speaking. Let our brother




0i6                THE TALMUD.
return to his father, lest I carry my words into effect; beware,
you cannot prevail over me."
Then Joseph answered and said:
"Why indulge in this vain self-glorying?  Art proud of
thy strength?  Lo! one word to my officers, and they
would destroy thee in a moment with thy brethren."
" By God's life," exclaimed Judah, " if I draw I will commence with thee and end with Pharaoh."
" Thy strength is not equal to thy boast," returned Joseph;
"I myself am  stronger than thou art; if thou shouldst
draw thy sword I would sheathe it in thine own body;
aye, with thine own sword would I put thy brothers and
thyself to death."
And Judah replied:
" Oh, my lord, God is a witness between us that I seek
not to fight; give us our brother and let us go in peace."
" By the life of Pharaoh," answered Joseph, " if all the
kings of Canaan should come and second your demand, I
would not surrender your brother. Go your way, the rest
of ye unto your father, but Benjamin shall be my servant.
He stole my cup and his liberty is forfeit to me."
"What profit is the name of king to such as thou?"
retorted Judah.  "A king's household contains much gold
and silver in vessels and utensils, and lo, thou speakest much
about a poor silver cup, which thou thyself hast placed
in our brother's sack. God forbid that a descendant of
Abraham should steal from thee, or from any other king,
prince, or whatever he may be. Be silent now about this
for thine own sake, lest it become known abroad and people
say,'Lo, for a trifling silver cup the great viceroy of Egypt
fought with men and took one of them for a servant;' fot
thine own sake, say no more."
But Joseph merely repeated what he had said:




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  o07
"Go ye, and leave your brother with me; the law
makes him my servant; get ye gone, and take the cup
with ye."
"Never," exclaimed Judah;' we would not forsake our
brother for a thousand cups, or for any sum of money
which thou couldst name."
Then Joseph replied quickly:
"But you did forsake and abandon your brother; aye,
and sold him for twenty silver pieces."
" Give us our brother," reiterated Judah.  "God is my
witness I desire no quarrel with thee; let us depart without
a brawl. What, oh, what can we say to our father if we
return without the lad? his grief would kill him; and we,
what could we say?"
" Say to him," said Joseph, " that the rope followeth the
bucket.')
"Woe, woe unto the king who speaks a false judgment,"
cried Judah.
"Say naught of false judgments," replied Joseph, "did
ye not speak untruths unto your father, saying,'A  wild
beast has devoured Joseph?' Did ye not sell him to the
Midianites for twenty pieces?  Say naught; be dumb in
shame."
"Now  does the fire of Shechem  burn  within me,"
thundered Judah; "thyself and thy country shall perish in
the fierce flame of my wrath."
In the meantime, during this scene, Joseph had despatched
Menasseh, his son, to order troops to his palace, and now
they came at full speed, armed and equipped at short
notice. Five hundred mounted soldiers, two thousand on
foot, and four hundred reserve guard of veterans. With
* Meaning that Joseph was the rope and Benjamin the bucket.




0o8                 THE TAIMUD.
cries and shouts they surrounded the sons of Jacob, who
were exceedingly terrified and trembled for their lives.
Then Joseph said to Judah:
"Tell me, I pray, why thou alone of all thy company
didst fight so zealously for the lad?"
And Judah answered:
" Know that I became a surety with our father for the
lad's safe return.' If he comes not back with us,' I said,' Lo, I shall be considered as sinning before thee all my
days.' Oh, my lord, let me find grace in thy eyes; let me
but take the lad home to his father, and I will return to take
his place as thy servant. See, I am stronger and older than
he is, let me be thy servant instead of Benjamin."
" Upon one condition," replied Joseph, " the lad may go
with you. Bring before me his brother, his mother's son of
whom you have spoken, and I will take him in place of
Benjamin. You did not become a surety for him to your
father, therefore let me have him, and the brother for
whom  you did become a surety shall return home with
you.'
Then Simeon drew near and answered:
" Did we not tell my lord, when first we came before him,
that this lost brother we could not find? Wherefore will my
lord speak such idle words? We know not, alas, whether
this brother be alive or dead."
"Suppose, then," said Joseph, "that I should call him
before me, will ye then give him to me in place of Benjamin?"  And raising his voice he called aloud, " Joseph I
Joseph! Appear Joseph, and sit before thy brethren."
The sons of Jacob wondered much at these words, and
their blood grew chill as they looked around in fear and
amazement to see from whence their brother was to appear.
And Joseph said to them:




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                 Iog
"Why do ye look around? Your brother is before you.
I am Joseph whom ye sold to Egypt. But nay, be not
alarmed, ye were but instruments, and to save life did God
send me hither."
And the men were much frightened, and Judah especially
was terrified at the startling words. Benjamin, who was in
the inner court, heard them, and hurrying before Joseph, he
threw himself upon the latter's breast, and kissing him, they
wept together. The other brothers too were much affected,
and the people about wondered, and the report of the occurrence reached Pharaoh's palace.
Pharaoh was pleased with the news, and sent a deputation of his officers to welcome Joseph's brethren, and to bid
them, in his name, to bring their families and their household goods and make their homes in Egypt.
And Joseph clad his brethren in new and elegant garments, and made them many generous presents, and gave
to each of them three hundred pieces of silver; and then
he took them before Pharaoh and introduced them to the
king.
And when Pharaoh saw what goodly men the sons of
Jacob were he was much pleased and very gracious towards
them.
And when it became time for them to return to Canaan,
Joseph procured eleven of Pharaoh's chariots and added
to them his own, for their accommodation. And he sent
rich presents to his father, and garments and presents to
the children of his brothers and sister, and to his brothers'
wives. And he accompanied his brethren upon their journey to the boundaries of Egypt, and parting with them, he
said:
" Do not, my brethren, quarrel on the way. This thing
was wrought through God's wisdom A ye were but the in



o                  THIE TA LMUD.
struments to save from famine and hunger a vast multitude."
He also commanded them  to be careful in imparting the
great news they carried to their father, lest speaking suddenly it might have a bad effect upon so old a man.  And,
the sons of Jacob returned unto the land of Canaan in
gladness with happy hearts.
And it came to pass when they drew near to Canaan that
they said one to the other, " How shall we break this news
unto our father? We cannot tell him suddenly that Joseph
is still alive."
But it chanced when they reached Beer-Shebah that
Serach, the daughter of Asher, came to meet her father and
her uncles. And Serach was a sweet singer, and she played
upon the harp.
So they said unto her, " Take thy harp, and go and sit
before our father and play to him, and as thou playest,
sing; sing of his son Joseph, and let him know in this
manner that Joseph lives."
And the maiden did as she was bid, and sitting before
her grandfather, she sang to him a song, wherein she repeated seven times these words:
" Lo, Joseph is not dead; he lives,
My uncle rules o'er Egypt's land."
And Jacob was pleased with her singing and playing;
happiness seemed to find birth in his heart at her sweet"
voice, and he smiled upon the maiden and blessed her.
And while he was talking to her his sons arrived with their
horses and chariots, and Jacob arose and met them at thdoor, and they said to him, "We have joyful tidings for our
father. Joseph, our brother, is still alive, and he is ruler
over all the land of Egypt."
But Jacob remained cool and unaffected, for he did not
believe their words, until he saw the presents which Joseph




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                 I  I
had sent, and all the signs of his greatness; then his eyes
brightened and gladness sparkled in their depths, and he
*said:
" Enough, my son lives; I will go and see him before
I die."
And the inhabitants of Beer-Shebah and the surrounding
countries heard the news, and came and congratulated
Jacob, and he made a great feast for them. And he said,
" I will go down to Egypt and see my son, and then will I
return to Canaan, as the Lord has spoken to Abraham,
giving this land unto his seed."
And the word of the Lord came to Jacob, saying, " Go
down to Egypt; be not afraid, for I am with thee, and will
make of thee a great nation."
And Jacob commanded his sons and their families to
prepare to go down with him to Egypt, as the Lord had
spoken, and they arose and started upon the way. And
Jacob sent Judah in advance, to announce his coming and
to select a place for his residence.
And when Joseph learned that his father was upon the
way he gathered together his friends and officers, and
soldiers of the realm, and they attired themselves in rich
garments and gold and silver ornaments, and the troops were
armed with all the implements of war, and they gathered
together and formed a great company to meet Jacob upon
the way and escort him to Egypt. Music and gladness
filled the land, and all the people, the women and the
children, assembled upon the house-tops to view the magnificent display.
Joseph was dressed in royal robes, with the crown of
state upon his head; and when he came within fifty cubits
of his father's company, he descended from his chariot and
walked to meet his father. And when the nobles and




112                THE TALMUD.
princes saw this they, too, descended from their steeds and
chariots and walked with him,
And when Jacob saw all this great procession he won.
dered exceedingly, and he was much pleased thereat, and
turning to Judah he asked, "Who is the man who marcheth
at the head of this great array in royal robes?" and Judah
answered, "That is thy son." And when Joseph drew nigh
to his father he bowed down before him, and his officers
also bowed low to Jacob.
And Jacob ran towards his son and fell upon his neck
and kissed him, and they wept. And Joseph greeted his
brethren with affection.
And Jacob said to Joseph, " Now let me die. I have
seen thy face; my eyes have beheld thee living and in
great honour."
And the great company escorted Jacob and his family to
Egypt, and there Joseph gave to his relatives the best of the
land, even Goshen.
And Joseph lived in the land and governed it wisely.
And the two sons of Joseph were great favourites with their
grandfather, and were ever in his house. And Jacob taught
them the ways of the Lord, and pointed out to them the
path of happiness and peace in His service.
And Jacob and his family lived in Goshen, and had
possession of the land and multiplied therein exceedingly.




113
CHAPTER VI.
DEATH OF JACOB AND HIS SONS-MOSES-THE DELIVERANCE
FROM EGYPT.
JACOB lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years, and
all the years of his life were one hundred and forty-seven.
And Jacob grew very sick, and being old and feeble, he
sent for his son Joseph, and said to him:
" Behold, I am going to die. Listen, my son. The God
of your fathers will surely visit you in the days to come, and
carry back His people, as He has sworn, to the land which
He has given to you and your descendants.  Do not bury
me in Egypt, but in the cave of Machpelah, in Hebron, in
the land of Canaan, next to my parents."
Jacob made his sons swear to bury him  as he had
requested, and he said to them:
" Serve the Lord your God, and He will deliver ye from
all trouble, even as He delivered your fathers." He bade
them call all their children before him, and he blessed them
(and their fathers also, according to the blessings which are
recorded in Holy Writ.
And Jacob said unto Judah:
"Thou, my son, art stronger than all thy brethren, and
from thy loins will kings arise. Teach thy children how
they may protect themselves from enemies and evil-doers."
Then turning to his children, he said:
" Thus shall ye carry me, after my death, to my restingplace in the cave of Machpelah. Ye, my sons, and not youl
children, shall bear me. Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun shall




X 4                  iTHE CTA LMUDP
carry the eastward corner of my bier; Reuben, Simeon, and
Gad shall carry at the south; Ephraim, Menasseh, and Benjamin at the western end; and Dan, Asher, and Naphtali to
the north.
" Levi shall not carry or help to carry my bier, for his
descendants will bear the ark of God's covenant through
Israel's host; neither shall Joseph assist in carrying, for he
is a king; his sons shall take his place, and walk beside his
brother Benjamin. As I have spoken do; diminish not
from my words.
"And it shall come to pass, if ye do as I have commanded, that God will visit ye with happiness and give
peace to your children after ye.
"And now, my sons, honour one another, and live peacefully, family and family, together.  Teach your children to
love God, and observe His commandments, in order that
their days may be prolonged, for God will guard those
who do justly and walk in righteousness through all His
ways. "
And the sons of Jacob responded, "All that you have
commanded us, our father, we will do.  May God be
with us."
And Jacob answered:
" The Lord will be with ye if ye depart not from His
ways to the right hand or to the left. Behold. I know that
great troubles will come upon ye, upon your children, and
your children's children in this land of Egypt in the days to
come.  But serve God, and He will prove your salvation.
He will bring ye out of Egypt, aye, back to the land of
your fathers, to inherit it, and dwell therein in safety."
And when Jacob had finished these words he drew his
feet into the bed, and was gathered unto his fathers.
And when Joseph saw that his father was dead he fell




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  5 i 
upon the cold face, and wept bitterly, and cried aloud in
anguish, " My father; oh, my father!"
And the family of Jacob, his sons, and their wives and
children rent their garments and clothed themselves in
sackcloth and ashes, and mourned for the patriarch. And
the Egyptians who knew Jacob mourned for him also.   4"f
Then Joseph commanded the physicians to embalm his
father's body, and he, with all his family and relatives and
Egyptian friends, lamented for seventy days.
After these days of mourning Joseph approached Pharaoh
the king, and said to him, " Let me go up, I pray thee, to
bury my father; I will then return;" and Plharaoh answered,
Go in peace and bury thy father."
And Joseph arose and prepared with his brethren to carry
their father's body to Canaan, as he had commanded them.
And Pharaoh issued a proclamation requesting the citizens of Egypt to honour Joseph by participating in Jacob's
funeral, and showing the last marks of respect to him. And
the citizens, in large numbers, acquiesced in the wishes of
the king.
And there went up with Joseph and his brethren all the
servants of Pharaoh and the elders of his house, and the
elders of the land of Egypt, and the princes and noblemen,
and all attached to Joseph's household.
And the sons of Jacob carried the bier on which rested
their father's remains, as he had commanded them, and
there rested upon the bier a sceptre and a crown of gold.
And the troops of Egypt followed Jacob's body, infantry
and cavalry, and the body-guard of Pharaoh, and Joseph's
body-guard also.
And it came to pass, when the funeral train reached the
threshing-floor of Atad, beyond the Jordan, they rested
there, and mourned with great lamentation.




16                 THE TALMUD.
And when the kings of Canaan heard that the funeral
cortege of Jacob was approaching, they started forth to
meet the same, to express their grief and love for the
departed patriarch.
And Esau, Jacob's brother, came also with his sons and'
the men of his belonging, and then the funeral proceeded to
Hebron, to the cave of Machpelah.
But when they reached the cave, lo, Esau and his sons,
and his followers, approached Joseph and his brethren,
saying:
" Jacob shall not be buried here; this cave is ours and
our father's."
Then Joseph and his brethren were very wroth, and
Joseph said to Esau:
"What is this which thou hast spoken?  Did not my
father, Jacob, buy from thee, after the death of Isaac, all
thy possessions in the land of Canaan, aye, five-and-twenty
years ago, for a large sum of money, that it might be an inheritance to his children for ever? Why speakest thou in
this manner?"
And Esau answered:
"I sold naught to Jacob."
"We have the deeds," returned Joseph, " and thin.e
own signature  shall prove that the truth  is on  our
side."
" Bring me the deeds then," said Esau, "and all that I
have written will I do."
Then Joseph called to him his brother Naphtali, who was
more swift of foot than the roebuck, and so light of step
that he could run over the tassel-topped corn and it would
bend not beneath his tread.
And Joseph said to Naphtali:
"Get quickly to Egypt and bring to me the deeds for the




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                 T17
cave, also the deed whereby Esau sold his birthright to our
father; get thee quickly, and return in haste."
And when Esau learned that Naphtali had departed
upon this errand he stopped further proceeding in the
funeral rites, and Joseph and his brethren guarded their
father's body and the burial cave.
With the next day a fight began between the two factions;
Esau and his retainers on the one side, and Joseph, the
Hebrews, and those who had followed the funeral train from
Egypt, on the other.
Now among this latter party was Hushim, the son of Dan.
He was dumb, and was placed to keep watch over the
coffin containing the remains of his grandfather.  Though
not in the conflict, he noticed that something unusual was
occurring, and asking by signs of those who came near him
why the dead was not buried, he learned of Esau's interference, and the stoppage of the rites.
It came to pass, when he fully understood this, that his
anger was roused, and hurrying into the midst of the combat,
he singled out Esau, and struck his head from his shoulders
with one blow. Then the children of Jacob prevailed over
their opponents. Of Esau's company forty men were killed,
while the other party suffered no loss.  So with the death
of Esau the fears expressed by Rebecca when Esau intended to kill Jacob, "Why should I be deprived of both
of you in one day?" (Gen. 32: 45), seemed to be verified.
Then Jacob was buried in the cave of Machpelah, and
the sons of Esau witnessed the interment.  For seven days
Joseph and his brethren remained in their houses, mourning
and attending not to their usual avocations; and after this,
though they discharged their daily duties, they mourned for
twelve months, and since that time such has been the custom
of the Jews on the death of a near relative.
I




118                 THE TALMUD.
The defeated children of Esau fled with Eliphas, the son
of Esau, carrying Esau's body with them. His head was
buried in Hebron, where he fell, but his body they buried at
the mount of Se'ir.
And it came to pass in the thirty-second year after the
children of Israel had gone down into Egypt, that Pharaoh
the friend of Joseph died. Joseph was then seventy-one
years of age. Before his death, Pharaoh commanded his
son who succeeded him, to obey Joseph in all things, and
the same instructions he left in writing. This pleased the
people of Egypt, for they loved Joseph and trusted implicitly
in him. Thus while this Pharaoh reigned over Egypt the
country was governed by Joseph's advice and counsel. The
Lord was with him, and all his undertakings proved successful. His wisdom  seemed to grow greater daily, and all
Egypt delighted in showing him honour and respect. Fot
eighty years Joseph ruled Egypt, and his brothers dwelt in
Goshen in safety and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly; and they served the Lord in the manner which their
father Jacob had taught them.
Joseph lived in Egypt ninety-three years, being as a prince
of the country eighty years of that time; and then the days
drew nigh when he felt the hand of death approaching. He
sent for his brothers and all their children, and they drew
around his bed.
"Behold," said he, "I am going to die, but God will
surely visit ye and bring ye out from this land into the land
which he hath sworn unto your fathers to give unto ye.
And now when the Eternal thus visits ye and leads ye out
from Egypt, take my bones away from here with ye."
Joseph made the children of Israel swear, for themselves
and their descendants, to carry with them his bones wnen
they should go up out of Egypt.




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                 II9
And Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten
years, in the seventy-first year after the children of Israel had
entered Egypt, and his body was embalmed and afterwards
laid in the ground near the banks of the river Nile.  And
all Egypt wept for Joseph seventy days, and his brethren
mourned for him seven days as they did for Jacob his
father.
Then Pharaoh took the dominion in his own hands, and
governed the people wisely and in good faith.
In the same year Zebulun, the son of Jacob, died at the
age of one hundred and fourteen years; and five years later
Simeon died, aged one hundred and twenty years. Four
years after this Reuben died, aged one hundred and twentyfive years; and Dan died the next year one hundred and
twenty-four years old. Issachar died a year later, aged one
hundred and twenty-two; and Asher followed him aged
one hundred and twenty-three.  Gad departed the next
year, one hundred and twenty-five years old; and Judah the
year following at the age of one hundred and twenty-nine
years. Naphtali lived one year later, and died at the age
of a hundred and thirty-two years; and Levi died the year
after, one hundred and thirty-seven years of age, living to a
greater age than that reached by any of his brethren.
After the death of Joseph and his brothers, the Egyptians
began to afflict the Israelities, and they embittered their
lives from that day even until the day when they went up
out of the land. They deprived them of the fruitful land
which Joseph had given them, and of the houses which they
had built, and the homes they had made for themselves.
The hand of the Egyptians grew constantly heavier upon the
people till their lives became a burden to them.
In the hundred and second year after Israel went down to
Egypt. Pharaoh the king and that whole generation of




120                 TH E T2AL MUD.
people had died out, and a new king and a new people who
knew not Joseph held possession of the land.
Young Pharaoh was forty-nine years of age when he was
crowned, and as is customary upon the assumption of authority by a new ruler, his ministers came before him to tell of
the doings and progress of his kingdom. And these spoke
to him, saying:
"Behold these people, the children of Israel, are greater
and mightier than we. Advise us, we pray, that we may
destroy them gradually, lest they so increase in the land as
to prove a snare and a stumbling-block to us. Perchance if
war comes upon us they may add their strength to the
ranks of our enemies and drive us out of our own country."
The king answered:
"This is my advice, and I bid ye heed it well. The
fortresses, Pithom and Ra'amses, are not strong enough for
their purpose of protection, they should be rebuilt and with
greater care. Let us deal subtly. Issue a proclamation in
my name, saying:
"'A decree of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.  Every dutiful
citizen is requested to join in the rebuilding and strengthening of the fortresses Pithom and Ra'amses, that we may be
prepared for enemies in time of war. Every citizen is called
upon to obey this behest, and each day he shall receive
from the treasury, wages for the work which he has done.'
"Then at the outset, ye, too, must go to work, and it
shall come to pass when the Israelites come and join ye,
that ye shall pay them, as we promise, each day their wages.
Gradually ye and the other Egyptians may stay away from
the work, until the Israelites are prosecuting it alone; then
appoint Egyptian taskmasters over them; and, finally, when
they come to ye one day for what they have earned, inform
them that henceforth they must labour without paynmet. If




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  12t
they refuse or rebel, be ready, and compel them to submit
by force. Obey my words in every particular, and happiness
to ye will be the result. Our country will be strengthened
and the hard labour will reduce the numerical strength of
this people."
This advice pleased the Egyptians greatly, and they
followed it implicitly. The proclamation was issued, and all
the Israelites, with the exception of the children of Levi,
obeyed the orders. Many Egyptians took part in the work
also, and daily received their wages, but they were gradually
dismissed, until in about three months' time the Israelites
were working alone. Then the taskmasters, who had been
appointed over them, withheld from them their wages, and
when they refused to work, compelled them by force to resume their labour.
Thus all the children of Israel, with the exception of
those of the tribe of Levi, who saw  the snare of the
Egyptians, and who having refused to work for wages could
not now be compelled to labour without payment, were kept
steadily at this work, strengthening all the strongholds of
Egypt, making bricks and labouring in the fields, until the
Lord remembered them and delivered them from the land.
But the heavier the burden laid upon the Israelites, the
more rapidly they appeared to increase in numbers. And
in the hundred and twenty-fifth year after the sons of Jacob
had entered Egypt, the inhabitants of the land saw that
what they had intended by their oppression had failed; that
Israel still increased. The elders and wise men therefore
appeared again before the king, and said:
"0 king, live for ever! According to the advice which
thou didst give us concerning this people Israel, have we
done, and yet it has proved unavailing. The more we have
oppressed them, the greater has been their increase, and




122'HE TA L MUD.
now the land of Goshen is filled with them.  To thy wisdom
we, with all thy people, look for advice which shall reduce
the number of these people."
The king answered:
"Let me hear from some of ye ^ give ye advice as to what
can be done to them."
Then answered Job, from a country in the land of Uz,
one of the king's counsellors, and said:
" If it be pleasing to the king, I will venture to speak.
The advice which the king did give us concerning this
people was good, and the course which we have pursued in
its carrying out we will still continue, and the advice which
I give now, with permission of the king, is but in addition
to the same. Behold, we have been fearing for many years
that a war may come upon us; we have been also fearing
that the Israelites may so increase in the land and spread
throughout it as to drive us from our own country. Now,
if it please the king, let a royal order be issued, and let it
be written among the laws of Egypt, that it may never be
changed. Let this order decree the shedding of the lifeblood of every male born to these Hebrews. If we follow
this advice and destroy every male, we can have no cause to
fear treason from this people in the future."
This advice met with the approbation of the king, his
counsellors and wise men, and the king did as Job had
recommended. A proclamation was issued throughout the
land, dooming every male born to the Hebrews to immediate
destructiocn
There lived in the land of Egypt a man named Amrraml
he was the son of Kehath, the Son of Levi, the son of Jacob.
This man married Yochebed, the daughter of Levi, his
father's sister. And the woman bore a daughter, whom she
called. AMir'yam for this was in the days when the Egyptians




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                 123
embittered the life of the Hebrews. Afterwards she bore a
son, and called him Aaron.
And it came to pass in the one hundred and thirtieth
year after Israel had entered Egypt, that Pharaoh, the king
of the land, dreamed that he was sitting on his throne, and
raising his eyes, saw before him an old man holding in his
hand a pair of large balances. The old man hung the
balances, and taking all the elders of Egypt, her princes and
officers, lie bound them together and placed them on one
of the balances; on the other he placed a lamb, and lo, to
the wonder of the dreaming man, the lamb weighed heavier
than all the mighty men of Egypt.
Pharaoh awoke, and sending for his officers, he related to
them this dream, which caused them both fear and amazement. Now among the magicians of Egypt there was one
whom the king considered especially wise, Bil'am, the son
of Be'or. For him the king sent, and desired an explanation of the vision. " A great evil will befall Egypt in the
latter days," replied Bil'am, the son of Be'or. " A son will
be born in Israel who will destroy Egypt, kill its inhabitants,
and carry his people out from among them. Now, oh lord
and king, give heed to this matter, and destroy the power
of the children of Israel and their future welfare, before this
misfortune to Egypt buds."
"What can we do?" inquired Pharaoh;  we have tried
many plans without success."
Bil'am answered, "Send for thy two nearest counsellors,
and we will consult together."
And Pharaoh sent for Re'uel, the Midianite, and Job, his
counsellors, and they appeared before him accordingly. Then
said the king, " Ye have all heard my dream and its interpretation; now give me your advice; how may this people
Israel be conquered ere this threatened evil falls upon us?"




124                7tIE TALMUD.
Re'uel, the Midianite, answered and said:
" Oh king, live for ever! If it be pleasing in thy eyes,
oh king, cease to afflict this people. They are the chosen
of God from the olden days, and never have they been
oppressed with impunity. Pharaoh of old was punished for
Sarah's sake, as was also Abimelech the Philistine, for the
same cause. Jacob was delivered from the toils both of
Esau, his brother, and his uncle, Laban.  Thy greatgrandfather exalted their great-grandfather, Joseph, because
he recognised the wisdom which God had implanted in him,
and which saved the people of the land from starvation.
Therefore, oh king, remove thy yoke from them and let
them go hence to Canaan, the land of the sojournings of
their forefathers."
These words of Re'uel, the Midianite, angered Pharaoh,
and he sent him in shame from his presence. Re'uel went
out from Egypt that day unto his own country, carrying
with him the staff of Joseph.
The king then said to Job, his counsellor:
"What is thy opinion concerning these Hebrews?"
And Job answered:
"Are not all the inhabitants of Egypt in the hands of
the king?  Whatever may be most pleasing in thy eyes,
that do."
Then spoke Bi'lam, and said:
" None of the means proposed for the subduing of the
Hebrews will prove successful. Fire cannot prevail over
them, for Abraham  was delivered from its power; the
sword will fail, for Isaac was delivered from its edge, and a
ram killed in his stead; they cannot be exterminated by
rigorous labour, for Jacob worked day and night for Laban,
and yet prospered. Listen, oh king, to the advice which I
shall give thee. By this means only wilt thou be able to




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  tI5
prevail over them.  Command that all the male children
born to these Hebrews be cast into the river, for none of
their ancestors ever escaped from the death in the water."*
This advice pleased Pharaoh, and his princes and the
king did according to the words of Bi'lam. A proclamation was issued, and Pharaoh sent his officers through the
land of Goshen where the Israelites dwelt, to see that all
the male children were cast into the river on their birth,
while the female infants were kept alive.
It came to pass about this time that Miriam, the daughter
of Amram, the sister of Aaron, prophesied and said, " A
second son will be born to my father and mother, and he
will deliver the Israelites from the Egyptian power."
A second son was born to them according to her words,
and when his mother saw he was a goodly child of handsome appearance, she hid him  for three months in her
inner chamber.
Now in those days strict search was made in the houses
of the Hebrews for male infants, and many means were
used to ascertain the places where their parents concealed
them.  Egyptian women carried infants into the houses in
Goshen, and making these babies cry, the hidden infants
would cry also, thus discovering their place of hiding. The
women would then report to Pharaoh, and officers would
seize the babe which parents had vainly endeavoured to
save.
And it came to pass after Yochebed had succeeded in
* The three counsellors of Pharaoh were dealt with by God
according to their merits. Jithro (Re'uel), who desired to release and
relieve them, was saved from destruction, and converted to Judaism;
Job received the punishment mentioned in the book to which his name
is given; and "Bi'lam, the son of Be'or, they killed him with the
sword" (Num. 3I: 8).




12                 THE T'A LMUD.
keeping her son concealed for three months, the fact of his
birth became known in the above manner, and his mother'
taking the child quickly, before the officers arrived, hid him
in a box made of bulrushes, and concealed the same care.
fully in the flax which grew along the Nile.  She sent
Miriam, her daughter, to watch the box from a distance,
and observe what might happen to it.
And the day was hot and sultry, and the air oppressive,
and many of the people came to find relief from the exhausting heat in the cooling waters of the Nile. Bathia, the
daughter of Pharaoh, came with this purpose attended by
her maidens, and entering the water she chanced to see the
box of bulrushes, and pitying the infant she rescued him
from death.
Many were the names given to the infant thus miraculously preserved.  Bathia called him "Moses," saying, " I
have drawn him from out the water;" his father called him
" Heber," because he was reunited to his family; his mother
called him " Yekzutiel," "for," said she, "I hoped in God;"
his sister called him  " Yarad," saying, "I went dozen to
the river to watch him;" Aaron, his brother, called him
" Abigedore," for God had repaired the breach in the house of
Jacob, and the Egyptians ceased from that time to cast the
infants into the water; his grandfather called him "Abi
Socho," saying, " for three months he was hidden," and the
children of Israel called him, " Shemaiah Ben Nethanel,"
because in his day God heard their groaning and delivered
them from their oppressors.
Moses became even as a son to Bathia, the daughter of
Pharaoh, as a child belonging rightly to the palace of the
king.
Now it came to pass when Pharaoh saw that the advice




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                  ^ 7
of 1i'lam did not prove effective, but that the Israelites, on
the contrary, seemed to increase and multiply even more
rapidly than before, he laid additional labour upon them,
and issued orders that if any man failed in accomplishing
his full daily task, his children should be walled up alive in
the building in which he worked.  This order continued
in effect for many years.
About this time, when Moses was three years old,
Pharaoh sitting at his banquet table, with his queen upon
his right, Bathia at his left, and his two sons, with Bi'lam
and the princes of his realm about him, took Moses upon
his lap. The child stretched forth his hand, and taking the
royal crown from Pharaoh's head placed it upon his own.
In this action the king and the people around him
imagined they saw a meaning, and Pharaoh asked:
" How shall this Hebrew boy be punished?"
Then said Bi'lam, the son of Be'or, the magician, " Think
not, because the child is young, that he did this thing
thoughtlessly.  Remember, oh king, the dream which thy
servant read for thee; the dream of the balances. The
spirit of understanding is already implanted in this child,
and to himself he takes thy kingdom. Such, my lord, hath
ever been the way of his people, to trample down those
who have dealt kindly with them, to deceitfully usurp the
power of those who have reared and protected  them.
Abraham, their ancestor, deceived Pharaoh, saying of Sarah,
his wife,'She is my sister;' Isaac, his son, did the same
thing; Jacob obtained surreptitiously the blessing which
rightfully belonged to his brother; he travelled to Mesopotamia, married the daughters of his uncle, and fled with
them  secretly, taking large flocks and herds and immense
possessions; the sons of Jacob sold their brother Joseph




128                 THE TALMUD.
into slavery; he was afterwards exalted by thy ancestor and
made second in Egypt, and whei  a famine came upon the
land, he brought hither his father with all his family to feed
upon its substance, while the Egyptians sold themselves for
food; and now, my lord, this child arises to imitate their
actions.  He mocks thee, oh king, thy elders and thy
princes. Therefore, let his blood be spilled; for the future
welfare of Egypt let this thing be done."
The king replied to the words of Bi'lam:
"We will call our judges together, and if they deem the
child deserving of death he shall be executed."
When the judges and wise men assembled according to
the order of the king, Jithro, the priest of Midian, came with
them. The king related the child's action and the advice
which Bi'lam had given him, requesting their opinions on
the same.
Then said Jithro, desirous to preserve the child's life:
"If it be pleasing to the king, let two plates be placed
before the child, one containing fire, the other gold. If the
child stretches forth his hand to grasp the gold, we will know
him to be an understanding being, and consider that lie
acted towards thee knowingly, deserving death. But if he
grasps the fire, let his life be spared."
This advice met with the king's approval, and two plates,
one containing gold, the other fire, were placed before the
infant Moses.  The child put forth his hand, and grasping
the fire put it to his mouth, burning his tongue, and becoming thereafter " heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue," as
mentioned in the Bible. Through this childish action the
life of Moses was saved.
Moses grew up, a handsome lad, in the palace of the
king; he dressed royally, was honoured by the people, and
seemed in all things of royal lineage.




BIBLICAL HISTOR Y.                  129
He visited the land of Goshen daily, observing the rigour
with which his brethren were treated, and inquiring of them
why they laboured and were so oppressed, he learned of all
the things which had happened before his birth; all things
concerning the children of Israel and all things concerning
himself. Learning of Bi'lam's desire to have him destroyed
in his infancy, he expressed enmity towards the son of Be'or,
who fearing his power and his favour with the king's daughter, fled to Ethiopia.
Moses urged the king of Egypt to grant the men of
Goshen one day of rest from their labour, in each week, and
the king acceded to his request.*
And the Lord was with Moses, and his fame extended
through all the land.
When he was about eighteen years old, Moses visited his
father and mother in Goshen; and going also where his
brethren were working he  saw  an Egyptian smiting a
Hebrew, and he killed the Egyptian and fled from Egypt,
as the occurrence is related in the Bible.
It came to pass in those days that the Assyrians rebelled
against Kikanus, the king of Ethiopia, to whom they were
under tribute.  Kikanus, appointing Bi'lam, the son of
Be'or, who had fled from Egypt, to be his representative in
his absence, marched forth with a large army and subdued
the Assyrians, and imposed heavy taxes upon them.
Bi'lam, the son of Be'or, was unfaithful to his trust, and
usurping the power he was delegated to protect, he induced
the people of Ethiopia to appoint him their king in place of
the absent Kikanus.  He strengthened the walls of the
capital, built huge fortresses, and dug ditches and pits be* Moses said: " If you compel them to labour steadily their
strength will fail them; for your own benefit and profit allow them at
east one day in the week for rest and a renewal of strength."




130  TIHE T ALUD.
tween the city and the river Gichon, which compassed all
the land of Ethiopia.
When King Kikanus returned with his army, he war
amazed to witness the preparations for defence which had
been made during his absence, and he thought that the
people had feared an attack from the kings of Canaan while
he was away, and had prudently made ready for it. But
when the gates of the city were closed against him, and he
called in vain to have them opened, he joined battle with
the adherents of Bi'lam. For nine years the war between
Kikanus and Bi'lam  continued, with severe losses to the
former.
When Moses fled from  Egypt he joined the army of
Kikanus, and soon became a great favourite with the king
and with all his companions.
And Kikanus became sick and died, and his soldiers
buried him opposite the city, rearing a monument over his
remains, and inscribing upon it the memorable deeds of his
life. Then they said to one another, " What shall we do?
For nine years we have been absent from our homes; if we
attack the city it is likely we shall be again repulsed, and if
we remain here, the kings of Edom, hearing that our leader
is dead, will fall upon us and leave none alive. We had
best appoint another king in the stead of Kikanus."
So the army appointed Moses to be their king and leader,
in the hundred and fifty-seventh year after Israel went down
into Egypt.
And Moses found favour in the eyes of the Lord, and he
inspired his soldiers with courage by his voice and his
example.  He attacked the fortresses in mass, with the
blowing of trumpets and great enthusiasm, and the city was
delivered into his hands; eleven hundred of his opponents
being slain in the battle.




BIBLICAL HISTORP.                 rot
But Bi'lm, the son of Be'or, escaped and fled back
to Egypt, becoming one of the magicians mentioned in the
Scriptures.
And the Ethiopians placed Moses upon their throne and
set the crown of state upon his head, and they gave him the
widow of Kikanus for a wife. Moses remembered, however,
the teachings of his fathers-how Abraham made his servant
swear that he would not bring a daughter of the Canaanites
to be the wife of Isaac, and how Isaac had said to his son
Jacob, " Thou shalt not take a wife from the daughters of
the Canaanites, neither shalt thou intermarry with the de
scendants of Ham;" therefore the widow of Kikanus was a
wife to Moses in name only.
When Moses was made king of Ethiopia the Assyrians
again rebelled, but Moses subdued them and placed them
under yearly tribute to the Ethiopian dynasty.
Now, it happened in the hundred and eightieth year after
Israel had gone down into Egypt, that there arose thirty
thousand men of the tribe of Ephraim, and formed themselves into companies. And they said:
"' The time, mentioned by the Lord to Abraham at the
covenant of the pieces (Gen. I5: 13), has arrived; we will
go up out of Egypt."  And trusting in their own might
these men left Egypt.
They did not take any provisions with them, save what
was necessary for a day's journey; they took naught but
gold and silver, saying, "We shall be able to buy food of
the Philistines."
As they travelled towards Gath, they met a party of
shepherds and said to them, " Sell us your flocks, fox we are
hungry."
But the shepherds replied:




132                THE TALMUD.
" The flocks are ours, and we will not sell them to you."
Then the men of Ephraim seized upon the flocks by force,
and the shepherds made a great outcry, which reached the
ears of the inhabitants of Gath, who assembled to ascertain
its cause. And when the Gathites learned how their brethren
had been treated, they armed themselves and marched forth
to battle with the wrongdoers; and many fell from both
parties. On the second day the men of Gath sent messengers to the cities of the Philistines, saying:
" Come and help us smite these Ephraimites, who have
come up from Egypt, seized our flocks, and battled with us
for no cause."
And the Philistines marched forth, about forty thousand
strong, and they smote the Ephraimites, who were suffering
from weariness and hunger, and there escaped from the death
dealt out to Ephraim, only ten men.
Thus were the men of Ephraim punished for going up out
of Egypt before the time appointed by the Lord.
The bodies of those who fell remained unburied in the
valley of Gath, and their bones were the same bones which
rose up, endowed with life, in the time of Ezekiel, as his
prophecies record.
The ten who escaped returned to Egypt and related to the
children of Israel what had occurred to them.
During this time Moses was reigning in Ethiopia in justice
and righteousness. But the queen of Ethiopia, Adonith,
who was a wife to Moses in name only, said to the people,
"Why should this stranger continue to rule over you?
Would it not be more just to place the son of Kikanus upon
his father's throne, for he is one of you?"
The people, however, would not vex Moses, whom they
loved, by such a proposition; but Moses voluntarily resigned
the power which they had given him, and departed from




BIBL CAL HISTORY.                  133
their land. And the people of Ethiopia made him many
rich presents, and dismissed him with great honours.
Moses being still fearful of returning to Egypt, travelled
towards Midian, and sat there to rest by a well of water.
And it came to pass that the seven daughters of Re'uel (or
Jithro) came to this well to water their flocks. The shepherds of Midian drove them away, designing to keep them
waiting until their own flocks had been watered, but Moses
interfered in their behalf, and they returned home early to
tell their father what had occurred.  Re'uel then sent for
Moses, and the latter related to him all that had happened
them since his flight from Egypt.  And Moses lived with
Re'uel, and he looked with favour upon Ziporah, the daugh.
ter of his host, and married her.
During this time the Lord smote Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
with leprosy. The disease was exceedingly grievous, and
the king suffered inexpressible agony. And the taskmasters
who were placed over the Israelites complained to the king
that the latter were neglecting their work and becoming
lazy.
"They are taking advantage of my sickness," exclaimed
the king, and ordering his chariot, he prepared to ride out
himself to upbraid the workmen, and to see that they di
not shirk their labour.
And it happened as he rode through a narrow pass his
horses lost their footing, the chariot was overturned, the
king was thrown into the road, and the wheels of the chariot
passed over him. The tender flesh was torn from his body,
and the bones, which had grown brittle with his disease,
broke. His servants laid him upon a bier and carried him
to his palace; but when they laid him upon his bed the king
knew that his time to die had come. And his wife and his. i..,. s 




t3-4                 THE TAL MUD.
princes assembled, weeping, around his bed, and Pharaoh
wept with them; and his officers requested him to name his
successor.
Now Pharaoh had two sons and three daughters.  The
eldest son was a man of foolish habits and excitable disposition, while the second, who was intelligent and versed in the
sciences of his country, was yet a rran of wicked imagination, disfigured, and a dwarf. Yet the king, taking into
consideration his superior intelligence, named his second
son to reign after him.
For three years Pharaoh suff'ered intense agony, then jhe
died, and was buried in the place of the kings; but he was
not embalmed, for his body was in too diseased a state to
admit of manipulation.
In the two hundred and sixth year after Israel entered
Egypt, this Pharaoh ascended the throne of the land. And
lie made the burden on the children of Israel heavy and
oppressive; he would not continue to allo.v them the day
of rest granted in his father's time, but made idleness
during his father's sickness his excuse for depriving then
of it.
And the children of Israel sighed in their heavy bondage,
and cried unto the Lord.  And God he-ard their voices, and
remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and
with Jacob.
Now while Moses was living with Re'u;l, the M'idianite,
he noticed a staff in the latter's garden, and he took it, to
be a walking-stick in his hand. And this was the same
staff, the staff of Joseph, which Re'uil carried away with
him  when he fled from  Egypt.  This same staff Adam
ccrried with him out of Eden.  Noah inherited it, and gave
it afterwards to Shem, his son. It passed through the hands
of Shem'e descendants until it came into the possession of




BIBLICAL HIZSTORY.                   35
4braham.  When Abraham  left all his wordly goods to
Isaac this staff was numbered with them, and when Jacob
fled from his brother's anger into Mesopotamia, he carried
this staff in his hand, and while residing in Egypt he gave
it to Joseph, his son.
And it came to pass at the end of two years that the Lord
again sent Moses unto Pharaohto o bring out the children of
Israel from  his land.  And Moses spoke to Pharaoh all
the words which the Lord had commanded, but Pharaoh
would not hearken to them.  Therefore the strength of
God was wielded against the Egyptians, and H-e smote
Pharaoh and his officers, and his people, with grievous
plagues.
Through the hands of Aaron God changed the waters of
Egypt into blood.  They who drew water from a rmluing
stream, looked into their vessels, and lo, their water was red
blood; they who sought to drink and slake their thirst, but
filled their mouths with blood, and they who used water in
preparing bread, found blood mixed with the dough upon
their kneading troughs.
Then the rivers brought forth frogs, and they entered
into the houses of the Egyptians, into their food and into
their beds.
And still the Lord's arm was stretched forth in anger ovei
Egypt, and He smote the land with the grievous plague of
lice; lice on man and beast, on king and queen, and all
the people of the land.
Then God sent against Egypt the wild beasts of the
forest. And they entered the inhillaited cidies and destroyed
men and cattle, and made great havoc in the land. And
serpents, and scor:pons,, and all manner of reptiles, with
mice, weasels, and all mac-ner of vermin  and flies, and




136                  TEI' TALMUD.
hornets, and all manner of insects filled the land of Egypt
and fed upon it.
Then God sent a pestilence among the cattle; all but a
tenth part of the cattle of the Egyptians died in one night;
but the cattle belonging to the Israelites in Goshen were
not affected; they lost not a single animal.
Then the bodies of the Egyptians became sore and full
of boils, and noxious, and their flesh was greatly inflamed.
Yet still the anger of God burned against them and IIis
hand was still raised in wrath.
And God sent a hailstorm which destroyed the vines and
trees, and green herbs and growing plants, and the people
who ventured out of their houses, and the unsheltered
cattle, were killed by the falling stones.  Then great swarms
of locusts filled the land, destroying all that the hail had
spared.
And after this darkness covered all the land, and for three
days and three nights the people could not see even thc:r
hands before them.
And during this period of darkness God smote those of
the Israelites who were rebellious of heart, and who were
not desirous of obeying his commands.  In the darkness
did God do this that the Egyptians might not rejoice
thereat.
And after this God commanded Moses and Aaron to
prel)pre the Passover sacrifice, saying, "I will pass over the
land of Egypt and slay the first born, both of man and
beast."  The children of Israel did as they had been commanded, and it came to pass at midnight that the Lord
1)assed over the land and smote the first born of Egypt
both of man and beast.
Then there was a great and grievous cry through all
the land, for there was not a house without its dead  and




