This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned

by Google as part of a project

to make the world’s books discoverable online.
It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject
to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books
are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that’s often difficult to discover.
Marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book’s long journey from the
publisher to a library and finally to you.

Usage guidelines

Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the
public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to
prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.
We also ask that you:

+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for
personal, non-commercial purposes.
+ Refrain from automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google’s system: If you are conducting research on machine
translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the
use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.
+ Maintain attribution The Google “watermark” you see on each file is essential for informing people about this project and helping them find
additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.
+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just
because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other
countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can’t offer guidance on whether any specific use of
any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book’s appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner
anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liability can be quite severe.

About Google Book Search

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers
discover the world’s books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web
at http://books.google.com/
Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
THE LEGENDS OF
THE JEWS

Digitized by ~oogle
Digitized by Coogle
THE LEGENDS OF
THE JEWS
BY

-
LOUIS GINZBERG

T . . . .LATID no .. TH. G ....A. MAIWIC:.IPT

IV
BIBLI TIMBS AND CHAIlACTIIlS
FIlOM JOSHUA TO ESTHIIl

PHlLAD.LPHIA
TH. JIWlIH PUBLICATION SocI.n or A ....ICA
1913

Digitized byGoogle
 A.NDOVBR-HARVARD
THEOlDGICAL LIBRARY
QA.MBRlOO-. MASS.
l'r~ "a.~"'"
H~., I ~ 'I! "

.',- ,I , . ~
\

, ......
• J 1\

•
.'
,.
~
I

\, ,I .

CoPY&lGHT. I,IJ.
BY
THI JBWmH PUILlCAnO. 50cJaTy O. AJdIlCA

Digitized by Coogle
 CONTENTS
PAoa
I. JOSHUA I
The Servant of Moses-Entering the Promised Land
-Conquest of the Land-The Sun Obeys Joshua-
War with the Armenians-Allotment of the Land

II. THE JUDGES •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 19

The First Judg~ampaigns of Kenaz-Othniel-
Boaz and Ruth-Deborah-Gideon-J ephthah-Sam-
son-The Crime of the Benjamites.

III. SAMUEL AND SAUL....... • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 5S

Elkanah •
and
Hannah-The Youth of Samuel-Eli
and His Sons--The Activities of Samuel-The Reign
of Saul-The Court of Saul.

IV. DAVID •••••••.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 79

David's Birth and Descent-Anointed King-En-
counter with Goliath-Pursued by Saul-Wars-
Ahithophel-Joab-David's Piety and His Sin-Ab-
salom's Rebellion-David's Atonement-Visitations-
The Death of David-David in Paradise-The Family
of David-His Tomb.

V. SoLOMON •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 123

Solomon Punishes Joab-The Marriage of Solomon
-His Wisdom-The Queen of Sheba-Solomon Mas-
ter of the Demons-The Building of the Temple-The
Throne of Solomon-The Hippodrome-Lessons in
Humility-Asmodeus--Solomon as Beggar-The Court
of Solomon.

Digitized by Coogle
vi Contents
.AOK
VI. JUDAH AND ISRAEL ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 177
The Division of the Kingdom-J eroboam-The Two
Abijahs - Asa - J ehoshaphat and Ahab - Jezebel-
Joram of Israel.

VII. ELIJ AR ..••••••••••.•.•••••••••••••••••••• 193

Elijah before His Translation-After His TraDala-
tion-Censor and Avenger-Intercourse with the Sqes
-God's Justice Vindicated-Elijah and the Angel of
Death-Teacher of the Kabba~b-Forerunner of the
Messiah.

VIII. ELISHA AND JONAH •••••••••••••••••••••••••• 237

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

IX. THE LATER KINGS OF JUDAH ••••••••••••••••• 255

Joash-Three Great Prophets-The Two Kingdoms
Cbastised-Hezekiah-Miracles Wrought for Hezekiah
-Manasseh-Josiah and His Successors.

X. THE EXILE .....•..••.•• I.' •••••••••••••••••• ~

Zedekiah-Jeremiah-Nebuchadnezzar-The Capture
of Jerusalem-The Great Lament-Jeremiah's Journey
to Babylon-Transportation of the Captives-The Sons
of Moses-Ebed-melech-The Temple Vessels-Baruch
-The Tombs of Baruch and F..zekiel-Daniel-The
Three Men in the Furnace-Ezekiel Revives the
Dead-Nebuchadnezzar a Beast-Hiram-The False
Prophets-Daniel's Piety.

XI. THE RETURN OF THE CAPTIVITY ••••••••••••••• 341

Belshazzar's Feast-Daniel under the Persian Kings
-The Grave of Daniel-Zerubbabel-Ezra-The Men
of the Great Assembly.

Digitized by Coogle
 Contents
PAGa
XII. EsTHER •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 363
The Feast for the Grandees-The Festivities in
ShushaD-Vashti's Banquet-The Fate of Vashti-The
Follies of Ahasuerus-Mordecai-Esther's Beauty and
Piety-The Conspiracy-Haman the Jew-baiter-Mor-
decai's Pride-Casting the Lots-The Denunciation
of the Jews-The Decree of Annihilation-5atan
Indicts the Jews-The Dream of Mordecai Fulfilled-
The Prayer of Esther-Esther Intercedes-The Dis-
turbed Night-The Fall of Haman-The Edict of the
~~ .

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 I
JOSHUA

THE SERVANT OF MOSES...............

ENTERING THE PRoMISED LAND. • • • • • • • •
.- 3
4
CoNQUEST OF THE LAND....... . . . • . • . • 7
THE SUN OBEYS JOSHUA.............. 10
WAR WITH THE ARMENIANS ••••••••••• 13
Au..arMENT OF THE LAND. • • • • • • • • • • • •• IS

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 I
JOSHUA
'fUE SERVANT OF MOSES
The early history of the first Jewish conqueror 1 in some
respects is like the early history of the first Jewish legislator.
Moses was rescued from a watery grave, and raised at the
court of Egypt. Joshua, in infancy, was swallowed by a
whale, and, wonderful to relate, did not perish. At a distant
point of the sea-coast the monster spewed him forth un-
harmed. He was found by compassionate passers-by, and
grew up ignorant of his descent. The government appointed
him to the office of hangman. As luck would have it, he
had to execute his own father. By the law of the land the
wife of the dead man fell to the share of his executioner, and
Joshua was on the point of adding to parricide another crime
equally heinous. He was saved by a miraculous sign. When
he approached his mother, milk flowed from her breasts.
His suspicions were aroused, and through the inquiries he
set afoot regarding his origin, the truth was made manifese
Later Joshua, who was so ignorant that he was called a
fool, became the minister of Moses, and God rewarded his
faithful service by making him the successor to Moses.' He
was designated as such to Moses when, at the bidding of
his master, he was carrying on war with the Amalekites.·
In this campaign God's care of Joshua was plainly seen.
Joshua had condemned a portion of the Amalekites to death

Digitized by Coogle
4 The Legends of the I ews

by lot, and the heavenly sword picked them out for

extermination." Yet there was as great a difference be-
tween Moses and Joshua as between the sun and the moon.'
God did not withdraw His help from Joshua, but He was by
no means so close to him as to Moses. This appeared im-
mediately after Moses had passed away. At the moment
when the Israelitish leader was setting out on his journey to
the great beyond, he summoned his successor and bade him
put questions upon all points about which he felt un-
certain. Conscious of his own industry and devotion, Joshua
replied that he had no questions to ask, seeing that he had
carefully studied the teachings of Moses. Straightway he
forgot three hundred Halakot, and doubts assailed him con-
cerning seven hundred others. The people threatened
Joshua's life, because he was not able to resolve their diffi-
culties in the law. It was vain to tum to God, for the Torah
once revealed was subject to human, not to heavenly, au-
thority.' Directly after Moses' death, God commanded
Joshua to go to war, so that the people might forget its
grievance against him.' But it is false to think that the great
conqueror was nothing more than a military hero. When
God appeared to him, to give him instructions concerning
the war, He found him with the Book of Deuteronomy in his
hand, whereupon God called to him: " Be strong and of good
courage; the book of the law shall not depart out of thy
mouth.'"

ENTERING THE PRoMISED LAND

The first step in preparation for war was the selection of
spies. To guard against a repetition of what had happened

Digitized by Coogle
 Joshua 5
to Moses, Joshua chose as his messengers Caleb and Phine-
has, on whom he could place dependence in all circum-
stances.- They were accompanied on their mission by two
demons, the husbands of the she-devils Lilith and Mahlah.
When Joshua was planning his campaign, these devils of-
fered their services to him; they proposed that they be sent
out to reconnoitre the land. Joshua refused the oBer, but
the devils took possession of Caleb and Phinehas, and trans-
formed their appearance so frightfully that the residents of
Jericho were struck with fear of them.1I In Jericho the spies
put up with Rahab. She had been leading an immoral life
for forty years, but at the approach of Israel, she paid hom-
age to the true God, lived the life of a pious convert, and, as
the wife of Joshua, became the ancestress of eight prophets
and of the prophetess Huldah.1I She had opportunity in her
own house of beholding the wonders of God. When the kines
bailiBs came to make their investigations, and Rahab wanted
to conceal the Israelitish spies, Phinehas calmed her with the
words: "I am a priest, and priests are like angels, visible
when they wish to be seen, invisible when they do not wish
to be seen." 11
After the return of the spies, Joshua decided to pass over
the Jordan. The crossing of the river was the occasion for
wonders, the purpose of which was to clothe him with
authority in the eyes of the people. Scarcely had the
priests, who at this solemn moment took the place of the
Levites as bearers of the Ark, set foot in the Jordan, when
the waters of the river were piled up to a height of three
hundred miles. All the peoples of the earth were witnesses
of the wonder," In the bed of the Jordan Joshua assembled

Digitized by Coogle
m
6 The Legends of the I nIlS

the people around the Ark. A Divine miracle caused the

narrow space between its staves to contain the whole con-
course. Joshua then proclaimed the conditions under which
God would give Palestine to the Israelites, and he added, if
these conditions were not accepted, the waters of the Jordan
would descend straight upon them. Then they matched
through the river. When the people arrived on the further
shore, 'the holy Ark, which had all the while been stand-
ing in the bed of the river, set forward of itself, and, drag-
ging the priests after it, overtook the people.
The day continued eventful. Unassailed, the Israelites
marched seventy miles to Mount Gerizim and Mount EbaI,
and there performed the ceremony bidden by Moses
in Deuteronomy: six of the tribes ascended Mount Geri-
zim, and six Mount Ebal. The priests and the Levites
grouped themselves about the holy Ark in the vale between
the two peaks. With their faces turned toward Gerizim.
the Levites uttered the words: " Happy the man that maketh
no idol, an abomination unto the Lord," and all the people
answered Amen. After reciting twelve blessings similar
to this in form, the Levites turned to Mount Ebal, and re-
cited twelve curses, counterparts of the blessings, to each of
which the people responded' again with Amen. Thereupon
an altar was erected on Mount Ebal with the stones, each
weighing forty seim, which the Israelites had taken from
the bed of the river while passing through the Jordan. The
altar was plastered with lime, and the Torah written upon
it in seventy languages, so that the heathen nations might
have the opportunity of learning the law. At the end it was
said explicitly that the heathen outside of Palestine, if they

Digitized by Coogle
 Joshua 'I

would but abandon the worship of idols, would be received

kindly by the Jews.
All this happened on one day, on the same day on which
the Jordan was crossed, and the assembly was held on Geri-
zim and Ebal,-the day on which the people arrived at
Gilgal, where they left the stones of which the altar had been
built." At Gilgal Joshua t>erformed the rite of circumcision
on those born in the desert, who had remained uncircumcised
.00 account of the rough climate and for other reasons."
And here it was that the manna gave out. It had ceased to
fall at the death of Moses, but the supply that had been
stored up had lasted some time longer.u As soon as the
people were under the necessity of providing for their daily
wants, they grew negligent in the study of the Torah.
Therefore the angel admonished Joshua to loose his shoes
from off his feet, for he was to mourn over the decline of
the study of the Torah," and bare feet are a sign of mourn-
ing. The angel reproached Joshua in particular with hav-
ing allowed the preparations for war to interfere with the
study of the Torah and with the ritual service. Neglect of
the latter might be a venial sin, but neglect of the former is
worthy of condign punishment." At the same time the
angel assured Joshua that he had come to aid him, and he
entreated Joshua not to draw back from him, like Moses,
who h~d refused the good offices of the angel.- He who
spoke to Joshua was none other than the archangel Michael.a

CONQUEST OF THE LAND

Joshua's first victory was the wonderful capture of Jericho.
The whole of the city was declared anathema, because it

Digitized by Coogle
__ I
8 The Legends of the I ews

had been conquered on the Sabbath day. Joshua reasoned .

that as the Sabbath is holy, so also that which is conquered
on the Sabbath should be holy.- The brilliant victory was
followed by the luckless defeat at Ai. In this engagement
perished Jair, the SOD of Manasseh, whose loss was ~
great as if the majority of the Sanhedrin had been de-
stroyed.- Presently Joshua discovered that the cause of the
defeat was the sinfulness of Israel, brought upon it by
Achan, who had laid hands on some of the spoils of Jericho.
Achan was a hardened transgressor and criminal from of
old. During the life of Moses he had several times appro-
priated to his own use things that had been declared ana-
thema,· and he had committed other crimes worthy of the
death penalty.- Before the Israelites crossed the Jordan,
God had not visited Achan's sins upon the people as a whole,
because at ~at time it did not form a national unit yet. But
when Achan abstracted an idol and all its appurtenances
from Jericho,- the misfortune of Ai followed at once.
Joshua inquired of God, why trouble had befallen Israel,
but God refused to reply. He was no tale-bearer; the evil-
doer who had caused the disaster would have to be singled
out by lot.· Joshua lint of all summoned the high priest
from the assembly of the people. It appeared that, while
the other jewels in his breastplate gleamed bright, the stone
representing the tribe of Judah was dim.- By lot Achan
was set apart from the members of his tribe. Achan, how-
ever, refused to submit to the decision by lot. He said to
Joshua: II Among all living men thou and Phinehas are the
most pious. Yet, if lots were cast concerning you two, one
or other of you would be declared guilty. Thy teacher

Digitized by Coogle
 loshua 9

Moses bas been dead scarcely one month, and thou hast al-
ready begun to go astray, for thou hast forgotten that a
man's guilt can be proved only through two witnesses."
. Endued with the holy spirit, Joshua divined that the land ..
was to be assigned to the tribes and families of Israel by
lot, and he realized that nothing ought to be done to bring
this method of deciding into disrepute. He, therefore,
tried to persuade Achan to make a clean breast of his trans-
gression.- Meantime, the Judeans, the tribesmen of Achan,
rallied about him, and throwing themselves upon the other
tn"bes, they wrought fearful havoc and bloodshed. This de-
termined Achan to confess his sins.- The confession cost
him his life, but it saved him from losing his share in the
world to come.-
In spite of the reverses at Ai,- the terror inspired by the
Israelites grew among the Canaanitish peoples. The Gib-
eonites planned to circumvent the invaders, and form an al-
liance with them. Now, before Joshua set out on his cam-
paign, he had issued three proclamations: the nation that
would leave Canaan might depart unhindered; the nation
that would conclude peace with the Israelites, should do it
at once; and the nation that would choose war, should make
its preparations. If the Gibeonites had sued for the friend-
ship of the Jews when the proclamation came to their ears,
there would have been no need for subterfuges later. But
the Canaanites had to see with their own eyes what manner
of enemy awaited them, and all the nations prepared for war.
The result was that the thirty-one kings of Palestine per-
ished, as well as the satraps of many foreign kings, who
were proud to own possessions in the Holy Land.- Only

Digitized by Coogle
10 The Legends of the Jews

the Girgashites departed out of Palestine, and as a reward

for their docility God gave them Africa as an inheritance."
The Gibeonites deserved no better fate than all the rest.
for the covenant made with them rested upon a misap-
prehension. yet Joshua kept his promise to them. in order
to sanctify the name of God. by showing the world how sa-
cred an oath is to the Israelites.- In the course of events it
became obvious that the Gibeonites were by no means worthy
of being received into the Jewish communion, and David. fol-
lowing Joshua's example. excluded them forever. a sentence
that will remain in force even in the Messianic time.-

THE SUN OBEYS JOSHUA

The task of protecting the Gibeoniteg involved in the of-

fensive and defensive alliance made with them. Joshua ful-
filled scrupulously. He had hesitated for a moment whether
to aid the Gibeonites in their distress. but the words of God
sufficed to recall him to his duty. God said to him: " If thou
dost not bring near them that are far off, qtou wilt remove
them that are near by." • God granted Joshua peculiar fa-
vor in his conflict with the assailants of the Gibeonites. The
hot hailstones which. at Moses' intercession, had remained
suspended in the air when they were about to fall upon the
Egyptians, were now cast down upon the Canaanites.- Then
happened the great wonder of the sun's standing still. the
sixth - of the great wonders since the creation of the world.
The battle took place on a Friday. Joshua knew it would
pain the people deeply to be compelled to desecrate the holy
Sabbath day. Besides, he noticed that the heathen were
using sorcery to make the heavenly hosts intercede for them

Digitized by Coogle
 Joshua II

in the fight against the Israelites. He, therefore, pro-

nounced the Name of th~ Lord, and the sun, moon, and stars
stood still· The sun at first refused to obey Joshua's be-
hest, seeing that he was older than man by two days.
Joshua replied that there was no reason why a free-born
youth should refrain from enjoining silence upon an old
slave whom he owns, and had not God given heaven and
earth to our father Abraham?" Nay, more than this, had
not the sun himself bowed down like a slave before Joseph?
II But," said the sun, " who will praise God if I am silent? " •

Whereupon Joshua: .. Be thou silent, and I will intone a

song of praise." • And he sang thus:
I. Thou hast done mighty things, 0 Lord, Thou hast performed
great deeds. Who is like unto Thee? My lips shall sing unto Thy
name.
2. My goodness and my fortress, my refuge, I will sing a new song
unto Thee, with thanksgiving I will sing unto Thee, Thou art the
strength of my salvation.
J. AD the kings of the earth shall praise Thee, the princes of the
world shall sing unto Thee, the children of Israel shall rejoice in Thy
salvation, they shall sing and praise Thy power.
4- In Thee, 0 God, did we trust; we said, Thou art our God, for
Thou wast our shelter and our strong tower against our enemies.
50 To Thee we cried, and we were not ashamed; in Thee we
trusted, and we were delivered; when we cried unto Thee, Thou
didst hear our voice, Thou didst deliver our souls from the sword.
6. Thou hast shown unto us Thy mercy, Thou didst give unto us
Thy salvation, Thou didst rejoice our hearts with Thy strength.
,. Thou wentest forth for our salvation; with the strength of Thy
arm Thou didst redeem Thy people; Thou didst console us from the
heavens of Thy holiness, Thou didst save us from tens of thousands.
8. Sun and moon stood still in heaven, and Thou didst stand in
Thy wrath against our oppressors. and Thou didst execute Thy
judsments upon them.

