a

1

BIBLE LESSONS

FOR SCHOOL AND HOME

By

DR. HERMAN BAAR

Formerly SuperinUndtnt of the Hebrew
Orphan Asylum^ New York

From the Cre?.tion to the Death

of Moses

Wit n 1 llustr ations
1  _  _ — __  , 

Tlew l^orl?

BLOCH PUBLISH mo COMPi^NY

-, "The Jewish Book Concern"

i 1909

T

V ME MORI AL^^
COLLECTION

Yale University Library

P Dblaroohv

BlOLh s Bible Picturea N 19 MOSES IN THE BULRUSHES
"And his sister stood afar off, to ascertain what would be done with him." Exo
dus ii, 4.

BIBLE LESSONS
FOR SCHOOL AND HOME

By
DR. HERMAN BAAR
Formerly Superintendent of the Hebreiv
Orphan Asylum, Neiv T'ori

From the Creation to the Death
OF Moses

ff^ilh Illustrations

jatto pork
BLOCH PUBLISHING COMPANY
" The Jewish Book Concern "
1909

Copyright, 1901, by
BLOCH' PUBLISHING COMPANV
New York

3o\ be

PREFACE

It has been my purpose in preparing this his
tory, to lay before the Jewish youth a book
which, written- in a simple and popular style, di
rectly appeals to the hearts of the children, and
thus seeks to interest them in Biblical studies.
I have drawn from the various tales related in the
Book many useful lessons, which are often illus
trated by fitting examples taken from the world's
history and the Talmud. I have likewise pointed
or referred to different homiletic or ethical text
sentences which, when properly applied and com
mented tipon by an intelligent teacher, must be
of considerable assistance in his noble work, and
cannot but greatly enhance the instruction im
parted to the pupils. For those, however, who
understand our sacred language, I have tried to
picture by a single sentence, in Hebrew, the char
acter of the man I speak of or the period of
history I describe; but to those who do not un
derstand the holy language, the very sentence in
the vernacular will, no doubt, prove to be of
great advantage.
Trusting this book will accomplish its objects,
and will meet with every possible success, and
doping that it may find a kind reception in our
homes and schools, I give it on its entry into
the world my best wishes and warmest fatherly
blessings !
The Author.
New York, August, 1902.

BOOK I.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.
The Creation, 
II.
The Creation of Man,
III.
The Sabbath Day,
IV.
The Garden of Eden,
. V.
The First Sin,
VI.
Cain and Abel,
VII.
Nbah and the Flood,
VIII.
Babel,
IX.
Abram, the Model Man,
X.
God's Promise to Abram,
XI.
Sodom and Gomorrah,
XII.
Ishmael, ....
XIII.
Abraham's Hardest Trial,
XIV.
The Death of Sarah— The Cave of
Machpelah, 
XV.
Eliezer's Journey, .
XVI.
Rebecca and Isaac,
XVII.
Isaac,
XVIII.
Esau and Jacob, .
XIX.
Isaac's Blessing,
XX.
Jacob's Dream, . ,
XXI.
Jacob and Rachel,
XXII.
Jacob Leaves Laban,
XXIII.
The Struggle in the Night,
XXIV.
The Homeward Journey,
XXV.
Joseph, ....
XXVI.
Joseph Sold into Egjrpt,
XXVII.
Joseph as a Slave,
Contents

CHAPTERXXVIII. XXIX. xxx.
XXXI.
XXXII.
XXXIII. XXXIV. XXXV.
XXXVI.
XXXVII.
XXXVIII. XXXIX. XL.
XLL
XLII.
XLIII. XLIV. XLV.
XLVI.
XLVII.
XLVIII. XLIX. L.
LI.
LII.
LIII. LIV. LV.
LVI.
LVII.

PAGE
From Prison to Palace, . . 52
Joseph Meets his Brothers, . 55
The Second Journey to Egypt, . 57
Joseph makes Himself Known, . 59
Jacob Meets Joseph, . ... 61
Death of Jacob and Joseph, . 62
Israel in Egypt, .... 64-
Moses,  65
Moses Flees to Midian, . . 66
The Burning Bush, ... 69
Moses Receives God's Charge, . 71
In Cruel Bondage, ... 73
The Ten Plagues, .... 75
The Ten Plagues, Continued, . 78
Israel's Departure from Egypt, 81
Through the Red Sea, ... 84
In the Wilderness, . . . .88
The Amalekites, . . . .91
Amalek and Jethro, ... 93
Jethro Advises Moses, ... 94
Sinai and the Ten Command
ments,  .96
The Ten Commandments, . . 99
How to Honor Father and
Mother,  102
The Ten Commandments, Cont'd, 104
The Golden Calf, . . . . 107
Moses Speaks with God, . . 110
The Sanctuary and the Priests . 113
The Sacrifices, .... 116
An Impressive Ceremony, . . 119
Dietary and Sanitary Laws, . 120

BOOK II.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER
PAGE
I.
The Ethical Laws,
123
II.
The Ethical Laws, Continued,
126
III.
The Sabbath and Festivals,
. 129
IV.
Holy Days and Feasts,
132
V.
Preparing to March, .
. 135,
VI.
In the Desert,
. 137
VII.
The Spies, ....
142
VIII.
The Rebellion of Korach,
146
IX.
Aaron's Staff,
151
X.
God Punishes Moses, .
. 152
XI.
Death of Miriam and Aaron,
155
XII.
The Brazen Serpent, .
158
XIII.
Curses Turned to Blessings,
160
XIV.
Zelopchad's Daughters,
164
XV.
Separation of the Tribes, .
166
XVI.
The Desert Camps,
168
XVII.
Deuteronomy,
170
XVIII.
Moral Laws,
171
XIX.
Moral Laws, Continued, .
174
XX.
Moral Laws, Continued, .
176
XXI.
Moral Laws, Continued, .
180
XXII.
The Death of Moses, .
182
BIBLE LESSONS

I. THE CREATION
The earth we live on was not always so beau
tiful as it is now. There was a time when dark
ness was everywhere, and neither the sun by day
nor the moon and stars by night shone upon the
earth. Neither sky nor plant, man nor animal,
was then to be seen. There was only God, our
dear heavenly Father, who was the first in the
beginning, and who has remained during all ages
and times our Rock and Redeemer, our Hope and
Comfort. It was in the plan of God to create this won
derful w^orld, therefore He formed heaven and
earth. And as it was entirely dark upon the
earth, God, the great Creator of the world, said,
"Let there be light," and there w^as light. At
once light spread its cheering rays everywhere,
and God in His wisdom called the precious light
,"day" and the gloomy darkness "night."
On the second day God created the magnificent
blue sky, which we see above our heads. From
the clouds which often cover the firmament, the
rain and dew, which enrich the soil, fall down to
the earth.
On the third day God ordered that all the wa
ters of the earth should be gathered together in

2 Bible Lessons
one place. This having be°n done, there were
formed the little brooks, the rivers, and the great
seas. As the waters gathered, the dry ground
became visible, but all of it was barren. There
was neither a green leaf, a flower, nor a tree to
be seen. For this reason God said, "Let the
earth bring forth grass, herbs and fruit-trees."
At this command the earth produced grasses
and flowers, herbs, shade-trees and fruit-trees. In
addition to water and air, so necessary for the
life of man, animal, and plant, there was needed
also for every creature the golden sunshine. For
this reason God created on the fourth day the
sun, the moon, and the stars."
Think ofthe great benefits which we get from the
sun ! It not merely brightens the day, and gives us
the necessary warmth and comfort, but it ripens
all the useful and needful products of our fields.
And of no less importance is the moon. It not
merely sets the time of our Sabbath and festival
seasons, but when we look up at it in the even
ing it gives us a feeling of solemn calmness and
silent rest. As for the little stars which are scat
tered over the heavens, it appears as if each of
them is a special divine herald, announcing that
the Heavenly Father above us protects, shelters,
and watches in the stillness of the night all our
beloved ones. The stars play a prominent part
in our biblical history; they form also one of
the choicest emblems upon our national flag,
completing the beauty of the glorious "Star-
Spangled Banner."
The earth now looked beautiful, for flowers

The Creation of Man 3
w^ere blooming, brooks were running, and above
in the sky the mighty sim was sending its cheer
ful rays in every direction. However, it was still
very quiet in the created world; no animal or
Uving thing was moving on the earth. Then on
the fifth day God commanded that fish should
appear in the waters and birds in the air. And
so it was; the fish swam in the waters and the
birds — ^Nature's concert-masters — chanted sweet
songs from trees and bushes in honor of God.
Thus in the air above the land and in the -wa
ter beneath it there was animal life; but upon
the earth there w^as none. Then on the sixth
day there were created all the animals we know of,
such as the lion and the elephant, the serpent and
the lamb, the hare and the hart, the horse and
the camel, and others of their kind.

^ II. THE CREATION OF MAN
There were now plants and animals on the
earth; but there was one creature yet greatly
needed. It was man. Then our Heavenly
Father said: "Let us make man in our Image
and after our Likeness, that he may have domin
ion over the fish in the sea and over the fowl ofthe
heaven, and over every living creature that creeps
upon the earth." Then God created man. He
formed his body out of earth, and as there
was no life in him, He breathed an ever-living
spirit into his soul. In order, however, that man
should always remember from what he was ere-

4 Bible Lessons
ated and that he should not boast of his parent
age and high family, God called the first man
Adam — that is, "onewho has been made of earth."
We can learn a lesson of humbleness from Adam's
origin. We should never boast of high rank or
station, for we have all one common tie of re
lationship—our mother earth.
Adam felt himself solitary and alOne, for there
was no one with whom he could speak or sym
pathize. Then God said: "Two are always bet
ter than one, and as, moreover, it is not good
that man should be alone, I shall give him a
woman as a companion, who shall always be
near him and help him; she shall be an Bser to
him," that is, a helpmate, which word confers
the highest degree of nobility upon woman. God
then created a wife for Adam, whom the latter
called Eve.

When God intended to create man, it happened
that troops of angels crowded around His throne.
Some spoke in favor of man's creation, while
others expressed themselves strongly against it.
The angel Love spokp first, saying: "O God,
create him, for I will fill his heart with love, so
that he may perform works of charity and kind
ness." The angel Truth was opposed to God's
plan. "Do not create him," she said, "for he will
bow down to falsehood and Ue, and I shall never
be able to guide him." But the angel Justice
supported Love by saying that "man would cling
to virtue." The angel Peace was against the

The Sabbath Day 5
creation of man, saying "that man w^ould be
quarrelsome and fond of strife and ever ready
to spre'^d hatred and enmity around him."
While the angels were still disputing with each
other, God sent Truth down to the earth, ex
claiming: "Only when Truth is flourishing on
earth shall salvation be granted to man from
heaven. I shall create man in spite of all dis
sension, in order that truth may be cultivated
on earth. If, after having passed through a period
of right and wrong, man will be inclined to cling
strongly to truth, then the time will be near in
which Love and Truth will meet together, and
Justice and Peace will kiss each other."

IIL THE SABBATH DAY
When God had finished the creation of the
world in six days, He rested on the seventh day
from all the labor He had done. The seventh day
is therefore caUed the Sabbath day. That means
the day of rest, on which man should cease
from all labor. On this day we have specially
to thank God by private and public devotion,
in house and synagogue, for the world He has
given us to live in, and for the many bountiful
favors we receive hourly and daily from the ever-
flowing fountain of His love.

There were once six brothers who had made up

6 Bible Lessons
their minds to work for the seventh one and to
stay home with him on a special day (Sabbath)
to enjoy his presence, his uplifting power — ih fact,
that solemn influence, which he knew so well to
spread around him. But suddenly a change came
over the brothers. Eager to become great and
rich, they refused to work further for their sev
enth brother and resolved to leave him to his
own fate, as he, so they said, ^vas quite able to
take proper care of himself. What was the result
of such a step? The hallowed home in wliich the
brothers had lived so peaceably and united, be
came nothing else but a place of worldly strug
gle and gain. No lofty ideas or noble sentiments
dropped from their Ups, and the power of God
and the thought of His kind care and protection
never entered their minds or souls. Is this not
also the case with many of our co-reUgionists
to-day?

IV. THE GARDEN OF EDEN
Our first parents, Adam and Eve, w^ere placed
in a very lovely garden called, Eden. This garden
had many points in common with what we. call
a "Kindergarten." Like children, Adam and Eve
were still innocent and pure, and, moreover, they
had strictly to obey without asking "Why must
we do so?" The garden itself was a beautiful
spot of everything that could attract the eye
and entertain the senses. There were bright,
sweet-smelUng flowers and cool and shady bowers.

The Garden of Eden. 7
Warbling birds flitted among the trees, and prat
tling brooks and rivulets flowed through the gar
den. There were also many trees, the fruit of
which Adam and Eve could eat as much as they
desired. In the midst of the garden, however, there
stood a tree, which was the "tree of knowl
edge of good and evil," and it was the fruit of
this tree which God had forbidden them to eat.
Know, then, from the kindergarten up to the high
est class in school, and like-wise in our homes and
in our country, we must obey the laws given to
us. The first rule in education is to obey. In
the beginning Adam and Eve were most obedient.
They w^orked with pleasure and joy in the beauti
ful garden, and did everything to please God.
Suddenly, however, a, different spirit must have
come over them. In one of those idle hours, of
which they had so many in Eden, they received
a visit from the mischievous serpent. If serpents
have been found in Eden, should we be astonished
to see them also in places which are not so beau
tiful? When a person comes to us and attempts
to lead us astray and to encourage us to do evil
things, we usually turn our backs on him. So
Adam and Eve should have done at once. How
ever, they w^ere too inexperienced, and therefore
did not order the mischief-maker from their pres
ence. FeeUng quite at ease, and rejoicing beforehand
at the wrpng it was about to do, the serpent
sweetly asked Eve, "Has then, indeed, G®d told
you not to eat of all the trees of the gar-

8 Bible Lessons
den?" "Of all the trees we may eat," Eve said,
"except of that of good and evil, unless we wish
to die." "No," said the serpent, "do not think
so, you will not die ; take only some of its fruit.
See! the fruit is so pleasant to behold and so
delicious to taste. Your eyes will then be opened
and you will be equal to God, knowing what is
good and bad."' Eve was soon convinced, and
she did not hesitate long, but took some of the
forbidden fruit and ate it. As it often happens
that people like to share the evil but not the
good with others, so we see it here. Eve gave
her husband of the forbidden fruit, and he ate of
it too, and, in doing so, took part of his wife's
sin upon his own shoulders.

V. THE FIRST SIN
Adam and Eve had now committed a great sin.
They knew this, for their conscience, which had
slept so long, reproached them very much. They
now wished that they had never done the act.
But alas ! it was too late ! They w^ere much afraid
of God, and feared His punishment. To avoid
Him, they hid themselves behind the bushes. But
can w^e indeed escape from God's presence? Does
He not see us wherever w^e are? Then it hap
pened that toward evening God came into the gar
den seeking the guilty ones. "Adam, where art
thou?" He called out. "Here I am," Adam an
swered. "Why didst thou hide thyself before
Me?" God asked. Adam repUed, "I was afraid."

The First Sin 9
"Afraid of whom?" God said. "What hast thou
done? Hast thou taken perhaps from the fruit
I have forbidden thee to touch?" "Yes," said
Adam; "my wife gave me of it and I ate." Mark
how he confessed the truth, and that is always the
iDcst in life. Turning to the wife, God said, "Why
didst thou induce thy husband to commit a sin?"
And Eve said, "The serpent tempted me." Thus
we see that one person makes another responsible
for the acts he has done.
God did not wait long to punish the sinners.
"Because thou hast led astray Adam and Eve,"
He said to the serpent, "thou shalt be cursed.
In dust thou shalt crawl, and dust thou shalt eat
during all the days of thy Ufe." To Eve, God
said : "As thou hast yielded to the mischievous
advice of the serpent, and hast not felt any scru
ple in making thy husband the partner of thy
sin, thou shalt suffer many violent pains during
thy lifetime." But to Adam, God said : "As thou
hast been disobedient, it is my will that thou
shalt work very hard from this day forth. Thorns
and thistles shall the ground thou tilleth bring
forth, and in the sweat of thy brow shalt thou
earn thy daily bread until thou returneth to dust,
for out of it wast thou taken ; for dust thou art,
and unto dust shalt thou return." Hard labor
is expressed here as a punishment, but in reality
it is a blessing. Nothing keeps man from mis
chief and sin as does hard work. If the whole
world could be turned into a great workshop,
the moral position of man would be much higher
and nobler than it is now.

IO Bible Lessons
Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden, and
they had children who caused them much trouble
and borrow. Home joys and home troubles with
children have been experienced more or less by
parents at all times. It might be thought that
God should have made the punishment of Adam
and Eve a Uttle Ughter, as it was their first sin.
However, they enjoyed, in being admitted into
the garden of Eden, the rare privilege of God's
special grace and loving kindness, and for this
reason it cannot be often enough repeated that
the higher we stand in life, the more must it be
our duty to follow all those laws which are given
to us for our welfare on earth.

VI. CAIN AND ABEL
The loss of Eden must have been very painful
to Adam and Eve. Still in that new home which
they had to make for themselves they gradually
forgot their past trouble, as happily they were
blessed with children. These children, being sons,
were caUed Cain and Abel. When they were
grown up, Cain was gloomy and unfriendly,
while Abel was peaceful and cheerful. Cain be
came a husbandman (farmer), and Abel became
a shepherd. It happened once that Cain pre
sented some of the fruits of his field-labor as an
offering to God, while Abel Ukewise offered some
ofthe firstlings of his flock to his Maker. Whether
the offering of Cain did not come fully from his
heart, or whether it was presented in a discon-

BlocVa Bible PictureB. No. 1 I>obb
THE EXPULSION FROM EDEN
"Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the
ground from which he was taken," Genesis iii, 23.

Bltx-h fl Bible Picture-. No. 2

THE DEATH OF ABEL

K. UKBKuKlt'i'

" * * and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother,
and slew him." Genesisiv. 8-

Cain and Abel 1 1
tented or moody spirit, we do not know, but
the Lord rejected his gift and graciously accepted
that of his brother Abel. Cain was greatly an
gered over this refusal and showed his disap
pointment in his downcast countenance. The
Lord, perceiving this change in him, tried to calm
him by saying: "Why art thou so downcast?
If thou art good, thou canst Uft up thy face, as
an honest man should always do; but if not, sin
Ues before thy door; it is longing after thee, but
thou canst rule over it."
But God's wise and kind words did not make
any impression upon hardened Cain. Very soon
afterward he persuaded his brother Abel to go
with him to the field, and when they were there
Cain killed him. Then the all-knowing God asked
of Cain, "TeU me, where is thy brother Abel?"
Upon which the wicked man impertinently an
swered, "I do not know; am I the keeper of my
brother?" Then said God: "See what thou hast
done ! The voice of thy brother's blood cries unto
me from the ground, therefore thou shalt be
cursed. The earth shall not yield henceforth unto
thee her produce; a fugitive and vagabond shalt
thou be in the world."
Driven by bitter repentance — ^for "my punish
ment is greater than I can bear," he said — Cain
moved aw^ay from the scenes of his childhood.
Jealousy and envy w^ere the causes or motives of
the first murder committed in the w^orld. Chil
dren should always look every one straight in the
face. An open countenance usually shows trust
and truthftilness.

12 Bible Lessons
God gave Adam and Eve another son, whom
they called Seth. Adam died at the age of 930
years. The greatest age was reached by one of
the descendants of Adam, Methusalem, who was
963 years old when he died. Cain also had a
son, whom he called Enoch (Chanoch) after the
name of the city he had built. One of his de
scendants was Lemech, whose sons were called
Jabal, who was the father of those who dwelt
in tents and had cattle, and Jubal, who was
the father of such as play on the harp and gui
tar. Another son of his was Tubal-Cain, an
artificer in copper and iron.

VIL NOAH AND THE FLOOD
The number of human beings was rapidly grow
ing on the earth, and with their increase they
became more sinful and wicked. How could it
have been otherwise? we may ask. There were
no schools, no teachings, neither reUgious impres
sions nor bright personal examples set before the
eyes of the young. And yet there was one man,
who, differing from all the others, still led a good
and Tionorable life. This man w^as Noah, who
was singled out as the only one whose life
w^as free from blame and fault. He was the
father of three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet.
When God saw that the ways of man were thor
oughly evil on earth, he said to Noah: "Build
thee an ark of gopher- wood and go into the same

Noah and the Flood 13
with thy wife, thy sons, and their wives and chil
dren. Take also with you single pairs from every
living animal, and, moreover, provide yourself
with sufficient food for every creature in which
there is breath of life. For I shall bring a great
flood over the earth and will destroy all living
creatures on it, for the earth is full of violence
and wickedness." And Noah did as God com
manded him.
After seven days had passed the fountains of the
great deeps were broken up and the windows of
heaven were opened, and it rained forty days
and forty nights. The waters rose higher and
higher, lifting up the ark far above the earth,
so that all the mountains and the high hills were
covered. After one hundred and fifty days God caused a
wind to pass over the earth, and the flood stopped.
At last the ark slowly descended and rested upon
the mount of Ararat. After forty days of rest,
Noah opened the w^indow^ of the ark and sent
forth a raven to see whether the waters were
dried from off the earth; the raven, however,
went to and fro and did not return. Then Noah
sent the dove ; but as she could not find a resting-
place, she returned to the ark, and Noah then
knew that the waters were still upon the
earth. He waited seven days more, and again sent forth
the dove to see whether the waters had abated.
This time she returned in the evening, having a
plucked oUve-leaf in her mouth. By this cheering
token he knew that the waters had been cleared

14 Bible Lessons
from the earth. After seven days more, he again
sent away the dove, but this time she did not re
turn. The raven and the dove play an active part in
the history of the flood. This teaches us that we
should always have a kindly feeling toward the
animal world. God maintains them all and gives
His food to each of them, even ajv 'J?^. to the
young ravens. Was not Elijah, the prophet, in
his loneliness fed by the ravens?
At last the earth was dry again, and Noah
left the ark with all that had been therein. The
first step he took was to build an altar to the
Lord and to thank Him for His kind and won
derful deliverance. And as a new proof of
God's kindness to man. He promised Noah that
in the future, on account of man, the earth
and its inhabitants would not be punished again
by so great a flood, and that seed-time and har
vest, frost and heat, summer and winter, day and
night should never cease. As a sign of this prom
ise God put the beautifully colored rainbow in
the sky to testify that the waters should never
more become a deluge to destroy all living
things. Noah was the first to plant a vineyard. When it
was grown, he drank from the wine, and, not know
ing its powerful effect, he took more of it than was
necessary. On account of this, his second son,
Ham, ridiculed him, while his two other sons, Shem
and Japhet, with true tenderness of heart, tried to
cover the failings of their erring father. When
the father awoke from his sleep and learned what
had happened, he blessed his two good sons and

Bloch^s BiblK I'icturL-?. No. 3 l>omK
THE FLOOD
"And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth and all the high moimtains
* * * were covered. And all flesh perished that moved upon the earth * * "
Genesis vii, iq-ii.

^JsSS

Bloch's Bible Picturea. No. 4 Dorb
THE TOWER OF BABEL
"Thereforeis the name of it called Babel, because the Lord did there conf ound
the language of all the earth." Genesis xi, g.

Babel 1 5
rebuked the one who had so unnaturally of
fended him. Noah was only "perfect in his
time." Unlike an Abraham or Moses, he did
not do much for his sinful fellow-men. Neither
did he teach them, nor did he pray to God to
forgive them.

VIII. BABEL

After the flood the people multiplied and in
creased in great numbers, and as there were no
schools in which their minds couM be trained
and educated, they naturally had many foolish
notions and ideas.
Among other things they undertook to build a
city, with a big tower, the top of which would
reach the sky. What their object was in build
ing this large tower we do not exactly know.
So much is certain, they were going to make
for themselves by such a work a famous name,
DE^ IJ? HB'VjJ. It might have been also their pur
pose to keep themselves together in one special
place and to use one particular language. How
ever, this plan of theirs was upset or defeated
by God. He, our Almighty Father, confused their
language so that the one person could not under
stand the other. For the advancement of man and
the world, a number of languages is most neces
sary. If such great conquerors as Nebuch
adnezzar, Alexander the Great, and Napoleon
were not able to build up, by their wonderful con-

1 6 Bible Lessons
quests, a world-kingdom, n ither can mankind
be raised or trained to use one common or uni
versal language. There is only one language
spoken by all men, and that is the language of
the heart.

IX. ABRAM, THE MODEL MAN
Not every one is intended or is able in life to
carry out a great and noble work. The Lord
selects only a few individuals in whom He puts
the sacred fire of His divine inspiration. Among
those who were thus distinguished by God was
Abram. He was the son of T^rah, who besides
him had two other sons, Nahor and Haran. The
latter died very early, leaving behind him an or
phan boy. Lot, who was cared for by Abram
and Sarai, who had no children. Terah's other
son, Nahor, married Haran's daughter, Milka.
Abram's father, Terah, was a worshipper of
idols, who went from Ur of the Chaldees, his
native place, to Haran, where he died. After
his death, the Lord said to Abram, in whom,
despite the example set by his late father, the
true belief in one God had already tal en root,
"Get thee out of thy country, from thy kindred
and from thy father's house, into a land which I
shall show thee. I will make of thee a great na
tion, and I will protect thee and make thy name
great, and thou shalt be a blessing (naia nipi).
And I wiU bless them that bless thee, and curse

Abram, the Model Man 17
them that curse thee, and in thee shall aU the
nations ofthe world be blessed." In these w^ords
the great missionary task of our people to im
press all the nations of the world with the true
beUef in one God, is clearly pointed out. Then
Abram, following the command of God, departed
with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his
possessions, and went into Canaan.
Abram w^as a kind relative and a loving uncle.
His nephew. Lot, might have learned much from
him, but he did not. As the Bible so wisely re
marks, taii) iriK tjij'i, he walked with or after him
without learning or adopting any of his noble
traits. Both of them, uncle and nephew, pos
sessed large flocks, but unfortunately the shep
herds of each could not agree with one another
and were continually quarrelUng. That was
more than peace-loving Abram could tolerate.
He therefore said to his nephew: "Pray let there
be no strife between us, betw^een thy shepherds
and mine, for we are kinsmen. See," he contin
ued, "the whole land Ues before thee; for this
reason separate thyself from me. Wilt thou go
to the left, then I will go to the right, or if thou
wilt go to the right, I will depart to the left."
Thus they separated from each other. Lot chose
the plain of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,
though he knew weU that the inhabitants of
these cities w^ere extremely wicked. However,
finding in these places water and pasture enough
for his flocks, his selfish and greedy nature quickly
stifled in him his better feeUng and the higher
thought that he might perhaps endanger the
2

1 8 Bible Lessons
character of his family and children by his new
and evil surroundings.
Every bad step we take in life throws its shadow
before; we should therefore think or reflect in
time before we undertake any important matter.
And so it was in this case. Among the kings of
the country into which Lot had moved, a war
broke out, in which the rulers of Sodom and
Gomorrah were defeated and aU of their property
taken from them. Unfortunately Lot, together
with everything he called his own, was likewise
captured, and he and his people .were made pris
oners. No sooner did Abram hear from a fugitive
of the misfortune of his nephew than, prompted
by his loving heart, he armed his three hundred
and eighteen trained servants, pursued the enemy,
defeated him and recovered the booty. Thus
he saved Lot and restored his property to
him. This little warlike incident is brightened by the
introdtiction of Melchizedeck, king of Salem and
priest ofthe most high God. He welcomed Abram
most cordially, offered him and his followers
bread and wine, praised him for his courage, and
thanked God Almighty for having given him vic
tory. Even the King of Sodom — the Sodomites
were not known for their thankfulness or gen
erosity—even he acknowledged the kindness ren
dered to him by Abram, saying, "Return to me
the persons and keep the goods for thyself." No
sooner, however, had Abram heard this grateful
offer, when from his un.selfish heart he so man
fully answered: "Here, I Uft up my hand to the

Bloch's Bible Pictures. No. 5 Rohbiteii
SARAH
*'And God said unto Abraham: as for Sarai thy wife * * * Sarah shall her name
be. And I will bless her * * ." Genesis xvii, 15, 16.

Blnch's mble Pictures. No, 6

ABRAHAM GREETS THE STRANGERS
" * * andlo, three men stood near him; and when he saw them he ran to meet
them * * and bowed himself to the ground." Genesis xviii, 2.

God's Promise to Abram 19
Lord, and tell thee that I will not take anything
,that is thine, not even a thread from a shoe-
latchet, lest thou should say, T have made Abram
rich.' " Does this action show aught ofthe greed
with which our people are so often accused?