BIBLICAL HISTORY.                 137
Pharaoh and his people rose up in alarm and consuming
grief.
And Bathia, the daughter of Pharaoh, went forth to seek
Moses and Aaron, and she found them in their dwelling
singing praises to the Lord. And Bathia addressed Moses,
saying:
" Lo, I have nourished thee in my arms and loved thee
in my heart even from thy infancy, and how hast thou
rewarded my care and affection! Upon me, upon my people,
and upon my father's house, thou hast brought calamity and
affliction."
" Iave any of the plagues troubled thee?" inquired
Moses; "if so, tell me, I pray."  And Bathia answered,
" No."  "Thou art also," continued Moses, "the first born
of thy mother, and yet thou art here alive and well before
me. Be comforted, not the slightest harm shall come to
thee."
And Bathia answered:
"Such comfort cannot profit me, when I see this great
misfortune bearing down the king my brother, his servants,
and his house."
"They would not hearken to the voice of God," answered
Moses, "and therefore is this punishment meted to them."
Then Pharaoh appeared before Moses and Aaron, and
he cried to them:
"Arise, take thy brethren, their flocks and herds, and all
they have; leave naught behind; go, but entreat the Lord
for me."
And the Egyptians sent the children of Israel forth with
great wealth, flocks, and herds, and precious things, even
as the Lord had promised Abraham in his vision of the
"' covenant between the pieces."
The children of Israal did not leave Egypt that Dight, for




133                  THIE YiALfMU'D,.
they said, "W e are not men of secret ways, to hurry off at
midnight."  They waited until morning, obtaining gold and
silver vessels from their late oppressors.
Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, and the others
of the people carried up with them also the bones of Jacob's
other sons.
And the children of Israel journeyed from  Raimses to
Succoth.  Two hundred and ten years after their entrance
into Egypt, the Israelites departed therefrom, six hundred
thousand men, with wives and children.
For three days after the delpa;ture of the Israelites, the
Egyptians were occupied in burying their dead, and after
this they began to talk together, saying, " Moses and Aaron
said to IParaoh,'We desire to go a three days' journey
into the vilderness, to sacrifice unto the Lord our God;'
now let us rise up early and follow after them.  If they
return to Egypt we shall know them for faithful men, but
if they do not intend returning, we will bring them back by
force."
A great host of the Egyptians followed after the Israelites,
and came up with them  while they were encamped before
Pi Hac/,iro-f,,, observing the festival of the Lord.
And the 1Eyptians called out to them:' Ye have been gone fromn  Egypt five days, and ye
promised to return in three; do ye not intend to come
back?"
Then Moses and Aaron answered, saying:
"The Lord hath commanded us to keep on our way,
even to the land flowing with milk and honey, which Hic
swore unto our ancestors to give to us."
When the Egyptians saw that the Israelites had determined to be independent of them, they arrayed themselves
to fight against their fleeing servitors. But God strengthened




BIPLJC.AL HIlS 7ORY.              I 3
tie hearts of His people, and the princes of Eg)pt fled
before them back to their land.
And when Pharaoh learned what had happened to theim,
and how many of them had been slain, he exclaimed:
" We have acted foolishly in allowing these slaves to leave
us.  We shall miss their services in the manlufacture of
bricks, and in building up our fortresses.  When our tributaries hear of this thing, they will rebel against us, unless we
take severe measures with these Israelites, for they will say,'If slaves can successfully rebel against them, how much
easier will it be for princes and rulers like ourselves to cast
their yoke from off our necks.'"
Therefore Pharaoh assembled his wise men, his magicians,
and his elders, and taking counsel together they resolved to
pursue and recapture their bondsmen.
And Pharaoh issued a proclamation calling upon every
fighting man to hold himself in readiness for the march, and
the hosts of Egypt assembled accordingly.
Then Pharaoh opened his treasury and gave presents to
every man according to his rank, and he spoke to them in
urbane and gracious tones, saying:
"Behold, in wars, the soldier gains the spoil, but it
belongs unto his king, such is the law; but in this instance
I will divide equally with you.
" The law requires the soldier to advance in battle, even
in the front of the conflict, but on this occasion I will lead
and ye shall follow me.  The law commands the king's
servants to prepare his chariot, but see, this day I will pre
pare it myself."
The words of Pharaoh pleased the soldiers, and they
cheerfully armed themselves with swords and spears, with
bows and arrows.
And the Israelites were encamped by the Red Sea. and




140                 THlE TALMtUD.
lifting up their eyes they beheld the Egyptians marching
upon their rear. And their hearts became filled with terror,
for the waters were before them and their enemies behind,
and they cried aloud unto the Lord.
And there was great division of opinion among them.
Those who differed divided themselves into four parties,
and  Moses replied  to  each  of them  in  a  suitable
manner.
The first party, composed of the tribes of Reuben,
Simeon, and Issachar, wished to throw themselves into the
sea, for they could see no hope of escape. But Moses said
to them:
"Fear not; stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord
that He will do for ye this day."
The tribes of Zebulun, Naphtali, and Benjamin favoured
a return to Egypt. To them Moses said:
"As ye have seen the Egyptians this day, ye shall not
see them again any more for ever."
The tribes of Judah and Joseph desired to meet the
Egyptians and to fight with them.  But Moses said:
"Keep your position; the Lord will fight for ye, and ye
shall hold your peace."
The fourth party, the tribes of Levi, Gad, and Asher,
counselled a sudden attack, a surprise, upon the Egyptians,
thinking that it would confuse and weaken them, and to
these Moses said:
" Move not; fear nothing; only call upon the Lord to
deliver ye out of their hands."
And it came to pass after Moses had spkcen these words
that he rose up in the midst of the people, and he prayed
unto the Lord, saying:
" I beseech thee, oh Lord God of the universe, to save
this people which thou hast brought forth from Egypt. Let




BIBLICAL H7sOR Y.                   14t
not the Egyptians triumph, and say vauntingly,'Our hand
is strong. "
And the Lord said to Moses:
"Wherefore cry unto me?  Speak unto the children of
Israel and bid them to go forward."
And Moses stretched forth his rod over the sea as God
commanded and the waters were divided.
And the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea
dryshod, and whenl they had passed through, the waters
returned as before. And the waters closed over the Egyptians, and not one was saved of all their hosts.
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel unto the
Lord in tones of gladness" I will sing unto the Lord, for gloriously hath IIe triumphed.
The horse and the rider IHe hath cast into the se "




PART SECOND.
SPECIMENS OF BIBLICAL  COMMENTIARIES.
I.
THE DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT.
"Mosesfled from the face of Pharaoh andli tarried in the
land of Jliiian, and sat down by a wcel."
THREE of the prominent Biblical characters met their
wives for the first time by wells of water-namely, Isaac,
Jacob, and Moses.
In regard to Isaac we find, " And Isaac came from the
road at the well of Chai roi" (Gen. 13); in addition to
which Eleazer, his father's messenger, met Rebecca by the
well. Jacob met Rachel by the well, and Moses met the
daughters of Jithro when they came to water their father's
flocks.
The Lord hates idolatry.  Why then did Moses seek the
house of an idolater?
The Rabbis say that Jithro had seen the error of his
ways and resigned his position as priest to the idols of
Midian before Moses came to him.  For this reason the
people held aloof from  him  and his family, holding no
intercourse with them, and for this reason the shepherds
refused to work for him, and his daughters were obliged to
water and attend to his flocks.




THE  DELVERL4.ANC~iE  iROM,.! EGYP1.       143
"His eyes see, His eyebrow searches the sons of man,"
says the Psalmist.
"Although His divinity is of heaven," said Rabbi Janaai,
His eyes look upon earth.  Even as the king who built
high tower in his orchard and dwelt therein.  To his
labourers he said,'Look to my orchard that you keep it
in good condition, the walks clean, and the trees carefully
attended that they may bring forth good fruit.  He among
ye who is faithful shall receive a just reward, and he who
neglects  my  charge  shall meet the  punishment  he
deserves!' The world, vast and immense, is the orchard
of the great King of kings, and he has placed man therein
to keep his laws and statutes, and to preserve the sweet
savour of obedience.  They who are faithful will be rewarded, while they who neglect their trust will be dealt
with according to their deeds.  Therefore the Psalmist
says,'His eyes see, His eyebrow searches the sons of
man.' 
He searches the righteous.  How?  By judging of the
manner in which they attend to the flocks entrusted to their
charge.
David, the son of Jesse, He tried  in this manner.
Before the lambs David set tender grass for food; to the
~old sheep lie gave soft herbs and tender grass, while to the
young sheep, able to chew well, he gave the old grass;
feeding each according to its wants and strength. Therefore the Lord said, "David, who is able to care for the
wants of the flocks entrusted to him, will be able to rule
properly over my flock, the people of Israel," even as it is
wvritten, "After the young flock He brought Him to rule
over Jacob His people."
So did the Lord try Moses.  While keeping the flock of
his father-in-law in the wilderness a lamb left the flock and




144                 711E TAL AUD.
ran away. The merciful shepherd pursued it, and found it
quenching its thirst at a spring by the roadside. "Poor
lamb," said Moses, " I did not know that thou wast thirsty;"
and after the lamb llad finished drinking, he took it upl
tenderly in his arms and carried it back to the flock.,
Then said God, "Moses, merciful Moses, if thy love and'
care is so great for an animal, how much greater will it be,
exerted for thy fellow-being! thou shalt lead my people
Israel."
Why did the Lord appear to Moses in a thorn bush?
Because the thorn bush is lowly among trees, and Israel
was then lowly among the nations of the earth.  Roses, the
most beautiful of the flowers, grow with thorns, so among
Israel both righteous and unrighteous men were numbered.
lie who thrusts his hand into thorns may do so without
hurt, but he cannot draw it forth again without being torn
by the brambles.  So was it with Israel. When Jacob
entered Egypt it was with peace, none noticed, to disturb
him; but when his children went out from the land, it was
with signs, miracles, and war. And lest Moses might
chance to think that the rigour of the Egyptians had
already destroyed Israel, God appeared in a burning bush
that was not consumed, to typify the state and future of
Israel, complete and perfect, despite the fire of persecution.
"And God said, I havegreatly seen the affliction of mypeople
who are in Egy pt.
When Hagar was dismissed by Abraham, and when her
son cried to her for water in the wilderness, she appealed to
Heaven, saying, "Merciful Father, thou didst promise me,'I will multiply thy seed;' and now, behold my son must
die of thirst 1"
Upon this the angels asked, " What ails thee, Hagar?"i'
&c.




THE DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT.                145
According  to Rabbi Simon, the angels opposed the
assistance rendered Ishmael, saying, " If he is saved to-day
he will bring evil upon thy children Israel in the future."
Then said God, " How has his conduct been to-day?" And
when the angels answered, "Innocent and correct," God
continued, "He shall be judged to-day only in relation to
his actions of to-day."
So was it with the Israelites in Egypt. The Lord knew
what their future conduct would be. He said, "I have
seen greatly;" not simply " I have seen," but " I have seen
greatly;" which means more than limited view or mere
observation.
The Lord said to Moses, " Thou seest one thing, but
I see two. That the children of Israel will receive the
Decalogue upon  Mount Sinai is known to thee; but
I foresee the event which will follow, the making of the
molten calf. Yet still I judge them but by their present
conduct.  I have heard their cry, and though I know tha
they will murmur against me in the wilderness, nevertheless
will I redeem them.  I said to Jacob their progenitor,'I
will go down with thee to Egypt, and I will also surely
bring thee up again.' Now I am going to bring my children
up as I have promised them, and lead them to the land which
I gave unto their fathers. Their cry has reached me, and
the last days of their bondage are drawing nigh.  Go therefore... that thou mayest bring forth my people, the
c(hildren of Israel, out of Egypt. Thou art the one appointed
to redeen them."
And Mroses answered:
i"Whe.i Tacob went down into Egypt didst Thou not
s<y to him,'I will go down with thee to Egypt, and I
myself will surely bring thee up again?' And now Thou
sayest,'Go tnioz.' How can I bring them up?  HIow pro



146                 THE TALMUD.
tect them from the summer's heat and the."old of winter?
How can I support an army of six hundred thousand men,
with many women and little ones, and some among them
who are invalids and crippled, requiring extra care and
special food?"
"The unleavened bread which they will carry with theim
will be sufficient for them  all for thirty days," replied the
Lord.
Then Moses said:
"'When they shall say to me,'What is His name?' how
shall 1 answler them?"
And God replied:
"I have many names.  I am  called'God Almighty'
(El-Shaddai),' The Lord of H-osts' (As onai Zcb7ao/,),'God'
(Elohirn).  When I judge the wicked I am called'The
Lord of Hosts,' and when I rebuke the sinner I am called'God Almighty.' When I show mercy to my people I am
called' Eternal' (Jehovah)."
Then God said to Moses, "I will be that I will be; this
is my name for ever."
God meant by this, " I will be with them in this bondage,
and I will be with them in their future captivity."
Then said Moses:
"Why should I.mention future captivity to them while
they are suffering under their present bondage?"
And God replied:
"Thou hast spoken well; say naught of their future
troubles."
A' n4ld Aoses answered alnd said,' But behold they wdil got
I-uc7i'e me.'
Moses was wrong in making this response, for God had
already said, " They will hear-ken to thy voice.'
So God said:




THE DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT.                 147
"What hast thou in thy hand?"
This was a rebuke, meaning that by the staff which he
carried in his hand he deserved punishment for doubting.
Why did Moses's staff become a serpent?  Because he
implied falsehood to the Lord, even as did the serpent in
Eden.
A  heathen chief said to Rabbi Josah, "My gods are
greater than thy gods."
" Why?" asked the sage.
" Because,"  replied  the  heathen, " when your God
appeared in  the thorn bush Moses hid  his face, but
when he saw the serpent, which is my god, he fled before
it."
And Rabbi Josah answered:
" When our God appears we cannot flee from  hinm; He
is in the heaven and on earth, on sea and dry land; but if
a man flies from  thy god, the serpent, a few steps deliver
him."
What significance has the serpent in respect to the re
demlption of Israel?  Pharaoh is compared to the serpent,
as it is written (Ezekiel 28), " The great serpent."  Even
as the bite of a serpent to man was the bondage of Pharaoh
to is-raJ.
Tlhe Lord said to Moses, "Plhraoh is now as a serpent;
thou shalt smite him with thy staff and he shall become
powerless as wood.  Even as a staff is useless for aggression  without man's assistance, motive power, so shall
Pharaoh cease to  be a-gressive."   Therefore He said,
Put forth thy hand and grasp it by the tail."
Why was Moses commanded to put his hand into his
bosom when it was made white with leprosy? Because
slander and falsehood are generally spoken in secret. even?s the bosom is hidden.




148 Es77E TALMUD.
How did this change to leprosy illustrate the redemption
of Israel?
Even as a leper defiles the clean, so did the Egyptian
contact defile the Israelites, and as the leprous hand was
restored to its purity, so did God design to purify His
people.
In the first two miracles which the Lord displayed to
Moses the objects rega:ned their original appearance; but
in the third, the change from water to blood, the former
did not recover its original qualities.  So  God  foreshadowed that Moses would not be pardoned for his sin at
AMeribah.
Each time when Moses's death is mentioned in the
Scriptures, the cause of his death before entering the holy
land, his disobedience at Aferibah is mentioned. Why is
this?
Two men were once punished by the civil authorities;
one had committed a crime, the other but a slight misdemeanour.  The latter requested that the cause of his
punishment might be made public, that people might not
confound his misdemeanour with the greater crime.
So was it with Moses.  God decreed that he should die
in the wilderness, and He also decreed that all that generation (save Joshua and Caleb) should also perish. Therefore that Moses might not be classed with them, as rebellious against the Lord, the special cause for his i.unisLment
Is mentioned in connexion with his death.
"loses said to the Lord, Pardon,, 0 Lord! I am not a
mtan of wvords."
Seven days did the Lord repeat His command to Moses,
and still Moses hesitated to obey.  " I am not a man of
words to-day"-that is one day -' yesterday"-two days



T HE DELIVERANCE FROM EGdYP.        i 4
i also" —three-" the  day  before"-four-" also" —five —
"nor since"-six.  "Thou hast spoken"-seven.
Then God said:
"Even if thou be not a man of words, fear not; have I
not created all the mouths which speak? can I not make
those who speak dumb, and put words into the mouths of
those who are dumb at my pleasure? It is my pleasure that
thou shouldst speak to Pharaoh."
And Moses made answer, saying:
"They are the descendants of Abraham  those whom
thou wouldst redeem. Which is the nearer to a man, his
brother's son, or his son's son? To redeeem  Lot, his
brother's son, Thou didst send angels; and now to redeem
his own children, six hundred thousand strong, besides the
women and the young, Thou wouldst send me. To Hagar
Thou didst send five angels when she fled from Sarah, her
mistress; but to sixty thousand of the children of Sarah
Thou wouldst send but me."
The Rabbis tell us that Moses was not reluctant to
accept this mission through fear or a dread of labour, or a
disinclination to obey God, but because he thought it should
rightly belong to Aaron, his elder brother. Yet God was
displeased with Mroses, and, therefore, He gave the priesthood which He had designed for him, to Aaron, in saying:
" Is there not Aaron thy brother, the Levite?"
When God said "thy brother," the word "Levite" was
implied, because Moses being a Levite, his brother must
necessarily have been  the same; but this was God's
meaning:
"I thought to make thee my priest, and continue thy
brother, the Levite; but for thy reluctance in obeying my
wishes, he shall lbe the priest and thou the Levite."
L




o              TII r7CIEZ  TALMUD.
And the Lord said to Aaron,' Go to meet Moses.' 
"Oh that some one would make thee as my brother,"
is  one  of  the  beautiful  expressions  of  Solomon's
song.
What kind of a brother? Not as was Cain to Abel, for'Cain rose up against his brother Abel and slew  him."
Not as Isihmael to Isaac, for Ishmael hated Isaac; neither
as Esau, for "Esau hated Jacob."  Not as the brothers of
Joseph, for " they could not speak peaceably to him " but
even such a brother as Aaron to Moses, as it is written,
" And he (Aaron) went and met him (Moses) by the mount
of God, and kissed him" (Ex. 4: 27).
" And after that Iffoses and Aaron went in."
Where were the elders? We find it written, "Thou and
the elders of Israel shall come."
The  elders started  out, but dropped off gradually,
through fear; therefore, after this, it is always writtcn
simply, " Moses and Aaron went in."
" Thus hath said the Everlasting One," &c.
According to Rabbi Chiyah, it happened at this time
that all the neighbouring kings were calling upon Pharaoh
to pay their homage to him and bring him presents; and
each of the princes brought with him his god. Moses and
Aaron stood at the palace gates, and the guard thinking
they too were tributaries, bade them enter. Pharaoh looked
at them, and seeing them to be strangers he imagined that
they also brought him presents, and he wondered why they
did not salute him as the others did.  He spoke and asked
theml, " What is your desire?" And they answered, " Thus
saith the Lord, let my people go," &c.
And Pharaoh said in angry pride:




THE DELIVERA,4NCE  FROMI  EGYPT,            155' Who is this Lord that I am to obey,-at whose voice I
am to let Israel go? He has never made me an offering
or appeared before me; I know  him  not, nor will I let
Israel go."
Then he continued:
"Lo, I will consult my records and see if I find there the
name of your God.  Here I find the names of all the gods;
the gods of Amon, the gods of Moab, the gods of Zedin,
but the name of your God I cannot find."
And Moses answered:
" Our God is a living God."
And Pharaoh said to him:
"Is he young or old? What is his age; how many
cities has he captured; how many countries has he conquered; how long has been his reign?"
Then said Moses:
"His power fills the universe.   He was before the
world saw light, He will be, when the world exists no more.
He formed thee; with His spirit thou breathest."
And Pharaoh further asked, " What are his deeds?" To
which the messengers of God replied:
"The voice of the Lord breaketh in pieces the cedars;
Ile stretched out the heavens, He laid the foundation of
the earth, rending the mountains and breaking into stones
the rocks.  His bow is of fire, His arrows are of flame.  IHe!ormed the mountains and the hills, covered the fields wvith
green, bringing fot!1h fruits and herbs.  He removeth kings,
and kings He exaiteth."
"Ye come to me with falsehoods," returned Pharaoh
"ye tell me that your God is the Lord of the world; know
then  that Egypt is mine, and I have created the great
river Nile Lwhich floweth in its boundaries."




to ^2          z THI  PALMUD.
(" Min, is my stream, and I have made it foi myself."
Ezekiel 19: 3).
Then Pharaoh asked of his magicians, "IHave ye ever
heard of their God?" And the magicians answered, "'We
lhave heard of him. H-e is the son of wise men, the son of
a king of olden time."
"' hou askest now,'Who is the Lord?' said Moses.
"The time will come when thou wilt say,'The Lord is
righteous.' Thou sayest now,' I know not your Lord.' The
time cometh when thou wilt say,'I have sinned against
your Lord.' "
" And they met IMoses and Aaron...  to 5ut a sword in
their hands to slay us.'"
" Yea," said the overburdened children of Israel to Moses
and Aaron, " we are like a lamb which the wolf has carried
from its flock, the shepherd strives to take it from him, but
between the two the lamb is pulled to pieces; between ye
and Pharaoh will we all be killed."
" 7hen Moses said to the Lord,'0 Lord, wherefore hast
ihou let so much evil come upon this people' "
The Lord had already informed Moses that He would
harden Pharaoh's heart, and that he would refuse to let
Israel go; therefore God now replied to him, " Thou wilt
see now what I am going to do to Pharaoh, but thou wilt
not see what I shall do to the three kingdoms of Canaail."
" And I appeared to Abraham," &c.
The Lord said to Moses:
"Woe, woe, that the righteous are no more; I mourn foi
the patriarchs.  I revealed myself to Abraham, to Isaac,
tiad to Jacob as God Almighty, but not by the name
Eternal,' as I have done to thee, yet they never murmured




TIHE DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT                I53
either at my commands or at my works. I said to Abraham,'Arise, walk through the land, its length and breadth, for I
will give it to thee;' and when his wife died and he wanted
but a grave for her, he was obliged to buy it with money,
yet he did not murmur and reproach me, saying,'Thou
didst promise to give me all this land, and now I am
obliged to sue for and purchase but a very small portion.'
I said to Isaac,'Sojourn in this land, for unto thee and thy
seed will I give all these countries;' and when he wanted a
little water lie could get none, for the herdsmen of Gerar
did strive with his herdsmen to prevent their digging a well;
still Isaac raised not his voice against me. I said to Jacob,'Tlhe ground whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it;' and
when he wished to pitch there his tent he was obliged to
pay a hundred kessitah, yet he did not murmur against the
Lord, or even ask of me my name, as thou hast done."
"And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, and gave
them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh,
the king of Egypt."
A king had a fine and elegant orchard in which he planted
trees, both fruitful and unfruitful.  His servants said to him,
"What benefit is there in the planting of barren trees?"
And he replied to them, " Fruitful trees and those which
bear not, are equally useful; where could we procure wood
for our houses, our ships, and our utensils, if we did not
have these sturdy trees which bear no fruit?"
Even as the righteous glorify the Lord in their happiness
so does the punishment of the wicked glorify the Lord
when they proclaim, "Justly have we been punished."
When Aaron performed the  miracles  with his staff,
Pharaoh laughed, and made light of them, saying:
"It is customary for merchants to carry their wares to




f54                  THIE TA~LMUD.
places wanting them, —why shouldst thou come with such
tricks to a country full of magicians as Egypt is?"
lie sent for some small children, and even they changed
their rods into serpents.
" But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staves."
The swallowing of their staves was not the only miracle,
but that Aaron's staff did not grow larger in size thereafter,
adlded to the wonder.




THE TEN PLAGUES.
" 77hs hath said the Lord,'By this thou shall know that
I atm the Lord,; behold I rwill smile.... the waters of Me
river, and they shall be turned  to blood.'"
When a human being designs to injure another, or to
take vengeance on an enemy, he comes upon him suddenly
and without warning.  Not so, however, does God act.
lie warned Pharaoh of every plague which I-Te brought
uponl Egypt, in order to give him  the opportunity for repentance.
Why  were  the  waters first smitten?   Because  the
Egyptians worshipped the river Nile, and the Lord said,
" I will first smite the god and then its nation," according
to the proverb, " I will first smite the gods, then the priests
will be terrified."
Biood.
Why did the Lord punish the Egyptians with blood?
Because they shed the blood of innocent infants, therefore
was the water of their rivers turned to blood.
"AZid the Lord said unto Moses, say to Aaron, Take /hy
staff and stretch out thy hand over the wcalers of IEgypt."
Why could not Moses himinself smite the river?
Because the waters had protected and guarded him when
he slumbered, a helpless infant, in the ark of bulrushes, and
the wise sayings teach us, "Into  the well wherefrom thou
drawest water thou shouldst cast no stones."




156                  THE TLMUf LU D.
Fr ogs.
We are apt to think the frog superfluous, not requisite in
the economy of the universe.  Not so,-every living thing
has its purpose, and the frogs became an instrument in
Pharaoh's punishment.  The river Nile brought forth frogs
in abundance, but they strayed not from its banks. Then
God said, " Thou sayest,' the river is mine,'-verily I will
show thee that even thy house is not thy own; the frogs
shall enter into it, even into thy kneading trough, they will
sit in thy dough and consume it."
The frogs caused the Egyptians more annoyance than
that occasioned by the mere pecuniary loss which they carried with them, for they were very noisy; therefore it is
written, "Moses cried (i.e., spoke with a loud voice) to the
Lord, on account of the frogs."
Li;ce.
" Say to Aaron... and smile te dalst of the earth."
Why did not Moses himself smite the dust?
Because Moses hid in the dust the body of the Egyptian
whom he found smiting a Hebrew, and the dust concealed
his action.  Therefore were the plagues involving the water
and the dust wrought through Aaron.
Why were the Egyptians afflicted with this plague?
Because they had forced the Israelites to sweep the streets
and to work in mortar, dust, and bricks. Therefore was the
dust of the streets turned to lice.  The magicians were unable to produce the lice, because they could not imitate
articles smaller than a barleycorn; therefore they said,
"This is the finger of God."
The Multitude of Beasts
"  ise up early," &tc.




THE TEN PLAGUES.                    157
God said to Moses, " This man persists in his obstinacy,
despite the plagues already biought upon him; theretore
say to him  that the next will be more dreadful than the
others all combnined; bid him let Israel go."
The beasts swarmed first into the house of Pharaoh,
because he was the first to oppress Israel, and then into the
houses of his servants, because they followed in his lead.
Why were these beasts brought upon the Egyptians?
Because they had forced the Israelites to endanger their
lives by hunting wild beasts
We find that the frogs died in the land of Egypt, but
that the beasts were removed.  Why this difference?  Because the frogs were worthless, but the Egyptians might
have profited from the furs of the wild beasts.
Pesti/ctce.
Why was this plague brought upon them?
To show that the plagues were directed only against the
Egyptians, for as the Bible tells us, " There had not died
of the cattle of the Israelites even one."  Even cattle belonging to a Hebrew and in the possession of an Egyptian
was saved, as was also the cattle owned in shares by an
Egyptian and an Israelite.
Boils.
Why did ITe bring boils upon tlhel?
Because they had compelled the Israelites to clean their
houses and courts, thus making their blood impure, and
producing boils.
Why were the magicians unable to stand before Moses'n account of the inflammation?
Because they had advised that every son born to Ts'a~l
should be cast into the river.




X58                 THE TALMUD.
" The Lord harndened," &c.
When the Lord saw that the five plagues already brought
upon Pharaoh did not cause his repentance, he said, " Even
should he wish to repent hereafter, I will harden his heart
that he may receive the full measure of his punishment."
Hail.
Behold, then twill I let rain about this time to-nmorv;ow,"
6c.
Moses made a mark upon the wall of Pharaoh's house,
saying, " When the sun shall shine to-morrow upon this
spot there will be hail, therefore bring in thy cattle," &c.
Again, the compassion of God is displayed to us. Even in
his anger He was still mercifully inclined towards the wicked
people and their cattle.  He intended the plague of hail
to destroy vegetation, not life; therefore He warned the
people to keep themselves and their flocks under shelter.
" The Lord said... Stretch out thy hand towairds the
heaven," C&.
Although " the heavens are the heavens of the Lord,"
yet " the earth hath He given to the children o, men"
(Psalm 120: i6).
An emperor, ruling Rome and Syria, might issue a decree
forbidding Romans to visit Syria, and Syrians to visit
Rome.  So God in creating the world pronounced the
heavens " the heavens of the Lord," the residence of godly
beings.
" But the earth hath He given to the children of:nen f
the earth must be the scene of their sojournings.  Yet,
"whatsoever the Lord willefh Ihath He done, in the heavens
and on the earth; in the seas and in all the deeps" (Psalm
135: I6).
He descended upon the earth at Mount Sinai; at the




THE TEN PLA GUES.                    59
time of the creation  lie said, "Let the waters gather
together in one place," and when it pleased H-im so to do,
He made the sea dry land, even as it is written, " And the
children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the
sea."
In the same manner God gave Moses permission to
rule over the heavens, to stretch his hands towards them,
and bring down a hailstorm over the land of Egypt.
Why were they punished with hail?
Because they had compelled the Israelites to plough their
fields, sow their grain, care for their trees, and to perform all
the menial labour incidental to the cultivation of the soil.
Therefore God sent this hailstorm to destroy the products of
the ground, that the Egyptians might reap no profit from
the enforced labour of His people.  When God saw that
they disregarded His warning, and neglected to put their
cattle under shelter, He caused the cattle to die from the
ffekcts of the storm.
The hailstones were very large, each of them being about
the size of an infant's head; and as they touched the ground
they burst into flame.
Lotstst.
Why did God bring the locusts into Egypt?
The Israelites had sowed  the fields with grain, and
the locusts were brought to destroy all that had escaped the
hail.
This plague was so grievous as to wring from  Pharaoh
the acknowledgment, "I have sinned against the Lord
your God that I did not let Israel go."  "Aind against
you" (Moses and Aaron), " that I have driven you out of
my house."




160                 THE TALMUD.
Darkness.
"Butfor all the children of Israel there was light in thdir
de'ellings."
Why, is it not written, "There was light in the land of
Goshen?"
Because, wherever the Israelites were, there was light for
them; but to an Egyptian, even in the same room with an
Israelite, all was impenetrable darkness.
The Slaying of the First-Born.
" Thou shall not see my face any more."
Such were the words of Pharaoh, when Moses appeared
before him, to warn him for the last time of the doom
awaiting him should he still oppose the exodus of Israel.
Moses answered:
" Thou hast spoken well. Nevermore will I come to thee,
but thou wilt come to me, and thy servants and thyself will
entreat me, bending, to depart from thy country, and then
will I go."
Some of the Egyptians, fearing Moses's prophecy, slept
that night in the houses of the Israelites.  But the deathstroke found them, and the Israelite awakening, found an
Egyptian's corpse beside him.
Great was the distress in Egypt. Pharaoh called to Moses
and Aaron, and said, " Arise!" They replied, " What would
Pharaoh with us? Has he come to us?" " Arise I" he cried,
"arise and go."
The Israelites went forth from  Egypt on the eve of the
Lfteenth of Nissan; on this same night, many years later,
the army of Sennacherib, encamped before Jerusalem, was
ilain by the Lord. King Hezekiah, and the inhabitants of
the besieged city, celebrated the feast of Passover accordino




TH~  PEN PLA ZA tPS.             i8t
to the command of God, and sang praises and hallelujahs to
His Holy Name.
But Hezekiah was heavy at heart, and he said:
"To-morrow the city may be taken."  Yet, lo, when they
arose in the morning, the Lord had again passed over for
His people, and the invading army lay dead in its camp.
Before inflicting the last plague, God warned Pharaoh, as
it is written, " I will smite all thefirsstborn of Egypt."
Had God wished to make this the first, instead of the last
of the plagues, He could have done so; but He desired to
increase the severity with the number of the plagues, and
accordingly the lightest he sent first.
"The Lord will pass through the land of Egypt and smite
all thefirst-born."
A certain king sent his son to a distant country, the people
of which received him with great honours, and conferred
distinction upon him, finally making him their ruler. When
his father heard this, he said:
" What honour shall I do them in return? I will call
that country after the name of my son."
After some time had elapsed, he again received news
trom  the distant land; its people had taken away the
honours conferred lpon his son, and made him a slave.
He therefore went to war with them and delivered his son.
Joseph went down to Egypt and was made governor.
Great respect was also paid to Jacob, for whose death " the
Egyptians mourned seventy days."
For this God named Egypt after the garden of Eden, as
it is written, "As the garden of the Lord is the land of
Egypt." When, however, the Israelites were oppressed and
reduced to slavery, God made war upon Egypt, through the
medium of the ten plagues, and through the last delivered
his " son," Israel, from bondage.




162                 rTie TAALMAUD.
During the night, while the Hebrews sang praises to God,
Pharaoh came to the place where Moses and Aaron dwelt,
and he cried, " Arise, get thee out," &c. Then the people
scattered themselves among the Egyptians, borrowing vessels
of gold and silver.  But Moses sought the sepulchre of
Joseph, and carried forth his bones, according to the charge
transmitted to him.
" And it came to pass at the end offour hundred and thirty
years," 6c.
These years are counted from the time that God appeared
to Abraham in the vision known as "The Covenant of the
Pieces," and told him that his seed should be "strangers in
a land not theirs." They lived in Egypt, however, only two
hundred and ten years.  Upon the same month and day,
as they had entered Egypt, they left it.  On that date
Joseph was released from prison, and in subsequent years
it witnessed the performance of many wonders in behalf of
God's people.
In King Htezekiah's time Jerusalem was delivered from
Sennacherib; during the Babylonian captivity, Shedrach,
Meshach, and Abednego were delivered  from  the fire
of furnace, and Daniel came forth unharmed irron the lion's
den.




163
III.
THE DEATH OF MOSES.
" The Lord said to Moses, )Behold, lity days approach that
thou must die."
The death of Moses is alluded to, in the Bible, ten
times.
"Thy  days approach  that thou  must die."  (Deut.
31: 4.)
" And thou shalt die on the mount."  (Deut. 33: 50.)
"For I am going to die."
" For I know that after my death." (Deut. 31: 29.)
"...  And how much more after my death."  (Deut.
31: 27.)
"... Blessed the children of Israel before his death.'
(Deut. 33: 1.)
"And Moses was one hundred and twenty years old
when he died."  (Deut. 34: 7.)
"And it came to pass after the death of Moses."  (Josh.
I: I.)
" Moses, my servant, is dead."  (Josh. i: 2.)
Moses himself thought that he had committed but a slight
offence, which would be pardoned; for ten times had Israel
tempted God's wrath and been forgiven through his intercession, as it is written, " And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word."  But when he became
convinced that he would not be pardoned, he made the
following supplication:
" Sovereign of the Universe, my trouble and my exertion




.64                  r7' r4ALMt7D.
for Israel's sake is revealed and known before Thee. How
I have laboured to cause Thy people to know Thee, and to
believe in Thy holy Name and practise Thy holy law, has
come before Thee.  O Lord, as I had shared their troubles
and their distress, I hoped to share their happiness.  Behold
now t11 time has come when their trials will cease, when
they will enter into the land of promised bliss, and Thou
sayest to me,'Thou shalt not pass over this Jordan.' Oh,
Eternal, great and just, if Thou wilt not allow me to enter
into this goodly land, permit me at least to live on here in
this world."
Then God answered Moses, saying:
" If thou wilt not die in this world, how canst thou live in
the world to come?"
But Moses continued:
" If Thou wilt not permit me to pass over this Jordan, let
me live as the beasts of the field; they eat of the herbs and
drink of the waters, and live and see the world; let my life
be even as theirs."
And God answered:
" Let it suffice thee; do not continue to speak unto me
any more on this matter." (Deut. 3: 26.)
Yet again Moses prayed:
" Let me live even as the fowls; they gather their food in
the morning and in the evening they return unto their nests,
-let my life be even as theirs."
And again God said:
"Let it suffice thee; do not continue to speak to me any
more on this matter."
Then Moses, convinced that his death was determined on,
proclaimed:' He is the Rock; His work is perfect and His ways are
just; the God of truth, just and upright is He."




TfE De4A 211 OF MOSES.               I65
"And Moses died there in the lalnd of Jfoab, according to
the word of the Lord."
Holy Writ testifies to the righteousness of Moses, " And
there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses,
whom the Lord knew face to face."
The heavens wept and exclaimed, "The pious one hath
departed, there is none upright among men."
When Joshua searched for his friend and teacher and
failed to find him, he wept bitterly and cried, " Help me, 0
Lord! for the pious have ceased to be."
The angels proclaimed, " He executed the justice of the
Lord;" and Israel added, " And His judgments with Israel."
And together they exclaimed:
" He shall come in peace; they shall rest in their beds
every one walking in his uprightness."
Blessed be the memory of the just




I60
EV.
THE BOOK OF ESTHER.
AND it came to pass when Nebuchadnezzar died, that his
son, Evil-Merodach, claimed the kingdom.  But the people
refused to anoint him as ruler, and they said to him:
" Behold, once before was thy father removed from the
vicinity of human beings and compelled to eat herbs and
grass like the beasts of the field for seven years. And lo,
we deemed him dead and appointed princes in his stead to
rule over us, and when he returned he put these princes to
death.  How can we noiw make you king?  It may be with
your father as it was in former days, he may yet return."
Now when the people spoke thus to Evil-Merodach, he
went to his father's tomb and removed from the same the
corpse of the king. He fastened an iron chain about its
feet, and dragged his father's body through the streets of
the capital, to prove to the people that he was indeed dead.
As it is written in Isaiah:
" But thou, thou art cast out of thy grave like a discarded
offshoot."  (Isaiah 14: 19.)
Then the people of the country proclaimed Evil-Merodach
king.
And Daniel said to the king:
" Thy father, Nebuchadnezzar, never opened the door ot
his prisons" (meaning when he once incarcerated a person
it was for life), " as it is written,'never opened the prisonhouse of his prisoners.' (Isaiah  4: i7.)  Now when the




THE BOOK OF ESTHER.                 167
Israelites were adjudged guilty by God of the many sins
which they committed, behold thy father came up and laid
the land of Israel desolate. He destroyed our holy temple,
and our people he sent captives and exiles to Babel. Among
them was Yehoyachim the king of Judah.  For thirty-two
years he has lain in prison because he neglected to follow
the will of God.  Now, I pray thee, let him be released.
Oh, be not stiff-necked.  Remember the punishment of thy
father when he became proud and blasphemed, and said,'There is no king or ruler but myself only,' as it is written,'I will ascend above the height of the clouds; I will be
tqual to the Most High.'"  (Isaiah 14: 14.)
Then Evil-Merodach listened to the words of Daniel and
performed the will of God.  He released Yehoyachim, the
king of the tribe of Judah, and he opened the doors to the
other prisoners and gave them liberty.
And he anointed Yehoyachim, and dressed him in royal
garments; "and he ate bread before him continually all the
days of his life."  (Kings 25' 29.)
And from  Evil-Merodach the kingdom  descended to
Darius of Media, and Ahasuerus, of Persia, was the son of
Darius of Media.
From  the house of this same Ahasuerus was banished
Vashti, the daughter of Evil-Merodach, the son of Nebuchadnezzar.  For her iniquity was she banished, for she
compelled the Jewish women to labour upon their holy
Sabbath.
This same Ahasuerus commanded that the wine of one
hundred and twenty-seven provinces should be furnished on
his banquet table, that the men of one hundred and twentyseven provinces might drink, each man of the wine of his
own country, of his own province, that he might not consume strange and hurtful drink.




i3                 TSHE TA LMUD.
This same Ahasuerus was a foolish king.  "My queen
shall be sent away," he ordered; "but my decree must
never be abolished."
In the time of this same Ahasuerus the people of Israel
were sold,-aye, without money; as it is written: "For
naught were ye sold."  (Isaiah 52: 3.)
And in the time of this same Ahasuerus the words written
in the Pentateuch came to pass: " In the morning shall ye
say,' Would that it were evening,' and in the evening,'Would that the morning were nigh.'"  (Deut. 28:67.)
This was the same Ahasuerus who once dismissed his
wife for the sake of his friend, and again killed his friend
for the sake of his wife. He sent away Vashti, his wife, in
accordance with the advice of Memuchan his friend, and he
killed his friend Haman, for the sake of Esther, his wife.
And it came to pass in the days of this Ahasuerus that he
desired to sit upon the throne of Solomon. The magnificent
throne of Solomon which had been carried from Jerusalem
to Egypt by Sheshak the king of Egypt. From his hands
it passed to Sennacherib the king of Assyria; from him was
it returned to Hezekiah, and again carried away by Pharaoh
Nechoh of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babel,
wrenched it from the possession of Pharaoh, and when
Cyrus, the king of Media, conquered the land of Persia, the
throne was brought to Shushan and passed into the posses
sion of Ahasuerus.
But he had a new throne made for himself.  He sent
artisans to Alexandria, and they were two years making for
him his throne. "In the third year of his reign, the king
Ahasuerus sat upon his own throne, and Solomon's throne
was not used any more."
" There was a certain Jew in Shushan, the capital, whose
name was fMoridecai."




THE BOOA  OF ESTHIER.               169
Why was Mordecai called a Jew?  He was not of the
tribe of Judah, but a descendant of Benjamin?  He was
called a Jew  because he feared the Lord as all Jews
should do.
Mordecai was a descendant of Shimi, whose life King
David spared when he had incurrcd the penalty of death
for reviling his ruler.  For David foresaw the miracle which
should be wrought through the instrumentality of Mordecai
in years then hidden in the future.
And Mordecai brought up his cousin Hadassah or Esther.
Jiwe was called Hadassah (meaning "myrtle") because of
her sweet disposition and kindly acts, which were compared
to the fragrant perfume and ever fresh beauty of the myrtle.
In many instances the righteous are compared to the myrtle,
as in Isaiah (55: 3), "In place of the thorn the fir tree
shall spring forth, and the nettle shall give place to the
myrtle."
This sentence is thus construed:
Instead of Haman, the thorn, the fir tree, Mordecai shall
spring forth; and in place of Vashti, compared to a nettle,
Esther, the myrtle, shall share the Persian throne.
Her name, Esther, was also well chosen; from the Greek,
Estarah, a bright star.  Her pious deeds ceased only with
her life, and her beauty was equalled only by her spiritual
qualities.
Shortly before Esther's birth her father died, and her
mother followed him when the babe drew her first breath.
Then Mordecai, her father's nephew, adopted her, and
brought her up as his child.
After the king had married Esther he was anxious to
learn her descent, and asked her, " Where are thy kindred?
Behold, I have prepared a banquet, bid them attend,"
And Esther answered him:




170                TTHE TALMUD.
"Thou art a wise king, and surely thou knowest that my
parents are dead; do not sadden me, I pray, my lord, by
such inquiries."'Twas then that the king released the people from the
payment of the year's taxes, and gave presents "according
to his ability" to all his nobles, declaring that it was done in
Esther's honour.
lie imagined that through this the fame of the proceeding and Esther's name would become known throughout the
nations, and he might learn thereby of her people.
When this plan failed he called all the beautiful virgins of
his provinces together again, thinking that jealousy might
induce Esther to tell him of her predecessors, but without
avail. Esther mentioned not her people.
"In those days, when AIordecai was sitting in the king's
gale, Bizthana and Theresh became wrolh," &c.
Rabbi Johanan said: "God has made servants wroth
against their lords for the accomplishment of justice, and
He has also made masters wroth with their servants for the
same purpose."  The latter instance is to be found in the
history of Joseph, as it is written, "'There was with us in
the prison a Hebrew lad," and the former instance is that of
Bigthana and Theresh, the chamberlains of the king.
" And the thing became known to Morecai."
The two officers spoke in a strange language; they thought
that Mordecai could not understand them. But Mordecai
had been a member of the Sanhedrim; he was a learned
man, and what they said was well understood by him.
One officer said to the other:
"Since the king married Esther we have had neither rest
nor peace; the coming and the going makes life wearisome 
it would be better for us if we should remove him from the
world."