Digitized by Coogle
12 The Legends of the Jews

9. All the princes of the earth stood up, the kings of the nt-tions
had gathered themselves together, they were not moved at Thy
presence, they desired Thy battles.
10. Thou didst rise against them in Thine anger, and Thou didst
bring down Thy wrath upon them, Thou didst destroy them in Thy
fury, and Thou didst ruin them in Thy rage.
II. Nations raged from fear of Thee, -kingdoms tottered because
of Thy wrath, Thou didst wound kings in the day of Thine anger.
12. Thou ,didst pour out Thy fury upon them, Thy wrathful anger
took hold of them, Thou didst tum their iniquity upon them, and
Thou didst cut them off in their wickedness.
13- They spread a trap, they feU therein, in the net they hid their
foot was caught
14- Thine hand found all Thine enemies, who said, through their
sword they possessed the land, through their arm they dwelt in the
city.
IS- Thou didst fill their faces with shame, Thou didst bring their
horns down to the ground.
16. Thou didst terrify them in Thy wratlt, and Thou didst destroy
them from before Thee.
17. The earth quaked and trembled from the noise of Thy thunder
against them; Thou didst not withhold their souls from earth, and
Thou didst bring down their lives to the grave.
18. Thou didst pursue them in Thy storm, Thou didst consume
them in the whirlwind, Thou didst tum their rain into hail, they fell
in floods, so that they could not rise.
19- Their carcasses were like rubbish cast out in the middle of
the streets.
:ao. They were consumed, and they perished before Thee. Thou
bast delivered Thy people in Thy might.
21. Therefore our hearts rejoice in Thee, our souls exult in Thy
salvation.
22. Our tongues shaD relate Thy might, we will sing and praise
Thy wondrous works.
23- For Thou didst save us from our enemies, Thou didst deliver
us from those who rose up against us, Thou didst destroy them from
before us, and depress them beneath our feet
24- Thus shall all Thine enemies perish, 0 Lord, and the wicked
shaU be like chaff driven by the wind, and Thy beloved shall be like
trees planted by the waters."

Digitized by Coogle
 Joshua 13

WAIl. WITH THE ARKENIANS

Joshua's victorious course did not end with the conquest
of the land. His war with the Annenians, after Palestine was
subdued, marked the climax of his heroic deeds. Among
the thirty-one kings whom Joshua had slain, there was one
whose son, Shobaeh by name. was king of Annenia. With
the purpose of waging war with Joshua, he united the forty-
five kings of Persia and Media, and they were joined by the
renowned hero Japheth. The allied kings in a letter in-
fonned Joshua of their design against him as follows: " The
noble, distinguished council of the kings of Persia and
Media to Joshua, peace I ~u wolf of the desert, we well
know what thou didst to our kinsmen. Thou didst destroy
our palaces; without pity thou didst slay young and old i our
fathers thou didst mow down with the sword; and their
cities thou didst turn into a desert. Know, then, that in the
space of thirty days, we shall come to thee, we, the forty-five
kings, each having sixty thousand warriors under him, aU of
them armed with bows and arrows, girt about with swords,
all of us skilled in the ways of war, and with us the hero
Japheth. Prepare now for the combat, and say not after-
ward that we took thee at unawares.'~
The messenger bearing the letter arrived on the day be-
fore the Feast of Weeks. Although Joshua was greatly
wrought up by the contents of the letter, he kept his counsel
until after the feast, in order not to disturb the rejoicing of
the people. Then, at the conclusion of the feast, he told the
people of the message that had reached him, so terrifying
that even he, the veteran warrior, trembled at the heralded
approach of the enemy. Nevertheless Joshua determined to

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

accept the challenge. From the first words his reply was
framed to show the heathen how little their fear possessed
him whose trust was set in God. The introduction to his
epistle reads as follows: " In the Name of the Lord, the God
of Israel, who saps the strength of the iniquitous warrior,
and slays the rebellious sinner. He breaks up the assemblies
of marauding transgressors, and He gathers together in
council the pious and the just scattered abroad, He the God
of all gods, the Lord of all lords, the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. God is the Lord of war I From me, Joshua, the
servant of God, and from the holy and chosen congregation
to the impious nations, who pay worship to images, and
prostrate themselves before idols: No peace unto you, saith
my God I Know that ye acted foolishly to awaken the slum-
bering lion, to rouse up the lion's whelp, to excite his wrath.
I am ready to pay you your recompense. Be ye prepared
to meet me, for within a week I shall be with you to slay
your warriors to a man."
Joshua goes on to recite all the wonders God had done for
Israel, who need fear no power on earth; and he ends his
missive with the words: " If the hero Japheth is with you,
we have in the midst of us the Hero of all heroes, the High-
est above all the high."
The heathen were not a little alarmed at the tone of
Joshua's letter. Their terror grew when the messenger told
of the exemplary discipline maintained in the Israelitish
army, of the gigantic stature of Joshua, who stood five ells
high, of his royal apparel, of his crown graven with the Name
of God. At the end of seven days Joshua appeared with
twelve thousand troops. When the mother of King Shobac;h,

Digitized by Coogle
 Joshua IS
who was a powerful witch, espied the host, she exercised het
magic art, and enclosed the Israelitish army in seven walls.
Joshua thereupon sent forth a carrier pigeon to communi-
cate his plight to Nabial.t, the king of the trans-Jordanie
tribes. He urged him to hasten to his help and bring the
priest Phinehas and the sacred trumpets with him. Nabia~
did not tarry. Before the relief detachment arrived, his
mother reported to Shobach that she beheld a star arise out
of the East against which her machinations were vain.
Shobach threw his mother from the wall, and he himself
was soon afterward killed by Nabia~. Meantime Phinehas
arrived, and, at the sound of his trumpets, the walls toppled
down. A pitched battle ensued, and the heathen were anni-
hilated.-

ALLoTMENT OF THE LAND

At the end of seven years of warfare: Joshua could at
last venture to parcel out the conquered land among the
tnDes. This was the way he did it. The high priest Eleazar,
attended by Joshua and all the people, and arrayed in the
Urim and Thummim, stood before two urns. One of the
urns contained the names of the tribes, the other the names
of the districts into which the land was divided. The holy.,.
spirit caused him to exclaim "Zebulon." When he put his
hand into the first urn, 10, he drew forth the word Zebulon,
and from the other came the word Accho, meaning the dis-
trict of' Accho. Thus it happened with each tribe in succes-
sion.• In order that the boundaries might remain fixed,
Josbua had had the ~~bah - planted between the districts.
The rootstock of this plant once established in a spot, it can

Digitized by Coogle
16 The Legends of the Jews

be extirpated only with the greatest difficulty. The plough

may draw deep furrows over it, yet it puts forth new shoots,
and grows up again amid the grain, stiD marking the old
division lines.·
In connection with the allotment of the land Joshua issued
ten ordinances intended, in a measure, to restrict the rights
in private property: Pasturage in the woods was to be free
to the public at large. Anyone was permitted to gather up
bits of wood in the field. The same permission applied to
all grasses, wherever they might grow, unless they were in
a field that had been sown with fenugreek, which needs
grass for protection. For grafting purposes twigs could
be cut from any plant except olive-trees. Water springs
belonged to the whole town. It was lawful for anyone to
catch fish in the Sea of Tiberias, provided navigation was
not impeded. The area adjacent to the outer side of a fence
about a field might be used by any passer-by to ease nature.
From the close of the harvest until the seventeenth day of
Mar~eshwan fields could be crossed. A traveller who lost
his way among vineyards could not be held responsible for
the damage done in the effort to recover the right path. A
dead body found in a field was to be buried on the spot
where it was found.-
The allotment of the land to the tn"bes and subdividing
each district among the tribesmen took as much time as the
conquest of the land.1l
When the two tnoes and a half from the land beyond
Jordan returned home after an absence of fourteen years,
they were not a little astonished to hear that the boys who
had been too young to go to the wars with them had in the

Digitized by Coogle
 Joshua

meantime shown themselves worthy of the fathers. They

had been successful in repulsing the Ishmaelitish tribes who
had taken advantage of the absence of the men capable of
bearing arms to assault their wives and children.-
After a leadership of twenty-eight years,- marked with
success .. in war and in peace, Joshua departed this life. His
followers laid the knives he had used in circumcising the
Israelites - into his grave, and over it they erected a pillar
. as a memorial of the great wonder of the sun's standing
s~i11 over Ajalon.- However, the mourning for Joshua was
not so great as might justly have been expected. The cul-
tivation of the recently conquered land so occupied the at-
tention of the tribes that they came nigh forgetting the man
to whom chiefly they owed their possession of it. As a
punishment for their ingratitude, God, soon after Joshua's
death, brought also the life of the high priest Eleazar and of
the other elders to a close, and·the mount on which Joshua's
body was' interred began to tremble, and threatened to en-
gulf the Jews.-

•
Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 II
THE JUDGES

• .w.
THE FIRST JUDGE. • . • • • • • • • • •• • • •• • • •• 21
CAMPAIGNS OF KENAZ. . . • . . . . . . . . • . . . • 24-
OTHNIEL ..•.............•••...••... 29
BOAZ AND RUTH..................... 30
DEBORAH ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 34
GmEON ............................. 39
JEPHTHAH ••• •.. .. .. . .•. . . • . . . . . . ..• • 43
SAMSON •...........•....•.•........ 47
THE CRIME OF THE BENJAlolITES....... 49

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 II
THE JUDGES
THE FIRST JUDGE

After the death of Joshua the Israelites inquired of God

whether they were to go up against the Canaanites in war.
They were given the answer: .. If ye are pure of heart, go
~orth unto the combat; but if your hearts are sullied with
sin, then refrain." They inquired furthermore how to test
the heart of the people. God ordered them to cast lots and
set apart those designated by lot, for they would be the
sinful among them. Again, when the people besought God
to give it a guide and leader, an angel answered: .. Cast
lots in the tribe of Caleb." The lot designated Kenaz, and
he was made prince over Israel.I
His first act was to determine by lot who were the sinners
in Israel, and what their inward thought. He declared be-
fore the people: .. If I and my house be set apart by lot, deal
with us as we deserve, bum us with fire." The people as-
senting, lots were cast, and 345 of the tribe of Judah were
singled out, 560 of Reuben, 775 of Simon, ISO of Levi, 665
of Issachar, S4S of Zebulon, 380 of Gad, 665 of Asher, 480
of Manasseh, 448 of Ephrai~, and 267 of Benjamin.' So
6110' persons were confined in pr~son, until God should let
it be known what was to be done with them. The united
prayers of Kenaz, Eleazar the high priest, and the elders
of the congregation, were answered thus: .. Ask these men

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

now to confess their iniquity, and they shall be burnt with

fire." Kenaz thereupon exhorted them: co Ye know that
Achan, the son of Zabdi, committed the trespass of taking
the anath~ma, but the lot fell upon him, and he confessed
his sin. Do ye likewise confess your sins, that ye may come
to life with those whom God will revive on'the day of the
resurrection." •
One of the sinful, a man by the name of Elah,' said in re-
ply thereto: co If thou desirest to bring forth the truth,
address thyself to each of the tribes separately.'" Kenaz
began with his own, the tribe of Judah. The wicked of
Judah confessed to the sin of worshipping the golden calf,
like unto their forefathers in the desert. The Reubenites
had burnt sacrifices to idols. The Levites said: .. We de-
sired to prove whether the Tabernacle is holy." Those of
the tribe of Issachar replied: .. We consulted idols to know
what will become of us.'" The sinners of Zebulon: .. We
desired to eat the flesh of our sons and daughters, to know
whether the Lord loves them." The Danites admitted, they
had taught their children out of the books of the Amorites,
which they had hidden then under Mount Abarim,' where
Kenaz actually found them. The Naphtalites confessed to
the same transgression, only they had concealed the books
in the tent of Elah, and there they were found by Kenaz.
The Gadites acknowledged having led an ill'1moral life, and
the sinners of Asher, that they had found, and had hidden
under Mount Shechem, the seven golden idols called by the
Amorites the holy nymphs-the same seven idols which had
been made in a miraculous way after the deluge by the seven
sinners, Canaan, Put, Shelah, Nimrod, Elath, Diul, and

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges 23

Shuah.· They were of precious stones from Havilah, which

radiated light, making night bright as day. Besides, they
possessed a rare virtue: if a blind Amorite kissed one of the
idols, and at the same time touched its eyes, his sight was
restored." After the sinners of Asher, those of Manasseh
made their confession-they had desecrated the Sabbath.
The Ephraimites owned to having sacrificed their children
to Moloch. .Finally, the Benjamites said: .. We desired to
prove whether the law emanated from God or from Moses."
At the command of God these sinners and all their pos-
sessions were burnt with fire at the brook Pishon. Only
the Amorite books and the idols of precious stones remained
unscathed. Neither fire nor water could do them harm.
Kenaz decided to consecrate the idols to God, but a revela-
tion came to him, saying: .. If God were to accept what has
been declared anathema, why should not man?" He was as-
sured that God would destroy the things over which human
hands had no power. Kenaz, acting under Divine instruc-
tion, bore them to the summit of a mountain, where an altar
was erected. The books and the idols were placed upon it,
and the people offered many sacrifices and celebrated the
whole day as a festival. During the night following, Kenaz
saw dew rise from the "ice in Paradise and descend upon
the books. The letters of their writing were obliterated by
it, and then an angel came and annihilated what was left."
During the same night an angel carried off the seven gems,
and threw them to the bottom of the sea. Meanwhile a sec-
ond angel brought twelve other gems, engraving the names
of the twelve sons of Jacob upon them, one name upon each.
No two of these gems were alike: U the first, to bear the

Digitized by Coogle

•
 The Legemls of the Jews

name of Reuben, was like sardius; the second, for Simon..

like topaz; the third, Levi, like emerald i the fourth, Judah.
like carbuncle; the fifth, Issachar, like sapphire; the sixth.
Zebulon, like jasper; the seventh. Dan. like ligure; the
eighth. Naphtali. like amethyst; the ninth. Gad. like agate;
the tenth. Asher. like chrysolite; the eleventh, Joseph, like
beryl i and the twelfth, Benjamin, like onYx.
Now God commanded Kenaz to deposit twelve stones in
the holy Ark. and there they were to remain until SlIch time
as Solomon should build the Temple, and attach them to
the Cherubim.1I Furthermore, this Divine communication
was made to Kenaz: " And it shall come to pass, when the
sin of the chlldren of men shall have been completed by de-:
filing My Temple, the Temple they themselves shall build,
that I will take these stones, together with the tables of the
law, and put them in the place whence they were removed
of old, and there they shall remain until the end of aU time,
when I will visit the inhabitants of the earth. Then I will
take them up, and they shall be an everlasting light to those
who love Me and keep My commandments." ..
When Kenaz bore the stones to the sanctuary. they il-
lumined the earth like unto the sun at midday.

CAMPAIGNS OF KENAZ
After these preparations Kenaz took the field against the
enemy, with three hundred thousand men.1I The first day
he slew eight thousand of the foe, and the second day five
thousand. But not all the people were devoted to Kenaz.
Some murmured against him, and calumniating him. said:
.. Kenaz stays at home, while we expose ourselves on the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges

field." The servants of Kenaz reported these words to him.

He ordered the thirty-seven· men who had railed against
him to be incarcerated, and he swore to kill them. if God
would but grant him assistanc,e for the sake of His people.
Thereupon he assembled three hundred men of his at-
tendants, supplied them with horses, and bade them be
prepared to make a sudden attack during the night, but to
tell none of the plans he harbored in his mind. The scouts
sent ahead to reconnoitre reported that the Amorites were
too powerful for him to risk an engagement. Kenaz, how-
ever, refused to be turned away from his intention. At
midnight he and his three hundred trusty attendants ad-
vanced upon the Amorite camp. Close upon it, he com-
manded his men to halt, but to resume their march and fol-
low him when they should hear the notes of a trumpet. If
the trumpet was not sounded, they were to return home.
Alone Kenaz ventured into the very camp of the enemy.
Praying to God fervently, he asked that a sign be given
him: "Let this be the sign of the salvation Thou wilt ac-
complish for me this day: I shall draw my sword from its
sheath, and brandish it so that it glitters in the camp of the
Amorites. If the enemy recognize it as the sword of Ke-
naz, then I shall know Thou wilt deliver them mto my
hand; if not, I shall understand Thou hast not granted my
prayer, but dost purpose to deliver me into the hand of the
enemy for my sins."
He heard the Amorites say: "Let us proceed to give
battle to the Israelites, for our sacred gods, the nymphs, are
in their hands, and will cause their defeat." When he heard
these words, the spirit of God came over Kenaz. He arose

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

and swung his sword above his head. Scarce had the Am-
orites seen it gleam in the air when they exclaimed: " V eriIy•
this is the sword of Kenaz, who has come to inflict wounds
and pain. But we know that our gods, who are held by the
Israelites, will deliver them into our hands. Up, then, to
battIe I" Knowing that God had heard his petition, Kenaz
threw himself upon the Amorites, and mowed down forty-
. five thousand of them, and as many perished at the hands
of their own brethren, for God had sent the angel Ga-
brielS' to his aid, and he had struck the Amorites blind, so
that they fell upon one another. On"account of the vigorous
blows dealt by Kenaz on all sides, his sword stuck to his
hand. A fleeing Amorite, whom he stopped, to ask him how
to loose it, advised him to slay a Hebrew, and let his warm
blood flow over his hand. Kenaz accepted his advice, but
only in part: instead of a Hebrew, he slew the Amorite
himself, and his blood freed his hand from the sword.~
When Kenaz came back to his men, he found them sunk
in profound sleep, which had overtaken them that they
might not see the wonders done for their leader. They were
not a little astonished, on awakening, to behold the whole
plain strewn with the dead bodies of the Amorites. Then
Kenaz said to them: " Are the ways of God like unto the
ways of man? Through me the Lord hath sent deliverance
to this people. Arise now and go back to your tents." The
people recognized that a great miracle had happened, and
they said: II Now we know that God hath wrought salva-
tion for His people; He hath no need of numbers, but only
of holiness."
On his return from the campaign, Kenaz was received