X. GOD'S PROMISE TO ABRAM
After Abram had freed his nephew. Lot, the
voice of God came to him in a vision, saying,
"Do not fear, Abram, I am thy shield; thy re
ward shall be very great." Then Abram said:
"0 Lord, my God, what couldst thou give me?
Do I not walk childless?" "See," God replied,
"look toward the sky and number the stars;
as countless as they are, so shall thy descendants
be in the future." And Abram beUeved in God
and His promise, which belief made him still
dearer in the eyes of God. The stars, pointed
out by God to Abram, are Uke our people's mis
sion on earth. Like stars first dimly shining, and
then gUttering and brightening up the sky and
again being darkened by sweeping clouds, so Is
rael's fate in the world's histoiy is in some meas
ure foretold.
Wiien Abram had dwelt ten years in the land
of Canaan, he took Hagar, an Egyptian woman,
who had assisted Sarai as a servant, to be his wife.
Hagar, feeling herself raised by her new position,
treated her former mistress with disrespect and
did not obey her. When, therefore, Sarai tried

20 Bible Lessons
to correct her, she fled from her. Then an angel
of God found her at a well in the desert, and,
addressing her, he said, "Hagar, thou servant
of Sarai, whence comest thou, and where art thou
going?" She answered, "I fled from my mistress,
Sarai." Then the angel repUed, "Return to thy
mistress and humble thyself before her." He
prophesied to her also that she w^ould become in
time the mother of a son, who w^as to be the
father of a great nation — a son, indeed, whose
hands, by the roughness of his nature, v\^ould be
turned against every one and every one's hand
against him.
Concerning angels of w^hom the Bible so often
speaks, we have no other knowledge than that
they are mentioned as messengers of good and
bad news to man. Those good angels, however,
which we still possess here on earth, are to be
found in the persons of father and mother, of
brother and sister, of teacher and instructor, and
in every one who does good to his fellow-man in
this world.
Hagar returned to her mistress, and after some
time became the mother of a son, w^ho was named
Ishmael (God hears). Shortly after, as a fulfil
ment of his promise that Abram's descendants
should become as numerous as the stars of heaven,
God changed his name from Abram — ^the high
father — to "Abraham" — ^father of a multitude.
"Thou shalt become the father of a multitude
of nations." At the same time the name of Sa
rai — my princess — was changed to "Sarah"— the
princess.

Sodom and Gomorrah 21

XI. SODOM AND GOMORRAH
It was on a very warm day, while Abraham
was sitting at the door of his tent, when he saw
three men coming along the road. He was a
most hospitable man, for hospitality was onc
of the principal virtues of the patriarchs and the
ancient Hebrews; so he ran to meet them, and
invited them to take a morsel of bread with
him, for such was the common expression with
which people were invited to take a meal. The
msn accepted the invitation; they entered the
tent with him, and Abraham told his wife to
prepare a meal for his guests. When one of the
men asked him, "Where is thy wife, Sarah?"
he answered, "See, she is, as every good wife
should be, in her home, the tent" — ?nN3 nan
"Tell her," then said the man, "that within
a year she will have a son." When Sarah
heard this, she laughed, thinking that such a
promise would never be fulfilled. Then the men
left, and Abraham became aware that he had en
tertained angels. Thus cheerful hospitaUty often
brings us unknowingly in contact with angels.
Two ofthe men took their way to Sodom, and
Abraham accompanied them part of the way.
When returning from his walk, the Lord said to
him: "Behold, the sinfulness of the inhabitants
of Sodom and Gomorrah is very great ; therefore
I have decided to destroy them." Then Abra
ham, unlike other people, who do not seem to

22 Bible Lessons
care about the v^elfare of their fellow-men,
prayed to God that He should pardon or forgive
the Sodomites. "The Judge of all the world,"
he prayed, "should He not act fairly or right
eously? Could He punish in His justice, the good
together with the bad? Perhaps," he continued
"one could find fifty or forty, or even tw^enty or
ten -worthy persons in that city; -would it not
be right and proper to spare the city for the
sake ofthe ten good ones?" And God promised
not to destroy them all for the sake of ten good
ones, but unfortunately they could not be found
there. The two angels arrived in Sodom toward even
ing. When Lot saw them, he begged them to
stay with him over-night, -which they -willingly
did. Scarcely had they gone to sleep, -when the
inhabitants of the city surrounded Lot's house
and urged that he should give up the stran
gers to them. Lot, however, refused to do this,
saying that his right to take care of the stran
gers was a sacred duty to him. But the people
would not listen to him, for the Sodomites were
known to be unkind and cruel to strangers.
When, therefore, the ill-natured crowd tried to
break dqwn the door of Lot's house by force,
they were at once struck with blindness by the
angels, and thus they were forced to give up
their evil purpose.
The angels now told Lot that they had come to
warn him of the coming destruction of the place,
and ordered him to leave the city at once with
his whole family. Lot told this news to aU the

Ishmael

23

members of his family ; but the young men who
were to marry his daughters did not beUeve him.
When the morning came, and Lot himself was still
hesitating, the angels took him, his wife and t-wo
daughters, and conducted them outside of the
city, warning them once more not to Unger and
by no means to look back at the doomed place.
When the sun rose. Lot was already in Zoar,
beyond the boundary of the city. But on Sodom
and Gomorrah the Lord caused brimstone and
fire to pour down, and, as foretold, the two
cities, with all their inhabitants, were totally
destroyed. Lot's -wife, however, having no be
lief in God and not trusting the good which lay
before her, could not refrain from looking back
at the burning place, and -was, turned, as we are
told, on account of her disobedience, into a piUar
of salt. There is much good in the past ; but in
idealizing the past and constantly looking back
at it, -we often lose interest in the duty we owe
to the present and the future.
After this God remembered Sarah and graciously
favored her with a son. Abraham was at this
time one hundred years old. The son thus born
was called Isaac.

XII. ISHMAEL

Ishmael could only with difficulty be made
to follow peaceful ways. He was not friendly
"toward his younger brother and frequently tried
to vex and aneer him. When Sarah, in her moth'

24 Bible Lessons
erly anxiety, observed these constant annoyances,
she implored her husband to send Hagar away
together with her son, Ishmael. Abraham at first
objected to this, but as God told him to comply
with his wife's wishes, he made up his mind to
do so. He rose early in the morning, took bread
and a bottle of water, gave them to Hagar, and
sent her and her son a-way. She -went -with her
child into the desert of Beer-Sheba. When the
water in the bottle was gone, she put the child
in the shade of a bush, -went off" a little -way
and sat down and wept, saying that she could
not see her boy die.
This remark of hers, that "she could not see
her boy die," does not sound motherly; for if a
child is near death, it is the mother's duty to be
at its side. However, God is nearest to us -when
we need Him. One of His angels took pity on
both mother and child and addressed them, say
ing: "What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not, for
God has heard the voice of the boy; rise, take-
hold of thy child ; do not part from him, for I
will make him a great nation!" Then her eyes
were opened, and she sa-w before her a sparkUng
well. She went to it, filled the bottle with -water,
and gave drink to her thirsty child. God was
with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the
wilderness and became an archer. He afterward
married, and it is said that the IshmaeUtish
Arabs are his descendants.

Bloch B Bible Pictures No 8 Carl Baukulk
HAGAR AND ISHMAEL
" # # * and she saw a well of water; and she w^ent and filled the bottle \vith
water and gave the lad a drink." Genesis xxi, 19.

Bloch'fl Bible Pictures. No. 9 • l*"**"
ABRAHAM AND ISAAC
"And Abraham took the wood for the burnt-offering and laid it upon Isaac his
son * * ." Genesis xxii, 6.

Abraham's Hardest Trial 25

XIII. ABRAHAM'S HARDEST TRIAL
The tale -we are now about to relate is the
call of God to Abraham bidding him to offer to
Him his dearly beloved son, Isaac. This tale,
which shows the patriarch's devotion to God,
and which, moreover, points him out as a
model pf perfect trust and faith in our Heavenly
Father, has found its proper place in our Jewish
history and in our daily'prayers, as well as in our
divine service on the New Year's Day festival.
But, in addition to this, our tale suggests to us
still another meaning, from which a good lesson
may be learned. It must not be lost sight of that
the offering of Abraham's child follows imme
diately after the expulsion of Hagar and her son
Ishmael. Now, Sarah was the main cause of
Hagar's expulsion, for we know that Abraham
consented to it most unwillingly and only after
God had told him to do so.
No matter in w^hat -way or light we may look
upon Hagar's expulsion, even admittingthat both
her and her son's influence was not for good, the
manner in which she was treated and cast out
of her home with her child, was hard and un
sympathetic. To leave mother and child to the
mercy of the world was itself an unkind act ; but
such an act becomes even more unkind if it is
done by such persons as Abraham and his wife,
who were looked upon as model people.
There is a just reward and punishment in this

26 Bible Lessons
world, and our good and bad actions are repaid
here on earth, although we do not always see or
know it. Sarah, who was so eager to be rid of
Hagar and her son, had to endure shortly after^
ward the bitter pain of having her only son Isaac
taken away from her. It is true, it was only a
trial, as the sacrifice -was not carried out. The
situation, nevertheless, was a most bitter and
grievous one to Abraham, and as regards Sarah,
the danger which threatened her son Isaac was
the cause, we are told, of her death.
Is not this chapter an illustration of the truth
that, "by the same measure we treat others, we
shall be treated ourselves," or in other words,
"whatever -we do to our neighbor will be done
to us"?
Father and son walked together. DrT'JB' ^2'?^^
innv Although Abraham had already experienced
how hard it was for a father to part from his
child, yet it must have been still harder for him
when he -was ordered by God to offer up his be
loved son Isaac as a sacrifice. With that won
derful word of obedience, "Hinneni," "Here I am,
willing to obey Thy command," he started upon
his journey to the place selected for the sacri
fice, taking his son Isaac with him. Isaac knew
nothing of the a-wful fate hanging over him ; Uke
a good son he went with his father, and for doing
so there was no other reason than that "father
and son always walked together." The journey
lasted three long oays, and many serious thoughts
and earnest reflections must have passed through

Abraham's Hardest Trial 27
Abraham's mind, but he did not reveal his di-vine
message to his trustful son, who, filled with deep
love, kept himself closely and affectionately at his
side, for "father and son walked together."
On the third day, -when the appointed place -was
in sight, and Abraham was near the spot where
he was to undergo his trial, Isaac suddenly ad
dressed his parent, saying: "Father, here is the
wood and there is the fire, but where is the lamb
for a sacrifice?"
"The Lord will make known his sacrifice,"
Abraham repUed, and this answer fully satisfied
the inquiring son, for "father and son walked
together." ,
Arriving at last at the place God had appointed,
Abraham carefully arranged eveiything for the
sacrifice. But at the very moment that he was
to lay hands on his son, an angel of God called
to him from Heaven, saying:
"Abraham! Abraham! Do not put thy hand
on thy child, and do him no injury ; I -wanted only
to try thee, and to know whether thou wert God
fearing and ready to carry out my command. I
know, now, what a good and trustworthy ser
vant thou art to me. Because thou hast obeyed
my voice, I shall make thy descendants as numer
ous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the
sea-shore."

2 8 Bible Lessons

XIV. THE DEATH OF SARAH— THE CAVE
OF MACHPELAH
It was a heavy blow to Abraham when he lost
his wife Sarah. She died at Hebron, at the age
of one hundred and twenty-seven years.
Near Hebron was the cave of Machpelah, which
belonged . to a man named Ephron ; this cave
Abraham selected for a burial-place. He went to
the gates of the city, where all the leading men of
the place were gathered. In his impressive and
modest way he said to them: "A stranger and
sojourner I am among you; I came here to ask
you to favor me -with a burial-place of my o-wn."
After having listened to him attentively, they
replied to him in those noble -words : "You are
indeed a prince of God among us, Cni'S X'B'^, hon
ored and beloved by all ; take, therefore, -whatever
ground you choose wherein to bury your dead."
Mark the worthy name, "Prince of God," with
which Abraham was honored by mere stran
gers. If aU brothers and sisters, nay, if aU
children would make themselves loved and es
teemed in the eyes of their own family, their' fel
low-citizens, and the strangers whom they meet,
no doubt all enmity would cease and the reign
of love and good-will would soon spread over all
the earth.
When this generous offer was made, Abraham
bowed and gratefuUy replied, "Though I am
thankful to you for your kindness, yet I do not

Eliezer's Journey 2()
want to have this burial-ground for nothing. I
prefer to pay for it." Then Ephron, the owner of
the land, who was sitting among the assembled
men, rose and said, "The land thou desirest is
worth four hundred shekels of silver, a trifling sum
between me and thee." Abraham forth-with pur
chased it for the sum named, and then buried
his wife in the cave of Machpelah, which he had
thus secured for himself and family.

XV. ELIEZER'S JOURNEY
Life is made up of contrasts. Joy and sorrow,
hope and fear, mourning and gladness, foUo-w
rapidly after each other. Such a contrast we see
now in the life of Abraham. Scarcely was Sarah
dead and buried, when Abraham, being old
and deprived of his heart's companion, tried to
find a wife for his son Isaac. For this purpose
he called before him his chief steward, Eliezer, a
native of Damascus, who was a true and faithful
servant to him. He told him to go to his rela
tives in Haran, Mesopotamia, and bring from
there a wife for his son. The old steward gladly
agreed to do so. But before departing on his
journey he asked his master what he should do, if
the woman he chose --would not come -with him.
"Shall I then," he asked, "take thy son to the
lajid from which thou hast come?" "Beware of
doing so," Abraham answ^ered. "The God of
heaven and earth, who has taken me" from my
father's house, from my kindred and the land of

30 Bible Lessons
my birth, will send his angel before thee that -thou
mayst find a wife for my son. If, however, no
maid will follow thee, then thou art free and re
leased from thy promise."
The steward took ten camels and many precious
gifts and went to the city of Nahor in Mesopo-_
tamia. After a tiresome journey of several days, he
arrived toward evening at Nahor. He made a
halt near a well of the place, prayed fervently to
God for success in the errand on -which he was
sent, and, having strengthened himself by prayer,
he said: "When one of the maidens of the city
approaches this well to draw water, I shall re
quest her to give me a drink. If she does so
kindly, and also offers to give my camels some
water, then this will be the woman whom God
has chosen for my master's son, Isaac." Thus
we see that he risked his choice on a chance,
which is not th ¦ right way.
Scarcely had hi- spoken, when a maiden made
her appearance. She was Rebecca, the daughter
of Bethuel, and the grandchild of Nahor, Abra
ham's brother. She was carrying, after the cus
tom of the time, her pitcher on her shoulder. A
great artist has painted a beautiful picture called
"Rebecca at the WeU," which gives an excellent
idea of how women were brought up in those-
days for the household duties of life.
When Rebecca had fiUed her pitcher, she was
stopped by EUezer, who said to her: "Pray, let
me drink from thy pitcher!" She replied at once,
"Drink, my lord; I wiU also give thy camels some
water." Eliezer rejoiced at this offer, and forth-

ii^;f^ .#-<i,^

Eloih 3 Bible Ticturee No 11 Dork
REBECCAH AT THE WELL
"And she said: Drink, mjf lord, and she hastened and let down her pitcher upon

her hand and gave him to drink." Genesis xxiv, iS.

Bloch'fl Bible Pictures. No. 12

REBECCAH AND ELIEZER
Genesi<; xxiv, 20.

A. (JABANEL

Rebecca and Isaac 3 1
with gave her rich presents, asking her in the
mean time: "Whose daughter art thou? Is there
room for us to stay over-night in thy father's
house?" She answered him: "I am the daughter
of Bethuel, the son of Milka and Nahor. Straw
and food -we have indeed in abundance; there is
also enough room in our house for a night's rest
and home comfort." Then Eliezer thanked God
for having so soon found the relatives of his
master Abraham.

XVI. REBECCA AND ISAAC
Rebecca hastened home and told what had
happened to her. When her brother Laban, who
was a shrewd and worldly man, saw the pres
ents which had been given to his sister, he ran
to the well where Eliezer stood with his camels ;
he invited him to his home, and also provided
food for the animals. The old servant was re
quested to take some of the refreshments which
were set before him. However, though he was
hungry and fatigued from the long journey, he re
fused to taste anything before he had delivered
his message. "I will not eat, I will not drink,"
he said, "until I have laid my request before
you." These -were the words ofthe man who so
truly and faithfully served his master. Duty
first, and then pleasure and rest.
He spoke to his hosts of his master Abraham,
told of his great position and wealth and of the
special errand he had intrusted to him to ask for

32 Bible Lessons
the hand of Rebecca for his master's son, Isaac.
"If you now will show some love for my master,"
he continued, "then consent to give me your
daughter as a wife for his son ; if not, let me tarry
no longer."
When Eliezer had given his special message,
Laban and Bethuel repUed to him, saying: "This
cometh from the Lord; we cannot say anything
against it; take Rebecca and let her be the wife
of thy master's son." Thus we learn that God's
word was heeded in Bethuel's house. The follow
ing morning they called Rebecca and said unto
her, "Wilt thou go with this man?" And she
said, "I wiU go." Even in ancient times a maid
en's consent was necessary to her marriage. After
they had blessed Rebecca — and no child should
go out into the world without the parents' bless
ing — Eliezer started with her and her old nurse,
on the homeward journey.
It was again toward evening -when Eliezer ap
proached his old home. Isaac had gone to the
fields to meditate. While in his solemn mood, he
suddenly raised his eyes and sa-w a train of camels.
coming. And Rebecca, too, while still at a distance,
lifted up her eyes and asked -the steward, "Who
is yonder man who is coming to meet us?" "That
is my master, Isaac," he replied. She then, from
modesty, took her veil and covered her face. The
steward told Isaac all that had happened. Isaac
took Rebecca to his old father, and then into the
tent of his departed mother, Sarah. He loved
her dearly and was comforted by her after his
mother's death. So does the good and true wife

Isaac 3 3
bring back to her husband's heart the love and
affection -which he had felt for a departed mother.
Abraham died at the age of one hundred and
seventy-five years. In his later years he was
blessed in everything, which means that he was
a favorite of God and man. He also had the
great happiness of seeing his children united,
for we read that Isaac and Ishmael, though differ
ent in character and disposition, together buried
their old father in the cave of Machpelah, beside
the body of his beloved Sarah.

XVII. ISAAC

God appeared to Isaac and repeated to him the
promises He had made to his father Abraham.
He told him that He would bless him and his
house, and that "through him all the nations of
the earth would be blessed."
Isaac was living at that time near Gerar, in the
land ofthe Philistines. He was very fond of farm-
mg and loved the woods and the fields, so he
diligently tilled the soil and raised very large
crops. Thus he became greater and richer every
year, possessing large numbers of flocks and
herds, and also many servants.
But being a stranger in the land, the Philistines
became jealous of him, and en -vying his prosperity,
they filled up the wells which the servants of
Abraham had dug. Then Abimelech, the king of
Gerar, said to him: "Move a-way fi-om us, for thou
hast become mightier than -we are." And Isaac
3

34 Bible Lessons
departed at once and pitched his tent in the val
ley of Gerar. There he reopened -wells -which had
been filled in by the Philistines, and called them
by the very names which -were given to them by
his father.
His servants also dug in the valley, and found
there a weU of flo-wing water. But the herdsmen
of Gerar -were in conflict with those of Isaac,
claiming the well was theirs, so he caUed the well
Esek (fight), because they fought over it. Then
his servants dug another -weU, but they likewise
quarrelled over this one, and he called it Sitnah
(enmity). At last he moved and dug another
weU, for which there was no fighting, and he
called it Rehoboth (room), and he said: "For
now the Lord has made room for us and we
shall be prosperous in the land."
From there he went up to Beer-Sheba (well of
the oath). That night God appeared again to
him, saying: "I am the God of Abraham, thy
father ; fear not, for I am with thee. I will bless
and multiply thee." Then Isaac built an altar
and called upon the name ofthe Lord, and pitched
his tent there, while his servants dug another
well. When Abimelech saw that Isaac was still pros
perous, he came on a visit to him. Then Isaac,
who always wanted to be at peace with eveiy
one, said to him: "Why do you come to me, for
you hate me and have driven me away from
you?" Upon which the king replied: "We saw
that the Lord was with thee, therefore, let us
make a covenant with thee, that thou -wilt do us

Esau and Jacob 35
no harm, as we have done nothing unto thee but
good, and have sent thee away in peace. We see
that you are indeed, mn) Tina, the blessed of the
Lord." We should always part in friendship from
our fello-w-man, with the blessing ofthe Almighty
upon our work.

XVIII. ESAU AND JACOB
Isaac and Rebecca had two sons, the elder being
called Esau and the younger Jacob. Esau was a
hunter and fond of roving through forest and
field. Because of the venison he brought home, he
became his father's favorite; -while Jacob, being
a quiet young man who stayed about the home,
was more beloved by his mother.
The parents, in thus bringing up their sons,
made a great mistake. Each of them sho^ved a
strong preference for one of their children, and
naturally the two brothers did not agree and did
not have that strong affection for each other
-which brothers and sisters should have. Children
of the same family should always be treated
alike ; not the slightest diflference should be made
between a handsome child and a plain-looking
one, between an intelligent and a dull one, be
tween a gentle-minded one and one -who is inclined
to be wild. All should find the same deep love
-within the parental heart.
Once Jacob was preparing a dish of pottage
(lentils), when Esau, returning tired and hungry
from the hunt, asked Jacob to let him taste some

36 Bible Lessons
of that "red" substance which he was cooking.
Then Jacob said: "I shall do so, but first sell me
thy birthright."
Esau, careless of his rights, replied: "Take it, of
-what use to me is the claim of a first-born, for
must I not die after all?" Thus he sold his birth
right to his brother for a dish of lentils. "Then
he ate, drank, rose up and -went aw^ay." In these
fe-w words the -whole character of Esau is truly
pictured. The birthright was not of any material
benefit ; it gave chiefly the right to be the priestly
head or representative of the family.
Neither of the brothers is free from blame in
this matter. Jacob should not have acted so
selfishly or mercenary in regard to the food he
gave to his hungry brother, while Esau should
have shown more reverence for the distinction
placed upon him.
Esau later married two Canaanitish women,
-who gave much trouble and sorro-w to his par
ents. Dutiful sons and daughters should always
consult their parents, and never marry against
their wish or advice.

XIX. ISAAC'S BLESSING
When Isaac had become old and lost his sight,
he called his son Esau and said to him: "My son,
I am old and do not know when I shall die.
Take, therefore, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy
bow, and fetch me some venison, so that I may
bless thee before I die." These words were heard

Isaac's Blessing 37
by Rebecca. She quickly prepared two kids, called
her son Jacob, and told him to offer his father
this favorite dish of his, and receive in return the
promised blessing.
Jacob was not -wiUing to do this, but Rebecca
was determined to carry out her purpose. She
dressed Jacob in Esau's garments, put the skin of
the kids upon his hands and also upon the smooth
part of the neck, so that his smooth skin would
be hairy like Esau's, and then sent him with the
savory dish to his father. "My father," Jacob
said, "I am Esau, thy first-born; I have done as
thou hast told me. I pray thee, eat of my veni
son, that thou mayest bless me."
The old father -was surprised that Esau should
have returned so quickly, and said, "How is it
that thou hast come back so soon?" Jacob
answered, "It was our heavenly Father who
favored my work!" "Come nearer," said the old
man, "in order that I may feel thee." When he
came nearer, Isaac felt him and said: "The voice
is Jacob's voice, but the hands are those of Esau."
It appears that he was not fully convinced, but
still he ate of the meat and then blessed Jacob.
Hardly had Jacob left his father when Esau
returned -with the venison. When his father told
him what had occurred, he -was very angry and
exclaimed bitterly: "He has deceived me t-wice;
first he took away my birthright, and now my
father's blessing." And Esau hated his brother
and determined to kill him after his father's
death. This evil intention was noted -with the keen-

38 Bible Lessons
ness of a mother's eye, and Rebecca advised Jacob
to flee to Haran to her brother Laban, and to
stay there until Esau's anger had passed. But to
Isaac the shrewd mother said: "I do not want
Jacob to take one ofthe maidens of this land for a
wife; I would die rather than this should happen."
Then Isaac commanded Jacob to go to Mesopo
tamia, to the relatives of his mother, for the pur
pose of taking a wife. He departed -with his
father's blessing and his mother's good wishes.

XX. JACOB'S DREAM
There is no love like that of a kind father, no
affection stronger than that shown by a fond
mother, and no ties sweeter and more lasting
than those which bind together loving brothers
and sisters. We can easily imagine that Jacob,
on his journey, must have felt how hard it was to
part from the familiar scenes and pleasant sur
roundings of his happy childhood, and that the
parting was, in some way, caused by his own
acts. When we are separated from those who are
nearest and dearest to us, there are two things
which will keep us upright and strong in our
dreariness and loneliness. These things are work
and prayer {Arbeiten und Beten).
On the first night when, tired out from his
journey, Jacob rested his weary head upon a
hard stone, a wonderful dream came to him. In
this dream he saw a huge ladder, reaching from
earth to heaven. At the top of the ladder stood

Jacob's Dream 39
the Lord, and on it His angels -were walking up
and down.
Through this vision Jacob was shown that
even angels had to be active and industrious, and
that nothing can redeem man from his faults and
weaknesses so much as steady and constant
work. In fact, our labor every day should begin
with God in the morning and cease with Him in
the evening. It was also in this very dream that
God appeared to Jacob, promising to make his
descendants as numerous as the dust ofthe earth,
and that "through him all the people ofthe earth
would be blessed."
When Jacob a-woke from his sleep he said:
"Truly, the Lord is in this place and I did not
kno-w it! Oh, how gi-and is this place! This is
none other but the house of God and this is the
gate of heaven!" In the morning Jacob arose at
once, took the very stone -which had served him
for a pillow, put it up as a monument, anointed
it with oil and called the place Beth-El (House
of God). Then he made a vow and said: "If God
will be with me and will guard me on the way I
go, and will give me bread to eat and raiment
to wear, and will lead me back in peace to my
father's house, then this stone, which I have set
up as a monument, shall become a house of God
Moreover, the Eternal .shall be my God, and I shall
give unto Him a tenth of everything" i^i.B'yK I'WV
From this act of Jacob, like that of Abraham
at a previous time, we trace the beautiful custom
of our people to give "Maaser," or the tenth part

40 Bible Lessons
of that which we have earned, to the poor and
needy. How wonderful ! A single day's wander
ing in a strange country, separated from all his
dear ones, quickly turned Jacob from a seeker
after the so-called birthright to one who asked
humbly for food and raiment.

XXI. JACOB AND RACHEL
Jacob proceeded on his journey, and w^hen not
far from Haran came to a well around which
three flocks and their shepherds -were camping.
They were waiting for help to roll a-way the
hea-vy stone -which -was laid upon the mouth of
the -well. Jacob -went to them and asked from
which place they had come, and they ans-wered
that they were from Haran. Then Jacob asked,
"TeU me, do you know Laben, the grandson of
Nahor? Does he do well?" And they said: "Cer
tainly w^e know him and he does well. There
comes his daughter Rachel, now."
Jacob, in order to make himself useful, ran to
the -well and moved a-way the hea-vy stone. Then
he -went to Rachel and made himself known as her
cousin. Rachel had an elder sister, Leah by
name. One may easily imagine how pleased she
was to see her cousin and how heartily she wel
comed him. And Jacob, too, was well pleased
-with her. Probably he saw in her face some like
ness to his mother Rebecca.
Rachel went home and told her father about the

Bloch's Bible Pictures. No. 13 ISAAC BLESSING JACOB
" * * blessed be they that bless thee." Genesis xxvii, 29.

( i

iii :?

Bloch-fl Bible Pictures N 14
JACOB TENDING LABAN'S FLOCKS
"And Jacob served for Rachel seven years * * " Genesis xxix, 20.

Jacob and Rachel 41
-visitor -who had arrived. Laban went at once to
invite him to his house; he gave him a most
hearty welcome and afterward asked Jacob to
assist him in his labors. Jacob willingly con
sented, and when after a while he had become
very useful to him, Laban told him that he need
not -work for him for nothing and insisted that
Jacob himself should fix his own -wages. Then
Jacob, who had taken a great liking to his cousin
Rachel, asked his uncle to give him his daughter
as a reward for seven years' toil. The uncle
willingly agreed to this. How greatly Jacob's
selfish nature must have changed -when for love
alone he agreed to -win the hand of his future
wife by so long a time of hard labor !
When the time had passed, Laban made a great
-wedding-feast and invited all the people of the
place. As soon as the guests were assembled,
Laban conducted his daughter, Leah, covered
with a veil, into the room and gave her to Jacob
as a wife. Then Jacob said to Laban: "What
hast thou done unto me? Did I not serve thee
for Rachel? Why hast thou deceived me?" And
Laban ans-wered: "It is not the custom here to
many the younger daughter before the older one.
For seven years more of service, I shall give you
Rachel." Jacob had no other choice than to do what had
been asked of him. By the very means through
which we sin in life we are often punished our
selves. Jacob, who deceived his old father, was in
return deceived by his uncle. However, the seven
years of additional labor were quickly passed and

42 Bible Lessons
Jacob then took Rachel for his wife. After the
Lord had blessed Leah with a number of sons and
a daughter, Rachel was favored with a son who
was called Joseph.