TZE BOOK OF ES THER.                I
The other acquiesced with him, but said:
"How is it to be done?  I am  on guard; I cannot
leave."
But the first speaker said:
"Go, and I will attend to both thy guard and mine."
Therefore it is written, " And the thing was inquired info
and found true;" that is, one of the guards was found absent
from his post.
" After these events."  What events?
After God had created the remedy before the infliction of
the wound; after Mordecai had saved the king's life before
the orders for the destruction of his people were promulgated.
After these events the king advanced Haman, the. son of
Hamdatha, the Agagite, to an illustrious position in the
kingdom.  He was raised, however, but to be destroyed.
His destiny was like to that of the hog in the parable of the
horse, the colt, and the hog.
A certain man possessed a horse, a colt, and a hog.  For
the two former he measured out daily a certain amount of
food; so much wvas their allowance, no more, no less; the
hog, however, was allowed to eat according to his own
pleasure. Said the colt to the horse, " How is this? Is
it just? We work for our food while the hog is a useless
animal; surely we should have as much to eat as is given
him."
" Wait," answered the horse, "and you will soon see, in
the downfall of the hog, the reason."
With the coming of the autumn the hog was killed.
"See," said the horse, "they did not give the hog so
much to eat for his own benefit, but in order to fatten him
for the killing."
Haman was a direct descendant of Esau.  His father.




172                 THE TALMUD.
Hamdatha, was the son of Sararch, he of Kuzah, Iphlotas,
Joseph, Josim, Pedome, Made, Belaikan, Intimrom, Haridom, Shegar, Negar, Parmashtah, Vayzathah, Agag, Sumki,
Amalek, and lastly Eliphaz, the first-born of Esau.
" Why transgressest thou z e kinigs commands?"
The servants of the king's gate said to Mordecai 
"Why wilt thou refuse to bow before Haman, transgressing thus the wishes of the king?  Do we not bow
before him?"
" Ye are foolish," answered Mordecai, "aye, wanting in
reason. Listen to me. Shall a mortal, who must return to
dust, be glorified? Shall I bow down before one born of
woman, whose days are short?  When he is small he cries
and weeps as a child; when he grows older sorrow and
sighing are his portion; his days are full of wrath and anger,
and at the end he returns to dust. Shall I bow to one like
to him?  No, I prostrate myself before the Eternal God,
who lives for ever. He who dwells in Heaven and bears
the world in the hollow of His hand. His word changes
sunlight to darkness, His command illumines the deepest
gloom.  His wisdom  made the world, He placed the
boundaries of the mighty sea; the waters are His, the sweet
and the salt; to the struggling waves he says,'Be still, thus
far shalt thou come, no further, that the earth may remain
dry for my people.' To Him the great Creator and Ruler
of the Universe, and to no other will I bow."
Haman  was wroth against Mordecai, and  said  to
him:
"Why art thou so stiff-necked?  Did not thy forefather
bow down to mine?"
"How?" replied Mordecai; "which of my ancestorq
bowed before forefather of thine?"
Then Haman answered:




T7IAJ  BOOK OF ES.T~ER.               173
" Jacob, thy forefather, bowed down to Esau, his brother,
who was my forefather."
"Not so," answered Mordecai, "for I am  descended
from  Benjamin, and when Jacob bowed tw Esau, Benjamin
was not yet born.  Benjamin never bowed until his descendants prostrated themselves in the holy temple, when the
divinity of God rested within its sacred portals, and all
Israel united with him.  I will not bow before the wicked
Haman."
" In the first mo;thf, that is, in the mont/h Nissan (April),
they cast the lot before Hallman."  He cast the lot " from day
to day." At first he selected the first day of the week as
the one for the destruction of the Jews; but then he said,
"No; light was created upon that day, which is to their
merit.  On the second day the heavens were created; also
to their merit.  On the third day, the Garden of Eden,
with all the herbs and trees; on the fourth the sun, mooni,
stars, and all the hosts of Heaven, also a merit to them.
On the fifth day the fowls of the Heaven were created, and
among them the pigeon, which the Jews have used for a
sacrifice, so that will not answer for their extermination. On
the sixth day Adam  and Eve were created, and on the
seventh day is their Sabbath, the covenant between them
and their God."
Ile then took his chances with the months.  In the
month of Nissan (April) they were released from the servitude of Egypt, and many miracles were performed in their
favour.  In the month of Iyar (May) the manna first descended from Heaven, and in that month, too, five calamities
were to happen.  During the month of Sivan they received
the ten commandments, and hold their feast of weeks.
Neither of these months would do. The next cast was the
month TimUza (July).  But i  that month the walls of




174                TfE TAL MUD.
Jerusalem were destroyed, and Haman, thinking that might
prove sufficient punishment for any of their sins in that
month, passed it by and cast again. The next lot fell on
Ab (August). But in that month the last of the generations
doomed to wander through the wilderness forty years had
perished. The time of their punishment had expired, and
in that same month Moses had spoken with God, and
prayed to Him, " Show me Thy Glory." This was too great
a month to the Israelites to allow its selection for their
extermination.
The next month was Elul (September).'Twas in this
month that Moses ascended for the third time the mount of
God, to receive the second tables of stone. Also, during
this month, the walls of Jerusalem were completed, as it is
written in Nehemiah 6: I5: " And so was the wall finished
on the twenty-and-fifth day of the month Elul."
Tishri (October) would not be favourable to his purpose,
because the Day of Atonement, when all Israel woula be
devout in prayer, occurs within it. Neither would the following month, Hesvanz, suit his designs, because it was in
this month that the waters of the flood were set loose upon
the world and Noah and his family saved. During Kislev
(December) the foundation of the Temple was laid.  In
Thebet (January) Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, also
a sufficient punishment for that period. And also, during
this month, the eleven tribes made peace with Benjamin.
Neither was Shebat (February) a month displaying any
guilty action deserving of God's wrath on the part of His
people. When he came to the month of Adar, however, he
said, " Lo, I have thee now, even as the fish of the sea"
(the sign of the month's planet being two fish). In this
month the lawgiver, Moses, died, and Haman thought it
would prove unlucky for Israel. He forgot, however, that




THE BOOK OF ESTHER.                  173
Moses was also born in Adar, on the seventh day of the
month.
" Then said Haman unzo King Ahasuerus:
"There is a people scattered throughout thy provinces,
yet separate and distinct from the nation among which they
dwell.  They will not intermingle or associate with us.
They will not marry with the daughters of our land, neither
will they allow our sons to wed their daughters. They do
not aid in building up the state, for they have many holy
days on which they are idle and refuse to traffic. The first
hour of each day they devote to their prayer,'H-ear, G
Israel, the Lord is One.' The second hour they also sing
praises, and much time they waste in prayers and graces.
Each seventh day they make a Sabbath, and pass the time
in their synagogues reading from their Pentateuch and their
prophets; aye, and in cursing thee, the ling. They enter
their children into a covenant of the flesh when they are
but eight days old, that they may remain a peculiar people
for ever.  In the month of iNissan they hold a feast, which
they call the Passover, when they remove all leaven from
their houses, and they say,'As we remove the leaven from
our houses, so may the wicked king be removed from our
midst.' They have many fasts and feasts, upon all of which
they curse the king, and pray for thy death and the downfall of thy kingdom. Lo, there arose once a king, Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed their temple, despoiled their
great city, Jerusalem, and sent the inhabitants thereof into
exile. Still their pride and stubborn spirit remained unbroken.  Know, also, that their fathers went down into
Egypt, seventy men, and when they went up from thence
they numbered full six hundred thousand, in addition to
their women and little ones. Among this nation there
are men, large dealers: they buy and they sell, but they




75                 THE TALMAUD.
execute not the laws of the king and the realm.  What
profit, then, is it to have such a people scattered through
thy provinces?
"Now, if it be pleasing in the eyes of the king, let a
decree be published to destroy and exterminate then from
our midst."
And Ahasuerus answered:
" We are not able to do this thing.  Their God has not
deserted them, and they have prevailed over people greater
and stronger than ourselves.  We cannot accept thy advice
in this matter."
Still Haman persisted from time to time to pour complaints against the Jews in the ears of the king, and to urge
their complete destruction.  Finally Ahasuerus said, "As
thou hast troubled me so much about this thing I will call
together my officers, counseilors, and wise men, and ask
their opinion."
When these sages were called before him the king put the
question to them, and asked:
" Now what is your advice, shall this nation be destroyed
or not?"
A4nd the wise men answered unanimously, and said:
"Should Israel be stricken from existence the world itself
would no longer be; for through the merit of Israel and the
law given to them the world exists. Are the people not
called near to God (relatives)?' Unto the children of
Israel, a people near to Him.' Not alone this, they are also
called children of the Lord, as it is written,'Ye are the
children of the Lord your God' (Deut. I4: i). Who can
escape that raises a hand against his children? Pharaoh
was punished for his conduct towards them; how shall we
escape?"
Then Haman arose and replied to these words'




THE BOOKa  O'F ES THER.              17
"The God who caused the death of Pharaoh and his
hosts has grown old and feeble; his power has departed
from  him.  Did not Nebuchednezzar destroy his temple
and send his people into exile? Why did he not prevent
that if he was all-powerful?"
By such arguments as these Haman altered the opinions
and advice of the sages, and the letters ordering the mas.
sacre which he desired were prepared according to his
command.
When Mordecai ascertained what had been done he rent
his garments, clothed himself in sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
He wept in his anguish, and said, "Woe, woe to us for this
severe decree. Not even a half of our people shall be saved,
nor a third part nor a fourth, but the whole body must be
rooted out; woe, woe to us!"
Then when the Israelites beheld Mordecai's grief and
heard his words, they assembled together, a great multitude
of people, and Mordecai addressed them as follows:
"Ye people of Israel, ye chosen ones of our Father in
Heaven, know ye not what has happened? Have ye heard
naught of the decree against us, that Haman and the king
have ordered our destruction from the face of the earth?
We have no friendly influence on which to depend, no
prophets to pray for us, no city of refuge.  We are a flock
without a shepherd; we are as a ship at sea without a pilot,
as orphans without a father, aye, as sucklings who have lost
their mother."
Then they carried the ark in which the scrolls of the law
were deposited, into the streets of Shushan, and draped the
same in mourning colours.  And Mordecai opened the
scrolls and read the passage in Deuteronomy (4: 30), " When
thou art in tribulation, and all these things have overtaken
thee, in the latter end of days, then wilt thou return to the




Ir83            ~~ THE TALMUD.
Lord thy God, and be obedient unto His voice.  For a
merciful God is the Lord thy God."
" People of the house of Israel," said Mordecai, " let us
follow the example of the men of Nineveh, at the time when
Jonah, the son of Amitai, was sent to proclaim the overthrow  of their capital.  The king rose from  his throne,
changed his royal robes for sackcloth and ashes, and caused
a fast to be proclaimed.  Neither man nor beast, neither
herds nor flocks, tasted of food or drank of water.'God
saw their works that they turned from their evil ways, and
God bethought Himself of the evil which He had spoken
that He would do them and He did it not' (Jonah 3: 7). Let
us likewise proclaim  a penitential fast; these men were
saved, and they were heathens; we are the sons of Abraham,
and it behooves us more especially to repent out evil ways
and trust to the forgiveness of a merciful God   Turn ye,
turn ye from  your unrighteous paths, oh house of Israel,
wherefore will ye die!"
And when he had finished speaking these words, Mordecai went out into the city and cried with a loud and bitter
cry.
The house of Israel was filled with dread at the edict of
the king.  Sorrow  crossed the threshold of each Jewish
home; a spirit of anguish filled every habitation.
A certain man called on a Persian friend and entreated
him to use his influence to save his life and the lives of his
family. "' I, my wife, and my children will be your slaves,"
said he, " only save our lives."
The Persian answered:
" How can I do so?  The decree states that any Persian
harbouring a Jew shall be put to death with him."
The Israelite departed with a broken  spirit.  " How
truly," said he, "have the words of the Bible been fulfilled I




ZTH  BO OK OF ES THER.              179
Ye will offer yourselves for sale unto your enemies, for
bondmen and bondwomen, without any one to buy ye.'"
(Deut. 28: 68.)
Each day the people marked the passage of time, by
saying, " Thus many days more have the Jews to live," and
so was another Biblical passage verified.
"And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee...
In the morning thou wilt say, Who would but grant that it
were only evening! And at evening thou wilt say, Who
would but grant that it were only morning! From  the
dread of thy heart which thou wilt experience, and from the
sight of thy eyes which thou wilt see." (Deut. 28: 66 —67.)
And with each day the morning increased and hope seemed
still more vain.
If we lose a relation or a dear friend, our grief is at first
intense, but with each day it loses its poignancy until we are
consoled and comforted.  How different was it in the case
of the condemned Jews; each day the wailing grew stronger,
for each day but brought them nearer to the hour of their
destruction.
The act of Ahasuerus in intrusting his ring to IHaman,
was productive of more repentant feelings in the people of
Israel than had been the words of their forty-eight prophets.
The prophets had cautioned Israel against serving idols,
and urged upon them the necessity of atonement, and yet
their words had been unheeded; but with the transmission
of the king's ring to Haman's possession, the great call for
repentance made itself immediately heard.
But Haman was to receive his punishment. There is a
saying of the Rabbis, "If a stone falls upon a pitcher, the
pitcher breaks; if the pitcher falls upon the stone, the
pitcher also breaks." Be it as it may, it is bad for the
pitcher, and bad similarly for the enemies of Israel; fao




rO             SE^~tHE ZALAiU-D.
even when Israel strays from righteousness, the instruments
of their chastisement are also punished, as in the instances
of Nebuchadnezzar, Titus, Haman, &c.
" Then came the mtaidezs of Esther'ith her chamberlains,
and told it to her (the grief of Mordecai)... And she
ialled Hathzach and gave him a charge for Mieordeai to know
what this was, and why this was... And Aordecai told
him all that had hapzpened unto him."
Meaning, a dream, which Mordecai had dreamt in the
second year of the reign of King Ahasuerus, he now recollected and told to Hathach.  "An earthquake shook the
world, and darkness and great storms frightened the inhabitants. Two monsters were engaged in deadly conflict, and
the noise of the struggle caused the nations to quake with fear.
In the midst of the nations was a small weak people, and
the other nations wished to blot it from the world.  A great
distress oppressed this few people and they cried aloud to
God for succour and protection.  Then a small spring arose,
even between the two monsters that were battling, and it
increased in size until it seemed to become as wide and
boundless as the sea, even as though it would engulf the
world. Then the sun broke forth in brightness o'er the
earth, and the weak nation, blessed with peace, dwelt safely,
though the ruins of many greater nations were spread about it."
This dream he had previously related to Esther, and now
through her messenger, he sent the queen this word:
"Behold, thou wilt recollect the dream which I related to
shee in thy youth.  Arise, pray to God and beseech from
Him mercy; then go before the king and speak bravely for
the cause of thy people and thy kindred." And further he
sent to Esther these words:
"'Imagine not in thy soul,' and say not'the king has
selected me for his queen; and. therefore I need not pFay




THE BOOK OF ESTHER.                  x81
for mercy to Israel.' Into exile thou wert carried as well as
the rest of thy people, and the decree which destroys one,
destroys all.  Do not imagine that thou alone canst escape,
of all the Jews. For the sin of thy great grandfather Saul
do we now suffer. If he had obeyed the words of Samuel,
the wicked Haman had not descended from him who was
of the family of Amalek.  If Saul had slain Agag, the son
of Hamadatha had not bought us for ten thousand silver
talents; the Lord would not have delivered Israel into the
hands of the wicked.  Yet Moses prayed to the Lord for
Israel, and Joshua discomforted Amalek; so arise thou, and
pray before thy Father in heaven, and he who did execute
justice on Amalek will now do the same to his wicked seed.
From three oppressors of Israel does Haman draw his life.
blood.  First, Amalek, who was the first to fight against
Israel, and who was defeated by Joshua. Next, Sisera, who
laid a hand of iron upon our ancestors and met his punishment through a woman, Ja'el.  Lastly, Goliath, who defied
the camp of Israel and was laid low by the son of Jesse.
Therefore, let not thy prayers cease, for God has ever
listened to the breathings of a contrite heart, and for the
sake of our ancestors He will show us favour. They were
delivered from  their enemies when all seemed hopeless.
Pray, therefore, and imagine not that thou alone, of all thy
people, shall be able to find safety."
On the day when Mordecai ordered his brethren to fast
and humble themselves before God, he uttered the following supplication:
"Our God and God of our fathers, seated on Thy throne
of grace! Oh Lord of the universe, Thou knowest that not
through the promptings of a proud heart did I refusie to
bow before Haman.  Thee only I fear, and I am jealous of
the glory of Thy presence; I could not give to flesh and
N




182                  THE TALMUD.
blood Thy honour-to  the creature that which belongs
to the Creator alone.  Oh  God, deliver us from  his
hand, and let his feet become entangled in the net which he
has spread for us.  Let the world know, oh our Redeemer,
that Thou hast not forgotten the promise which supports
and strengthens us in our dispersion.'And yet for all
that, though they be in the land of their enemies, will I not
cast them away, neither will I loath them to destroy them
utterly, to break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord
their God.'"
When Esther received the message of Mordecai, she too
ordered a fast, and replaced her royal apparel with the sackcloth and ashes of mourning; and bowing her face before
the Lord, she uttered this heartfelt prayer:
"God of Israel, from the beginning of time Thou hast
reigned; the world and all it contains Thy  power has
created; to Thee, Thy handmaid calls for help! I am alone,
oh God, without father and  mother.  Even as a poor
woman, who begs from  door to door, do I come before
Thee for mercy, from window to window in the house of
Ahasuerus.*  From  Thee'alone can  help and salvation
flow.  Oh, Father of the fatherless! stand upon the right
in a:d of the orphan, I beseech Thee; give her mercy and
favour in the eyes of Ahasuerus, that he may be moved to
grant her petition for the lives of her people.'May the
words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be
acceptable before Thee, oh Lord, my Rock and my Receemer.  Amen' "
And ii came to pass on tfhe t/ird day.
* It was the ancient custom of the Jen' to stand by.n awindow and
look upon the sky when praying. We find the fact thus recorded in
Daniel (6: II), "He had open windows in his upper chamber in the
direction of Jerusalem."




THE BOOK OF ESTHER.                  rT 
After Esther had fasted three days, on the third day of
her fast she arose from the ashes on which she had reposed,
removed her garments of sackcloth, arrayed herself in her
gorgeous robes of state, wearing her richest ornaments of
gold of Ophir and precious stones, and prepared to enter
the presence of the king. First, however, in voice broken
by sobs and strong emotion, she again in privacy addressed
the Most High.' Before Thee, oh God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of
Jacob, before Thee, oh God of Benjamin, my ancestor, I
pray. Before Thee I pray, ere I appeal unto my husband,
Ahasuerus, the king, to supplicate for Thy people, Israel,
whom  Thou didst separate from other nations, to whom
Thou gavest Thy holy law.  Thy chosen people, oh God,
who praise Thee three times daily, saying,' Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord of Iosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.'
As Thou didst save Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah from
the raging furnace, and Daniel from the jaws of the lions, so
save us now from the enemies who lie in wait for our destruction. Give me grace, I pray Thee, in the eyes of my
lord, the king. Through our sins, oh Lord, are we condemned; yea all of us in whom  the blood of Abraham
quickens; yet surely the children should not suffer for the
father's sin! If we have provoked Thy wrath, why should
tender hearts and innocent babes be with us condemned to
death?  Oh remember the merit of Abraham  to our salvation.  Ten times didst Thou tempt him and he remained
faithful before Thee.  Protect the children of Thy beloved
friends, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; banish from  about
them the evil with which Haman has encircled them."  And
Esther wept bitterly, and her tongue refused to utter the
words which rose to her lips.  " I go now," she said in her
heart, "unto the king; oh let Thy angels of mercy precede




^4 aTHE YALMUD.
my footsteps; let the favour of Abraham go before me, and
the merit of Isaac support my trembling frame; let the kindness of Jacob be in my mouth, and the purity of Joseph upon
my tongue. As Thou didst listen to the voice of Jonah
when he called upon Thee, so listen now to me. Oh God,
whose eye seest the inmost recesses of the heart, remember the merit of the pious ones who served Thee
faithfully, and for their sakes allow not my petition to be
rejected. Amen"
And Esther took with lher two of her waiting maids and
entered the court of the king.  On the arm  of one she
leaned, while the other followed bearing her train, that the
golden fabric might not sweep along the ground. She concealed her grief in her heart, and her face was bright and
her appearance happy.
It happened, when the king saw Esther standing in the
court, that he was very wroth to think that she had overstepped both law and custom.  Esther glanced up, and
reading his anger in his eyes, became greatly terrified, and
leaned heavily upon the handmaid who supported hcr.
God saw her failing motion, and, pitying the distress of the
orphan, he gave her grace before the king. The anger
vanished from his eyes, and rising from his seat, he advanced
to Esther and embraced and kissed her. With his arm
about her neck he looked into her eyes, and seeing there
her fear, he said, "What wilt thou, Queen Esther?  Why
art thou alarmed?  Our laws are not meant for thee; thou
art my friend; wherefore didst thou not speak when thy
eyes looked upon me?"
And Esther answered:
" Because, my lord, when first I looked upon thee, thy
glory and thy honour terrified me."
-W      ^F~      -Xe      *i        ~ **




T1HLEP OO0K OP E SHER).           i8g
Esther had three objects in inviting Haman to her banquet
with the king.
First. She did not wish Haman to think that she knew of
his guilt, or was conspiring against him, which he might
suspect if he discovered that Hatach carried messages
between herself and Mordecai.
Secondly. She desired, in pursuance of her plan, to make
the king jealous of Haman. Naturally he would ask himself
why she had invited only Haman, thus singling him from,
and honouring him above, the other princes.
Thirdly. That Israel might not be too sure of her efforts
and so depend upon her altogether. Rather to let them find
additional reasons for relying solely on the Lord.
"' Then said unto him Zeresh, his wzefe, wit/ all her friends,
Let them makea gallows,'" &c.
"Thou canst never prevail against Mordecai by means
which have already been brought to bear against his people,"
said Zeresh to Haman.  "Thou canst not kill him with a
knife or sword, for Isaac was delivered from  the same;
neither canst thou drown him, for Moses and the people of
Israel walked safely through the sea. Fire will not burn
him, for with Chananyah and his comrades it failed; wild
beasts will not tear him, for Daniel was rescued from the
lions' fangs; neither will a dungeon contain him, for Joseph
walked to honour through a prison's gates.  Even if we
deprive him of sight we can not prevail against him, for
Samson was made blind, and yet destroyed thousands of
the Philistines. There is but one way left us; we must
hang him."
It was in accordance with this advice that Haman built
the gallows fifty cubits high. After he had erected this
dread instrument of death, he sought the presence of Mordecai, to gloat over his coming triumph.  He found the




iS6                 TZIE TALiMUJD.
Jew in the college, with his pupils gathered around him.
Their loins were girded with sackcloth, and they wept at the
words which their teacher was addressing to them.
"To-morrow," said Haman, "I will first destroy these
children, and I will then hang Mordecai on the gallows I
have prepared."
He remained in the school and saw the mothers of the
pupils bring them their meals; but they all refusedl to eat,
saying, " By the life of our teacher, Mordecai, wre will
neither eat nor drink; fasting will we die."
" In that night sleep fled from the king;."
Ahasuerus imagined that Haman was a lover of Esther,
because he alone, of all the princes, was invited to her
banquet.  When he slumbered he dlreamed that he saw
Haman with a sword in his hand, attempting his life, and
awakening in fright, he was unable again to sleep.  So lie
arose and called to Shimshi, his scribe, who was a relative
of Haman, and bade him open the book of the chronicles of
events which happened during the reigns of the kings of
Persia and Media, and read to him from the same.  The
first page at which Shimshi opened the book contained the
record of Mordecai's discovery and disclosure of the treason
of Bigthana and Theresh, the king's chamberlains. The
scribe did not wish to read this, and was about turning to
another portion, when the king saw the action, and commanded him to read from the page which was first spread
before him.
" Hlaman, therefore, said to the king,' For the mazn zhoan
the king desireth to honour let them bring a royal apparel,' " -
When the king heard this advice his suspicions seemed
to him as facts. " He wishes to put on my royal appaiel,"
thought Ahasuerus, " and to place my crown upon his head;
then he will destroy me and reima in my stead."




THE BO OK 0  ES THEP.                187
Then said the king to Haman, "Bring from my state
wardrobe the garment of purple from Ethiopia, the garment
set with precious stones, to each of the four corners of which
a golden chain is attached; bring also the ornaments which
I wore on the day of my coronation, my hat of Ethiopian
manufacture, and my royal cloak, embroidered with pearls
from Africa.  Go, then, to my stables, and take from thence
the best steed which I possess; array Mordecai, the Jew,
in the garments, and place him upon the horse."
And  Haman  answered, " There are many Jews in
Shushan who are called Mordecai; which one is to hive
the honour?"
"Do all this that thou hast spoken," replied the king, " to
Mordecai, the Jew, who lives by the king's gates; the who
hath spoken well to the king and saved his life."
When Haman heard these words the blood seemed to
congeal in his heart; his face grew blanched, his eyes
became dim, and his mouth as though paralysed; with great.effort he said:
" Oh king, how-how-can I tell which Mordecai thou
meanest?"
" I have but just said," returned the king; "he who
dwells at my gates."
"But he hates me," exclaims Haman, "me and my an.
cestors; do not force me to do him this honour, and I will
pay ten thousand silver talents into thy treasury."
The king answered:
" Though I should give that ten thousand talents to Mordecai, aye, and give him also thy house to rule over it, yet
this honour which thou hast spoken shouldst thou also do
to him."
" My ten sons shall run before thy chariot," pleaded Haman
"they shall be thy slaves, if thou wilt but forego this order "




IS8                  Z     LTH A ALMUD.
The king answered:
"Though thou, and thy wife, and thy ten sons should be
slaves to Mordecai, yet this honour should be also his."
But Haman still entreated:
"Lo, Mordecai is but a common subject of the king,
appoint him ruler of a city, a province, or a street-let that
be the honour paid him."
And again the king replied:
"Though I should appoint him ruler over al my provinces, though I should cause him to command all Nho owe
me obedience on sea and land, still this honour, too, which
thou hast spoken, should be done him. Surely he who has
spoken to the advantage of his king, he who has preserved
the life of his king, deserves all that should belong to the
one whom the king most delights to honour."
" But the letters," continued Haman; "the letters which
have been sent to all thy provinces, condemning him and
his people to death.'
"Peace, peace," exclaimed  the king; "though they
should be recalled, Mordecai should still be honoured
as thou hast spoken. Say no more, Haman; as thou hast
spoken, do quickly; leave out nothing of all that thou hast
said."
When Haman saw that all appeal was useless, he obeyed
the king's orders with a heavy heart. With the garments
and the richly caparisoned steed he sought Mordecai, and
said, "Arise, oh Mordecai the righteous, descendant of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, arise from thy sackcloth and
ashes; lo, they have prevailed more than my talents of
silver, and thy God has bestowed mercy upon thee. Arise,
Mordecai, throw off thy sackcloth and ashes and don these
royal garments."
Then Mordecai answered, "Oh, wicked Haman! the




TItE BOOK OF ESTHER.               189
time cometh when thou shalt eat wormwood and drink gall,
oh son of Amalek."
" Come," returned Haman, "dress and mount the steed;
the orders of the king must be obeyed."
Haman anointed Mordecai with sweet perfumes; a.Tayed
him in royal robes, and mounted him upon the king's horse,
according to his words and the commands of Ahasuerus.
Then a procession was formed.  Seventeen  thousand
soldiers were detailed as escort and divided into two
bodies; one preceded and the other followed Mordecai,
who was thus in the centre on a horse led by Haman. As
they marched through the streets of Shushan the soldiers
shouted, " Thus shall be done to the man whom the king
desireth to honour."
When the Jews beheld this great procession, and Mordecai honoured in the midst of it, they followed after; and
in return to the shouts of the troops they called out loudly,
" Thus shall be done to the man who serves the King who
created heaven and earth, and whom he desireth to honour."
When Esther saw her kinsman thus arrayed, she thanked the
Lord and praised Him.
"With the Psalmist I may say," she exclaimed, "'He
raiseth up out of the dust the poor, from the dunghill he
lifteth up the needy.' (Ps. II3: 7.)'That he may set him
with princes, even with the princes of His people."'
Mordecai also praised the Lord, and said:
"' Thou hast changed my mourning into dancing for me,
Thou hast loosened my sackcloth and girded me with joy;
I will extol Thee, oh Lord, for Thou hast lifted me up,
and hast not suffered my enemies to rejoice over me."'
(lbid. 30: 12.)
Four distinct services did Haman render Mordecai.
First, he was his hairdresser, for he shaved and anointed




,9 T~ AHLlE TALlAD.
him. Secondly, he was his valede, for he attended him in
the bath.  Thirdly, he was his footman, for he led the horse
Mordecai rode.  Fourthly, he was his trumpeter, for he proclaimed before him: " Thus shall be done to the man whom
the king desireth to honour."
"And JHaman related to Zeresh his wife," &.c.
Haman received but little comfort from  his friends.
"Thou wilt surely fall," said his wife; "for those who
endeavoured to burn Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah in
the fiery furnace, were themselves consumed in the flames;
take heed, for thou wilt surely fall before this Jew."
When the servants of the king saw  that Harnan was
losing prestige, they too turned against him.  Charbonyah
told the king that Haman had designs against his royal
person.  "If thou believest not me," said the sycophant,
"send to his house and there wilt thou find a gallows fifty
cubits high for Mordecai, because he spoke well of thee and
saved thy life."
The king said to Mordecai, "Go  bring  thy enemy
Haman and hang him upon the gallows; do to him whatever is pleasing to thee."
Haman appealed to Mordecai and begged to be put to
death by the sword, but Mordecai hearkened not to his
words.
" Who digs a pit for another deserves to fall therein himself," said he; "he who rolls a stone against another must
not complain if it turn back and crush himself."
The following is the letter sent under the king's seal to
counteract the decree issued against the Jews:
"To the noblemen, princes, and inhabitants of all our
provinces, peace.  Our government cannot prosper unless
its people are united; let this find you all living in fraternal
harmony.  Let all the people of our provinces trade to.




THEL  OOK OF ESZIER.               191
gether as one nation; let them have compassion and charity
towards all nations and creeds, and honour all peaceful
kingdoms of the earth.  They who would deceive the king
by evil reports concerning any people in our midst, and
endeavour to obtain permission to exterminate peaceful,
law-abiding persons, deserve death, and should meet with
it. Let such as they perish, and the remainder live in harmony, forming a bond of peace never to be broken; aye,
of triple thickness, that it may never grow weak. Let no
insult be offered to any people.
" Esther is pious, worthy, and our queen, and Mordecai
is the wisest of his age; he is without fault, lie and his
people. Through the advice of Haman, the son of Hamdatha, was our former decree issued, which now is declared
null and void. And further we decree that the Jews may
arise and protect themselves, aye, and take vengeance on
such as raise a bloody hand against them.
" He who created Heaven and Earth has put these words
in our heart and in our mnouth, and thus we utter and decree
them according   to the laws of Persia and Media."




V.
KING SOLOMON, THE WISE.
"Seest thou a man thai is diligelt il his work?  B ef-re
kings may he place himself; let dhim not pace hilmscf before
obscure men." (Prov. 22: 29.)
In this verse Solomon alludes to himself.  He built the
holy temple in seven years, while he occupied fourteen
years in erecting his palace.  Not because his palace was
more elegant or more elaborate in its workmanship than
was the temple, but because he was diligent in his work to
finish God's house, while his own house could await time
and opportunity.
Four cases of comparative righteousness between fathers
and children may be noted:
First. A righteous man begets a righteous son.
Second. A wicked man begets a wicked son.
Third. A wicked man begets a righteous son.
Fourth. A righteous man begets a wicked son.
To each of these cases we may find a Biblical allusion;
to each of them we may apply a parable and a proverb.
In reference to the righteous father and the righteous son,
we find the following verse (Psalm 45: I7): "Instead of
thy fathers shall be thy children." And we may apply the
parable of the good fig tree which brought forth luscious
fruit.
In reference to the wicked father and the wicked son we
have in Numbers 32: 14: "And now behold, ye are risen
up in your fathers' stead, a new race of sinful men."




IJ7,Ar SOLOMON-,  TIE WIISE.              193
Ancient is the proverb, " From  the wicked proceedeth
wickedness;" and applicable, the parable of the serpent
bringing forth an asp.
In the third case, the wicked father begets a righteous
son, as it is written, " Instead of the thorn shall come up
the fir tree." And to this can we apply the parable of the
rose budding on the bramble bush.
Lastly, a righteous man has a wicked son, as it is written,
"Instead of wheat, thorns come forth." (Job 21: 40.) And
we have also the parable of the attractive peach tree which
brought forth bitter fruit.
Solomon was a king, the son of a king; the wise son of a
wise father; a righteous man's righteous child. All the incidents in David's life, all his characteristics were paralleled
in the life of Solomon.
David reigned for forty years, as it is written, "And the
days that David governed Israel were forty years."
Of Solomon it is written, "And Solomon reigned in
Jerusalem over all Israel forty years." David expressed
himself by "words," as it is written, "And these are the
last words of David."
Solonlon likewise expressed himself by "words."
"The words of Koheleth the son of David." (Eccles.'' I.)
David said, "All is vanity;" as it is written, "For vanity
only do all men make a noise." (Psalm 39: 7.)
Solomon expressed himself with the same word, " vanily."
" Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth." (Eccles. 1: 2.)
David wrote books, viz.: the five books of Psalms; and
Solomon wrote three books: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the
Song of Solomon.
David composed songs: " And David spoke unto the
Lord the words of this song." (Samuel 22: i.)




T94-                 THE TALMUD.
Solomon also composed a song: "The song of songs,
\i hich is Solomon's."
He was the wise king alluded to in Proverbs 16: 23,
"The heart of the wise maketh his mouth intelligent, and
upon his lips increaseth information."  Meaning that the
heart of the wise is full of knowledge and understanding;
but this is shown to the world through the words of his
n:outh.  And, by uttering with his lips the thoughts of his
mind (or heart) he increases the information of the people.
If a man possessing brilliant diamonds and precious stones,
keeps his jewels concealed, no one is aware of their value;
but if he allows them  to be seen, their worth becomes
known, and the pleasure of ownership is enhanced.
Applying this comparison to the case of Solomon, while
his wisdom was locked up in his own breast it was of value
to no one; but when he had given to the world his three
books, men became acquainted with his great abilities.
" The words of his lips increased the information of his
people," and so great was his reputation that any one in
doubt concerning the meaning of a Biblical passage sought
the king for an interpretation.
Not only in sacred lore did he raise the standard of
education.  He had mastered and taught the sciences of
Natural Philosophy, Physiology, Botany, Agriculture, Mathematics in all its branches, Astronomy, Chemistry, and in fact
ail useful studies. He also taught Rhetoric and the rules of
Poesy.  In alliterative and alphabetical versification he wai
an adept.
"An'd in addition to this that aKoheleth was zise, he cont
iinually thtl the people knowledge."
If what others said interested the people, how 1much moore
readily did they listen to Solomon; with how much morei
ease did they comprehand him I




AING SOLOMON, TIE WISE.                 I05
We may illustrate his method of teaching by the follow
ing comparison.  There was a basket without ears, filled
with fine fruit, but the owner was unable to get it to his
home on account of the difficulty in carrying it, until a wise
mlan, seeing  the predicament, attached handles to the
basket, when it could be carried with great ease.
So did Solomon remove difficulties from the path of the
student.
Rabbi THuna further illustrated this same thing.  " There
was once," he said, "a well of most pure and excellent
water; but the well was so deep that the people were not
able to reach the water, until a man of wisdom  taking a
bucket attached to it one rope after another until the whole
was long enough to reach to the water.  So was it with
Solomon's teachings.  The Bible is a well of truth, but its
teachings are too deep for the understanding of some.
Solomon, however, introduced parables and proverbs suited
to the comprehension of all, through which means a knowle'dge of the law became readily obtainable."
Rabbi Simon, the son of Chalafta, related the following
parable: " A certain king had an officer to whom he was
much attached, and whom he took great delight in honouring.
One day he said to this favourite,' Come, express a wish,
a ything that I can give thee shall be thine.' Then this
oi cer thought,' If I ask the king for gold or silver or
precious stones, he will give what I ask; even though I
desire higher honour and more exalted station he will grant
it yet I will ask him for his daughter, for if he grants that,
ai.l the rest will be included.'"
When the Lord appeared to Solomon in Gilon, and said
to him in a dream, " What shall I give to thee?" Solomon
reflected, " If I ask for gold, silver, or jewels, the Lord will
give them to me; I will ask, however, for wisdom; if that




196                 THE TALMUD.
is granted me, all other good things are included." Therefore, he replied, " Give to thy servant an understanding
heart."
Then said the Lord:
" Because thou hast asked for wisdom, and requested not
wealth or dominion over thy enemies; by thy life, wisdom
and knowledge shall be thine, and through them thou shalt
obtain wealth and power."
" And Solomon awoke, and behold it was a dream."  He
wandered into the fields, and he heard the voices of the
animals; the ass brayed, the lion roared, the dog barked,
the rooster crowed, and behold he understood what they
said, one to the other.
An ox, even after being killed and dressed, may be made
to stand, provided the sinews are uncut; but if they are
severed, cords are required to hold the body together.
While Solomon remained free from sin his prayers were
granted him  for his own sake, but when he departed from
the righteous way, the Lord said to him, " For the sake of
David, my servant, I will not take the kingdom from thee
in thy lifetime."
Solomon said, " Vanity of vanities; vanity, even as a
shadow."  A shadow of what nature?  The shadow of a
tower or a tree remains the shadow for awhile, and then is
lost, b):t the shadow of a bird flieth away, and there is
neither bird nor shadow.  David said, " Our days are as a
Ipassing shadow," and Rabbi Huna said, " Our days pass
quickly fircln us, even as the shadow of a flying bird."
With the word vanity, Solomon expresses seven stages of
a man's life.
The infant he compares to a king; riding in his little
coach, rnd being kissed, admired, and praised by all. The
child or three or four yces he compares to a pig, fond of




KING SOLOMON, THtS  WIJE.             197
the dirt and soiling itself with its food. The child of ten is
tond of dress; the youth adorns himself and seeks a wife;
the married man is bold as the dog in seeking a livelihood
for himself and family; and the old man he likens to an
ape.
" God gave wisdom to Solomon."
When Solomon was about building the temple, he applied
to the king of Egypt for men to aid him  in the work.
Pharaoh, consulting his astrologers, selected those men who
were to die within the year. When they arrived at Jerusalem the wise king sent them back at once.  With each
man he sent a shroud, and directed them to say to their
master, " If Egypt is too poor to supply shrouds for her
dead, and for that purpose sends them to me, behold here
they are, the men and the shrouds together; take them and
bury thy dead,"
He was wiser than all other men, wiser even than Adam,
who gave names to all the animals of the world, and even
to himself, saying, " From the dust of the ground I was
formed, and therefore shall my name be Adam^."  Rabbi
Tanchum said, " Where is thy wisdom and thy understanding, oh king Solomon?  Thy words not only contradict
themselves, but also the words of David, thy father. He
said,' Not the dead can praise the Lord' (Psalm I 15: I7),
and thou didst say,' Thereupon praised I the dead that'are
already dead, more than the living who are still alive.'
(Eccles. 4: 2.) And thou didst also say,'For a living dog
fareth better than a dead lion."' (Ibid. 9: 4.)
These seeming contradictions, however, may be readily
explained. David said, "Not the dead can praise the
Lord," meaning that we should study God's law during
life, as after its cessation'twould be impossible. Solomon
said, "Thereupon praised I the dead that are already
-''O




193                THEu TALi UD.
dead."  When the children of Israel sinned in the wilderness, Moses prayed for them for their own sakes, and his
prayer was unanswered; but when he said, "Remember
Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants," he met with
a prompt reply. Therefore did not Solomon speak well in
saying, " Praise the dead that are already dead?" Take
another instance. A king may decree laws, but many of
his subjects may disregard them. Sometimes these laws,
even if earnestly observed during the life of the one who
made them, may be repealed or become obsolete after his
death. Moses, however, made many stringent laws, which
have been observed through all generations.  Therefore,
Solomon said well, " Thereupon will I praise the dead."
Rabbi Judah, in the name of Rab, further explained this
verse. He said, "What is the meaning of the following
passage?'Show me a token for good, that they who hate
me may see it and be ashamed.' (Psalm 76: 17.) David
said to God, after his sin with Bathsheba (Samuel 2),'Sovereign of the Universe, pardon me for my sin.' The
Lord answered,' I will pardon thee.' Then said David,
Show me the token in my lifetime,' but God said,' Not in
thy lifetime, but in the lifetime of Solomon, thy son, will I
show  it.'  Thus, when Solomon dedicated the temple,
though he prayed with fervent devotion, he was not
answered until he said,' O Lord God, turn not away from
the face of thy anointed. Remember the pious deeds of
David, thy servant.'  (2 Chron. 6: 42.)  Then he was
speedily answered, for in the next verse we read,'And
when Solomon had made an end of praying, a fire came
down from Heaven and consumed the burnt offering and
the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house.'
Then were the enemies of David put to shame, for all
Israel knew that God had pardoned David for his sin. Did




KING SOLOMON, THE WISE.               199
not Solomon say well then,' Thereupon praised I the
dead?' For this reason, further on in the chapter we read,' And on the three-and-twentieth day of the seventh month
he dismissed the people unto their tents, joyful and glad of
heart, because of the good that the Lord had done for
David, and for Solomon, and for Israel, His people."'
Solomon said, " For a living dog fareth better than a
dead lion."
Expounding this verse, Rabbi Judah said, in the name of
Rab, " What is the meaning of the verse,' Let me know, O
Lord, my end, and the measure of my days, what it is; I
wish to know when I shall cease to be.' (Psalm 39:5.)
" David said to God,' Let me know, O Lord, my end.'
God answered,' I have decreed that for each one his end
must be veiled in the future.' Then David said,'What is
the measure of my days?' Again God replied,' No man
may know the measure of his days.'' I wish to know
when I shall cease to be,' continued David; and God
answered,' Thou wilt die on a Sabbath.'
"'Let me die the day after,' entreated David, but the
Lord answered,' No; then the kingdom will be Solomon's,
and one reign may not take away from another reign even
so much as a hair's breadth.'   Then let me die the day
before,' exclaimed David,'for a day in Thy courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere,' and God said,'One day spent
by thee in studying my law is more acceptable than the
thousand burnt offerings thy son Solomon will sacrifice.'
" It was David's custom to pass every Sabbath in the
study of the Bible and its precepts, and he was thus
engaged upon the Sabbath which was to be his last. Back
of the king's palace there was an orchard, and David, hearing a noise therein, walked thither to ascertain its cause.
On entering the orchard he fell to the ground, dead.