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges

with great rejoicing. The whole people now gave thanks

to God for having put him over them as their leader. They
desired to know how he had won the great victory. Kenaz
only answered: " Ask those who were with me about my
deeds." His men were thus forced to confess that they
~ew nothing, only, on awakening, they had seen the plain
full of dead bodies, without being able to account for their
being there. Then Kenaz turned to the thirty-seven men
imprisoned, before he left for the war, for having cast as-
persions upon him. "Well," he said, "what charge have
you to make against me?" Seeing that death was inevi-
table, they confessed they were of the sort of sinners whom
Kenaz and the people had executed, and God had now sur-
rendered them to him on account of their misdeeds. They,
. too, were burnt with fire.
Kenaz reigned for a period of fifty-seven years. When
he felt his end draw nigh, he summoned the two prophets,
Phinehas and J abez," together with the priest Phinehas, the
son of Eleazar. To these he spake: "I know the heart of
this people, .it will turn from following after the Lord.
Therefore do I testify against it." Phinehas, the son of
Eleazar, replied: "As Moses and Joshua testified, so do I
testify against it; for Moses and Joshua prophesied con-
cerning the vineyard, the beautiful planting of the Lord,
which knew not who had planted it, and did not recognize
Him who cultivated it, so that the vineyard was destroyed,
and brought forth no fruit. These are the words my father
commanded me to say unto this people."
Kenaz broke out into loud wailing, and with him the
elders and the people, and they wept until eventide, saying:

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

"Is it for the iniquity of the Sheep that the shepherd must
perish? May the Lord have compassion upon His inheri-
tance that it may not work in vain."
The spirit of God descended upon Kenaz, and he beheld
a vision. He prophesied that this world would continue to
exist only seven thousand years, to be followed then by the
Kingdom of Heaven. These words spoken, the prophetical
spirit departed from him, and he straightway forgot what
he had uttered during his vision. Before he passed away,
he spoke once more, saying: "If such be the rest which
the righteous obtain after their death, it were better for
them to die than live in this corrupt world and see its
iniquities." •
As Kenaz left no male ·heirs, Zebul was appointed his
successor. Mindful of the great service Kenaz had per-
formed for the nation, Zebul acted a father's part toward
the three unmarried daughters of his predecessor. At
his instance, the people assigned a rich marriage portion to
each of them; they were given great domains as their prop.-
erty. The oldest of the three, Ethema by name, he married
to Elizaphan; the second, Pheila, to Odihel; and the young-
est, Zilpah, to Doel.
Zebul, the judge, instituted a treasury at Shiloh. He
bade the people bring contributions, whether of gold or of ,
silver. They were only to take heed not to carry anything
thither that had originally belonged to an idol. His efforts
were crowned with success. The free-will offerings to the
Temple treasure amounted to twenty talents of gold and
two hundred and fifty talents of silver.

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges

Zebut's reign lasted twenty-five years. Before his death

he admonished the people solemnly to be God-fearing and
observant of the law.-

OTBNIEL
Othniel was a judge of a very different type. His COJ:l-
temporaries said, that before the sun of Joshua went down,
the sun of Othniel, his successor in the leadership of the
people, appeared on the horizon. The new leader's real
name was Judah; Othnie1 was one of his epithets, as Jabez
was another.-
Among the judges, Othniel represents the class of schol-
ars. His acumen was so great that he was able, by dint of
dialectic reasoning, to restore the seventeen hundred tradi-
tions - which Moses had taught the people, and which had
been forgotten in the time of mourning for Moses. Nor
was his zeal for the promotion of the study of the Torah in-
ferior to his learning. The descendants of Jethro left J eri-
cho, the district assigned to them, and journeyed to Arad,
only that they might sit at the .feet of Othnie1.- His wife,
the daughter of his half-brother Caleb, was not so weD
pleased with him. She complained to her father that her
husband's house was bare of all earthly goods, and his only
possession was Imowledge of the Torah.-
The first event to be noted in Othn~el's forty years' reign-
is his victory over Adoni-bezek. This chief did not occupy.
a prominent position among the Canaanitish rulers. He was
not even accounted a king, nevertheless he had conquered
seventy foreign kings.- The n~t event was the capture of
La by the Israe1ites~ The only way to gain entrance into

Digitized by Coogle
30 The Leg",ds of the Jews

Luz was by a cave, and the road to the cave lay through a
hollow almond tree. If this secret approach to the city
had not been betrayed by one of its residents, it would have
been impossible for the Israelites to reach it. God rewarded
the informer who put the Israelites in the way of capturing
Luz. The city he founded was left unmolested both by
Sennacherib and N ebuchadnezzar, and not even the Angel
of Death has power over its inhabitants. They never die,
unless, weary of life, they leave the city.-
The same good fortune did not mark Othniel's reign
throughout. For eight years Israel suffered oppression at
the hands of Cusban, the evil-doer who in former days had
threatened to destroy the patriarch Jacob, as he was now
endeavoring to destroy the descendants of Jacob, for Cushan
is only another name for Laban.-
Othniel, however, was hela so little answerable for the
causes that had brought on the punishment of the people,
that God granted him etemallife j he is one of the few who
reached Paradise alive.-

BoAZ AND RUTH

The story of Ruth came to pass a hundred· years after
Othniel's reign. Conditions in Palestine were of such a
nature that if a judge said to a man, .. Remove the mote
from thine eye," his reply was, "Do thou remove the beam
from thine own." 8 To chastise the Israelites God sent
down upon them one of the ten seasons of famine which He
had ordained, as disciplinary measures for mankind, from the
creation of the world until the advent of Messiah.8 Elime-
lech· and his sons,· who belonged to the aristocracy of the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges 31

land, attempted neither to improve - the sinful generation

whose transgressions had called forth the famine, nor alle-
viate the distress that prevailed about them. They left Pal-
estine, and thus withdrew themselves from the needy who
had counted upon their help. They turned their faces to
Moab.- There, on account of their wealth and high descent,
they were made officers in the army.- Mahlon and Chilion,
the sons of Elimelech, rose to still higher distinction, they
married the daughters of the Moabite king Eglon.- But
this did not happen until after the death of Elimelech, who
was opposed to intermarriage with the heathen.- Neither
the wealth nor the family connections of the two men helped
them before God. First they sank into poverty, and, as they
continued in their sinful ways, God took their life.-
Naomi, their mother, resolved to return to her home.
Her two daughters-in-law were very dear to her on account
of the love they had borne her sons, a love strong even in
death, for they refused to marry again.- Yet she would not
take them with her to Palestine, because she foresaw con-
temptuous treatment in store for them as Moabitish women.-
Orpah was easily persuaded to remain behind. She accom-
panied her mother-in-law a distance of four miles, and then
she took leave of her, shedding only four tears as she bade
her farewell. Subsequent events showed that she had not
been worthy of entering into the Jewish communion, for
scarcely had she separated from Naomi when she abandoned
herself to an immoral life. But with God nothing goes un-
rewarded. For the four miles which Orpah travelled with
Naomi, she was recompensed by bringing forth four giants,
Goliath and his three brothers."

Digitized by Coogle
32 TIse L,gends of Ih, I ews

Ruth's bearing and history were far different. She was

determined to become a Jewess, and her decision could not
be shaken by what Naomi, in compliance with the Jewish
injunction, told her of the difficulties of the Jewish law.
Naomi warned her that the Israelites had been enjoined to
keep Sabbaths and" feast days'- and that the daughters of
Israel were not in the habit of frequenting the "theatres and
circuses of the heathen. Ruth only affinned her readiness
to follow Jewish customs.- And when Naomi said: II We
have Oft, Torah, one law, Oft, command; the Eternal our
God is Oft" there is none beside Him," Ruth answered:
•• Thy people shall be my people, thy God my God."· So the
"two" women journeyed together to Bethlehem. They ar-
rived there on the very day on which the wife of Boaz was
buried, and the concourse assembled for the f~eral saw
Naomi as she returned to her home.-
Ruth supported herself and her mother-in-law sparsely
with the ears of grain which she gathered in the fields. As-
sociation with so pious a woman as Naomi· hid already
exercised great influence upon her life and ways. Boaz was
astonished to notice that if the reapers let more than two
ears fall, in spite of her need she did not pick them up, for
the gleaning assigned to the poor by the law does not refer
to quantities of more than two ears inadvertently dropped
at one time.- Boaz also admired her grace, her decorous
conduct, her modest demeanor.- When he learned who
she was, he commended her for her attachment to Judaism.
To his praise she returned: "Thy ancestors found no de-
light even in Timna,- the daughter of a royal house. M
for me, I am a member of a low people, abominated by thy:

Digitized by Coogle
 The ludges 33

God, and excluded from the assembly of Israel." For the

moment Boaz failed to recollect the Halakah bearing on the
Moabites and Ammonites. A voice from heaven reminded
him that only thei~ males were affected by the command of
exclusion.- This he told to Ruth, and he also told her of a
vision he had had concerning her descendants. For the
sake of the good she had done to her mother-in-law, kings
and prophets would spring from her womb."
Boaz showed 1,dndness not only to Ruth and Naomi, but
also to their dead. He took upon himself the decent burial
of the remains of Elimelech and his two sons.- All this
.begot in Naomi the thought that Boaz harbored the inten-
tion of marrying Ruth. She sought to coax the secret, if
such there was, from Ruth.- When she found that nothing
'could be elicited from her daughter-in-law, she made Ruth
her partner in a plan to force Boaz into 'a decisive step.
Ruth adhered to Naomi's directions in every particular, ex-
cept that s~e did not wash and anoint herself and put on
fine raiment, until after she had reached her destination.
She feared to attract the attention of the lustful, if she
walked along the road decked out in unusual finery.-
The moral conditions in those dayts were very reprehen-
sible. Though Boaz was high-born and a man of substance,
yet he slept on the threshing-floor, so that his presence
might act as a check upon profligacy. In the midst of his
sleep, Boaz was startled to find some one next to him. At
first he thought it was a demon. Ruth calmed his disquie-
tude - with these words: " Thou art the head of the court,
thy ancestors were princes, thou art thyself an honorable
man, and a kinsman of my dead husband. As for me, who
3

Digitized by Coogle
34 The Legends of the I ews

am in the flower of my years, since I left the home of my

parents where homage is rendered unto idols, I have been
constantly menaced by the dissolute young men around.·
So I have come hither that thou, who art the redeemer, may-
est spread out thy skirt over me."· Boaz gave her the assur-
ance that if his older brother Tob· failed her, he would as-
sume the duties of a redeemer. The next day he came be-
fore the tribunal of the Sanhedrin· to have the matter ad-
justed. Tob soon made his appearance, for an angel led
him to the place where he was wanted,· that Boaz and Ruth
might not have long to wait. Tob, who was not learned in
the Torah, did not know that the p~hibition against the Mo-
abites had reference only to males. Therefore, he declined to
marry Ruth." So she 'was taken to wife· by the octogen-
arian • Boaz. Ruth herself was forty years old" at the time
of her second marriage, and it was against all expectations
that her union with Boaz should be blessed with offspring,
a son, Obed the pious.· Ruth lived to see the glory of Solo-
mon, but Boaz died on the day after the wedding.·

DEBORAH

Not long after Ruth, another ideal woman arose in Israel,

the prophetess Deborah.
When Ehud died, there was none to take his place as
judge, and the people fell off from God and His law. God,
therefore, sent an angel to them with the following message:
. " Out of all the nations on earth, I chose a people for 'My-
self, and I thought, so long as the world stands, My glory
will rest upon them. I sent Moses unto them, My servant,
to teach them goodness and righteousness. But they

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges 3S
strayed from My ways. And now I will arouse their ene-
mies against them, to rule over them, and they will cry out:
• Because we forsook the ways of our fathers, hath this
come over us.' Then I will send a woman unto them, and
she will shine for them as a light for forty years." til
The enemy whom God raised up against Israel was Ja-
bin," the king of Hazor, who oppressed him sorely. But
worse than the king himself was his general Sisera, one of
the greatest heroes known to history. When he was thirty
years old, he had conquered the whole world. At the sound
of his voice the strongest of walls fell in a heap, arid the
wild animals in the woods were chained to the spot by fear.
The proportions of his body were vast beyond description.
If he took a bath in the river, and dived beneath the surface,
enough fish were caught in his beard to feed a multitude,
and it required no less than nine hundred horses to draw
the chariot in which he rode.'"
To rid Israel of this tyrant, God appointed Deborah and
her husband Barak. Barak was an ignoramus, like most
of his contemporaries. It was a time singularly deficient in
scholars.'" In order to do something meritorious in connec:-
tion with the Divine service, he carried candles, at his wife's
instance, to the sanctuary, wherefrom he was called Lapi-
doth, .. Flames." Deborah was in the habit of making the
wicks on the candles very thick, so that they might bum a
long time. Therefore God distinguished her. He said:
" Thou takest pains to shed light in My house, and I win
let thy light, thy fame, shine abroad in the whole land."
Thus it happened that Deborah became a prophetess and a
judge. She dispensed judgment in the open air, for it was

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the ] eTJ}S

not becoming that men should visit a woman in hel' house."

Prophetess though she was, she was yet subject to the
frailties of her sex. Her self-consciousness was inordinate.
She sent for Barak· to come to her instead of going to
him,· and in her song she spoke more of herself than was
seemly. The result was that the prophetical spirit departed
from her for a time.while she was composing her song."
The salvation of Israel was effected only after the people.
assembled on the Mount of Judah. had confessed their sins
publicly before' God and besought His help. A seven days·
fast was proclaimed for men and women, for young and
old. Then God resolved to help the Israelites, not for their
sakes, but for the sake of keeping the oath he had sworn to
their forefathers, never to abandon their seed. Therefore
He sent Deborah unto them.·
The task allotted to Deborah and Barak, to lead the at-
tack upon Sisera. was by no means slight. It is comparable
with nothing less than Joshua's undertaking to conquer
Canaan. Joshua had triumphed over only thirty-one of the
sixty-two kings of Palestine. leaving at large as many as he
had subdued. Under the leadership of Sisera these thirty-
one unconquered kings opposed Israel" No less than forty
thousand armies, each counting a hundred thousand war-
riors, were arrayed against Deborah and Barak.- God.
aided Israel with water and fire. The river Kishon and all
the fiery hosts of heaven • except the star Meros - fought
against Siser&. The Kishon had long before been pledged
to play its part in Sisera's overthrow. When the Egyp-
tians were drowned in the Red Sea, God commanded the
Angel of the Sea to cast their corpses on the land, that the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges 37

Israe1ite~ might convince themselves of the destruction of

their foes, and those of little faith might not say afterward
that the Egyptians like the Israelites had reached dry land.
The Angel of the Sea complained of the impropriety of
withdrawing a gift. God mollified him with the promise of
future compensation. The Kishon was offered as security
that he would receive half as many bodies again as he was
now giving up. When Sisera's troops sought relief from
the scorching fire of the heavenly bodies in the coolness of
the waters of the Kishon. God commanded the river to re-
deem its pledge. And so the heathen were swept down into
the Sea by the waves of the river Kishon. whereat the fishes
in the Sea exclaimed: II And the truth of the Lord endureth
forever... •
Sisera's lot was no better than the lot of his men. He
fled from the battle on horseback" after witnessing the an-
nihilation of his vast army. When Jael saw him approach,
she went to meet him arrayed in rich garments and jewels.
She was unusually beautiful, and her voice was the most
seductive ever a woman possessed.- These are the words
she addressed to him: " Enter and refresh thyself with food,
and sleep until evening, and then I will send my attendants
with thee to accompany thee, for I know thou wilt not for-
get me, and thy recompense will not fail." When Sisera,
on stepping into J.ter tent, saw the bed strewn with roses
. which Jael had prepared for him, he resolved to take her
home to his mother as his wife, as soon as his safety should
be assured.
He asked her for milk to drink, saying: " My soul bums
with the Bame which I saw in the stars contending for Is-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

rael." Jael went forth to milk her goat, meantime suppli-

cating God to grant her His help:" I pray to Thee, 0 Lord.
to strengthen Thy maid-servant against the enemy. By this
token shall I know that Thou wilt aid me-if, when I enter
the house, Sisera will awaken and ask for water to drink."
Scarcely had Jael crossed the threshold when Sisera awak-
ened and begged for water to quench his burning thirst.
Jael gave him wine mixed with water, which caused him to
drop into a sound sleep again. The woman then took a
wooden spike in her left hand, approached the sleeping war-
rior, and said: "This shall be the sign that Thou wilt de-
liver him into my hand-if I draw him from the bed down
on the ground without awaking him." She tugged at Sisera.
and in very truth he did not awaken even when he dropped
from the bed to the floor. Then Jael prayed: "0 God.
strengthen the arm of Thy maid-servant this day, for Thy
sake, for the sake of Thy people, and for the sake of those
that hope in Thee." With a hammer she drove the spike
into the temple of Sisera, who cried out as he was expiring:
.. 0 that I should lose my life by the hand of a woman I I f
Jael's mocking retort was: "Descend to hell and join thy
fathers, and tell them that thou didst fall by the hand of a
woman."· .
Barak took charge of the body of the dead warrior, and
he sent it to Sisera's mother, Themac," with the message:
" Here is thy son, whom thou didst expect to see returning
laden with booty." He had in mind the vision of Themac
and her women-in-waiting. When Sisera went forth to bat-
tle, their conjuring tricks had shown him to them as he lay
on the bed of a Jewish woman. This they had interpreted

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges 39

to mean that he would return with Jewish captives. "One

damsel, two damsels for every man," • they had said. Great,
therefore, was the disappointment of Sisera's mother. No
less than a hundred cries did she utter over him.-
Deborah and Barak thereupon intoned a song of praise,
thanking God for the deliverance of Israel out of the power
of Sisera, and reviewing the history of the people since the
time of Abraham.-
After laboring for the weal of her nation for forty years,
Deborah departed t~is life. Her last words to the weeping
people were an exhortation not to depend upon the dead.
They can do nothing for the living. So long as a man is
alive, his prayers are efficacious for himself and for others.
They avail naught once he is dead.
The whole nation kept a seventy days' period of mourn-
ing in honor of Deborah, and the land was at peace for
seven years.-

GIDEON
Elated by the victory over Sisera, Israel sang a hymn of
praise, the song of Deborah, and God, to reward them for
their pious sentiments, pardoned the transgressions of the
people.- But they soon slipped back into the old ways, and
the old troubles harassed them. Their backsliding was due
to the witchcraft of a Midianite priest named Aud. He
made the sun shine at midnight, and so convinced the Israel-
ites that the idols of Midian were mightier than God, and
God chastise~ them by delivering them into the hands of
the Midianites.- They worshipped their own images re-
flected in the water," and they were stricken with dire pov-