XXII. JACOB LEAVES LABAN
Jacob's s-trongest desire was to return to his
old home. But when Laban sa-w that his flocks
were always growing larger under Jacob's care,
he persuaded Jacob to stay -with him and to
work for him for wages. They made an agree
ment that all the speckled and brown-colored
sheep and goats should belong to Jacob. Jacob
then served Laban six years longer. God blessed
him and he became richer and richer. Like his
father, Isaac, he o-wned large flocks and herds
and many servants. Although Laban's herds also
multipUed, yet he became jealous of Jacob's pros
perity and often changed his -wages.
Once Jacob heard Laban's sons say: "Jacob has
taken a-way everything that belongs to our
father; he has become rich w^ith our father's
property." At this time Jacob also noticed that
Laban was by no means so friendly as he had
once been.
When, therefore, Jacob could no longer live in
peace with Laban, God said to him: "Return to
the land of thy fathers and to thy birthplace;
I shall be -with thee." After this promise, Jacob
told Rachel and Leah of his desire to return to
the land of his birth. They both agreed to go

Jacob Leaves Laban 43
with him, and said, "Do that which God has
told thee to do."
During the time that Laban had gone away to
shear his sheep, Jacob took his family, his ser
vants, his flocks and herds, and all that belonged
to him, and went toward the land of Canaan,
eager to see again his old father and mother.
But Rebecca, his dear mother, to w^hom he was de
votedly attached, had died during his long absence.
He passed over the river Euphrates and then took
his -way to-ward the mountain of Gilead.
On the third day, after he had left, it was re
ported to Laban that Jacob had fled. Then
Laban took his relatives, probably also his sons,
and went in pursuit. After seven days he over
took Jacob on Mount Gilead. Then God ap
peared to Laban in the night, telling him not to
do any -wrong to Jacob and not to prevent him
from continuing his journey.
On the foUo-wing morning Laban said to Jacob:
"It is not right that thou hast done such a thing.
Why didst thou leave secretly? Why didst thou
not tell me? I -would have accompanied thee
-with joy, -with, songs and with music! Thou
didst not even permit me to kiss my sons and
daughters; indeed thou hast acted quite fool
ishly." Then Jacob ans-wered: "I feared that thou
-wouldst have taken thy daughters a-way from
me. But why hast thou followed me? These
twenty years that I have been with thee, I have
faithfully served thee. I suffered from the heat in
the day and from the frost by night, and sleep

44 Bible Lessons
departed from mine eyes. I did not trifle away
my time, but did my duty faithfully. Fourteen
years I have served for thy daughter and. six
years more for my cattle and for thine as well.
Didst thou not change my wages ten times? If
it had not been for the God of my fathers, thou
-wouldst have even sent me a-way from thee
empty-handed. ' '
Then Laban said: "Thy daughters are my
daughters, thy sons are my sons, thy herds are
my herds; but what can I do now^ unto my
daughters and their children?" Then they made a
covenant of peace together, and as a sign of their
agreement they gathered stones and made a heap
and called it Galeed, and also Mizpah, for, said
Laban, "The Lord watch between me and thee
when we are absent one from the other." On the
following morning Laban rose early, said fare
well to his daughters and their children, blessed
them and returned to his native place. And
Jacob -went on his -way toward Canaan.

XXIII. THE STRUGGLE IN THE NIGHT
Jacob was now approaching the land of Seir,
where Esau dwelt. Not knowing how Esau
would receive him and in order to win his favor,
Jacob sent messengers ahead with gifts. When
they returned they told Jacob that Esau was
coming with four hundred men to meet him.
This frightened Jacob, for he believed that Esau
intended to punish him and his family for his past

The Homeward Journey 45
acts. Then he sent on his servants with more
presents, removed his family and flocks across a
river, and remained behind alone to await Esau's
coming. During the night, the Bible says, a man wrestled
with Jacob until daybreak. When the man sa\v
that he could not overcome Jacob he said, "Let
me go, for the day breaketh." But Jacob an
swered, "I will not let thee go until thou hast
blessed me." Then the man said, "What is thy
name?" And Jacob told him. "Thy name shall
no more be Jacob," said the man, "but Israel
(champion of God), for as a champion thou hast
wrestled with a messenger of God and with man,
and hast prevailed." And then he blessed Jacob.
This struggle at night tells of Jacob's strong
effort to rid himself of his former weaknesses and
failings and to become a better man by making
the divine spirit stronger within him. As Jacob,
the imperfect one, he left his father's house, but as
Israel, the more perfect and God-devoted man, he
returned to his native place.

XXIV. THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
When Jacob beheld Esau coming -with four hun
dred men, he called his family about him, and
then advanced to meet him, bowing down before
hirii seven times. In doing so and in calling him
several times "my master Esau," Jacob paid his
elder brother due reverence and honor. Esau em
braced him and kissed him and they both wept.

46 Bible Lessons
Seeing the mothers "with their children, Esau
asked, "Who are these whom you have with
you?" "These are the children," Jacob answered,
"with whom God has favored me." Then his
-wives and children came nearer and bo-wed down
before Esau.
After this Esau said: "What was the meaning
of those various bands I met on the road?" And
Jacob answered, "Those were presents which I
beg you to accept from me." But Esau answered,
"I have enough, my brother, keep what is thine;"
upon -which Jacob replied, "Pray take them, I
have plenty of all." Esau finally accepted the
gift. He, -who like Esau, has "much," implies
that he still desires more ; but he who, like Jacob,
has "everything," expresses satisfaction with his
portion. Esau kindly offered to travel -with Jacob or to
leave some of his men as guards, but Jacob de
clined the offer. Then Esau returned to the land
of Seir.
Jacob continued on his journey and came to
Beth-El where God had first appeared to him.
There he built the altar, as he had promised to do
when he fled from his home.
When still at a distance from Ephrath, Rachel
died. She was buried by the roadside and Jacob
erected a monument upon her grave. She was so
dearly beloved in her lifetime that she has been
looked upon ever since as a "mother in Israel."
Her youngest son was called Benjamin.
Thus it was that Jacob came with a sad and
mournful heart to his father Isaac. He found him

Joseph 47
still alive, and -was heartily and joyfully -welcomed
by him, but the joy of being with him was very
short. Isaac died very soon afterward, at the age
of one hundred and eighty years. His sons, Jacob
and Esau, buried him in the cave of Machpelah.
Jacob had twelve sons : Reuben, Simeon, Lhevi,
Judah, Issacher, Zebulon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad,
Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin, and one daughter
who was called Dinah.

XXV. JOSEPH
Jacobsettled in Canaan (Hebron)where his father
had dwelt. But his well-earned rest (apj;^ 2m)
was broken by domestic troubles. These were
caused partly by Jacob's own acts and partly by
the unfeeling conduct of his sons. Jacob should
have known fi-om his own experience how unwise
and harmful it is to make favorites of children or
to prefer the one child to the other. To be just and
impartial should be the foremost rule in house
holds, in schools and in governments.
Joseph, at the age of seventeen, was handsome
in appearance, agreeable in manners, and devoted
to his old father. With his brothers he tended the
flocks in the fields. While with them he heard
them say many unpleasant things which, in his
boyish thoughtlessness, he repeated to his father.
For this reason he -was looked upon by his broth
ers as a tale-bearer.
Jacob, or Israel as he -was now called, loved Jo
seph more than all his sons, for he was the child
4.

48 Bible Lessons
of his old age and the son of his beloved Rachel,
He ordered for Joseph a coat of many colors,
which made him vain and singled him out from
all his brothers. It -was not to be wondered at
that the brothers began to dislike him. Children
should always be dressed in the simplest and
plainest manner.
Joseph was a youth with a strong imagination,
and was haunted by dreams. Once he had a dream
which he boastfully told his brothers, saying:
"Hear this dream, which I have dreamed. It was
as if we were binding sheaves in the field ; then
my sheaf rose up and remained upright, -while your
sheaves, surrounding mine, graciously bowed
down before it." Then the brothers said: "Wilt
thou be a king over us, or wilt thou rule over us?"
And they hated him more on account of these
dreams and conceited -words.
When Joseph noticed what effect the telling of
his dreams had upon his brothers, he should not
have said anything further. But it was not long
afterward when he told them of another dream,
saying: "It was as if the sun, moon, and eleven
stars were bowing down before me."
He also told this dream to his father, who
(V2X 13 nw*!) rebuked him. Instead of doing so,
Jacob should have told him that it is much wiser,
at certain occasions in life, especially when we
are surrounded by unfriendly faces, to keep our
tongues in check and to practise the virtue of
silence.

Joseph Sold into Egypt 49

XXVI. JOSEPH SOLD INTO EGYPT
Once -when the brothers were tending the flocks
in the neighborhood of Shechem, Jacob told
Joseph to go and inquire after their welfare.
Joseph, though knowing the ill-feeling his brothers
bore against him, immediately obeyed the com
mand of his father.
When they saw him coming at a distance they
were stirred to anger. "Look, there comes the
dreamer," they said to one another. "Let us kill
him and thro-w him into a pit. We shall then
see what -will become of his dreams. We might
say to our father that a wild animal has torn him
to pieces." Reuben, however, objected, saying:
"We must not kill him. Do not shed innocent
blood. Put him into the pit, but do not injure
him." It -was Reuben's intention to save Joseph
from his brothers and afterward bring him back
to his father.
No sooner did Joseph come up to them than
they took hold of him, stripped off" his garment of
many colors, and thre-w him into the pit; for
tunately the pit was empty and without water.
After their heartless work was done, the brothers
sat down to partake of their meal. That they
could eat after they had committed such an un-
brotherly act sho-ws ho^ harsh and unkind they
must have been.
While they -were at their meal, they noticed that
a caravan of IshmaeUtish merchants, taking balm,
myrrh and spices to Egypt, was approaching

50 Bible Lessons
them. Then Judah said to his brothers: "Why
should -we kill our brother and stain our hands
with his blood? Let us sell him to the Ishmael-
ites, for he shall not die by our hands as he is
our brother." This was agreed to, and they sold
Joseph to the Ishmaelites for t-wenty shekels.
Then the brothers took Joseph's coat, dipped it
into the blood of a goat, and brought it to their
father. When Jacob sa-w it he exclaimed: "It is
my son's coat; a wild beast has killed him!"
And he mourned many days for Joseph and
-would not be comforted.

XXVII. JOSEPH AS A SLAVE
When the caravan reached Egypt, Joseph was
sold as a slave to Potiphar, a captain of King
Pharaoh's bodyguard. He was a faithful servant,
and whatever his master intrusted to him, was
promptly and carefully done. He soon won the
favor of his master, and as he was honorable in
his conduct and attentive to his duties, he suc
ceeded in everything that he undertook, and be-
became known as (n''^VD e^'k) a prosperous man.
After a while Potiphar's wife became dissatisfied
with Joseph; she accused him of an act he had
never committed and had him put in prison.
But even in jail God was with Joseph. He
found grace in the eyes of the overseer of the
prison and helped him in his work. At this veiy
time the chief butler and the chief baker of Pha
raoh -were in prison on account of a -wrong they

Blocli 3 Bible Piaures ^u 15 Dobk
JOSEPH SOLD INTO SLAVERY
*' * * they lifted up Joseph oat of the well and sold him to the Ishmaelites for
twenty pieces of silver * * ." Genesis xxxvii, 28.

, Bloch'B Bible Ficturea. No. 16 Dork
JOSEPH EXPLAINING PHARAOH'S DREAM
"And Joseph said unto Pharaoh: The dream of Pharaoh is one; that which God
is about to do he hath told to Pharaoh." Genesis xii, 25.

Joseph as a Slave 5 1
had done. Joseph often saw these men. One
morning, noticing that they were rather sad and
downcast, he asked them, "Why are you so sad?"
They answered him: "Each of us had a dream
this night, and there is none here able to interpret
them." Joseph replied: "Do not interpretations
belong to God? Tell me your dreams; perhaps 1
can explain them to you."
Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph,
and said to him: "In my dream, behold a vine
was befoi'e me, and on the vine were three
branches ; and it was as though it budded and
blossoms shot forth and the clusters thereof
brought foi'th ripe grapes; and Pharaoh's cup was
in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed
them into the cup and gave it to Pharaoh." And
Joseph said: "This is the interpretation: The
three branches are three days. After three days,
Pharaoh -will restore thee to thy place and thou
wilt serve him in the manner thou hast done be
fore. But if it be -well with thee, shoMr me also
a little kindness and remember me unto Pharaoh,
that I may come out of this place. I have been
stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and even
here I have done nothing, but have been impris
oned without cause."
The baker then told his dream, saying: "I
dreamed that I had three baskets on my head.
In the uppermost basket there -was all manner of
bake-meats for Pharaoh, and the birds did eat
them out of the baskets upon my head." And
Joseph answered: "This is the interpretation
thereof: The three baskets are three days. Within

52 Bible Lessons
three days shall Pharaoh lift thy head from off"-
thee and shall hang thee on a tree, and the birds
shall eat thy flesh."
And it came to pass as Joseph had inter
preted. After three days, Pharaoh celebrated his
birthday by giving a great feast to his servants.
On this occasion he remembered the two prisoners
and restored the butler to his former office and
hanged the chief baker as Joseph had foretold.
The chief butler, ho-wever, did not remember
Joseph; he forgot him. So it happens daily in
life; the -wrong which is done to us is strongly
impressed upon our memory, while the good that
is rendered to us is unfortunately too soon for
gotten. XXVIII. FROM PRISON TO PALACE
Although man may forget those who benefit
him, yet God does not forget those who love
Him. We see this in Joseph's wonderful career.
After Joseph had been in prison for two years,
Pharaoh had a dream, in which it seemed as
if he were standing by the NUe, where he . saw
seven fat cows, followed by seven lean cows,
come out of the water and go into a mead
ow. Suddenly the lean cows ate the fat and
healthy ones. Then Pharaoh awoke, but slept
again and dreamed that he saw seven good ears
of corn grow on one stalk ; but after them came
seven thin and withered ears. Then the seven
thin ears swallowed the seven good ones.
In the morning the king was troubled, and

From Prison to Palace 53
he sent at once for his wise men to explain his
dreams. But they could not interpret them. At
last the chief butler remembered Joseph and told
the king that when he and the chief baker had
been in prison, a Hebre-w youth of much intelli
gence correctly interpreted both of their dreams.
Pharaoh at once sent for Joseph, who, after he
had been clothed in new garments, ^vas conducted
into the presence of the mighty ruler.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: "I have heard it
said that thou knowest how to interpret dreams."
"It is not I," Joseph replied, "but God -who will
tell Pharaoh the ans-wer." Pharaoh told his
dreams to Joseph, and when he had finished Jo
seph said: "Both dreams are really one, and
through them God reveals to the king that which
is to happen. The seven fat cows and the seven
good ears of corn mean seven years ; and the
seven thin cows and the seven thin ears of corn
also mean seven years. There -will be seven years
of plenty and over-abundance in Egypt; and then
seven bad years -will follow, during which the
people will be in want of bread, as there -will be
a great famine throughout the whole land. The
doubling of the dream means that God wiU carry
out His intention at once."
Joseph then called the attention of Pharaoh to
the necessity of placing an able man over the
land, who during the years of plenty should
gather or collect a certain portion of all the
grain and keep it in .special storehouses until the
time of famine.
Then Pharaoh said: "Where can we find a man

54 Bible Lessons
wiser and more intelligent than thou art? I ap
point thee over my house and my land, and only
in regard to the throne will I be greater than
thou." He took off" his ring and put it on Jo
seph's finger ; he dressed him in rich garments and
put a gold chain about his neck. He made: him
ride in his second chariot, and the people bowed
down before him. Thus Pharaoh made him ruler
over all the land of Egypt. Joseph was at that
time thirty years old. Later on he married As-
nath the daughter of Potiphera, a priest.
During the seven years of plenty Joseph trav
elled throughout all Egypt, collecting as much
grain as he could and placing it in the royal
storehouses. No sooner had these years passed
when the time of scarcity began. The starving
Egyptians had to give up their money and flocks,
their fields and even their own persons in ex
change for corn. But through Joseph's careful
handUng of the collected provisions, the people
-were supplied -with food a.nd the king -was greatly
benefited. Two sons -were born to Joseph ; one -was called
Manasseh and the other Ephraim. A deep mean
ing is attached to these names. By the name
Manasseh, Joseph intended to express that God
had made him forget (D''n^N ''JB'J) all the trouble
and sorrows of his father's house; in other -words,
that he had no bitterness in his heart for the ill-
treatment he had received from his brothers . And by
the name ofthe second son, Ephraim, he expressed
the idea that God had let him prosper (Clii'K V'^S^)
in the land of his affliction, ("jy n**?)- But was

Joseph Meets His Brothers 55
it right to caU it Egypt, the country in which he
had been raised to high honors, the land of his
affliction? He admitted that he had been success
ful in Egypt, but the land of his birth he loved
much more.

XXIX. JOSEPH MEETS HIS BROTHERS
The great famine ' had also extended to the land
of Canaan. When Jacob heard that corn was to
be had in Egypt, he said to his sons: "Why do
you stare at one another so idly? I hear that
there is corn in Egypt; go and bring us some
from there, so that we may keep ourselves alive."
Then the brothers went down to Egypt to bu3^
corn, but Benjamin did not go with them, as his
father feared that an accident might happen to
him. When they arrived in Egypt, they had to go to
Joseph to buy corn. They appeared before him,
and bowed down -with their faces to the earth.
When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them
at once, but they did not know him. He did not
make himself known, and spoke very roughly to
them. "Whence come ye?" he asked, and they
answered: "From the land of Canaan to buy
food." "I do not believe you," said Joseph; "you are
spies and have come to see the weakness of the
land." He thus paid them back in their own
coin, for they had once charged him with being
the father's spy. But the brothers replied: "Oh,
no, my lord ; thy servants have come to buy food.

56 Bible Lessons
We are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in
the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is
this day with our father, and another one is not
any more among us."
Then Joseph said: "Thus shall you be proved;
you shall not go forth, except your youngest
brother come hither. One of you shall bring him
here and the rest shaU be kept in prison, in order
that your words may be proven whether there be
any truth in you, or else you are surely spies."
And he put them all in prison for three days.
On the third day they were brought before him
again and he said to them: "Do this and live, for
I fear God, and do not want that your people at
home should suffer hunger. One of you shaU be
kept in prison, and if you are honest men, as you
say, you may go home and take the corn you
bought to your family. But on your return you
must bring your youngest brother -with you."
Then conscience, the still, small voice of God in the
human heart, which had been asleep in them dur
ing all these years, awakened again, and they said
to one another: "Thus are -we punished for our
treatment of Joseph. We sa-w the anguish of his
soul when he implored us to spare him, but we
had no pity on him ; therefore this misfortune has
fallen on us."
They did not know that Joseph understood all;
for he spoke to them through an interpreter. He
turned away from them and wept, but when he
returned he took Simeon from their midst and
had him put in chains before their eyes. Then he
ordered that their sacks be filled with corn, that

The Second Journey to Egypt 57
their money be put into their sacks and that pro
visions be given them for the return journey.
When on the road they stopped to give food to
their asses, one of the brothers on opening his
sack found his money, which made them aU
afraid. On reaching home, how great -was their
surprise when each of them found his money in
his sack. Then they became more frightened and
uneasy. They told their father all that had hap
pened, that they -were accused of being spies by
the ruler of the country, that Simeon was im
prisoned, and the ruler demanded that they bring
their youngest brother, Benjamin, to him.
On hearing this Jacob said: "You deprive me of
all my children; Joseph is not any more, and
Simeon is not, and no-w you -v\'ill also take Ben
jamin away." Then Reuben said: "Slay t-wo of
my sons if I do not bring Benjamin back to thee."
What a thoughtless proposal ! Did Reuben really
think that his old father -would enter into such a
cruel bargain with him?
Jacob did not readily consent to the request of
his sons. "My son Benjamin," he said, "shall not
go with you, he alone is left to me. If misfortune
should befall him on the way, then will you
bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the
grave." XXX. THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT
The famine was very severe in Canaan. When
the corn was gone, Jacob was compelled to
again send his sons to Egypt. "Go down," he

58 Bible Lessons
said to them, "and buy provisions for us." Judah
replied: "We cannot go without taking our
brother Benjamin with us. Entrust the boy to
me ; I -will be surety for him ; if I bring him not
back unto thee, and set him before thee, then let
me bear the blame forever."
Then Jacob said: "If it must be, then let it be
done. Carry down with you some presents for
the man. Take also, besides the money -which was
found in your sacks, other money with you; it
might have been an oversight that he did not
accept the payment. And God, the Almigh-ty, give
you mercy before th; man that he send a-way
your other brother and Benjamin."
So they journeyed again to Egypt, taking Ben
jamin -with them. When they arrived, they went
at once to Joseph's house and told his steward
about the money that was found in the sacks.
But the steward answered: "Peace be to you;
fear not, your God and the God of your father
has given you a treasure (Itotap) in your sack."
Then he brought Simeon out to them.
Soon after Joseph made his appearance; the
brothers bowed down before him and handed him
the presents. He greeted them kindly and said :
"Is your father well? Is he yet alive?" They
answered him: "Our father is in good health; he
is yet alive."
When Joseph saw Benjamin, his mother's son,
he asked : "Is this your youngest brother of whom
you spoke unto me?" Being answered that he
was the youngest one, he said: "God be gracious
unto thee, my lad." He could not speak further.

Joseph Makes Himself Kno-wn 59
for his heart was touched, so he went into an
other room and wept. After he had wept a-while,
he bathed his eyes and returned.
So it is in Ufe. Who knows what feelings move
the human heart? In one moment it aches and
brings tears to the eyes, while in the next the
tears are -washed away, and the countenance
does not show what has happened.
Joseph now invited the brothers to dine with
him. They -were not a little astonished when they
saw that their plaices at the table were arranged
according to their ages. Benjamin was particu
larly honored by Joseph..
After they had taken their meal, Joseph com
manded his chief steward to fill their sacks with
corn, and to give them as much as they could
carry. He also told him to again place the
money of each of the brothers in the opening of
each sack; but in Benjamin's sack he ordered to
be put, in addition to the money, his own silver
cup.

XXXI. JOSEPH MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN
Scarcely had the brothers left the city when
they were overtaken by Joseph's chief steward
who indignantly asked them: "Why did you repay
good with evil? You have indeed acted very
wrongly, for you have taken my master's silver
cup." Then the brothers answered : "Why do you
speak such -words to us? If you can find the cup
in the possession of any one of us, let him die at
once, and we shall all be slaves to thy master."

6o Bible Lessons
Quickly they opened their sacks, and the steward
searched them aU. With the eldest he commenced
and with the youngest he ceased, in order that
they should not notice that he kne-w where the
cup -was, — and lo, it was found in Benjamin's
sack. Filled -with dismay, they rent their clothes,
returned to the city and fell down before Joseph.
It was Judah who lifted up his voice and said :
"What shall -we say? Ho-w shall -we justify our
selves! God has found out our wrong-doing; be
hold, -we are thy servants, both -we and he also,
with whom the cup was found." Then Joseph
said: "The man with whom the cup was found
shaU be my servant; but as for you, go you in
peace to your father."
Then Judah appealed to Joseph, saying: "If we
were to return to our father and the lad is not
with us, he surely would die,— iE>aJ3 nniiE'P iB'SJi—
for our father's life is bound up in the lad's Ufe.
Therefore let me be thy servant instead of Benja
min, and let him go home with his brothers."
When Joseph heard Judah' s noble plea, in
which he mentioned his father many times, he
could no longer restrain himself In order not
to make his brothers ashamed in the presence
of strangers, he ordered aU. the Egyptians to
leave, and then, weeping, said: "I am Joseph
('n >2H niyn). Does my father stiU Uve?" But they
could not answer, for they were dumbfounded.
Then Joseph said once more: "Come nearer to
me ; I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into
Egypt. But do not be grieved or angry with your
selves ; it was not you, but God, who sent me be-

Joseph Makes Himself Known 6i
fore you to preserve life (M^?^ ^'ni'S ''Jn^Cf' n;nDt> '3)
(Pro-vidence of God). Hasten, go to my father,
and say unto him that God has made me lord of
all Egypt; and that he shall come unto me and
stay with me, and also every member of his
family. For -we shall have five more years of
famine, but I shall maintain him and his house
hold" (DB' ^ns 'nb^ai). Children, whose aged par
ents are unable to provide for themselves, should
constantly keep these words in mind.
Then Joseph embraced Benjamin and kissed him
and all his other brothers for joy. King Pharaoh
also sent to Jacob a special invitation to come to
Egypt. Laden with presents, the brothers started
on their homeward journey. In bidding them
fare-well, Joseph forcibly impressed upon them
those beautiful -words of peace {'^'}/}^ itann i)N), "Do
not fall out by the way."

XXXII. JACOB MEETS JOSEPH
Jacob waited anxiously for the return of his
sons, and he rejoiced when he sa-w them again
and that Benjamin was -with them. He could
hardly believe the good news that Joseph was
still living, but when he saw the -wagons which
had been sent to bring him to Egypt, he ex
claimed: "I -will go and see him before I die."
Then Jacob, his sons and their wives and chil
dren, started for Egypt with all their goods and
cattle. Jacob's people, including Joseph and his
sons, at that time numbered seventy persons in

62 Bible Lessons
all. Joseph went to meet his father, and -when he
saw him he embraced him and wept a long time.
Pharaoh was also kind and gracious and told
Joseph to select the best of the land for his father
and brothers to settle upon. They chose Goshen,
and dwelt there, taking care of the king's cattle.
It may be asked here why Joseph did not let
his father know sooner that he still lived and
occupied a high position. Joseph had a strong
belief in the guidance of God, and he -was certain
that God would find a fitting time to bring him
and his brothers together again.

XXXIII. DEATH OF JACOB AND JOSEPH
Jacob lived seventeen years in Egypt. When he
felt his life drawing to an end, he requested Joseph
not to bury him in Egypt, but in the cave of
Machpelah, where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and
Rebecca, and Leah were buried. Joseph promised
that he would do so. Would that all children
carry out a dying father's wishes so strictly as
did Joseph!
Joseph brought his t-w'o sons Manasseh and
Ephraim before Jacob, who blessed them, saying:
"Manasseh shall be great, but Ephraim shall be
greater and his descendants shall become a multi
tude of nations." To Joseplj he said: "God shall
be -with you and bring you again into the land of
your fathers."
Before he died, Jacob called all his sons about
him. To each one he spoke fatherly words of ad-

Death of Jacob and Joseph 63
vice, and cautioned them against the weaknesses
his paternal eyes had seen in them. Then he
blessed them and closed his eyes in peaceful death.
His body was embalmed and taken to Canaan by
Joseph and his brothers. Many of the servants
of Pharaoh and the elders of Egypt went with
them. Joseph and his brothers lived happily in Egypt
for many years after their father's death. When
Joseph was one hundred and ten years old, he
kne-w his time had come, but before he died he
made his brothers promise that when God
brought them out of Egypt they would cany his
bones with them. After his death his body was
embalmed and put in one of the Egyptian sepul
chres.

64 Bible Lessons

XXXIV. ISRAEL IN EGYPT
Long after the death of Joseph, a king ruled
over Egypt who did not know Joseph. As Egypt
is the "Land of Monuments," it seems very
strange that Joseph's great name -was not pre
served either in stone or document, and that he
was so easily forgotten. Such is, however, na
tional ingratitude. This new king said to his
people: "Behold, the children of Israel are becom
ing too numerous and too mighty for us. Let us
beware lest in case of war they take up arms
against us, join our enemies and leave our land.
We must set taskmasters over them, who shall
afflict them with heavy burdens."
Then heavy tasks -were put upon the Israelites,
and they -were compelled to build for Pharaoh the
cities of Pi thom and Raamses. But the more they
were oppressed, the more they multiplied and
spread. It is no -wonder that their Uves were
greatly embittered by the hard labor they were
compelled to perform. All praise is due to the
mothers who, during the toiling hours of their
husbands, brought up and educated the children.
Pharaoh, seeing that he could not prevent the
increase of the Israelites by hard work, imposed
upon them by rough taskmasters, resorted to an
other and most cruel measure. He commanded
that every new-bom son should be cast into the
river, while every daughter should be kept alive.
Then it happened that a man from the house of

Moses 65
Levi took a wife from the same family. The name
of the man was Amram and that of his wife
Jochebed. She bore ason, avery goodly and hand
some child, 3it3 ''3, -whom she managed to con
ceal from the spying eyes of the officers for three
long months. When she could no longer hide the
infant, she made a basket of bulrushes, daubed it
with clay and pitch, put the child therein and laid
it among the reeds by the river's brink. But the
sister of the child, a bright little girl of about
five years, placed herself at a distance to see -what
would happen to the babe. Who can imagine the
feelings of the sister's heart as she watched the
fate of her little baby brother? But as it often
happens in critical moments, so it happened here ;
-when help is most needed God is nearest by our
side.

XXXV. MOSES
It came to pass that Pharaoh's daughter, whose
name we are told was Thermuthis, while about to
bathe in the river, saw the little basket among the
rushes. She sent her maid to fetch it, and when
it -was opened, she saw the -weeping child. She
naturally had pity for the babe, and said: "This
is one of the Hebrew's children."
Then the little sister, Miriam, who had been
closely watching the scene, ran quickly to the
princess, and asked her: "Shall I go and call a
Hebrew woman, that she may nurse the child for
thee?" "Go quickly, "was the answer. Whereupon

66 Bible Lessons
little Miriam fetched her mother, who, as we may
easily imagine, was overjoyed to again possess
her child. Then the princess said to the mother :
"Take away this child and nurse it for me, and I
wiU give thee thy wages." Tlia'^ "N ]m ^JN The
princess offered topayjochebed, not knowing that
she was the real mother.
When other people bring up our children, we
must not think that in paying for their education
we do everything that is required of us ; for this
is not all. We must, in addition, have a certain
feeling of respect and honor for those persons who
teach and direct them.
The mother took the boy and reared him, and
when he had grown up, she brought him to the
king's daughter, who, it seems, adopted him as
her son. She called him Moses (Moshe), "for,"
she said, "out of the waters have I drawn him."
Moses' sister was called Miriam, and an elder
brother was named Aaron.