200                THE TALMUD.
" The noise in the orchard had been caused by the barking of the king's dogs, who had not that day received their
food. Solomon sent a message to the Rabbinical College,
saying,' My father lies dead in his orchard; is it allowable
to remove his body on the Sabbath?  The dogs of my
father are entreating for their food; is it proper to cut meat
for them to-day?' This answer was returned by the college:'Thy father's body should not be removed to-day,
but give meat to the dogs.' Therefore said Solomon,' A
living dog fareth better than a dead lion,' justly comparing
the son of Jesse to that king of beasts."
Solomon was the chosen of the Lord, who called him,
through the mouth of Nathan, the prophet, Yedidiah (the
beloved one). He was called Solomon (peace), because in
his days peace reigned, as it is written, " And Judah and
Israel dwelt in safety."  (Kings 5:5.)  He was called
Ithid (God with me) because God was his support.
And when Solomon sat upon the throne of his father
David, all the nations of the earth feared him; all the
people of the earth listened anxiously for his words of
wisdom.
Afterwards he had a throne made especially for himsecf
by Hiram, the son of a widow of Tyre.  It was covered
with gold of Ophir, set with all kinds of precious an 
valuable stones. The seat of the throne was approached
by six broad steps. The right side of the first step was
guarded by an ox made of pure gold, and the left side by <
lion of the same metal. On the right of the second step
stood a bear also of gold, and upon the left a lamb, sym.
bolical of enemies dwelling in peace together. On the right
of the third step was placed a golden camel, and on the left
an eagle. On the right of the fourth step there was also an
eagle with outspread wings, and on the left a bird of prey.




tING SOLOMON, THEE WISE.              ot
all of the same precious metal. On the fifth step to the
right a golden cat crouching in position; on the left a
chicken.  On the right of the sixth step a hawk was
fashioned, and on the left side a pigeon, and upon the top
of the step a pigeon clutched a hawk in her talons. These
animals were designed to typify the time when those of
adverse natures shall unite in harmony, as it is written
in Isaiah (ii:6), " And the wolf shall then dwell with the
sheep."
Over the throne was hung a chandelier of gold with seven
branches; it was ornamented with roses, knobs, bowls, and
tongs; and on the seven branches the names of the seven
patriarchs, Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and
Job, were engraven.
On the second row of the branches of the chandelier were
engraven the names of the seven pious ones of the world,
Levi, Kehath, Amram, Moses, Aaron, Eldad, and Madad.
Above all this hung a golden churn filled with pure olive oil,
and on this was engraven the names of Eli, the High Priest,
and his two sons, Hophni and Phineas, and on the other
side the names of the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu.
On the right hand of the throne two chairs were placed,
one for the High Priest, and the other for the Vice-High
Priest, and upon the left side, from the top to the ground,
seventy-one chairs were stationed as seats for the members
of the Sanhedrim.
The throne was made upon wheels, that it could be moved
easily wherever the king might desire it to be.
The Lord gave Solomon the power of understanding the
nature and properties of the herbs of the field and the trees
of the forest, as it is written, "And he spoke concerning the
trees, from the cedar tree that is upon the Lebanon even
unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall. He spoke




2C2                Ti Z TALMUD.
also concerning the beasts, and concerning the fowls, and
concerning the creeping things, and concerning the fishes."
(i Kings 5: 3.)
It is said that Solomon ruled the whole world, and this
verse is quoted as proof of the assertion, " And Solomon
was ruling over all the kingdoms, which brought presents,
and served Solomon all the days of his life." (i Kings 5: I.)
All the kingdoms congratulated Solomon as the worthy
successor of his father, David, whose fame was great among
the nations; all save one, the kingdom of Sheba, the capital
of which was called Kitore.
To this kingdom Solomon sent a letter:
"From  me, King Solomon, peace to thee and to thy
government.  Let it be known to thee that the Almighty
God has made me to reign over the whole world, the kingdoms of the North, the South, the East, and the West. Lo,
they have come to me with their congratulations, all save
thee alone.
" Come thou also, I pray thee, and submit to my authority, and much honour shall be done thee; but if thou
refusest, behold, I shall by force compel thy acknowledgment.
" To thee, Queen Sheba, is addressed this letter in peace
from me, King Solomon, the son of David."
Now when Queen Sheba received this letter, she sent in
haste for her elders and counsellors to ask their advice as to
the nature of her reply.
They spoke but lightly of the message and the one who
sent it, but the queen did not regard their words. She sent
a vessel, carrying many presents of different metals, minerals,
and precious stones, to Solomon. It was after a voyage of
two years' time that these presents arrived at Jerusalem, and
in a letter intrusted to the captain the queen said, "After




1'ING SOLOMON, THE WISS.            203
thou hast received the message then I myself will come to
thee."  And in two years after this time Queen Sheba
arrived at Jerusalem.
When Solomon heard that the queen was coming he sent
Benayahu, the son of Yehoyadah, the general of his army,
to meet her. When the queen saw him she thought he was
the king, and she alighted from her carriage.
Then Benayahu asked, "Why alightest thou from thy
carriage?" And she answered, "Art thou not his majesty,
the king?"
"No," replied Benayahu, "I am but one of his officers."
Then the queen turned back and said to her ladies in
attendance, "If this is but one of the officers, and he is so
noble and imposing in appearance, how great must be his
superior, the king."
And Benayahu, the son of Yehoyadah, conducted Queen
Sheba to the palace of the king.
Solomon prepared to receive his visitor in an apartment
laid and lined with glass, and the queen at first was so deceived by the appearance that she imagined the king to be
sitting in water.
And when the queen had tested Solomon's wisdom,* and
witnessed his magnificence, she said:
" I believed not what I heard, but now I have come, and
my eyes have seen it all; behold, the half has not been told
to me. Happy are thy servants who stand before thee continually to listen to thy words of wisdom. Blessed be the
Lord thy God, who hath placed thee on a throne to rule
righteously and in justice."
When other kingdoms heard the words of the queen oi
* By means of riddles as related in the Bible.




2^                 V tiE TALMtD
Sheba they feared Solomon exceedingly, and he became
greater than all the other kings of the earth in wisdom and
in wealth.
Solomon was born in the year 2912 A.M., and reigned
over Israel forty years.  Four hundred and thirty-three
years elapsed between the date of Solomon's reign and that
of the temple's destruction.




PART THIRD.
T'IE   RABBIS, THEIR  TEACHINGS  AND
INCIDENTS IN THEIR LIVES.
I.
RABBI JUDAII, THE " CHIEF."
RABBI JUDAH, the holy, sometimes called, by reason of his
eminence, simply " Rabbi," received his education in the
different colleges and from the various sources of learning
open to the student in his early days. He was a man of
immense wealth, and when he reached the dignity of chief
or patriarch, he expended a great portion of his riches in the
assistance and for the benefit of the poor. His authority
among his contemporaries was superior to that allowed any
of his predecessors. He commanded both their love and
respect, and it is said that no man, since the time of Moses,
combined such advanced learning with authority and dignity
equal to his. He was, too, like Moses, truly modest and
careful to avoid all pomp and display of power.
He had his chair placed near the entrance of his lectureroom, to spare his hearers the necessity of rising while he
passed among them, an honour exacted by the other chiefs.
Through his influence with Antoninus, his people were per
nlitted to study the law publicly and were granted many
privileges previously denied them, and immunity from many
persecutions under which they had previously suffered. it




was while he occupied his high position in favour and
was while he occupied his high position in favour  and
affluence, that he collected the opinions and debates of preceding Rabbis, now forming the Mis/na.
The emperor once sent a valuable diamond to Rabbi
Judah, requesting a token of friendship in return. The
Rabbi sent him a Mezuzah.'
"My friend," said the emperor, "this gift of thine is of
small value, compared to the rich offering which I despatched
to thee."
"There is a difference between my gift and thine," returned the Rabbi. "That which thou gavest to me I must
watch and guard lest it be stolen from me; but this which
I send will watch and guard over thee, even as it is written,' When thou walkest it will lead thee, and when thou liest
down it will watch over thee.' "
Rabbi Judah desired to wed the widow of Rabbi Eleazer,
and he sent a messenger to her charged with his proposals.
The answer which she returned thereto was this:
" Shall a vessel once used for holy purposes be now used
for those less sacred?"  Implying that Rabbi Eleazer, the
son of Simon, had been a greater man than was Rabbi Judah.
Her answer was of the same import as the proverb, " Shall
the shepherd hang his work vessels where the master of the
house hung his ornaments?"
On receiving this answer Rabbi Judah sent another
message to her.
"You are right," said he; " your husband was a more
learned scholar than am 1, but in good deeds I am at least
his equal."
* A strip of parchment inscribed with verses from the Pentateuch
(Deut. 6: 4-1o, and Deut. II: 13-22), so arranged as to be placed
upon the door-posts of a house in compliance with the scriptural
injunction.




RAPBI yUDAI, TIHE " CZIES              o7
The widow replied:
"Still we differ; I know not that my husband was more
learned than Rabbi Judah, but he was his superior in
righteousness."
But was Rabbi Eleazer the superior of Rabbi Judah in
learning?
It was the custom in the colleges for the teachers and
learned Rabbis to sit upon elevated chairs while the pupils
were seated on benches, near the floor. When Rabbi Simon,
the son of Gamliel, Rabbi Joshua, the son of Korcha, and
other celebrated Rabbis were occupying the chairs, Rabbi
Eleazer, the son of Simon, and Rabbi Judah were sitting
near the floor. Rabbi Simon, son of Gamliel, the father of
Rabbi Judah, desiring that some mark of distinction should
be paid to his son, induced the teachers to elevate him
to one of the chairs. This was done; and then Rabbi
Joshua spoke, saying, " He who hath a father to speak for
him may live; but he who hath none, may do the best he
can, and die."
On hearing this the Rabbis elevated Rabbi Eleazer, the
son of Rabbi Simon, also, but Rabbi Eleazer felt himself
slighted and neglected, because the above words were
spoken previous to his elevation, and said, " Is Rabbi Judah
better than I?"
Never after did he feel friendly towards Rabbi Judah.
Previously he had assisted the latter in preparing questions
to be laid before the college, but now he made light of
Judah's inquiries, saying, "They are not worthy of being
considered."
This treatment was very trying to the feelings of Rabbi
Judah, and he complained to his father of the insults to
which he was subjected.
"Be not displeased, my son," replied the latter, "nor




%agooo               TIE TALMUD.
take umbrage at the words of Eleazer.  Behold, he is a
lion, and the son of a lion (a most learned man, and the
son of a most learned man), whilst thou art a lion, but the
son of a fox (a learned man thyself, but not possessing a
learned father), therefore he is thy superior."
This is probably the reason why Rabbi Judah has said,
"The world has seen three meek men,-my father, the sons
of Bethera, and Jonathan, the son of Saul."
The sons of Bethera vacated their positions as chiefs of
the college in favour of Hillel, pronouncing him a man
of superior learning, therefore their meekness. Jonathan,
the son of Saul, said to David, " Thou shalt reign over
Israel, and I shall be a second to thee," therefore his
meekness; and Rabbi Simon, the son of Gamliel, because
he called himself a fox.
Rabbi Judah suffered greatly from bodily pain for thirteen
years previous to his death, and when he felt his end on
earth approaching he called his children to him and spoke
to them as follows:
"Obey the voice of your mother, oh, my children, and
remember the teachings of the Most High.  Keep a light
burning in my room, and let Joseph, the Ophnite, and
Simon, the Ephraimite, faithful servants to me in my life,
attend me also in my death.  And now, my children, let
me see the sages of Israel once more."
When the sages entered, according to his request, he said:
" Let no orations or eulogies be made for me in the cities.
Open my college, and continue your holy duties thirty days
after my death.  Although my son Simon is a man of
wisdom and understanding, yet I desire that my son Gamliel
shall be my successor.  Chaninah, the son of Chamah,
shall sit in the second seat, next to the chief. I weep that
I may study God's law no more."




SIZMON, THE RIGHTEOUS.              2o
Then he raised his two hands towards heaven, and said:
"Oh, Lord God of the universe, Thou knowest whether
I have worked faithfully with these hands for Thy glory, to
obtain a knowledge of Thy law. May it be acceptable
to Thee, oh, Sovereign of the universe, that I may rest in
peace."
On the day of the Rabbi's death the Rabbins proclaimed. fast, and a day of prayer, for their beloved chief. They
also forbid any announcement of his death to interrupt
their devotion, and they continued praying until a signal
was thrown from the Rabbi's house; they all experienced a
shock, as though a heavy missile had struck them, and
ceased praying.
Rabbi Judah was buried on the eve of Sabbath; with
him died the meekness among the people, and the fear
of God.
It is said that the Rabbi had a servant who was richer
than the emperor. He acquired his wealth from the sale of
the litter from the Rabbi's stables, which gives some idea
of the number of animals Rabbi Judah possessed.
Simon, the Righteous.
Simon was performing the functions of High Priest during
the triumphal career of Alexander, about the year 3000.
The sons of Judah found no cause to oppose this warrior,
and when, after his first victories over the Persian army, he
came to Syria on his way to Egypt, they joined with the
kingdoms which paid him homage.
Simon the Righteous, as representative of the nation,
proceeded to the seacoast to greet the conqueror, attired in
his priestly robes, and attended by a number of priests and
nobles in the full dignity of their costumes.
Alexander at once approached the High Priest and




210                THE TAL MUD.
greeted him warmly; and when his officers expressed their
astonishment at this mark of condescension, he told them
that the form and feature of this same priest, clad in the
same robes he now wore, had appeared to him in a dream
and promised him success in arms.
Alexander was conducted through the Temple by Simon.
On entering, he said, " Blessed be the Lord of this house."
He was charmed with the beauty of the structure, and
expressed a desire to have a statue of himself erected as a
remembrance, between the porch and the altar. Simon
informed him that it was not allowable to erect any statue
or image within the Temple walls, but promised that, as a
remembrance, the males born among his people that year
should be called Alexander. That is the manner in which
the Rabbis Alexander obtained their names.
Alexander continued well-disposed towards the High
Priest, and through his intercessions granted the Jews
religious freedom and release from all tributary burden
during the Sabbatic year; and the Jews entered Alexander's
army, and assisted in his conquests.
This state of affairs lasted unfortunately only until the
death of Alexander. In the quarrels among his generals,
which followed and continued for two decades, the Jewish
people suffered much. The armies of Antigonus and his
son Demetrius destroyed the fertile fields, gave wings to
blessed peace, and filled the inhabitants of Judea with
horror and dismay.'Twas on the Sabbath that Jerusalem was taken by storm.
The mighty walls, impenetrable strongholds since the days
of Nehemiah, were again breached and broken, and the
city laid open to her enemies.
These occurrences Simon lived to see, and his trust in
God as well as his love for his people were sorely tried.




SIMON, THI  RIGHTEOUS.               211
Yet he did not waver in his faith. He fortified the Temple,
repaired its damaged places, and raised the foundation of
the five courts. He enlarged the water reservoir in the
Temple to provide against a scarcity during siege times,
and ever after that the Temple was well supplied with
water; a matter of note considering the climate and the
soil of Jerusalem.
Neither did Simon neglect the spiritual interests of his
people. He did not lead them to believe that their strength
and safety depended only upon earthly means. He remembered well the teachings of his predecessors, " Upon three
things does the salvation of Israel depend: on the observance of the law, upon reconciliation with God by means
of grace furnished by the Temple worship, and upon deeds
of benevolence."
The many wars and disturbances which agitated the
period of his life were productive of much and varied evil,
and the extremely pious sought, as in the days of the
prophets, to withdraw from the world and consecrate themselves to God by Nazarean vows.
Simon did not approve of this, and protested against it
in many ways. He made an exception, however, in one
case, that of a young and handsome shepherd, whom he
found to be really sincere in his desire. When the latter
came to him, desiring to become a Nazeer, the High Priest
questioned him:
"Why," he asked, " why do you, so young and handsome, with flowing, silken ringlets, why do you wish to hide
so much beauty and destroy so much which is pleasant to the
eye?"
"Because," replied the youth, "my flowing ringlets have
almost enticed me to sin from mere vanity. I saw the
reflection of my face in a clear stream, and a proneness to




212                TTHE TALM UD.
self-deification seemed taking such hold of me, that I desire
now at once to consecrate my hair unto the Lord, through
the Nazarean vow.'"
Simon kissed the young shepherd, and said to him:
"Would to God there were in Israel many Nazareans
like to thee."
Simon is renowned for his familiarity with the law, for his
services as president and member of the great Senate, and
for the efficient manner in which he strengthened the religious
fervour of the people and participated in all their doings
and institutions.
He officiated as High Priest for forty years, and himself
announced the approach of his death on completing the
services on the Day of Atonement.  On entering the Holy
of Holies upon this sacred day, he had been used to
perceive, every year, an apparition in white garments, which
attended all his actions in the performance of his office.
On this particular day he failed to see it, and considered
this fact a harbinger of his death. He died seven days after
the holy day.
Posterity honoured him  as the most holy among men,
and it has been asserted that during his life visible tokens
of God's favour never ceased.
His grandchildren, however, deserted Judaism entirely,
and set the example for those actions which brought upon
Israel the troublous times of Antiochus Epiphanes.
It was shortly after Simon's death, and in view of the
degeneracy of the people, that the pious resolved that only
the priests should use the holy name of God. The four
letters of the sacred name were substituted for the name
itself, and the latter was only uttered by the priests when
* The law concerning this may be found in Numbers 6.




PASBI ISHMALE, THP tJG/Cl PAESp.            t3
they concluded the daily sacrificial service, and pronounced
a blessing on the people, and by the High Priest on the
Day of Atonement.
Rabbi Ishmael, the High P~riest.
Rabbi Ishmael was one of the most prominent and
excellent among the fathers of the Talmudical literature.
Iis doctrines are pure, his ideas sublime, and his explanations clear and concise.  He died a martyr to Roman
persecution, and this end has set the seal of truth and
conviction on all the actions and sayings of his life.
There is an historical immortality, as well as a spiritual
immortality; Rabbi Ishmael has attained the former, and
he was a firm believer in the latter. They who imagine the
doctrine of immortality to be an outgrowth of man's vanity,
claiming for himself an imaginary preference above other
creatures; they who believe it an ancient fiction, without
which no courts of law would be able to check the natural
proneness of man towards evil doing, could never rise to
the courage and sublimity of martyrdom.  To Ishmael,
common observation as well as innate principles proved the
truth of his belief.
First, no atom of matter, in the whole vastness of the
universe, is lost; how, then, can man's soul, which comprises the whole world in one idea, be lost?
Secondly, in all nature death is but a transformation; with
the soul it is the portal to a new and higher realm.
Thirdly, our thoughts and feelings, emanating from the
soul, are not of an earthly nature.
Rabbi Ishmael also advocated with energy the doctrine
of man's free agency.
" When a man enters upon the path of truth and justice,"
said he, " God helps him forward, but when he chooses thq
I




24                 THiZE rALMUD.
way of sin, God says,'I gave thee reason and free will, go
thy way,' even as the trader will wait upon the customer
who purchases a good and pleasant article, while to one who
desires pitch or sulphur he says,' Go, wait upon thyself.'"
Many ask, "Why does God permit so much corruption
and evil?"  Rabbi Ishmael answers, "Not God, but ye,
yourselves, are the creators and supporters of moral evils.
When a field is covered by weeds, shall a farmer complain
to God? No; let him blame himself for his carelessness and
neglect. Noble, indeed, is the feeling of the man who reflects that his virtue is his own work, and truely woful is
the profligate who cannot but know that his guilt is his
alone.'To the pure help cometh from on high,' was the
sentence which cheered our pious forefathers, and which
should encourage us."
His definition of sin, too, is far beyond and above the
confused ideas of many theologians.
"Sin is an obstruction in the heart; an inability to feel
and comprehend all that is noble, true, and great, and to
take part in the good." If man is to be freed from sin, his
mind and heart must be opened to the influence of enlightenment. The power of the passions must be subdued,
and all prejudice, selfishness, and self-complacency be removed.
For those who entertain the erroneous opinion that
Judaism proclaims God as unforgiving and rancorous, nothing further should be necessary than to enumerate the
Rabbi's classification of the effects of the Day of Atonement.
" He who violates an affirmative commandment, and repents, is forgiven immediately.
"He who does that thing which is forbidden, and
repents, is forgiven on the Day of Atonement.




RABBI MEIR.                   215
"He who commits a sin punishable by extirpation, or
the death penalty, may be forgiven through suffering, but
nothing save death may atone for the one who profanes the
name of God."
What is a profanation of the name of God? According
to Rab, he who borrows and does not repay commits that
sin. Rabbi Abaya says, " A man who acts so that God's
name is not honoured in his mouth.".
And Rabbi Jochanan says, " The man who has abased
his character."
Why should a violation of the affirmative commandments
be so easily expiated, as is generally believed, since they
are so important? The Rabbi says that sin committed
against man is more grievous in the eyes of God than that
committed against Himself.
Rabbi leir.
"All that God made was very good."
Rabbi Simon, the son of Eleazer, uses the words "very
good" in reference to sleep. "Man sleeps," says he, " and
in a few hours he gains renewed strength."  Rabbi Samuel,
son of Nachman, said, " The incentive leading man towards
women is'very good,' for thereby households are organised
and families are formed."  Rabbi Hammuna was of the
opinion that no more forcible meaning could be given to the
words "very good" than in applying them to the ills of life,
which, said he, "more than doctrines and reasonings keep
men temperate and dependent on a Higher Power." Rabbi
Simon, the son of Abba, applied the words "very good" to
retaliation; and Rabbi Simon, the son of Lakish, to political
government; but the teaching of Rabbi Meir was, that the
death of man is " very good."
Judaism aims not to separate, but to unite mankind,




21 6                AfE TALMUD.
and this was one of the great principles of Rabbi Meir's
life.
Concerning the passage, "Man shall observe the law
and live in it," he said, " Holy Writ says not Israelites, not
Levites, not priests, but men; therefore the Gentile who
observes the law stands on a level with the High Priest."
"Walk before every man in modesty and humility," he
said further. " Not only before your co-religionists, but
before every man."
Rabbi Meir was a great allegorist; it is said that he knew
three hundred allegories relating to the fox alone. Of these
but three fragments remain to us.
"A fox said to a bear,' Come, let us go into this kitchen;
they are making preparations for the Sabbath, and we shall
be able to find food.' The bear followed the fox, but being
bulky he was captured and punished.  Angry thereat he
designed to tear the fox to pieces, under the pretence that
the forefathers of the fox had once stolen his food; wherein
occurs the first saying,'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the chidren's teeth are set on edge.'
"'Nay,' said the fox,' come with me, my good friend;
let us not quarrel; I will lead thee to another place where
we shall surely find food.' The fox then led the bear to a
fountain, where two buckets were fastened together by a rope,
like balances. It was night, and the fox pointed to the
moon reflected in the water, saying,' Here is a fine cheese;
let us descend and partake of it with an appetite.' The fox
entered his pail first, but being too light to balance the
weight of the bear he took with him a stone. As soon as
the bear had gotten into the other pail, however, the fox
threw this stone away, and consequently he rose, while the
bear descended to the bottom."
Here he applies his second saying, "The righteous is




RABBI MER.                     217
delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his
stead."  Each man must suffer for his own sins, and for
his own guilt alone. He who follows the luminary of the
night, sensuality, must perish, while the righteous one,
though carrying a stone (sin), will throw it away betimes,
and be delivered from death.
The libertine Elishah, the son of Abuyah, generally
called Acher, a most learned man, was one of Rabbi Meir's
teachers, and they frequently conversed on Biblical passages.
The people were not pleased that Rabbi Meir should so
associate, and they called him therefore Acherim, a word
composed of the letters of Meir and Acher.  But Rabbi
Meir referred them  to the proverb, "Incline thy ears to
listen to the words of the sages, but direct thy heart to what
my thought is."
Rabbi Meir ate the date and threw away the seeds; he
found a pomegranate, and partaking of the fruit, he rejected
the rind.  His generation did not comprehend him.
Acher upon one occasion said to Rabbi Meir, "Why is
the law compared to gold and glass?"
"Because," replied Rabbi Meir, " it is as hard to acquire
as gold is hard in substance, and forgotten with as much ease
as glass is broken."
" No," returned the other, in the name of Rabbi Akiba,
"the reason is this: when gold and glass are broken they
may be melted and worked over into new shapes.  So is it
with the student of the law, though he may commit many
faulty actions there is still hope and help for him."
Rabbi Meir always favoured benevolence, and a care of
self as well as of others.  " He only is truly rich," he
asserted, " who enjoys his wealth."
The passage in Malachi 26: " Many h,  withheld from




218                 THE TALM UD.
iniquity," he interpreted as referring to Aaron, the first high
priest, who was so respected that the mere mention of his
name, or the thought of how he might regard a certain action
were he present, prevented many from falling-into sin.
A heathen once said to Rabbi Meir, "Does it seem cre.
dible that God, whose majesty you assert fills the universe,
should have spoken from between the two staves in the ark
of the sanctuary?"
In answer Rabbi Meir held up before the heathen a large
and a small looking-glass, in each of which the inquirer
beheld his image.
" Now," said the Rabbi, "in each mirror your body is
reduced to correspond with the size of the glass,-should
the same thing be impossible to God?  The world is his
large looking-glass, the sanctuary his small one."
In regard to instruction, Rabbi Meir always said, " Teach
your pupils concisely?" he also said, " Let your supplications be brief;" and his exhortation to parents was, " Teach
thy son an honest handicraft."
His favourite maxim was, " Be resolved to know my
ways; be attentive at the doors of the law, and guard the
law in thy heart. Before thy eyes be the fear of me; protect thy mouth from sinning; cleanse and sanctify thyself
from all guilt and iniquity, and God will be with thee."
From the sentence, "Be attentive at the doors of the
law," Rabbi Meir declared that every scholar should have
at least three teachers, and that the word " doors " possesses
a peculiar idea or meaning. For instance, a person in passing the door of the house in which he passed his honeymoon, or the door of a hall of justice in which he has been
convicted or acquitted, or the door of a house in which he has
sinned, what different thoughts, feelings, and recollections
will be awakened in him. With equal strength should the




RABBI MEIR.                    219
circumstances under which he studied the law be impressed
upon his mind.  The Israelites are called the "children of
God," and Rabbi Meir never ceased to present this filial
relation in its true light, filling to the brim the goblet of
family happiness, and displaying it to the eyes of the people.
"Jeremiah calls us' foolish children,' " said he; "in Deuteronomy we are called' children lacking faith;' but under al'
circumstances we remain'the children of God.'"
Rabbi Meir's wife was good and pious as her husband.
There dwelt in his neighbourhood some co-religionists
who were followers of Greek customs, who annoyed the
Rabbi very much.  In his vexation he would have prayed
to God to destroy them, but said Beruryah, his wife:
"Be mindful of the teachings of thy faith.  Pray not
that sinners may perish, but that the sin itself may disappear
and no opportunity for its practice remain."
During the Rabbi's absence from home two of his sons
died. Their mother, hiding her grief, awaited the father's
return, and then said to him:
" My husband, some time since two jewels of inestimable
value were placed with me for safe keeping. He who left
them with me called for them to-day, and I delivered them
into his hands?"
"That is right," said the Rabbi, approvingly.  "We
must always return cheerfully and faithfully all that is placed
in our care."
Shortly after this the Rabbi asked for his sons, and the
mother, taking him by the hand, led him  gently to the
chamber of death. Meir gazed upon his sons, and realising
the truth, wept bitterly.
"Weep  not, beloved husband," said his noble wife;
"didst thou not say to me we must return cheerfully when'tis called for, all that has been placed in our care? God




22  THIE TALMUD.
gave us these jewels; He left them with us for a time, and
we gloried in their possession; but now that He calls for
His own, we should not repine."
lillel Ianniasi.
Hillel, " the chief of Israel," was the descendant of a
renowned family; his father was of the tribe of Benjamin,
while his mother was a lineal descendant of King David.
He lived about a hundred years before the destruction of the
second temple, and was called Hillel the Babylonian, having
been born in Babel.
He was forty years of age before he left his native city
to commence his studies of the law: he continued studying
under Shemaiah and Abtalyon for forty years, and from
then until his death, forty years after, he was chief of the
college.
During the period of his life as a student, Hillel was
often cramped for means to pursue his studies. There is
a generally accepted legend, to the effect that upon oae
occasion, when he lacked the fee demanded by the porter
for entrance to the college, he climbed up upon the windowsill, hoping to hear the lectures through the panes.  It
chanced to be snowing, and the student became so intensely
interested that he was quite covered with the snow without
being aware of it, and became insensible through the cold.
The attention of those inside was called to his state by the
early darkening of the room, and by them he was carried in
and restored to consciousness.
H-illel's elevation to the presidency of the college occurred
in a remarkable manner.  The eve of the Passover fell upon
the Sabbath.  The two chief Rabbis of Jerusalem were the
sons of Bethera, and they were asked to decide whether it
would be right ang lawful to prepare the paschal 1gmb upon




HILLEL HANiAST.                  82 
the Sabbath. They were unable to decide the point, when
it was mentioned to them that a man of Babel, who had
studied under two  renowned teachers, Shemaiah and
Abtalyon, was then in the place, and might be able to aid
their decision.  Hillel was appealed to, and he met the
question with such wisdom and clearness that the sons of
Bethera exclaimed, " Thou art more worthy and competent
to fill the office than we are," and through their means
Hillel was elected chief of the college in the year 3728 A.M.
Hillel was a man of very mild disposition, but he soon found
in Shamai a rival of high and hasty temper. Shamai founded
a college, which was called Beth Shamai, and between that
institution and the Bet/h Hillel the controversies were sharp
and prolonged, though in the great majority of the cases
Hillel and his disciples had by far the best of the arguments.
Hillel's students numbered eighty; the most noted of
whom was Jonathan, the son of Uziel.
Upon one occasion an unbeliever approached Shamai
and mockingly requested the Rabbi to teach to him the
tenets and principles of Judaism in the space of time he
could stand on one foot. Shamai, in great wrath, bade
him begone, and the man then applied to Hillel, who said:
"'Do not unto others what you would not have others do
to you.  This is the whole law; the rest, merely commentaries upon it."
Many silly students were fond of asking  plaguing
questions.
" How many laws are there?" asked one of these.
"Two," replied Hillel, " the oral and the written law."
"In the latter I believe," said the student; " but why
should I believe the other?"
Hillel then wrote the Hebrew alphabet upon a card, and
pointing to thl first letter, he gsked;




222                 THE TALMUD.
"What letter is that?"
" Aeph," replied the student.
"Good," said Hillel; " now the next," pointing to it.
"Bet/l."
"Good again; but how knowest thou that this is an'aleph' and this a' beth?"
"Because we have leared so from our teachers and our
ancestors."
"Well," said Hillel,  as thou acceptest this in good faith,
so accept the law."
As an evidence of Hillel's practical mind and  his
thorough appreciation of the demands and wants of his
day, the following enactment is of interest.
According to the Biblical laws, all debts were to be remitted in the Sabbatical year; as it is written: "At the
end of every seven years shalt thou make a release;...
the loan  which  he hath  lent to  his neighbour," &c.
(Deut. I5: -2).  This measure, intended to adjust the
inequalities of fortune, and well qualified for its purpose
under some circumstances, was in the Herodian age the
cause of much trouble. The wealthy man was loth to loan
his money to those most in need of it, fearing to lose it by
the provisions of this law.  To remedy this evil, Hillel,
without directly abrogating the statute of limitation, ordained
that the creditor might make a duly signed deposition before
the Sabbatical year, reserving the right to collect his outstanding debts at any time that he might think proper. This
enactment was beneficial alike to  rich  and poor, and
became a law with the approval of the elders.
Hillel died about the year 3764.
Rashi.
Rabbenu Shelomo Yitzchaki (Our teacher, Solomon the




RASHI.                     223
son of Isaac), generally known as Rashi, from the initial
letters of his name, was born about the year I040 in Troyes,
France. As a lad, his progress was remarkable; he mastered
the most abstruse studies without difficulty, obtaining, in
addition to his great proficiency in philology, philosophy,
medicine, astronomy, and civil law,, a complete mastery
over the wide range of Scriptural and Talmudical lore.
He commenced his commentaries upon the Scriptures
very early in life, completing the work, it is said, in his
thirty-third year. Before giving it to the public, however,
he travelled for seven years, visiting the academies of Italy,
Greece, Germany, Palestine, and Egypt, storing up for the
benefit of coming ages all that an observant eye, a gifted
mind, and a diligent scholar could glean.
Upon his return to France, Rashi published his commentaries on the Bible, a book which has never been superseded, and which is now frequently published in connexion
with the Hebrew Bible, and he supplemented the same,
shortly after, with a commentary upon twenty-three of the
treatises of the Talmud.
Many of his works were never published; but among
those given to the world is a book of medicine, and a
poem, " The Unity of God."
He died at the age ot seventy-five years, leaving three
daughters, one of whom became the mother of Samuel
Den Meier, who edited and added to the works oi his
grandfather.
His eminence, his piety, and his learning became tra.
ditional with succeeding generations, and he became the
hero of many legends of that nature, which minds in those
early days were so ready to grasp and embellish.
It is said that his monarch sent for him  upon one
occasion, and said to him:




224                 THE TALMUD
"I have prepared a hundred thousand chariots and
two hundred ships; I desire to capture Jerusalem.  My
soldiers and officers are superior in skill and courage to
those now in possession; what thinkest thou of my prospects for success?"
" Thou wilt capture Jerusalem," returned Rashi; " thou
wilt reign over it three days, and thou wilt return to this
city with three horses and as many men thereon."
"Take heed then that there be not four horses," exclaimed the monarch, angered at this prediction, " for if I
return with even one more than thou hast said, I will give
thy flesh to the fowls of the air."
The war lasted for four years.  The monarch returned
with but four horsemen left of all his army, and as they
passed through the gates of the city a stone fell, killing one
horse and its rider instantly. This brought to mind the
words of Rashi; but when the king sought for him, he
found that during his absence the old man had gone the
way of all flesh.
It is claimed that the chair which Rashi used in the
college is still in existence.
Rashi was also called _archi, derived from the name of
the city in which he lived, "Lunel."  _erach being the
Hebrew, as lune is the French for moon.
In the words of the Talmud, "A righteous man never
dies," and, "Happy the man that hath found wisdom, and
he that hath acquired understanding."
Maivmonides.
Moses Maimonides, one of the greatest of Jewish commentators, and a descendant of Rabbi Judah, the compiler
of the.Mishna, was born in the city of Cordova, Spain,
M4frch 3oth, I35.  His father was somewhat advanced in




life when he married, and it is said that he entered into the
conjugal state through having dreamed several successive
times that he was wedded to the daughter of a butcher in
his neighbourhood; the lady whom he did actually marry.
Moses was the only child of this lady, who died shortly
after his birth. His father lamented her demise for about
a year, and then married again, several children being the
result of this second union.
Moses displayed no love for study in his youth; a fact
which grieved his father much. All efforts to induce him
to become more studious failed; his brothers called him
" the butcher's boy," as a term of reproach for his dulness;
and finally, in anger, his father drove him from his home.
While travelling, entirely friendless, Moses fell in with a
learned Rabbi, and admired his wisdom and knowledge so
much that he resolved to study zealously and emulate such
attainments.
Many years after this a new preacher was announced to
lecture in the synagogue, at Cordova, upon a designated
Sabbath. Numerous rumours of his wonderful learning and
eloquence were rife, and all were anxious to hear him. In
matter, delivery, earnestness, and effect, the sermon excelled
all that the people had before listened to, and to the
amazement of Maimonides the elder, and his sons, they
recognised in the man all were eager to honour, their outcast relative.
The first commentary of Maimonides is upon the Afishna,
and it concludes with these words:
"I, Moses, the son of Maymon, commenced this commentary when twenty-three years of age. I have finished it
at the age of thirty in the land of Egypt."
Maimonides fled from Spain to Cairo, in Egypt, from
fanaticism  and persecution. There he studied the Greel




226                 AtIE TALMUD.
and Chaldaic languages, becoming master of both after seven
years' attention. His fame spread through the country.
His scientific standing and his general knowledge were
universally recognised, and his books were not only valued
by his brethren in faith, but by all the cultured and
enlightened of his day.
It is said that the king of Egypt appointed him as one of
his staff of physicians. The enlightened men of the kingdom
were divided into seven grades, each grade occupying a
corresponding position near the throne of the king on state
occasions. The monarch considered Maimonides so much
superior to the others that he made for him a special position. This, Moses, a modest man, declined. The other
physicians, however, were jealous of his high standing, and
being unable to injure him openly, they endeavoured to
accomplish his ruin in a secret manner.
The king was taken very sick, and Maimonides attended
him. Taking advantage of this, the physicians put poison
in the draught which Moses had prepared for him, and then
informed the king that the latter designed his death. To
prove their words, they gave some of the mixture to a dog,
and the animal died.
The king was grieved and surprised, and Maimonides,
struck dumb with amazement, was unable to say a word.
" Death is the penalty for one who attempts to assassinate
his ruler," said the king.' Choose now the mode of thy
punishment."
Moses asked for three days for consideration, which the
king granted.  During this time he prepared a certain
mixture, and instructed his pupils to have it ready and apply
it according to his directions, when he should be brought
home senseless. He then appeared before the king, and
desired to have hW; veins opened. The vital artery was




RABBI AMNOA, OF METZP.               2d7
missed, as he had anticipated, and the result was as he had
foreseen. After his recovery, he fled from Egypt, taking
refuge in a cave, where he wrote his " Yad Hazakak" (the
" Strong Hand"), consisting of fourteen divisions, typified by
the word Yad, which also means fourteen.
Maimonides simplified the Talmudical rules and traditions, making them clear to the comprehension of all. He
was the author of an exhaustive work, entitled, " Mishne
Torah," the " Second Law," which was eagerly copied and
extensively disseminated. He also wrote many philosophical
treatises levelled against atheism, and designed to prove that
God produced the world from naught, and at the age of fifty
gave to the world his great work, Moreh Nebuchimn (Guide of
the Perplexed), to which Rabbi Judah Charizi added an
appendix.
Maimonides died at the age of seventy years, and his remains were interred at Cairo, Egypt.  Both Jews and
Gentiles mourned his loss. The lamentation in Jerusalem
was intense, a fast was declared, the synagogues were
opened, and a portion of the law (Levit. 25: I2 to end), and
the fifth chapter of Samuel i, were made parts of the service
of the day.
Rabbi Amnon, of Afeiz.
During the reign of one of the bishops in Metz, there
lived a Jew in that city, who was called Rabbi Amnon. He
was of illustrious family, of great personal merit, rich and
respected by the Bishop and the people. The Bishop
frequently pressed him  to abjure Judaism  and embrace
Christianity, but without the slightest avail. It happened,
however, upon a certain day, being more closely pressed
than usual, and somewhat anxious to be rid of the Bishop's
importunities, he said hastily, " I will consider the subject,
and give thee an answer in three days."




!2,28I   P1 TALAIMu.D,
As soon as he had left the Bishop's presence, however,
his heart smote him, and an unquiet conscience blamed him
for admitting, even in this manner, a doubt of the true faith.
I-Ie reached home overwhelmed with grief; meat was set before him, but he refused to eat; and when his friends visited
him and ascertained the cause of his low spirits, he refused
their proffered consolation, saying, " I shall go down
mourning to the grave for these words."  On the third day,
while he was still lamenting his imprudent concession, th.
Bishop  sent for him, but he refused  to  answer the
call.
Having refused several of the Bishop's messengers, they
were finally ordered to seize him, and bring him by force before the prelate.
"Amnon," said the Bishop, " why didst thou not come to
me, according to thy promise, to inform me of thy decision
in regard to my request?"
"Let me," answered Amnon, "pronounce my own doom
fur this neglect. Let my tongue, which uttered those hasty,
doubting words, be cut out; a lie I uttered, for I never intended to consider the proposition."
"Nay," said the Bishop, "I will not cut out thy tongue,
but thy feet which refused to come to me, shall be cut off,
and the other parts of thy obstinate body shall be also
punished and tormented."
Under the Bishop's eye and order, the toes and thumbs
of Rabbi Amnon were then cut off, and after having been
severely tortured, he was sent home in a carriage, his
mangled members beside him.
Rabbi Amnon bore all this with the greatest resignation,
firmly hoping and trusting that this earthly torment would
plead his pardon with God.
His life after this was of course to be measured only by




PAB BIAMNOlV, OP METZ.               119
days. The Feast of the New Year came round, while he
was living, and he desired to be carried to the synagogue.
He was conveyed to the house of God, and during the
service lie requested to be allowed to utter a prayer.  The
words, which proved to be his last, were as follows:
" I will declare the mighty holiness of this day, for it is
awful and tremendous. Thy kingdom is exalted thereon;
Thy throne is established in mercy, and upon it Thou dost
rest in truth. Thou art the Judge, who chastiseth, and from
Thee naught may be concealed. Thou bearest witness,
writest, sealest, recordest, and rememberest all things, aye,
those which we imagine long buried in the past. The Book
of Records thou openest; the great slhophar (cornet) is
sounded; even the angels are terrified, and they cry aloud,'The Day of Judgment dawns upon us,' for in judgment
they, the angels, are not faultless.
"All who have entered the world pass before Thee,
Even as the shepherd causes the flock he numbers to pass
under his crook, so Thou, oh Lord, causest every living soul
to pass before Thee. Thou numberest, Thou visitest; appointing the limitations of every creature, Thy judgment and
Thy sentence.
" On the New Year it is written, on the Day of Atonement
it is sealed. Aye, all Thy decrees are recorded. Who is to
live and who to die. The names of those to meet death by
fire, by water, or by the sword; through hunger, through
thirst, and with the pestilence. All is recorded.  Those who
are to have tranquillity, those who are to be disturbed.
Those who are to be troubled, those who are to be blessed
with repose. Those who are to be prosperous, those for
whom affliction is in store. Those who are to become rich,
who poor; who exalted, who cast down; but penitence,
prayer, and charity, oh Lord, may avert all evil decrees."
Q




230                 THE TALMUD.
When he had finished this declaration, in which he
designed to acknowledge his sin and the justice of his
punishment, Rabbi Amnon expired, dying fitly in God's
house, among the assembled sons of Israel.
May the righteousnesss of Rabbi Amnon be a precious
remembrance in Israel, and may we endeavour to emulate
the same. Amen.




II.
TEACHINGS OF THE RABBIS
Benevolence.
ACCORDING to a proverb of the fathers, benevolence is one
of the pillars upon which the world rests. "The world,"
said they, " is sustained by virtue of three things,-the law,
divine worship, and active benevolence." The Pentateuch
commences and ends with an act of benevolence, as it is
written, " And the Lord God made unto Adam and to his
wife coats of skin, and clothed them" (Genesis 3: 20); and
also, " And He (God) buried him" (Deut. 34: 6). To do a
person a favour, is to act beneficently towards him without
any hope or desire of return, and may be practised in two
cases,-to oblige a person to whom we are not under
obligation, and to accommodate or oblige a person, with
more trouble to ourselves and more gain to him than he
deserves. The mercy which is mentioned in the Bible is
that which is given freely and without desert upon the part
of one to whom it is granted; for instance, the benevolence
of God is called mercy, because we are in debt to God, and
H-Ie owes us nothing. Charity is also a species of benevolence, but it can only be applied to the poor and needy;
while benevolence itself is both for poor and rich, high and
lowly. We may even act benevolently towards the dead,
attending to the last rites; this is called mercy and truth. If
we oblige a fellow-man, it is possible that he may, in the
course of time, repay the same; but benevolence to the dead
is the very truth of mercy; it cannot be returned. In three




~' 3          f'lf 7R rALAMItI.
instances is benevolence superior to charity. Charity nma
be practised by means of money; benevolence with or without money. Charity is for the poor alone; benevolence
either for the poor or for the rich. Charity we can display
but to the living; benevolence to the living or the dead.
"After the Lord your God ye shall walk." How is it possible for us to walk after God? By following his attributes
and examples. The Lord clothed the naked, as it is written,
"The Lord God made to Adam and his wife coats of skin
and clothed them."  So we must do the same. The Lord
visited the sick. " The Lord appeared to him  in the
grove of Mamre" (which was immediately after the circumcision). So we must do the same. The Lord comforteth
the mourner.  "It came to pass after the death of
Abraham, God blessed his son Isaac."  So we must do the
same. The Lord buried the dead, as it is written, "He
(God) buried him." So must we do the same. To attend
to the dead, follow to its last resting-place the dust of our
fellows, is an act of benevolence both to the living and
the dead; the spirit departed and the mourners.
Rabbi Judah said, "If a person weeps and mourns
excessively for a lost relative, his grief becomes a murmur
against the will of God, and he may soon be obliged to
weep for another death." We should justify the decree of
God, and exclaim with Job, "The Lord gave and the Lord
hath taken; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Hospitality is another attribute of benevolence. It is
said of Abraham, " And he planted an orchard." This was
not an orchard as we understand the word, but an inn.
Abraham opened his house to passing travellers, and entertained them  in a hospitable manner. When his guests
thanked him for his attention, Abraham replied, "Do not
thank me, for I am not the owner of this place; thank




BENE VOLENC.                    233
God, who created heaven and earth."  In this manner he
made the name of God known among the heathens. Therefore he gave us an example of hospitality which we should
follow, as it is written in the proverbs of the fathers, "Let
thy house be open wide as a refuge, and let the poor be
cordially received within thy walls." When they enter thy
house, receive them with a friendly glance, and set immediately before them thy bread and salt. Perhaps the poor
man may be hungry, and yet hesitate to ask for food.
Even though there may be much to trouble thee, thou must
hide thy feelings from thy guests; comfort them if they need
kindly words, but lay not thine own troubles before them.
Remember how kindly Abraham acted towards the three
angels whom  he thought were men; how hospitably he
treated them, saying, " My lords, if I have found grace in
your eyes, do not pass away from  your servant," &c.
(Gen. I8: 3.) Be always friendly to thy guests, then when
thou shalt call upon the Lord He will answer thee.
God knows whether the hearts which seek Him offer Him
all of which they are capable. During the existence of the
Temple, the Lord received with equal favour the meat
offering of a handful of flour and the sacrifice of a bull. So
now, the offering of the poor is just as acceptable as the
utmost which the rich man can afford, if their hearts are
equally with the Lord.
It was said of Rabbi Tarphon, that though a very wealthy
man, he was not charitable according to his means. One
time Rabbi Akiba said to him, "Shall I invest some money
for thee in real estate, in a manner which will be very
profitable?" Rabbi Tarphon answered in the affirmative,
and brought to Rabbi Akiba four thousand denars in gold,
to be so applied. Rabbi Akiba immediately distributed
the same among the poor.  Some time after this Rabbi




234                THE TALMUD.
Tarphon met Rabbi Akiba, and asked him where the real
estate which he had bought for him was situated. Akiba
led his friend to the college, and showed him a little boy,
who recited for them the II2th psalm. When he reached
the ninth verse, " He distributeth, he giveth to the needy,
his righteousness endureth for ever:"
"There," said Akiba, "thy property is with David,
the king of Israel, who said,'he distributeth, he giveth to
the needy.'"
"And wherefore hast thou done this?" asked Tarphon.
"Knowest thou not," answered Rabbi Akiba, " how Nakdimon, the son of Guryon, was punished because he gave
not according to his means?"
"Well," returned the other, "why didst thou not tell me
this; could I not have distributed my means without thy
aid?"
"Nay," said Akiba, "it is a greater virtue to cause
another to give than to give one's self."
From this we may learn that he who is not charitable
according to his means will be punished.
Rabbi Jochanan, the son of Lakkai, was once riding
outside of Jerusalem, and his pupils had followed him.
They saw a poor woman collecting the grain which dropped
from  the mouths and troughs of some feeding cattle,
belonging to Arabs.  When she saw the Rabbi, she
addressed him  in these brief words, " Oh Rabbi, assist
me."  He replied, " My daughter, whose daughter art
thou?'
" I am the daughter of Nakdimon, the son of Guryon,"
she answered.
" Why, what has become of thy father's money?" asked
the Rabbi; "the amount which thou didst receive as a
dowry on thy wedding day?"