Digitized by Coogle
II
 The Legends of the / eUJS

erty. They could not bring so much as a meal offering,

the offering of the poor.- On the eve of one Passover,
Gideon uttered the complaint: .. Where are aU the won-
drous works which God did for our fathers in this night,
when he slew the first-born of the Egyptians. and Israel
went forth from slavery with joyous hearts?" God ap-
peared unto him. and said: "Thou who art courageous
enough to champion Israel. thou art worthy that Israel
should be saved for thy sake."-
An angel appeared. and Gideon begged him for a sign,
that he would achieve the deliverance of Israel. He ex-
cused his petition with the precedent of Moses, the first
prophet. who likewise had asked for a sign. The angel bade
him pour water on the rock. and then gave him the choice
of how he would have the water transformed. Gideon de-
sired to see one-half changed into blood. and one-half into
fire. Thus it happened. The blood and the fire mingled
with each other. yet the blood did not quench the fire,
nor did, the fire dry out the blood. Encouraged by this and·
other signs." Gideon undertook to carry on the war against
the Midianites with a band of three hundred God-fearing
men. and he was successful. Of the enemy one hundred and
twenty thousand corpses covered the field. and aU the rest
fled precipitately.-
Gideon enjoyed the privilege of bringing salvation to Is-
rael because he was a good son. His old father feared to
thresh his grain on account of the Midianites. and Gideon
once went out to him in the field and said: "Father. thou
art too old to do this work; go thou home. and I s&a11 finish
thy task for thee. If the Midianites should surprise me out

Digitized by Coogle
 The J1Mlges 41

here, I can run away, which thou canst not do, on account
of thy age....
The day on which Gideon gained his great victory was
during the Passover. and the cake of barley bread that
turned the camp of the enemy upside down. of which the
Midianite dreamed. was a sign that God would espouse the
cause of His people to reward them for bringing a cake of
barley bread as an 'Omer offering.-
After God had favored Israel with great help through
him, Gideon had an ephod made. In the high priest's breast-
plate, Joseph was represented among the twelve tribes by
Ephraim alone, not by Manasseh, too. To wipe out this
slight upon his own tribe, Gideon made an ephod bearing
the name of Manasseh. He consecrated it to God, but after
his death homage was paid to it as an idol.- In those days
the Israelites were so addicted to the worship of Beelzebub
that they constantly carried small images of this god with
them in their pockets. and every now and then they were in
the habit of bringing the image forth and kissing it fer-
vently.- Of such idolaters were the vain and light fellows
who helped Abime1ech. the son of Gideon by his concubine
from Shcchem. to assas~inate the other sons of his father.
But God is just. As Abime1ech murdered his brothers. upon
a stone. so· Abimelech himself met his death through a
millstone. It was proper, then, that Jotham, in his parable,
should compare Abimelech to a thorn-bush, while he char-
acterized his predecessors, Othniel, Deborah, and Gid-
eon, as an olive-tree. or a fig-tree, or a vine. This Jotham,
the youngest of the sons of Gideon, was more than a teller
of parables. He knew then that long afterward the Samari-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / e'Ws

tans would claim sanctity for Mount Gerizim. on account

of the blessing pronounced from it upon the tribes. For
this reason he chose Gerizim from which to hurl his curse
upon Shechem and its inhabitants.-
The successor to Abimelech equalled. if he did not sur-
pass. him in wickedness. lair erected an altar unto Baal,
and on penalty of death he forced the people to prostrate
themselves before it. Only seven men remained firm in the
true faith. and refused to the last to commit idolatry. Their
names were Deuel. Abi .Yisreel. ]ekuthiel. Shalom, Ashur,
] ehonadab, and ShemieI.... They said to ] air: .. We are
mindful of the lessons given us by our teachers and our
mother Deborah. 'Take ye heed,' they said, 'that your
heart lead you not astray to the right or to the left. Day
and night ye shall devote yourselves to the study of the
Torah.' Why, then, dost thou seek to corrupt the people of
the Lord, saying, Baal is God, let us worship him '? 1£ he
t

really is what thou sayest, then let him speak like a god,
and we will pay him worship." For the blasphemy they
had uttered against Baal, ] air commanded that the seven
men be burnt. When his servants were about to carry out
his order, God sent the angel Nathaniel, the lord over the
fire, and he extinguished the fire, though not before the ser-
vants of lair were consumed by it. Not only did the seven
men escape the danger of suffering death by fire, but the
angel enabled them to flee unnotice.1. by striking all the
people present with blindness. Then the angel approached
lair, and said to him: .. Hear the words of the Lord ere
thou diest. I appointed thee as prince over my people, and
thou didst break My covenant, seduce My people. and seek

Digitized by Coogle
---------- -- ---- ---

The Judges 43

to bum My servants with fire, but they were animated and

freed by the living, the heavenly fire. As for thee, thou wilt
die, and die by fire, a fire in which thou wilt abide forever."
Thereupon the angel burnt him with a thousand men.
whom he had taken in the act of paying homage to Baal.-

JEPHTHAH

The first judge of any importance after Gideon was Jeph-

thah. He, too, fell short of being the ideal Jewish ruler.
His father had married a woman of another tribe, an un-
usual occurrence in a time when a woman who left her tribe
was held in contempt.- Jephthah, the offspring of this
union, had to bear the consequences of his mother's irregu-
lar conduct. So many annoyances were put upon him that
he was forced to leave his home and settle in a heathen dis-
trice-
At first Jephthah refused to accept the rulership which
the people offered him in an assembly at Mizpah, for he had
not forgotten the wrongs to which he had been subjected.
In the end, however, he yielded, and placed himself at the
head of the people in the war against Getal, the king of the
Ammonites. At his departure, he vowed before God to
sacrifice to Him whatsoever came forth out of the doors of
his house to meet him when he returned a victor from the
war.
God was angry and said: II So J ephthah has vowed to
offer unto me the first thing that shall meet him I If a dog
were the first to meet him, would a dog be sacrificed to me?
Now shall the vow of Jephthah be visited on his first-born,
on his own offspring, yea, his prayer shall be visited on his

Digitized by Coogle
44 The Legends of the / ews

only daughter. But I assuredly shall deliver my people, not

for ]ephthah's sake, but for the sake of the prayers of
Israel."
The first to meet him after his successful campaign was
his daughter SheDah. Overwhelmed by anguish, the father
cried out: II Rightly was the name Sheilah, the one who
is demanded, given to thee,. that thou shouldst be offered
up as a sacrifice. Who shall set my heart in the balance
and my soul as the weight, that I may stand and see whether
tliat which happened to me is joy or sorrow? But because I
opened my mouth to the Lord, and uttered avow, I cannot
take it back." Then Sheilah spoke, saying: II Why dost
thou grieve for my death, since the people was delivered?
Dost thOu not remember what happened in the days of our
forefathers, when the father offered his son as a burnt
offering, and the son did not refuse, but consented gladly,
and the offerer and the offered were both full of joy? There-
fore, do as thou hast spoken. But before I die I will ask
a favor of thee. Grant me that I may go with my compan~
ions upon the mountains, sojourn among the hills, and tread
upon the rocks to shed my tears and deposit there the grief
for my lost youth. The trees of the field shall weep for me.
and the beasts of the field mourn for me. I do not grieve
for my death, nor because I have to yield up my life. but
because when my father vow~ his heedless vow. he did not
have me in mind. I fear, therefore, that I may not be an
acceptable sacrifice, and that my death shall be for nothing..•
Sheilah and her companions went forth and told her case
to the sages of the people, but none of them could give her
any help. Then she went up to Mount Te1ag, where the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges 45

Lord appeared to her at night, saying unto her: "I have

closed the mouth of the sages of my people in this genera·
tion, that they cannot answer the daughter of Jephthah a
word; that my vow be fulfilled and nothing of what I have
thought remain undone. I know her to be wiser than her
father, and all the wise men, and now her soul shall be ac-
cepted at her request, and her death shall be very precious
before My face all the time." . Sheilah began to bewail her
fate in these words: " Hearken, ye mountains, to my lamen-
tations, and ye hills, to the tears of my eyes, and ye rocks,
testify to the weeping of my soul. My words will go up to
heaven, and my tears will be written in the firmament. I
have not been granted the joy of wedding, nor was the
wreath of my betrothal completed. I have not been decked
with ornaments, nor have I been scented with myrrh and
with aromatic perfumes. I have not been anointed with .
the oil that was prepared for me. Alas, 0 mother, it was
in vain thou didst give birth to me, the grave was destined
to be my bridal chamber. The oil thou didst prepare for me
will be spilled, and the white garments my mother sewed
for me, the moth will eat them; the bridal wreath my nurse
wound for me will wither, and my garments in blue and
purple, the worms will destroy them, and my companions
will all their days lament over me. And now, ye trees, in-
cline your branches and weep over my youth; ye beasts of
the forest, come and trample upon my virginity, for my
years are cut off, and the days of my life grow old in
darkness." -
Her lamentations were of as little avail as her arguments
with her father. In vain she sought to prove to him from

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of tlte J rclJS

the Torah that the law speaks onlr of animal sacrifices.

never of human sacrifices. In vain she cited the example of
Jacob. who had vowed to give God a tenth of aU the posses-
sions he owned. and yet did not attempt later to sacrifice
one of his sons. Jephthah was inexorable. AU he would
yield was a respite during which his daughter might visit
various scholars, who were to decide whether he was bound
by his vow. According to the Torah his vow was entirely
invalid. He was not even obliged to pay his daughter's value
in money. But the scholars of his time had forgotten this
Halakah, and they decided that he must keep his vow. The
forgetfulness of the scholars was of God, ordained as a pun-
ishment upon Jephthah for having slaughtered thousands
of Ephraim.
One man there was living at the time who. if he had
been questioned about the case, would have been able to give
a decision. This was the' high priest Phinehas. But he said
proudly: .. What I I, a high priest, the son of a high priest.
should humiliate myself and go to an ignoramus I" J eph-
thah on the other hand said: "What I I, the chief of the
tribes of Israel, the first prince of the land, should humiliate
myself and go to one of the rank 2nd file I" So only the
rivalry between Jephthah and Phinehas caused the loss of a
young life. Their punishment did not miss them. J eph-
thah died a horrible death. Limb by limb his body was dis-
membered. As for the high priest, the holy spirit departed
from him, and he had to give up his priestly dignity.-
As it had been Jephthah's task to ward off the Ammon-
ites, so his successor Abdon was occupied with protecting
Israel against the Moabites. The king of Moab sent mes-

Digitized by Coogle
 -- --------

The Judges 47
sengers to Abdon, and they spoke thus: •• Thou well know~
est that Israel took possession of cities that belonged to me.
Return them." Abdon's reply was: "Know ye not how the
Ammonites fared? The measure of Moab's sins, it seems,
is full." With his army of twenty thousand men he went
out against the enemy, slew forty~five thousand of their
number, and routed the rest....

SAMSON
The last judge but one, Samson, was not the most im~
portant of the judges, but he was the greatest hero of the
period and, except Goliath, the greatest hero of all times.
He was the son of Manoah of the tribe of Dan, and his wife
Ze1alponit Ul of the tribe of Judah,'" and he was born to them
at a time when they had given up all hope of having chil~
dren. Samson's birth is a striking illustration of the short-
sightedness of human beings. The judge Ibzan had not in-
vited Manoah and Ze1alponit to any of the one hundred and
twenty feasts in honor of the marriage of his sixty children,
which were celebrated at his house and at the house of their
parents-in~law, because he thought that" the sterile sh~
mule" would never be in a position to repay his courtesy.
It turned out that Samson's parents were blessed with an
extraordinary son, while Ibzan saw his sixty children die
during his lifetime.1U
Samson's strength was superhuman,u, and the dimensions
of his body were gigantic-he measured sixty ells between
the shoulders. Yet he had one imperfection, he was maimed
in both feet.... The first evidence of his gigantic strength
be gave when he uprooted two great mountains, and rubbed

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends 01 the ] ews

them against each other. Such feats he was able to perform

as often as the spirit of God was poured out over him.
Whenever this happened, it was indi~ted by his hair. It
began to move and emit a bell-like sound, which could be
heard far off. Besides, while the spirit rested upon him, he
was able with one stride to cover a distance equal to that
between Zorah and Eshtaol.lM It was Samson's supernat-
ural strength that made Jacob think that he would be
the Messiah. When God showed him Samson's latter end.
then he realized that the new era would not be ushered in
by the he~o-judge.m
Samson won his first victory over the Philistines by
. means of the jawbone of the ass on which Abraham had
made his way to Mount Moriah. It had been preserved
miraculously.U8 After this victory a great wonder befen.
Samson was at the poin~ of perishing from thirst, when
water began to flow from his own mouth as from a spring.-
Besides physical prowess, Samson possessed also spiritual
distinctions. He was unselfish to the last degree. He had
been of exceeding great help to the Israelites, but he never
asked the smallest service for himself." When Samson told
Delilah that he was a " Nazarite unto God," she was certain
that he had d~vulged the true secret of his strength. She
knew his character too well to entertain the idea that he
would couple the name of God with an untruth. There was
a weak side to his character, too. He allowed sensual pleas-
ures to dominate him. The consequence was that .. he who
.went astray after his eyes, lost his eyes." Even this severe
punishment produced no change of heart. He continued to
lead his old life of profligacy in prison, and he was encour-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges 49

aged thereto by the Philistines, who set aside all considera-

tions of family purity in the hope of descendants who should
be the equals of Samson in giant strength and stature.1Il
As throughout life Samson had given proofs of super-
human power, so in the moment of death. He entreated
God to realize in him the blessing of Jacob," and endow
him with Divine strength.- He expired with these words
upon his lips: II 0 Master of the world I Vouchsafe unto me
in this life a recompense for the loss of one of my eyes.
For the loss of the other I will wait to be rewarded in the
world to come." Even after his death Samson was a shield
unto the Israelites. Fear of him had so cowed the Philis-
tines that for twenty years they did not dare attack: the
Israelites.-

THE CRIME OF THE BEN]AMlTES

A part of the money which Delilah received from the Phil-

istine lords as the price of Samson's secret, she gave to her
son Micah, and he used it to make an idol for himself.- This
sin was the more unpardonable as Micah owed his life to a
miracle perfonned by Moses. During the times of the Egyp-
tian oppression, if the prescribed number of bricks was not
furnished by the Israelites, their children were used as build-
ing material. Such would have been Micah's fate, if he had
not been saved in a miraculous way. Moses wrote down
the Name of God, and put the words on Micah's body.
The dead boy .came to life, and Moses drew him out of the
wall of· which he made a part.- Micah did not show him-
self worthy of the wonder done for him. Even before the
Israelites left Egypt, he made his idol,· and it was he who

"
Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the 1eflJS

fashioned the golden calf. At the time of Othniel the

judge,- he took up his abode at a distance of not more than
three miles from the sanctuary at Shiloh," and won over the
grandson of Moses - to officiate as priest before his ido1.
The sanctuary which Micah erected harbored various
idols. He had three images of boys, and three of calves,
one lion, an eagle, a dragon, and a dove. When a man came
who wanted a wife, he was directed to appeal to the dove.
If riches were his desire, he worshipped the eagle. For
sons he addressed himself to the boy images; for sons and
daughters both, to the calves; to the lion for strength, and
to the dragon for long life. Sacrifices and incense alike
were offered to these idols, and both had to be purchased
with cash money from Micah, seven didrachms for a sacri-
fice, and one for incense.-
The rapid degeneration in the family of Moses may be
accounted for by the fact that Moses had married the daugh-
ter of a priest who ministered to idols. Yet, the grandson
of Moses was not an idolater of ordinary calibre. His sin-
ful conduct was not without a semblance of morality. From
his grandfather he had heard the rule that a man should do
" Abodah Zarah " for hire rather than be dependent upon his
fe1low-creatures. The meaning of co Abodah Zarah" here
naturally is co strange," in the sense of "unusual" work,
but he took the term in its ordinary acceptation of " service
of strange gods." - So far from being a whole-souled
idolater, he adopted methods calculated to harm the tause
of idol worship. Whenever anyone came leading an animal
with the intention of sacrificing it, he would say: II What
good can the idol do thee? It can neither see nor hear nor

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges 51
speak." But as he was concerned about his own livelihood,
and did not want to offend the idolaters too grossly, he
would continue: " If thou bringest a dish of flour and a few
eggs, it will suffice." This offering he would himself eat.
Under David he filled the position of treasurer. David
appointed him because he thought that a man who was will-
ing to become priest to an idol only in order to eam his
bread. must be worthy of confidence. However sincere his
repentance may have been. he relapsed into his former life
when he was removed from his office by Solomon. who filled
all positions with new incumbents at his accession to the,
throne. Finally he abandoned his idolatrous ways wholly,
and became so pure a man that he was favored by God with
the gift of prophecy. This happened on the day on which
the man of God out of Judah came to Jeroboam, for the
grandson of Moses is none other than the old prophet at
Beth-el who invited the man of God out of Judah to come to
his house.-
The mischief done by Micah spread further and further.
Especially the Benjamites distinguished themselves for their
zeal in paying homage to his idols. God therefore resolved
to visit the sins of Israel and Benjamin upon them. The
opportunity did not delay to come. It was not long before
the Benjamites committed the outrage of Gibeah. Before
the house of Bethac. a venerable old man, they imitated the
disgraceful conduct of the Sodomites before the house of
Lot. When the other tribes exacted amends from the Ben-
jamites. and were denied satisfaction. bloody combats en-
sued. At first the Benjamites prevailed, in spite of the fact
that the Urim and Thummim questioned by Phinehas had