XXXVI. MOSES FLEES TO MIDIAN
After Moses had grown up he often mingled
with his brethren as they toiled at their heavy
burdens, and his heart was touched by their afflic
tions. On one occasion he saw an Egyptian of
ficer crueUy beating a Hebrew. Aroused at the
sight, he flew into a great passion and, seeing no
one about, kiUed the Egyptian and buried him in
the sand.

Bloch's Bible Pictures. No. 18 H. C. Selotjs
THE HIDING OF MOSES
"And when she could no longer hide him, she took Tor him a box of bulrushes * * * and laid it
in the flags by the river's brink," Exodus ii, 3.

Bloch's Bible Pictures. No. 21 H. C. Selotis
MOSES IN THE LAND OF MIDIAN
''Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water * * ." Exodus
iij i6.

Moses Flees to Midian 67
On the following day he saw two Hebrew men
quarrelling and one was striking the other. Then
Moses said to the one who was in the wrong:
"Wherefore strikest thou thy brother?" And the
man impudently replied: "Who has made thee a
ruler and judge over us? Dost thou intend to kill
me as thou didst the Egyptian?" Then Moses was
very much afraid, and said: I3nn jjnij px — "Now
I see the matter is known."
Some of our commentators say that Moses
meant by these words that, "I see now what is
the matter with the Israelites; they partly deserve
their fate, for if two of them cannot agree with
each other, how will it be with such a large
number?" When Pharaoh was informed of Moses' deed, he
resolved to have him punished. But Mosesquickly
fled from Egypt and went to the land of Midian,
where Jethro was priest. Jethro is known in the
Bible under seven different names: Reuel, J ether,
Jethro, Chobab, Cheber, Keni and Putiel.
While Moses was resting near a well, Jethro's
seven daughters, who tended their father's sheep,
came and filled the troughs to water their flocks.
Then some shepherds came and drove them away,
but Moses stood up and helped them. Here again
we find that Moses could not see a -wrong done,
for he defended the unprotected maidens from the
rough shepherds. He drove away the men, as
sisted the maidens, and helped them water their
flocks. It may be asked why the shepherds did not

68 Bible Lessons
have more respect for the daughters of a man who
was the priest of the land. Our sages say that
Jethro, at that time, was an ex-priest. Is it not
usually the case that we honor a man's position
much more than we do his character?
When the daughters returned to their father, he
asked why they had come home so early that
day. And they answered him: "An Egyptian
man helped us against the shepherds; he drew
water for us, and made himself very useful."
Then he said to his daughters: "Why did you not
call him, that he may eat bread with us?" They
did so and Jethro asked Moses to remain with
him. He consented to do so, entered into his ser
vice, and married Zipporah, one of his daughters.
Moses remained many years in Midian. Two
sons -were born to him. The first-born he called
Gershom, "for," said he, "I have been a stranger
in a strange land." The second son he named
Eliezer, which means "God is my help," "for the
God of my fathers was my help and saved me
from the sword of Pharaoh."
During this time the king of Egypt, from whom
he had fled, had died and a new king had taken
his place. But the children of Israel sighed by
reason of their bondage, and they cried, and their
cry went up to God and He remembered His
covenant -with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

BIcch'B rible Pictures. No. 23

H. 0. SelouS

THE MARRIAGE OF MOSES AND ZIPPORAH
"And Moses was content to dwell with tlie man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah."
£zodus ii, 21.

Bloch'B Bible Pictures. No. 24

H. C. SELOTJfl

THE BURNING BUSH
• * and behold, the thorn-bush was burning with fire but was not consumed." Exodus iii, 3.

The Burning Bush 69

XXXVII. THE BURNING BUSH
Once, as he tended the sheep of his father-in-law,
Moses led his flock into the desert and came to
the mountain of Horeb, which was also called
Sinai. Then an angel of the Lord appeared unto
him in a flame of fire from the midst of a thorn-
bush. Moses looked, and behold, the bush was
burning and was not consumed. Then Moses,
having a keen and observant eye, said : "I will go
and see this strange sight, why the bush is not
consumed." This inquiring "why" has often been
the very key to many researches, inventions, and
discoveries. When he came nearer to the bush, God called
unto him out of the midst thereof and said :
"Moses, Moses!" And he answered: "Here am
I." And God said: "Draw not nigh; take thy
shoes from off" thy feet, for the place whereon thou
standest is holy ground," and (speaking, as our
sages remark, in the familiar voice of Moses'
father Amram), God continued to say: "I am the
God of thy father, the God of Abraham, of Isaac,
and of Jacob!"
Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to
look upon God. But God said: "I have seen the
affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard
their lamentations; I know their sorrows. And
I have come down to deliver them out of the land
of Egypt, and will bring them to a good and
large land, to one flowing with milk and honey.
And I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou

7°

Bible Lessons

mayest bring forth my people, the children of
Israel, out of Egypt."
And Moses said to God: "Who am I, being but
a mere shepherd and knowing my own personal
littleness, that I should bring forth the children of
Israel out of Egypt?" Such was the answer
which came from the lips ofthe modest shepherd.
But God encouraged him and said: "I will be
with thee and this shall be a token unto thee
that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought
forth the people out of Egypt, they shall serve me
on this mountain."
Then Moses said unto God: "Behold, when I
come to the children of Israel and shall say unto
them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me unto
you,' and they shall say unto me, 'What is his
name?' what shall I say unto them?" And God
said unto Moses: "I am that I am (Ehjeh asher
Ehjeh). Tell the children of Israel, I, the Eternal,
the God of your fathers, who is, was, and ever
will be, has sent me unto you. He appeared to
me and said, 'I have remembered you and will
lead you away from the bondage of Egypt, into
a land that is flowing with milk and honey.'
"And then, thou and the elders of Israel shall
go to the king of Egypt and shall tell him, 'The
Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has appeared to
us, and now -we beseech thee, let us go three days'
journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice
to him:' I know that he will not let thee go;
but I shall then stretch out my hand and smite
Egypt with all my mighty wonders. After that
h^ will let thee go."

Moses Receives God's Charge 71

XXXVIII. MOSES RECEIVES GOD'S CHARGE
Moses still objected to going and said: "Behold,
they will not believe me, nor will they hearken
unto my voice, as they will probably say, 'The
Lord has not appeared to thee.' " Then God
said : "What hast thou in thy hand?" And Moses
answered, "A rod." "Then cast it on the
ground." He did so, and it became a serpent,
from which Moses fled. And God said: "Put
forth thy hand and take it by the tail," and
having done so, it became a rod again in his hand.
"By this token they will certainly believe thee."
Then God said: "Put thy hand now into thy
bosom," and when he took it out again it was
leprous, white as snow. And God said : "Put thy
hand again into thy bosom," and when he took
it out again it was like other flesh. And God
continued and said: "If they will not believe these
two signs, then take of the water of the river,
pour it upon the dry land, and then the -waters
will be turned into blood."
Despite all the divine directions he received,
Moses still hesitated to accept the grand mission,
and replied: "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, nor
am I a man of -words, for thy servant is slo-w of
speech and tongue." And the Lord said unto
him: "Who has made man's mouth? Who maketh
him dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not
I, the Eternal? Now, therefore, go and I will
teach thee what thou shalt say."

72 Bible Lessons
Again Moses showed a strong dislike to be en
trusted with such a heavy task and responsibility,
and he said: "Send, I pray thee, another mes
senger." Then the anger ofthe Lord was aroused
against Moses and He said: "Is not Aaron, the
Levite, thy brother? I know that he can speak
well ; behold, he cometh forth to meet thee, and
when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
And thou shalt speak unto him and put -words
into his mouth, and I -will be with thy mouth and
with his mouth and will teach you both what
you shall do. He shall be thy spokesman unto
the people. This rod take in thy hand wherewith
thou shalt do signs."
After this Moses felt more at ease and was con
tented. He returned to Jethro, and said unto
him: "Let me go, I pray thee, to return to my
brethren who are in Egypt." And Jethro said to
Moses: "Go in peace."
Faith in a good work is like a staflF, which sup
ports us in every condition of life; if, however,
we thro-w this staff" on the ground and use it only
for unholy and unbecoming purposes, it often
changes into a serpent and poisons the welfare of
men and nations. Faith, accompanied by good
deeds, is like a hand doing acts of charity ; but if
such a hand rests idly on our bosom or in our
lap, it not seldom changes faith into cold inactiv
ity or indiff"erence.

In Cruel Bondage 73

XXXIX. IN CRUEL BONDAGE
While Moses was on his way to Egypt, God
said to Aaron: "Go and meet thy brother in the
desert." And Aaron went and met him by the
mount of God, and kissed him ; then Moses told
Aaron all the words of the Lord and all the signs
which He had commanded him to perform. When
they arrived in Egypt, they gathered together all
the elders of Israel and Aaron related to them all
the words which the Lord had said to Moses, and
did the signs in the sight of the people. The peo
ple believed them, and when they heard that the
Lord still remembered the children of Israel and
had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads
and acknowledged God's kindness.
After this Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh
and said : "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel :
'Let my people go that they may hold a feast
unto me in the wilderness.' " Then Pharaph
said: "Who is the Lord that I should obey his
voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord,
neither will I let Israel go."
On that very day Pharaoh commanded that no
more straw be given to the Hebrews for use in
making bricks, but that they should gather it for
themselves. If they failed to make as many
bricks as they had made before, when the straw
-was furnished to them, they were to be severely
punished. Tyrants, like Pharaoh, so history
teaches us, always have a bandage before their

74 Bible Lessons
eyes. Instead of lightening the burdens of the
people, they make it harder by placing additional
labor upon them. But by their own misdeeds,
they hasten the era of freedom.
The taskmasters made the people scatter
throughout the land to gather stubble and forced
them to toil harder than ever. When the officers
of the people complained to Pharaoh, he drove
them from his presence. Then they reproached
Moses and Aaron for having caused them to find
ill-favor in the eyes of Pharaoh and for their being
so cruelly treated. Moses thereupon prayed to
God and said: "0 Lord, wherefore didst thou
bring so much evil upon this people? Why is it
that thou hast sent me; for since I came to
Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he has done more
evil to these people; neither hast thou delivered
them at aU."
After these despondent words, God again sent
Moses to the children of Israel and commanded
him to tell them: "I am the Eternal and I will
bring you out (Tisvi'll) from under the burdens
of the Egyptians, and I will free you ('n^sni) and
redeem you ('JUjiXJI) with an outstretched arm
and great judgments. And I will take you to me
C^ypi?^'!.) for a people, and I will be to you a
God, and you shall know that I am the Lord
your God, who will bring you out from under the
burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you
unto a land which I did swear to give to Abra
ham, Isaac and Jacob, and I will give it to you
for a heritage. I am the Lord."

Bloch's Bible Pictnres. No. 25 H_ q Selotts
MEETING OF MOSES AND AARON
"And the Lord said to Aaron: Go to meet Moses * * * and he went and met him by the mount
of God and kissed him." Exodus iv, 27.

Bloch's Bible Picturen. No. 26

H. 0. SEtOTJB
THE STAFF OF AARON
"And they cast down every man his staff and they became serpents; but Aaron's staff swallowed
up their staves." Exodus vii, 12.

The Ten Plagues j^
And Moses brought these words of God to the
children of Israel, but they would not listen to
him for anguish of spirit and for bitterness of
heart (nB*,? nia^JOi mi ispp). Their hard labor
and cruel treatment had so narrowed and de
pressed their minds that they were even unable to
hear -words of comfort and hope.

XL. THE TEN PLAGUES
God commanded Moses and Aaron to go and
speak to Pharaoh, saying unto them: "When
Pharaoh asks you to show him a miracle, then
shall Aaron take his rod and cast it before Pha
raoh and it shall become a serpent." When <they
came before Pharaoh they did as the Lord had
told them and the rod turned into a serpent.
But Pharaoh called his noted sorcerers and magi
cians and through their enchantments they per
formed the same thing. Every one cast down his
rod, which was changed immediately into a ser
pent, but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
Pharaoh, however, remained hardened and re
fused to let the people go.
Then Moses and Aaron warned him that if he
still refiised to comply with their demands, God
would visit him with additional punishments.
As he remained deaf t'o their warnings, God af
flicted him with the first plague. With his rod
Aaron struck the waters of the river, and they
tumed into blood. The fish therein died and the

76 Bible Lessons
-waters became so tainted that no one could drink
from them ; in fact, the waters of all Egypt were
tumed into blood. But Pharaoh's heart remained
hardened. Then Moses and Aaron warned him of the com
ing of the second plague, Aaron stretched out his
rod over the streams, rivers, and ponds, and frogs
came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the
magicians did the same with their enchantments
and also brought up frogs. However, the magi
cians could not remove them again, and in his
great perplexity Pharaoh summoned Moses and
Aaron before him and said to them: "Entreat the
Lord that he may take away the frogs and I will
let the people go." So Moses prayed unto the
Lord and the frogs disappeared. But when the
danger was over, Pharaoh's heart hardened again
and the second plague consequently failed in its
purpose. God, however, did not cease from His chastise
ment. Aaron was again directed to stretch out
his rod, and to strike the dust of the land, causing
vermin to come from the earth, affecting man and
beast. The magicians tried to do the same, but
they could not, and therefore they said to Phar
aoh: "This is the finger of God." But in spite of
all, Pharaoh's heart remained hardened.
Moses and Aaron -warned him once more, but he
did not listen to them. Then was sent the fourth
plague, consisting of swarms of flies which spread
over every house in fegypt, with the exception of
the homes of the Israelites, living in the land of

The Ten Plagues 77
Goshen, Alarmed by this punishment, Pharaoh
called again for Moses and Aaron, telling them
that they might go into the wilderness to offer
sacrifices to their God. Moses prayed to God, and
on the following day the swarms of flies disap
peared. But no sooner were all matters set right
again, when Pharaoh showed the same unyielding
stubbornness. Then God sent the fifth plague. A kind of pesti
lence, called murrain, broke out among the cattje,
and all the cattle of the Egyptians died ; but of
the cattle of the children of Israel not one died.
Even this calamity did not make any impression
upon Pharaoh ; his heart still remained wicked.
The sixth plague, which consisted of the ap
pearance of boils on man and beast, had not the
slightest eflfect upon the hardened sinner.
Then God said to Moses: "Stretch out thy
hands toward the heavens, and I will cause a
heavy hail-storm to come down over Egypt, over
all men, cattle, and all things that grow upon the
field." And Moses did what God had told him. Then
there arose a heavy storm with hail, lightning
and thunder, which destroyed numbers of men
and animals, and every tree and plant, except
those in Goshen. This was the seventh plague.
This time Pharaoh came down somewhat from
his high and arrogant position. He summoned
Moses and Aaron before him and said to them:
"I have sinned indeed; the Lord is good and I
and my people are wicked. Pray to God that He
may take away the thunder and hail and I will

yS Bible Lessons
let you go." And Moses did so and the storm
ceased. But in spite of Pharaoh's frank confession
of his sinful behavior and his repenting -words,
he did not keep his promise ; his confession was
only lip--work, and his heart remained as before —
hard and inflexible.

XLL THE TEN FLAGVES— Continued.
Moses and Aaron again called upon Pharaoh,
and threatened him with another plague — the
locusts. Even Pharaoh's servants now begged
and urged the wicked monarcU to grant the de
sired liberty to the people in bondage, but he
could not be persuaded to do so. He began again
to bargain with Moses, and told him that the
men might go, but that the women and children
had to stay in Egypt. When Moses objected to
this proposal, he and Aaron were driven from the
palace. Then the eighth plague came. God sent swarms
of locusts into the land. These little pests ate up
the fruits and every green thing which the hail
had not destroyed, until there was not a leaf to
be seen on the bushes or trees throughout all the
land. Then Pharaoh again hastily sent for Moses
and Aaron and asked them to forgive him only
once more ; he entreated them also to pray to God
to take away the locusts. Moses prayed to God ;
but scarcely was the land rid of the locusts, when
Pharaoh, unmindful of what had occurred before.

The Ten Plagues 79
resumed his usual course of haughty stubborn
ness. Then the Lord punished Pharaoh with the ninth
plague. There came such a great darkness over
all Egypt for almost three days, that the people
could not see each other. But in the houses of the
children of Israel there was light. Again Pharaoh
called for Moses and said: "Go, serve the Lord,
only let your flocks and herds stay ; let your Uttle
children also go with you." But Moses insisted
that the flocks and herds had to go with them,
as they were needed for sacrifices and burnt offer
ings to the Eternal, their God. This answer did
not please Pharaoh, and he said angrily: "Get
thee from me, take heed of thyself, see my face no
more, for on the day thou seest my face thou
shalt surely die." And Moses said: "Thou hast
spoken well; I will not see thy face again."
Let us pause here and consider the puzzling
question, so often heard : Why did God harden the
heart of Pharaoh? It was with Pharaoh as it is
with a school-boy. Not every school-boy, as is
shown by daily experience, is bettered by the pun
ishment he receives. On the contrary, school
masters sometimes harden the temper of a boy by
frequent chastisements and not seldom, indeed,
make him callous and thoroughly indiflferent; in
fact, often crush in him all honor and self-respect.
There are other boys, again, who can be controlled
and corrected by a mere threatening look or the
waving of the hand.
But in the case of Pharaoh, we find the -key-

8o Bible Lessons
note of his determined stubbornness in the first
answer he gave to Moses and Aaron, when he
said : i^pa y»^« "itJ**? nin'^ ^p— ','Who is the Lord,
that I shall listen to His voice? I do not know
the Lord." In these words, which show his free
dom of will, he declared at once his powerful re
sistance to the will of God, and as one noble deed
usually begets another, so one evil act is generally
followed by others.
God foresaw the unyielding stubbornness of
Pharaoh's character, and how difficult it would be
to impress him with better and nobler notions. But
acting like a divine schoolmaster. He taught this
tyrant that one cannot violate heaven's sacred
authority nor the eternal la-ws of humanity, with
out being severely punished.
One plague more — the tenth one — God decreed to
bring upon Pharaoh and his land, by means of
which the haughty monarch should be forced to
release the Israelites. Moses announced this in
tended chastisement to Pharaoh, saying: "Thus
says the Eternal: 'About midnight I will pass
through Egypt. At that hour every first-bom in
the land of Egypt will die, from the first-bom of
Pharaoh who sitteth on his throne, to the first
born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill,
and all the first-born of beasts. And there shall
be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt,
but against any of the children of Israel not a
dog shall move his tongue, neither against man
nor beast.' Then all thy servants shall come and
bow down unto me, saying: 'Get thee out and all

Israel's Departure from Egypt 8 1
the people that follow thee.' After that I will go
out." And Moses went out from Pharaoh in a
great anger.

XLII. ISRAEL'S DEPARTURE FROM EGYPT.
At last the hour of liberation was approaching.
God sent word by Moses to the children of Israel,
that they should be ready on the night before the
fifteenth day of the month of Abib (Nissan). He
commanded Moses to tell them also, that on the
tenth day of the month (four days previous to the
fixed time), every one should take a lamb for his
family, in fact, a lamb for each house. If the
household of a man w^as too smallfor a lamb,
then he should take one lamb together with his
neighbor, according to the number of persons.
Then they should take a bundle of hyssop, dip
it into the blood of the lamb and with it strike
the lintel and the two side-posts of the house in
which the meat was to be eaten. They were to
eat it on the very night, roasted over the fire and
together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
"Thus shall it be eaten, with your loins girded,
your shoes on your feet and your staff" in your
hand"; in fact, it must be eaten in haste, for it
was a "Pesach," that is, a Passover off'ering to
the Eternal, who would mercifully pass over the
houses of the children of Israel, when He passed
through Egypt to slay all the first-bom from man
to beast.
"And you must observe this day for an ordi-

82 Bible Lessons
nance. And it shall come to pass, when your
children shall say unto you: 'What means this
service?' then tell them it is the sacrifice of the
Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of
the children of Israel when He smote the Egyp
tians and delivered our houses."
With this Passover festival is closely connected
the religious home education of a child. What
heart is not deeply impressed when reading the
sentence, "If thy son will ask thee, what means
this? then tell him what is necessary for his knowl
edge." Here, by this divine command, the father
is prominently pointed out as the principal teacher
and educator of his child. It is the home above
all in which must be centred the religious educa
tion of a child. The father's duty to be the re
ligious teacher of his children is mentioned four
times in the books of Moses (Exodus xii. 26;
xiii. 8; xiii. 14; Deuteronomy vi. 20).
It -was midnight when the Lord smote all the
first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first
born of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the
first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon,
and all the first-born of cattle. There was great
lamentation in Egypt, for there was not a house
in which there was not one dead. Then Pharaoh
rose up in the night and quickly sent for Moses
and Aaron and said to them: "Rise up and get
you forth from among my people, both you and
the children of Israel ; go and serve the Lord as
you have said. Take also your flocks and herds
as you have said and be gone ; and bless me also."

Israel's Departure from Egypt 83
And the Egyptians also urged them to go, wish
ing them to leave the land in haste, for they
said: "We are all in the hands of death."
Then the children of Israel, conducting them
selves most orderly in the hour of their restored
and bitterly contested liberty, hurried on and left
Egypt. They had not even time to bake their
bread; for this reason they carried their dough,
before it was leavened, in the kneading troughs,
-which were bound up in their clothes, upon their
shoulders, and afterward they made unleavened
cakes of it. They took also their herds with
them, as likewise those presents of gold, silver,
and raiment, which the Egyptians, for services
rendered to them, had given them so liberally.
In spite of great excitement, hard work, and
much trouble, Moses did not forget to redeem a
promise, given centuries before by his brethren to
dying Joseph, and to fulfil a pious and most rev
erential duty to the memory of this good man,
who had expressly requested his beloved ones to
take his dead body from gloomy Egypt, to the
bright regions of Canaan. A man like Moses,
who had so much feeling and esteem for the dead,
was the right man for the living.
About six hundred thousand men (not counting
the children) went out from Egypt. With them
went that mixed multitude (Erab-Rab) which
afterward so greatly demoralized the Hebrews
and thus prdved how disadvantageously such a
mixed crowd often works upon the morals and
character of the people.

84 Bible Lessons
For about four hundred and thirty years the
children of Israel had lived in Egypt. That fa
mous night (Li'1-Shemurim) was a night to be ob
served unto the Lord for bringing the people out
from the land of Egypt. It is a night of the
Lord to be observed by all the children of Israel
in their generations.

XLIII. THROUGH THE RED SEA
When Pharaoh liberated the children of Israel,
the Lord directed Moses not to conduct them by
the shortest way to Canaan, -which ^vas through
the land of the Philistines, but through the wilder
ness by the Red Sea. And God went before them
by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the
way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give light
to them.
After the people had departed, the heart of
Pharaoh and his servants was again turned
against the Israelites, and they said: "Why have
we done this, that we have let Israel go from
serving us?" As Pharaoh believed that the Israel
ites were entangled in the wilderness, he took
six hundred chosen chariots and all the chariots
of Egypt and pursued them, overtaking them by
the sea, where they were encamping.
When Pharaoh and his army drew nigh, the
children of Israel saw them and" became very
much afraid of them and cried out unto the Lord.
They strongly reproached Moses, saying: "Where-

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H. O. Selotis
BlocVe Bible Pictures. No. 29 THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER
** * * this is the ordinance of the passover: No stranger shall eat thereof." Exodus xii, 43
Bloch'B Bible Pictures. No. 30 H. C. SELOtia
THE PASSAGE OF THE RED SEA
"And the cliildren of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon dry ground * * ." Exodus
ZiVj 22.

Through the Red Sea 85
fore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us
forth out of Egypt?" Then Moses said unto the
people: "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the sal
vation of the Lord, which he will show you to
day ; for as you have seen the Egyptians to-day,
you shall not see them again any more forever.
The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold
your peace" (pB'inri DriNi D3^ Dn>i' niri^)
And the Lord said unto Moses: "Tell the chil
dren of Israel that they go forward," — for "for
ward" must always be our aira in life, not back
ward. "Stretch out thy hand with thy rod over
the sea and divide it, and the children of Israel
shall go on dry ground through the midst of the
sea. The Egyptians will follow, but I shall show
my power over Pharaoh and all his house."
The pillar of cloud went from before the face of
the Israelites and stood behind them ; and it came
between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp
of Israel. That side which was tumed toward
Pharaoh's army grew very dark and dismal and
prevented his soldiers from seeing whether they
were near the Israelites. But that side of the cloud
which was tumed toward the Israelites was
bright and luminous. Moses stretched out his
hand over the sea and the Lord caused the waters
to go back by a strong east wind all that night,
and made the sea dry land, and the waters were
divided. Then the children of Israel went into the midst
of the sea upon the dry ground, and the waters
formed a wall on each side of them. Quickly the

86 Bible Lessons
Egyptians pursued them and went in after them,
together with Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and
horsemen. And it happened toward morning
that the Lord greatly troubled the host of the
Egyptians as they were marching through the
sea. He made the wheels of their chariots come
off, so that they could move on but slowly. In
this calamity, the Egyptians called out: "Let us
flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for
them." And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,
and the sea returned to its strength when the
morning appeared. The Egyptians fled for the
shore, but the Lord overthrew them in the midst
of the sea. The waters returned and covered the
chariots and the horsemen and all the host of
Pharaoh that came after them into the sea ; there
remained of them not even one. Thus the Eternal
saved Israel on that day from the hands of the
Egyptians. The children of Israel saw the great
work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians.
"And they believed in the Lord and his servant,
Moses." We usually strengthen our belief by what we see
-with our own eyes. We often notice in life that by
what we sin we are commonly punished. Phar
aoh caused the death of the male children by
drowning them in the river ; he himself found a
similar death in the waters of the Red Sea.
The wonderful deliverance of our people on the
banks of the Red Sea inspired them to sing a song
which is not only one of the oldest in history, but

Through the Red Sea 87
it is pervaded also with the most pious sentiments
and elevating thoughts. It was Moses, who being
joined by all the Israelites, started this song, by
saying : I. Thanks to God.
I will sing unto the Lord,
For he is very powerful;
The horse and his rider
He has thrown into the sea.
He became my salvation;
He is my God
And him I will praise!
He is the God of my father
And I will exalt him!
//. Speaking ofthe Enemy.
The enemy said: I will pursue,
I will overtake, divide the spoil;
My anger shall be satisfied upon them.
My hand shall destroy them.
III. Speaking of God's punishment to the Egyp
tians.
Thou didst blow with Thy wind;
The sea covered them;
They sank as lead
Into the mighty waters,
IV. Praising God's Almighty Hand.
Who is like unto thee, 0 Eternal,
Who is like unto thee, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders!

88 Bible Lessons
The song concludes with those grand and sub
lime words: "The Lord shall reign for ever and
ever." The Hebrews were always noted for their love
of music. Music was to them, in days of joy and
earnest reflection, a source of recreation and com
fort. When Moses and the children of Israel had fin
ished their song, Miriam, the prophetess, the sis
ter of Aaron and Moses, took a timbrel in her
hand, and all the women went out after her with
timbrels and with dances. .\nd Miriam at the
head of this joyful procession raised her voice and
sang so beautifully : " Sing ye to the Lord, for he
hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his
rider he hath thrown into the sea."

XLIV. IN THE WILDERNESS
After expressing great joy over their deliverance
from the Egyptians, the children of Israel con
tinued on their march. They journeyed three
days in the desert of Shur without finding any
water to drink, and of course this was a very
hard and unaccustomed trial for them. They
then moved to a. place called Mara, where they
found bitter waters (Mara means bitterness).
Thereupon the people murmured against Moses
and said: "What shall we drink?" Upon which
the Lord showed Moses a kind of wood, which,
when thrown into the water, made it sweet.
Thus God tried the people and taught them, as
a father teaches his children. The people had to

In the Wilderness 89
learn to bear privations and to win new courage
by their trust in God. All hard labor is at first
bitter and disagreeable, but in mixing our heavy
tasks with the sweet of contentment, we make
them lighter and more pleasant.
From Mara, the children of Israel went to Elim ;
there were twelve wells and seventy palm trees,
and the people encamped near the waters. Here
again they murmured against Moses and Aaron,
and said unto them: "Would to God we had
died by the hand of the Lord in the land of
Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, and did eat
bread to the full, for ye have brought us forth
into the wilderness to kill this whole assembly
with hunger."
Then God said to Moses : " Behold, I will cause
bread to rain from heaven for you, and the peo
ple shall go out and gather a certain portion
every day. Tell them also that in the evening they
shall have meat, and in the morning they shall be
satisfied with bread."
Moses and Aaron announced this to the people,
and it came to pass that at eventide quails came
up and covered the camp; thus the people had
their desired meat. But in the morning the dew
lay round the camp, and when it had disappeared,
behold, upon the surface of the wilderness there
lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar
frost on the ground. When the children of Israel
saw this they said: "What is this?" (Man-hu),
for they did not know what it was. And Moses
said unto them: "This is the bread which the
Lord has given you to eat. This is the thing

90

Bible Lessons

which the Lord has commanded : ' Gather uf it
everybody according to his need.' "
Then Moses said further: "Let no man leave
of it till the morning." Many did not heed this
warning and kept some of it until the morning,
when it was found to be full of worms. Profiting
by this experience, they gathered it fresh every
morning, for when the sun grew hot the manna
melted away. On the sixth day, every person
gathered twice as much as usual. When Moses
was informed of this he said: "This is what
the Lord has said, ' A day of rest, a holy Sab
bath is to-morrow unto the Lord ' ; that which re-
maineth over from your gathered food lay aside
until the morning." They laid it away until the
morning, as Moses had told them, and it was
not spoiled. Some of the people, however, dis
obeying the strict command forbidding them to
gather on the seventh day, were disappointed
and found none.
Then Moses said to the people: "How long,
says the Eternal, will you refuse to keep my com
mandments and my laws? The Lord has given
you the Sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the
sixth day the bread of two days; stay ye every
one in his place, let no man go out of his place
on the seventh day." So the people rested on
the* seventh day.
The children of Israel daily received their food
(manna) from Heaven, but were obliged to
gather it personally. Man should trustfully look
up to God for the granting of his daily needs;
but this trust in God must always be combined

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.^och'a Bible Pictureo. No. 32 Rossitkh
MIRIAM
"Then took Miriam, the prophetess, a timbrel in her hand, and all the women
went out after her with timbrels and with dances." Exodus xv, 20.
MOSES SMITES THE ROCK
" * * thou shalt smite the rock and there shall come out fi-om it water and the people shall drink
* * ." Exodus xvii, 6.