BENE VOLENCE.                    235'Ah," she replied, "is there not a saying in Jerusalem,
The salt was wanting to the money?' "
" And  thy husband's money," continued the Rabbi;
" what of that?"
" That followed the other," she answered; " I have lost
them both."
The Rabbi turned to his scholars and said:
"I remember, when I signed her marriage contract, her
father gave her as a dowry one million golden denars, and
her husband was wealthy in addition thereto."
The Rabbi sympathised with the woman, helped her,
and wept for her.
"Happy are ye, oh sons of Israel," he said; "as long
as ye perform  the will of God naught can conquer ye;
but if ye fail to fulfil His wishes, even the cattle are
superior to ye."
He who does not practise charity commits a sin. This
is proven in the life of Nachum.
Nachum, whatever occurred to him, was in the habit
of saying, "This too is for the best." In his old age he
became blind; both of his hands and both of his legs
were amputated, and the trunk of his body was covered
with a sore inflammation.  His scholars said  to him,
" If thou art a righteous man, why art thou so sorely
afflicted?"
"All this," he answered, " I brought upon myself.  Once
I was travelling to the house of my father-in-law, and I had
with me thirty asses laden with provisions and all manner
of precious articles. A man by the wayside called to me,'Oh, Rabbi, assist me.' I told him to wait until I unloaded
* Salt is used to preserve meat; without salt the meat rots. Charity
is to money even as salt is to meat.




236                 THE TALM IUD.
my asses. When that time arrived and I had removed
their burdens from my beasts, I found to my sorrow that
the poor man had fallen and expired. I threw myself upon
his body and wept bitterly.'Let these eyes, which had
no pity on thee, be blind,' I said;'these hands that delayed
to assist thee, let them be cut off, and also these feet, which
did not run to aid thee.' And yet I was not satisfied until
I prayed that my whole body might be stricken with a sore
inflammation.  Rabbi Akiba said to me,' Woe to me that
I find thee in this state!' But I replied,'Happy to thee
that thou meetest me in this state, for through this I hope
that my iniquity may be forgiven, and all my righteous
deeds still remain recorded to gain me a reward of life
eternal in the future world.' 
Rabbi Janay upon seeing a man bestowing alms in a
public place, said, "Thou hadst better not have given
at all, than to have bestowed alms so openly and put the
poor man to shame.
" One should rather be thrown into a fiery furnace than
be the means of bringing another to public shame."
The Rabbis particularly insist that we are not to confine
the exercise of charity to our own people, for the law of
Moses inculcates kindness and  hospitality towards the
Stranger within our gates.  Even the animals are especially
remembered in his most merciful code.
Rabbi Juda said, "No one should sit down to his owrn
meals, until seeing that all the animals dependent upon his
care are provided for."
Rabbi Jochanan has said that it is as pleasing in God's
sight if we are kind and hospitable to strangers, as if we
rise up early to study His law; because the former is in
fact putting His law into practice.  He also said, "He \who




IEEKA'ESS.                     237
is active in kindnesses towards his fellows is forgiven his
sins."
Both this Rabbi and Abba say it is better to lend to the
poor than to give to them, for it prevents them froiufeeling
ashamed of their poverty, and is really a more charitable
manner of aiding them. The Rabbis have always taught
that kindness is more than the mere almsgiving of charity,
for it includes pleasant words with the more substantial
help.
MAeekness.
We find in the Bible many instances of the pleasure which
meekness and humility in the creature affords the Great
Creator. The noblest of our ancestors were those who were
free from self-pride.
Abraham, the pure in heart, knew well he was but dust of
the earth; and when the sons of Heth addressed him as
the "prince of God," he bowed down before them.
Moses and Aaron, the leaders of Israel, exclaimed, " What
are we 1" And Moses in place of being jealous on hearing
that two of his followers were prophesying in the camp, said
humbly, " Would that all the Lord's people were prophets."
(Numb. i: 29.)
When David dedicated to God's service the costly material
he had gathered for the Temple, he meekly said, " Only
of Thine own have we given Thee."  (Ps. 37: I'.)
From the Great Eternal, Himself, we learn humility. lie
chose Mount Sinai from which to give His commandments:'twas not the highest of the mountains.  He called to
Moses not from a lofty tree but from a lowly bush. When
he spoke to Elijah, he allowed the wind to roar, the earth to
tremble, and the fire to flash forth; but for His medium 14
chose "thle still spa!l voiqe,"




233                THE TALMUD.
Rabbi Hunnah said, "He who is proud in heart is as
sinful as the idolater."
Rabbi Abira said, " He who is proud shall be humbled."
Heskaiah said, "The prayers of a proud hard-hearted
man are never heard."
Rabbi Ashi said, " He who hardens his heart with pride,
softens his brains with the same."
Rabbi Joshua said, " Meekness is better than sacrifice;"
for is it not written, " The sacrifices of God are a broken
heart-a broken contrite spirit, Thou, oh Lord, will not
despise."
The Fear of God.
The son of Rabbi Hunnah said, " He who possesses a
knowledge of God's law, without the fear of Him, is as one
who has been intrusted with the inner keys of a treasury,
but from whom the outer ones are withheld."
Rabbi Alexander said, " He who possesses worldly wisdom
and fears not the Lord, is as one who designs building a
house and completes only the door, for as David wrote in
Psalm TIIth,'The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the
Lord."'
When Rabbi Jochanan was ill, his pupils visited him and
asked him for a blessing. With his dying voice the Rabbi
said, "I pray that you may fear God as you fear man."
"What!" exclaimed his pupils, "should we not fear God
more than man?"
"I should be well content," answered the sage, "it your
actions proved that you feared Him as much. When you
do wrong you first make sure that no human eyes see you;
show the same fear of God, who sees everywhere, and everything, at all times."
Abba says we can show our fear of God in our intercourse




THE FEAR OF GOD.                   239
with one another.  "Speak pleasantly and kindly to every
one;" he says, "trying to pacify anger, seeking peace, and
pursuing it with your brethren and with all the world, and
by this means you will gain that'favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man,' which Solomon so
highly prized." (Prov. 3' 9.)
Rabbi Jochanan had heard Rabbi Simon, son of Jochay,
illustrate by a parable that passage of Isaiah which reads as
follows: "I, the Lord, love uprightness; but hate robbery
(converted) into burnt-offering."
A king having imported certain goods upon which he laid
a duty, bade his officers, as they passed the custom-house,
to stop and pay the usual tariff.
Greatly astonished, his attendants addressed him thus:
"'Sire! all that is collected belongs to your majesty; why
then give what must be eventually paid into thy treasury?"
"Because," answered the monarch, "TI wish travellers to
learn from  the action I now order you to perform, how
abhorrent dishonesty is in my eyes."
Even so is it regarding the dealings of the Almighty with
us, pilgrims on earth. Though all we possess belongs to
Him, yet He adds to it continually, in order to increase our
temporal enjoyment. Should any one imagine, therefore,
that to defraud man in order to present to God, what is
solely His own, might be allowable, he would be rebuked
by the teachings of Holy Writ, for the just God condemns
the act, and calls it hateful.
From  this we may then infer, for instance, that palmbranches, stolen in order to perform therewith the prescribed
rites at the Feast of Tabernacles, are unfit for use by reason
of the unlawful manner in which they were obtained.
Rabbi Eleazer said: " He who is guided by righteousness
and justice in all his doings, may justly be asserted to have




240                 TIE TAL MU rD.
copied God in His unbounded beneficence. For of Him
(blessed be His name) we read,'He loveth righteousness
and justice;' that is,'The earth is filled with the loving
kindness of God.'"  Might we think that to follow such a
course is an easy task?  No! The virtue of beneficence
can be gained only by great efforts. Will it be difficult,
however, for him  that has the fear of God constantly
before his eyes to acquire this attribute?  No; he will
easily attain it, whose every act is done in the fear of the
Lord.
"A  crown of grace is the hoary head; on the way of
righteousness can it be found."
So taught Solomon in his Proverbs.  Hence various
Rabbis, who had attained an advanced age, were questioned
by their pupils as to the probable cause that had secured
them  that mark of divine favour.  Rabbi Nechumah
answered that, in regard to himself, God had taken cogninisance of three principles by which he had endeavoured
to guide his conduct.
First, he had never striven to exalt his own standing by
lowering that of his neighbour. This was agreeable to the
example set by Rabbi Hunna, for the latter, while bearing
on his shoulders a heavy spade, was met by Rabbi Choa na
Ben Chanilai, who, considering the burden derogatory to
the dignity of so great a man, insisted upon relieving him
of the implement and carrying it himself.  But Rabbi
Hunna refused, saying, "Were this your habitual calling I
might permit it, but I certainly shall not permit another to
perform an office which, if done by myself, may be looked
upon by some as menial."
Secondly, he had never gone to his night's rest with a
heart harbouring ill-will against his fellow-man, conformably
with th  practice of Mar Zutra, who, before sleeping, offered




HONOVUR ZTHY PARENTS.               14i
th!s prayer: " 0 Lord! forgive all those who have done me
injury."
Thirdly, he was not penurious, following the example
of the righteous Job, of whom the sages relate that he
declined to receive the change due him after making a
purchase.
Another Rabbi, bearing also the name of Nechumah,
replied to Rabbi Akiba, that he believed himself to have
been blessed with long life because, in his official capacity,
he had invariably set his face against accepting presents,
mindful of what Solomon wrote, "He that hateth gifts will
live." Another of his merits he conceived to be that of
never resenting an offence; mindful of the words of Rabba,
"He who is indulgent towards others' faults, will be mercifully dealt with by the Supreme Judge."
Rabbi Zera said that the merit of having reached an
extreme age was in his case due, under Providence, to his
conduct through life.  He governed his household with
mildness and forbearance. He refrained from advancing
an opinion before his superiors in wisdom. He avoided
rehearsing the word of God in places not entirely free from
uncleanliness. He wore the phylacteries all day, that he might
be reminded of his religious duties. He did not make the
college where sacred knowledge is taught, a place of convenience, as, for instance, to sleep there, either occasionally
or habitually. He never rejoiced over the downfall of a
fellow-mortal, nor would he designate another by a name
objectionable to the party personally, or to the family of
which he was a member.
Honour thy Parents.
The Bible makes man's parents equally deserving, with
the Most High, of his honour and reverence. "Honour thy




242                ETH  TAZLMUS.
father and thy mother," is one of the precepts of the Deca.
logue, and it is also written, " Honour God from thy wealth."
"Tear thy father and mother," and "The Lord thy God
shalt thou fear," are also divine inculcations, while the
penalty for the blasphemous child, who sins against either
his earthly parents or the great Father of the Universe, is
the same, even as it is written, " Who curses his father and
his mother shall be put to death," and "Every man who
blasphe;zes God shall carry his death."
"Three friends," said the Rabbis, "has man."  God, his
father, and his mother.  "He who honours his parents,"
says God, "honours me, even as though I lived among
them."
Rabbi Judah said, " Known and revealed are the ways of
man. A mother coaxes a child with kind words and gentle
ways, gaining honour and affection; therefore, the Bible
says,' Honour thy father,' before' honour thy mother.' But
in regard to fearing, as the father is the preceptor of the
child, teaching it the law, the Bible says,'Every man shall
fear his mother,' before the word'father.'"
Rabbi Ulah was once asked, " How extended should be
this honour due to parents?"
He replied:
"Listen, and I will tell ye how thoroughly it was observed
by a heathen, Damah, the son of Nethina.  He was a
diamond merchant, and the sages desired to purchase from
him a jewel for the ephod of the high priest.  When they
reached his house, they found that the key of the safe in
which the diamond was kept was in the possession of Damah's
father, who was sleeping. The son absolutely refused to
wake his father, to obtain the key, even when the sages in
their impatience offered him a much larger sum for the jewel
than he had demanded.  And further, when his father




HONOUR THY PARENTS.                  243
owoke, and he delivered the diamond to the purchasers,
and they offered him the larger sum which they had named,
he took from it his first price, returning the balance to
them, with the words,'I will not profit by the honour of my
father.' "
Man cannot always judge of man, and in the respect paid
to parents by their children, earthly eyes cannot always see
the truth. For instance, a child may feed his parents on
dainties, and yet deserve the punishment of a disrespectful
son; while another may send his father to labour, and yet
deserve reward.  How may this be?
A certain man placed dainty food before his father, and
bade him  eat thereof.  When the father had finished his
meal, he said:
"My son, thou hast prepared for me a most delicious
meal. Wherefrom didst thou obtain these delicacies?"
And the son replied, insultingly:
"Eat as the dogs do, old man, without asking questions."
That son inherited the punishment of disrespect.
A certain man, a miller, had a father living with him, at
the time when all people not working for themselves were
obliged to labour a certain number of days for the government. When it came near the time when this service would
be required of the old man, his son said to him, " Go thou
and labour ior me in the mill, and I will go and work for the
government."
He said this because they who laboured for the government were beaten if their work proved unsatisfactory, and
he thought " it is better for me to run the chance of being
beaten than to allow my father to risk it." Therefore, he
deserved the reward of the son who " honours his father."
Rabbi Chiyah asserted that God preferred honour shown
to parents, to that displayed towards Himself.  "It is




244                  7z  TALMUD.
written," said he, "' Honour the Lord from thy wealth.'
How?  Through charity, good deeds, putting the mezuzah
upon thy doorposts, making a tabernacle for thyself during
Succoth, &c.; all this if thou art able.  If thou art poor the
omission is not counted a sin or a neglect. But it is written,'Honour thy father and thy mother,' and the duty is demanded alike of rich and poor; aye, even shouldst thou be
obliged to beg for them from door to door."
Rabbi Abahu said, "Abini, my son, hath obeyed thk
precept even as it should be observed."
Abini had five children, but he would not allow any of
them to open the door for their grandfather, or attend to his
wants when he himself was at home.  Even as he desired
them in their lives to honour him, so he paid respect to his
father.  Upon one occasion his father asked him for a glass
of water. While he was procuring it the old man fell asleep,
and Abini, re-entering the room, stood by his father's side
with the glass in his hand until the latter awoke.
"What is fear?" and "What is honour?" ask the Rabbis.
Fear thy mother and thy father, by sitting not in their
seats and standing not in their places; by paying strict
attention to their words and interrupting not their speech.
Be doubly careful not to criticise or judge their arguments
or controversies.
Honour thy father and thy mother, by attending to their
wants; giving them to eat and to drink; put their raiment
upon them, and tie their shoes if they are not able to perform
these services for themselves.
Rabbi Eleazer was asked how far honour towards parents
should  be  extended, and  he  replied: "Cast all thy
wealth into the sea; but trouble not thy father and thy
mother."
Simon, the son of Jochai, said: "As the reward to those




THE LA W AND ITS STUDY.                245
who honour their parents is great, so is the punishment
equally great for those who neglect the precept."
Each precept of the Bible states what the reward for its
observance will be, and with this one we are told, " In order
that thy days may be prolonged, and in order that it may go
well with thee."
That thy days may be prolonged, not only in this world,
but also in the world to come.
The Law and ifs Study.
"The Lord created me as the beginning of his way'
(Prov. 8:22). This means that God created the law before
he created the world.  Many sages have made their lives
as black as the raven, that is, cruel to themselves as the
raven is to her children, by means of continual study, day
and night.
Rabbi J ohanan said, "It is best to study by night,
when all is quiet; as it is written,' Shout forth praises in
the night' "
Reshbi Lakish said, " Study by day and by night; as it is
written,'Thou shalt meditate therein day and night.'"
Rabbi Chonan, of Zepora, said, "The study of the law
may be compared to a huge heap of dust that is to be
cleared away. The foolish man says,'It is impossible that
I should be able to remove this immense heap, I will not
attempt it;' but the wise man says,'I will remove a little
to-day, some more to-morrow, and more the day after, and
thus in time I shall have removed it all.'
"It is the same with studying the law. The indolent
pupil says,' It is impossible for me to study the Bible.
Just think of it, fifty chapters in Genesis; sixty-six in
Isaiah, one hundred and fifty Psalms, &c.  I cannot do
it;' but the industrious student says,'I will study six




246                 THE TALMUD.
chapters every day, and so in time I shall acquire the
whole.'"
In Proverbs 24: 7, we find this sentence: "Wisdom is
too high for a fool."
" Rabbi Jochanan illustrates this verse with an apple depending from the-ceiling. The foolish man says,' I cannot
reach the fruit, it is too high;' but the wise man says,'It
may be readily obtained by placing one step upon another
until thy arm is brought within reach of it.' The foolish
man says,'Only a wise man can study the entire law;' but
the wise man replies,' It is not incumbent upon thee to
acquire the whole.' "
Rabbi Levi illustrates this by a parable.
A man once hired two servants to fill a basket with water
One of them  said, "Why should I continue this useless
labour? I put the water in one side and it immediately
leaks out of the other; what profit is it?"
The other workman, who was wise, replied, " We have the
profit of the reward which we receive for our labour."
It is the same in studying the law.  One man says,
What does it profit me to study the law when I must ever
continue it or else forget what I have learned."  But the
other man replies, " God will reward us for the will which we
display even though we do forget."
Rabbi Ze-irah has said that even a single letter in the law
which we might deem of no importance, if wanting, would
neutralise the whole law.  In Deuteronomy 22:17, we
read, " Neither shall he take to himself many wives, that his
heart may turn away."  Solomon transgressed this precept,
and it is said by Rabbi Simon that the angels took note of
his ill-doing and addressed the Deity: " Sovereign of the
world, Solomon has made Thy law even as a law liable to
change and diminution. Three precepts he has disregarded,




THE LA W AND ITS STUD Y.             24 7
namely,'He shall not acquire for himself many horses;''neither shall he take to himself many wives;' nor shall he
acquire to himself too much silver and gold."' Then the
Lord replied, "Solomon will perish from the earth; aye,
and a hundred Solomons after him, and yet the smallest
letter of the law shall not be dispensed with."
The Rabbis have often applied in a figurative sense,
various passages of Holy Writ, among others the opening
verse of the 55th chapter of Isaiah.  "Ho, every one of ye
that thirsteth, come ye to the water, and he, too, that hath
no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy without
money and without price, wine and milk."
The three liquids which men are thus urged to procure are
considered by the sages of Israel as typical of the law.
One Rabbi asked, " Why is the word of God compared to
water?"
To this question the following answer was returned: " As
water runs down from an eminence (the mountains), and
rests in a low place (the sea), so the law, emanating from
Heaven, can remain in the possession of those only who are
humble in spirit."
Another Rabbi inquired, "Wherefore has the Word of
God been likened to wine and milk?"  The reply made
was, "As these fluids cannot be preserved in golden
vessels, but only in those of earthenware, so those minds
will be the best receptacles of learning which are found in
homely bodies."
Thus, for instance, Rabbi Joshua ben Chaninall, who was
very homely in appearance, possessed great wisdom and
erudition; and one of his favourite sayings was, that
" though many have exhibited a vast amount of knowledge,
notwithstanding their personal attractions, yet had they




248                 THE TALMUD.
been less handsome, their acquirements might have beet
more extensive."
There is another reason for comparing the Word of God
to the last-mentioned liquids, namely, that they demand
watching, lest they be spilled or spoiled, and in the same
manner our acquaintance with the Bible and the traditions
requires constant cultivation, else it will be lost.
The precepts are compared to a lamp; the law of God to
a light. The lamp gives light only so long as it contains
oil. So he who observes the precepts receives his reward
while performing them. The law, however, is a light per
petual; it is a protection for ever to the one who studies it,
as it is written:
"When thou walkest, it (the law) will guide thee; when
thou liest down, it will watch over thee; and when thou
awakenest, it will converse with thee."
When thou walkest, it will guide thee-in this world;
when thou liest down, it will watch over thee-in the grave;
when thou awakenest, it will converse with thee-in the life
to come.
A traveller upon his journey passed through the forest
upon a dark and gloomy night.  He journeyed in dread;
he feared the robbers who infested the route he was traversing; he feared that he might slip and fall into some
unseen ditch or pitfall on the way, and he feared, too, the
wild beasts, which he knew were about him. By chance he
discovered a pine torch, and lighted it, and its gleams
afforded him great relief. He no longer feared brambles or
pitfalls, for he could see his way before him. But the dread
of robbers and wild beasts was still upon him, nor left him
till the morning's dawn, the coming of the sun.  Still he
was uncertain of his way, until he emerged from the forest,




27'iP LAW  ANA D Ifs ST'1bY.           49
and reached the cross-roads, when peace returned unto his
heart.
The darkness in which the man walked was the lack of
religious knowledge.  The torch he di.covered typifies
God's precepts, which aided him on the way until he obtained the blessed sunlight, compared to God's holy word,
the Bible. Still, while man is in the forest (the world), he
is not entirely at peace; his heart is weak, and he may lose
the right path; but when he reaches the cross-roads (death),
then may we proclaim him truly righteous, and exclaim:
" A good name is more fragrant than rich perfume, and
the day of death is better than the day of one's birth."
Rabbi Jochanan, the son of Broka, and Rabbi Eleazer,
the son of Chismah, visited their teacher, Rabbi Josah, and
he said to them:
"What is the news at the college; what is going on?"
"Nay," they answered, "we are thy scholars; it is for
thee to speak, for us to listen."
" Nevertheless," replied Rabbi Josah, "no day passes
without some occurrence of note at the college. Who
lectured to-day?"
" Rabbi Eleazer, the son of Azaryah."
"And what was his subject?"
He chose this verse from Deuteronomy," replied the
scholar:
"'Assemble the people together, the men, the women,
and the children;' and thus he expounded it:
"'The men came to learn, the women to listen; but
wherefore the children?  In order that those who brought
them might receive a reward for training their children in
the fear of the Lord.'
" He also expounded the verse from Ecclesiastes 




25 30              ITHE TALMUD.
"' The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails
fastened (are the words of) the men of the assemblies, which
are given by one shepherd.'
"'Why is the law of God compared to a goad?' he said.'Because the goad causes the ox to draw the furrow straight,
and the straight furrow brings forth a plenty of good food
for the life of man. So does the law of God keep man's
heart straight, that it may produce good food to provide for
the life eternal.  But lest thou shouldst say, "The goad is
movable, so therefore must the law be," it is also written,
" as nails," and likewise, as "nails fastened," lest thou
shouldst argue that nails pounded into wood diminish from
sight with each stroke, and that therefore by this comparison
God's law would be liable to diminution also.  No; as a
nail fastened or pianted, as a tree is planted to bring forth
fruit and multiply.
"' The men of assemblies are those who gather in numbers
to study the law.  Frequently controversies arise among
them, and thou mightest say, "With so many differing
opinions how can I settle to a study of the law?" Thy
answer is written in the words which are gizen by one shepherd. From one God have all the laws proceeded. Therefore make thy ears as a sieve, and incline thy heart to
possess all these words."'
Then said Rabbi Josah, " Happy the generation which
Rabbi Eleazer teaches."
The sages of the academy in Jabnah expressed their
regard for all human beings, learned and unlearned, in this
manner:
" I am a creature of God and so is my neighbour.  He
may prefer to labour in the country; I prefer a calling in
the city. I rise early for my personal benefit; he rises early




THS LA W A  D ITS STUDY.               251
to advance his own interests. As he does not seek to sup
plant me, I should be careful to do naught to injure hit
business. Shall I imagine that I am nearer to God because
my profession advances the cause of learning and his does
not?  No. Whether we accomplish much good or little
good, the Almighty will reward us in accordance with our
righteous intentions."
Abaygeh offered the following as his best advice:... Let him be also affable and disposed to foster
kindly feelings between all people; by so doing he will gain
for himself the love both of the Creator and His creatures."
Rabba always said that the possession of wisdom and a
knowledge of the law necessarily lead to penitence and good
deeds.  " For," said he, "it would be useless to acquire
great learning and the mastery of Biblical and traditional
law and act irreverently towards one's parents, or towards
those superior on  account of age or more  extensive
learning."
" The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a
good understanding have all those who do God's commands."
Rabba said, " Holy Writ does not tell us that to sztudy
God's commands shows a good understanding, but to do
them. We must learn, however, before we can be able to
perform; and he who acts contrary through life to the teachings of the Most High had better never have been born."' The wise man is in his smallest actions great: the fool
is in his greatest actions small."
A pupil once inquired of his teacher, "What is real
wisdom?"  The teacher replied, "To judge liberally, to
think purely, and to love thy neighbour." Another teacher
answered, "The greatest wisdom is to know thyself."




252                7ZTHE TALMtfD.
"Beware of conceit and pride of learning; learn thy
tongue to utter,' I do not know.'"
If a man devotes himself to study, and becomes learned,
to the delight and gratification of his teachers, and yet is
modest in conversation with less intelligent people, honest
in his dealings, truthful in his daily walks, the people say,
" Happy is the father who allowed him to study God's law;
happy the teachers who instructed him in the ways of truth;
how beautiful are his ways; how meritorious his deeds! Of
Much an one the Bible says,'He said to me, Thou art my
servant; oh, Israel, through thee am I glorified.'"
But when a man devotes himself to study, and becomes
learned, yet is disdainful with those less educated than
himself, and is not particular in his dealings with his fellows,
then the people say of him, " Woe to the father who allowed
him to study God's law; woe to those who instructed him;
how censurable is his conduct; how loathsome are his ways!
Tis of such an one the Bible says,' And from his country
the people of the Lord departed."'
When souls stand at the judgment-seat of God, the poor,
the rich, and the wicked each are severally asked what excuse they can offer for not having studied the law. If the
poor man pleads his poverty he is reminded of Hillel.
Though Hillel's earnings were small he gave half each day
to gain admittance to the college.
When the rich man is questioned, and answers that the
care of his fortune occupied his time, he is told that Rabbi
Eleazer possessed a thousand forests and a thousand ships,
and yet abandoned all the luxuries of wealth, and journeyed
from town to town searching and expounding the law.
When the wicked man pleads temptation as an excuse for
his evil course, he is asked if he has been more tempted




PRA YER.                     IS3
thati Joseph, more cruelly tried than he was, with good or
evil fortune.
Yet though we are commanded to study God's law, we
are not to make of it a burden; neither are we to neglect
for the sake of study any other duty or reasonable recreation.  " Why," once asked a pupil, " is'thy shalt gather in
thy corn in its season' a Scriptural command? Would not
the people gather their corn when ripe as a matter of
course?  The command is superfluous."
" Not so," replied the Rabbis; " the corn might belong
to a man who for the sake of study would neglect work.
Work is holy and honourable in God's sight, and He would
not have men fail to perform their daily duties even for the
study of His law."
Prayer.
Bless God for the good as well as for the evil. When you
hear of a death say, " Blessed is the righteous Judge."
Prayer is Israel's only weapon, a weapon inherited from
its fathers, a weapon proved in a thousand battles. Even
when the gates of prayer are shut in heaven, those of tears
are open.
We read (Ex. 17: II) that in the contest with Amalek,:when Moses lifted up his arms Israel prevailed.  Did
Moses's hands affect the war, to make it or to break it?
No; but while the ones of Israel look upward with humble
heart to the Great Father in Heaven, no evil can prevail
agrinst them.
" And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a
pole; and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any
man, when he beheld the serpent of brass he lived" (Numb.
21: 9).
Had the brazen serpent the power of killing or of giving




254                AHd  TALMUD.
life?  No; but while Israel looks upward to the Great
Father in Heaven, He will grant life.
" Has God pleasure in the meat and blood of sacrifices?"
ask the prophets.
No. He has not so much ordained as permitted them.
"It is for yourselves," He says; "not for me, that ye offer."
A king had a son whom he daily discovered carousing
with dissolute companions, eating and drinking.
" Eat at my table," said the king; "eat and drink, my
son, even as pleaseth thee; but let it be at my table, and
not with dissolute companions."
The people loved sacrificing, and they made offerings to
strange gods; therefore, God said to them: " If ye will
sacrifice, bring your offerings at least to me."
Scripture ordains that the Hebrew slave who loves his
bondage shall have his ears pierced against the doorpost.
Why?
Because that ear heard from Sinai's heights these words:
"They are my servants; they shall not be sold as bondsmen."  My servants, and not my servant's servants; therefore, pierce the ear of the one who loves his bondage and
rejects the freedom offered him.
He who sacrifices a whole offering shall be rewarded for a
whole offering; he who offers a burnt-offering shall have the
reward of a burnt-offering; but he who offers humility to
God and man shall receive as great a reward as though he
had offered all the sacrifices in the world.
The God of Abraham will help the one who appoints a
certain place to pray to the Lord.
Rabbi Henah said, " When such a man dies they will say
if him,'A pious man, a meek man, hath died; he followed
the example of our father Abraham "'




PRA YER.                     ^ 
How do we know  that Abraham appointed a certain
place to pray?
"Abraham  rose early in the morning and went to the
place where he stood before the Lord."
Rabbi Chelboh said, "We should not hurry when we
leave a place of worship."
"This," said Abayyeh, " is in reference to leaving a place
of worship; but we should certainly hasten on our way
thither, as it is written,'Let us know and hasten to serve
the Lord.'"
Rabbi Zabid said,  "When I used to see the Rabbis
hurrying to a lecture in their desire to obtain good seats, I
thought to myself,'they are violating the Sabbath.' When,
however, I heard Rabbi Tarphon say,'One should always
hasten to perform a commandment even on the Sabbath,' as
it is written,' They shall follow after the Lord when He
roareth like a lion,' I hurried also, in order to be early in
attendance."
That place wherein we can best pray to God is His
house; as it is written:
" To listen to the praises and prayers which Thy servant
prays before Thee."  Alluding to the service in the house
of God.
Said Rabin, the son of Ada, "Whence do we derive the
tradition, that when ten men are praying in the house of
God the Divine Presence rests among them?
"It is written,'God stands in the assembly of the
mighty.' That an assembly or congregation consists of not
less than ten, we learn from God's words to Moses in regard
to the spies who were sent out to view  the land  of
Canaan.' How long,' said he,'shall indulgence be given
to this evil congregation?'  Now  the spies numbered
twelve men; but Joshua  and Caleb  being  true and




^6                  TH~1E TA LMAUD.
faithful, there remained but ten to form  the' evil congregation.'"
" Whence do we derive the tradition that when even owze
studies the law, the Divine Presence rests with him?"
" It is written,' In every place where I shall permit my
name to be mentioned, I will come unto thee and I will
bless thee.'"
Four Biblical characters offered up their prayers in a
careless, unthinking manner; three of them God prospered;
the other met with sorrow. They were, Eleazer, the servant
of Abraham; Caleb, the son of Ye Phunneh; Saul, the son
of Kish; and Jephtah the Giladite.
Eleazer prayed, "Let it come to pass that the maiden to
whom I shall say,' Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that
I may drink;' and she shall say,'Drink, and to thy camels
also will I give drink;' shall be the one Thou hast appointed
for Thy servant Isaac."
Suppose a slave had appeared and answered all the requirement which Eleazer proposed, would Abraham  and
Isaac have been satisfied?  But God prospered his mission,
and " Rebecca came out."
Caleb said, " He that will smite Kiryath-sepher, and capture it, to whom will I give'Achsah, my daughter, for wife"
(Judges I: 12).
Would he have given his daughter to a slave or a
heathen?
But God prospered him, and " Othniel, the son of Kenaz,
Caleb's younger brother, conquered it, and he gave him'Achsah, his daughter, for wife."
Saul said, "And it shall be that the man who killeth him
(Goliath) will the king enrich with great riches, and his
daughter will he give him" (I Samuel 17).




THE SABBA TH.                  257
He ran the same risk as Caleb, and God was good to
him also; and David, the son of Jesse, accomplished that
for which he had prayed.
Jephtah expressed himself thus:' If thou wilt indeed
deliver the children of Amon into my hand, then shall it be
that whatsoever cometh forth out of the doors of my house
to meet me when I return in peace from the children of
Amon, shall belong to the Lord, and I will offer it up for a
burnt-offering" (Judges I I: 31).
Supposing an ass, or a dog, or a cat, had first met him
upon his return, would he have sacrificed it for a burntoffering?  God did not prosper this risk, and the Bible
says, "And Jephtah came to Mizpah unto his house, and
behold his daughter came out to meet him."
Said Rabbi Simon ben Jochai, "The requests of three
persons were granted before they had finished their prayers
-Eleazer, Moses, and Solomon.
" In regard to Eleazer we learn,'And before he had yet
finished speaking that, behold Rebecca came out.'
" In regard to Moses, we find,'And it came to pass
when he had made an end of speaking all these words, that
the ground that was under them was cloven asunder, and
the earth  opened her mouth  and'swallowed  them.'"
(Korach and his company.)
" In regard to  Solomon, we find,'And  just when
Solomon had made an end of praying, a fire came down,"'
&c.
The Sabbath.
Rabbi Jochanan said, in the name of Rabbi Joseh, "To
those who delight in the Sabbath shall God give inheritance
without end. As it is written,'Then shalt thou find delight
in the Lord,' &c.'And I will cause thee to enjoy the




253                THE TALIUD.
inheritance of Jacob, thy father.' Not as it was promised to
Abraham,'Arise and walk through the land to its length
and breadth.' Not as it was promised to Isaac,' I will give
thee all that this land contains;' but as it was promised to
Jacob,' And thou shalt spread abroad, to the West, and to
the East, to the North, and to the South.'"
Rabbi Jehudah said that if the Israelites had strictly
observed the first Sabbath, after the command to sanctify
the seventh day had been given, they would have been
spared captivity; as it is written, " And it came to pass on
the seventh day, that there went out some of the people to
gather (the Mannah), but they found nothing."  And in the
next chapter we find, "Then came Amalek, and fought with
Israel in Rephidim."
The following is one of the many tales designed to slow
that the observance of the Sabbath is rewarded:One Joseph, a Jew, who honoured the Sabbath, had a
very rich neighbour, who was a firm believer in astrology.
He was told by one of the professional astrologers that his
wealth would become Joseph's.  He therefore sold his
estate, and bought with the proceeds a large diamc;nd,
which he sewed in his turban, saying, " Joseph can never
obtain this." It so happened, however, that while standing
one day upon the deck of a ship in which he was crossing
the sea, a heavy wind arose and carried the turban from
his head. A fish swallowed the diamond, and being caught
and exposed for sale in the market, was purchased by Joseph
to sapply his table on the Sabbath eve. Of course, upon
opening it he discovered the diamond.
Rabbi Ishmael, the son of Joshua, was asked, " How did
the rich people of the land of Israel become so wealthy?"
He answered, " They gave their tithes in due season, as it is
written,'Thou shalt give tithes, in order that thou mayest




THE SABBA TH.                   259
become rich."  "But," answered his questioner, "tithes
were given to the Levites, only while the holy temple existed.
What merit did they possess while they dwelt in Babel, that
they became wealthy there also?" "Because," replied the
Rabbi, " they honoured the Holy Law by expounding it."
" But in other countries, where they did not expound the
Law, how did they deserve wealth?"  "By honouring the
Sabbath," was the answer.
Rabbi Achiya, the son of Abah, said, " I sojourned once
in Ludik, and was entertained by a certain wealthy man on
the Sabbath day. The table was spread with a sumptuous
repast, and the dishes were of silver and gold. Before
making a blessing over the meal the master of the house
said,' Unto the Lord belongeth the earth, with all that it
contains.' After the blessing he said,' The heavens are the
heavens of the Lord, but the earth hath He given to the
children of men.' I said to my host,' I trust you will excuse me, mydear sir, if I take the liberty of asking you how
you have merited this prosperity?' He answered,'I was
formerly a butcher, and I always selected the finest cattle to
be killed for the Sabbath, in order that the people might
have the best meat on that day. To this, I believe firmly,
I owe my prosperity.' I replied,'Blessed be the Lord,
that He hath given thee all this."'
The Governor Turnusrupis once asked Rabbi Akiba,
" What is this day you call the Sabbath more than any other
day?"  The Rabbi responded, " What art thou more than
any other person?"  " I am superior to others'" he replied,' because the emperor has appointed me governor over
them."
Then said Akiba, "The Lord our God, who is greater
than your emperor, has appointed the Sabbath day to be
holier that the other days."




260                 THE TAL MUD.
Beautiful is the legend of the Sabbath eve.
When man leaves the synagogue for his home an angel
of good and an angel of evil accompany him. If he finds
the table spread in his house, the Sabbath lamps lighted,
and his wife and children in festive garments ready to bless
the holy day of rest, then the good angel says:
" May the next Sabbath and all thy Sabbaths be like
this. Peace unto this dwelling, peace;" and the angel of
evil is forced to say, " Amen!"
But if the house is not ready, if no preparations have
been made to greet the Sabbath, if no heart within the dwelling has sung, " Come, my beloved, to meet the bride; the
presence of the Sabbath let us receive;" then the angel of
evil speaks and says:
" May all thy Sabbaths be like this;" and the weeping
angel of goodness, responds, "Amen i"
Rewards and Punisthments.
Samson sinned against the Lord through his eyes, as it
is written, "I have seen a woman of the daughters of the
Philistines.... This one take for me, for she pleaseth in
my eyes" (Judges 14: 3). Therefore through his eyes was
he punished, as it is written, "And the Philistines seized
him, and put out his eyes."
Abshalom was proud of his hair.' And like Abshaloml
there was no man as handsome in all Israel, so that he was
greatly praised; from the sole of his foot up to the crown
of his head there was no blemish on him. And when he
shaved off the hair of his head, and it was at the end of
every year that he shaved it off, because it was too heavy
on him so that he had to shave it off, he weighed the hair
of his head at two hundred shekels by the king's weight.
Therefore by his hair was he hanged.




REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS.                261
Miriam waited for Moses one hour (when he was in the
box of bulrushes).  Therefore the Israelites waited for
Miriam seven days, when she became leprous.  "And the
people did not set forward until Miriam was brought in
again."
Joseph buried his father.  "And Joseph went up to bury
his father." There was none greater among the children of
Israel than Joseph. Moses excelled him afterwards, however; therefore we find, "And Moses took the bones of
Joseph with him."  But the world has seen none greater
than Moses, therefore'tis written, "And He (God) buried
him in the valley."
When trouble and sorrow become the portion of Israel,
and the fainthearted separate from their people, two angels
lay their hands upon the head of him who withdraws,
saying, "This one shall not see the comfort of the congregation."
When trouble comes to the congregation it is not right
for a man to say, " I will go home; I will eat and drink 
and things shall be peaceful to me;"'tis of such a one that
the holy book speaks, saying, " And behold theie is gladness
and joy; slaying of oxen, and killing of sheep; eating of
flesh, and drinking of wine.'Let us eat and drink, for
to-morrow we must die.' And it was revealed in my ears
by the Lord of Hosts; surely the iniquity shall not be
forgiven ye until ye die" (Isaiah 22: I3).
Our teacher, Moses, always bore his share in the troubles
of the congregation, as it is written, " They took a stone and
put it under him" (Exodus I7: 12). Could they not have
given him a chair or a cushion? But then he said, "Since
the Israelites are in trouble (during the war with Amalek)
o, I will bear my part tith them, for he who bears his
9




262                 THE TALMUD.
portion of the burden will live to enjoy the hour of consolation.  Woe to the one who thinks,'Ah, well, I will neglect
my duty; who can know whether I bear my part or not;'
even the stones of his house, aye, the limbs of the trees,
shall testify against him, as it is written,'For the stones will
cry from the wall, and the limbs of the trees will testify.'"
Trades.
Rabbi Meir said, "When a man teaches his son a trade,
he should pray to the Possessor of the world, the Dispenser
of wealth and poverty; for in every trade and pursuit of life
both the rich and the poor are to be found. It is folly for
one to say,'This is a bad trade, it will not afford me a
living;' because he will find many well to do in the same
occupation. Neither should a successful man boast and
say,' This is a great trade, a glorious art, it has made me
wealthy;' because many working in the same line as himself
have found but poverty.  Let all remember that everything
is through the infinite mercy and wisdom of God."
Rabbi Simon, the son of Eleazer, said, " Hast thou ever
noted the fowls of the air and beasts of the field how easily
their maintenance is provided for them; and yet they were
only created to serve me. Now should not I find a livelihood with even less trouble, for I was made to serve my
fellow-creatures? But, alas! I sinned against my Creator,
therefore am  I punished with poverty and  obliged to
labour."
Rabbi Judah said, " Most mule-drivers are cruel.  They
beat their poor beasts unmercifully. Most camel-drivers
are upright. They travel through deserts and dangerous
places, and have time for meditation and thoughts of God.
The majority of seamen are religious. Their daily peril
makes them so. The best doctors are deserving of punish



DEA THt.  263
ment.  In the pursuit of knowledge- they experiment on
their patients, and often with fatal results.  The best of
butchers deserve to be rated with the Amalekites, they are
accustomed to blood and cruelty;, as it is written of the
Amalekites,' How he met thee by the way and smote the
hindmost of thee, and that were feeble behind thee, when
thou wast faint and weary.'"
Death.
Man is born with his hands clenched; he dies with his:
hands wide open. Entering life he desires to grasp everything; leaving the world, all that he possessed has slipped
away.
Even as a fox is man; as a fox which seeing a fine vineyard lusted after its grapes. But the palings were placed
at narrow distances, and the fox was too bulky to creep
between them. For three days he fasted, and when he had
grown thin he entered into the vineyard.  He feasted upon
the grapes, forgetful of the morrow, of all things but his
enjoyment; and lo, he had again grown stout and was
unable to leave the scene of his feast. So for three days
more he fasted, and when he had again grown thin, he
passed through the palings and stood outside the vineyard,
meagre as when he entered.
So with man; poor and naked he enters the world, poor
and naked does he leave.
Very expressive is the legend, one of many woven around
the name of Alexander.
He wandered to the gates of Paradise and knocked for
entrance.
"Who knocks?" demandcd the guardian angel
Alexander."
* Who is Alexander'




264                THE 7ALMUD.
"Alexander-the Alexander-Alexander the Great —the
conqueror of the world."
"We know him not," replied the angel; "this is the
Lord's gate, only the righteous enter here."
Alexander begged for something to prove that he had
reached the gates of Paradise, and a small piece of a skull
was given to him. He showed it to his wise men, who
placed it in one scale of a balance. Alexander poured gold
and silver into the other scale, but the small bone weighed
heavier; he poured in more, adding his crown jewels, his
diadem; but still the bone outweighed them all. Then
one of the wise men, taking a grain of dust from the ground
placed that upon the bone, and lo, the scale flew up.
The bone was that which surrounds the eye of man; the
eye of man which naught can satisfy save the dust which
covers it in the grave.
When the righteous dies'tis earth that meets with loss.
The jewel will ever be a jewel, but it has passed from the
possession of its former owner. Well may the loser weep.
Life is a passing shadow, say the Scriptures.  The
shadow of a tower or a tree; the shadow which prevails for
a time?  No; even as the shadow of a bird in its flight,
it passeth from our sight, and neither bird nor shadow
remains.
Funeral Sermon over a dead Rabbi.'My lover goes down into his garden, to the beds of
spices, to wander about in the garden and pluck roses'
(Song of Songs).
The world is the garden of my lover, and he my lover is
the King of kings. Like a bed of fragrant spices is Israel,
the sweet savour of piety ascends on high, the perfume of




FUNERAL SERMON OVElR A LEAD RABBI.  263
rearning lingers on the passing breeze, and the bed of beauty
is fenced round by gentle peace.  The plants flourish
and put forth leaves, leaves giving grateful shelter to those
who suffer from the heats and disappointment of life, and
my lover seeking the most beautiful blossom, plucks the
roses, the students of the law, whose belief is their delight.
When the devouring flames seize upon the cedar, shall
not the lowly hyssop fear and tremble? When anglers draw
the great leviathan from his mighty deeps, what hope have
the fish of the shallow pond?  When the fishing-line is
dropped into the dashing torrent, can they feel secure, the
waters of the purling brook?
Mourn for those who are left; mourn not for the one taken
by God from earth.  He has entered into the eternal rest,
while we are bowed with sorrow,




ITI.
INCIDENTS IN THE LIVES OF THE RABBIS.
Rabbi Akiba.
ft is man's duty to thank God for the occurrence of evil
even as for the occurrence of good, as it is written, "And
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all
thy soul, and with all thy might."
"With all thy heart."  With thy propensities towards
good and towards evil.
"With all thy soul."  Even though he should demand
thy life.
"With all thy might."  All thy personal possessions. No
matter what measure be meted to thee, for good and for
evil, be sincerely thankful.
Rabbi Akiba was once travelling through the country, and
he had with him an ass, a rooster, and a lamp.
At nightfall he reached a village where he sought shelter
for the night without success.
" All that God does is done well," said the Rabbi, and
proceeding towards the forest he resolved to pass the night
there. He lit his lamp, but the wind extinguished it. " All
that God does is done well," he said.  The ass and the
rooster were devoured by wild beasts; yet still he said no
more than "All that God does is well done."
Next day he learned that a troop of the enemy's soldiers
had passed through the forest that night.  If the ass had
brayed, if the rooster had crowed, or if the soldiers had




RABBI APIBA.  7
seen his light he would surely ha,,e met with death, therefore he said again, " All that God doeb is done well."
It happened once when Rabbi Gamliel, Rabbi Eleazer,
the son of Azaria, Rabbi Judah, and Rabbi Akiba were
walking together, they heard the shouts and laughter and
joyous tones of a multitude of people at a distance. Four
of the Rabbis wept; but Akiba laughed aloud.
"Akiba," said the others to him, "wherefore laugh?
These heathens who worship idols live in peace, and are
merry, while our holy city lies in ruins; weep, do not
laugh."
" For that very reason I laugh, and am glad," answered
Rabbi Akiba.  " If God allows these who transgress His
will to live happily on earth, how infinitely great must be
the happiness which He has stored up in the world to come
for those who observe His commands."
Upon another occasion these same Rabbis went up to
Jerusalem. Whey they reached Mount Zophim and saw
the desolation about them they rent their garments, and
when they reached the spot where the Temple had stood and
saw a fox run out from the very site of the holy of holies
four of them wept bitterly; but again Rabbi Akiba appeared
merry. His comrades again rebuked him for this, to them,
unseemly state of feeling.
" Ye ask me why I am merry," said he; "come now, tell
r-e why ye weep?"
Because the Bible tells us that a stranger (one not
descended from Aaron) who approaches the holy of holies
shall be put to death, and now behold the foxes make of it
a dwelling-place. Why should we not weep?"
"Ye weep," returned Akiba, " from the very reason which
causes my heart to be glad. is it not written,' And testify




268                 MEW t   TALMUD.
to me, ye faithful witnesses, Uriah, the priest, and Zachariah,
the son of Berachiahu?' Now what hath Uriah to do with
Zachariah? Uriah lived during the existence of the first
Temple, and Zachariah during the second. Know ye not
that the prophecy of Uriah is compared to the prophecy of
Zachariah. From Uriah's prophecy we find,' Therefore for
your sake Zion will be ploughed as is a field, and Jerusalem
will be a desolation, and the mount of Zion shall be as a
forest;' and in Zachariah we find,'They will sit, the old
men and women, in the streets of Jerusalem?' Before the
prophecy of Uriah was accomplished I might have doubted
the truth of Zachariah's comforting words; but now that one
has been accomplished, I feel assured that the promises to
Zachariah will also come to pass, therefore am I glad."' " Thy words comfort us, Akiba," answered his companions.
"May God ever provide us comfort."
Still another time, when Rabbi Eleazer was very sick and
his friends and scholars were weeping for him, Rabbi Akiba
appeared happy, and asked them why they wept. "Because,"
they replied, " our beloved Rabbi is lying between life and
death."  " Weep not, on the contrary be glad therefor," he
answered. " If his wine did not grow sour, if his flag was
not stricken down, I might think that on earth he received
the reward of his righteousness; but now that I see my
teacher suffering for what evil he may have committed in
this world, I rejoice. He hath taught us that the most
righteous among us commits some sin, therefore in the world
to come he will have peace."
While Rabbi Eleazer was sick, the four elders, Rabbi
Tarphon, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Eleazer, the son of AzoriA
and Rabbi Akiba, called upon him.
"Thou art better to Israel than the raindrops to earth,




RABAP  AKIBA.                   ~6
oi the raindrops are for this world only, whilst thou, my
teacher, have helped the ripening of fruit for this world and
the next," said Rabbi Tarphon.
"Thou art better to Israel than the sun, for the sun is for
this world alone; thou hast given light for this world and
the next," said Rabbi Joshua.
Then spoke Rabbi Eleazer, the son of Azoria:
"Thou art better to Israel," said he, "than father and
mother to man. They bring him into the world, but thou,
my teacher, showest him the way into the world of immortality."
Then said Rabbi Akiba:
" It is well that man should be afflicted, for his distresses
atone for his sins."
" Does the Bible make such an assertion, Akiba?" asked
his teacher.
"Yes," answered Akiba.  "' Twelve years old was Ma;
nassahl when he became king, and fifty-and-five years did
he reign in Jerusalem, and he did what was evil in the eyes
of the Lord' (Kings).  Now, how was this? Did Hezekiah
teach the law  to the whole world and not to his son
Manassah?  Assuredly not; but Manassah paid no attention to his precepts, and neglected the word of God until
he was afflicted with bodily pain, as it is written (Chron.
33: IO),'And the Lord spoke to Manassah and to his
people, but they listened not, wherefore the Lord brought
over them the captains of the armies belonging to the king
of Assyria, and they took Manassah prisoner with chains,
and bound him with fetters, and led him  off to Babylon;
and when he was in distress he besought the Lord his God,
and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.
And he prayed to Him, and He permitted Himself to be
eentreated by him and heard his supplication, and brougllt




20                  T~ A A4LMVUD.
him  back to Jerusalem  unto his kingdom.  Then did
Manassah feel conscious that the Lord is indeed the (true)
God.'
"Now, what did the king of Assyria to Manassah?  He
placed him in a copper barrel and had a fire kindled beneath
it, and while enduring great torture of his body, Manassah
was further tortured in his mind.'Shall I call upon the
Almighty?' he thought.'Alas! His anger burns against
me. To call upon my idols is to call in vain,-alas, alas,
what hope remains to me!'
" He prayed to the greatest of his idols, and waited in
vain for a reply. He called to the lesser gods, and remained
unanswered. Then with trembling heart he addressed the
great Eternal.
"O  Eternal! God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and
their descendants, the heavens and the earth are the works
of Thy hand. Thou didst give to the sea a shore, controlling with a word the power of the mighty deep. Thou
art merciful as Thou art great, and Thou hast promised to
accept the repentance of those who return to Thee with
upright hearts.  As numerous are my sins as the sands
which cover the seashore. I have done evil before Thee,
committing  abominations in Thy presence and  acting
wickedly.  Bound with fetters I come before Thee, and on
my knees I entreat Thee, in the name of Thy great attributes
of mercy, to compassionate my suffering and my distress.
Pardon me, oh Lord, forgive me.  Do not utterly destroy
me because of my transgressions. Let not my punishment
eternally continue. Though I am unworthy of Thy goodness, 0 Lord, yet save me in Thy mercy.  Henceforth will
I praise Thy name all the days of my life, for all Thy
creatures delight in praising Thee, and unto Thee is the
greatness and the goodness for ever and ever, Selah 1"




RAPPI AKIBA.                    A7'
God heard this prayer, even as it is written,'And He
permitted Himself to be entreated by him, and broughtl
him back to Jerusalem unto his kingdom."'
"From  which we may learn," continued Akiba, "that
affliction is an atonement for sin."
Said Rabbi Eleazer, the great, " It is commanded' thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul and with all
that is loved by thee.'
"Does not'with all thy soul' include'with all that is
loved by thee?'
" Some people love themselves more than they love their
money; to them'tis said,' with all thy soul;' while for those
who love their money more than themselves the commandment reads,'with all that is loved by thee.'"
But Rabbi Akiba always expounded the words, "with all
thy soul," to mean " even though thy life be demanded of
thee."
When the decree was issued forbidding the Israelites to
study the law, what did Rabbi Akiba?
He installed many congregations secretly, and in secret
lectured before them.
Then Papus, the son of Juda, said to him:
"'Art not afraid, Akiba?  Thy doings may be discovered,
and thou wilt be punished for disobeying the decree."
" Listen, and I will relate to thee a parable," answered
Akiba.  " A fox, walking by the river side, noticed the
fishes therein swimming and swimming to and fro, never
ceasing; so he said to them,' Why are ye hurrying, what do
ye fear?'
"'The nets of the angler,' they replied.
"'Come, then,' said the fox,' and live with me oi dry
land.'




27^                 THE TALMU D.
"But the fishes laughed.
"'And art thou called the wisest of the beasts?' they
exclaimed;'verily thou art the most foolish. If we are in,xanger even in our element, how much greater would be
our risk in leaving it.'
" It is the same with us. We are told of the law that it
is' our life and the prolongation of our days.' This is it
when things are peaceful with us; how much greater is our
need of it then in times like these?"
It is said that it was but shortly after this when Rabbi
Akiba was imprisoned for teaching the law, and in the prison
in which he was incarcerated he found Papus, who had
been condemned for some other offence.
Rabbi Akiba said to him:
"Papus, what brought thee here?"
And Papus replied:
" Joy, joy, to thee, that thou art imprisoned for studying
God's law; but woe. woe is mine that I am here through
vanity."
When Rabbi Akiba was led forth to execution, it was just
at the time of the morning service.
"' Iear, oh Israel! the Lord our God, the Lord is one,'"
he exclaimed in a loud and firm voice.
The tcrturers tore his flesh with pointed cards, yet still he
repeated, "The Lord is one."
"Always did I say," he continued, "that'with all thy
soul,' meant even though life should be demanded of thee,
and I wondered whether I should ever be able to so
observe it.  Now see, to-day, I do so;'the Lord is
one.' "'\With these words he died.
HaDpy art thou, Rabbi Akiba, that thy soul went out in
purity for the happiness of all futurity is thine.




ELISHAH BEN ABUYAH.                  273
Elishzh ben Abuyah.
Elishah ben Abuyah, a most learned man, became in
after-life an apostate.  Rabbi Meir had been one of his
pupils, and he never failed in the great love which he bore
for his teacher.
It happened upon one occasion when Rabbi Meir was
lecturing in the college, that some students entered and said
to him:
" Thy teacher, Elishah, is riding by on horseback on this
holy Sabbath day."
Rabbi Meir left the college, and overtaking Elishah
walked along by his horse's side.
The latter saluted him, and asked:
"What passage of Scripture hast thou been expounding i'
"From the book of Job," replied Rabbi Meir. "' The
Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning."'
" And how didst thou explain the verse?" said Elishah.
"That the Lord increased his wealth twofold."
" But thy teacher, Akiba, said not so," returned Elishah.
"He said that the Lord blessed the latter days of Job with
twofold of penitence and good deeds."
" How," inquired Rabbi Meir, " wouldst thou explain the
verse,'Better is the end of a thing than the beginning
thereof.' If a man buys merchandise in his youth and
meets with losses, is it likely that he will recover his substance in old age? Or, if a person studies God's law in
his youth and forgets it, is it probable that it will return to
his memory in his latter days?"
"Thy teacher, Akiba, said not so," replied Elishal; " he
explained the verse,'Better is the end of a thing when the
beginning was good   My  own life proves the soundness of




274                THE TALMUD.
this explanation.  On the day when I was admitted into
the covenant of Abraham, my father made a great feast.
Some of his visitors sang, some of them danced, but the
Rabbis conversed upon God's wisdom and His laws. This
latter pleased my father, Abuyah, and he said,'When my
son grows up ye shall teach him and he shall become like
ye; he did not cause me to study for God's sake but only
to make his name famous through me. Therefore, in my
latter days have I become wicked and an apostate; and
now, return home."
" And wherefore?"
" Because, on the Sabbath day, thou art allowed to go so
far and no farther, and I have reckoned the distance thou
hast travelled with me by the footsteps of my horse."
" If thou art so wise," said Rabbi Meir, " as to reckon the
distance I may travel by the footsteps of thy horse, and so
particular for my sake, why not return to God and repent of
thy apostacy?"
Elishah answered:
" It is not in my power. I rode upon horseback once on
the Day of Atonement; yea, when it fell upon the Sabbath,
and when I passed the synagogue I heard a voice crying,'Return, oh backsliding children, return to me and I will
return to ye; except Elishah, the son of Abuyah, he knew
his Master and yet rebelled against Him.'"
What caused such a learned man as Elishah to turn to
Nvil ways?
It is reported that once while studying the law in the vale
of Genusan, he saw a man ci'mbing a tree. The man found
a bird's-nest in the tree, and taking the mother with the
young ones he still departed in peace. He saw another man
who finding a bird's-nest followed the Bible's command and
took the young only, allowing the mother to fly away; ild




ELISHAHI BEN ABUY'A,.                275
yet a serpent stung him  as he descended, and he died.
"Now'," thought he, " where is the 1Bible's truth and promises? Is it not written,' And the young thou mayest take
to thyself, but the mother thou shalt surely let go, that it
may be well with thee and that thou mayest live many days.'
Now, vwhere is the long life to this man who followed the
precept, while the one who transgressed it is unhurt?"
He had not heard how Rabbi Akiba expounded this
verse, that the days would be long in the future world where
ali is happiness.
There is also another reason given as the cause for
Elishah's backsliding and apostacy.
During the fearful period of religious persecution, the
learned Rabbi Judah, whose life had been passed in the
study of the law and the practice of God's precepts, was delivered into the power of the cruel torturer. His tongue was
placed in a dog's mouth and the dog bit it off.
So Elishah said, " If a tongue which uttered naught but
truth be so used, and a learned, wise man be so treated, of
what use is it to avoid having a lying tongue and being
ignorant.  Lo, if these things are allowed, there is surely no
reward for the righteous, and no resurrection for the dead."
When Elishah waxed old he was taken sick, and Rabbi
Meir, learning of the illness of his aged teacher, called upon
him.
" Oh return, return unto thy God," entreated Rabbi Meir.
"What!" exclaimed Elishah, "return! and could He
receive my penitence, the penitence of an apostate who has
so rebelled against Him?"
"Is it not written," said Meir,''Thou turnest man to
contrition?' (Psalm 9o: 3). No matter how the soul of man
may be crushed, he can still turn to his God and find
relief."




276                THE 7'ALMUD.
Elishah listened to these words, wept bitterly and died.
Not many years after his death his daughters came, poverty
stricken, asking relief from  the colleges.  "Remember,"
said they, "the merit of our father's learning, not his
conduct."
The colleges listened to the appeal and supported the
daughters of Elishah.
Rabbi Simon.
Rabbi Judah, Rabbi Joseh, and Rabbi Simon were conversing one day, when Judah ben Gerim entered the apartment and sat down with the three.  Rabbi Judah was
speaking in a  complimentary  strain  of the Gentiles
(Romans).  "See," said he, "how  they have improved
their cities, how beautiful they have made them, and how
much they have done for the comfort and convenience of
the citizens; bath-houses, bridges, fine broad streets, surely
much credit is due them."
" Nay," answered Rabbi Simon, "all that they have done
has been from a selfish motive. The bridges bring them in
a revenue, for all who use them are taxed; the bath-houses
are for their personal adornment-'tis all selfishness, not
patriotism."
Judah ben Gerim repeated these remarks to his friends,
and finally they reached the ears of the emperor. He would
not allow them to pass unnoticed. He ordered that Judah,
who had spoken well of the nation, should be advanced in
honour; that joseh, who had remained silent instead of
seconding the assertions, should be banished to Zipore;
and that Simon, who had disputed the compliment, should
be put to death.
The latter with his son fled and concealed himself in the
college when this fiat became known to him. For some




RA4BBI SIMlO., 
tmire he remained there comparatively safe, his wife bringing
his meals daily. But when the officers were directed to
make diligent search he became afraid, lest through the
indiscretion of his wife his place of concealment might be
discovered.
" The mind of woman is weak and unsteady," said he,
perhaps they may question and confuse her, and thus may
death come upon me."
So leaving the city, Simon and his son took refuge in a
lonely cave. Near its mouth some fruit trees grew, supplying them with food, and a spring of pure water bubbled from
rocks in the immediate vicinity. For thirteen years Rabbi
Simon lived here, until the emperor died and his decrees
were repealed.  He then returned to the city.
When Rabbi Phineas, his son-in-law, heard of his return,
he called upon him at once, and noticing an apparent
neglect in the mental and physical condition of his relative,
he exclaimed, "Woe, woe I that I meet thee in so sad a
condition!"
But Rabbi Simon answered:
" Not so; happy is it that thou findest me in this condition, for thou findest me no less righteous than before.
God has preserved me, and my faith in Him, and thus hereafter shall I explain the verse of Scripture,'And Jacob came
perfect.' Perfect in his physical condition, perfect in his
temporal condition, and perfect in his knowledge of God."
Antoninus, in conversing with Rabbi Judah, said to him:
"In the future world, when the soul comes before the
Almighty Creator for judgment, may it not find a plea of
excuse for worldly wickedness in saying,' Lo, the sin is the
body's; I am now free from the body; the sins were not
rmine  "
T




278                THE TAL MUD.
Rabbi Judah answered, " Let me relate to thee a parable.
A king had an orchard of fine figs, which he prized most
highly. That the fruit might not be stolen or abused, he
placed two watchers in the orchard, and that they themselves
mighlt not be tempted to partake of the fruit, he chose one
of them a blind man, and the other one lame. But lo, when
they were in the orchard, the lame man said to his companion,' I see very fine figs; they are luscious and tempting; carry me to the tree, that we may both partake of
them."
" So the blind man carried the lame man, and they ate
of the figs.
" When the king entered the orchard he noticed at once
that his finest figs were missing, and he asked the watchers
what had become of them.
"The blind man answered:
"' I know not. I could not steal them; I am blind; I
cannot even see them.'
"And the lame man answered:
"'Neither could I steal them; I could not approach the
tree.'
"But the king was wise, and he answered:
"'Lo, the blind carried the lame,' and he punished
them accordingly.
" So is it with us. The world is the orchard in which the
Eternal King has placed us, to keep watch and ward, to till
its soil and care for its fruit. But the soul and body are
the man; if one violates the precepts so does the other,
and after death the soul may not say,'It is the fault of the
body to which I was tied that I committed sins;' no, God
will do as did the owner of the orchard, as it is written:
"'He shall call from the heaven above, and to the earth
to judge his people' (Psalms).




TEACl:AfGOS OP T'E RABBIS.               279
" He shall call from  the'heaven above,' which is the
soul, and to the'earth below,' which is the body, mixing
with the dust from whence it sprung."
A heathen said to Rabbi Joshua, " Thou believest that
God knows the future?"
"Yes," replied the Rabbi.
"Then," said the questioner, "wherefore is it written,'The Lord said, I will destroy everything which I have
made, because it repenteth me that I have made them?'
Did not the Lord foresee that man would become corrupt?"
Then said Rabbi Joshua, " Hast thou children?"
Yes," was the answer.
" When a child was born, what didst thou?"'' I made a great rejoicing."' Whiat cause hadst thou to  rejoice?  Dost thou not
know that they must die?"
"Yes, that is true; but in the time of enjoyment I do not
think of the future."
"So was it with God," said Rabbi Joshua.  "He knew
that men would sin; still that knowledge did not prevent
the execution of his beneficent purpose to create them."
One of the emperors said to Rabon Gamliel:
"Your God is a thief, as it is written,' And the Lord God
caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. And
He took a rib from Adam.'"
The Rabbi's daulghter said, "Let me answer this aspersion.  Last night robbers broke into my room, and stole
therefrom a silver vessel: but they left a golden one in its
stead."
The emperor replied, "I wish that such thieves would
come every night."




26                 tHfE tALMt.
Thus was it with Adam; God took a rib from him, blt
placed a woman instead of it.
Rabbi Joshua, of Saknin, said in the name of Rabbi Levi,
"The Lord considered from what part of the man he should
form woman; not from the head, lest she should be proud;
not from the eyes, lest she should wish to see everything;
not from the mouth, lest she might be talkative; nor from
the ear, lest she should wish to hear everything; nor
from the heart, lest she should be jealous; nor from the
hand, lest she should wish to find out everything; nor from
the feet, in order that she might not be a wanderer; only
from the most hidden place, that is covered even when a
man is naked-namely, the rib."
The scholars of Rabbi Simon ben Jochai once asked him:
" Why did not the Lord give to Israel enough manna to
suffice them for a year, at one time, instead of meting it
out daily?"
The Rabbi replied:
" I will answer ye with a parable. There was once a king
who had a son to whom he gave a certain yearly allowance,
paying the entire sum for his year's support on one appointed
day. It soon happened that this day on which the allowance
was due, was the only day in the year when the father saw
his son. So the king changed his plan, and gave his son
each day his maintenance for that day only, and then the
son visited his father with the return of each day's sun.
" So was it with Israel; each father of a family, dependent
upon the manna provided each day by God's bounty, for his
support and the support of his family, naturally had his
mind devoted to the Great Giver and Sustainer of lifc."




TEA CHINGS OF THE RABBIS.             281
When Rabbi Eleazer was sick his scholars visited him,
and said, " Rabbi, teach us the way of life, that we may
inherit eternity."
The Rabbi answered, "Give honour to your comrades.
Know to whom  you pray. Restrain your children from
frivolous conversation, and place them among the learned
men, in order that they may acquire wisdom. So may you
merit life in the future world."
When Rabbi Jochanan was sick his scholars also called
upon him. When he beheld them he burst into tears.
"Rabbi!" they exclaimed, "Light of Israel I The chief
pillar! Why weep?"
The Rabbi answered, "Were I to be brought before a
king of flesh and blood, who is here to-day and to-morrow
in the grave; who may be angry with me, but not for ever;
who may imprison me, but not for ever; who may kill me,
but only for this world; whom  I may sometimes bribe;
even then I would fear. But now, I am to appear before
the King of kings, the Most Holy One, blessed be He, who
lives through all eternity.  If He is wroth, it is for ever.
if He imprisons me, it is for ever; if He slays me, it is for
the future world; and I can bribe Him neither with words
nor money. Not only this, two paths are before me, one
leading to punishment, the other to reward, and I know
not which one I must travel. Should I not weep?"
The scholars of Rabbi Johanan, the son of Zakai, asked
of their teacher this question:
"Wherefore is it, that according to the law, the punishment of a highwayman is not as severe as the punishment
of a sneak thief? According to the Mosaic law, if a man
steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he is required
to restore five oxen for the one ox, and four sheep for the




282                 7HE TALMUD.
one sheep (Exodus 21:37); but for the highwayman we
find,'When he hath sinned and is conscious of his guilt, he
shall restore that he hath taken violently away; he shall
restore it and its principal, and the fifth part thereof he shall
add thereto.' Therefore, he who commits a highway robbery pays as punishment one-fifth of the same, while a sneak
thief is obliged to return five oxen for one ox, and four sheep
for one sheep. Wherefore is this?"
"Because," replied the teacher, "the highway robber
treats the servant as the master.  He takes away violently
in the presence of the servant, the despoiled man, and the
master-God.  But the sneak thief imagines that God's eye
is not upon him.  He acts secretly, thinking, as the Psalmist
says,'The Lord doth not see, neither will the God of Jacob
regard it' (Ps. 94: 5).  Listen to'a parable.  Two men made
a feast. One invited all the inhabitants of the city, and
omitted inviting the king. The other invited neither the
king nor his subjects. Which one deserves condemnation?
Certainly the one who invited  the subjects and not the
king. The people of the earth are God's subjects. The
sneak thief fears their eyes, yet he does not honour the
eye of the king, the eye of God, which watches all his
actions."
Rabbi Meir says, " This law teaches us how God regards
industry.  If a person steals an ox he must return five in its
place, because while the animal was in his unlowful possession it could not work for its rightful owner.  A lamb,
however, does no labori, and is not profitable that way;
therefore he is only obliged to replace it fourfold."
Rabbi Nachman dined with his teacher, Rabbi Yitzchak,
and, upon departing after the meal, he said, " Teacher, bless
reel"d0




TEA CHINGS OF THE RABBIS.              283
" Listen," replied Rabbi Yitzchak.  "A  traveller was
once journeying  through  the  desert, and when weary,
1hu.ngry, and thirsty, he happened upon an oasis, where grew
a fruitful tree, wide-braniched, and at the foot of which there
gushed a spring of clear, cool water.
"The stranger ate of the luscious fruit, enjoying and
resting in the grateful shade, and quenching his thirst in
the sparkling wiater which bubbled merrily at his feet.
"When about to resume his journey, he addressed the
tree and spoke as follows:
"' Oh, gracious tree, with what words can I bless thee,
and what good can I wish thee?  I cannot wish thee good
fruit, for it is already thine; the blessing of water is also
tline, and the gracious shade thrown by thy beauteous
branches the Eternal has already granted thee, for my
good and the good of those who travel by this way.  Let
me pray to God, then, that all thy offspring may be goodly
as thyself.'
"So it is with thee, my pupil.  How shall I bless thee?
Thou art perfect in the law, eminent in the land, respected,
and blessed with means.  May God grant that all thy offspring may prove goodly as thyself."
A wise man, say the Rabbis, was Gebiah ben Pesisah.
When the children of Canaan accused the Israelites of
stealing their land, saying, " The land of Canaan is ours, as
it is written,' The land of Canaan and its boundaries belong
to the Canaanites,"' and demanded restitution, Gebiah
offered to argue the case before the ruler.
Said Gebiah to the Africans, " Ye bring your proof from
the Pentateuch, and by the Pentateuch will I refute it.
Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto
his brethren' (Gen. 9:25). To whom does the property of




284                 THE TALMU D.
a slave belong?  To his master.  Even though the land
belonged to ye, through your servitude it became Israel's."
"Answer him," said the ruler.
The accusers asked for three days' time to  prepare
their reply, but at the end of the three days they had
vanished.
Then came the Egyptians, saying, " God gave the
Israelites favour in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they lent
them gold and silver.' Now return us the gold and silver
which our ancestors lent ye."
Again Gebiah appeared for the sages of Israel.
"Four hundred and thirty years," said he, " did the children of Israel dwell in Egypt.  Come, now, pay us the
wages of six hundred thousand men who worked for ye for
naught, and we will return the gold and silver."
Then came the children of Ishmael and Ketura, before
Alexander of Mukdon, saying, " The land of Canaan is ours,
as it is written,'These are the generations of Ishmael, the
son of Abraham;' even as it is written,' These are the generations of Isaac, the son of Abraham.' One son is equal to
the other; come, give us our share."
Again Gebiah appeared as counsel for the sages.
"From the Pentateuch, which is your proof, will I confound ye," said he. "Is it not written,'Abraham gave all
that he had to Isaac, but unto the sons of the concubines
that Abraham  had, Abraham  gave gifts.'  The man who
gives his children their inheritance during his life does not
design to give it to them again after his death. To Isaac
Abraham left all that he had; to his other children he gave
gifts, and sent them away."
Truly a good man, say the Rabbis, was King Munmaz, a
descendant of the Hashmonites.  During a period of famine




TEACHINGS OP THE RABBIS.                285
he gave to the poor the contents of his treasury and the
treasury of his father.
His relatives upbraided him for his liberality.  "What
thy father saved," they exclaimed, "thou hast thrown
away."
Then answered Munmaz:
" My father laid up treasure here on earth; I gather it in
tAe heavens above.' The truth comes forth from the earth,
but beneficence looks down from  heaven.' My father
hoarded it where hands might have been stretched forth for
it; I have placed it beyond the reach of human hands.'Thy throne is established in justice and beneficence.' For
my father it produced no fruit, but for me it is bringing forth
many fold.'Say to the righteous it is good; the fruit of
their labour they may eat.'  My father saved money; I
saved life.' The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life.
Who saves lives is a wise man.' My father saved for others;
I save for myself; my father saved for this world, but 1
save for the next.'Thy beneficence will go before thee;
the glory of the Lord will gather thee.'




PART FOURTH.
PROVERBS AND SAYINGS OF THE RABBIS,
LEGENDS, &c.
WOE to the children banished from their father's table.
A handful of food will not satisfy the lion, neither can a
pit be filled again with its own dust.
Pray to God for mercy until the last shovelful of earth is
cast upon thy grave.
Cease not to pray even when the knife is laid upon thy
neck.
Open not thy mouth to speak evil.
To be patient is sometimes better than to have much
wealth.
The horse fed too liberally with oats becomes unruly.
Happy the pupil whose teacher approves his words.
When the cucumbers are young we may tell whether they
will become good for food.
Do not to others what you would not have others do to
you.
The ass complains of the cold even in July (Tamuz).
First learn and then teach.
Few are they who see their own faults.
A single light answers as well for a hundred men as for
one.
Victuals prepared by many cooks will be neither hot not
cold.




PROVERBS AND SA YINGS OF THE RABBIS.  287
The world is a wedding.
Youth is a wreath of roses.
A myrtle even in the desert remains a myrtle.
Teach thy tongue to say, " I do not know."
The house which opens not to the poor will open to the
physician.
The birds of the air despise a miser.
Hospitality is an expression of Divine worship.
Thy friend has a friend, and thy friend's friend has a
friend; be discreet.
Do not place a blemish on thine own flesh.
Attend no auctions if thou hast no money.
Rather skin a carcass for pay, in the public streets, tlan
lie idly dependent on charity.
Deal with those who are fortunate.
What is intended  for thy neighbour will never be
thine.
The weakness of thy walls invites the burglar.
The place honours not the man,'tis the man who gives
honour to the place.
The humblest man is ruler in his own house.
If the fox is king bow before him.
If a word spoken in its time is worth one piece of money,
silence in its time is worth two.
Tobias committed the sins and his neighbour received the
punishment.
Poverty sits as gracefully upon some people as a red saddle
upon a white horse.
Drain not the waters of thy well while other people may
desire them.
The doctor who prescribes gratuitously gives a worthless
prescription.
The rose grows among thorns.




2A3                 THE TALMUD.
The wine belongs to the master, but the waiter receives
the thanks.
He who mixes with unclean things becomes unclean himself; he whose associations are pure becomes more holy
with each day.
No mall is impatient with his creditors.
Make but one sale, and thou art called a merchant.
Mention not a blemish which is thy own, in detraction of
thy neighbour.
If certain goods sell not in one city, try another place.
He who reads the letter should execute the message.
A vessel used for holy purposes should not be put to uses'ess sacred.
Ornament thyself first, then magnify others.
Two pieces of coin in one bag make more noise than a
hundred.
Man sees the mote in his neighbour's eye, but knows not
of the beam in his own.
The rivalry of scholars advances science.
If thou tellest thy secret to three persons, ten know of it.
When love is intense both find room enough upon one
board of the bench; afterwards they may find themselves
cramped in a space of sixty cubits.
When wine enters the head the secret flies out.
When a liar speaks the truth he finds his punishment in
the general disbelief.
The camel desired horns, and his ears were taken from
him.
Sorrow for those who disappear never to be found.
The officer of the king is also a recipient of honours.
He who studies cannot follow a commercial life; neither
can the merchant devote his time to study.
There is no occasion to light thy lamp at noontide




POt VRB  S AND SA  ING6S 6P THE PASBIS.  i
Let the fruit pray for the welfare of the leaf.
Meat without salt is fit only for the dogs.
Trust not thyself until the day of thy death.
Woe to the country which hath lost its leader; woe to
the ship when its captain is no more.
He who increaseth his flesh but multiplieth food for the
worms.
The day is short, the labour great, and the workman
slothful.
Be yielding to thy superior; be affable towards the
young; be friendly with all mankind.
Silence is the fence round wisdom.
Without law, civilisation perishes.
Every man will surely have his hour.
Rather be the tail among lions than the head among
foxes.
Into the well which supplies thee with water cast no
stones.
Many a colt's skin is fashioned to the saddle which its
mother bears.
Truth is heavy, therefore few care to carry it.
Say little and do much.
He who multiplieth words will likely come to sin.
Sacrifice thy will for others, that they may be disposed to
sacrifice their wills for thee.
Study to-day, delay not.
Look not upon thy prayers as on a task; let thy supplications be sincere.
He who is loved by man is loved by God.
Honour the sons of the poor; they give to science its
splendour.
Do not live near a pious fool.
A small coin in a large jar makes a great noise,




290                 TiE  TAfzLMUD.
Use thy noble vase to-day; to-morrow it may break.
The cat and the rat make peace over a carcass.
He who walks each day over his estate finds a coin daily.
The dog follows thee for the crumbs in thy pocket.
The soldiers fight, and the kings are heroes.
When the ox is down many are the butchers.
Descend a step in choosing thy wife; ascend a step in
choosing thy friend.
Beat the gods and their priests will tremble.
The sun will set without thy assistance.
Hold no man responsible for his utterances in times of
grief
One man eats, another says grace.
lie who curbs his wrath merits forgiveness for his sins.
Commit a sin twice and it will not seem to thee a crime.'Wh ile our love was strong we lay on the edge of a sword,
now a couch. sixty yards wide is too narrow for us.
Study is nore meritorious than sacrifice.
Jerusalem was destroyed because the instruction of the
young was neglected.'ihe world is saved by the breath of school children.
Even to rebuild the Temple, the schools must not be
closed.
Blessed is the son who has studied with his father, and
blessed the father who has instructed his son.
Avoid wrath and thou wilt avoid sin; avoid intemperance
and thou wilt not provoke Providence.
Whlen others gather, do thou disperse; when others dis
perse, gather.
When thou art the only purchaser, then buy; when other
buyers are present, be thou nobody.
The foolish man knows not an insult, neither does a dead
man feel the cutting of a knife.




PRO VERBS ANtD SA YIVGS OF TIE RABBIS.  29
The cock and the owl both await daylight. "The light,'
says the cock, " brings me delight; but what in the world
art thou waiting for?"
The thief who finds no opportunity to steal, considers
himself an honest man.
A Galilean said, "When the shepherd is angry with
his flock, he appoints for its leader a  blind bellwether."
Though it is not incumbent upon thee to complete the
work, thou must not therefore cease from pursuing it. If
the work is great, great will be thy reward, and thy MIaster
is faithful in His payments.
There are three crowns: of the law, the priesthood, and
the kingship; but the crown of a good name is greater
than them all.
Who gains wisdom?  He who is willing to receive instruction from all sources. Who is the mighty man?  He
who subdueth his temper. Who is rich? He who is content with his lot. Who is deserving of honour? He who
honoureth mankind.
Despise no man and deem nothing impossible; every
man hath his hour and every thing its place.
Iron breaks stone; fire melts iron; water extinguishes
fire; the clouds consume water; the storm dispels clouds;
man withstands the storm; fear conquers man; wine
banishes fear; sleep overcomes wine, and death is the
master of sleep; but " charity," says Solomon, " saves even
from death."
Iow canst thou escape sin?  Think of three things:
whence thou comest, whither thou goest, and before whom
thou must appear. The scoffer, the liar, the hypocrite, and
the slanderer can have no share in the future world of bliss.
To slander is to commit murder.




tAP PtfLMUD.
Repent the day before thy death.*
Ten measures of wisdom  came into the world; the laW
of Israel received nine measures, and the balance of the
world one.  Ten measures of beauty came into the world 
Jerusalem received nine measures, and the rest of the world
one.
Rabbi Simon said:
"The world stands on three pillars: law, worship, and
charity."
Rabbi Ada said:
"When he who attends the synagogue regularly is prevented from being present, God asks for him."
Rabbi Simon, the son of Joshua, said:
"His enemies will humble themselves before the one
who builds a place of worship."
Rabbi Lakish said:
"He who is able to attend synagogue, and neglects to
do so, is a bad neighbour."
Rabbi Jose said:
" One need not stand upon a high place to pray, for it
is written,'Out of the depths have I called unto Thee, oh
Lord' "(Ps. 30: i).  The same Rabbi prohibits moving
about or talking during the progress of prayers, enlarging
on Solomon's advice, " Keep thy foot when thou goest into
the house of the Lord, and be more ready to hear than to
offer the sacrifice of fools" (Eccl. 5: ).
Rabbi Chia, the son of Abba, said:
* The Rabbi who said, " Repent the day before thy death," was
asked by his disciples how they could follow his advice, as man was
unable to tell upon what day his death would occur. He answered,
" Consider every day thy last; be ever ready with penitence,Cud good
deeds."




PROVERBS AND SA YINGS 6F TIE RA'BIS.  203
i' To pray loudly is not a necessity of devotion; when we
pray we must direct our hearts towards heaven."
When our ancestors in the wilderness were saved from
death by gazing upon the brazen serpent, it was not the
serpent which killed or preserved. It was the trustful appeal
to the Father in heaven.
Say the Rabbis, " Praise the Lord for the evil as for the
good;" and David is given as an example when he said,
" I had met with distress and sorrow, I then called on the
name of the Lord" (Ps. I I6).
Rabbi Ashi said:
" Charity is greater than all."
Rabbi Eliazar said:
"Who gives charity in secret is greater than Moses."
He finds authority for this saying in the words of Moses
(Deut. 9: I9), "For I was afraid -f the anger," and the
words of Solomon (Prov. 21: I4), which he presents as an
answer, "A gift given in secret pacifieth anger."
Rabbi Joshua said:
" A miser is as wicked as an idolater."
Rabbi Eliazar said:
"Charity is more than sacrifices."
Rabbi Jochanan said:
"  e who gives (charity) becomes rich," or as it is
written, "A beneficent soul will be abundantly gTatitled."
One day a philosopher inquired of Rabbi Ak'iba, "If
your God  loves the poor, why does He not support
them?"
"God allows the poor to be with us ever," responded
Akiba, "that the opportunities for doing good may never
fail."
"But," returned the philosopher, " how do you know that
this virtue of charity pleases God? If a master punishes his
u




294                  tIHE TALMUD.
slaves by depriving them of food and clothing, does he feel
pleased when others feed and clothe them?"
"But suppose, on the other hand," said the Rabbi, " that
the children of a tender father, children whom he could no
longer justly assist, had fallen into poverty, would he be
displeased if kind souls pitied and aided them? We are
not the slaves of a hard master. God calls us His children,
and Himself we call our Father."
Rabbah said:
"When one stands at the judgment-seat of God these
questions are asked:
"'Hast thou been honest in all thy dealings?'
"' Hast thou set aside a portion of thy time for the study
of the law?'
"'Hast thou observed the first commandment?'
"' Hast thou, in trouble, still hoped and believed in
God?'
"' Hast thou spoken wisely?'"
"All the blessings of a household come through the wife,
therefore should her husband honour her."
Rxb said:
" Men should be careful lest they cause women to weep,
for God counts their tears.
" In cases of charity, where both men and women claim
relief, the latter should be first assisted.  If there should
not be enough for both, the men should cheerfully relinquish their claims.
"A woman's death is felt by nobody as by her husband.
" Tears are shed on God's altar for the one who forsakes
his first love.
" He who loves his wife as himself, and honours her
more than himself, will train his children properly; he will




PRO VERBS AND SAYINGS OF THE RABBIS.  29S
meet, too, the fulfilment of the verse,'And thou shalt
know that there is peace in thy tent, and thou wilt look
over thy habitation and shall miss nothing'" (Job 5: 24).
Rabbi Jose said:
" I never call my wife' wife,' but' home,' for she, indeed,
makes my home.
" He who posseses a knowledge of God, and a knowledge
of man, will not easily commit sin.
"The Bible was given us to establish peace.
" He who wrongs his fellow-man, even in so small a coin
as a penny, is as wicked as if he should take life.
" He who raises his hand against his fellow in passion is
a sinner.
"Be not the friend of one who wears the cloak of a
saint to cover the deformities of a fool."
Rabbi Simon said:
" One who gives way to passion is as bad as an idolater.
" Hospitality is as great a virtue as studying the law."
"Never put thyself in the way of temptation," advised
Rabbi Judah; " even David could not resist it."
Rabbi Tyra, on being asked by his pupils to tell them
the secret which had gained him a happy, peaceful old age,
replied, " I have never cherished anger with my family; I
have never envied those greater than myself, and I have
never rejoiced in the downfall of any one."'" Unhappy is he who mistakes the branch for the tree, the
shadow for the substance.
"Thy yesterday is thy past; thy to-day thy future; thy
to-morrow is a secret.
"The best preacher is the heart; the best teacher is
time; the best book is the world; the best friend is God.
" Life is but a loan to man; death is the creditor who wil
one day claim it.