Digitized by Coogle
 The LeglfJds of lhe Jews

encouraged the Israelites to take up the cooflict, with the

words: II Up to war, I sbaIl deliver them into your bands."
After the tribes bad again and again suffered defeat, they
rec:oguized the intention of God, to betray them as a punish-
ment for their sins. They therefore ordained a day of fast-
ing and convocation before the holy Ark, and Phinehas the
lOll of Eleazar entreated God in their beba1f: .. What means
this, that Thou leadest us astray? Is the deed of the Ben-
jamites right in Thine eyes? Then why didst Thou not
command us to desist from the combat? But if what our
brethren have done is evil in Thy sight, then why dOlt Thou
cause us to fall before them in battle? 0 God of our fathers,
hearken unto my voice. Make it known this day unto Thy
servant whether the war waged with Benjamin is pleasing
in Thine eyes, or whether thou desirest to punish Thy people
for its sins. Then tHe sinners among us will amend their
ways. I am mindful of what happened in the days of my
youth, at the time of Moses. In the zeal of my soul I slew
two for the sin of Zimri, and when his well-wishers sought
to kill me. Thou didst send an angel, who cut off twenty-
four thousand of them and delivered me. But now eleven
of Thy tribes have gone forth to do Thy bidding. to avenge
and slay, and. 10. they have themselves been slain. so that
they are made to believe that Thy revelations are lying and
deceitful. 0 Lord, God of our forefathers. naught is hid-
den before Thee. Make it manifest why this misfortune
has overtaken us."
God replied to Phinehas at great length, setting forth why
eleven tn"bes had suffered so heavily. The Lord had wanted
to punish them for having permitted Micah and his mother

Digitized by Coogle
 The Judges S3
DeliJah to pursue tlieir evil ways undisturbed, though they
were zealous beyond measure in avenging the wrong done
to the woman at Gibeah. As soon as all those bad perished
who were guilty of baving aided and abetted Micah in his
idolatrous practices, whether directly or indirectly, God was
willing to help them in their confticts with the Benjamites.
So it came. In the battle fought soon after, seventy-five
thousand Benjamites fell slain. Only six hundred of the
tribe survived.- Fearing to remain in Palestine, the small
band emigrated to Italy and Germany.-
At the same time the punishment promised them by God
overtook the two chief sinners. Micah lost his life by fire,
and his mother rotted alive; worms crawled from her
body.-
In spite of the great mischief caused by Micah, he had
one good quality, and God pennitted it to plead for him
when the angels stood up ag8mst him as his accusers. He
was extremely hospitable. His house always stood wide
open to the wanderer, and to his hospitality he owed it that
he was granted a share in the future world.- In hell Micah
is the first in the sixth division, which is under the guid-
ance of the angel Hadriel, and he is the only one in the di-
vision who is spared hell tortures.- Micah's son was Jero-
boam, whose golden calves were' sinful far beyond anything
his father had done.-
In those days God spake to Phinehas: " Thou art one
hundred and twenty years old, thou hast reached the natural
term of man's Hfe. Go now, betake thyself to the moun-
tain Danaben, and remain there many years. I will com-
maDd the eagles to sustain thee with food, so that thou re-

Digitized by Coogle
S4 The Legends of the Jews

tumest not to men until the time when thou lockest fast the
clouds and openest them again. Then I will carry thee to
the place where those are who were before thee, and there
thou wilt tarry until I visit the world, and bring thee thither
to taste of death." HI

Digitized by Coogle
 III
SAMUEL AND SAUL

ELXANAH AND HANNAH. • • • • • • • • • • • • ••

THE YOUTH OF SAMUEL •••••••••••••••
.-
57
59
ELI AND HIS SONS.................... 61
THE ACTIVITIES OF SAMUEL •••••••••••• 63
THE REIGN OF SAUL .................. 65
THB CoURT OF SAUL........... .. • .. •• 73

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 III
SAMUEL AND SAUL
ELKANAB AND HANNAH

The period of the Judges is linked to the period of the

Kingdom by the prophet Samuel, who anointed both Saul
and David as kings. Not only was Samuel himself a
prophet, but his forebears also had been prophets,' and both
his parents, Elkanah and Hannah, were endowed with the
gift of prophecy.· Aside from this gift, Elkanah possessed
extraordinary virtues. He was a second Abraham, the only
pious man of his generation, who saved the world from de-
struction when God, made wroth by the idolatry of Micah,
was on the point of annihilating it utterly" His chief
merit was that he stimulated the people by his example to
go on pilgrimages to Shiloh, the spiritual centre of the na-
tion. Accompanied by his whole household, including kins-
men, he was in the habit of making the three prescribed pil-
grimages annually, and though he was a man of only mod-
erate means,· his retinue was equipped with great magnifi-
cence. In all the towns through which it passed, the pro-
cession caused commotion. The lookers-on invariably in-
quired into the reason of the rare spectacle, and Elkanah
told them: II We are going to the house of the Lord at Shi-
loh, for thence comes forth the law. Why should you not
join us?" Such gentle, persuasive words did not fail of
taking effect. In the first year five households undertook

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

the pilgrimage, the next year ten, and so on until the whole
.town followed his example. Elkanah chose a new route
every year. Thus he touched at many towns, and their in-
habitants were led to do a pious deed.-
In spite of his God-fearing ways, Elkanah's domestic life
was not perfectly happy. He had been married ten years,
and his union with Hannah had not been blessed with off-
spring.- The love he bore his wife compensated him for his
childlessness, but Hannah herself insisted upon his taking a
second wife. Peninnah embraced every opportunity of vexing
Hannah. In the morning her derisive greeting to Hannah
would be: "Dost thou not mean to rise and wash thy chil-
dren, and send them to school? " • Such jeers were to keep
Hannah mindful of her childlessness. Perhaps Peninnah's
intentions were laudable: she may have wanted to bring
Hannah to the point of praying to God for children.- How-
ever it may have been forced from her, Hannah's petition
for a son was fervent and devout. She entreats God:
"Lord of the world I Hast Thou created aught in vain?
Our eyes Thou hast destined for sight, our ears for hearing.
our mouth for speech, our nose to smell therewith, our bands
for work. Didst Thou not create these breasts above my
heart to give suck to a babe?· 0 grant me a son, that he
may draw nourishment therefrom. Lord, Thou reignest
over all beings, the mortal and the heavenly beings. The
heavenly beings neither eat nor drink, they do not propagate
themselves, nor do they die, but they live forever. Mortal
man eats, drinks, propagates his kind, and dies. If, now,
I am of the heavenly beings, let me live forever. But if I
belong to mortal mankind, let me do my part in establishing
the race."·

Digitized by Coogle
 Samuel and Saul S9

Eli the high priest, who at first misinterpreted Hannah's

long prayer, dismissed her with the blessing: II May the son
to be born unto thee acquire great knowledge in the law." II
Hannah left the sanctuary, and at once her grief-furrowed
countenance'changed. She felt beyond a doubt that the bless-
ing of Eli would be fulfilled.D

THE YOUTH OF SAMUEL

Hannah's prayer was heard. At the end of six months

and a few days II Samuel was born to her. in the nineteenth
year of her married Iife,u and the one hundred and thirtieth
of her age.1I Samuel was of a frail constitution: and re-
quired tender care and nurture. For this reason he and his
mother could not accompany Elkanah on hi$ pilgrimages.
Hannah withheld her boy from the sanctuary for some years.
Before Samuel's birth a voice from heaven had proclaimed
that in a short time a great man would be born, whose name
would be Samuel. All men children of that time were ac-
cordingly named Samuel. As they grew up, the mothers
were in the habit of getting together and telling of their
children's doings, in order to determine which of them satis-
fied the expectations the prophecy had aroused. When the
true Samuel was born, and by his wonderful deeds excelled
all his companions, it became plain to whom the word of
God applied." His preeminence now being undisputed,
Hannah was willing to part with him.
The following incident is an illustration of Samuel's un-
usual qualities manifested even in infancy. He was two
yean old when his mother brought him to Shiloh to leave
him there permanently. An occasion at once presented itself

,. Digitized by Coogle
60 The Legends of the Jews

for the display of his learning and acumen, which were so

great as to arouse the astonishment of the high priest Eli
himself. On entering the sanctuary Samuel noticed that
they were seeking a priest to kill the sacrificial animal.
.samuel instructed the attendants that a non-priest was per-
mitted to kill the sacrifice. The high priest Eli appeared at
the moment when, by Samuel's directions, the sacrifice was
being killed by a non-priest. Angered by the child's bold-
ness, he was about to have him executed, regardless of Han-
nah's prayer for his life. "Let him die,"" he said, " I shall
pray for another in his place." Hannah replied: "I lent
him to the Lord. Whatever betide, he belongs neither to
thee nor to me, but to God.".. Only then, after Samuel's life
was secure, Hannah offered up her prayer of thanksgiving.
Beside the expression of her gratitude, it contains also many
prophecies regarding Samuel's future achievements, and it
recites the history of Israel from the beginning until the ad-
vent of Messiah.- Her prayer incidentally brought relief to
the Sons of Korah. Since the earth had swallowed them,
they had been constantly sinking lower and lower. When
Hannah uttered the words, "God bringeth down to Sheo1,
and bringeth up,"· they came to a standstill in their down-
ward course.
Hannah was spared to witness, not only the greatness of
her son, but also the undoing of her rival. Every time Han-
nah bore a child, Peninnah lost two of hers, until eight of
her ten children had died, and she would have had to sur-
render all, had not Hannah intereeded for her with prayer.-

Digitized by Coogle
 Samuel and Saul 61

ELI AND HIS SONS

Shortly - before Samuel entered upon his novitiate in the
sanctuary, Eli succeeded to the three highest offices in the
land: he was made high priest, president of the Sanhedrin,
and ruler over the political affairs of IsraeL Eli was a pious
man. and devoted to the study of the Torah. wherefore
he attained to a good old age and to high honors.M In his
office as high priest he was successor to no less a personage
than Phinehas. who had lost his high-priestly dignity on ac-
count of his haughty bearing toward Jephthah. With Eli
the line of Ithamar rose to power instead of the line of
Eleazar.- However, the iniquitous deeds of his two sons
brought dire misfortune upon Eli and upon his family,
though the Scriptural account of their conduct may not
be taken literally. The sons of Eli transgressed only in that
they sometimes kept the women waiting who came to the
sanctuary to bring the purification offerings, and so they re-
tarded their return to their families.- This was bad enough
for priests of God. Their misdeeds recoiled upon their
father, who was not strict enough in rebuking them. Eli's
punishment was that he aged prematurely, and, besides, he
had to give up his various offices.
During his lifetime, his youngest son Phinehas, the worth-
ier of the two,· officiated as high priest. The only reproach
to which Phinehas laid himself open was that he made no at-
tempt to mend his brother's ways.
The worst of God's decree against Eli he learned from
EIkanab,- the man of God who came unto Eli, and who
announced that the high-priestly dignity would be wrested
from his house, and once more conferred upon the family

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

of Eleazar, and, furthermore, his descendants would all

die in their prime. The latter doom can be averted by
good deeds, devotion in prayer, and zealous study of the
Torah. These means were often employed successfully.-
But against the loss of the high priest's office there is no
specific. The house of Eli forfeited it irrevocably. Abi-
athar, the great-grandson of Eli's son Phinehas,· the last of
the high priests of the line of Ithamar, had to submit to the
fate of seeing David transfer his dignity to Zadok, in whose
family it remained forever.
The sons of Eli brought misfortune also upon the whole
of Israel. To their sins and to the ease with which the people
condoned them was attributed the unhappy issue of the war
with the Philistines. The holy Ark, the receptacle for the
broken tables of the law, which accompanied the people to
the camp,· did not have the expected effect of compelling
victory for the Israelites. What Eli feared happened. He
enjoined upon his sons not to appear before him if they
should survive the capture of the Ark.- But they did not
survive it; they died upon the battlefield on which their na-
tion had suffered bitter defeat. The Philistines, to be sure,
had to pay dearly for their victory, especially those who had
spoken contemptuous words when the holy Ark had ap-
peared in the Israelitish camp: .. The God of the Israelites
had ten plagues, and those he expended upon the Egyptians.
He no longer has it in His power to do harm." But God said:
" Do ye but wait and see. I shall bring a plague down upon
you the like of which hath never been." • This new plague
consisted in mice crawling forth out of the earth, and jerk-
ing the entrails out of the bodies of the Philistines while they

Digitized by Coogle
 Samuel and Saul

eased nature. If the Philistines sought to protect them-

selves by using brass vessels, the vessels burst at the touch
of the mice, and, as before, the Philistines were at their
mercy." After some months of suffering, when they realized
that their god Dagon was the victim instead of the victor,
they resolved to send the Ark back to the Israelites. Man)
of the Philistines,- however, were not yet convinced of
God's power. The experiment with the milch kine on which
there had come no yoke was to establish the matter for
them. The result was conclusive. Scarcely had the cows
begun to draw the cart containing the Ark when they' raised
their voices in song:
Arise thou. 0 Acacia' Soar aloft in the fulness of thy splendor,
Thou who art adorned with gold embroidery,
Thou who art reverenced within the Holiest of the palace,
Thou who art covered by the two Cherubim ,--
When the holy Ark was thus brought into the Israelitisb
domain, there was exceeding great rejoicing. Yet the people
were lacking in due reverence. They unloaded the holy
vessel while doing their usual work. God punished them
severely.· The seventy members of the Sanhedrin perished,
and with them fifty thousand of the people.- The punish-
ment was meet for another reason. At first sight of the
Ark some of the people had exclaimed: .. Who vexed thee
that thou didst feel offended, and what has mollified thee
now?" ..
THE ACTIVITIES OF SAMUEL

In the midst of the defeats and other calamities that over-

whelmed the Israelites, Samuel's authority grew, and the re-
spect for him increased, until he was acknowledgc:;d the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the ] ews

helper of his people. His first efforts were directed toward

'counteracting the spiritual decay in Israel. When he as-
sembled the people at Mizpah for prayer, he sought to
distinguish between the faithful and the idolatrous, in or-
der to mete out punishment to the disloyal. He had all the
people drink water, whose eJlect was to prevent idolaters
from opening their lips." The majority of the people re-
pented of their sins, and Samuel turned to God in their be-
half: Lord of the world I Thou requirest naught of man
II

but that he should repent of his sins. Israel is penitent, do

Thou pardon him."" The prayer was granted, and when.
after his sacrifice, Samuel led an attack upon the Philistines,
victory was not withheld from the Israelites. God terrified
the enemy first by an earthquake, and then by thunder and
lightning. Many were scattered and wandered about aim-
lessly i many were precipitated into the rents tom in the
earth, the rest had their faces scorched, and in their terror
and pain their weapons dropped from their hands.-
In peace as in war Samuel was the type of a disinterested,
incorruptible judge, who even refused compensation for the
time, trouble, and pecuniary sacrifices entailed upon him by
his office.- His sons fell far short of resembling their father
in these respects. Instead of continuing Samuel's plan of
journeying from place to place to dispense judgment, they
had the people come to them, and they surrounded them-
selves with a crew of officials who preyed upon the people
for their maintenance." In a sense, therefore, the curse with
which Eli threatened Samuel in his youth was accom-
plished: both he and Samuel had sons unworthy of their
fathers.- Samuel at least had the satisfaction of seeing his

Digitized by Coogle
 Samuel and Saul

sons mend their ways. One of them is the prophet Joel.

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

THE REIGN OP SAUL

There were several reasons for the choice of Saul as king.

He had distinguished himself as a military hero in the un-
fortunate engagement of the Philistines with Israel under
the leadership of the sons of EI,i. Goliath captured the
tables of the law. When Saul heard of this in Shiloh,
he marched sixty miles to the camp, wrested the tables
from the eiant, and returned to Shiloh on the same day,
bringing Eli the report of the Israelitish misfortune.- Be-
sides, Saul possessed unusual beauty.- which explains why
the maidens whom he asked about the se~r in their city
sought to engage him in a lengthy conversation.- At the
same time he was exceedingly modest. When he and his
servant failed to find the asses they were looking for, he
said, II My father wilt take thought for us," putting his ser-
vant on a level with himself,· and when he was anointed
king, he refuse~ to accept the royal dignity until the Urim
and Thummim were consulted.· His chief virtue, however,
5

Digitized by Coogle
66 The Legends of the I ews

was his innocence. He was as free from sin as CI a one year

old child." - No wonder, then, he was held worthy of the
prophetic gift. The prophecies he uttered concerned them-
selves with the war 'of Gog and Magog, the meting out
of reward and punishment at the last judgment.1I Finally,
his choice as king was due also' to the merits of his ances-
tors, especially his grandfather Abiel, a man interested in
the public welfare, who would have the streets lighted so
that people might go to the houses of study after dark.-
. Saul's first act as king was his successful attack upon Na-
bash, king of the Ammonites, who had ordered the Gilead-
ites to remove the injunction from the Torah barring the
Ammonites from the congregation of Israel.- In his next
undertaking, the campaign against the Philistines, he dis-
played his piety. His son Jonathan had fallen under the
severe ban pronounced by Saul against all who tasted
food on a certain day, and Saul did not hesitate to deliver
him up to death. Jonathan's trespass was made known by
the stones in the breastplate of the high priest. All the
stones were bright, only the one bearing the name Benjamin
had lost its brilliancy. By lot it was determined that its
dimmed lustre was due to the Benjamite Jonathan. Saul
desisted from his purpose of executing Jonathan only
when it appeared that he had transgressed his father's com-
mand by mistake. A burnt offering and his weight in gold
paid to the sanctuary were considered an atonement for
him.- In the same war Saul had occasion to show his zeal
for the scrupulous observance of the sacrificial ordinances.
He reproached his warriors with eating the meat 0,£ the
aacrifices before the blood was sprinkled on the altar,- and

Digitized by Coogle
 Samuel and Saul

he made it his task to see to it that the slaughtering knife

was kept in the prescribed condition. As recompense, an
angel brought him a sword, there being none beside Saul in
the whole anny to bear one.-
Saul manifested a different spirit in the next campaign,
the war with the Amalekites, whom, at the bidding of God,
he was to exterminate. When the message of God's displeas-
ure was conveyed to Saul by the prophet Samuel, he said:
.. If the Torah ordains that a heifer of the herd shall be
beheaded in the valley as an atonement for the death of a
single man, how great must be the atonement required for
the slaughter of so many men? And granted they ar~ sinners,
what wrong have their cattle done to deserve annihilation?
And granted that the adults are worthy of their fate, what
have the children done?" Then a voice proclaimed from
heaven, "Be not overjust." Later on, when Saul commis-
sioned Doeg to cut down the priests at Nob, the same voice
was heard to say, "Be not overwicked." - It was this very
Doeg, destined to play so baleful a part in his life, who in-
duced Saul to spare Agag, the king of the Amalekites. His
argument was that the law prohibits the slaying of an animal
and its young on the same day. How much less pennissible
is it to destroy at one time old and young, men and children.-
As Saul had undertaken the war of extennination against
Amalek only because forced into it, he was easily per-
suaded to let the people keep a part of the cattle alive. As
far as he himself was concerned, he could have had no per-
sonal interest in the booty, for he was so affiuent that he
took a census of the anny by giving a sheep to every one of
his soldiers, distributing not less than two hundred thousand
sheep.-

Digitized by Coogle
68 The Legends of the Jews

Compared with David's sins, Saul's were not sufficiently

grievous to account for the withdrawal of the royal dignity
from him and his family. The real reason was Saul's too
great mildness, a drawback in a ruler. Moreover, his family
was of such immaculate nobility that his descendants might
have become too haughty.- When Saul disregarded the Di-
vine command about the Amalekites, Samuel announced to
him that his office would be bestowed upon another. The
name of his successor was not mentioned on that occasion,
but Samuel gave him a sign by which to recognize the fu-
ture king: he who would cut off the comer of Saul's man-
tle, would reign in his stead. Later on, when David met
Saul in the cave and cut off a piece of the king's skirt,
Saul knew him for a certainty to be his destined suc-
cessor.-
So Saul lost his crown on account of Agag, and yet did
not accomplish his purpose of saving the life of the Amale-
kite king, for Samuel inflicted a most cruel death upon
Agag, and that not in accordance with Jewish, but with
heathen, forms of justice. No witnesses of Agag's crime
could be summoned before the court, nor could it be proved
that Agag, as the law requires, had been warned when about
to com~it the crime.- Though due punishment was meted
out to Agag, in' a sense it came too late. Had he been killed
by Saul in the course of the battle, the Jews would have
been spared the persecution devised by Haman, for, in the
short span of time that elapsed between the war and his exe-
cution, Agag became the ancestor of Haman.-
The Amalekite war was the last of Saul's notable achieve-
ments. Shortly afterward he was seized by the evil spirit.