The Amalekites 91
with self-help and love of labor. We must like
wise look after ovir own support and living in the
morning of our life, when we are young and vig
orous; if we wait until noon-tide, when the sun
has fully risen Df?3l E'pe'n Dni we fail in our efforts
and they result in naught.

XLV. THE AMALEKITES
It had been wonderfully shown in Jewish his
tory that whenever our people became lax in their
religious faith, and did not put their whole trust
in our heavenly Father, bitter enemies arose
who tried to destroy our good name and to in
jure us on our way through life.
The children of Israel continued their journey
and encamped in Rephidim. Here again they had
no water to drink. Then the people reproached
Moses and said : ' ' Give us water that we may
drink." And Moses said unto them: "Why do
you reproach me; wherefore do you tempt the
Lord?" But the people were thirsting for water
and murmured against Moses, saying: "Where
fore is this, that thou hast brought us up out of
Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle
with thirst?" And Moses cried unto the Lord,
saying : ' ' What shall I do unto this people ?
They are almost ready to stone me."
Then the Lord said unto Moses : " Go on before
the people and take with thee some of the elders
of Israel, and the rod with which thou smotest
the river, take in thy hand. Behold, 1 will stand
before thee upon the rock in Horeb, and thou

92

Bible Lessons

shalt smite the rock and then shall water come
out of it, so that thy people may drink." And
Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
He called the name of the place Massa and Meriba
(temptation and strife), because the children of
Israel were murmuring and lost faith in God
by saying: "Is the Lord among us or not?"
(pN-DK 1J3-IP3 nini K*',-!)
Here,, in Rephidim, the Israelites were suddenly
attacked by the Amalekites. This treacherous
people, descendants of Esau, were the first to war
with Israel, and in so doing the Amalekites did
not act like brave warriors, but like deceitful
cowards. They attacked and killed those who
were in the rear of the journeying multitude — the
aged, the women, and the little children.
By order of Moses, Joshua, his servant, together
with other brave men, was chosen to fight against
Amalek. On this occasion, Moses, Aaron and Hur
went up to the top of the hill. Then it came to
pass that when Moses held up his hands Israel
succeeded, but when he let down his hands Ama
lek was victoriotis. When the hands of Moses be
came tired, Aaron and Hur took a stone and
put it under him and he sat thereon, and both
of them held up his hands, one on each side, and
his hands remained steady (i^^iDK VT ^^''1) until
the going down of the sun ({yDE>n t«a-ny). Thus
Joshua and the Israelites defeated the Amale
kites.

Amalek and Jethro 93

XLVI. AMALEK AND JETHRO
There are two important incidents which hap
pened to our people in the first period of their
going out of Egypt. The one was the fight with
Amalek, and the other was the friendly visit of
Jethro to Moses, of which we shall speak later.
These two men — Amalek and Jethro — represent
the very types or figures which in almost every
century have been so closely connected with Is
rael's history. While Amalek represents everything
slanderous and untruthful that is said against
us, it is Jethro, the Midianitish priest, who, with
his righteoas and clear judgment, shows his real
and heartfelt sympathy with Israel, and openly and
frankly confesses that the Lord is greater than
aU the other gods (D^riiixn ^3» nin;' '?ir^3 'nvi; nny).
It has always been a comfort to us that while,
on the one hand, Israel must often endure the
fierce attacks and evil reproaches of an Amalek,
who either openly or in cunning disguise has
shown himself as our enemy and persecutor, yet,
on the other hand, the spirit of Jethro, passing
with us through the world, has always tried to
set us right in the eyes of our fellow-men and
has demanded for us that "heaven-born justice"
which ought to be granted to all children of man.
Thus we might say, with full truthfulness, that
although we have been blindly persecuted by the
spiritual descendants of Amalek, still we have
been greatly befriended and encouraged by people
acting in the spirit of Jethro.

94 Bible Lessons
But let us profit by orr experience. It is a fact
proven by history, that whenever Israel became
lukewarm and indifferent to God and our reli
gion (pK-DN >iJ3np3 nin' E>'n), then Amalek's power
greatly increased ; but when we showed fervor and
pious devotion toward our heavenly Father,
then the slanderous charges and hostile attacks of
our enemies did not inflict much harm or injury
upon us.
A splendid example of how to defeat Amalek is
given us by the grand picture of Moses on the
hill, witnessing the fierce battle between Joshua,
with his brave men, and the cowardly foe. When
Moses lifted up his hands toward heaven, Israel
was successful; but when he lowered his hands
toward the earth, Amalek gained in strength.
And so it will ever be. Our strength lies in our
lifting up our eyes to God, but our weakness
will always be in the lowering or keeping down
of our hands to the earth. Therefore let us
repeat once more those noble words: "And
Moses' hands remained steady until the sun went
down." (B'DB'n N3-nj) njiDS vt 'TU

XLVII. JETHRO ADVISES MOSES
While in the desert, Moses received a visit from
his father-in-law, Jethro, who brought to him
his wife and his two sons, who, while Moses was
carrying out God's will in Egypt, had been left in
charge of the old father in Midian. Moses heartily
welcomed his father-in-law and told him all that
the Lord had done to Pharaoh and how He had

Jethro Advises Moses 95
delivered the Israelites from bondage. Jethro
was greatly pleased with what he heard, and he
praised the Lord, who, in such a wonderful way,
had shown His love and kindness for Israel.
Moses highly honored his father-in-law, and he
invited Aaron and the elders to meet him.
It is usually the case when we are brought into
contact with a new order of things that we show
our politeness by praising whatever we see or
notice. Such was not the case with Jethro. When
he saw that Moses alone acted as judge of the
people from morning to evening, he frankly said
unto him: "The thing that thou doest is not
good. Thou shouldst have assistants, who will
conscientiously aid thee in thy heavy work and
lighten thy responsibilities. Take my advice, and
appoint men as rulers over thousands and over
hundreds, over fifties and over tens. But in select
ing those men, you must be very particular and
careful. Not every man is fit for such a place;
intelligence and moral character are vital and
necessary points in choosing such men. If you fol
low my counsel, select for your present requirements
able men, such as fear God (D'rilJN 'sn' ^••n 'B'JN),
men of truth (DDK 'E'JX) and men who hate covet
ousness (yV3 'NJB')."
These are the qualities which must adorn every
man who works for the welfare of the people, be
it in our homes or schools, in our congregations
or political assemblies. And Moses, though almost '
eighty-two years old, listened to the words of
his father-in-law; he did not beUeve himself over-
wise, nor did he say, "I can learn nothing from

96 Bible Lessons
this man." He was trained in the school of long
experience and was therefore thankful for any
sound advice given to him. He knew that it was
never too late to learn.

XLVIII. SINAI AND THE TEN COMMAND
MENTS
In the third month after the children of Israel
had gone out of Egypt, they .came to Mount
Sinai and encamped before it. Moses went up on
the mountain, and God said to him: "Thus
shalt thou say to the house of Jacob and to the
children of Israel [the house of Jacob meaning
here chiefly the women, who exercise the greatest
influence on the religious education of their chil
dren] , ' You have seen what I have done unto
the Egyptians, and how I have borne you on
eagles' wings and have brought you unto myself
Now, therefore, if you will obey my voice and
keep my covenant, you shall be a peculiar treas
ure unto me above all people, for all the earth
is mine. You shall be unto me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation.' "
Then Moses went down and told the people the
words of God, upon which they answered: "AU
that the Lord has spoken we will do." Then the
Eternal said unto Moses: "Tell the people that
they should sanctify themselves to-day and to
morrow, and let them wash their clothes." [Clean
liness, next to godliness, is, for body and mind,
one of the most important conditions of our
lives.] " They shaU be ready on the third day, for

Sinai and the Ten Commandments 97
on that day the Lord will come down in the sight
of all the people upon Mount Sinai. Set also
bounds round about, and tell the people that thej'
shall neither go up to the mount nor touch the
border of it." Moses prepared the people for
the occasion, saying to them: "Be ready for
the third day."
Just as there are local boundaries which we are
forbidden to overstep, so there are mental boun
daries which, in spite of all reasoning, hinder us
from fully understanding the divine.
On the third day, when morning broke, there
was thunder and Ughtning; a thick cloud hung
upon the mountain and the voice of a trumpet
was heard in thrilling sounds. All the people in
the camp were frightened and trembled. But
Moses brought them forth to meet with God, and
they stood at the foot of the mountain. It was
altogether hidden in smoke, for the Lord de
scended on it in fire; and the smoke thereof as
cended as the smoke of a furnace and the whole
mount quaked greatly. The sound of the trumpet
became louder and louder every moment. Then
Moses spoke and God answered him, saying :
/. I am the Eternal, thy God, ivlio lias brought thee
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
II. Thou shalt havc no other gods besides me. Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image, nor any
likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that
is on the earth beneath or that is in the water undei
the earth. Thou shalt not boiv doivji to them nor serve
them, for I, the Lord, thy God, am a jealous God, visit -
7

98 Bible Lessons
ing the iniquities of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generations of them that
hate me; but showing mercy unto thousands of those
that love me and keep my commandments.
III. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy
God, in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guilt
less who taketh his name in vain.
IV. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six
days shalt thou labor and do all- thy work; but on the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: on
it thou shalt not do any work; neither thou, nor thy
son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy
maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is
within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made hea
ven and earth, the sea and all that is therein, and rest
ed on the seventh; wherefore the Lord blessed the
Sabbath day and hallowed it.
V. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days
may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God
giveth thee.
VI. Thou shalt nbt kill.
VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
VIII. Thou shalt not steal.
IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbor. X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor' s house; thou
shalt not covet thy neighbor s wife, nor his man-ser
vant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor
anything that is thy neighbor' s.
The people were very much afraid when they

The Ten Commandments 99
heard the voice of God, and said to Moses :
"Speak thou with us and we will hear, but let
not God speak with us, lest we die." Then Moses
said to the people : " Fear not, for God has come
to prove you, so that his fear [reverence] may be
before your faces, that ye sin not." But Moses
drew near unto the thick t arkness . here God was.
And the Lord said unto him : "Thus shalt thou
say unto the children of Israel : 'Ye have seen that
I have spoken to you from heaven. Ye shall not
make unto me gods of silver, neither shall ye
make unto me gods of gold. An altar of earth
shall ye make unto me and shall sacrifice thereon
your burnt-offerings and your peace-offerings.
In all places where I inscribe my name, I will come
unto thee and bless thee.' "

XLIX. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
By the First Commandment, "I am the Lord
the Eternal," etc., we are told of the existence of
God, who, as the Father of Israel and all mankind,
delivered us from Egyptian bondage. God does
not tolerate that one man should be the slave of
another. Being the guardian of freedom. He is
our Rock and Redeemer forever and ever.
By the Second Commandment, " Thou shalt
have no other gods besides me nor make to thyself
any likeness nor image," etc., we are commanded
to worship God only in the purest spirit. The
heathens, and among them the cultured Greeks
and Romans, worshipped many things above and
upon the earth ; but we Jews know one and only

ICO Bible Lessons
one God, who, as the supreme Ruler, directs the
lives of individuals and the destinies of nations.
Concerning the words, "who visits the sins of
the father upon the third and fourth generations
and shows his mercy unto the thousandth genera
tion," it appears quite natural that the bad ex
ample of parents, being followed by their children,
leaves traces behind which pass through three
and four generations. Daily life and history con
firm this fact. The tragical end of Louis XVI. in
modern France, upon whom, as it appears, the
sins of his predecessors were heaped, and other
examples in history, fully testify to the truth of
this commandment. We must remember, however,
that God's mercy lasts unto the thousandth gen
eration. We Jews, in some measure, enjoy the
benefits of the good acts of our pious fathers
(nuK niar).
By the Third Commandment, " Thou shalt
not take the name of thy God in vain," etc., we
are told not to use God's name- in making an
untruthful statement. Truthfulness in word and
deed is one of the noblest of virtues and makes
him who possesses it trustworthy and honorable
in the eyes of God and his fellow-men.
There are two words which, in meaning and
importance, are almost equal to a little Bible.
These words are " Kiddush Hashem " and " Chillul
Hashem."' By "Kiddush Hashem," we honor our
religion by our righteous dealings with man, by
our own humility, and by the interest and sym
pathy we show in the concerns of our neighbor
(Hillel). But by "Chillul Hashem," every act

The Ten Commandments loi
which violates the everlasting principles of right
eousness, justice, and truth, we profane and lower
the holiness of God and the religion we believe
in. By the Fourth Commandment we are taught :
"Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy."
Man should neither be a slave nor a mere machine,
a.nd as constant labor will drag him down alto
gether, so this day was given to him for his eleva
tion. The Sabbath day emphasizes two points,
which never should be overlooked. It reminds us,
first, that God rested on the seventh day after
six days of labor, and secondly, that our people,
having been under continual bondage while in
Egypt, it is necessary for us to have one day of
holy liberty in the week.
Moreover, our homes become more sanctified
through the Sabbath day. While during the week
the members of the family may be dispersed or
absent, it is the Sabbath day which calls them
together to take part in the divine service in tem
ple or synagogue, and gathers them around the
family table, thus filling their minds with holy and
noble impressions.
The Fifth Commandment, "Honor thy father
and thy mother, in order that thou mayest live
long in the land," fervently appeals to our chil
dren, to our sons and daughters. It is not said
here. Thou shalt love thy parents, for such love is
natural and born within us; however, to honor
father and mother is an act which is prompted by
our kind and loving hearts. We must obey our
parents, we must never contradict them; we must

I02 Bible Lessons
speak to them gently, and we must help them bear
their burdens in their struggles and hardships.
We must ever try to cheer arid brighten their
days as they go through life; and if occasion
requires it, we must be ready to support them;
but this support must be given in such a willing,
loving, and refined manner that the parents may
not feel that they are dependent. We often hear
people say that a father can support six children,
but six children can scarcely support a father.

L. HOW TO HONOR FATHER AND MOTHER
A high-priest once lost a very precious jewel
from his costly garment, and messengers were
sent out to find another like it. One of them finally
learned that Damah, a heathen, the son of Nithai,
possessed such a jewel, and two priests went at
once to purchase it. "We hear," they said to
Damah, "that thou hast a stone which will re
place the one lost from the high-priest's garment;
sell it to us and we will give you five hundred gold
pieces for it." Damah was satisfied with the offer
and was about to enter an adjoining room, when
he stopped and returned. The priests, thinking
that he was not satisfied with the price, offered
him six hundred gold pieces. " Wait," said Damah;
" my father sleeps in yonder room; I cannot give
you the stone now, even if you were to give me
double the sum. I would not and could not
awaken my father, nor disturb him in his sleep."
The priests were filled with admiration at the
filial conduct of the noble son and waited pa-

How to Honor Father and Mother 103
tiently until the father awoke. When the old man
at last arose from his couch, Damah fetched the
jewel. Then the priests gave him the six hundred
gold pieces, but Damah returned one hundred
pieces, saying : "I am content with the first offer
you made and do not wish that you should pay
me for the reverence which I owe to my father."
The older of the priests blessed the noble-souled
young man, and said to his companion: "Thus
do we learn from a heathen how to honor father
and mother and how to act justly on earth."
Merely to support one's parents is not suffi
cient; the honor lies in the manner and spirit in
which we assist them in their need.
A rabbi once delivered a sermon to his pupils,
taking his text from the Talmud. He said to
them : " There are persons who feed their fathers
with dainty and expensive dishes, and yet are re
garded with contempt; while others, who permit
the aged father to move the heavy mill-stone
the whole day long, enter paradise and are re
membered with blessings.
"A son once placed before his father a well-
prepared meal. The father was highly .pleased,
thanked his son, and asked him : ' Why do you
gladden me to-day with such a splendid meal?'
Then the son, answering his father in a rude and
unfeeling tone, said : ' Old people who are unable
to earn anything must be content to enjoy that
which is placed before them and to be silent.'
The astonished father did not eat anything at
all, but left the table weeping bitterly.
" Now let us take another illustration. A young

I04 Bible Lessons
laborer earned his daily bread "by working in a
mill. When the king of the country ordered num
bers of his subjects to improve various parts of
his lands and roads by means of their heavy toil,
such a summons also came to the father of the
young laborer. Btit the son said : ' Dear father,
you are too old to do such heavy work, besides
you may be ill-treated by the overseers.' But
the father said : ' It is the command of the king,
and I must obey.' 'Well,' said the son, 'I am
young and can bear more. Work thou in the
mill instead of me; it is much better that I go
to do the king's work and that thou have the eas
ier task.' Then the son went, and the father did
the son's work in the mill. Who treated his father
better, he who provided him with costly dishes or
he who gave him frugal meals and an easier
task?" Among the many good traits for which the wise
Kmg Solomon is noted is also the one that he
greatly honored his mother, Bath-Sheba. Once
when she called upon him, he quickly rose from
his throne, went to meet her, bowed himself be
fore her, and made her sit near him.

LI. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS— Continwed
The Sixth Commandment, in saying "Thou
shalt not kill," impresses upon us the great value
of human life. Man is created in the image of God,
and whosoever purposely destroys this image in
the person of his fellow-man is inhuman and dis
honors both God and mankind. Nor must we

The Ten Commandments 105
shorten the life of a man by causing him vexation
or trouble, or by making his days on earth mis
erable and wretched. It is also a crime to take
our own life. We must bear many hardships in
this world. It was Jacob who openly confessed
to Pharaoh that during the many years he had
passed on earth, he had seen "numbers of evil
days." How did he arm himself against these
days? His religious spirit made him confide in
God, and, strengthened by his favorite motto,
"Upon thy help I hope, O Lord," he overcame his
troubles. In the Seventh Commandment, " Thou shalt not
commit adultery," we are taught to look upon
the holy ties of marriage as a sacred bond be
tween husband and wife. Whoever tries to weaken
this bond or seeks by slander and false charges
to bring about a quarrel between two united per
sons, commits a wretched act and deserves the
contempt of man.
In the Eighth Commandment, "Thou shalt not
steal," we are directed to regard the property of
our neighbor as dear and sacred to us. We must
not take anything that belongs to another; we
must be honest in our dealings with man; we
must neither cheat nor defraud, but we must act
in all our trading and commercial undertakings in
good faith and with a clear conscience. We must
never deprive our neighbor of his customers, nor
seek to injure him by false reports about his busi
ness or trade. We must also be responsible for
every cent we owe and never try to enrich our
selves at the cost or expense of our creditors.

io6 Bible Lessons
In the Ninth Commandment, "Thou shalt not
bear false witness against thy neighbor," we are
taught the sacredness of one's word. Every word
which we utter should always bear the stamp of
truth. One of the most disgraceful creatures is
the shameless liar, whose words, like false coin, so
easily impose upon the public. We must guard
our tongue in judging our neighbor and never
utter a word about him which is not strictly true.
No one is more to be despised than a tale-bearer,
whom the Bible terms "rachil" (Leviticus 'xix.
16), which term originally meant "a peddler,"
one who carries his wares from house to ,house.
There is also much of truth in Shakespeare's wise
sentence : "He who steals my purse steals trash;
but he who steals my good name, steals some
thing which is of no use to the slanderer, but
vthich makes me poor indeed."
The Tenth Commandment sums up all the words ¦
spoken on Sinai with that great precept, "Thou
shalt not covet." Our eyes or heart often covet
that which belongs to our neighbor. For this
reason, Moses impressed upon the Israelites the
important command that they should not bUnd-
ly follow the inclinations of their hearts or eyes,
either of which might lead them astray (^'^]
Dj'j'y 'inxi D222b 'inx iin^inn).
Covetousness was always one of the worst evils
of the world. Not every one is contented with
what he has. Because some jjeople live in better
manner or enjoy a greater portion of prosperity,
others constantly try to imitate them and seek
to raise theriselves, even by unworthy means, to

The Golden Calf 107
the same plane. Beautiful is that spirit of con
tentment, so splendidly expressed in the proverbs
of Solomon (xxx. 7-9) : "Two things do I re
quire of thee; do not deny them to me, before I
die. Remove from me all false show arid lying
words; give me neithet poverty nor riches, feed me
with food convenient to me, lest I become proud
and deny thee, and say. Who is the Lord? or lest
I become poor and steal and take the name of my
God in vain."

LII. THE GOLDEN CALF
After the Ten Words, as the Commandments are
sometimes called, had been given to the people,
Moses was commanded to ascend the mountain
and receive from God the two tablets of stone, on
which the Commandments were written. Accom
panied by Joshua, who was stationed between him
and the camp, Moses went up the mountain and
remained there forty days and forty nights. He
received the two tablets, was informed of other
laws and precepts which he had to lay before the
people, and was moreover commanded to erect
"a sanctuary to the Lord."
It is an old rule among schoolmasters to deeply
impress one lesson upon the pupils before pro
ceeding with the next. It is a fact that the Ten
Words had not been fully impressed upon the
minds and hearts of the people, for when they
saw that Moses did not return from the motmtain,
they gathered around Aaron, and said unto him :
"Hasten, make us gods, which shall go before us;

io8 Bible Lessons
for this man Moses, who brought us out of the
land of Egypt, we know not what has become of
him." Aaron, thinking that the women would
not deprive themselves of their ornaments, asked
them for the golden rings which they and their
children had in their ears. But as is so often the
case, they thought that nothing was too good or
too precious to offer to their idols. They took
off their golden earrings and brought them to
Aaron. He received them from their hands, and
made a molten calf of them, When the people
saw this they said : ' ' These are thy gods, 0
Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of
Egypt." Then Aaron built an altar and ex
claimed: "To-morrow is a feast to the Lord,"
by which he no doubt meant to lay stress upon
the name of the Lord. On the following morning
they rose up very early, offered up burnt and
peace offerings to their idol, and after this, passed
away their time in eating, drinking, and rejoicing.
Then God said to Moses: "Go down, for thy
people, whom thou hast brought up out of the
land of Egypt, have gone astray. They have
quickly turned aside from the way 1 commanded
them; they have made themselves a molten calf,
have worshipped it and have sacrificed unt6 it,
and have said : ' These are thy gods, 0 Israel,
which have brought thee up out of the land of
Egypt.' Behold, it is a stiff-necked people (DV
fQD nB'p ) ; I will consume them and make of thee a
great nation."
But Moses entreated God not to do so (HE'D hm-)
and pleaded for his sinful people, saying : "Where-

The Golden Calf 109
fore should the Egyptians speak and exclaim :
For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them
in the mountains and to destroy them from the
face of the earth." In mentioning the Egyptians,
Moses clearly hinted at the power of public opin
ion, which should not be disregarded in our deal
ings with man. And God, remembering the prom
ise he had given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
declared he would not destroy the Israelites.
Moses then went down the mountain with the
two tablets of stone in his hand. From a dis
tance were heard the noise and shouting of the
people. Then Joshua said to Moses: "There is
a noise of war in the camp," but Moses answered :
"It is neither the shout of victory, nor the cry of
defeat, but it is the noise of singing we hear."
When they came nearer to the camp, Moses saw
the golden calf and the people dancing around it.
Then he became very angry, and, carried away by
his fierce wrath, he threw down the two tablets of
stone so that they broke into many pieces. He
then took the calf, burnt it, ground it to a pow
der, strewed the dust on the water, and made the
children of Israel drink of it.
He rebuked Aaron severely for having made the
golden calf. Aaron tried to excuse himself for his
guilty act by saying: "The people came to me
saying : ' Make us gods, which shall go before
us, for we do not know what has become of
Moses.' Then I told them, 'Whosoever has any
gold let him bring it to me' ; so it was brought to
me. I then cast it into the fire, and there came
out this calf." This childish excuse, by which

1 1 o Bible Lessons
A.aron tried to free himself from guilt, is exceed
ingly poor and feeble. Moreover, it was a grave
mistake for Moses to have placed a man like
Aaron at the head of the people during his ab
sence. Aaron, yielding too easily to the wishes of
the people, was by no means a strong character,
nor firm enough for such an occasion. Joshua,
the soldier, was better suited for the task.

LIII. MOSES SPEAKS WITH GOD
When the first outburst of anger was over,
Moses placed himself at the gate of the camp and
said that all men who were on the Lord's side
should come to him. Then all the men who were
descendants ofthe tribe of Levi came to him. He
told them to take their swords and go through
the camp from one end to another, and to slay
svery man they met. The Levites did as Moses
told them, and they slew that day about three
thousand men. This harsh measure was necessary
to quell the rebellious spirit of the people.
On the following day he said to them: "You
have sinned a great sin, and now I will go up
aga'in unto the Lord; perhaps I may obtain for-
a;iveness for you." Hereupon Moses returned unto
the Lord and said : "This people have sinned a
a^reat sin and have made themselves gods of gold.
But now, O Lord, forgive them their sins, but if
not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which
thou hast written." And the Lord said unto
Moses: "Whosoever has sinned against me, him
will I blot out of my book" — that is, every one

•WORSHIPPING THE GOLDEN CALF
"They have made themselves a molten calf and have bowed themselves to it." Exodus xxxii, i

MOSES' DESCENT FROM MOUNT SINAI
"Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony.'

£xodus xxxiv, 29.

Moses Speaks With God 1 1 1
is responsible for his own sins and must bear the
consequences of his evil deeds — "Therefore, now go,
lead the people unto the place of which I have
spoken to thee; behold, my angel shall go before
thee; but I will visit their sins upon them."
And Moses said unto the Lord: "See, thou
hast said unto me, 'Bring up this people,' but
thou didst not tell me whom thou wilt send with
me. Now, therefore, I pra}^ thee, if I have found
grace in thy sight, show me now the wa^-, that I
may know thee, and may find grace in thy sight;
and consider that this nation is thy people."
And God said : "My presence shall go with thee,
and I will give thee rest; for thou hast found
grace in my sight and I know thee by name."
Then Moses said: "I beseech thee, show me
thy glory." And God answered: "1 will make
all my goodness pass before thee, and I will pro
claim the name of the Lord before thee; and 1
will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and
will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.
But my face thou canst not see, for no man shall
see me and live." And the Lord continued : ''Be
hold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand
upon a rock. It shall then come to pass while
my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a
cleft of the rock, and I will cover thee with my
hand while I pass by, and then I will take away
my hand and thou shalt see my back (''^nx)^
but my face (l^'JS) shall not be seen."
As a mortal being, man cannot look into the
workshop of God and fully understand His wise
plans and designs; we can only behold or trace

112 Bible Lessons
His mighty works in those divine revelations
which He daily makes pass before our eyes, and
which are so clearly shown in the lives of people,
in the realm of nature, and in the history of the
world and mankind.
And God said to Moses : "Hew two tablets of
stone, like unto the first, and I will write upon
these tablets the words which were on the first
tablets, which thou didst break. Be ready in the
morning and come up upon Mount Sinai, and
present thyself there to me on the top of the
mount. No one shall come with thee ; neither let
any one be seen throughout all the mount."
Moses did as God commanded. Then the Lord
descended in the cloud and stood with him there
and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the
Lord passed by before him and exclaimed : nin^' nin'
noNpDn nil D^BK inx lum Dinn b^ "The Lord, the
Lord, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and
abundant in goodness and truth ; keeping mercy
for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression
and sin."
Moses bowed his head toward the earth and
worshipped. Then he said : "If now I have found
grace in thy sight, 0 Lord, I pray thee, go
again among us, for they are a stiff-necked people.
Pardon our iniquity and our sin and take us for
thine inheritance." And the Lord said : "Behold,
I make a covenant; before all thy people, I will
do wonders, such as have not been done in all the
earth, nor in any nation ; and all the people among
which thou art shall see the work of the Lord,
for it is a great thing that I will do with thee."

The Sanctuary and the Priests 113
And the Lord said unto Moses: "Write down
these words, and know that I have made a cove
nant with thee and with Israel." Now Moses was
forty days and forty nights with the Lord; he
did neither eat bread nor drink water, so thor
oughly was he wrapped up in his divine work.
He then wrote down again the words of the cove
nant, the Ten Words, on both the tablets and
left the mountain. When he came down, having
the two tablets of testimony in his hand, he did
not know that his face was shining.
When Aaron and Israel saw him, behold, his
face was shining and they were afraid to come
near him. Then Moses called them to him and
told them what the Lord had said to him on
Mount Sinai. After he had spoken to them, he
put a veil on his face. When Moses went to speak
to the Lord he took off the veil, but when he
spoke to the children of Israel, then the skin of
his face was shining, and he put the veil upon his
face. The rougher our occupation is, the more it is
shown on our faces; the finer it is, the more
it ennobles our countenances. Moses being so
often in the presence of God, his face shone with
the Ught of divinity.