I 9,                if  th TALMUD.
"Understand a man by his own deeds and words.  Tho
impressions of others lead to false judgment."
Rabbi Jacob said:
"He through whose agency another has been falsely
punished stands outside of heaven's gates."
Rabbi Isaac said:
"The sins of the bad-tempered are greater than his
merits."
Rabbi Lakish said:
"The man who sins is foolish as well as wicked."
Rabbi Samuel said:
" The good actions which we perfoili in this world take
form and meet us in the world to come.
"Better to bear a false accusation in silence, than by
speaking to bring the guilty to public shame.
"He  who  can  feel ashamed  will not readily do
wrong.
"There is a great difference between one who can feel
ashamed before his own soul and one who is only ashamed
b:aore his fellow-man."
Rabbi Akiba said:
" God's covenant with us included work; for the command,'Six days shalt thou work and the seventh shalt thou
rest,' made the'rest' conditional upon the'work.'"
Rabbi Simon said, on the same subject:
"God first told Adam to dress the Garden of Eden, and
to keep it (Gen. 2: I5), and then permitted him to eat of
the fruit of his labour."
Rabbi Tarphon said:
" God did not dwell in the midst of Israel till they had
worked to deserve His presence, for he commanded,'They
shall make me a sanctuary, and then I will dwell in the
midst of them. "




PROVERBS AND SA YINGS OF THE RABBIS.  297
When Jerusalem was in the hands of the Romans, one of
their philosophers asked of the Rabbis:
" If your God dislikes idolatry, why does He not destroy
the idols and so put temptation out of the way?"
The wise men answered:
"Would you have the sun and the moon destroyed because of the foolish ones who worship them?  To change
the course of nature to punish sinners, would bring suffering
to the innocent also."
In Ecclesiastes 9: I4, we find this verse:
" There was a little city and the men therein were few,
and there came against it a great king, and built around it
great works of siege; but there was found in it a poor wise
man, and he delivered the city by his wisdom."
The sages interpret this verse most beautifully. The
"little city" is man, and the "few men" are his different
qualities. The " king" who besieged it is evil inclination,
and the "great bulwarks" he built around it are "evil
deeds."   The "poor wise man" who saved the city is
the  "good  actions"  which  the poorest  may  readily
perform.
Rabbi Judah said:
" He who refuses to teach a precept to his pupil is guilty
of theft, just as one who steals from the inheritance of his
father; as it is written,'The law which Moses commanded
us is the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.' (Denlt.)
But if he teaches him, what is his reward?"
Raba says, " He will obtain the blessing of Joseph."
Rabbi Eleazer said:
" That house where the law is not studied by night should
be destroyed.
" The wealthy man who aids not the scholar desirous o#
studying God's law will not prosper,




298                 THE TALMUD.
" He who changes his word, saying one thing and doing
another, is even as he who serveth idols."
Rabbi Chamah, the son of Papa, said:
" He who eats or drinks and blesses not the Lord, is even
as he who stealeth, for it is said,'The heavens are the
heavens of the Lord, and the earth hath He given to the
children of men. "
Rabbi Simon, the son of Lakish, said:
" They who perform one precept in this world will find,c
recorded for their benefit in the world to come; as it is
written,'Thy righteousness will go before thee, the glory of
the Lord will gather thee in.' And the same will be the
case, in contrast, with those who sin.  For the Bible says,' Which I commanded thee this day to do them,' to' do
them,' the precepts, to-day, though the reward  is not
promised to-day; but in the future, ordinances obeyed, will
testify in thy favour, for'thy righteousness will go before
thee.' 
The Rabbis pronounced those the "friends of God," who
being offended thought not of revenge; who practised good
through love for God, and who were cheerful under suffering
and difficulties. Of such Isaiah wrote, "They shall shine
forth like the sun at noonday."
Love thy wife as thyself; honour her more than thyself.
He who lives unmarried, lives without joy. If thy wife is
small, bend down to her and whisper in her ear. He who
sees his wife die, has, as it were, been present at the destruction of the sanctuary itself. The children of a man who
marries for money will prove a curse to him.
He who has more learning than good deeds is like a tree
with many branches but weak roots; the first great storm
will throw it to the ground.  He whose good works are




THE DESER? T ISLAND.                299
greater than his knowledge is like a tree with fewer branches
but with strong and spreading roots, a tree which all the
winds of heaven cannot uproot.
Better is the curse of the righteous man than the blessing
of the wicked.  Better the curse of Achia, the Shelonite,
than the blessing of Bil'am, the son of Beor. Thus did
Achia curse the Israelites, " And the Lord will smite Israel
as the reed is shaken in the water" (Kings I4: I5). The
reed bends but it breaks not, for it groweth by the water,
and its roots are strong.  Thus did Bil'am bless Israel, " As
cedar trees beside the waters."  Cedars do not grow beside
the waters; their roots are weak, and when strong winds
blow they break in pieces.
l7ze Desert Island.
A very wealthy man, who was of a kind, benevolent disposition, desired to make his slave happy. He gave him,
therefore, his freedom, and presented him with a shipload of
merchandise.
"Go," said he, "sail to different countries, dispose of
these goods, and that which thou mayest receive for them
shall be thy own."
The slave sailed away upon the broad ocean, but before
he had been long upon his voyage a storm overtook him;
his ship was driven on a rock and went to pieces; all on
board were lost, all save this slave, who swam to an island
shore near by. Sad, despondent, with naught in the world,
he traversed this island, until he approached a large and
beautiful city; and many people approached him joyously,
shouting, "Welcome! welcome! Long live the king!"
They brought a rich carriage, and placing him therein,
escorted him to a magnificent palace, where many servants




300               ITHE TALM UD.
gathered about him, clothing him in royal garments, addressing him as their sovereign, and expressing their obedience
to his will.
The slave was amazed and dazzled, believing that he
was dreaming, and all that he saw, heard, and experienced
was mere passing fantasy.  Becoming convinced of the
reality of his condition, he said to some men about him
for whom he experienced a friendly feeling:
"How is this?  I cannot understand it. That you
should thus elevate and honour a man whom  you know
not, a poor, naked wanderer, whom you have never seen
before, making him your ruler, causes me more wonder
than I can readily express."
" Sire," they replied, " this island is inhabited by spirits.
Long since they prayed to God to send them yearly a son
of man to reign over them, and He has ainswered their
prayers. Yearly he sends them a son of man, whom they
receive with honour and elevate to the throne; but his
dignity and power ends with the year. With its close his
royal garments are taken from him, he is placed on board
a ship and carried to a vast and desolate island, where,
unless he has previously been wise and prepared for this
day, he will find neither friend nor subject, and be obliged
to pass a weary, lonely, miserable life. Then a new king
is selected here, and so year follows year. The kings who
preceded thee were careless and indifferent, enjoying their
power to the full, and thinking not of the day when it
should end. Be wiser thou; let our words find rest within
thy heart."
The newly-made king listened attentively to all this, and
felt grieved that he should have lost even the time he had
already missed for making preparations f(r his loss of
power?




THE DESERT ISLAND.                 3u1
He addressed the wise man who had spoken, saying,
"Advise me, oh, spirit of wisdom, how I may prepare for
the days which will come upon me in the future."
"Naked thou camest to us and naked thou wilt be sent
to the desolate island of which I have told thee," replied
the other.  "At present thou art king, and may do ai
pleaseth thee; therefore send workmen to this island;
let them build houses, till the ground, and beautify the
surroundings. The barren  soil will be changed  into
fruitful fields, people will journey there to live, and thou
wilt have established a new kingdom for thyself, with subjects to welcome thee in gladness when thou shalt have lost
thy power here. The year is short, the work is long;
therefore be earnest and energetic."
The king followed this advice.  He sent workmen and
materials to the desolate island, and before the close of his
temporary power it had become a blooming, pleasant, and
attractive spot. The rulers who had preceded him had
anticipated the day of their power's close with dread, or
smothered all thought of it in revelry; but he looked
forward to it as a day of joy, when he should enter upon
a career of permanent peace and happiness.
The day came; the freed slave, who had been made king,
was deprived of his authority; with his power he lost his
royal garments; naked he was placed upon a ship, and its
sails set for the desolate isle.
When he approached its shores, however, the people
whom he had sent there came to meet him with music,
song, and great joy. They made him a prince among them,
and he lived with them ever after in pleasantness and
peace.
The wealthy man of kindly disposition is God, and the
slave to whom  He gave freedom is the soul which He




302                 THE TALM UD.
gives to man. The island at which the slave arrives is the
world; naked and weeping he appears to his parents,
who are the inhabitants that greet him warmly and make
him their king. The friends who tell him of the ways of
the country are his "good inclinations." The year of his
reign is his span of life, and the desolate island is the future
world, which he must beautify by good deeds, " the workmen and material," or else live lonely and desolate for
ever.
The Emperor and the Ag'ed Man.
The Emperor Adrian, passing through the streets of
Tiberias, noticed a very old man planting a fig tree, and
pausing, said to him:
"Wherefore plant that tree?  If thou didst labour in thy
youth, thou shouldst now have a store for thy old age, and
surely of the fruit of this tree thou canst not hope to
eat."
The old man answered:
" In my youth I worked, and I still work. With God's
good pleasure I may e'en partake of the fruit of this tree I
plant. I am in His hands."
"Tell me thy age," said the emperor.
" I have lived for a hundred years."
"A hundred years old, and still expect to eat from the
fruit of this tree?"
" If such be God's pleasure," replied the old man; "if
not, I will leave it for my son, as my father left the fruit of
his labour for me."
"Well," said the emperor, "if thou dost live until the
figs from  this tree are ripe, I pray thee let me know
of it."
The aged man lived to partake of that very fruit, and




THE EMPEROR AND THE AGED )MAN.              303
remembering the emperor's words, he resolved to visit him
So, taking a small basket, he filled it with the choicest figl
from the tree, and proceeded on his errand. Telling the
palace guard his purpose, he was admitted to the sovereign's
presence.
" Well," asked the emperor, " what is thy wish?"
The old man replied:
"Lo, I am the old man to whom thou didst say, on the
day thou sawest him planting a fig tree,' If thou livest to
eat of its fruit, I pray thee let me know;' and behold I have
come and brought thee of the fruit, that thou mayest partake
of it likewise."
The emperor was very much pleased, and emptying the
man's basket of its figs, he ordered it to be filled with gold
coins.
When the old man had departed, the courtiers said to the
emperor:
"Why didst thou so honour this old Jew?"
" The Lord hath honoured him, and why not I?" replied
the emperor.
Now next door to this old man there lived a woman, who,
when she heard of her neighbour's good fortune, desired
her husband to try his luck in the same quarter. She
filled for him an immense basket with figs, and bidding
him put it on his shoulder, said, "Now carry it to the
emperor; he loves figs and will fill thy basket with golden
coin."
When her husband approached the gates of the palace,
he told his errand to the guards, saying, " I brought these
figs to the emperor; empty my basket I pray, and fill it
it up again with gold."
When this was told to the emperor, he ordered the old
man to stand in the hallway of the palace, and all who




304                 THE TALMUD.
passed pelted him with his figs. He returned home wounded
and crestfallen to his disappointed wife.
"Never mind, thou hast one consolation," said she;
"had they been cocoanuts instead of figs thou mightest
have suffered harder raps."
Proving a Claim.
A citizen of Jerusalem travelling through the country was
taken very sick at an inn. Feeling that he would not recover, he sent for the landlord and said to him, "I am
going the way of all flesh. If after my death any party
should come from Jerusalem  and claim my effects, do not
deliver them until he shall prove to thee by three wise acts
that he is entitled to them; for I charged my son before
starting upon my way, that if death befell me he would
be obliged to prove his wisdom  before  obtaining  my
possessions."
The man died and was buried according to Jewish rites,
and his death was made public that his heirs might appear.
When his son learned of his father's decease he started from
Jerusalem for the place where he had died. Near the gates
of the city he met a man who had a load of wood for sale
This he purchased and ordered it to be delivered at the inn
towards which he was travelling. The man from whom he
bought it went at once to the inn, and said, "Here is the
wood."
" What wood?" returned the proprietor; "I ordered no
wood."
" No," answered the woodcutter, "but the man whc
follows me did; I will enter and wait for him."
Thus the son had provided for himself a welcome whey
he should reach the inn, which was his first wise act,
The landlord said to him, " Who art thou?"




PRONING A CLAIM.                 3o0
t The son of the merchant who died in thy house," he
replied.
They prepared for him a dinner, and placed upon the
table five pigeons and a chicken. The master of the house,
his wife, two sons, and two daughters sat with him at the
table.
"Serve the food," said the landlord.
"Nay," answered the young man; " thy art master, it is
thy privilege."
" I desire thee to do this thing; thou art my guest, the
merchant's son; pray help the food."
The young man thus entreated divided one pigeon between the sons, another between the two daughters, gave
ihe third to the man and his wife, and kept the other two
for himself. This was his second wise act.
The landlord looked somewhat perplexed at this mode of
distribution, but said nothing.'Then the merchant's son divided the chicken. He gave
to the landlord and his wife the head, to the two sons the
legs, to the two daughters the wings, and took the body for
himself. This was his third wise act.
The landlord said:
"Is this the way they do things in thy country?  I
noticed the manner in which thou didst apportion the
pigeons, but said nothing; but the chicken, my dear sir!
I must really ask thee thy meaning."
Then the young man answered:
"I told thee that it was not my place to serve the food,
nevertheless when thou didst insist I did the best I could,
and I think I have succeeded. Thyself, thy wife, and one
pigeon make three; thy two sons and one pigeon make
three; thy two daughters and one pigeon make three; and
myself and two pigeons make three also, therefore is it fairly




305 o               THIE TALMUD.
done. As regards the chicken, I gave to thee and thy wife
the head, because ye are the heads of the family; I gave to
each of thy sons a leg, because they are the pillars of the
family, preserving always the family name; I gave to each
of thy daughters a wing, because in the natural course of
events they will marry, take wing, and fly away from the
home-nest. I took the body of the chicken because it looks
like a ship, and in a ship I came here and in a ship I hope
to return. I am the son of the merchant who died in thy
house; give me the property of ry dead father."
"Take it and go," said the landlord.  And giving him
his father's possessions the  young  man  departed  in
peace.
A Payment with Interest.
A certain man, a native of Athina (a city near Jerusalem),
visited the city of Jerusalem, and after leaving it, ridiculed
the place and its inhabitants. The Jerusalemites were very
wroth at being made the subjects of his sport, and they induced one of their citizens to travel to Athina, to induce
the man to return to Jerusalem, which would give them an
opportunity to punish his insolence.
The citizen thus commissioned reached Athina, and very
shortly fell in with the man whom he had come to meet.
Walking through the streets together one day, the man from
Jerusalem said, "See, the string of my shoe is broken; take
me, I pray, to the shoemaker."
The shoemaker repaired the string, and the man paid him
a coin more in value than the worth of the shoes.
Next day, when walking with the same man, he broke the
string of his other shoe, and going to the shoemaker, he
paid him the same large sum for repairing that.
"Why," said the man of Athina, "shoes must be very




A PA YMENT' WITH AINTI'R,'S.            3o7
dear in Jerusalem, when thou payest such a price but for
repairing a string."
"Yes," answered the other; " they bring nine ducats, and
even in the cheapest times from seven to eight."
" Then it would be a profitable employment for me to
take shoes from my city and sell them in thine."' Yes, indeed; and if thou wilt but let me know of thy
coming I will put thee in the way of customers."
So the man of Athina, who had made merry over the
Jerusalemites, bought a large stock of shoes and set out for
Jerusalem, informing his friend of his coming.  The latter
started to meet him, and greeting him before he came to
the gates of the city, said to him:
"Before a stranger may enter and sell goods in Jerusalem, he must shave his head and blacken his face. Art
thou ready to do this?"
" And why not," replied the other, " as long as I have a
prospect of large profits; why should I falter or hesitate at
so slight a thing as that?"
So the stranger, shaving the hair from  his head and
blackening his face (by which all Jerusalem knew him as
the man who had ridiculed the city), took up his place hi
the market, with his wares spread before him.
Buyers paused before his stall, and asked him:
" How much for the shoes?"
"Ten ducats a pair," he answered; "or I may sell ioi
nine; but certainly for not less than eight."
This caused a great laugh and uproar in the market, and
the stranger was driven from it in derision and his shoes
thrown after him.
Seeking the Jerusalemite who had deceived him, he said
"Why hast thou so treated me? did I so to thee in
Athina?"




t0R   TiALALUD.
"Let this be a lesson to thee," answered the Jerusalemitt.
"I do not think thou wilt be so ready to make sport of us
in the future."
The Weasel and the Well.
A young man, upon his journeys through the country, fell
in with a young woman, and they became mutually attached.
When the young man was obliged to leave the neighbourhood of the damsel's residence, they met to say "goodby." During the parting they pledged a mutual faith, and
each promised to wait until, in the course of time, they
might be able to marry.  "Who will be the witness of our
betrothal?" said the young man. Just then they saw a
weasel run past them and disappear in the wood.  " See,"
he continued, " this weasel and this well of water by which
we are standing shall be the witnesses of our betrothal;"
and so they parted.  Years passed, the maiden remained
irue, but the youth married. A son was born to him, and
grew up the delight of his parents. One day while the
child was playing he became tired, and lying upon the
ground fell asleep. A weasel bit him in the neck, and he
bled to death. The parents were consumed with grief by
this calamity, and it was not until another son was given
them that they forgot their sorrow. But when this second
child was able to walk alone it wandered without the house,
and bending over the well, looking at its shadow in the
water, lost its balance and was drowned.  Then the father
recollected his perjured vow, and his witnesses, the weasel
and the well. He told his wife of the circumstance, and
she agreed to a divorce.  He then sought the maiden to
whom he had promised marriage, and found her still awaiting his return. He told her how, through God's agency, lie
had been punished for his wrongdoing, after which they
married and lived in peace.




THIE LA WFUL HEIR.                309
The Lawful Heir.
A wise Israelite, dwelling some distance from Jerusalem,
tent his son to the Holy City to complete his education.
During his son's absence the father was taken ill, and feeling that death was upon him he made a will, leaving all his
property to one of his slaves, on condition that he should
allow the son to select any one article which pleased him
tor an inheritance.
As soon as his master died, the slave, elated with his
good fortune, hastened to Jerusalem, informed his late
master's son of what had taken place, and showed him the
will.
The young man was surprised and grieved at the intelligence, and after the allotted time of mourning had expired,
11h began to seriously consider his situation. He went to
his teacher, explained the circumstances to him, read him
his father's will, and expressed himself bitterly on account
of the disappointment of his reasonable hopes and expectations.  He could think of nothing that he had done to
offend his father, and was loud in his complaints of injustice.
"Stop," said his teacher; " thy father was a man of wisdom and a loving relative. This will is a living monument
to his good sense and far-sightedness.  May his son provw
as wise in his day."'* Wlat I" exclaimed the young man.    I see no wisdom
in his bestowal of his property upon a slave; no affection
n this slight upon his only son."
" Listen," returned the teacher. " By his action thy father
hath but secured thy inheritance to thee, if thou art wise
enough to avail thyself of his understanding. Thus thought
he when he felt the hand of death approaching,' My son is
x




31c                 THE T ALIMUD.
away; when I am dead he will not be here to take charge
of my affairs; my slaves will plunder my estate, and to
gain time will even conceal my death from my son, and deprive me of the sweet savour of mourning.' To prevent
these things he bequeathed his property to his slave, well
knowing that the slave, believing in his apparent right,
would give thee speedy information and take care of the
effects, even as he has done."
"Well, well, and how does this benefit me?" impatiently
interrupted the pupil.
" Ah!" replied the teacher, " wisdom I see rests not with
the young. Dost thou not know that what a slave possesses
belongs but to his master? Has not thy father left thee the
right to select one article of all his property for thy own?
Choose the slave as thy portion, and by possessing him thou
wilt recover all that was thy father's. Such was his wise
and loving intention."
The young man did as he was advised, and gave the
slave his freedom afterwards.  But ever after he was wont
to exclaim:
"'Wisdom resides with the aged, and understanding in
length of days."
NOtling in the World without its Use.
David, King of Israel, was once lying upon his couch
and many thoughts were passing through his mind.
" Of what use in this world is the spider?" thought he;
"it but increases the dust and dirt of the world, making
places unsightly and causing great annoyance."
Then he thought of an insane man:
" How unfortunate is such a being. I know that all
things are ordained by God with reason and purpose, yet




NOTHING  Zi/ THE WORLD WITHOUT ITS USE. 311
this is beyond my comprehension; why should men be born
idiots, or grow insane?"
Then the mosquitoes annoyed him, and the king thought:
" What can the mosquito be good for? why was it created
in the world? It but disturbs our comfort, and the world
profits not by its existence."
Yet King David lived to discover that these very insects,
and the very condition of life, the being of which he deplored, were ordained even to his own benefit.
When he fled from before Saul, David was captured in
the land of the Philistines by the brothers of Goliath, who
carried him before the king of Gath, and it was only by pretending idiocy that he escaped death, the king deeming it
impossible that such a man could be the kingly David; as
it is written, " And he disguised his reason before their eyes,
and played the madman in their hands, and scribbled on
the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down upon his
beard" (Sam. 2I: I2-16).
Upon another occasion David hid himself in the cave of
Adullam, and after he had entered the cave it chanced that
a spider spun a web over the opening thereto. His pursuers passed that way, but thinking that no one could have
entered the cave protected by the spider's web without desiroying it, they continued on their way.
The mosquito also was of service to David when he
entered the camp of Saul to secure the latter's weapon.
While stooping near Abner, the sleeping man moved and
placed his leg upon David's body. If he moved, he would
awake Abner and meet with death, if he remained in that
position morning would dawn and bring him death; he
knew  not what to do, when a mosquito alighted upon
Abner's leg; he moved it quickly, and David escaped.
Therefore sang David:




312                THE TA LMUD.
"All my bones shall say, 0 Lord, who is like unto
Thee."
The Reward of Faith.
The Israelites were commanded to visit Jerusalem on
three festivals. It happened upon one occasion that there
was a scarcity of water in the city. One of the people
called upon a certain nobleman who was the owner of three
wells, and asked him for the use of the water which they
contained, promising that they should be refilled by a stated
date, and contracting in default of this to pay a certain
large amount in silver a:; forfeit. The day came, there had
been no rain, and the three wells were dry. In the morning the owner of the wells sent for the promised money.
Nakdemon, the son of Gurion, the man who had undertaken this burden for his people's sake, replied, "The day
is but begun; there is yet time."
He entered the Temple and prayed that God might send
rain and save him all his fortune which he had ventured.
His prayer was answered. The clouds gathered and the
rain fell. As he passed out of the Temple with a grateful
heart, he was met by his creditor, who said:
"True, the rain has refilled my wells, but it is dark; the
day has gone, and according to our agreement thou mtst
still pay me the promised sum."
Once more Nakdemon prayed, and lo, the clouds lifted
and the sinking sun smiled brightly on the spot where the
men stood, showing that the sunlight of day was still there,
though the rain-clouds had temporarily obscured its gleams.
Abtinoss and Garmah.
There was a certain family, the family of Abtinoss, the
nmerbers of which were learned in the art of preparing the




TUST IN GOD.                    313
incense used in the service.  Their knowledge they refused
to impart to others, and the directors of the Temple, fearing
that the art might die with them, discharged them from the
service, and brought other parties from Alexandria, in Egypt,
to prepare the sweet perfume.  These latter were unable to
afford satisfaction, however, and the directors were obliged
to give the service back into the hands of the family of
Abtinoss, who on their part refused to accept it again, unless
the remuneration for their services was doubled. When
asked why they so persistently refused to impart their skill
to others, they replied that they feared they might teach
some unworthy persons, who would afterwards use their
knowledge in an idolatrous worship. The members of this
family were very particular not to use perfume of any kind
themselves, lest the people should imagine that they put the
sweet spices used in the manufacture of the incense to a
baser use.
An exactly similar case to the above occurred with the
family of Garmah, which had the monopoly of the knowledge of preparing the show-bread used in the services ot
the Temple.
It was in reference to these cases that the son of Azai
said, " In thy name they shall call thee, and in thy city
they shall cause thee to live, and from thy own they will
give thee," meaning that trustful persons should not fear that
others might steal their occupations; " for in thy name they
will call thee," as with the families of Abtinoss and Garmah;
"and from thy own they will give thee," meaning that what
a man earns is his own, and cannot be taken away.
Trust in God.
Rabbi Jochanan, the son of Levi, fasted and prayed to
the Lord that he might be permitted to gaze on the angel




3 4                tHT YA4LMOD.
Elijah, he who had ascended alive to heaven. God granted
his prayer, and in the semblance of a man Elijah appeared
before him.
"Let me journey with thee in thy travels through the
world," prayed the Rabbi to Elijah;'let me observe thy
doings, and gain in wisdom and understanding."
"Nay," answered Elijah; "my actions thou couldst not
understand; my doings would trouble thee, being beyond
thy comprehension."
But still the Rabbi entreated:
"I will neither trouble nor question thee," he said;
" only let me accompany thee on thy way."
" Come, then," said Elijah; " but let thy tongue be mute.
With thy first question, thy first expression of astonishment,
we must part company."
So the two journeyed through the world together. Thiey
approached the house of a poor man, whose only treasure
and means of support was a cow. As they came near, the
man and his wife hastened to meet them, begged them to
enter their cot, and eat and drink of the best they could
afford, and to pass the night under their roof. This they
did, receiving every attention from their poor but hospitable
host and hostess. In the morning Elijah rose up early
and prayed to God, and when he had finished his prayer,
behold the cow belonging to the poor people dropped dead.
Then the travellers continued on their journey.
Much was Rabbi Jochanan perplexed.  " Not only did
we neglect to pay them for their hospitality and generous
services, but his cow we have killed;" and he said to Elijah,
" Why didst thou kill the cow of this good man, who-"
"Peace," interrupted Elijah; "hear, see, and be silent 
If I answer thy questions we must part."
And they continued on their way together.




STUST IN GOD.                   35
Towards evening they arrived at a large and imposing
mansion, the residence of a haughty and wealthy man.
They were coldly received; a piece of bread and a glass
of water were placed before them, but the master of the
house did not welcome or speak to them, and they remained
there during the night unnoticed. In the morning Elijah
remarked that a wall of the house required repairing, and
sending for a carpenter, he himself paid the money for the
repair, as a return, he said, for the hospitality they had
received.
Again was Rabbi Jochanan filled with wonder, but he
said naught, and they proceeded on their journey.
As the shades of night were falling they entered a city
which contained a large and imposing synagogue. As it
was the time of the evening service they: entered and were
much pleased with the rich adornments, the velvet cushions,
and gilded carvings of the interior.  After the completion
of the service, Elijah arose and called out aloud, "Who is
here willing to feed and lodge two poor men this night?"
none answered, and no respect was shown to the travelling
strangers. In the morning, however, Elijah re-entered the
synagogue, and shaking its members by the hands, he said,
"I hope that you may all become presidents."
Next evening the two entered another city, when the
Shiazas (sexton) of the synagogue, came to meet them, and
notifying the members of his congregation of the coming of
two strangers, the best hotel of the place was opened to
them, and all vied in showing them attention and honour.
In the morning, on parting with them, Elijah said, " May
the Lord appoint over you but one president."
Jochanan could resist his curiosity no longer.  "Tell
me," said he to Elijah, " tell me the meaning of all these
actions which I have witnessed. To those who have treated




St6                THItir   TALMUD.
us coldly thou hast uttered good wishes; to those who have
been gracious to us thou hast made no suitable return.
Even though we must part, I pray thee explain to me the
meaning of thy acts."
"Listen," said Elijah, "and learn to trust in God, even
though thou canst not understand His ways. We first entered
the house of the poor man, who treated us so kindly. Know
that it had been decreed that on that very day his wife
should die. I prayed unto the Lord that the cow might
prove a redemption for her; God granted my prayers, and
the woman was preserved unto her husband. The rich man,
whom next we called up, treated us coldly, and I repaired
his wall.  I repaired it without a new foundation, without
digging to the old one. Had he repaired it himself he
would have dug, and thus discovered a treasure which lies
there buried, but which is now for ever lost to him. To
the members of the synagogue who were inhospitable I said,
May you all be presidents,' and where many rule there can
be no peace; but to the others I said,' May you have but
one president;' with one leader no misunderstanding may
arise.  Now, if thou seest the wicked prospering, be not
envious; if thou seest the righteous in poverty and trouble,
be not provoked or doubtful of God's justice. The Lord
is righteous, His judgments all are true; His eyes note all
mankind, and none can say,' What dost thou? "
With these words Elijah disappeared, and Jochanan was
left alone.
The Bride and Bridegroom.
There was once a man who pledged his dearest faith to a
maiden, beautiful and true. For a time all passed pleasantly, and the maiden lived in happiness. But then the
man was called from her side, he left her; long she waited,




XR UTIL                    3 17
but he did not return. Friends pitied her and rivals mocked
her; tauntingly they pointed at her, and said, " He has left
thee; he will never come back."  The maiden sought her
chamber, and read in secret the letters which her lover had
written to her, the letters in which he promised to be ever
faithful, ever true.  Weeping she read them, but they
brought comfort to her heart; she dried her eyes and
doubted not.
A joyous day dawned for her; the man she loved returned,
and when he learned that others had doubted and asked her
how she had preserved her faith, she showed his letters to
him, declaring her eternal trust.
Israel, in misery and captivity, was mocked by the
nations; her hopes of redemption were made a laughingstock; her sages scoffed at; her holy men derided. Into
her synagogues, into her schools went Israel; she read the
letters which her God had written, and believed in the holy
promises which they contained.
God will in time redeem her; and when He says:
"How could you alone be faithful of all the mocking
nations?"
She will point to the law and answer:
"Had not Thy law been my delight, I should long since
have perished in my affliction" (Psalm  I 9).
Truth.
When God was about to create man the angels gathered
about him. Some of them opening their lips exclaimed,
"Create, oh God, a being who shall praise Thee from earth
even as we in heaven sing Thy glory."
But others said:
" Hear us, Almighty King, create no more! The glorious




harmony of the heavens which Thou hast sent to earth will
be by man disturbed, destroyed."
Then silence fell upon the contesting hosts as the Angel
of Mercy appeared before the throne of grace on bended
knees.
Sweet was the voice which said entreatingly:
"Oh, Father, create Thou man; make him  Thine own
noble image. With heavenly pity will I fill his heart, with
sympathy towards every living thing impress his being;
through him will they find cause to praise Thee."
Then the Angel of Mercy ceased, and the Angel of Peace
with tearful eyes spoke thus:
"0 God, create him not! Thy peace he will disturb,
the flow of blood will follow sure his coming. Confusion,
horror, war, will blot the earth, and Thou wilt no longer
find a pleasant place among Thy works on earth."
Then spoke in stern tones the Angel of Justice'
"And Thou wilt judge him, God; he shall be suLiject to
my sway."
The Angel of Truth approached, saying:
" Cease! Oh God of truth, with man Thou sendest
falsehood to the earth."
Then all were silent, and out of the deep quietness the
Divine words came:
"Thou, oh Truth, shalt go to earth with him, and yet
remain a denizen of heaven;'twixt heaven and earth to
float, connecting link between the two."
The Destruction of Bithar.
It was customary in Bithar when a child was born for the
parents to plant a young cedar tree, to grow up with the
infant. It happened upon one occasion when the daughter
of the emperor was riding through the city, that her chariot




'Mt DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM.               31
broke down, and her attendants pulled up a young cedat
tree to use in repairing it. The man who had planted the
tree, seeing this, attacked the servants and beat them
severely. This action incensed the emperor, who immediately despatched an army of eighty thousand men against
the city. These captured it and killed the inhabitants, men,
women and children.  The rivers ran red with blood, and'tis said that the ground was rich and prolific to the farmers
for seven years, from the bodies of those who perished, said
to be four hundred thousand Israelites.
The Destruction of Jerusalem.
When the guilt of the Israelites grew too great for the
forbearance of the Most High, and they refused to listen to
the words and warnings of Jeremiah, the prophet left Jerusalem and travelled to the land of Benjamin. While he was
in the holy city, and prayed for mercy on it, it was spared;
but while he sojourned in the land of Benjamin, Nebuchadnezzar laid waste the land of Israel, plundered the holy
Temple, robbed it of its ornaments, and gave it a prey to
the devouring flames.  By the hands of Nebuzaradan did
Nebuchadnezzar send (while he himself remained in Riblal)
to destroy Jerusalem.
Before he ordered the expedition he endeavoured by
means of signs, in accordance with the superstition of his
age, to ascertain the result of the attempt.  He shot an
arrow from his bow, pointing to the west, and the arrow
turned towards Jerusalem.  Then he shot again, pointing
towards the east, and the arrow sped towards Jerusalem.
Then he shot once more, desiring to know in which direction lay the guilty city which should be blotted from the
world, and for the third time his arrow pointed towards
Jerusalem.




320                TiE tALAUD.
When the city had been captured, hle m-lac-li    with his
princes and officers into the Temple, and called out mockingly to the God of Israel, " And art thou the great God
before whom the world trembles, and we here in thy city
and thy Temple!"
On one of the walls he found the mark of an arrow's head,
as though somebody had been killed or hit near by, and he
asked, "Who was killed here?"
"Zachariah, the son of Yehoyadah, the high priest,
answered the people; " he rebuked us incessantly on account of our transgressions, and we tired of his words, and
put him to death."
The followers of Nebuchadnezzar massacred the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the people, old and young,
women, and children who were attending school, even
babies in the cradle. The feast of blood at last shocked
even the leader of the hostile heathens, who ordered a stay
of this wholesale murder. He then removed all the vessels
of gold and silver from the Temple, and sent them by his
ships, to Babel, after which he set the Temple on fire.
The high priest donned his robe and ephod, and saying,
" Now that the Temple is destroyed, no priest is needed to
officiate," threw himself into the flames and was consumed.
When the other priests who were still alive witnessed this
action, they took their harps and musical instruments and
followed the example of the high priest.  Those of the
people whom the soldiers had not killed were bound in iron
chains, burdened with the spoils of the victors, and carried
into captivity. Jeremiah the prophet returned to Jerusalem
and accompanied his unfortunate brethren, who went out
almost naked. When they reached a place called Bet Kuro,
-Teremiah obtained better clothing for them. And he spoke
to l'>-,ilchadnezzar and the Chaldeans, and said, "Think




TIHE DES T UCTION OF JER USA LEi7M.       32t
not that of your own strength you were able to overcome
the people chosen of the Lord;'tis their iniquities which
have condemned them to this sorrow."
Thus the people journeyed on with crying and moaning
until they reached the rivers of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar said to them, " Sing, ye people,-play for me,-sing
the songs ye were wont to sing before your great Lord in
Jerusalem."
In answer to this command, the Levites hung their harps
upon the willow trees near the banks of the river, as it is
written, "Upon the willows in her midst had we hung up
our harps" (Ps. 137'2). Then they said, "If we had but
performed the will of God and sung His praises devoutly,
we should not have been delivered into thy hands. Now,
how can we sing before thee the prayers and hymns that
belong only to the One Eternal God?" as it is said, " How
should we sing the song of the Lord on the soil of the
stranger?" (Ibid. 4).
Then said the officers of the captors, "These men are
men of death; they refuse to obey the order of the king;
let them die."
But forth stepped Pelatya, the son of Yehoyadah, and
thus he addressed Nebuchadnezzar:
"'Behold, if a flock is delivered into the hands of a
shepherd, and a wolf steals a lamb from  the flock,
tell me, who is responsible to the owner of the lost
animal?"
"Surely the shepherd," replied Nebuchadnezzar.
"Then listen to thine own words," replied  Pelatya.
"God has given Israel into thy hands; to Him art thou
responsible for those who are slain."
The king ordered the chains to be removed from the
captives, and they were not put to death.




323                 TTH 7T ALMUD.
Second Destruction of yerusalem.
Through Kamtzah and  Bar Kamtzah was Jerusalem
destroyed; and thus it happened.
A certain man made a feast  he was a friend of Kamtzah,
but Bar Kamtzah he hated.  He sent a messenger to
Kamtzah with an  invitation to  his banquet, but this
messenger making a mistake, delivered the invitation to his
master's enemy, Bar Kamtzah.
Bar Kan)tzah accepted the invitation, and was on hand
at the appointed time, but when the host saw his enemy
enter his house, he ordered him to leave at once.
" Nay," said Bar Kamtzah, " now that I am here, do not
so insult me as to send me forth.  I will pay thee for all
that I may eat and drink."' I want not thy money," returned the other, " neither do
I desire thy presence; get thee gone at once."
But Bar Kamtzah persisted.
" I will pay the entire expense of thy feast," he said;
" do not let me be degraded in the eyes of thy guests."
The host was determined, and Bar Kamtzah withdrew
from the banquet-room in anger.
" Many Rabbis were present," said he in his heart,
" and not one of them interfered in my behalf, therefore
this insult which they saw put upon me must have pleased
them."
So Bar Kamtzah spoke treacherously of the Jews unto
the king, saying, " The Jews have rebelled against thee."
"How can I know this?" inquired the king.
"Send a sacrifice to their Temple and it will be rejected,"
replied Bar Kamtzah.
The ruler then sent a well-conditioned calf to be sacrificed
for him in the Temple, but through the machinations of Bar




SECOND DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEAL    323
Kamtzah the messenger inflicted a blemish upon it, and, of
course, not being fit for the sacrifice (Lev. 22:21) it way
not accepted.
Through this cause was Caesar sent to capture Jerusalenm
and for two years he besieged the city. Four wealthy
citizens of Jerusalem had stored up enough food to last the
inhabitants a much longer time than this, but the people
being anxious to fight with the Romans, destroyed the storehouses and brought dire famine upon the city.
A certain noble lady, Miriam, the daughter of Baythus,
sent her servant to purchase some flour for household use.
The servant found that all the flour had been sold, but there
was still some meal which he might have purchased.
Hurrying home, however, to learn his mistress's wishes in
regard to this, he discovered on his return that this too had
been sold, and he could obtain nothing save some coarse
barley meal. Not wishing to purchase this without orders
he returned home again, but when he returned to the storehouse to secure the barley meal, that was gone also. Then
his mistress started out herself to purchase food, but she
could find nothing.  Suffering from the pangs of hunger she
picked from the street the skin of a fig and ate it; this
sickened her and she died. But previous to her death she
cast all her gold and silver into the street, saying, " What
use is this wealth to me when I can obtain no food for it?'
Thus were the words of Ezekiel fulfilled t
" Their silver shall they cast into the streets."
After the destruction of the storehouses, Rabbi Jochanan
in walking through the city saw the populace boiling straw
in water and drinking of the same for sustenance.  "Ah,
woe is me for this calamity I" he exclaimed; " how can
such a people strive against a mighty host?"  He applied to
Ben Batiach, his nephew, one of the chiefs of the city, for




324                 THE TALMUD.
permission to leave Jerusalem. But Ben Batiach replied,
"It may not be; no living body may leave the city."
"Take me out then as a corpse," entreated Jochanan.
Ben Batiach assented to this, and Jochanan was placed in
a coffin and carried through the gates of the city; Rabbi
Eleazer, Rabbi Joshua, and Ben Batiach acting as pallbearers. The coffin was placed in a cave, and after they
had all returned to their homes Jochanan arose from the
coffin and made his way to the enemy's camp.  He obtained
from the commander permission to establish an academy in
Jabna with Rabbon Gamliel as the principal.
Titus soon captured the city, killed many of the people,
and sent the others into exile. He entered the Temple,
even in the Most Holy, and cut down the veil which
separated it from the less sacred precincts. He seized
the holy vessels, and sent them to Rome.
From  this history of Kamtzah and Bar Kamtzah we
should learn to be careful of offending our neighbours,
when in so slight a cause such great results may originate.
Our Rabbis have said that he who causes his neighbour to
blush through an insult, should be compared to the one
who sheds blood.
7Hannah and her Seven Sons.
During the terrible times which followed the fall of the
Holy City, Hannah and her seven sons were cast into
prison.
According to their ages they were brought before th,
tyrant conqueror, and commanded to pay homage to himl
and his gods.
"God forbid," exclaimed the eldest lad, "that I should
oow to thy image.  Our commandments say to us,'I am
he Lord thy God;' to no ether will I bow,."




ZIANNAZI AND HER SEVEN SONS.            325
He was immediately led out to execution, and the same
demand made of his brother, the second son.
" My brother bowed not," he answered, " and no more
will I."' Wherefore not?" asked the tyrant.
"Because," replied the lad, "the second commandment
of the Decalogue tells us,'Thou shalt have no other God
but me.'
His death followed immediately his brave words.
"I My religion teaches me,' Thou shalt worship no other
God" (Ex. 34  I4), said the third son, "and I welcome the
fate accorded to my brothers rather than bow to thee or
thy images."
The same homage was demanded of the fourth son, but
brave and faithful as his brethren, he replied, "' He that
sacrificeth unto any God save unto the Lord only'"
(Ex. 22: I9), and was slain pitilessly.
"' Hear, O Israel! the Lord our God, the Lord is One,'"
exclaimed the fifth lad, yielding up his young life with the
watchword of Israel's hosts.
"Why art thou so obstinate?" was asked of the sixth
brother, when he, too, was brought before the tyrant and
scorned the propositions made him.
"'The Lord thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty
and terrible God'" (Deut. 7: 21), he said; and died for
the principles he proclaimed.
Then the seventh and youngest boy was brought before
the murderer of his relatives, who addressed him kindly,
saying:
" My son, come bow before my gods."
And the child answered:
"God forbid! Our holy religion teaches us'Know
therefore this day, and reflect in thy heart that the Lord he
Y




3$6                 THE TALMUD.
is God, in the heavens above and on the earth beneath
there is none else' (Deut. 4: 39).  Never will we exchange
our God for any other, neither will He exchange us for any
other nation, for as it is written,'Thou hast this day
acknowledged the Lord' (Ieut. 26: 17), so is it also written,' And the Lord hath acknowledged thee this day, that thou
art unto him a peculiar people!'"
Still the tyrant spoke smoothly, and with kind words.
"Thou art young," he said; "thou hast seen but little
of the pleasures and joys of life, not as much as has fallen
to the portion of thy brethren. Do as I wish thee and thy
future shall be bright and happy."
" The Lord will reign for ever and ever," said the lad;
"thy nation and thy kingdom will be destroyed; thou art
here to-day, to-morrow  in  the grave; to day elevated,
to-morrow lowly; but the most Holy One endures for ever."
"See," continued the other, "thy brothers lie slain before
thee; their fate will be thine if thou refusest to do as I
desire. See, I will cast my ring to the ground, stoop thou
and pick it up; that I will consider allegiance to my gods."
"Thinkest thou that I fear thy threats?" returned the
unterrified lad; "why should I fear a human being more
than the great God, the King of kings?"
"Where and what is thy God?" asked the oppressor.
"Is there a God in the world?"
" Can there be a world without a Creator?" replied the
youth.  "Of thy gods'tis said,'mouths they have, but
speak not.' Of our God the Psalmist says,'By the word of
the Lord were the heavens made.' Thy gods have'eyes
but see not,' but'the eyes of the Lord run to and fro
in the whole earth 1' Thy gods have'ears but hear not,'
but of our God'tis written,' The Lord hearkened and heard.'
Of thy gods'tis said,'a nose they have but smell not:'




HANNAH AND HER SEVEN SONS.                327
while our God' smelled the sweet savour.'' Hands have
thy gods but they touch not,' while our God says,'My
hand hath also  founded  the  earth.' Of thy gods'tis
written.' feet they have but walk not,' while Zachariah tells
us of our God,'His feet will stand that day upon the
mount of Olives."'
Then said the cruel one:
"If thy God hath all these attributes, why does He not
deliver thee from my power?"
The lad replied:
"He delivered Chananyah and his companions from the
power of Nebuchadnezzar, but they were righteous men,
and Nebuchadnezzar was a king deserving of seeing a miracle
performed, but for me, alas, I am not worthy of redemption, neithy art thou worthy of a demonstration of God's
power."
"Let the lad be slain as were his brothers," commanded
the tyrant.
Then spoke Hannah, the mother of the boys:
"Give me my child," she cried, " oh, cruel king, let me
fold him in my arms ere thou destroyest his innocent young
life."
She threw her arms around the lad, claspin  him tightly
to her bosom, and pressing her lips to his.  "Take my life,"
she cried; " kill me first befo:e my child."
" Nay," he answered, scoffingly, " I cannot do it, for thy
own laws forbid;' Whether it be ox or sheep ye shall. not
kill it and its young in one day'" (Lev. 28).
" Oh, woe to thee," replied the mother, " thou who art so
particular to regard the laws." Then pressing her boy to
her heart, "Go, my dear one," she said, "say to Abraham
that my sacrifice hath exceeded his.  He built one altar
whereon to sacrifice Isaac; thy mother hath built seven




328                 TIE TALMUD.
altars and sacrificed seven Isaacs in one day. He was but
tempted; thy mother hath performed."
After the execution of her last son, Hannah became insane, and threw herself from her house-top.  Where she fell,
she expired.
Happy are ye, ye seven sons of Hannah; your portion in
the future world was waiting for you.  In faithfulness ye
served your God, and with her children shall your mother
rejoice for ever in the eternal world*




329
PART FIFTH.
CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LAV-THE HOLY DAYS.
" WHEN do justice and goodwill meet? When the contend
ing parties can be made to peaceably agree."
To accomplish this end was the great aim of the ancient
Jewish laws, but a marked distinction was made between the
civil and criminal branches. In the former cases, arguments
could be made before, and decisions rendered by, either the
general magistracy or special judges chosen by the contending parties, and many were the fences erected about the
judges to keep them within the lines of strict equity, such as
the following:"He who unjustly transfers one man's goods to another
shall answer to God for it with his own soul."
" When the judge sits in judgment on his fellow-man he
should feel as though a sword was pointed at his heart."
"Woe to the judge who, knowing the unrighteousness of
a decision, endeavours to make the witnesses responsible for
the same. From him will God require an account."
"When the parties stand before thee look upon both as
guilty; but when they are dismissed let them both be innocent, for the fiat has gone forth."
The judge was not allowed to hear anything of a case,
save in the presence of all the parties concerned; and he
was particularly enjoined to be without bias caused by a
difference in the standing or wealth of the parties; either in




330o                 itIE TALZ MiD,
favour of the poor against the rich, or of the rich against the
poor.
The witnesses in a case were almost as closely scrutinised
as the case itself, and they were at once incompetent if they
had any personal interest in the suit.  If a plaintiff asked
for more than he was legally entitled to in the hope of more
readily obtaining his due he lost his suit.
While three judges could form a tribunal for the settling
of civil cases, that for the judgment of criminal suits was
composed of twenty-three judges, and while in the former
case a majority of one in the jury, either acquitted or condemned, in the latter a majority of one acquitted, but a
majority of two was required to condemn.
The witnesses in criminal suits were thus admonished on
being brought into court:
" Perchance you intend to speak from rumour, being the
witness of another witness, to tell that which you have heard
from a trustworthy man, or perchance you may not be aware
that we shall try you with close questions and searching
words.  Know then, that trials wherein the life of man hangs
in the scale, are not like trials concerning worldly goods.
With money may money be redeemed, but in trials like this
not only the blood of the one unjustly condemned, but that
of his seed and his seed's seed, until the end of time, will
lay heavy on the soul of the false witness. Adam was created alone one man, and he who destroys a single life will
be held as accountable as if he had destroyed a world.
Therefore search well thy words. But say not, on the other
hand,' What have I to do with all this?' Remember the words
of Holy Writ,' If a witness hath seen or known, if he do
not utter, he shall bear his iniquity;' and remember further,
In the destruction of the wicked there is joy.'"
The punishments were inflicted in the most humane




CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LA WY- TiE HOLY DAYS. 331
manner, and  the  entire  code  is  the  perfection  of
justice  tempered  by mercy in  its truest and  highest
sense.
No matter how numerous the crimes of an offender ilight
be, one punishment covered them  all. A fine could not
accompany any other punishment, and in cases of flagellation, the number of strokes was limited in the most extreme
cases to thirty-nine.
The judges in capital cases were required to fast all day
on the days when they pronounced judgments, and even after
the sentence the case was again considered by the highest
court before it was carried into effect.
The place of execution was located a considerable distance from the court, and on his progress thereto the prisoner
was stopped several times, and asked whether he could think
of anything not said which might influence the judges in his
favour. He had the privilege of returning to the court as
often as he pleased with new pleas, and a herald preceded
him, crying aloud, " This man is being led to execution,
this is his crime... these are the witnesses against him
if any one knows aught in his favour let them come forth
now and speak the words."
Before his execution he was urged to confess.  "Confess
thy sins," said the officers; " every one who confesses has
part in the world to come." If he offered no confession he
was requested to repeat the words, "May my death be a
redemption for all my sins."
Capital punishment, however, was of such rare occurrence
as to be practically abrogated.  In fact, many of the judges
declared openly for its abolition, and a court which had pronounced one sentence of death in seven years was called
"the court of murderers."