Digitized by Coogle
 Samuel and Saul

and the rest of his days were passed mainly in persecuting

David and his followers. Saul would have died immediately'
after the Amalekite war, if Samuel had not interceded for
him. The prophet prayed to God that the life of the diso-
bedient king be spared, at least so long as his own years
bad not come to their destined close: .. Thou regardest me
equal to Moses and Aaron.- As Moses and Aaron did
not have their handiwork destroyed before their eyes
during their life, so may my handiwork not cease during
my life." God said: .. What shall I do? Samuel will not
let me put an end to Saul's days, and if I let Samuel die
in his prime, people will speak ill of him.- Meanwhile Da-
vid's time is approaching, and one reign may not overlap the
time assigned to another by a hairbreadth." God determined
to let Samuel age suddenly, and when he died at fifty-two,-
the people were under the impression the days of an old
man had come to an end. So long as he lived, Saul was se-
cure.- Scarcely was he dead, when the Philistines began
to menace the Israelites and their king. Soon it appeared
how well justified had been the mourning services for the
departed prophet in all the Israelitish towns.n It was not re-
markable that the mourning for'Samuel should have been
universal. During his active administration as judge, he had
been in the habit of journeying through every part of the
country, and so he was known personally to all the people.
This practice of his testifies not only to the zeal with which
he devoted himself to his office, but also to his wealth, for
the expenses entailed by these journeys were defrayed from
his own purse. Only one person in all the land took no part
in the demonstrations of grief. During the very week of

Digitized by Coogle
.
 TM Legends of 1M /rw.f

mourning Nabal held feasts. "Whatl" God exclaimed•

.. all weep and lament over the death of the pious. and this
reprobate engages in revelry I" Punishment was not with-
held. Three days after the week of mourning for Samuel
Nabal died.-
There was none that felt the death of Samuel more keenly
than Saul Left alone and isolated. he did not shrink frOlR
extreme measures to enter into communication with the de-
parted prophet. With his two adjutants.a Abner and Amasa.
he betook himself to Abner's mother, the witch of En-dor."
The king did not reveal his identity. but the witch had no
difficulty in recognizing her visitor. In necromancy the pe-
culiar rule holds good that. unless it is summoned by a king.
a spirit raised from the dead appears head downward and
feet in the air.- Accordingly. when the figure of Samuel
stood upright before them, the witch knew that the king
was with her. Though the witch saw Samuel. she could not
hear what he said, while Saul heard his words, but could not
see his person-another peculiar phenomenon in necro-
mancy: the conjuror sees the spirit, and he for whom the
spirit has been raised only hears it. Any other person pres-
ent neither sees nor hears it.
The witch's excitement grew when she perceived a num-
ber of spirits arise by the side of Samuel. The dead prophet,
when he was summoned back to earth, thought that the
judgment day had arrived. He requested Moses to accom-
pany him and testify to his always having executed the ordi-
nances of the Torah as Moses had established them. With
these two great leaders a number of the piOUS arose, all be-
lieving that the day of judgment was at hand. Samuel wu

Digitized by Coogle
 Samuel and SatIl

apPareUed in the .. upper garment" his mother had made

for him when she surrendered him to the sanctuary. This
he had worn throughout his life, and in it he was buried. At
the resurrection all the dead wear their grave-clothes, and
80 it came about that Samuel stood before Saul in his well-
known "upper garment."
Only fragments of the conversation between Samuel and
Saul have been preserved in the Scriptures. Samuel re-
proached Saul with having disturbed him. "Was it not
enough," he said, "for thee to enkindle the wrath of thy
Creator by calling up the spirits of the dead, must thou needs
change me into an idol? For is it not said that like unto
the worshippers so shall the worshipped be punished?"
Samuel then consented to tell the king God's decree, that he
had resolved to rend the kingdom out of his hand, and invest
David with the royal dignity. Whereupon Saul: .. These
are not the words thou spakest to me before."· " When we
dwelt together," rejoined Samuel, II I was in the world of
lies. and thou heardest lying words from me, for I feared
thy wrath and thy revenge. Now I abide in the world of
truth, and thou hearest words of truth from me. As to the
thing the Lord hath done unto thee, thou hast deserved
it, for thou didst not obey the voice of the Lord, nor exe-
cute his fierce wrath upon Amalek." Saul asked: II Can I
still save myself by flight?" "Yes," replied Samuel, "if
thou fleest, thou art safe. But if thou acceptest God's judg-
ment, by to-morrow thou wilt be united with me in
Paradise. "
When Abner and Amasa questioned Saul about his inter-
view with Samuel, he replied: " Samuel told me I should go

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Je'lIJS

into battle to-morrow, and come forth victorious. More than

that, my sons will be given exalted positions in return for
their military prowess." The next day his three sons went
with him to the war, and all were stricken down. God sum-
moned the angels and said to them: Ie Behold the being I
have created in my world. A father as a rule refrains from
taking his sons even to a banquet, lest he expose them to
the evil eye. Saul goes to war knowing that he will lose
his life, yet he takes his sons with him, and cheerfully ac-
cepts the punishment I ordain." If
So perished the first Jewish king, as a hero and a saint.
His latter days were occupied with regrets on account of
the execution of the priests at Nob," and his remorse secured
pardon, for him.- Indeed, in all respects his piety was so
great that not even David was his equal: David had many
wives and concubines; Saul had but one wife. David re-
mained behind, fearing to lose his life in battle with his SOD
Absalom; Saul went into the combat knowing he should
not return alive. Mild and generous, Saul led the life of a
saint in his own hOuse, observing even the priestly laws of
purity. Therefore God reproached David with having pro-
nounced a curse upon Saul in his prayer.- Also, David in
his old age was punished for having cut off the comer of
Saul's mantle, for no amount of clothing would keep him
warm.- Finally, when a great famine fell upon the land
during the reign of David, God told him it had been inflicted
upon him because Saul's remains had not been buried with
the honor due to him, and at that moment a heavenly voice
resounded calling Saul " the elect of God." -

Digitized by Coogle
 Samuel and Saul 13
THB CoURT OF SAUL

The most important figure at the court of Saul was his

cousin Abner, the son of the witch of En-dor.- He was a
giant of extraordinary size. A wall measuring six ells in
thickness could be moved more easily than one of Abner's
feet." David once chanced to get between the feet of Abner
as he lay asleep, and he was almost crushed to death, when
fortunately Abner moved them, and David made his escape.-
Conscious of his vast strength he once cried out: .. If only I
could seize the earth at some point, I should be able to shake
it." Even in the hour of death, wounded mortally by Joab,
he grasped his murderer like a worsted ball. He was about
to kill him, but the people crowded round them, and said
to Abner: .. If thou killest Joab, we shall be orphaned. and
our wives and children will be a prey to the Philistines."
Abner replied: .. What can I do? He was about to ex-
tinguish my light." The people consoled him: .. Commit
thy cause to the true Judge." Abner thereupon loosed his
hold upon Joab, who remained unharmed, while Abner fell
dead instantly. God had decided against him.- The reason
was that Joab was in a measure justified in seeking to avenge
the death of his brother Asahe1. Asahel, the supernaturally
swift runner,----so swift that he ran through a field without
snapping the ears of wheat --had been the attacking party.
He had sought to take Abner's life, and Abner contended,
that in killing Asahel he had but acted in self-defense. Be-
fore inflicting the fatal wound, Joab held a formal court of
justice over Abner. He asked: .. Why didst thou not render .
Asahe1 harmless by wounding him rather than kill him?"
Abner replied that he could not have done it. "What," said

Digitized by Coogle
74 The Legends of the Jews

Joab, incredulous, II if thou wast able to strike him under

the fifth n'h, dost thou mean to say thou couldst Dot have
made him innocuous by a wound, and saved him alive?"·
Although Abner was a saint,- even a II lion in the
law,,,· he perpetrated many a deed that made his violent
death appear just. It was in his favor that he had
refused to obey Saul's command to do away with the
priests at Nob.- Yet a man of his stamp should not have
rested content with passive resistance. He should have in-
terposed actively, and kept Saul from executing hi. bloody
design. And granted that Abner could not have influenced
the king's mind in this matter,- at all events he is censur-
able for having frustrated a reconciliation between Saul
and David. When David, holding in his hand the cor-
ner of the king's mantle which he had cut off, sought to
convince Saul of his innocence, it was Abner who turned the
king against the suppliant fugitive. II Concern not thyself
about it," he said to Saul. II David found the rag on a thorn-
bush in which thou didst catch the skirt of thy mantle as
thou didst pass it." II On the other hand, no blame attaches
to Abner for having espoused the cause of Saul's son against
David for two years and a half. He knew that God had des-
ignated David for the royal office, but, according to an old
tradition, God had promised two kings to the tribe of Benja-
min, and Abner considered it his duty to transmit his father's
honor to the son of Saul the Benjamite.-
Another figure of importance during Saul's reign, but a
man of radically different character, was Doeg. Doeg, the
friend of Saul from the days of his youth,· died when he was
thirty-four years old,· yet at that early age he had been

Digitized by Coogle
 SamueZ and SallZ 75
president of the Sanhedrin and the greatest scholar of his
time. He was called Edomi, which means, not Edomite,
but .. he who causes the blush of shame," because by his keen
mind and his learning he put to shame all who· entered into
argument with him.- But his scholarship lay only on his
lips, his heart was not concerned in it, and his one aim was
to elicit admiration.- Small wonder, then, that his end was
disastrous. At the time of his death he had sunk so low
that he forfeited all share in the life to come.- Wounded
vanity caused his hostility to David, who had got the better
of him in a learned discussion.- From that moment he
bent all his energies to the task of ruining David. He tried
to poison Saul's mind against David, by praising the latter
inordinately, and so arousing Saul's jealousy.- Again, he
would harp on David's Moab~te descent, and maintain that
on account of it he could not be admitted into the congrega-
tion of Israel. Samuel and other prominent men had to
bring to bear all the weight of their authority to shield
David against the consequences of Doeg's sophistry.-
Doeg's most grievous transgression, however, was his in-
forming against the priests at Nob, whom he accused of high
treason and executed as traitors. For all his iniquitous deeds
he pressed the law into his service, and derived justification
of his conduct from it. Abimelech, the high priest at Nob,
admitted that he had consulted the Urim and Thummim for
David. This served Doeg as the basis for the charge of trea-
. son, and he stated it as an unalterable Halakah that the
t:rim and Thummim may be consulted only for a king. In
vain Abner and Amasa and all the other mem}lers of the
Sanhedrin demonstrated that the Urim and Thu~im may

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / ews

be consulted for anyone whose undertaking concerns the

general welfare. Doeg would not yield. and as no one could
be found to execute the judgment. he himself officiated as
hangman." When the motive of revenge actuated him. he
held cheap· alike the life and the honor of his fellow-man.
He succeeded in convincing Saul that David's marriage with
the king's daughter Michal had lost its validity from the
moment David was declared a rebel. As such. he said. David
was as good as dead. since a rebel was outlawed. Hence
his wife was no longer bound to him.- Doeg's punishment
accorded with his misdeeds. He who had made impious use
of his knowledge of th~ law. completely forgot the law. and
even his disciples rose up against him, and drove him from
the house of study. In the end he died a leper.
Dreadful as this death was, it was not accounted an atone-
ment for his sins. One angel burned his soul, and another
scattered his ashes in all the houses of study and prayer.-
The son of Doeg was Saul's armor-bearer, who was killed
by David for daring to slay the king even though he longed
for death ....
Along with Abner and Doeg, Jonathan distinguished him-
self in the reign of his father. His military capacity was
joined to deep scholarship. To the latter he owed his posi-
tion as Ab Bet Din.- Nevertheless he was one of the most
modest men known in history.- Abinadab was another one
of Saul's sons who was worthy of his father, wherefore he
was sometimes caned Ishvi.1II As for Saul's grandson
Mephibosheth, he, too, was reputed a great man. David
himself did not scorn to· sit at his feet, and he revered Me-
phiboshetli as his teacher.1n The wrong done him by David

Digitized by Coogle
 Samuel and Saul ii
in granting one-half his possessions to Ziba, the slave of
Mephibosheth, did not go unavenged. When David ordered
the division of the estate of Mephibosheth, a voice from
heaven prophesied: .. Jeroboam and Rehoboam shall divide
the kingdom between themselves."-

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 IV
DAVID

DAVID'S BIRTH AND DEscENT ••••••••••• 81

ANOINTED KING ••••••••••••••••••••• 82
.-
ENCOUNTER WITH GoLIATH............ 8S
PURSUED BY SAUL.................... 8g
WAIlS ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 91
ABJTBOPBEL ••••• • '. •• • • •• •• •• •• •• • •• 94-
]OAD •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 97
DAvm's PIETY AND HIS SIN •••••••••••• 101
ABsALOM'S REBELLION •••••••••••••••• 104
DAVID'S ATONEMENT •••••••••••••••••• 10'1
VISITATIONS •••••••••••••••••• : •••••• log
THE DEATH OP DAVID ................. 113
DAvm IN PARADISE ••••••••••••••••••• 114
THE FAMILY OP DAVID ................ 116
HIS TOIIB ••••••••••••••••••••••••••. 119

• Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 IV
DAVID
DAVID'S BIRTH AND DESCENT

David, the " elect of God," I was descended from a family

which itself belonged to the elect of Israel. Those ancestors
of his who are enumerated in the Bible by Dame are all of
them men of distinguished excellence. Besides, David was
a descendant of Miriam: the sister of Moses, and so tht;
strain of royal aristocracy was reinforced by the priestly
aristocracy. Nor was David the first of his family to occupy
the throne of a ruler. His great-grandfather Boaz was one
and the same person with Thzan, the judge of Beth-Iehem.·
Othnie1, too, the first judge in Israel after the death of
Joshua, and Caleb: the brother of Othniel, were connected
with David's family. As examples of piety and virtue, Da-
vid had his grandfather and more particularly his father be-
fore him. His grandfather'S whole life was a continuous
service of God,' whence his name Obed, "the servant,'" and
his father Jesse was one of the greatest scholars of his time:
and one of the four who died who11y untainted by sin.' If
God had not ordained death for a11 the descendants of our
first parents after their fa11, Jesse would have continued to
live forever. As it was, he died at the age of four hundred,'
and then a violent death, by the hand of the Moabite king,'
in whose care David, trusting in the ties of kinship between
the Moabites and the seed of Ruth, left his family when he
6

Digitized by Coogle
Sa The Legends of the Je'UJS

was fleeing before Saul. Jesse's piety will not go unre-

warded. In the Messianic time he wiD be one of the eight
princes to rule over the world.-
In spite of his piety, Jesse was not always proof against
temptation. One of his slaves caught his fancy, and he
would have entered into illicit relations with her, had his
wife, N~bat, the daughter of Adiel, not frustrated the plan.
She disguised herself as the slave, and Jesse, deceived by
the ruse, met his own wife. The child borne by N~bat was
given out as the son of the freed slave, so that the father
might not discover the deception practiced upon him. This
child was David.u
In a measure David was indebted for his life to Adam.
At first only three hours of existence had been allotted to
him. When God caused all future generations to pass in re-
view before Adam, he besought God to give David seventy
of the thousand years destined for him. A deed of gift,
signed by God and the angel Metatron, was drawn up.
Seventy years were legally conveyed from Adam to David,
and in accordance with Adam's wishes, beauty, dominion,
and poetical gift II went with them.