LIV. THE SANCTUARY AND THE PRIESTS
After Moses descended from Mount Sinai, he or
dered the Sanctuary (Mikdash) to be built, as
commanded by God: "And they shall make me
a Sanctuary that I may dwell among them."

114 Bible Lessons
He called upon the people of Israel to bring him
gifts, so much as each one was willing to offer for
such a sacred purpose. They brought gold, silver,
copper and jewels ; likewise blue, scarlet, and purple
wool, fine linen and goat's hair, dyed rams' and
badgers' skins, and also shittim wood. Women of
taste and skill brought that which they had spun
of fine linen. The women in particular showed
great interest and zeal in the carrying out of the
sacred work, and it seemed that they wanted to
wipe away, through their earnest efforts, the great
error they had committed in helping to make the
golden calf.
For the architect of the Sanctuary, Bezaleel,
Uri's son, of the tribe of Judah, was selected; and
it was God who put wisdom and understanding
in his heart (3^^ D^n b"k)j so that he knew all
manner of work for the service of the Sanctuary.
He had a most able assistant in Aholiab, of the
tribe of Dan. These two and other men of ability
were entrusted w-ith the execution of this holy
work. It is indeed most remarkable how apt,
artistic, and skilful our people must have been
in every handicraft while in the desert. Who
can deny that they possessed a proper taste
and decided talent for all the trades and
arts? As the Israelites were dwelling in tents, which
could be moved quickly, so the Sanctuary was
Ukewise movable and could be readily set up in
anyplace where they encamped. Itwas also called
"Tabernacles" (Mishkan), the place of assembly,
and consisted of three sections— the "Court," the

The Sanctuary and the Priests 1 1 5
"Holy," and the "Most Holy." The Court, sur
rounding the Tabernacle, had a length of one
hundred cubits and a breadth of fifty cubits. A
cubit is estimated variously as from nineteen to
twenty-six inches. It was provided with hangings
of fine linen, five cubits in height. The Taber
nacle was thirty cubits long, ten cubits broad,
and ten cubits high. It was made of shittim wood
overlaid with gold. A curtain with figures of
Cherubim separated the Holy from the Most
Holy. The Holy was twenty cubits long, ten
cubits broad, and ten cubits high; the Most
Holy was ten cubits in length, breadth, and
height. In the Court stood the altar made of brass and
a laver of the same material for the priest. In
the Holy stood the table, overlaid with gold, upon
which the twelve shew-breads, made of wheaten-
flour, were placed and which were changed for fresh
ones every Sabbath. There were also the golden
candlesticks, made with much artistic skill; and
thirdly, there stood the altar, likewise overlaid
with gold, and which was used mornings and even
ings for incense offerings.
In the Most Holy was the Ark, in which the
brdken and the complete tablets of the Ten Com
mandments were deposited. This Ark was adorned
with gold within and without; upon the cover
were two golden figures, Chertibim, with extended
wings. The cover with the Chervibim on it was
caUed the "Mercy Seat." In this seat Moses
heard the voice of God, telling him what to say
to Israel. None but the high priest was permitted

1 1 6 Bible Lessons
to enter the Most Holy, and then only on the Daj
of Atonement.
In order to distinguish the priests from other
persons, special garments were worn by them.
The high-priest was particularly distinguished by
his garments and ornaments. He also wore an
"Ephod," a garment which covered the upper part .
of the body and upon which was fastened the
breast-plate with the "Urim and Tummim" (Light
and Right). This breast-plate contained twelve
precious stones set in gold, and on each was in
scribed the name of one of the twelve tribes.
Upon the head was the mitre, with the plate of
gold, upon which was engraven the words : "Holy
to the Eternal."
The house of Aaron was especially chosen for
the offices of the priesthood, Aaron being ap
pointed high-priest and the other sons of Levi
being charged with the principal service in the
Holy Place. The blessing which the priest spoke
over the people, a blessing indee(i, which is still
known and pronounced in all temples of Israel, is
contained in those beautiful words: "The Lord
bless thee and keep thee ; the Lord make His face
shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee; the
Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give
thee peace."

LV. THE SACRIFICES
When the Sanctuary was finished, the so-called
"sacrificial service" was introduced into Israel
This form of worship, which was easily understood

The Sacrifices 117
by the people, was not quite new, for Cain and
Abel, Noah and others had already brought sacri
fices to God.
There are various kinds of sacrifices mentioned
in the Third Book of Moses, which book is known
under the name of Leviticus. The first sacrifice is
called the burnt- offering (^^V). Such an offer
ing could be of either cattle, sheep, or fowl, but it
had to be without any blemish, to indicate, no
doubt, that he who brought the sacrifice could
please God only by a pure and perfect life, free
from all fault and sin. Before the animal was
killed, the person who offered it had to lay his
hand upon the head of the animal (S'micho),
confessing thereby his sin and imploring God's
pardon. Such an act naturally led to self-knowl
edge, which, after all, is the best means of self-
improvement. The offering was entirely burned
upon the altar i^}V), for the Lord does not
want anything "half-done." "You shall be per
fect with the Lord your God."
A second sacrifice was the meat-offering (nnjp),
which consisted of flour, incense, and oil, or was
taken from the first fruits of the corn, the sweet
flavor of which was to ascend to heaven. In
bringing this offering, the pious Israelite thanked
the Lord for his earthly welfare, for the fruitful-
ness of his fields and acres, and for other benefits.
No leaven was permitted to be used, for leaven
was the symbol of pride and sin, but salt was
demanded as a seasoning.
A third kind of sacrifice was the peace or joy-
offering (CpPK'), consisting of cattle, sheep, or

1 1 8 Bible Lessons
goats, which were offered out of gratitude on
happy family occasions.
A fourth kind of sacrifice was known as sin-
offerings (hKDn). In bringing these offerings, the
people frankly confessed that although they had
deserved the penalty of death, still God in His
great mercy does by no means desire the death
of the sinner, but rather wishes that he turn
from his evil ways by repenting and by promis
ing to live a new and better life.
Since the destruction of Jerusalem, we have had
no sacrifices of this kind. Instead of them, we ap
proach God by prayer. We have prayers of thanks,
of joy, of penitence and submission. It is a beau
tiful custom of our fathers to pray regularly
in the morning (Shacharith), in the afternoon
(Mincha), and in the evening (Maarib).
Besides prayers, we approach and please God by
acts of goodness and kindness, by deeds of charity,
compassion, and love. Our sages tell us, that
once when Rabbi Joshua was looking at the fallen
city of Jerusalem, he broke out into those sor
rowful words: "Woe to us, that the place in
which Israel by sacrifices found forgiveness from
his sins, is ruined." It was then that Johannan
ben Saccai answered him: "Compose th3-self,
my friend ; we have now found that the best way
to make atonement is by doing kind and charita
ble acts. Loving and heart-cheering deeds can at
all times reconcile us to our heavenly Maker.
Look at Daniel, who lived on Babylonian soil.
He likewise could not bring sacrifices, but he
approached and worshipped our God and Father

An Impressive Ceremony 119
by his love for his fellow-man, by helping every
one who needed his aid, and by giving his sym
pathy to all who might be benefited by it."

LVI. AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY
There was one form of ceremony applied bj
Moses to sanctify Aaron and his sons for their
priestly offices, which conveys to us a most beau
tiful idea. Moses, as the Bible tells us, called
Aaron and his sons, and put some of the blood
of a slaughtered ram upon the tips of their right
ears and upon the thumbs of their right hands,
and upon the great toes of their right feet. This
ceremony, regarding ear, hand, and foot, contains
an excellent moral lesson. The priest, it teaches
us, shall have sanctified ears, in order that he
may always hear the voice of truthfulness and
justice, which is the voice of God, and not listen to
the voice of selfishness, wilfulness and arrogance ;
he also shall have two sanctified hands, which he
should not soil by greediness and corruption, nor
by acts of wrong-doing and falsehood ; he shall
have sanctified feet, with which he shall walk in
the path of righteousness and integrity.
Like the priests, every human being should be
thus sanctified in a similar manner. This cere
mony, although of great meaning, did not appear
to have made an}- impression upon Aaron's two
eldest sons. On the eighth day of the dedication
of the Sanctuary, Nadab and Abihu took their
censers to burn incense therein, but instead of
using the holy fire which was constantly kept

I20 Bible Lessons
burning on the divine altar, they took strange
fire from without (nit K"K), which was strictly
forbidden. Then a fire came down from heaven
and burned them to death.
Moses, in trying to console Aaron, told him that
it was the Lord who said, "Through those who
stand near me, I will be sanctified;" in other
words, the more sacred our professional position
is in life, the more we must try to perform our
duties in the very manner God has prescribed
them to us. The two sons of Aaron had for
gotten themselves, perhaps on account of the
festal occasion, and acted unlawfully. Whether it
is in small or great matters, we must do exactly
the very things we are told to do as servants of
the Lord.
As is often the case with young men in office,
they did not listen to the advice of their elders.
If the two priests had followed Moses' and Aaron's
counsel, they would not have acted so unlaw
fully. The strength and the courage which Aaron
developed on this occasion, in mastering his
parental grief, shows us how heroically he bore his
misfortune, and how much he trusted in the ways
of our heavenly Father.

LVII. DIETARY AND SANITARY LAWS
.\fter this tragic event Moses was directed to
point out to the people the so-called " dietary laws."
Among the animals in the field, the fish in the sea,
and the birds in the air, many kinds are men-

Dietary and Sanitary Laws 121
tioned which, being unclean, are forbidden to be
eaten by the Israelites. Although we cannot al
ways explain why such things are forbidden, still
we might learn from them how good it is for us
to control our appetites and to keep down the
spirit of greediness within us. We have the mis
sion to be holy people, and in aspiring to such a
grand aim, we must do everything to lift up our
moral and physical life above the common level.
Besides, we must not nerely despise unclean ani
mals, but we must also beware of committing
sins which destroy the likeness of God within us.
Such sins are even worse than the partaking of
forbidden food.
It was also the duty of the priest to take a
most lively interest in the bodily cleanliness of
the people, for "cleanliness," as an old English
saying goes, "is next to godliness." It is cleanli
ness which, to a certain extent, has the greatest
influence upon the mental and moral traits of
our character. A noted modern philosopher says
truly, that water is one of the greatest civilizers
of man, and thus agrees with the great object of
the old lawgiver, who on all occasions desired to
make of his people a nation famous and noted for
its clean, tidy, and neat habits.
But the priest wa^ not only consulted in mat
ters of bodily health, but was applied to when
there was a plague or defect in the houses ofthe
Israelites ("'33 'i? nx-i3 yjJ3). We cannot praise
Moses enough that he interested himself so deeply
in the sanitary welfare of his people. His example
may still be pointed out to-day with advantage to

122 Bible Lessons
the authorities in large or small cities, who do
not always show the same zeal for the public
health as did the old lawgiver in the ages so long
passed. Shortly after the death of Aaron's two sons,
the Lord gave special directions through Moses
in regard to the Most Holy of the Tabernacle.
No one was allowed to enter this holy part but
the high priest, Aaron, and then only once each
year, on Yom-Kippur, or the Day of Atonement.
Before entering the high-priest had to cleanse and
wash himself. He had to strip off his priestly
garments of rare value and attire himself in a
dress of pure linen, in order to appear in the
humblest or meekest way before God. He had to
offer up a sacrifice, first, for his own sins and then
for those of the people, whose forgiveness he had
to implore from God. The day on which Aaron
went into the Most Holy was called Yom-Kippur.
It was the most solemn day of all the year. The
Israelites had to afflict their souls with fasting,
and had to spend the whole day, as is done to
the present time, in pious thought and prayerful
meditation.

BIBLE LESSONS
BOOK II

I. THE ETHICAL LAWS
Besides, the laws governing sacrificial worship,
God has also given moral laws to his people Israel.
As the source of these moral or ethical laws, our
heavenly Father, in the words, ' ' You shall be holy,
for I, the Lord thy God, am holy, ' ' becomes the sub
lime ideal for everything that is good and great,
true and just, merciful and compassionate, pure
and hoi}-. We look up to Him as the Divine Ex
ample to inspire us in everything that we do and
all that we say. Knowing that He is holy, we
must sanctify His name by practicing the follow
ing precepts :
1. "Every man shall fear his mother and his
father and keep My Sabbaths, for I am the Lord
your God." Unlike the Fifth Commandment, in
which the father is mentioned before the mother,
here the mother comes first. Usually we find that
children obey the father more than fhe mother.
To give her the same control and authority over
the children as has the father, the mother is men
tioned here first. In honoring our parents, we
revere our earthly benefactors, while in sanctify
ing the Sabbath day we adore and worship our

124 Bible Lessons
heavenly Father. Thus filial devotion is closely
connected with the keeping of the Sabbath.
2. "When thou reapest the harvest of thy land,
thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy
field; neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of
thy harvest. Thou shalt not glean thy vineyard,
neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vine
yard, but thou shalt leave them for the poor and
the stranger : for I am the Lord thy God." Note
how the poor and the stranger are remembered
here, but the gifts mentioned are not put into
their hands — these they must gather themselves
(Self-help). 3. "Thou shalt not steal, neither deal falsely,
nor lie to another." Honesty, faithfulness, and
truthfulness are three virtues of great importance
in dealing with our fellow-men.
4. "Thou shalt not swear falsely by My Name,
nor shalt thou profane the name of thy God; I
am the Lord." Let thy "yes" be "yes" and thy
"no" be "no." Neither shalt thou profane the
name of thy God by mentioning it too often, by
calling on Him as a witness in an unrighteous
matter or trivial affair.
5. "Thou shalt not rob thy neighbor nor de
ceive him ; the wages of the hired shall not abide
with thee over night." "Fair and Square" should
be our mcrtto in dealing with our neighbor. What
a noble spirit of justice is contained in the sen
tence which tells us not to keep the wages of a
laborer over night !
6. "Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a
stumbling-block before the bUnd, but shalt fear

The Ethical Laws 125
thy God : I am the Lord." We ought not to
slander our neighbor in his absence, for since he
cannot hear us and defend himself, it is cowardly
on our part to speak ill of him; nor should we
put a stumbling-block before the blind, that is,
we must not mislead an innocent and inexperi
enced person so as to injure him or to cause him
to do some wrong.
.7. "Thou shalt not judge unrighteously: thou
shalt not pity the poor nor honor the mighty,
but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neigh
bor." In case of judgment, neither pity for the
poor nor preference for the rich should influence
us in our judgment; just and impartial must we
be in our decisions.
8. "Thou shalt not be a tale-bearer among thy
people : neither shalt thou stand idle when thy
neighbor's life is in danger." To slander or to
carry evil news from one' to another is a most
mischievous act. Concerning the precept not to
remain indifferent to our neighbor's danger, it is
our duty to use every effort to save a man from
threatening misfortune. We must always bear in
mind the good example of Abraham, who, when
Lot was in peril, at once hastened to his rescue.
9. "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy
heart." Rather correct his faults and tell him
frankly what you have against him. We must not
hate any one, but rather try to please and love
every one. If we have any complaints to make,
let us do it openly and frankly. A calm and
peaceable understanding, free from all anger,
settles many a dispute.

126 Bible Lessons

II. THE ETHICAL 1.AWS— Continued
10. "Thou shalt not avenge or bear ill-will
against the children of thy people, but thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyseff (^i»3 ^y-ii? PianNi)."
Revenge is one of man's fiercest passions. We
sometimes hear a person say, "I shall not rest
until I have avenged myself." Such words make
a brute of man. The best means of revenge are
Pity and Forgiveness, for by these qualities we
prove we are superior to our enemies. Concern--
ing the words "Love thy neighbor as thyself,"
we find their best explanation in Hillel' s great
motto: "Whatever you yourself do not Uke,
do it not to others." Once a heathen came to
Hillel and asked that he tell him the principles
of our religion in one sentence. To this Hillel
answered: " Love thy neighbor as thyself This
is the whole law. All other things are btit ex
planations of it." We must honor the likeness
of God even in the sinner, and should we treat him
unkindly, true religion will say: "In spite of all
his failings, he is a human being like thyself"
The love of God and of mankind is, after all, the
foundation of true religion.
11. "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head
and honor the face of the old man and fear thy
God : I am the Lord." Respect and esteem for
the aged were always noted traits of character
among the Israelites. The young rose before
a gray head, and offered him a seat with due

The Ethical Laws 127
respect and honor. It is said that Rabbi Jochanan
ben Saccai, one of the greatest sages of his time,
although himself an old man, visually rose before
a hoary head, whether of Jew or non- Jew.
12. "If a stranger sojourn with thee in thy
land, thou shalt not vex him. He shall be unto
thee as one born among you, and thou shalt
love him as thyself, for ye were strangers in the
land of Egypt : I am the Lord your God." What
a noble spirit flows from these words ! In spite
of our present education and enlightenment, we
by no means always practice this virtue. Strangers
in a country have still to endure more or less
the national and race prejudice. There were two
kinds of strangers in old Israel. The "GerZedek"
was of foreign descent, but had embraced Judaism ;
the"Ger Toshab" was likewise of foreign descent,
but not a proselyte, yet could live in the country
and partake of all its benefits.
13. "Thou shalt not do any unrighteousness
in judgment, in weight, or in measure. Just
balances, just weights, a just 'epha,' and a just
"hin" shall ye have; I am the Lord thy God."
Truthfulness, as well as the strictest honesty and
righteousness, in our dealings with men, should
be our highest aim and object. The bread we
eat must be earned honestly. Not the slightest
taint should rest upon it.
14. "If thy brother become poor and fallen in
decay with thee, thou shalt relieve him; yea,
though he be a stranger or sojourner, so that he
may live with thee." Charity has at all times been
a great virtue among Israelites. The poor man

128 Bible Lessons
who shares the little he has with his fellow-man,
and the rich man who willingly aids the needy
with his means, are equally good and noble. The
word benevolence (Zedoka) is a household word
among our people. On account of the great num
ber of our poor, our charitable works in modern
times have been greatly enlarged and placed upon
a better, more rational and scientific basis. How
ever, -much still remains to be done in private
and public benevolence.
We live under different conditions now, and do
not come so often in contact with the poor. We
have homes for the orphan, hospitals for the sick,
and comfortable dwellings for the aged. In times
long passed, a poor man or traveler was usually
invited, at least on Friday evening or Sabbath
noon, to dine in our homes.
15. "Thou shalt not rule thy servant with
rigor." Mild means go much further than severe
measures. It is the warm sun, and not the violent
storm, that melts the ice from the surface of the
ground. A word spoken in a cordial and loving
way seldom fails to make a deep impression.
A torrent of abuse may frighten for a moment,
but it is mainly the power of the gentle voice that
brings about gradual improvement. All men in
public office, in schools, and in business houses
should ever remember these words: "Thou shalt
not rule tl;iy servant with rigor."

The Sabbath and Festivals 129

III. THE SABBATH AND FESTIVALS
We have spoken ¦ already of the Sabbath day
and its sanctity, and how necessary the Sabbath
is for our spiritual uplifting. Had we not the
Sabbath day, we would give ourselves up entirely
to worldly matters. The same can be said about
the festivals. Religious festivals are means by
which we are turned away from the activities of
everyday life and are lifted up to a higher plane
of human thought and reflection. Even men en
gaged in spiritual work all the time need stich
days of rest.
In keeping the Sabbath and festivals the number
seven (7) plays an important part. The Sabbath
was celebrated on the seventh day of the week.
Seven weeks after the Passover festival, the feast
of Shabuoth, or Weeks, was solemnized. Seven
months later, on the first of Tishri, was Rosh
Hashana, the Jewish New Year. After six years
of tilling, the soil was given a rest during the
seventh or Sabbath year, and after seven times
seven years, in the fiftieth or Jubilee year, liberty
was proclaimed throughout the land. Then the
Israelitish servant was made free, and all pledged
farm property was returned to its original owner,
free of all debt.
We celebrate our festivals in the lunar months,
the names of which are : Nissan, lyar, Sivan,
Tamus, Av, Elul, Tishri, Marcheswan, Kislev,
Tebeth, Shevat, Adar, and in the leap year we have

13° Bible Lessons
another month, We-adar. There are three festivals
of joy also, called " Sholaush R'golim" (three feet).
They are Pesach, Shabuoth, and Succoth. They
are called Sholaush R'golim because the people
who lived in the country were ordered to go to
Jerusalem three times a year, and there to wor
ship God in the Sanctuary. Their presence in
Jerusalem strengthened the national and religious
spirit of the whole people. Women and children
were relieved of this duty ; but every seventh year,
during the Succoth festival, all persons, the women
as well as the children, had to appear in the Holy
City. The first festival which we celebrate is Passover
("P.S), which lasts from the fifteenth to the
twenty-second of Nissan. It is called " Passover,"
because the Lord passed over the houses of the
Israelites when He slew the Egyptians. It serves
to recall the freeing of our people from Egyptian
bondage. It is a festival of liberty, of joy, and
of early spring. Not only do we celebrate it in
our homes on the first evenings, by telling the
story of the liberation from Egypt (Sec?er), but
it has also special solemnity because we attend
divine services on the first and last days. Dur
ing the feast we eat the unleavened cakes or
Mazzoth, because our forefathers left Egypt in
such haste that they had not time even to bake
bread. The Mazzoth is also "called "Lechem Oni,"
bread of poverty, and brings home to us the
lesson that in misfortune we must not despair,
and in prosperty we must not become haughty
or proud.

The Sabbath and Festivals J 3 1
From the second day of Pesach, when, as a
thank-offering, a measure, or "Omer," of the first
ripe barley was brought into the Temple, we count
seven weeks to the fiftieth day, which is Shabuoth.
Then the first gathered wheat was taken to the
Temple. Our confirmation ceremony takes place
on Shabuoth (n^?*), or the Feast of Weeks,
because it is the most fitting day for admitting
children into their religious community. The fes
tival receives added meaning and importance
from the fact that it was the very day on which
the Ten Commandments were given on Mount
Sinai. The feeling of liberty, gained on the Pass
over festival, was thus hallowed and strengthened
by the laws given at Sinai on Shabuoth.
The third festival, celebrated in the fall season,
on the fiftieth day of Tishri, is called the Feast
of Booths or Tabernacles (^Succoth) ("isp). it
impresses upon our minds the story of our fore
fathers' journey through the wilderness, when the
Lord protected them in frail tabernacles. It is
also called the Harvest Festival, when every one
should give thanks for the harvest he has reaped.
Four kinds of plants are then brought into the
house of God. This harvest thank-offering is made
up of the citron {esrog}, the palm-tree (^lulab),
the myrtle (hadassah), and the willow by the
brook (araba). Whether we are rich or poor, a
common feeling and an interest for the welfare of
all should always make us live at peace and in
unity. The seventh day of the Succoth Festival was
celebrated in the Temple with great solemnity.

1 3 2 Bible Lessons
Prayers for a fruitful season were offered, and as
such prayers were often expressed in these entreat
ing words, "0 God, help us!" (Hosh'ana), the
day was called Hosh'ana Rabba.
The concluding festival following immediately
on Hosh'ana Rabba, is no part of the Succoth.
It is an independent feast, called Sh'mini Atzereth.
As the winter then sets in, prayers were offered to
the Almighty that the soil for the new crop might
be fertile.
After Sh'mini Atzereth, Simchath Torah follows.
On this day the last chapter of the Fifth Book of
Moses is read and the first chapter of the First
Book is begun anew.

IV. HOLY DAYS AND FEASTS
Although we should always try to review our
moral and religious actions, there are, neverthe-,
less, two special festivals on which we must look
into our innermost hearts, to reflect on all our
sins, and to ask God's forgiveness. These days
are called "Yomim Noroim," the days of pious
and earnest thoughts.
The most sacred time of the year begins with the
first day of Tishri, Rosh Hashana (HJETi B'i^T).
This festival has different names. It is called the
Day of Remembrance (Yom Hasikoron). W'e must
be mindful of the fact that we are of dust and
ashes, and that our Ufe passes away like the flower
that dies, and like the wind that sweeps the clouds.
Secondly, it is called "Yom Teruah," the Day of

Holy Days and Feasts 133
Blowing the Shofar or Trumpet. This ceremony
not only reminds us of the great revelation on
Sinai, but it is also to recall us from evil ways.
Thirdly, it is called "Yom Hadin," the Day of
Judgment. It does not only impress on us the
old belief, that on this day God in His mercy
judges the world, but also that above the stars
there dwells that Eternal Being who will judge all
men in righteousness and mercy.
The days between Rosh Hashana and Yom
Kippur (1123 Di') are called the ten penitential
days. The tenth day of Tishri is the Day of Atone
ment, on which we abstain from all food, offer
prayers the whole day in the synagogue, confess
our sins and promise God to lead a better life.
Every one, although he may think himself the
most perfect mortal on earth, needs such a day
of solemn review of his actions and of moral up
lifting. We also must be reconciled with every
one and forgive our enemies before we ask God's
forgiveness or pardon.
There are other fasts, which, closely connected
with our poUtical and national disasters, are ob
served by our people. These occur on :
1. The tenth of Tebeth (commencement of the
siege of Jerusalem).
2. The seventeenth of Tamus (the storming
of Jerusalem).
3. The ninth of Ab (the destruction of Jerusa
lem and its Temple).
4. The third day of Tishri (the murder of
Gedaliah, an eminent man in Israel).
The destruction of Jerusalem took place either

134 Bible Lessons
(II. Kings xxv. 8) on the seventh or (Jeremiah
hi. 12) the tenth day of Ab. The day of mourn
ing, however, was fixed on the ninth of Ab, as
then the hand of death was most grievously felt.
On that terrible day, so tradition tells us, the
first and second Temples were destroyed. The
Sabbath before the ninth of Ab is usually called
the Sabbath of Mourning, and the Sabbath after
is called the Sabbath of Comfort.
Two other important festivals, celebrated during
the winter months, are Chanukah and Purim.
The Chanukah festival, commencing on the twen
ty-fifth of Kislev, and lasting eight days, com
memorates the great deeds of Judah Maccabee,
who, with his four brave brothers and a small
number of gallant soldiers, rescued their people
from the hands of the Syrian tyrant, Antiochus
Epiphanes. He restored the sanctuary in Jerusa
lem to its holiness; for the idols were then thrown
out from the Temple. This festival is also called
the Festival of Light, as a small jar of oil, it
is said, was sufficient to light the Sanctuary for
eight days in succession. Lights are kindled,
therefore, during this time in all our temples
and dwellings. We should make of this festival
a special celebration in our homes, in memory of
the great heroes of our glorious history.
Judah Maccabee was one of the greatest heroes
of his age. One might really compare him to
Hannibal, to Cassar, to Alexander, or to Napo
leon; for with a few followers he was able to
drive out the enemy and establish Jewish inde
pendence.

Preparing to March i

J) J

We celebrate Purim, the second festival, on the
fourteenth of Adar. Purim means "Lots," audit
was Haman's (a most wicked Amalekite) super
stitious belief, that in casting lots he could find
out the day and month on which the Hebrews
in the Persian capital of Shushan should be de
stroyed. How completely he was defeated in his
malicious design, and how heavily he had to pay
for his evil plot by his own death and that of
his family, is fully told in the Book of Esther.
Esther and Mordecai are mentioned in this book
as the true benefactors of our people.
It is a pity that we do not celebrate our Purim
festival more fittingly. Though the name of God
is not mentioned a single time in the Book of
Esther, still we look upon this book as a com
fort and source of hope while we are scattered
all over the earth. Every word and sentence
in the book convinces us that the spirit and
power of God are against every persecution which
threatens or injures us. In fact, this thought
fortifies and upholds us in every hardship and
in every trial that we must meet. The Purim
festival was formerly observed by giving chari
table gifts (Schlach-Monaus) and handsome pres
ents on that day.

V. PREPARING TO MARCH
After the Children of Israel had left Egypt and
were encamped for some time near Mt. Sinai,
they were again ordered to resume their journe3^

1 3 6 Bible Lessons
As they had to fight their enemies in the desert
and in Canaan, the Lord commanded Moses
and Aaron to count those men who were fit to
serve as soldiers. Moses and Aaron did so, and
found that they could count on an army of six
hundred and three thousand five hundred and
fifty (603,550) men. The Levites were not in
cluded in that number, because they had to take
care of the Tabernacle and could not serve in
the army. Their number, however, was taken
separately, and it was found that there were
eight thousand five hundred and eighty (8,580)
men to assist in the service of the Lord and to
aid Aaron in his priestly duties. They had to
remain in active service from their twenty-fifth
to their fiftieth year.
That among the Israelites there must have
been some wealthy men, we learn from the hand
some presents brought at this time to the Sanc
tuary. The heads or princes of each tribe brought
six covered wagons and twelve oxen; also dishes,
bowls, and spoons made of silver and gold to be
used for the service in the Tabernacle. The wag
ons, drawn by the cattle, Moses gave to the
Levites for tise in moving the different parts of
the Tabernacle, when the Israelites traveled.
These wagons carried the heavy curtains and the
boards forming the walls of the Tabernacle, and
the brass pillars around the Court. The ark,
however, and the golden table, the golden can
dle-sticks, the golden altar, and the brass altar
were not placed in wagons, but were carried on
the shoulders of the Levites.