332                THe TA LMUDH
Passover.
The feast of unleavened bread, or " Passover," begins
upon the evening of the I4th day of Nissan (April), and
was instituted in commemoration of our ancestors' redemption from Egypt, a memorial for ever. During its continuance we are strictly forbidden the use of any leavened
thing.
Moses said to the Israelites in the name of the Lord:
" Draw out and take for yourselves a lamb," &c.
By the observance of this precept they would deserve
well of God and He would redeem  them, for when He
spoke they were "naked and bare" of good deeds and
meritorious acts.
" Draw out and take for yourselves a lamb."
Draw yourselves away from the idols which ye are worshipping with the Egyptians, the calves and lambs of stone
and metal, and with one of the same animals through
which ye sin, prepare to fulfil the commandments of your
God.
The planet sign of the month Nissan is a lamb; therefore, that the Egyptians might not think that through the
powers of the lamb they had thrown off the yoke of slavery,
God commanded His people to take a lamb and eat it.
They were commanded to roast it whole and to break no
bone of it, so that the Egyptians might know that it was
indeed a lamb which they had consumed.
The Lord said to Moses, " Tell the children of Israel that
they shall borrow of the Egyptians gold and silver vessels,"
in order that it might not be afterwards said, " The words'they will make them serve, and they will afflict them,' were
fulfilled: but the words'they shall go out with great substance,' did not come to pass."




PENTEr COS.                  333
When Moses told the Israelites that they should go up
out of Egypt with great substance, they answered, " Would
that we could go even empty-handed," like to the servant
confined in prison.
"To-morrow," said the jailer to him, " I will release thee
from prison, and give thee much money."
"Let me go to-day, and give me nothing," replied the
prisoner.
On the seventh day of the Passover the children of Israel
passed through the Red Sea on dry land.
A man was once travelling along the road and his son
preceded him on the way. A robber appeared in the path,
and the man put his son behind him. Then lo, a wolf came
after the lad, and his father lifted him up and carried him
within his arms.
The sea was before the Israelites, the Egyptians were behind them, so God lifted up His child and carried it within
His arms.
When Israel suffered from the hot rays of the sun God
"spread the cloud for a covering;" when they were hungry
He sent them bread from heaven; and when they thirsted
" He brought forth floods from a rock."
Pentecost.
The Feast of Weeks, or "Pentecost," occurs upon the
sixth day of the third month, Sivanz (June). It is called the
Feast of Weeks because forty-nine days, or seven weeks,
duly numbered, elapse between the second day of Passover,
when (during the existence of the Temple) a sheaf of green
barley was offered, and this festival, when two loaves made
of the first flour of the wheat harvest were " brought before
the Lord."  It is also the anniversary of the delivery of the
commandment from Mount Sinai.




33 4               THE TALlIUD.
Why does not the Bible particularise in this as on other
occasions, and say directly, " On the sixth day of the third
month was the law given?"
Because in ancient times the men called " wise" placed
their faith and dependence upon the planets. They divided
these into seven, apportioning one to each day of the week.
Some nations selected for their greatest god the sun, other
nations the moon, and so on, and prayed to them and
worshipped them. They knew not that the planets moved
and changed according to the course of nature, established
by the Most High, a course which He might change according to His will, and into their ignorant ideas many of the
Israelites had entered. Therefore, as they considered the
planets as seven, God made many other things depending on
that number, to show that as He made them, so had He
made the planets.
The seventh day of the week He made the Sabbath; the
seventh year he made the year of rest; after seven times
seven years, or after seven Sabbatical years, He ordained
the Jubilee, or year of release. Seven days He gave to the
Passover festival, and seven days to the Feast of Tabernacles. Seven days was Jericho surrounded, and seven
priests took seven trumpets and marched round its walls
seven times upon the seventh day.
Therefore, after numbering seven weeks during the ripening time of the grain, the Israelites were to hold a holy convocation, to praise the One who can prevent all things, but
who cannot be prevented; who can change all things, but is
unchangeable.
The first day the Israelites were redeemed from slavery
and superstition; the fiftieth day a law was given them fot
their guide through life; therefore they are commanded to
number these days and remember them.




NEW  YEAR, OR THE DA Y OF MEMORIAL.   335
The children of Ishmael, says the legend, were asked to
accept the law.  "What does it contain?" they asked.
"Thou shalt not steal," was the answer.  "How can we
then accept it," they returned, "when thus was our forefather blessed,'Thy hand shall be against every man?'"
the children of Esau were asked to accept the law, and
they also inquired, " What does it contain?"  " Thou shalt
not kill," was the answer.  "We cannot accept it, then,"
said they, "for thus did our father Isaac bless us,' By the
sword shalt thou live.'"
When Israel was asked to accept the law, the people answered, " We will do and obey."
New Year, or the Day of Memorial.
On the first day of the seventh month, Tishri (October), is
the commemoration of the creation of the world. Then the
cornet is blown to announce to the people that a new year
has begun its course, and to warn them to examine strictly
their conduct and make amends therein where amends are
needed.
Would not any person of sense, knowing that he must
appear before a Court of Judgment, prepare himself therefor?  Either in a civil or a criminal case would he not seek
for counsel?  How much more, then, is it incumbent upon
him to prepare for a meeting with the King of kings, before
whom all things are revealed.  No counsel can help him in
his case; repentance, devotion, charity, these  are the
arguments which must plead in his favour. Therefore, a
person should search his actions and repent his transgressions
previous to the day of judgment. In the month of Elul
(September) he should arouse himself to a consciousness
of the dread justice awaiting all mankind.
Tihis is the season when the Lord pardoned the Israelites




336                THE YALMUD.
who had worshipped the molten calf. He commanded
Moses to reascend the mount for a second tablet, after he
had destroyed the first.  Thus say the sages, "The Lord
said unto Moses in the month Elul,' Go up unto me on the
mountain,' and Moses went up and received the second
tablet at the end of forty days. Before he ascended he
caused the trumpet to be sounded through the camp."
Since that time it is customary to sound the Shoph/ar (cornet)
in the synagogues, to give warning to the people that the
day of judgment, New Year, is rapidly approaching, and
with it the Day of Atonement. Therefore, propitiatory
prayers are said twice every day, morning and evening, from
the second day of Elul until the eve of the Day of Atonement, which period comprises the last forty days which
Moses passed on Sinai, when God was reconciled to Israel
and pardoned their transgressions with the molten calf.
Rabbi Eleazer said, "Abraham and Jacob were born in
Tishri, and in Tishri they died. On the first of Tishri the
universe was created, and during the Passover was Isaac
born. On the first of Tishri (New Year), Sarah, Rachel,
and Hannah, three barren women, were visited.  On the
first day of Tishri our ancestors discontinued their rigorous
labour in Egypt.  On the first of Tishri Adam  was
created; from his existence we count our years, that is the
sixth day of the creation. On that day, too, did he eat of
the forbidden fruit, therefore is the season appointed for one
of penitence, for the Iord said to Adam,' This shall be for
a sign in future generations; thy descendants shall be judged
upon these days, and they shall be appointed as days of
pardon and forgiveness.'"
Four times in the year the Lord pronounces His decrees.
First, New Year, the first of lishli. Then the judgments
of all human beings for the coming year are ordained.




NEW  YEAR, OR THIE DA Y OF MEMORIAL.   337
Second, The first day of Passover.  Then the scarcity ot
fulness of the crops is determined.
Third, Pentecost.  Then the Lord blesses the fruit ot
the trees, or bids them bear not in plenty.
Fourth, The Feast of Tabernacles. Then the Lord deter.
mines whether the rain shall bless the earth in its due season
or not.
Man is judged on New Year's, and the decree is made
final on the Day of Atonement.
Rabbi Nathan has said that man is judged at all times.
Thus taught Rabbi Akiba.  "Why does the law command the bringing of a sheaf of barley on the Passover?
Because the Passover is the season of the harvest of the
grain. The Lord says,'Offer for me a sheaf of barley on
Passover, that I may bless the grain which is in the
field.'
" Why does the Bible say,' Bring two loaves of the new
wheat on Pentecost?' Because at Pentecost time the fruit
ripens, and God says,' Offer for me two loaves of the new
wheat, in order that I may bless the fruit which is on the
trees.'
" Why were we commanded to bring a drink-offering of
water into the Temple on the Feast of Tabernacles?  Because then is the season of rain, and the Lord says,' Bring
the drink-offering of water to me, in order that I may bless
the rain of the year.'
"Why do they make the comet which they blow of a
ram's horn?  In order that the Lord may remember the
rant which was sacrificed instead of Isaac, and allow the
merits of the patriarchs to weigh in favour of their decendants, as it is written in the Decalogue,'Showing
mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my
commandments " (Ex. 20o 6).




338                 THE TE AL4MUD.
On New Year's day they recite in the synagogues the
record of the binding of Isaac for the same purpose. While
God has mercy upon His creatures He gives them a season
for repentance, that they may not perish in their wickedness, therefore as it is written in Lamentations 3 40, we
should  " search through and investigate our ways and
return unto the Lord."
During the year man is apt to grow callous as to his
transgressions, therefore the cornet is sounded to arouse
him to the consciousness of the time which is passing so
rapidly away.  " Rouse thee from thy sleep," it says to
him; " the hour of thy visitation approaches." The Eternal
wishes not to destroy His children, merely to arouse them
to repentance and good resolves.
Three classes of people are arraigned for judgment: the
righteous, the wicked, and the indifferent. To the righteous
the Lord awards a happy life; the wicked He condemns,
and to the indifferent ones He grants a respite. From New
Year's day until the Day of Atonement His judgment He
holds in abeyance; if they repent truly they are classed
with the righteous for a happy life, and if they remain untouched, they are counted with the wicked.
Three sounds for the cornet are commanded in the Bible.
A pure sound (T'kiah), a sound of alarm  or trembling
(T'ruaz/), and, thirdly, a pure sound again (T'kiah).
The first sound typifies man's first awakening to penitence; he must search well his heart, desert his evil ways,
and purify his thoughts, as it is written, " Let the wicked
forsake his ways and the man  of unrighteousness his
thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord."
The alarm  sound typifies the sorrow which a repentant
man feels for his misconduct and his earnest determination
to reform.




ANWl  V YEAR, OR 7IHE DA Y OF ZMEMORIAL.   339
The last sound is the pure sound again, which typifies a
sincere resolve to keep the repentant heart incorrupt.
The Bible says to us:
" The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in
thy heart, that thou mayest do it" (Deut. 30: I4).  This
verse teaches us that repentance is nearer to those who
believe in God and His book than fanatics would make it.
Difficult penances are ordained for the sinner among them.
He must fast many days, or travel barefoot through rugged
ways, or sleep in the open air. But we are not required to
travel to the nether end of the ocean or to climb to mountain tops, for our Holy Word says to us, " It is not in
heaven, neither is it beyond the sea, but the Word is very
nigh."
In three ways may we repent:
First, By words of mouth, finding birth in an honest
heart.
Secondly, With our feelings, sorrow for sins committed.
Thirdly, By good deeds in the future.
Rabbi Saadiah declared that God commanded us to
sound the cornet on New Year's day for ten reasons.
First, Because this day is the beginning of the creation,
when God began to reign over the world, and as it is customary to sound the trumpets at the coronation of a king,
we should in like manner proclaim  by the sound of the
cornet that the Creator is our king,-as David said, " With
trumpets and the sound of the cornet, shout ye before the
Lord."
Secondly, As the New Year day is the first of the ten
penitential days, we sound the cornet as a proclamation to
admonish all to return to God and repent. If they do not
so, they at least have been informed, and cannot plead
ignorance.  Thus we find that earthly kings publish theii




340                THE TALMUD.
decrees with such concomitant, that none may say, "VWe
heard not this."
Thirdly, To remind us of the law given on Mount Sinai,
where it is said (Exod. 19: i6), " The voice of the cornet
was exceeding loud."  To remind us also that we should
bind ourselves anew to the performance of its precepts, as
did our ancestors, when they said, " All that the Lord hath
said will we do and obey."
Fourthly, To remind us of the prophets, who were comr
pared to watchmen blowing the trumpet of alarm, as we
find in Ezekiel (33: 4), "Whosoever heareth the sound of
the cornet and taketh not warning, and the sound cometh
and taketh him away, his blood shall be upon his own
head; but he that taketh warning shall save his life."
Fifthly, To remind us of the destruction of the Temple
and the fearsome sound of the battle-cry of our enemies.
"Because thou hast heard, oh my soul, the sound of the
trumpet, the alarm of war" (Jerem. 4: I9). Therefore when
we hear the sound of the cornet we should implore God
to rebuild the Temple.
Sixthly, To remind us of the binding of Isaac, who
willingly offered himself for immolation, in order to sanctify
the Holy Name.
Seventhly, That when we hear the terrifying sound, we
may, through dread, humble ourselves before the Supreme
Being, for it is the nature of these martial instruments to
produce a sensation of terror, as the prophet Amos
observes, "Shall a trumpet be blown in a city, and the
people not to be terrified?"
Eighthly, To remind us of the great and terrible Day of
Judgment, on which the trumpet is to be sounded, as we
find in Zeph. (I: 14-16), " The great day of the Lord is near,
and hasteneth much, a day of the trumpet and of shouting."




THE DA Y OF ATONEMEN T                 34
Ninthly, To remind us to pray for the time when the
outcasts of Israel are to be gathered together, as promised
in Isaiah (28: I3), " And it shall come to pass in that day,
the great trumpet shall be sounded, and those shall come
who were perishing in the land of Assyria."
Tenthly, To remind us of the resurrection of the dead,
and our firm belief therein. " Yea, all ye that inhabit the
world, and that dwell on the earth, when the standard is
lifted upon the mountain, behold, and when the trumpet is
sounded, hear I" says the prophet Isaiah.
Therefore should we set our hearts to these seasons, and
fulfil the precept that the Bible commands us, as it is written:
"And the Lord commanded us to do all the statutes.... that it might be well with  us at all times"
(Deut. 11: 24).
The Day of Atonement.
The hearts of all who fear God should tremble with the
reflection that all the deeds of the creature are known to
the Creator, and will be by Him accounted to them for
good or evil. God is ready at all times to acknowledge
true penitence; and of repentance there are seven degrees:
First, The righteous man, who repents his misconduct as
soon as he becomes aware of his sin. This is the best and
most complete.
Secondly, Of the man who has for some time led a life
of sin, yet who, in the vigour of his days, gives over his evil
ways and conquers his wrong inclinations.  As Solomon
has said, "Remember thy Creator in the days of thy
youthful vigour" (Eccl. 12). While in the prime of life
abandon thy evil ways.
Thirdly, Of the one who was prevented by some cause
from the commission of a contemplated sin, and who truly
z




342                THE  TA LMUD.
repents his evil intention.  " Iappy is the man who fears
the Lord," said the Psalmist. The man, not the woman?
Aye, all mankind. The word is used to denote strength;
those who repent while still in their youth.
Fourthly, Of the one who repents when his sin is pointed
out to him, and he is rebuked for the same, as in the instance
of the inhabitants of Nineveh. They repented not until
Jonah proclaimed to them, "Yet forty days more, and
Nineveh shall be overthrown" (Jonah 3: 4). The men of
Nineveh believed in God's mercy, and though the decree
had been pronounced against them, yet they repented.
"And God saw their work, that they had returned from
their evil ways, and God bethought Himself of the evil
which He had spoken that He would do to them, and He
did it not." Therefore say the Rabbis, " Our brethren,
neither sackcloth nor fasting will gain forgiveness for sins;
but repentance of the heart and good deeds; for it is not
said of the men of Nineveh, "God saw their fasting and
sackcloth," but "God saw their work, that they had turned
from their evil ways."
Fifthly, Of those who repent when trouble befalls them.
How much nobler is this than human nature! Instance
Jephtah: "Did ye not hate me.... and why are ye
come unto me now when you are in distress?" (Judges  1: 8).
But the infinite mercy of our God accepts even such repentance; as it is written, " When thou art in tribulation,
and all these things have overtaken thee.... then wilt
thou return unto the Lord thy God."  Founded upon this
is the proverb of the fathers, " Repentance and good deeds
form a shield against punishment."
Sixthly, The repentance of age. Even when man grows
old and feeble, if he repents truly, his atonement will be
received.  As the Psalmist says, "Thou turnest man to




THE DAY OF A TONEm.ENTP               343
Contrition, and sayest,'Return, ye chil'dren of men.'"
Meaning, man can return at any time or any age, " Return,
ye children of men."
Say the Rabbis, "Although a man has been righteous in
his youth and vigour, yet if he rebels against the will of
God in his old age, the merit of his former goodness shall
be lost to him, as it is written,'When a righteous man
turns away from his righteousness and doeth wrong, and
dieth therefor; through his wrong which he hath done must
he die' (Ezekiel i8: 26). But a man who has been wicked
in his early days, and feels true sorrow and penitence in his
old age, shall not be called'wicked' any more.  This,
however, is not gracious penitence when it is so long
delayed."
Seventhly, Is the last degree of penitence. Of the one
who is rebellious against his Creator during all the days of
his life; turns to Him only when the hand of death is laid
upon him.
Say the Rabbis, if a person is sick, and the hour of his
decease approaches, they who are by his deathbed should
say to him, "Confess thy sins to thy Creator."
They who are near the point of death should confess their
shortcomings.  The sick man is as the man who is before
a court of justice. The latter may have advocates to defend
him or laud his case, but the only advocates of the former
must be penitence and good deeds. As is written in the
Book of Job (33: 23), " If there be now about him one
single angel as defender, one out of a thousand, to tell for
man his uprightness; then is he gracious unto him, and
saith,' Release him from going down to the pit; I have
found an atonement.'"
Thus we have seven different degrees of penitence, and
he who neglects them all must suffer nI the world to come.




344                 TlE  TA LMUD.
Therefore fulfil the duties laid upon you; repent as long
as you are able to amend.  As the Rabbis say, "Repent
in the antechamber, that thou mayest enter the room of
state."
" Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; wherefore will
ye die, 0 house of Israel!" exclaimed the prophet Ezekiel;
and what does this warning mean? without repentance ye
shall die.
Penitence is thus illustrated by a parable:
There was once a great ship which had been sailing for
many days upon the ocean.  Before it reached its destination, a high wind arose, which drove it from its course;
until, finally, becalmed close to a pleasant-appearing island,
the anchor was dropped.  There grew upon this island
beautiful flowers and luscious fruits in "great profusion;"
tall trees lent a pleasing, cooling shade to the place, which
appeared to the ship's passengers most desirable and inviting.  They divided themselves into five parties; the first
party determined not to leave the ship, for said they, " A
fair wind may arise, the anchor may be raised, and the ship
sail on, leaving us behind; we will not risk the chance of
missing our destination for the temporary pleasure which
this island offers." The second party went on shore for a
short time, enjoyed the perfume of the flowers, tasted of the
fruit, and returned to the ship happy and refreshed, finding
their places as they had left them; losing nothing, but
rather gaining in health and good spirits by the recreation
of their visit on shore.  The third party also visited the
island, but they stayed so long that the fair wind did arise,
and hurrying back they just reached the ship as the sailors
were lifting the anchor, and in the haste and confusion
many lost their places, and were not as comfortable during
the balance of their voyage as at the outset. They were




THE DAY OF A TONEMENT.                 345
wiser, however, than the fourth party; these latter stayed so
long upon the island and tasted so deeply of its pleasures,
that they allowed the ship's bell of warning to sound un.
headed. Said they, "The sails are still to be set; we may
enjoy ourselves a few minutes more."  Again the bell
sounded, and still they lingered, thinking, "The captain
will not sail without us." So they remained on shore until
they saw the ship moving; then in wild haste they swam
after it and scrambled up the sides, but the bruises and
injuries which they encountered in so doing were not healed
during the remainder of the voyage.  But, alas, for the
fifth party. They ate and drank so deeply that they did
not even hear the bell, and when the ship started they were
left behind.  Then the wild beasts hid in the thickets
made of them  a prey, and they who escaped this evil,
perished from the poison of surfeit.
The "ship" is our good deeds, which bear us to our
destination, heaven. The "island" typifies the pleasures of
the world, which the first set of passengers refused to taste
or look upon, but which when enjoyed temperately, as by
the second party, make our lives pleasant, without causing
us to neglect our duties.  These pleasures must not be
allowed, however, to gain too strong a hold upon our senses.
True, we may return, as the third party, while there is yet
time and but little bad effect, or even as the fourth party at
the eleventh hour, saved, but with bruises and injuries
which cannot be entirely healed; but we are in danger of
becoming as the last party, spending a lifetime in the pursuit of vanity, forgetting the future, and perishing even of
the poison concealed in the sweets which attracted us.
Who hath sorrow?  Who hath woe?
He who leaves much wealth to his heirs, and takes with
him to the grave a burden of sins.  He who gathers wealth




346                 TIHE TALM UP.
without justice.  "He that gathereth riches and not by
right (Jer. 8: ii), in the midst of his days shall he leave
them."  To the portals of eternity his gold and his silver
cannot accompany the soul of man; good deeds and trust
in God must be his directing spirits.
Although God is merciful and pardons the sins of man
against Himself, lie who has wronged his neighbour must
gain that neighbour's forgiveness before he can claim the
mercy of the Lord. " This must ye do," said Rabbi Eleazer,
" that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord
(Lev. i6: 30). The Day of Atonement may gain pardon
for the sins of man against his Maker, but not for those
against his fellow-man, till every wrong done is satisfied."
If a man is called upon to pardon his fellow, freely he
must do it; else how can he dare, on the Day of Atonement, to ask pardon for his sins against the Eternal? It is
customary on this day for a man to thoroughly cleanse himself bodily and spiritually, and to array himself in white
fresh clothing, to typify the words of Isaiah, " Though your
sins should be as scarlet, they shall become white as
snow."
It happened that the mayor of a city once sent his servant to the market to purchase some fish.  When he reached
the place of sale he found that all the fish save one had
been sold, and this one a Jewish tailor was about purchasing.
Said the mayor's servant, "I will give one gold piece for
it;" said the tailor, "I will give two." The mayor's messenger then expressed his willingness to pay three gold
pieces for it, but the tailor claimed the fish, and said he
would not lose it though he should be obliged to pay ten
gold pieces for it.  The mayor's servant then returned
home, and in anger related the circumstance to his master,




T1IE DA Y Of A TON.IMEINT.             347
The mayor sent for his subject, and when the latter appeared
before him asked:
" What is thy occupation?"
"A tailor, sir," replied the man.
"Then how canst thou afford to pay so great a price for
a fish, and how dare degrade my dignity by offering for it
a larger sum than that offered by my servant?"
" I fast to-morrow," replied the tailor, "and I wished the
fish to eat to-day, that I might have strength to do so. I
would not have lost it even for ten pieces of gold."
"What is to-morrow more than any other day?" asked
the mayor.
" Why art thou more than any other man?" returned the
other.
" Because the king hath appointed me to this office."
"Well," replied the tailor, "the King of kings hath
appointed this day to be holier than all other days, for on
this day we hope that God will pardon our transgressions.'
"If this be the case thou wert right," answered the mayor,
and the Israelite departed in peace.
Thus if a person's intention is to obey God, nothing can
hinder its accomplishment. On this day God commanded
His children to fast, but they must strengthen their bodies
to obey him by eating on the day before. It is a person's
duty to sanctify himself, bodily and spiritually, for the
approach of this great day. Hle should be ready to enter
at any moment into the Fearful Presence with repentance
and good deeds as his companions.
A certain man had three friends. One of these he loved
dearly; the second he loved also, but not as intensely as the
first; but towards the third one he was quite indifferently
disposed.
Now the king of the country sent an officer to this man,




34-8                THE TALMUD
commanding his immediate appearance before the throne.
Greatly terrified was the man at this summons. He thought
that somebody had been speaking evil of him, or probably
accusing him falsely before his sovereign, and being afraid
to appear unaccompanied before the royal presence, he
resolved to ask one of his friends to go with him. First he
naturally applied to his dearest friend, but he at once
declined to go, giving no reason and no excuse for his lack
of friendliness. So the man applied to his second friend,
who said to him:
" I will go with thee as far as the palace gates, but I will
not enter with thee before the king."
In desperation the man applied to his third friend, the
one whom he had neglected, but who replied to him  at
once:
" Fear not; I will go with thee, and I will speak in thy
defence. I will not leave thee until thou art delivered from
thy trouble."
The " first friend" is a man's wealth, which he must leave
behind him when he dies. The " second friend" is typified
by the relatives who follow him to the grave and leave
him when the earth has covered his remains.  The "third
friend," he who entered with him into the presence of the
king, is as the good deeds of a man's life, which never
desert, but accompany him to plead his cause before the
King of kings, who regardeth not person nor taketh bribery.
Thus taught Rabbi Eleazer:
" On this great and tearful day the angel Samral finds no
blots, no sins on Israel." Thus he addresses the Most High:
"  0 Sovereign Lord, upon the earth this day one nation
pure mnd innocent exists. Even as the angels is Israel on
this Atonenent Day. As peace exists in heaven, so rests it
now upon this people, praying to Thy Holy Name.'




FEAST OF TABERNACLES.                 349
" God hears this testimony of His angel, and pardons all
His people's sins."
But though the Almighty thus forgives our sins, we may
not repeat them with impunity, for " to such a one as saith,'I will commit a sin and repent,' there can be no forgiveaess, no repentance."
Tast of Tabernacles.
The Feast of Tabernacles begins on the fifteenth day of
the seventh month, Tishri (October), and during its continuance, seven days, the Israelites are commanded to dwell
in tabernacles or booths. This is designed to keep fresh in
their memory the tents which formed their homes during
their forty years' sojourn in the wilderness. The symbols
of the festival are branches of the palm, bound with sprigs
of myrtle and willow, and a citron.
On this feast we are commanded to rejoice and be glad,
for it is not the desire of God that we should always afflict
ourselves as upon His precious holy day, the Day of Atonement.  No; after humbling our hearts and returning to our
Creator, we are enjoined to rejoice with our families and
neighbours; therefore, we call this holy day the season of
our rejoicing.
The Lord said, " This is not to be to you a fast as the
Day of Atonement; eat, drink, be merry, and sacrifice
peace-offerings thereon."  The Bible says, "Seven days
unto the Lord;" therefore we should in all our merriment
devote a few serious thoughts to Him.
The Omnipotent King has commanded us to remove
from our permanent dwellings and live for seven days in
booths.  This precept teaches us that man should put no
trust in the magnificent structures he may have raised and
adorned with ornaments of value, nor to place his confi




35o                 TLE TALMUD.
deuce entirely upon human beings, even though rulers in
his land; but to rely solely upon the Almighty, the One
who said, "Let the universe come into being;" to Him
alone is the power and the dominion.  He alone will never
change, or be other than He has proclaimed Himself, as it
is written, " God is not a man that He should lie" (Num.
23: I9), and. He alone can prove our sure protection.
The Feast of Tabernacles is held in the autumn, after the
fruits of the field have been garnered in the storehouses,
according to the words of the Bible, "The Feast of Tabernacles shalt thou hold for thyself seven days when thou hast
gathered in the produce of thy threshing-floor and thy winepress" (Deut. i6: I4).
At this time, when a man sees plenty around him, his
heart perhaps may grow haughty, he may feel like enriching
his house and furnishing it with elegance; for this reason he
is commanded to leave it for a season, and dwell in booths,
where his thoughts may be directed to God. That in the
dwelling rudely put together, and unprotected from the rain,
he may remember that through the rain sent by the Most
High in its due season did the profusion of his crops result,
and with this reflection appreciate the fact that all he
possesses he owes to the goodness of God, and not to his
own intelligence or strength.
This dwelling in booths is also to bring to mind the
manner in which the Israelites lived for forty years after
they left Egypt.  With merely temporary walls to protect
them from summer's heat and winter's cold, from wind and
storm.  God was with them through all their generations,
and they were protected from all evil.
According to the opinion of some of the Rabbis, the
Israelites did not really dwell in booths in the wilderness,
but were surrounded by clouds-by seven clouds.  Four




FA7,.T OF TABERNACLES.                351
clouds, one at each of the four sides; a fifth, a shadow, to
protect them  from the hot rays of the sun; the sixth, a
nillar of fire, to give them light by night (they being able
to see as clearly by night as by day); and the seventh, to
precede their journeying and direct their way.
The children of Israel departed from Egypt in Nissan
(April), and obtained immediately these booths, which they
made use of for forty years.  Thus they were in booths
during the entire cycle of the year, and we could as easily
commemorate this fact in the spring as in the fall, in the
summer as in the winter.  Why, then, has God  made
autumn, and neither spring nor summer, the season of
observance?  Because if we dwelt in booths in the summer, it would be a question whether we did so in obedience
to God's behest or for our own gratification; for many
people seek airy retreats during this season; but in the fall,
when the trees lose their leaves, and the air grows cold and
chilling, and it is the time to fix our houses for the winter,
then by inhabiting these temporary residences, we display
our desire to do as our Creator has bidden us.
The Feast of Tabernacles is also the Feast of Inga.thering,
when we should thank God for the kindness shown us, and
the treasure with which He has blessed us.  When the
Eternal has provided man with his sustenance, in the long
evenings which follow he should meditate and study his
Bible, and make this indeed a "feast to the Lord," and not
entirely for personal gratification.
The four species belonging to the vegetable kingdom,
which we use on this festival, are designed to remind us of
the four elements of nature, which work under the direction
and approval of the Most I-igh, and without which all
things would cease to exist.  Therefore the Bible commands us on this "feast of the Lord" to give thanks, and




352                 TIHE TALMIUD.
bring before Him these four species, each typifying one of
the elements.
"Ye shall take for yourselves (Lev. 23:40) the fruit of
the tree hzadar" (the citron).  Its colour is high yellow and
resembles fire.  The second species is the palm branch
(Heb. Lulab). The palm is a high tree, growing up straight
in the air, and its fruit is sweet and delicious to the taste;
this then represents the second element, air. The third is
the bough of the myrtle, one of the lowliest of trees, growing
close to the ground; its nature, cold and dry as earth, fits
it to represent that element.  The fourth is "the willow of
the brook," which grows in perfection close beside the water,
dropping its branches into the stream, and symbolising thus
the last element, water.
The Bible teaches us that for each of these four elements
we owe especial thanks to God.
The citron we hold in the left hand, and the other three
we grasp together in the right.  This we do because the
citron contains in itself all that the others represent. The
outside skin is yellow, fire; the inside skin is white and
damp, air; the pulp is watery, water; and the seeds are dry,
earth. It is taken into the left hand, because the right hand
is strongest, and the citron is but one, while the other emblems are three.
These four emblems represent likewise the four principal
members of the human body.  The citron is shaped somewhat like a heart, without which we could not live, and with
which man should serve his fellows; the palm branch represents the spine, which is the foundation of the human frame,
in front of which the heart lies; this signifies that we should
serve God with our entire body.  The branches of the
myrtle resemble a human eye, with which man recognise*
the deeds of his fellows, and with which he may obtain A




FEAST OF TABER~NACLES.                353
knowledge of the law. The leaves of the willow represent
the lips, with which man may serve the Eternal and thank
Him.  The myrtle is mentioned in the Bible before the
willow, because we are able to see and know a thing before
we can call its name with our lips; man is able to look into
the Bible before he can study the same. Therefore, with
these four principal parts of the human frame should we
praise the Creator, as David said, "All my bones shall
say, O Lord, who is like unto thee?"
The great Maimonides, in his work called " Moreh  Nebuc/zim" (The Guide of the Perplexed), explains that God
commanded the Israelites to take these four emblems
during this festival to remind them that they were brought
out from the wilderness, where no fruit grew, and no people
lived, into a land of brooklets, waters, a land flowing with
milk and honey.  For this reason did God command us
to hold in our hands the precious fruit of this land while
singing praises to Him, the One who wrought miracles in
our behalf, who feeds and supports us from the productiveness of the earth.
The four emblems are different in taste, appearance, and
odour, even as the sons of men are different in conduct and
habits.
The citron is a valuable fruit; it is good for food and
has a most pleasant odour. It is compared to the intelligent man, who is righteous in his conduct towards God and
his fellow-man.  The odour of the fruit is his good deeds;
its substance is his learning, on which others may feed.
This is perfect among the emblems, and is, therefore,
always mentioned  first, and  taken  by itself in  one
hand.
The palm branch brings forth fruit, but is without odour.
It is compared to those people who are learned, but who




354               tBe TALMUD.
are wanting in good deeds; they who know the law, but
transgress its mandates.
The myrtle is compared to those people who are naturally god, who act correctly towards God and man, but who
are uneducated.
The willow of the brook has neither fruit nor odour; it is,
therefore, compared to the people who have no knowledge
and who perform no good deeds.
If all unite together, however, and offer supplication to
the Most High, He will surely hearken to their words, and
for this reason Moses said to the Israelites, " And ye shall
take unto yourselves," &c.; meaning, to your own benefit,
to praise the Lord during the seven days of the festival with
these emblems, and to exclaim with the same " Hoshadazah"
(0, save us now), and " Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for
His mercy endureth for ever."
The Rabbis have said that he who has failed to participate in the keeping of the Tabernacle Festival in Jerusalem
has failed to taste real enjoyment in his life. The first day
of the feast was kept with great solemnity, and the middle
days with joy and gladness in various methods of public
amusement.
The Temple in Jerusalem  was provided with a gallery.or the women, which was called the apartment of the
women, and the men sat below, as is still the custom
of the synagogue. Thither all repaired. The young priests
filled the lamps of the large chandeliers with oil, and
lighted them all, even that the place was so bright that its
reflection lighted the streets of the city.  Hymns and
praises were chanted by the pious ones, and the Levites
praised the Lord with harps, cornets, trumpets, flutes, and
other instruments of harmony. They stood upon fifteen




F'AST OF TABERNCVA ZES.               33
broad steps, reaching from the lower floor,o the gallery,
the court of the women.  And they sang fifteen psalms as
they ascended, beginning with " A song of Degrees," and
the large choir joined voices with them.  The ancient
Hillel was accustomed to address the assemblages on these
occasions.
"If God's presence dwells here," he was used to say,
"then are ye here, each one of you, the souls of each; but
if God should be removed from your midst through disobedience then wE:ich of you could be here?"  For the
Lord has said, " If thou wilt come to My house, then will
I come to thy house, but if thou refusest to visit My
dwelling, I will also neglect to enter yours;" as it is written,
"In every place where I shall permit My name to be
mentioned I will come unto thee and I will bless thee"
(Exod. xx. 2I).
Then some of the people answered:
" Happy were the days of our youth, for they have not
set to blush the days of our old age." These were men of
piety.
Others answered:
" Happy is our old age, for therein have we atoned toi
the sins of our youth."  These were repentants.
Then joining together, both parties said:
"Happy is the one who is free from sin; but ye who
have sinned, repent, return to God, and ye will be for.
given."
The festival was continued during the entire night; for
when the religious exercises concluded the people gave
themselves up to innocent but thorough enjoyment.
This festival was also called the "Festival of Drawinl
Water."
Because, during the existence of the Tc'mpln,)  wine Vl  as




356                TH.E  TALMUD.
offered during the year for a burnt-offering, but on the
Feast of Tabernacles they offered two drink-offerings, one
of wine and one of water.  Of the other they made a
special festival on the second day of the Tabernacle assemblage, calling it the Feast of Drawing the Water. It was
founded upon the words of the prophet:
" And ye shall draw water with joy from the fountains of
salvation."
" Hannuckah," The Feast of Dedication.
This festival is observed for eight days during the ninth
month Kislev (December), and commemorates the dedica.
tion of the Temple after it had been defiled by Antiochus
Epiphanes, whose armies were overthrown by the valiant
Maccabees, Hashmoneans.
The Most Holy One has frequently wrought wonders in
behalf of his children in their hour of need, and thereby
displayed His supreme power to the nations of the world.
These should prevent man from growing infidel and ascribing
all happiness to the course of nature. The God who created
the world from naught, may change at His will the nature
which He established. When the Hashmoneans gained,
with the aid of God, their great victory, and restored peace
and harmony to their land, their first act was to cleanse and
dcdedicate the Temple, which had been defiled, and on the
wventy-fifth day of Kislev, in obedience to the teachings of
the Rabbis, we inaugurate the " Dedication Feast" by lighting the lamps or candles prepared expressly for this occasion.
The first night we light one, and then an additional one
each succeeding night of its continuance. We also celebrate
it by hymns of thanksgiving and hallelujahs.
This feast is foreshadowed in the Book of Numbers.
When Aaron observed the offerings of the princes of each




H IANNUCKAHI," THE PEAST OF DEDICA TION. 357
of the tribes and their great liberality, he was conscious of
a feeling of regret, because he and his tribe were unable to
join with them. But these words were spoken to comfort
him, "Aaron, thy merit is greater than theirs, for thou
lightest and fixest the holy lamps."
When were these words spoken?
When he was charged with the blessing to be found in
Numbers 6: 23, as will be found in the Book of Maccabees
in the Apocrypha.
The Lord said unto Moses, "Thus say unto Aaron. In
the generations to come, there will be another dedication
and lighting of the lamps, and through thy descendants
shall the service be performed.  Miracles and wonders will
accompany this dedication. Fear not for the greatness o.
the princes of thy tribe; during the existence of the Temple
thou shalt sacrifice, but the lighting of the lamps shall be
for ever, and the blessing with which I have charged thee
to bless the people shall also exist for ever. Through the
destruction of the Temple the sacrifices will be abolished,
but the lighting of the dedication of the Hashmoneans will
never cease."
The Rabbis have ordained this celebration by lighting
of lamps, to make God's miracle known to all coming
generations, and it is our duty to light the same in the
synagogues and in our homes.
Although the Lord afflicted Israel on account of iniquities,
He still showed mercy, and allowed not a complete destruction, and to this festival do the Rabbis again apply the
verse in Leviticus 26: 44:
"And yet for all that, though they be in the land of their
enemies, will I not cast them  away, neither will I loathe
them  to destroy them utterly, to break my covenant with
them, for I am the Lord their God."
A A




358                TIHE TALMUD.
And thus do the Rabbis explain the same:
"Will I not cast them  away."  In the time of the
Chaldeans I appointed Daniel and his companions to delivel
them.
"Neither will I loathe them."  In the time of the Assyrians I gave them Matthias, his sons and their comrades, to
serve them.
"To destroy them."  In the time of Haman I sent
Mordecai and Esther to rescue them.
" To break my covenant with them." In the time of the
Romans I appointed Rabbi Judah and his associates to work
their salvation.
" For I am the Eternal, your God."  In the future no
nation shall rule over Israel, and the descendants of
Abraham shall be restored to their independent state.
The dedication commemorated by Hannuckah occurred
in the year 3632 —29 B.C.E.
Purim.
This festival, occurring on the fourteenth day of the
twelfth month, Adar (March), is to commemorate the deliverance of the Hebrews from the wiles of Haman, through
the God-aided means of Mordecai and Esther.
Although the Holy One threatens the Israelites, in order
that they may repent of their sins, He has also tempted
them, in order to increase their reward.
For instance, a father who loves his son, and desires him
to improve his conduct, must punish him  for his misdeeds; but it is a punishment induced by affection which
he bestows.
A certain apostate once said to Rabbi Saphra:
"It is written,' Because I know you more than all the
nations of the earth, therefore I visit upon you your iniqui



PUR iii.                    359
ties;' how is this?  If a person has a wild horse, is it likely
that he would put his dearest friend upon it, that he might
be thrown and hurt?"
Rabbi Saphra answered:
"Suppose a man lends money to two persons; one of
these is his friend, the other his enemy. He will allow his
friend to repay him in instalments, that the discharge of the
debt may not prove onerous; but from his enemy he will
require the amount in full. The verse you quote will apply
in the same manner,'I love you, therefore will I visit upon
you your iniquities;' meaning,' I will punish you for them
as they occur, little by little, by which means you may have
quittance and happiness in the world to come.'"
The action of the king in delivering his signet ring to
Haman had more effect upon the Jews than the precepts
and warnings of forty-eight prophets who lectured to them
early and late. They clothed themselves in sackcloth, and
repented truly with tears and fasting, and God had compassion upon them and destroyed Haman.
Although the reading of the Book of Esther (AMegilah) on
Purim is not a precept of the Pentateuch,'tis nevertheless
binding upon us and our descendants.  Therefore the day
is appointed as one of feasting and gladness, and interchange
of presents, and also of gifts to the poor, that they too may
rejoice.  As in the decree of Haman, no distinction was
made between rich and poor, as all alike were doomed to
destruction, it is proper that all should have equal cause to
feel joyful, and therefore in all generations the poor should
be liberally remembered on this day.
THE END.