ANOINTED KING
Beauty and talent, Adam's gifts to David, did not sbield
their possessor against hardship. As the supposed son of a
slave, he was banished from association with his brothers,
and his days were passed in the desert tending his fatber's
sheep.u It was his shepherd life that prepared him for bis
later exalted position. With gentle consideration he led the
flocks entrusted to bim. The young lambs he guided to

Digitized by Coogle
 David

pastures of tender grass; the patches of less juicy herbs he

reserved for the sheep; and the full-grown sturdy rams were
given the tough weeds for food. Then God said; "David.
knows how to tend sheep, therefore he shall be the shepherd
of my flock Israel." It
In the solitude of the desert David had opportunities of
displaying his extraordinary physical strength. One day he
slew four lions and three bears,- though he had no weapons.
His most serious adventure was with the reem. David en-
countered the mammoth beast asleep, and taking it for a
mountain, he began to ascend it. Suddenly the reem awoke,
and David found himself high up in the air on its horns. He
vowed, if he were rescued, to build a temple to God one
hundred ells in height, as high as the horns of the reem.
Thereupon God sent a lion. The king of beasts II inspired
even the reem with awe. The reem prostrated himself, and
David could easily descend from his perch. At that moment
a deer appeared. The lion pursued after him, and David
was saved from the lion as well as the reem.D
He continued to lead the life of a shepherd unn1, at
the age of twenty-eight,· he was anointed king by Samuel,
who was taught by a special revelation that the despised
youngest son of Jesse was to be king. Samuel's first charge
had been to anoint one of the sons of Jesse, but he was not
told which one. When he saw the oldest, Eliab, he thought
him the king of God's choice. God had allowed him to be
deceived, in order to punish Samuel for his excessive self-
consciousness in calling himself the seer. It was thus
proved to him that he could not foresee all things.- How-
ever, Samuel's error was pardonable. God's first choice

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the JtTlJS

had rested upon Eliab. Only on account of his violent

nature, his swiftness to anger against David, the position
destined for him was transferred to his youngest brother.-
Eliab was in a sense compensated by seeing his daughter
become the wife of Rehoboam. Thus he, too, enjoys the
distinction of being among" the ancestors of the Judaic
kings, and Samuel's vision of Eliab as king was not wholly
false.-
The election of David was obvious from what happened
with the holy oil with which he was anointed.- When Sam-
uel had tried to pour the oil on David's brothers, it had reo-
mained in the hom, but at David's approach it flowed of its
own accord, and poured itself out over him. The drops on
his garments changed into diamonds and pearls, and after
the act of anointing him, the honl was as full as before.
The amazement was great that the son of a slave should
be made king. Then the wife of Jesse revealed her secret,
and declared herself the mother of David.-
The anointing of David was for a time kept a secret, but
its effect appeared in the gift of prophecy which manifested
itself in David,· and in his extraordinary spiritual deveiop-
ment. His new accomplishments naturally earned envy for
him. None was more bitterly jealous "than Doeg, the great-
est scholar of his time. When he heard that Saul was about
to have Da,·id come to court as his attendant, Doeg began
to praise David excessively, with the purpose of arousing
the king's jealousy and making David hateful in his eyes.
He succeeded" yet Saul aid not relinquish his plan of having
David at court. David had become known to Saul in his
youth, and at that time the king had conceived great admira-

Digitized by Coogle
 DarJid

tion for him. The OCQISion was one on which David had
shown cleverness as well as love of justice. A rich woman
had had to leave her home temporarily. She could not carry
her fortune with her, nor did she wish to entrust it to any
one. She adopted the device of hiding her gold in honey
jars, and these she deposited with a neighbor. Accidentally
he discovered what was in the. jars, and he abstracted the
gold. On her return the woman received her vessels, but the
. gold concealed in them was rone. She had no evidence to
bring up against her faithless neighbor, and the court dis-
missed her complaint. She appealed to the king, but he was
eq~ly powerless to help. When the woman came out of
the palace of the king, David was playing with his compan-
ions. Seeing her dejection, he demanded an audience of
the king, that truth might prevail. The king authorized
him to do as he saw fit. David ordered the honey jars to
be broken, and two coins were found to adhere to the inner
side of the vessels. The thief had overlooked them, and
they Pt:Oved his dishonesty.-

ENCOUNTER WITH GoLIATH

David was not long permitted to enjoy the ease of life at
court. The aggressive manner assumed by Goliath drove
him to the front. It was a curious chance that designated
David to be the slayer of Goliath. who was allied with him
by the ties of blood. Goliath. it will be remembered. was
the son of the Moabitess Orpah,· the sister-in-law of David's
ancestress Ruth, and her sister as well, both having been
the daughters of the Moabite king Eglon.- David and
Goliath differed as widely as their grandams, for in contrast

Digitized by Coogle
86 The Legends of the / ews

to Ruth, the pious, religious Jewess, Orpah had led a life

of unspeakable infamy. Her son Goliath was jeered at as
.. the son of a hundred fathers and one mother." • But God
lets naught go unrewarded, even in the wicked. In return
for the forty steps Orpah had accompanied her mother-in-
law Naomi,· Goliath the Philistine, her son, was permitted
to display his strength and skill for forty days, and in re-
turn for the four tears Orpah had shed on parting from
her mother-in-law, she was privikged to give birth to four
giant sons.-
Of the four, Goliath was the strongest and greatest.
What the Scriptures tell about him is but a am,all fraction
of what might have been told, The Scriptures refrain in-
tentionally from expatiating upon the prowess of the mis-
creanL Nor do they tell how Goliath, impious as he was.
dared challenge the God of Israel to combat witb him, and
how he tried by every means in his power to hinder the Is-
raelites in their Divine worship. Morning and evening he
would appear in the camp at the very time when the Israel-
ites were preparing to say the Shema'.-
All the more cause, then, for David to hate Goliath and
determine to annihilate him. His father encouraged him to
oppose Goliath, for he considered it David's duty to protect
Saul .the Benjamite against the giant, as Judah, his an-
cestor, had in ancient days pledged himself for the safety
of Benjamin, the ancestor of Saul." For Goliath was intent
upon doing away with Saul. His grievance against him was
that once, when, in a skirmish between the Philistines and
~e Israelites, ~oliath had succeeded in capturing the holy
tables of the law, Saul had wrested them from the gianL·

Digitized by Coogle
 David

In consequence of his malady, Saul could not venture to

cross swords with Goliath, and he accepted David's offer to
enter into combat in his place. David put on Saul's armor,
and when it appeared that the armor of the powerfully-built
king fitted the erstwhile slender youth, Saul recognized that
David had been predestined for the serious task he was about
to undertake, but at the same time David's mira~lous trans-
formation did not fail to arouse his jealousy.- David, for
this reason, declined to array himself as a warrior for his
contest with Goliath. He wanted to meet him as a simple
shepherd. Five pebbles came to David of their own ac-
cord,- and when he touched them, they all turned into one
pebble.- The five pebbles stood for God, the three Patri-
archs, and Aaron. Hophni and Phinehas, the descendants
of the last, had only a short time before been killed by
Goliath.-
Scarcely did David begin to move toward Goliath, when
the giant became conscious of the magic power of the youth.
The evil eye David cast on his opponent sufficed to afflict
him with leprosy,· and in the very same instant he was
rooted to the ground, unable to move.M Goliath was so
confused by his impotence that he scarcely knew what he
was saying, and he uttered the foolish threat that he would
give David's flesh to the cattle of the field, as though cattle
ate flesh. One can see, David said to himself, that he is
crazy, and there can be no doubt he is doomed.1t Sure of
victory, David retorted that he would cast the carcass of the
Philistine to the fowls of the air. At the mention of fowls,
Goliath raised his eyes skyward, to see whether there were
any birds about. The upward motion of his head pushed his

Digitized by Coogle
88 Till Legends of the IlfIls

visor slightly away from his forehead, and in that instant

the pebble aimed by David struck him on the exposed spot.-
An. angel descended and cast him to the ground face down-
ward, so that the mouth that had blasphemed God might be .
choked with earth. He fell in such wise that the image of
Dagon which he wore on his breast touched the ground, and
his head came to lie between the feet of David, who now had
no difficulty in dispatching him.-
Goliath was encased, from top to toe, in several suits of
armor, and David did not know how to remove them and
cut off'the head of the giant. At this juncture Uriah the
Hittite offered him his services, but under the condition that
David secure him an Israelitish wife. David accepted the
condition, and Uriah in tum showed him how the various
suits of armor were fastened together at the heels of the
giant's feet.
David's victory naturally added fuel to the fire of Saul's
jealousy. Saul sent Abner, his general, to make inquiry
whether David, who, he knew, was of the tribe of Judah, be-
longed to the clan of the Perez or to the clan of the Zerah.
In the former case his su~picion that David was destined for
kingship would be confirmed. Doeg, David's enemy from
of old, observed that David, being the descendant of the
Moabitess Ruth, did not even belong to the Jewish commun-
ion, and Saul need entertain no fears from that quarter. A
lively discussion arose between Abner and Doeg, as to
whether the law in Deuteronomy regarding Moabites affect-
ed women as well as men. Doeg, an expert dialectician, bril-
liantly refuted all of Abner's arguments in favor of the ad-
mission of Moabitish women. Samuel's authority had to be

Digitized by Coogle
 Dlruid
.
appealed to in order to establish for all times the corr.ectness
of Abner's view."' Indeed, the dispute could be settled only
by recourse to threats of violence. Ithra, ·the father of
Amasa, in Arab fashion, for which reason he was sometimes
called the Ishmaelite, threatened to hew down anyone with
his sword who refused to accept Samuel's interpretation of
the law, that male Moabites and male Ammonites are for-
ever excluded from the congregation of Israel. but not
Moabite and Ammonite women.-

PuRSUED BY SAUL

As God stood by David in his duel with Goliath, so he

stood by him in many other of his difficulties. Often when
he thought all hope lost, the arm of God suddenly succored
him, and in unexpected ways, not only bringing relief, but
also conveying instruction on God's wise and just guidance
of the world.
David once said to God: .. The world is entirely beautiful
and good, with the one exception of insanity. What use
does the world derive from a lunatic, who runs hither and
thither, tears his clothes, and is pursued by a mob of hooting
children? .. "Verily, a time will come," said God in reply,
.. when thou wilt supplicate me to afflict thee with madness."
Now, it happened when David,· on his flight before Saul,
came to Achish, the king of the Philistines, who lived in
Gath, that the brothers of Goliath formed the heathen king's
body-guard, and they demanded that their brother's mur-
derer be executed. Achish, though a heathen, was pious,
for which reason he is caned Abimelech in the Psalms,
after the king of Gerar, who also was noted for piety. He

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ewl

therefore sought to pacify David's enemies. He called their

attention to the fact that Goliath had been th,. one to chal-
lenge the Jews to combat, and it was meet, therefore, that
he should be left to bear the consequences. The brothers
rejoined, if that view prevailed, then Achish would have to
give up his throne to David, for, according to the conditions
of the combat, the victor was to have dominion over the van-
quished . as his servants. In his distress, David besought
God to let him appear a madman in the eyes of Achish and
. his court. God granted his prayer. As the wife and daugh-
ter of the Philistine king were both bereft of reason, we can
understand his exclamation: "Do I lack madmen, that ye
have brought this fellow to play the madman in my pres-
ence? " Thus it was that David was rescued. Thereupon
he compos.ed the Psalm beginning with the words, "I will
bless the Lord at all times," which includes even the time
of lunacy.-
On another occasion David expressed his doubt of God's
wisdom in having formed such apparently useless creatures
as spiders are. They do nothing but spin a web that has no
value. He was to have striking proof that even a spider's
web may serve an important purpose. On one occasion he
had taken refuge in a cave, and Saul and his attendants, in
pursuit of him, were about to enter and seek him there. But
God sent a spider to weave its web across the opening, and
Saul told his men to desist from fruitless search in the cave,
for the spider's web was undeniable proof that no one had
passed through its entrance.-
Similarly, when David became indebted to one of them
for his life, he was cured of his scorn for wasps. He had

Digitized by Coogle
thought them good for nothing but td breed maggots.
David once surprised Saul and his attendants while they
were fast asleep in their camp, and he resolved to carry
off, as proof of. his magnanimity•. the cruse that stood
between the feet of the giant Abner, who like the rest was
sleeping. Fortunately his knees were drawn up, so that
David could carry out his intention unhindered. But as
David was retiring with the cruse, Abner stretched out his
feet. and pinned David down as with two solid pillars. His
life would have been forfeit, if a wasp had not stung Ab-
ner. who mechanically. in his sleep. moved his feet. and re-
leased David.8
There were stiD other miracles that happened to David
in his flight. Once. when Saul and his men compassed
David round about. an angel appeared and summoned him
home. to repulse the raid of the Philistines upon the land.
Saul gave up the pursuit of David. but only after a majority
had so decided. for some had been of the opinion that the
seizure of David was quite as important as the repulse of the
Philistines.- Again. in his battle with the Amalekites.
David enjoyed direct intervention from above. Lightning
in flashes and sheets illumined the dark nightr so enabling
him to carry on the struggle.-

WARS
David's first thought after ascending the throne was to
wrest Jerusalem. sacred since the days of Adam, Noah, and
Abraham, from the grasp of the heathen. The plan was not
easy of execution for various reasons. The J ebusites, the
possessors of Jerusalem, were the posterity of those SODS

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

of Heth who had ceded the Cave of Machpelah to Abra-

ham only on condition that their descendants should never
be forcibly dispossessed of their capital city Jerusalem. In
perpetuation of this agreement between Abraham and. the
sons of Heth, monuments of brass were erected, and when
David approached Jerusalem with hostile intent, the Jebu-
sites pointed to Abraham's promise engraven upon them
and still plainly to be read.· They maintained that before
David could take the city, which they had surrounded with
a high wall, he would have to destroy the monuments. Joab
devised a plan of getting into Jerusalem. 'He set up a tall
cypress tree near the wall, bent it downward, and, standing
on David's head, he grasped the very tip of the tree. When
the tree rebounded, Joab sat high above the wall, and could
jump down upon it. Once in the city, he destroyed the
monuments, and possessed himself of J erusalem.- For Da-
vid a miracle had happened; the wall had lowered itself be-
fore him so that he could walk into the city without diffi-
culty. David, however, was not desirous of using forcible
means. He therefore offered the Jebusites six hundred
shekels, fifty shekels for each Israelitisb tribe. The Jebu-
sites accepted the money, and gave David a bill of sale.-
Jerusalem having been acquired, David bad to prepare
for war with the Philistines, in which the king gave proof
at once of his heroic courage and his unshakable trust in
God. The latter quality he displayed signally in the battl~
that took place in the Valley of the Giants. God had com-
manded David not to attack the host of the Philistines until
he heard II the sound of marching in the tops of the mul-
berry trees." God desired to pass judgment upon the

Digitized by Coogle
 Daoid 93
\
tutelary angels of the heathen, before surreudering the
heathen themselves to the pious," and the motion of the tops
of the trees was to indicate that the battle could proceed.
The enemy advanced until there were but four ells between
them and the Israelites. The latter were about to throw
themselves against the Philistines, but David restrained
them, saying: "God forbaae me to attack the Philistines
before the tops of the trees begin to move. If we trans-
gress God's command, we shall certainly die. If we delay,
it is probable that we shall be killed by the Philistines, but,
at least, we shall die as pious men that keep God's command.
Above all, let us have confidence in God." Scarcely had he
ended his speech when the tOps of the trees rustled, and Da-
vid made a successful assault upon the Philistines. Where-
upon God said to the angels, who were constantly question-
ing him as to why he had taken the royal dignity from Saul
and given it to David: .. See tile. difference between Saul
and David... •
Of David's other campaigns, the most notable is his war
with Shobach the Aramean, whom he conquered in spite
of his gigantic size and strength. Shobach was very tall,
as tall as a dove-cote, and one look at him sufficed to strike
terror to the heart of the beholder.-. The Aramean general
indulged in the belief that David would treat the Syrians
gently on account of the monument, still in existence at
that time, which Jacob and Laban had erected on the
frontier between Palestine and Aram as a sign of their
covenant that neither they nor their descendants should
wage war with each other. But David destroyed the
moDUDlent.- Similarly, the Philistines had placed trust in

Digitized by Coogle
94 The Legends of the I ews

a relic from Isaac, the bridle of a mule which the ~atriarch

had given to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, as a
pledge of the covenant between Israel and his people.
David took it from them by force.-
However, David was as just as he was bold. Disregard of
the covenants made by the Patriarchs was far removed from
his thoughts. Indeed, before departing for the wars with
the Arameans and the Philistines, he had charged the San-
hedrin to investigate carefully the claims of the two nations.
The claims of the Philistines were shown to be utterly un-
founded. In no sense were they the descendants of those
Philistines who had concluded a treaty with Isaac; they had
immigrated from Cyprus at a much later date. The Ara-
means, on the other hand, had forfeited their claims upon
considerate treatment, because under the II Aramean" Ba-
Iaam, and later again, in the time of Othniel, under their
king Cushan-rishathaim, they had attacked and made war
upon the Israelites.-

ABITBOPBEL
Among David's courtiers and attendants, a prominent
place is occupied by his counsellor Ahithophel,· with whom
the king was connected by family ties, Bath-sheba being his
granddaughter.- Ahithophel·s wisdom was supernatural,
for his counsels always coincided with the oracles rendered
by the Urim and Thummim, and great as was his wisdom,
it was equalled by his scholarship. Therefore David did not
hesitate to submit himself to his instruction,- even though
Ahithophel was a very young man, at the time of his death
not more than thirty-three years old.- The one thing lacking

Digitized by Coogle
 David 95

in him was sincere piety," and this it was that proved his •
1Dldoing in the end, for it induced him to take part in Ab-
wom's rebellion against David. Thus he forfeited even hii
Pare in the world to come.·
To this dire course of action he was misled by astrologic
and other signs, which he interpreted as prophecies of his
own kingship, when in reality they pointed to the royal des-
tiny of his granddaughter Bath-sheba.· Possessed by his
erroneous belief, he cunningly urged Absalom to commit an
unheard-of crime. Thus Absalom would profit nothing by
his rebellion, for, though he accomplished his father's ruin,
he would yet be held to account and condemned to death for
his violation of family purity, and the way to the throne
would be clear for Ahithophel, the great sage in Israel.-
The relation between David and Aliithophel had been
somewhat strained even before Absalom's rebellion. Ahitho-
phel's feelings had been hurt by his being passed over at
the time when David, shortly after ascending the throne, in-
vested, on a single day, no less than ninety thousand func-
tionaries with positions.
On that day a remarkable incident occurred. When the
Ark was to be brought up from Geba to Jerusalem, the
priests who attempted to take hold of it were raised up in
the air and thrown violently to the ground. In his despair
the king turned for advice to Ahithophel, who retorted
mockingly: "Ask thy wise men whom thou hast but now
installed in office." It was only when David uttered a curse
on him who knows a remedy and withholds it from the suf-
ferer, that Ahithophel advised that a sacrifice should be of-
fered at every step taken by the priests. Although the meas-

Digitized by Coogle
n
 TIst Leiends of tlst Jews

ure proved efficacious, and no further disaster occurred in

connection with the Ark, yet Ahithophel's words had been
insincere. He knew the real reason of the misadventure,
and concealed it from the king. Instead of following the
law of having the Ark carried on the shoulders of priests,
David had had it put on a wagon, and so incurred the wrath
of God.-
Ahithophel's hostility toward David showed itself also on
the following occasion. When David was digging the foun-
dations of the Temple, a shard was found at a depth of fif-
teen hundred cubits. David was about to lift it, when the
shard exclaimed: II Thou canst not do it." II Why not? "
asked David. II Because I rest upon the abyss." II Since
when? " "Since the hour in which the voice of God was
heard to utter the words from Sinai, 'I aor the Lord thy
God,' causing the earth to quake and sink into the abyss. I
lie here to cover up the abyss." Nevertheless David lifted
the shard, and the waters of the abyss rose and threatened
to ftood. the earth. Ahithophet was standing by, and he
thought to himself: "Now David wilt meet with his death,
and I shall be king." Just then David said: "Whoever
knows how to stem the tide of waters, and fails to do it,
will one day throttle himself." - Thereupon Ahithophel had
the Name of God inscribed upon the shard, and the shard
thrown into the abyss. The waters at once commenced to
subside, but they sank to so great a depth that David feared
the earth might lose her moisture, and he began to sing the
fifteen II Songs of Ascents," to bring the waters up again."
Nevertheless David's curse was realized. Ahithophc:l
ended his days by hanging himself. His last will contained

Digitized by Coogle
 David 97

the foUowing three rul~ of conduct: n I. Refrain from doing

aught against a favorite of fortune. 2. Take heed not to
rise ·up against the royal house of David. 3. If the Feast
of Pentecost faUs on a sunny day, then sow wheat.-
Posterity has been favored with the knowledge of but a
smaD part of Ahithophel's wisdom, and that little through
two widely different sources, through Socrates,· who was
his disciple, and through a fortune-book written by bim."