In the Desert 137
The camp of Israel was square in shape. In
the center thereof stood the Sanctuary, around
which, on three sides, rested the Kehatites, the
Merarites, and the Gersonites of the tribe of Levi;
the fourth side was occupied by Moses, Aaron,-
and the priests. All the other twelve tribes, three
of which formed a special section, dwelt around
the camp. In order to infuse a martial spirit
into each tribe, every section had its banner or
flag. Thus the banner of Judah was marked
with a lion according to the words of Scripture,
"Judah is a young lion"; the banner of Reuben
with a man; Ephraim's emblem was a bullock,
and Dan's either an eagle or a serpent.
According to a traditional version, the three
tribes Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon — compris
ing one section — marched in front of the multi
tude. Judah, the young lion, was the head and
arm; Issachar, whose banner bore the -sun and
moon, represented mental and intellectual labor;
and Zebulon, on whose banner was a ship, pointed
to the great commercial and trading interests.
Thus physical strength (Judah), mental and
intellectual labor (Issachar), and mercantile en
terprise (Zebulon) represented the three chief divi
sions of human life.

VI. IN THE DESERT
It was the twentieth day of the second month,
in the second year of their going out from Egypt,
that the Israelites started from the wilderness

1 3 8 Bible Lessons
of Sinai, and went toward the desert of Paran.
When the Ark would move, Moses would say
these words, "Rise up, 0 Lord, and let Thine
enemies be scattered and let them that hate Thee
flee before Thee." When the Ark would stop, he
would say, "Return, 0 Lord, unto the many
thousands of Israel."
The people, however, became impatient and .
made trouble, probably being influenced by the
Egyptians who had gone with them. Their mur
murings displeased God very much. His anger
was kindled against them, and the fire of the
Lord burnt amongst them and consumed all
those that were in the uttermost part of the
camp. The people cried for help, and Moses prayed
to the Lord and the fire was extinguished. The
name of the place was called "Tabera," because
the fire of the Lord burnt among them. However,
this punishment did not silence them. There
were still those among them who stirred them
up to make further complaint. The people com
menced to cry and said, "Who shall give us
flesh to eat?"
When Moses heard that all the people wept,
every man weeping in the door of his tent, he
became sorely grieved in his heart, and said
unto the Lord: "Wherefore hast Thou afflicted
Thy servant? Wherefore have I not found favor
in Thy sight, that Thou layest the burden of all
these people upon me ? Whence shall I take flesh
to give unto all these people ? The burden is too
heavy for me. Kill me, I pray Thee, if I have
found favor in Thy eyes and let me not see my

In the Desert 139
wretchedness." And the Lord said unto Moses :
"Gather seventy of the elders of Israel and bring
them into the Tabernacle, that they may stand
there with thee and assist thee with thy bur
dens. And I will come down and talk with thee
there; and will take of the spirit which is upon
thee, and put it upon them, so that they shall help
you to bear the burden of the people, that thou
needest not bear it alone. But to the people
say : ' Sanctify yourselves again to-morrow, and
ye shall eat flesh, for you have wept in the ears
of the Lord.' "
Moses's appeal to God to take his life, because
the burden laid on him was too heavy, and his
doubt in God's almighty power to provide the
people with food, were signs of momentary weak
ness and discouragement. But such hours of
faint-heartedness and despair have been noticed
in the lives of other great men; for instance, in
the life of Elijah (I. Kings xix. 4), Jonah (iv. 3),
Jeremiah (ii. 14), and Job (vii. 16).
Moses did as the Lord commanded him concern
ing the elders. Scripture here speaks of a most
beautiful trait in the chai-acter of Moses, which
reveals to us his great modesty. For the pur
pose of forming the so-called Council of Seventy
Elders, Moses ordered that six men be chosen
from each tribe, so there were seventy- two men;
thus two were not needed. However, as he did
not like to offend any one, he directed that
seventy written and two unwritten tickets should
be deposited in an urn. Those who drew the writ
ten tickets were selected as Elders; the others.

140 Bible Lessons
who drew the unwritten tickets, had to with
draw. Unfortunately, Eldad and Medad were
the names of those who thus had to be excluded;
however, the spirit of God descended upon the
seventy-two, and when, therefore, Eldad and
Medad, stirred with the power of their sacred
functions, continued to prophesy in the camp,
a messenger ran to Moses to tell him of this
matter. Then Joshua, Moses's faithful but over-
zealous pupil, spoke to him, saying, "My mas
ter Moses, forbid it them."
Then Moses replied with touching humility :
"Art thou jealous on my account? Would to
God that all the people of the Lord were proph
ets and that the Lord would put His spirit upon
them." It came to pass just as God had said; flesh
was given to the people. A wind arose and drove
quails up from the sea and scattered them over
the camp, about a day's journey on this side and
a day's journey on the other side, around the
camp and about two cubits high over the face
of the earth. The people on that day and the
following day gathered the quails; he that had
taken the least had gathered ten chomers (ten
pails full); and the}^ spread them out round
about the camp. The flesh had not yet been
eaten, when the wrath of the Lord was kindled
against the people, and He smote them with a
great plague. The name of the place was "Ki-
broth-hattavah " (the grave of lust or greedi
ness), because those greedy people died there.
A man whose whole nature is centered on eat-

In the Desert 141
ing and drinking and on giving way to his bodily
appetites, is as much disliked as is the habitual
drunkard. Many persons die early because of
their evil habits.
Was it not painful enough to Moses to listen
constantly to the daily complaints of his people ?
Now he is to bear even the attacks of members
of his own family, of his own sister Miriam and
his brother Aaron. It seems that Miriam, by her
loose tongue and jealous temper, was the princi
pal cause of this family trouble; yea, she even
succeeded, by her persuasion, in making peaceful
Aaron join her in the quarrel. The whole force
of her anger was conveyed in these offensive
words: "Has then only the Lord spoken with
Moses? Has He not spoken also with us?"
Moses viewed the whole matter with the greatest
calmness; neither complaint nor excuse came
from his lips. In fact, Moses was the meekest
of men. He left his defense to others. Really,
he could not find a better defender of his charac
ter than God Himself. God's anger was kindled
against them, and, behold, Miriam became leprous.
And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, "O
God, heal her, I beseech Thee."
But the Lord did not forgive her so quickly.
Being afflicted with leprosy, she was for seven
days confined outside the camp ; then she was re
admitted after having been cured. The disputes
and strifes brought about by our own relatives
— by otir own flesh and blood — give us much more
vexation and grief than all the disappointments
caused by our friends and acquaintances.

142 Bible Lessons

VII. THE SPIES
At the command of God, Moses sent twelve
men from Kadesh to spy out the promised land
of Canaan. For this purpose, he selected from
each tribe a man of prominence, or, as the Bible
says, the very prince who stood at the head of
the tribe. Among these men were two distin
guished characters, Caleb, the son of Yephunneh,
and Joshua, the son of Nun. Moses said unto
them: "Go and see the land, what it is, and
the people who dwell therein; whether it is good
or bad; what the cities are in which they dwell,
whether they live in open places or in strong
holds; and what is 'the land, whether it be fat
or lean, whether there be trees therein or not,
and take ye courage and bring with you some
of the fruits of the land."
These twelve men went and spied out the land,
and, as this was the time when the grapes ripened,
they cut down a branch with one cluster which
was so large that two men had to carry it on
poles. They took likewise some pomegranates
and figs with them. At the end of forty days
they returned, and reported to Moses and all
the people what they had seen.
They gave at first a most flattering account
ofthe land, saying that what they had seen was
very good, that the land was flowing with milk
and honey and abundant in all kinds of fruit.
Having told the truth so far, they completed

The Spies i43
the picture by painting it in the darkest colors.
They said that the inhabitants were mighty and
powerful, that they dwelt in fortified cities and
that they had seen men of great stature, look
ing like real giants. Compared to these giants,
they themselves were in their own eyes and in
the eyes of those people only "tiny grass-hop
pers." Greatly excited by such an untruthful and ex
aggerated account, the people felt very much
dissatisfied, and expressed their discontent by
lamenting and weeping throughout the entire
night. Joshua and Caleb tried to calm and pacify
the people by saying : " Do not feel downcast and
discouraged; both of us have also seen the land,
and we can easily go up and overcome its inhabi
tants." However, the other ten persons, speaking
in opposition to these two, said, "We are unable
to do it, for they are stronger than we." In all
human affairs there is always a difference of
opinion between "I can" and "I cannot." There
is nothing impossible in this world.
The ten men, with their evil reports, wrought
the whole congregation to such a pitch of excite
ment that they rebuked Moses and Aaron, saying :
"Wherefore does the Lord bring us unto yonder
land to fall by the sword, and that our wives
and our children become a prey to those people ?
Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?"
And they said one to another, "Let us appoint
a chief and return to Egypt."
Then Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces be
fore all the assembly, and Joshua and Caleb rent

144 Bible Lessons
their garments and tried to convince the people
of their folly, saying: "Oh, do not rebel against
the Lord, for as long as He is with us we have
nothing to fear!" But the people were angry,
and responded with the violent cry: "Let us
stone them ! Let us stone them !"
On account of this fearful rebellion, the Lord
appeared to Moses, saying: "How long shaU
these people provoke Me ? I will smite them with
pestilence and root them out from the face of
the earth, and I will make of thee a great nation."
But Moses said unto the Lord : "I beseech Thee,
let the great power of the Lord be made mani
fest as Thou hast spoken, saying, 'The Eternal
is long-suffering and abundant in goodness, for
giving iniquity and transgression.' Forgive the
sins of Thy people, out of Thy goodness, as Thou
hast been indulgent to them from Egypt even
until now."
Then the Lord said: "I have forgiven them
their sins on account ' of thy words. But as truly
as I live, and as truly as the earth is filled with
My glory, all those men who have seen My power
and My signs, which I have shown in Egypt and
in the wilderness, and have tried Me sorely these
ten times and have not hearkened unto My voice,
shall not see the land which I have sworn to
their fathers — yea, all those who have provoked
Me, shall not see it. To-morrow, turn you and
go forward into the wilderness by way of the Red
Sea. In this wilderness all their bodies shall fall;
all who are above twenty years of age shall die in
the desert, and their children shall wander about

The Spies 145
in the wilderness for forty years. Only Joshua
and Caleb shall enter the land of Canaan, because
they have been faithful and truthful to Me."
When Moses announced these words to the
people, they were much grieved and said, "We
will go up to the place of which the Lord has
spoken, for we have sinned." But Moses said :
"Wherefore do you now transgress the order of
the Lord? For you will not succeed in it."
These words ought to be heeded by every one,
because whatever is against the spirit and will
of God cannot succeed. "Do not go up," Moses
continued, "for the Lord is not with you." They
persisted, however, in going to the top of the
mountain, but Moses and the Ark of the Covenant
did not move out of the camp. Then the Ama
lekites and the Canaanites that dwelt on the
mountain, came down and smote them.
People who are afraid of surmounting great
obstacles are like the spies. In the eyes of those
who lack courage, every difficult task is a kind
of "giant."
While the common people in the desert were
continually complaining of the bad food they
had to eat, we note that the princes of the com
munity showed neither ardent devotion nor a spirit
of bravery in doing that which they had to do.
It is a historical fact that as soon as Israel
shows any indifference to God and religion, Am
alek, their cruel enemy, at once appears to make
their lives bitter and sorrowful.
There is often a deep meaning in a name. We
read in the Bible that Moses changed the name

146 Bible Lessons
of Hoshea, his attendent, to Joshua. Hoshea
means "help," while Joshua means "God's help."
Soon after the return of the spies, the necessity
of ceremonials to convey to them certain divine
truths was impressed upon the Israelites by the
following lines : And the Lord said unto Moses :
"Speak unto the children of Israel that they
shall make themselves fringes (nV'X) on the
borders of their garments throughout their gen
erations, and that they shall put on the fringe a
thread of blue. And it shall be unto you a
fringe that you may look upon it and remem
ber all the commandments of the Lord, and do
them, and that you seek not after the inclina
tions of your own heart and the delight of
your eyes, which usually lead you astray; that
you may remember and do all My commandments,
and be holy unto your God. I am the Lord your
God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt
to be your God. I am the Lord your God."
As human beings are more or less subject to
the power of the senses, certain forms or cere
monies are necessary for the better understand
ing of the divine truths. But let us beware of
worshiping the mere form, and ignoring the
spirit which it represents.

VIIL THE REBELLION OF KORACH
We look in vain throughout history to find
another man, who, in his great mission, had to
encounter so many obstacles and attacks as did
Moses. Scarcely was one disagreeable event over.

The Rebellion of Korach 147
when a new one occurred. This time it was his
cousin Korach, one of the tribe of Levi, who
started a strong conspiracy against him. He was
a disappointed man, and, being very rich, was
striving for a position in which he could make
his influence felt. He envied the ruling power of
Moses and the priestly authority of Aaron.
He was what we would call a demagogue; he
was trying to influence those people on whom
his speeches would make the best impression.
In every community thei-e are discontented per
sons who are never satisfied with the condition
of affairs, and who have always something to
complain of In Dathan, Abiram, and On, of the
tribe of Reuben, he found men who were ready
and willing to help carry out a bad and mischie
vous plan. He picked out these three men from
the tribe of Reuben, thinking that this tribe, be
ing first in birth and rank, must have felt keenly
the humiliation of their position under the rule
of members of the tribe of Levi. But to show
that not merely the ordinary fault-finders, but
also persons of the upper classes, were dissatisfied
with the order of things, he succeeded in winning
over to his side two hundred and fifty men, the
princes of the community, who joined him in his
conspiracy. With these men Korach appeared before Moses
and Aaron and said to them : "You take too
much glory to yourselves, seeing that the whole
congregation is holy and the Lord is among
them; why then do you lift yourselves up above
the congregation of the Lord?"

148 Bible Lessons
When Moses heard these words, he threw him
self" upon his face and said to Korach and his
companions: "To-morrow the Lord will make
known who is His and who is holy, that He may
cause him to come near God." In the word "to
morrow" often lies concealed the fate of man.
Moses continued : "You and your company shall
take to-morrow your censers and shall put fire
therein, and upon it put incense before the Lord;
and it will be the man whom the Lord will choose
that shall be the holy one."
Moses also tried another method of calming
the dissatisfied men. He sent for Dathan and
Abiram to discuss the matter with them in a
peaceful manner; but both of them refused, say
ing, "We shall not come up to you." And adding
reproach to refusal, they sent to him the following
impertinent message: "Is it not enough that
thou hast brought us up out of the land flowing
with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness,
that thou wilt try to make thyself also a prince
over us?"
These bitter words grieved Moses very much,
and to ease his heart he said: "O Lord, respect
not their offerings. I have not taken away an
ass, nor have I done wrong to any one of them."
And God said: "Speak to the congregation, say
ing, 'Get you away from about the dwellings of
Korach, Dathan, and Abiram. ' ' ' Thereupon they
departed from the tents of these wicked men. But
Dathan and Abiram came out haughtily, stand
ing boldly at the door of their tents with their
wives, their sons, and their little ones.

The Rebellion of Korach 149
Then Moses said : ' ' Through this ye shall know
that the Lord has sent me to do all these deeds
and that I have not done them of my own mind.
If these men die as all men die, then the Lord
has not sent me. But if the Lord causes the
earth to open her mouth and to swallow them
up with all that belongs to them, and they go
down alive into the pit, then shall ye understand
that these men have provoked the Lord." Scarcely
had Moses spoken these words when the ground
which was under them was rent asunder, and
the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them
up, with their houses and all the men that be
longed to Korach. The earth closed over them
and they disappeared from the midst of the con
gregation. Then all Israel that was round about
them fled, for they said, "Perhaps the earth will
swallow us also!" Immediately a fire came out
from the Lord and consumed the two hundred
and fifty men that had offered the incense. But
the sons of Korach, as we read later on (Numbers
xxvi. 11 ) , did not die, thus showing that the chil
dren were not punished for the sins of their parents.
Later on, in the times of David and Jehosaphat,
the descendants of Korach were employed (I.
Chronicles vi. 18; II. Chronicles xx. 19; Psalms
xlii. 88) as singers in the Temple. On, the son
of Peleth, one of the discontented men, of the
tribe of Reuben, who at first joined in the con
spiracy, withdrew later from it, and his life was
saved. He had, it is told by -our sages, a very
sensible wife, who persuaded him to leave the
conspirators. Such a wife deserves great praise.

150 Bible Lessons
Then the Lord said unto Moses: "Speak to
Eliezar, the son of Aaron the priest, that he shall
take the censers of those sinners out of the fire
and shall make broad plates of them to cover
the altar, for they have brought them near the
Lord and they have thus become hallowed. They
shall serve as a memorial for the Children of
Israel." But on the following day, the congrega
tion of the children of Israel murmured again
against Moses and Aaron, saying, "It is you,
that have caused the people of the Lord to die."
Then it came to pass that, when the congregation
had assembled against Moses and Aaron, they
looked toward the Tabernacle and beheld that
the cloud was covering it.
And the glory of the Lord appeared to Moses
and Aaron, saying : " Separate yourselves from the
midst of this congregation that I may consume
them in a moment." They then fell upon their
faces and prayed. And Moses said tq Aaron :
"Take the censer and put fire from the altar
therein, and put on the incense, and carry it
quickly into the congregation and make an atone
ment for them; for a plague has broken out
among the people." And Aaron did what Moses
commanded him, and ran into the midst of the
assembly, and, behold, the plague had already
begun among the people. With his censer in his
hand he made an atonement for the people, while
standing between the dead and the living, and
the plague was stayed.
Like Aaron, every priest and every man and
woman should stand in the time of disease and

Aaron's Staff 151
sickness at the couches of the sick, attend to the
dead, and cheer and comfort the afflicted.

IX. AARON'S STAFF
We have seen that Moses at first met the con
spiracy of Korach with calmness and dignity;
later, however, when kindness failed, severer means
were adopted to quell the rebellious spirit, and
to maintain and uphold the moral authority of
the great leader. In order, however, thoroughly to
convince the people that the right man was in
the right place, and that Aaron's appointment
as High-priest was sanctioned by God, the Lord
spoke to Moses : "Tell the children of Israel that
they take one staff for each tribe, for all their
princes, twelve staves in all; the name of each
tribe shall be written upon its staff, and upon
the staff of Levi shall be written the name of
Aaron. And thou shalt lay them down in the
Tabernacle of the congregation. It shall then
come to pass that the staff of the man whom I
have chosen, will blossom and I shall thus calm
the murmurings ofthe children of Israel." And
it came to pass that in the morning, as Moses
went into the Tabernacle, the staff of Aaron had
budded and had produced blossoms and yielded
ripe almonds. Moses showed it to all the children
of Israel,, and returned to each tribe its staff.
But Aaron's staff was kept in the Tabernacle as
a token. 3

152 Bible Lessons
We can derive a profitable lesson from this.
Any duty we have to perform, or work we have
to do, ought to be a sanctuary for us. If we
enter this sanctuary with holy zeal and devotion
for the accomplishment of the work which is in
trusted to our hands, the labor that we perform
will bring forth buds, blossoms, and sweet fruit.
If, on the other hand, we enter the sanctuary in
a lazy and indifferent spirit, the staff of our life's
work will ever remain dry, not producing any
fruit which can rejoice or benefit either ourselves
or "others.

X. GOD PUNISHES MOSES
In the fortieth year of their wanderings in the
desert, the Israelites arrived again at Kadesh,
from which place Moses had sent out the spies.
The people again had no water to drink and com
menced to quarrel with Moses and Aaron, say
ing : "Oh, that we had but perished when our
brethren died before the Lord ! Wherefore have
you caused us to come out of Egypt to bring
us into this evil place? There is no place for
pasture here, neither are there vines nor pome
granates, nor is there any water to drink."
Moses and Aaron then prayed to God and the
Lord said unto Moses : ' ' Take thy staff and
gather the assembly together, thou and thy
brother Aaron, and ye shall speak unto the rock
before their eyes, that it shall give forth the
waters and thou shalt bring forth for them water

H. O. Seious

Bloch's J fble Pictures. No. 35
THE RETURN OF THE SPIES FROM CANAAN
" * , -We came unto the land whither thou didst send us, and truly doth it flow with milk and
honey; a) d this is its fruit." Numbers xiii, 2;.

THE BRAZEN SERPENT
"And Moses made a serpent of copper and put it upon a pole.'* Numbers xxi, 9.

God Punishes Moses 153
out of the rock and give drink to the congre
gation and their cattle."
And Moses took the staff, as he was commanded
to do, and assembled the congregation before
the rock and said : "Hear now, ye rebels ! Shall
we bring forth water for you out of this rock?"
Then Moses lifted up his hand and with his staff
smote the rock twice, and water came forth, and
the congregation drank, and also their cattle.
Then the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron :
" Because you have not believed in Me, to sanctify
Me before the eyes of the children of Israel, there
fore, shall ye not bring this congregation into
the land which I have given them." These were
the waters of "Meribah," where the children of
Israel quarreled with the Lord and where He
made His divine presence felt.
What were tlie offences of Moses and Aaron,
that they were to be punished so severely ? First,
it was Moses's fault, for instead of speaking to the
rock, he struck it twice, which was against God's
command. Secondly, the higher our position is,
the more we must try to address kindly those
under our direction and guidance. This Moses
did not do, for he called the people "rebels,"
which is not a fit expression for a leader, and
especially on an occasion when men and cattle
were almost dying of thirst. Thirdly, he did not
show firm trust in the words of God, for in say
ing, "Shall we bring forth water for you out of
this rock?" he showed his disbelief. Aaron on
this occasion kept silent; perhaps on this account
— for there are times when a man can do good

I 54 Bible Lessons
by speaking — he was punished so severely. After
all, the sins of these two men were very small;
however, God is very strict with those who are in
His holy service, for He said, "By those who
are near Me, I will be sanctified."
Moses was resigned to his fate; he took the
punishment of God with calmness and resignation.
UnUke other men, who would grow weak and
lax in their labors, now that they were punished,
he made double efforts for the welfare of his
people. He at once sent messengers from Kadesh
to the King of Edom, asking him to allow the
Israelites to pass through his country, promis
ing him that they intended to go "by the king's
highway," neither turning to the right nor to
the left. But Edom refused to permit Israel to
pass through his land and Israel turned away
from him.
Why was it that the children of Israel paid such
a tribute of high regard and consideration to
Edom? Scripture does not conceal anything
about the character of man; it pictures him
truthfully, as we have just now seen about Moses.
So it was with Esau, the ancestor of Edom. He
was a worldly and material man without any
high aims or ideas. However, he was an obedient
and loving son, for whom the parental blessing
was the choicest gift in the world. He had, after
all, a warm and forgiving heart, and, although
he once threatened to kill his brother Jacob,
he soon forgot his ill-will. It is therefore noble
and elevating to see how the memory of Esau
was hallowed by the Israelites. This is the re-

Death of Miriam and Aaron ^55
ward of one who has honored his father and has
extended the hand of forgiveness to an erring
brother ! Does this incident not show clearly
how very true are the words of the Torah? "He
renders mercy unto the thousandth generation ! "
We learn a most useful lesson from the words
of Moses to Edom: "Upon the royal high-road
we shall go, neither to the right hand nor to
the left." We must avoid extremes in life as
much as we can. Extremes often make fanatics
of us. The common-sense, middle way, far from
the burning heat or the chilling cold, is the best
road to travel in our career through life.

XI. DEATH OF MIRIAM AND AARON
Miriam died while the children of Israel were
at Kadesh, and there she was buried. From that
place they went to Mount Hor, near the bor
ders of Edom. And the Lord said unto Moses :
"Aaron shall be gathered unto his people. Take
Aaron and Eliezar, his son, and cause them to
go up unto Mount Hor. Tell Aaron to take
off his garments and therewith clothe Eliezar,
his son." Moses did as God commanded. Aaron
died at the top of the Mount, and Moses and
Eliezar came down from the Mount. When all
the congregation saw that Aaron had departed,
they wept for him for thirty days.
In speaking again of Aaron and Miriam, we
must admit that both of them had done much
to benefit their brethren in the desert, and that

156 Bible Lessons
they have left a name behind them which has
not only been honored by past and present gen
erations, but will be honored also in the future.
Aaron was a model priest, of whom we must be
proud. He possessed all the noble qualities needed
to make a deep and favorable impression upon
men. There was nothing of smallness or jealousy
in him, for notwithstanding the fact that he was
the elder brother, he freely submitted to the
leadership of Moses. He assisted him greatly
in his mission to Pharaoh, and it is indeed won
derful to see how united the brothers were in their
difficult work, and with what devotion they bore
their heavy burdens.
Aaron has been severely reproached for being
the principal cause of the making of the golden
calf. It is true he cannot be freed from this
charge; but we must not forget that he was no
ruler, and had not the power to keep in order a
rough multitude. He was a kind-hearted man,
yielding easily to the wishes of the people, hoping
to gain his point by an abundance of kindness.
This kindness was also the reason why he was
not so strict with his own children, and that his
two elder sons, Nadah and Abihu, followed their
own ways. But he bore his affliction with great
fortitude and composure when he heard of the
sudden death of his sons.
His greatest aim in life was peace, and for
the sake of this noble quality he made many
sacrifices. It was Hillel who pointed out this
great virtue in Aaron, when he said : "Be one
of the disciples of Aaron; love peace, pursue

Death of Miriam and Aaron 157
peace, love mankind and bring them nearer to
the Torah." He never could see persons at enmity
with one another. As soon as he heard that two
people had become enemies, he tried his best to
make them friends again. But he is dearest to
us when he goes among the living and the dead,
administering sweet comfort to the dying and
sympathetic relief to the afflicted. The people
felt his loss most keenly; and that the whole
house of Israel, men, women, and children, were
grieved and mourned his death for thirty days,
shows us how truly he was beloved by all.
Similar to Aaron in many traits of character
was his sister Miriam. We remember how in her
childhood she watched her baby-brother Moses,
when he was placed in that little basket upon
the treacherous waters of the Nile. How many
prayers did she offer then for the safety of the
child ! What joy she must have felt to have
seen the child saved by the princess ! How she
hastened to her, asking in that innocent way,
"Shall I go and fetch one of the Hebrew mothers
to nurse the child?"
Later on, we see her after the passage through
the Red Sea, on that glorious morning, when,
with song and music, she, with other women,
tried to raise the spirits of the multitude and
to inspire the weary and faint-hearted with new
courage and new hope for the future.
She was much beloved by the people in the
desert, to whom she was, in case of need, a real
helper and consoler. They believed that as long
as she stayed among them, no drought would

158 Bible Lessons
occur in the wilderness. And hardly had she
departed, when they believed that all the foun
tains of the desert had dried up. She was a
source of comfort, raising the low-spirited from
their despair, and cheering the hopeless and down
cast.

XII. THE BRAZEN SERPENT
When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, dwelling
in the south, heard that the Israelites were com
ing, he attacked them and took some of them
prisoners. Upon this, Israel vowed to God :
"If Thou wilt deliver these people into my hand,
then will I devote their cities to Thee." And
the Lord hearkened to Israel and delivered up to
them the Canaanites, whose cities they devoted
to the Lord. They called the name of the place
"Chormah." After this, when they set forward from Mount
Hor by way of the Red Sea, to go round the
land of Edom, the people became impatient.
They thereupon spoke against God and Moses,
saying : " Wherefore have you brought us out
of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no
bread and no water?" And the Lord let loose
poisonous snakes among the people, and they
bit them, so that many died. The people then
came to Moses and said: "We have sinned and
spoken against the Lord and against thee; pray
unto the Lord that He take the serpents away
frpm us." And Moses prayed for the people.
And the Lord said unto Moses :. " Make unto thy-

The Brazen Serpent 159
self a serpent and set it upon a pole, and it shall
come to pass that whoever is bitten shall look
at it and live." Then Moses made a serpent of
copper and put it on a pole, and whenever a ser
pent had bitten a man and he looked up to the
serpent of copper, he did not die. Looking up to
the serpent was to teach the Israelites to lift up
their heads to the heights above, where God is
dwelling, and to confide in Him.
Again continuing their journey, the Israelites
sent messengers to Sichon, the king of the Amo-
rites, saying: "Let us pass through the land;
we will not turn aside into the field or vineyard ;
we will not drink tke water of a well, but by
the king's, highway we will go along until we
have passed thy border." But Sichon would
not let them pass through his land; he assem
bled all his people and fought with Israel. How
ever, Israel vanquished him with the edge of the
sword, took possession of his land, and conquered
all his cities and dwelt in them.
Then they turned and went up to Bashan.
Og, the king thereof, went out against them, he
and all his people, and fought the battle of Edrel.
The Israelites conquered him also, and all his
people, and took possession of his land. Accord
ing to Deuteronomy (iii. 11), this king was a
descendant of the giants, called Raphaim. His
bedstead was of iron, nine cubits long and four
cubits wide. After these victories, the Israelites
went forward and encamped in the plains of
Moab, on the side of the Jordan opposite to
Jericho.

i6o Bible Lessons

XIII. CURSES TURNED TO BLESSINGS
When Balak, the king of Moab, heard that
the Israelites had conquered the two kings, Sichon
and Og, he was very much afraid, and as he had
not the courage to meet them in open battle,
he made up his mind to injure or destroy them,
according to a heathen belief, by having them
cursed. If it is a shameful act to curse an in
dividual, how much more infamous must it be
to curse a whole nation for no cause at all?
For the purpose of carrying out this plan, the
Moabitish king sent messengers with presents to
Balaam, who was known far and wide for doing
such unworthy deeds. This man, Balaam, being
a sorcerer and prophet among the heathens,
prided himself upon having divine inspiration
during the hours of the night. His character
was of the lowest and meanest. He was a double-
faced man, who spoke not what he really felt,
and who had- such a love for money, fame, and
flattery that he would do almost anything in
order to obtain them.
When the messengers came to him with the
presents, he did not refuse their request, although
he well knew that God would not consent to such
a mischievous act; but the sight of the presents
stifled every good feeling in him. He invited
the messengers to stay with him over night,
as the Lord would tell him what to do. Btit
as the Lord's answer was in the negative, he

Curses Turned to Blessings 1 6 1
told his guests on the following day that God
had refused to let him go with them. The mes
sengers then departed and reported to Balak
the result of their mission.
The king thereupon sent messengers of higher
rank, providing them with better and more pre
cious gffts. They begged Balaam once more to
come and to carry out their king's wish and
desire. When they thus appeared before him,
he replied to them, saying ' "If Balak would give
me his house full of silver and gold, I would not
transgress the order of the Lord, my God." But
how little his heart felt what he said, and
how undecided he was in his actions, the words
which he immediately afterward addressed to his
visitors tell us: "Tarry ye here likewise this
night, in order that I may know what the Lord
will say to me." But on that very night the
Lord appeared to him again, saying : ' ' You
may go with these men, but the words which I
shall speak unto thee shalt thou say."
Knowing this, he need not have gone at all,
for the Lord by no means would permit him to
say anything against His people; but his vanity
and love of gold prevented him from acting on
his own account in the way that God desired.
He rose in the morning, saddled his ass, and went
with the princes of Moab. The Lord, although
He had given him permission, was angry about
his going, knowing too well what were the real
sentiments that moved Balaam, and on which
side were his sympathies.
When Balak heard that Balaam had arrived,

1 62 Bible Lessons
he went to meet him and heartily welcomed him.
But Balaam was very much confused. Knowing
that his mission would not be successful, yet he
felt ashamed to acknowledge his failure. He
declared to Balak that he had come in response
to his invitation, but that he could only say
what the Lord would put in his mouth. Balak
then took him upon the height of Baal, where he
could overlook a portion of the people of Israel.
Compelled by God to speak only good of the
Israelites, Balaam said :
"How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?
And how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath
not defied?
It is a people that shall dwell alone.
And among the nations it shall not be reck
oned.
"Who can count the dust of Jacob,
And number the fourth part of Israel?
May my soul die the death of the righteous,
And may my end be like his." ¦
Balak then reproached Balaam for speaking
in that way, but received the answer that he
could not do otherwise. Then the king took him
up the heights of Pisgah, thinking that a change
of view would bring a change of feeling. Arriv
ing there, Balaam, carried away by enthusiasm,
began again, saying :
" Rise up, Balak, and hear.
Bend thine ear unto me, son of Zippor !
God is not a man that He should lie,

Curses Turned to Blessings 163
Nor a son of man that he should repent.
Behold to bless I have received the word.
And He hath blessed and I cannot change it.
"There is no wrong in Jacob,
Nor any corruption in Israel."
Balak, thoroughly discouraged by this second
blessing, requested Balaam not to bless, if he could
not curse, the Israelites. Then he conducted him
up the heights of Baal Peor, a heathen place of
worship. Arriving there and seeing from a dis
tance how peacefully Israel was encamped accord
ing to its tribes, Balaam spoke forth the follow
ing beautiful words :
"How beautiful are thy tents, 0 Jacob,
Thy dwellings, O Israel !
As streams are they spread forth.
As gardens by the riverside.
As aloe-trees which the Lord hath planted.
As cedar-trees beside the water.
They that bless thee shall be blessed,
And they that curse thee shall be cursed."
And in spite of Balak's great anger and indigna
tion, Balaam did not end his speech here; but
lifting up his voice again, he foretold the future
of Israel in these words :
"There steppeth forth a star out of Jacob,
And there riseth a scepter out of Israel."
Whether by these words, star or scepter, is
meant King David, who conquered the Moabites
and Edbmites, we cannot say ; but there is much
reason to believe that it is so (II Samuel viii. 2).

164 Bible Lessons

XIV. ZELOPCHAD'S DAUGHTERS
About this time the five daughters of Zelop
chad appeared before Moses and Eliezar, request
ing that the inheritance of their father, who died
without leaving any sons, might be given to them,
since there were no male heirs. They made their
request thus : "Our father died in the wilderness,
and he was not among the company of those
that banded themselves together against the Lord
in the conspiracy of Korach, but he died by his
own sins and had no sons. Why should the name
of our father be taken away from his family, even
though he hath no son ? Give unto us a possession
among the brethren of our father."
These women, who spoke thus in defense of their
rights, were noble and worthy representatives of
their sex. Their speech was found to be pleasant
in the eyes of God, for He approved their appeal
by saying, "The daughters of Zelopchad have
spoken well." These five sisters certainly had the
right soul and spirit, for the words they used for
this purpose — "Why should the name of our
father be taken from our family?" — have a great
ethical meaning and importance. By these words
they lovingly assert the good name of their father,
they free him from guilt and transgression, and
defend him from the reproach that he had acted
against the public welfare. Children who thus
speak of their father, live in his spirit, act in his
way, revere his memory, and never forget their

Zelopchad's Daughters 165
parental benefactor. The daughter's wishes were
granted and they received the possessions of their
father. Soon after this incident, God told Moses to as
cend Mount Abarim for the purpose of seeing
from the top of the mountain the land which He
had promised to give Israel, but which Moses
was not permitted to enter. Although Moses re
ceived this message with calmness of soul, yet his
heart must have been grieved. Thinking of the
daughters of Zelopchad, who had succeeded in
keeping the name and memory of their father, it
was only natural for the great lawgiver to think
that one of his own children should succeed him
and perpetuate his noble work. How sorely
grieved and how keenly disappointed he must
have felt when he found that neither one of them
was worthy or able to succeed him ! How many
other fathers have had similar sad experiences,
and have felt the same bitter disappointment in
their children !
Moses, however, had the interest of his people
at heart more than his own, and, knowing how
soon the time must come when he would have to
part from them, he appealed to God to select at
once an able successor : "Let the Lord, the God
of the spirit of all flesh, appoint a man for the
congregation, who may come in before them, and
who may lead them out, so that the congrega
tion of the Lord may not be like a flock that has
no shepherd."
The Lord then told him that he might select
Joshua, the son of Nyn, his faithful servant, for

1 66 Bible Lessons
this high and sacred office. Moses did as the Lord
commanded him ; he laid his hands upon the head
of his friend and pupil and blessed him. In order
to obtain for his appointment the approval . of
all Israel, Joshua was raised to his new dignity
before the eyes of the whole community by Eliezar
the High-priest. There was no better man for
such a great and commanding position than the
brave, truthful, and valiant Joshua. He was the
right man in the right place.

XV. SEPARATION OF THE TRIBES
Soon afterward the tribes bf Reuben', Gad, and
half of Manasseh appeared before Moses, request
ing him to give them for an inheritance the land of
Yazer and of Gilead, which had been taken away
from Sichon and Og, the two conquered kings.
They emphasized their request by saying that
they had much cattle, for which there was plenty
of grass and rich pasture in the lands which they
desired. Moses listened with anger to their appeal, and
harshly answered them, "Shall your brethren go
to war across the Jordan and you stay here?"
To this bitter reproach they replied that : ' 'We
all shall go armed with the children of Israel and
not return to our houses until we have assisted
in conquering the Promised Land and have seen
that every one has recei-ved his inheritance." After
hearing this, Moses granted their request, adding
at the same time that in doing as they promised.

Separation ofthe Tribes 167
they would show themselves ' ' guiltless in the eyes
of God and man." What a beautiful thought,
to be always "guiltless in the eyes of God and
man" ! These tribes later on considerably weak
ened the national ties. They did not come so
often in close contact with those who three times
a year went to Jerusalem to worship in the
Sanctuary. When the representatives of the two and a half
tribes appeared before Moses, they said: "We
shall build sheepfolds for our cattle, and cities
for our little ones." In this sentence, cattle and
sheepfolds are mentioned first, and then the chil
dren. Is not this the usual course in this world ?
The entire interest of the tribes was centered
in -their cattle, which received their first atten
tion, and the interest or concern they manifested
for their children came afterward.
One of the last measures which Moses, by order
of God, commanded the Israelites to do was that
six places of refuge should be established, three
on each side of the Jordan. These cities, mostly
inhabited by the Levites, were called cities of
refuge for those who, without any intent, had
caused the death of a neighbor. Such a measure
was very humane, as it curbed the spirit of re
venge so prevalent among all ancient nations.
The refugees had to stay in these cities until the
death of the High-priest, when they were permit
ted to go elsewhere.

1 68 Bible Lessons

XVI. THE DESERT CAMPS
Moses, by command of God, recorded the vari
ous camps of the Israelites from the time of
their going out from Egypt until they came to
the borders of Canaan — the forty years of their
wandering in the desert. With an uplifted hand-
that is, with joy, hope, and courage — they had left
Egypt, but after having encamped forty-two times,
alas ! the old fathers had nearly all died, and the
Promised Land was to be given to the rising
generation, the children born in the desert.
These camps give us a real picture of human
life. Our whole existence on earth is a continual
going and coming, a constant journey from one
place to another. Indeed, when the forty years
have passed away, what great changes have taken
place? These changes often make the most cheer
ful heart sad and thoughtful. Many beloved
persons have been called away from earth during
this period; intimate friends, to whom we were
attached, have gone forever, and people once rich
have become poor, and others who began with
little have become prosperous. If people would
remember how frail is human life, and how the
man of "to-day" is perhaps no more among the
living of "to-morrow," they might act with better
and kindlier feelings toward each other.
During the long journey of our forefathers in
the desert, they were constantly in a state of ex
citement and agitation, and found fault with

The Desert Camps 169
nearly everything that was done for them. Now
they were sick of the bread they ate; again, they
did not find the water to their taste; then, in a
moment of despair, they remembered the flesh-
pots of Egypt. When one would think they were
accustomed to the life in the desert and should
have borne patiently the unavoidable privations
they had to endure, then their easily excited
natures were upset by some unexpected turn of
affairs, as by the evil reports of the spies, by the
rebellion of Korach, and by the wicked association
of the Midianites.
As life is uncertain, let us make the best .use of
the time that is allotted to us. Therefore, whether
we are sitting quietly in our homes, or are journey
ing about from place to place or from land to
land, as our ' forefathers did, let us ever have trust
in God, who will never forsake us, but will main
tain and uphold us. As happiness cannot be meas
ured, so as to discover who has more and who
has less of it, let us be contented with what we
have and with what we are able to call our own.
For happy is he who is satisfied with that which
God has given him ; happy is he who works duti
fully within his sphere as God has desired him to
work; happy is he who with a healthy body and
cheerful spirit spreads peace and good-will, light
and kindness, among all with whom he comes in
contact.

17° Bible Lessons

XVII. DEUTERONOMY
With the building of the cities of refuge, Moses
closed his noble career as leader and lawgiver of
Israel. When he felt his life drawing to a close,
he used the hours still allotted to him to address
his people in kindness and love. Like a father
who parts from his beloved children, or like a
teacher who bids farewell to his dear pupils, he
tried once more to impress upon Israel all those
wise laws and beautiful lessons which he considered
so necessary for their welfare and well-being. He
was like a devoted parent, who, nearing his end,
and knowing that he was to leave behind him an
untrained and untutored son, strove to urge upon
him with all the energy of his soul to remain
faithful to the words he had taught him during
his lifetime. "What will become of that unstable
and wavering nation when I am no longer among
them? Who will be able to lead and direct them
when I have parted from them forever?" Such
thoughts are naturally suggested by Moses's words
(Deuteronomy xxxi. 27) : "I know thy rebellion
and thy obstinacy; for, behold, while I have
been yet alive with thee, hast thou been rebel
lious against the Lord, and how much more so
wilt thou be after my death?"
Despite these sad thoughts, he had the firm
belief that the great work which he had begun
could not be destroyed, but would live forever.
This glad hope has become realized. Israel will

Moral Laws 171
live. The great tree which Moses planted will
ever root deeper; it will grow more and more,
and will be ever fruitful.
Moses's admonitions to his people before his
death are contained in the Fifth Book of Moses,
Deuteronomy (Debarim); they are all elevating
and beautiful and speak to the heart. We shall
only select a few, chiefly those which refer to our
relation to God and to our conduct toward man.

XVIII. MORAL LAWS
I. KNOWING AND ADORING GOD
" Hear, 0 Israel ! The Lord our God is the One
Eternal Being. And thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul
and with all thy might. And these words which
I command thee this day shall be in thy heart.
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy
children, and thou shalt speak of them when thou
sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by
the way, and when thou liest down, and when
thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a
sign upon thy hands and they shall be as front
lets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write
them upon the doorposts of thy house" (Deut
eronomy vi. 4 — 9).
In order to remember God in thought and deed
(head and hand), every male in Israel over thir
teen years of age had to lay "Tephilin" (phylac-

172 Bible Lessons
teries). The Tephilin contain the four Biblical
sections :
1. Israel's liberation from Egypt through God
(Exodus xiii. 1 — 10).
2. Israel's selection (Exodus xiii. 11 — 16).
3. The knowledge of God and the obligation
to serve Him (Deuteronomy vi. 4 — 9).
4. God's reward and punishment (Deuter
onomy xi. 13 — 21).
The "Mezuza," which likewise contains some
Biblical sentences, should be fastened on the door
posts of our houses. II. HUMILITY
" Take heed that thou forget not the Lord thy
God, in not keeping His commandments and His
ordinances and his statutes, which I command
thee this day. That when thou hast eaten and
art satisfied and hast built goodly houses and hast
dwelt therein, and when thy herds and thy flocks
multiply and thy silver and gold are multiplied
and all that thou hast is multiplied, thy heart
be then not proud and thou forgettest not the
Lord thy God, and speakest not in thy heart :
My power and the strength of my hand hath
gotten me this wealth" (Deuteronomy viii. 11 — 17).
As it was in the olden times, so it is in the
present. Among successful people, "pride and for
getfulness," those twin companions of prosperity,
are often marked traits. The words of Moses,
"And when Jeshurun became fat, he rebelled,"
can well be applied in our day to many people
of fortune.

Moral Laws 1 72
III. FEAR OF GOD AND LOVE OF NEIGHBOR
"And now, 0 Israel, what does the Lord thy
God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy
God, to walk in all His ways, to Love Him and
serve Him with all thy heart and with all thy
soul ! To keep the commandments of the Lord
and His statutes, which I command thee this day
for thy own good 1 To the Lord thy God belong
the heaven of heavens and the earth, with all
that is therein. Yet only thy fathers did the
Lord delight to love; therefore. He chose you
after them, from all the nations. Remove, there
fore, the evil of your heart and be stiff-necked no
more. For the Lord your God is the God of
gods, and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty
and the powerful, who has no regard for persons
and taketh no bribes ; who executeth justice for
the fatherless and the widow, and loveth the
stranger, to give him food and garment. Love
ye also the stranger, for ye yourselves were
strangers in the land of Egypt" (Deuteronomy
X. 10—19).
How humane and kind is the law about the
stranger ! If you compare the harsh measures
which the ancient Greeks and Romans adopted
against the stranger, with the humane laws of
the Bible, you will readily see what a sublime
and holy book it is. It was the first chapter of
liberty and equality given to the world.
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was
partly caused by the unkindness and inhospitality
of its inhabitants toward strangers, and in the

174 Bible Lessons
Biblical chapter, previous to the one which teUs
of the awful fate of Sodom, the great hospitaUty
and friendly spirit of Abraham are mentioned by
way of contrast.

XIX. MORAL LAWS (^Continued)
IV. AIDING THE NEEDY
" If there be among you a needy man, any one of
thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt
not harden thy heart nor shut thy hand from thy
needy brother. But thou shalt open wide thy
hand and thou shalt surely lend him sufficient
for his need, which his want requireth. Thou
shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be
grieved when thou givest unto him, for because
of this thing the Lord thy God will bless thee
in all thy work and in all the possessions of thy
hand." (Deuteronomy xv. 7 — 11).
The Hebrew word V)} (to give), read from
either end, shows that whatever we give will be
returned to us, either by the way of the joy we
feel in doing good, or by the results we gain in
having helped in a charitable work. It is King
Solomon, who, in this very spirit, so truly says :
"Throw thy bread upon the water, for I am cer
tain that after many days thou wilt find it again."
Mar Akba, the Benevolent Man
Mar Akba, a wise, famous, and wealthy man,
applied his wealth not only to the support of
his own house and relatives, but also aided the

Moral Laws ^75
poor and needy. Most of those who were sup
ported by him never knew the name of their kind
benefactor, because? he did not want to make them
ashamed before him. He himself went disguised
into the huts of poverty and distributed alms.
He doubled his gifts on holidays in order to give
additional joy to those whom he aided.
Once he sent the sum of four hundred florins
by his son to a poor man, the day before a fes
tival. The son soon returned and said to his
father: "I am convinced that the man to whom
you sent me does not deserve thy gift." "Why
dost thou think so?" the father asked. "I found
that the man had visitors, to whom he served
old wine." "And you think that I should not
have given him the money?" " Of course not,"
the son replied; "a man who receives visitors
and gives them old wine, is not in need of sup
port." "You are mistaken," the father replied. "I
know this man well ; at one time he was rich and
prosperous, but through misfortune he lost all
his property. In his better days he gave gen
erously to the poor. He is accustomed to give,
and does so even in his unfortunate position.
Go, my son, bring him another four hundred
florins ; he will from this day on receive a double
sum." v. THE POWER OF JUSTICE
"Judges and officers shalt thou appoint unto
thyself in all thy gates which the Lord thy God
giveth thee, throughout thy land, and they shall

176 Bible Lessons
judge the people with justice. They shall not
render wrong judgment; they shall not respect
persons, and they shall not take bribes,, for a
bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and turns to
naught the words of the righteous. Justice, only
justice, shalt thou pursue in order that thou may
est live and retain possession of the land which
the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Deuteronomy
xvi. 18—20).
Justice stands higher than love. Love makes us
partial to the persons we cherish and respect,
but not so justice.
The ancient Greeks represented Justice as a
blind-folded woman holding in her hand an evenly-
balanced scales, and who thus weighed out im
partial justice to all.

XX. MORAL LAWS (Continued)
VI. THE neighbor's POSSESSION
"Thou shalt not remove the landmark of thy
neighbor, which they of olden times have set in
thy inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in th^
land which the Lord thy God giveth thee"
(Deuteronomy xix. 14).
We should not enrich ourselves by taking land
which, though near us, belongs to our neighbor.
In giving this law a wider meaning, we find that
we are strictly forbidden to trespass on the rights
of our fellow-man. We must neither by persua
sion nor by false statements draw away custom

Moral Laws 177
or trade from our neighbor, nor must we try to
injure him in the eyes of his commercial friends or
in the eyes of the public, by false reports.
VII. GOOD-FELLOWSHIP
"Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his
sheep go astray, and withdraw thyself from them ;
thou shalt surely bring them back again unto
thy brother. But if thy brother be not nigh unto
thee, or thou know him not, then shalt thou take
it unto thine own house, and it shall remain with
thee until thy brother seek after it, and then
shalt thou restore it to him. Thou shalt not see
thy brother's ass or his ox fallen by the way
and withpld thine aid from them; thou shalt
surely help them" (Deuteronomy xxii. 1 — 4).
Closely connected with this law is that beauti
ful sentence in Exodus, chapter xxiii. verse 4 :
"If thou seest the ox or the ass of thine enemy
going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to
him." It is unreasonable that we should love our
enemy; it is contrary to human nature. But
nevertheless it is only proper and commendable
not to do him any harm, and to treat him in a
generous and honorable manner.
VIII. KINDNESS TOWARD ANIMALS
"If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in
the way, in any tree or on the ground, with
3'oung ones or with eggs, and the mother is sit
ting upon the young or upon the eggs, thou shalt

lyS Bible Lessons
not take the mother with the young. But thou
shalt surely let the mother go, and the young
thou mayest take to thyself; in order that it may
be well with thee and that thou mayest live many
days" (Deuteronomy xxii. 6— .7).
In order not to break a mother's heart, even
if it be only that of a bird, we are commanded
to drive the mother bird far away from the nest
before we take the young ones. For she would
grieve should she see her young taken away from
her. If God has commanded us not to hurt the
feelings of even a bird, how much more ought we
to avoid hurting the feelings of our fellow-men?
The words "that it may be well with thee and
that thou mayest live long" show us how animals
are considered as creatures of God, and how well
they should be treated by man. Man shall be
master over the dumb animals, but he shall by
no means be their tormentor. The dangerous
ones he may destroy, but to kill the harmless ones
or to vex or hurt any animal is cruel and for
bidden. IX. LAWS OF HUMANITY
"Thou shalt not withhold the wages of a hired
man who is poor and needy, whether he be of
thy brethren or a stranger that is in the land
within thy gates. On the same day shalt thou
give him his wages, that the sun may not go down
upon it; for he is poor and his soul longeth for
it; so that he may not cry against thee unto the
Lord, and it be sin in thee. Fathers shall not be
put to death for the children, neither shaU the

Moral Laws 179
children be put to death for the fathers ; for every
man should suffer for his own sin. Thou shalt
not pervert the cause of the stranger nor of the
fatherless, nor take in pledge the raiment of a
widow" (Deuteronomy xxiv. 14 — 12).
Bliesor of Bartota, the Orphan's Friend
That sympathy and benevolence are to be
shown toward widows and orphans is often men
tioned in the Bible. The Talmud tells us of a
certain Eliesor of Bartota, who was very kind
toward the poor and orphans. Every case of need
touched his gentle heart, so that he gave away
almost everything he had. Being aware of his
generosity, those who usually collected alms for
the poor no longer called on him, and even tried
to avoid meeting him in the street. Once the col
lectors met him by chance, and, as they did
not think it proper to turn awa~y from him, he
stopped them and asked them what they were
doing. "We are collecting a dowry for a poor
orphan girl," they replied. "Well," said Eliesor,
"it is well that I have met you, for I was on my
way to buy an outfit and other necessary articles
for my daughter, who is going to be married.
However, an orphan girl has preference over her ;
here is all my money, you must take it from me."

i8o Bible Lessons
XXI. MORAL TuAWS— Continued
X. HONEST WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
' ' Thou shalt not have in thy house different
weights, a great and a small. A perfect and just
weight shalt thou have, in order that thy days
may be prolonged in the land which the Lord thy
God giveth thee" (Deuteronomy xxv. 14 — 15).
, Abba Saul ben Botnit
Abba Saul ben Botnit lived in the century be
fore the destruction of Jerusalem. He was a great
scholar, and was a wine merchant by vocation.
He was so very conscientious in his business and
so upright in his dealings that by saving the
drops which fell when he poured out the wine,
he collected three hundred measures which he
presented to the Temple authorities in Jerusalem.
His great honesty became so well known that on
his death-bed he could raise his hand toward
heaven and truly say, "My hand always gave just
measures." Rabbi Pinchas ben Jair
Rabbi Pinchas was the son-in-law of the famous
and eminent scholar Simon ben Jochai. Besides
his great knowledge, he was known for his strict
honesty. One day two men gave him two meas
ures of barley to keep for them, and, as they did
not return, he made up his mind to sow this
barley in one of his fields.

Moral Laws i8i
He continued this for seven years and reaped a
large harvest every year. After seven years the
two men returned and asked him for their barley.
He went with them to one of his storehouses,
opened a large room, and, pointing to the barley
which was there, said, "All this belongs to you."
What a noble and trustworthy man he must have
been !
Let us now continue with our history. The
copy of the sacred law was placed in the Ark of
the Covenant (Deuteronomy xxxi. 26). This
copy was kept until the time of King Josiah
(647 — 616 B.C.E.), who, having a presentiment
of the future dispersion of Israel, hid it in a
subterranean wall in the Temple.
Moses composed a beautiful and heart-stirring
farewell song, which might well serve as a warning
and consolation to all generations. He himself
delivered it before the children of Israel. This
song commences with the words :
"Give ear, 0 ye heavens, and I will speak;
And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
My language shall drop like the rain.
My speech shall distil as the dew.
As heavy rains upon the grass.
As showers upon the herbs !
The name of the Lord will I proclaim.
The greatness of our God will I describe !
He is our Rock, His word is perfect.
For all His words are just.
He is the God of truth and without iniquity,
Just and upright is He."

1 82 Bible Lessons
When he finished this song, he implored the
Israelites once more to remain true and faithful
to the precepts he had taught them: "Set your
hearts unto all the words which I lay before you
this day, so that ye may command them to your
children to do, all the words of this law. For
it is not vain and useless for you to keep my
commandments; on the contrary, it is your life,
and through these words shall you live many days
in the land which you go over the Jordan to
possess." Then God commanded Moses to ascend Mount
Abrim (Nebo), from which he rilight view once
more the Proinised Land. He then requested all
the tribes of Israel to gather before him for the
last time, and, as a dying father, he pronounced
his blessing over them. Before he stretched out
his hands to bless them, however, he reminded
them once more of the duty of Israel, "The law
which Moses commanded is the inheritance of the
congregation of Jacob."

XXII. THE DEATH OF MOSES
It is often with great men as it is with parents.
They are given much anxiety and trouble during
their stay on earth, and many hours of bitterness
and sorrow might have been spared them, if those
whom they have benefited had acted more kindly
and affectionately toward them. As soon, how
ever, as the beloved onefe part from us, we mourn
and lament our loss, as if that could atone for

Bloch'B Bible Pictures. No. 38 H. O. SELOtra
MOSES VIEWS THE PROMISED LAND
"And the Lord said unto him: This is the land wliich I sware unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
* « I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither." Deuteronomy
xxxiv, 4.

MOSES APPOINTS JOSHUA AS HIS SUCCESSOR
Deuteronomy xxxi, 23.

The Death of Moses 183
our errors and lighten our grief How different
and how much better it would have been had we
cherished and honored and dealt gently with our
beloved ones during their lifetime I Then, at the
hour of their departure from this world, we could
have said: "There is one consolation for us in
this hour of gloom and depression : we have al
ways acted dutifully, lovingly, and nobly toward
those whom the Lord has taken from our midst !"
These are the thoughts that e.nter our minds
when we reflect on Moses's departure from this
world. There is nothing more pathetic and touch
ing than the way in which the great man parted
from his nation. When great men die, they often
leave behind them some valuable gifts to worthy
persons, and costly presents to others; and some
times they generously bequeath a considerable
part of their fortune to their children and their
kindred, as well as to charitable institutions.
Moses, however, had collected no treasures.
He could, therefore, leave neither gifts nor money
to any one, not even to his children. But what
he left behind him was more valuable than all
the treasures of the world. What this was is
stated in the last chapter of the Torah, and com
mences with these beautiful words: "And this
is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God,
blessed the children of Israel before his death."
Indeed, it was nothing but a blessing ( ^??? berocho )
which Moses left when he departed from his
brethren; it was the blessing of the Torah which
he left behind him, saying: "My brethren, you
will always rise, prosper, and succeed in life if
S

184 Bible Lessons
you keep those laws which the Lord has given
for your practice and observance."
Thus he finished his farewell words, and, casting
a parting glance upon his beloved people, hastened
his steps, and left them, never again to return.
Then, solitary and alone, without any human
being at his side, he ascended Mount Nebo. Tak
ing a last look at the blessed Land of Proniiise,
which was to be conquered by the Israelites, he
silently withdrew from the scenes of this earthly
life, and hopefully entered that unknown land of
bliss, where so many before him had found their
resting-place. It is quite strange and gives us occasion for
thought, that not one of his sons, neither
Gershom nor Eliezer, followed or accompanied
him on his final journey. It may have been due
to the fact that his sons were not men after his
own heart. Perhaps they favored their mother,
Zipporah, whose religious views differed from
those of Moses; it is, indeed, not uncommon that
children, brought up by parents of different re
ligions, neither cling to one nor the other.
It is also possible that Moses's death and the
spot where he was buried were purposely con
cealed from the multitude, so as to avoid sepul-
cher-worship in future at his tomb. Moses was
enough in himself; he did not want his brethren
to make a god of him, nor to give him later on
any divine or superhuman qualities. The nation
he molded and created, the word of God which
he taught, and the religion which he gave to our
people, are the best possible proclaimers of his

Joshua, the Leader 185
immortal name. Every one of us has set up in
his heart a monument to him, not built of marble
or stone, but of deep love, which will last until
distant ages and generations, until the last Jew
has disappeared from this globe.
When Moses's death was made known to the
people (he died on his birthday, the seventh day
of Adar), they wept bitterly. They mourned for
him thirty days. Now they saw how wrongly
and ungratefully they had acted toward the man,
who had only their welfare and happiness at
heart. For his people he renounced royal pomp
and luxury; for his people he willingly went into
exile; for his people he became a poor shepherd
for more than forty years; for his people he
readily offered to give up his life; for his people
he- was not allowed to enter the blessed land;
aye, for his people he ascended Mount Nebo,
solitary and alone, that he might rest there after
all the troubles and bitter experiences of his life.
Such a man and such a champion for the cause
of God, of Israel, and of mankind will never rise
again. His memory, however, will always be
hallowed; his great work will ever remain a
.reasure and divine blessing for young and old.

' I