]OAD
]oab, the warrior, was a contrast to Ahithophel in every
essential. He was David's right hand. It was said, if ]oab
bad not been there to conduct his wars, David would not
bave had leisure to devote himself to the study of the Torah.
He was the 'model of a true Jewish hero, distinguished
at the same time for his learning, piety, and goodness.
His house stood wide open for aU comers, and the cam-
paigns which he undertook redounded invariably to the
benefit of the people. They were indebted to him lor luxu-
ries even," and more than that, he took thought for the wel-
fare of scholars, he himself being the president of the San-
hedrin."
It interested ]oab to analyze the character of men and
their opinions. When he heard King David's words: II Like
as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth thef!l that
fear him," he expressed his astonishment that the compari-
son should be made with the love of a father for a child, and
not with the love of a mother; mother love as a rule is con-
sidered the stronger and the morc self-sacrificing. He made
up his mind to keep his eyes open, and observe whether
7

Digitized by Coogle
98 Thl LIgnuU of Ihll1'W8

David's idea was borne out by facts. On one of his jour-

neys he happened into the house of a poor old man who had
twelve children, all of whom the father supported, however
meagrely, with the toil of his own hands. Joab proposed
that he sen him one of the twelve children; he would thus be
relieved of the care of one, and the selling-price could be
applied to the better support of the rest. The good father
rejected the proposition brusquely. Then ]oab appr~hed
the mother, offering her a hundred gold denarii for one of
the children. At first she resisted the temptation, but finally
she yielded. When the father returned in the evening, ho
cut the bread, as was his wont, into fourteen pieces, for him-
self, his wife, and his twelve children. In allotting the por-
tions he missed a child, and insisted upon being told its fate.
The mother confessed what had happened during his ab-
sence. He neither ate nor drank, and next morning he set
out, firmly resolved to return the money to ]oab and to slay
him if he should refuse to surrender the child. After much
parleying, and after the father had threatened him with
death, J oab yielded the child to the old man, with the ex-
clamation: II Yes, David was right when he compared God's
love for men to a father's love for his child. This poor fel-
low who has twelve children to support was prepared to
fight me to the death for one of them, which the mother,
who calmly stayed at home, had sold to me for a price."
Among all the heroic achievements of Joab, the most re-
markable is the taking of the Amalekite capital. For six
months the flower of the Israelitish army, twelve thousand in
number, under the leadership of ]oab, had been besieging the
capital city of the Amalekites without result. The soldiers

Digitized by Coogle
 DtrUid 99

made representations to their general, that it would be well

for them to return home to their wives and children. ]oab
urged that this not only would earn for them contempt and
derision, but also would invite new danger. The heathen
would be encouraged to unite against the Israelites. He
proposed that they hurl him into the city by means of a
sling, and then wait forty days. If at the end of this period
they saw blood flow from the gates of the fortress, it should
be a sign to them that he was still alive.
His plan was executed. ]oab took with him one thousand
pieces of money and his sword. When he was cast from
the sling, he fell into the courtyard of a widow, whose
daughter caught him up. In a little while he regained con-
sciousness. He pretended to be an Amalekite taken prisoner
by the Israelites, and thrown into the city by his captors,
who thus wished to inflict death. As he was provided with
money, which he dispensed lavishly among his entertainers,
he was received kindly, and was given the Amalekite garb.
So apparelled, he ventured, after ten days, on a tour of in-
spection through the" city, which he found to be of enormous
size.
His first errand was to an armorer, to have him mend his
sword, which had been broken by his fall. When the artisan
scanned ]eab's weapon, he started back-he had never seen
a sword like it. He forged a new one, which snapped in
two almost at once when ]oab grasped it firmly. So it hap-
pened with a second sword, and with a third. Finally he
succeeded in fashioning one that was acceptable. ]oab asked
the smith whom he would like him to slay with the sword,
and the reply was, " ]eab, the general of the Israelitish

Digitized by Coogle
100 The Legends of the / tfIIS

king." II I am he," said Joab, and when the smith in aston-

ishment turned to look at him, Joab ran him through so
skilfully that the victim had no realization of what was hap-
pening. Thereupon he hewed down five hundred Amalekite
warriors whom he met on his way, and not one escaped to
betray him. The rumor arose that Asmodeus, the king of
demons, was raging among the inhabitants of the city, and
slaying them in large numbers.
After another period of ten days, which he spent in re-
tirement with his hosts, ]oab sallied forth a second time.
and caused such bloodshed among the Amalekites that his
gory. weapon clave to his hand, and his right hand lost aU
power of independent motion, it could be made to move only
in a piece with his arm. He hastened to his lodging p1ace to
apply hot water to his hand and free it from the sword. On
his way thither the woman who had caught him up when
he fell into the city called to him: II Thou eatest and drinkest
with us. yet thou slayest our warriors." Seeing himself be-
trayed. he could not but kill the woman. Scarcely had his
sword touched her, when it was separated from his hand.
and his hand could move freely. for the dead woman had
been with child. and the blood of the unborn babe loosed
the sword.
After Joab had slain thousands, the Israelites without. at
the very moment when they were beginning to mourn their
general as dead. saw blood issue from the city. and joyfully
they cried out with one accord: .. Hear. 0 Israel. the Lord
is our God. the Lord is One." Joab mounted a high tower.
and in stentorian tones shouted: II The Lord will not for-
sake his people." Inspired with high and daring courage.

Digitized by Coogle
 David 101

the Israelites demanded permission to assault the city and

capture it. As ]oab turned to descend from the tower, he
noticed that six verses of a Psalm were inscribed on his
foot, the first verse running thus: II The Lord answen
thee in the day of trouble, the name of the God of ] acob is
thy defense." Later David added three verses and com-
pleted the Psalm. Thereupon the Israelites took the Ama-
lekite capital, destroyed the heathen temples in the city, and
slew all its inhabitants, except the king, whom. with his
crown of pure gold on his head, they brought before DaNieLn

DAVID'S PIETY AND HIS SIN

Neither his great achievements in war nor his remarkable
good fortune moved David from his pious ways, or in aught
changed his mode of life. Even after he became king he sat
at the feet of his teachers, Ira the ]airite" and Mephibosheth.
To the latter he always submitted his decisions on religious
questions, to make sure that they were in accordance with
law." Whatever leisure time his royal duties afforded him,
he spent in study and prayer. He contented himself with
" sixty breaths" of sleep.- At midnight the strings of his
harp,- which were made of the gut of the ram sacrificed by
Abraham on Mount Moriah,- began to vibrate. The sound
they emitted awakened David, and he would arise at once
to devote himself to the study of the Torah.-
Besides study, the composition of psalms naturally claimed
a goodly portion of his time. Pride filled his heart when he
had completed the Psalter, and he exclaimed: "0 Lord of
the world, is there another creature in the universe who like
me proclaims Thy praise?" A frog came up to the king, and

Digitized by Coogle
102 The Legends of the Jews

.said: II Be not so proud; I have composed more psalms than

thou, and, besides, every psalm my mouth has uttered I have
accompanied with three thousand parables." H And, truly,
if David indulged in conceit, it was only for a moment. As
a rule he was the exemplar of modesty. The coins which
were stamped by him bore a shepherd's crook and pouch on
the obverse, and on the reverse the Tower of David.- In
other respects, too, his bearing was humble, as though he
were still the shepherd and not the king.-
His great piety invested his prayer with such efficacy that
he could bring things in heaven down to earth.- It is natural
that so godly a king should have used the first respite granted
by his wars to carry out his design of erecting a house of
worship to God. But in the very night in which David con-
ceived the plan of building the Temple, God said to Nathan
the prophet: II Hasten to David. I know him to be a man
with whom execution follows fast upon the heels of thought,
and I should not like him to hire laborers for the Temple
work, and then, disappointed, complain of me. I further-
more know him to be a man who obligates himself by vows
to do good deeds, and I desire to spare him the embarrass-
ment of having to apply to the Sanhedrin for abSolution
from his vow."-
When David heard Nathan's message for him, he began
to tremble, and he said: II Ah, verily, God hath found me un-
worthy to erect His sanctuary." But God replied with these
words: II Nay, the blood shed by thee I consider as sacri-
ficial blood, but I do not care to have thee build the Temple,
because then it would be eternal and indestructible." II But
that would be excellent," said David. Whereupon the reply

Digitized by Coogle
 David 103

was vouchsafed him: .. I foresee that Israel will commit sins.

I shall wreak My wrath upon the Temple, and Israel will
be saved from annihilation. However, thy good intentions
shall receive their due reward. The Temple, though it be
built by Solomon, shall be called tbine."-
David's thinking and planning were wholly given to what
is good and noble. He is one of the few pious men over
whom the evil inclination had no power.- By nature he
was not disposed to commit such evil-doing as his relation
to Bath-sheba involved. God Himself brought him to his
crime, that He might say to other sinners: .. Go to David
and learn how to repent."· Nor, indeed, may David be
charged with gross murder and adultery. There were ex-
tenuating circumstances. In those days it was customary
for warriors to give their wives bills of divorce, which were
to have validity only if the soldier husbands did not return
at the end of the campaign. Uriah having fallen in battle,
Bath-sheba was a regularly divorced woman. As for the
death of her husband, it cannot be laid entirely at David's
door, for Uriah had incurred the death penalty by his refusal
to take his ease in his own house, according to the king's
bidding.- Moreover, from the first, Bath-sheba had been
destined by God for David, but by way of punishment for
having lightly promised Uriah the Hittite an Israelitish
woman to wife, in return for his aid in unfastening the
armor of the prostrate Goliath, the king had to undergo
bitter trials before he won her.-
Furthermore, the Bath-sheba episode was a punishment
for David's excessive self-consciousness. He had fairly be-
sought God to lead him into temptation, that he might give

Digitized by Coogle
104 The Legends of the Jews

proof of his constancy. It came about thus: He once com-

plained to God: .. 0 Lord of the world. why do people
say God of Abraham, God of Isaac. God of Jacob, and why
not God of David?" The answer came: .. Abraham, Isaac.
and Jacob were tried by ·me. but thou hast not yet been
proved." David entreated: "Then examine me, 0 Lord,
and try me." And God said: .. I shall prove thee, and I
shall even grant thee what I did not grant the Patriarchs. I
shall tell thee beforehand that thou wilt fall into temptation
through a woman."
Once Satan appeared to him in the shape of a bird. David
threw a dart at him. Instead of striking Satan, it glanced
off and broke a wicker screen which hid Bath-sheba comb-
ing her hair. The sight of her aroused passion in the king.-
David realized his transgression, and for twenty-two years
he was a penitent. Daily he wept a whole hour and ate his
"bread with ashes."· But he had to undergo still heavier
penance. For a half-year he suffered with leprosy, and even
the Sanhedrin, which usually was in close personal attend-
ance upon him. had to leave him. He lived not only in
physical, but also in spiritual isolation, for the ShekiDah
departed from him during that time.-

ABSALOM'S REBELLION
Of all the punishments, however, inflicted upon David,
none was so severe as the rebellion of his own son.
Absalom was of such gigantic proportions that a man
who was himself of extraordinary size, standing in the eye-
socket of his skull, sank in down· to his nose.· As for his
marvellous hair, the account of it in the Bible does not con-

Digitized by Coogle
 David lOS

vey a notion of its abundance. Absalom had taken the

vow of a Nazarite. As his vow was for life, and because
the growth of his hair was particularly heavy, the Jaw per-
mitted him to clip it slightly every week.- It was of this
small quantity that the weight amounted to two hundred
shekels.
Absalom arranged for his audacious rebellion with great
cunning. He secured a letter from his royal father em-
powering him to select two elders for his suite in every town
he visited. With this document he travelled through the
whole of Palestine. In each town he went to the two most
distinguished men, and invited them to accompany him, at
the same time showing them what his father had written,
and assuring them that they had been chosen by him be-
cause he had a particular affection for them. So he suc-
ceeded in gatheri~g the presidents of two hundred courts
about him. This having been accomplished, he arranged a
large banquet, at which he seated one of his emissaries be-
tween every two of his guests, for the purpose of winning
them over to his cause. The plan did not succeed wholly,
for, though the elders of the towns stood by Absalom, in
their heartS they hoped for David's victory.-
The knowledge that a part of Absalom's following sided
with him in secret,-that, though he was pursued by -his son,
his friends remained true to him,-somewhat consoled David
in his distresS. He thought that in these circumstances, if
the worst came to the worst, Absalom would at least feel
pity for him.- At first, however, the despair of David knew
no bounds. He was on the point of worshipping an idol,
when his friend Hushai the Archite approached him, saying:

Digitized by Coogle
Jo6 The Legends of the J nlJ8

"The people will wonder that such a king should serve

idols." David replied: II Should a king such as I am be
killed by his own son? It is better for me to serve idols
than that God should be held responsible for my misfortune,
and His Name thus be desecrated." Hushai reproached
him: II Why didst thou marry a captive?" II There is no
wrong in that," replied David, II it is permitted according
to the law." Thereupon Hushai: II But thou didst disre-
gard the connection between the passage pennitting it and
the one that follows almost immediately after it in the Scrip-
tures, dealing with the disobedient and rebellious son. the
natural issue of such a marriage." -
Hushai was not the only faithful friend and adhereat
David had. Some came to his rescue unexpectedly, as, for
instance, Shobi, the son of Nabash, who is identical with
the Ammonite king Hanun, the enemy of David at first,
and later his ally.- Barzillai, another one of his friends
in need, also surprised him by his loyalty, for on the whole
his moral attitude was not the highest conceivable.-
Absalom's end was beset with terrors. When he was
caught in the branches of the oak-tree, he was about to sever
his halr with a sword stroke, but suddenly he saw hell yawn-
itlg beneath him, and he preferred to hang in the tree to
throwing himself into the abyss alive.- Absalom's crime
was, indeed, of a nature to deserve the supreme torture, for
which reason he is one of the few Jews who have no portion
in the world to come.- His abode is in hell, where he is
charged with the control of ten heathen nations in the second
division. Whenever the avenging angels sit in judgment
on the nations, they desire to visit punishment on Absalom.

Digitized by Coogle
 David 107
too, but each time a heavenly voice is heard to call out:
.. Do not chastise him, do not bum him. He is an Israelite,
the son of My servant David." Whereupon Absalom is set
upon his throne, and is accorded the treatment due to a
king." That the extreme penalties of hell were thus averted
from him, was on account of David's eightfold repetition of
his son's name in his lament over him. Besides, David's
intercession had the effect of re-attaching Absalom's severed
head to his body.-
At his death Absalom was childless, for all his children,
his three sons and his daughter, died before him, as a pun-
ishment for his having set fire to a field of ~ belonging
to Joab.-

DAVID'S ATONEMENT
All these sufferings did not suffice to atone for David's
sin. God once said to him: II How much longer shall this sin
be hidden in thy hand and remain unatoned? On thy ac-
count the priestly city of Nob was destroyed,- on thy ac-
count Doeg the Edomite was cast out of the communion of
the pious, and on thy account Saul and his three sons were
slain. What dost thou desire now-that thy house should
perish, or that thou ~yself shouldst be delivered into the
hands of thine enemies?" David chose the latter doom.
It happened one day when he was hunting, Satan, in the
guise of a deer, enticed him further and further, into the
very territory of the Philistines, where he was recognized
by Ishbi the giant, the brother of Goliath, his adversary.
Desirous of avenging his brother, he seized David, and cast
him into a winepress, where the king would have suffered

Digitized by Coogle
loS The Legends of the I ews

a torturous end, if by a miracle the earth beneath him had

not begun to sink, 1lnd so saved him· from instantaneous
death. His plight, however, remained desperate, and it re-
quired a second miracle to rescue him.
In that hour Abishai, the cousin of David, was preparing
for the advent of the Sabbath, for the king's misfortune hap-
pened on Friday as the Sabbath was about to come in.
When Abishai poured out water to wash himself, he sud-
denly caught sight of drops of blood in it. Then he was
startled by a dove that came to him plucking out her plumes.
and moaning and wailing. Abishai exclaimed: II The dove
is the symbol of the people of Israel. It cannot be but that
David, the king of Israel, is in distress." Not finding the
king at home. he was confirmed in his fears, and he deter-
mined to go on a search for David on lite swiftest animal
at his command, the king's own saddle-beast. But first he
had to obtain the permission of the sages to mount the ani-
mal ridden by the king, for the law forbids a subject to avail
himself of things set aside for the personal use of a king.
Only the impending danger could justify the exception made
in this case.
Scarcely had Abishai mounted the king's animal, when
he found himself in· the land of the Philistines, for the earth
had contracted miraculously. He met Orpah, the m~ther of
the four giant sons. She was about to kill him, but he an-
ticipated the blow and slew her. Ishbi, seeing that he now
had two opponents, stuck his lance into the ground, and
hurle4 David up in the air, in the expectation that when
he felt he would be transfixed by the lance. At that moment
Abishai appeared, and by pronouncing the Name of God he
kept David suspended 'twixt heaven and earth.

Digitized by Coogle
 DfJ'lIid log

Abishai questioned David how such evil plight had over-

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

VISITATIONS
Among the sorrows of David are the visitations that came
upon Palestine during his reigu. and he felt them all the
more as he had incurred them through his own fanlt. There
was first the famine. which was so desolating that it is
counted among the ten severest that are to happen from the
time of Adam to the time of the Messiah.'u During the first
year that it prevailed, David had an investigation set on foot
to discover whether idolatry was practiced in the land, and
was ke~ing back the rain. His suspicion proved ground-
less. The second year he looked into the moral conditions of
his realm, for lewdness can bring about the same punishment
as idolatry. Again he was proved wrong. The third year.
he turned his attention to the administration of charity. Per-
haps the people had incurred guilt in this respect, for abuses
in this department also were visited with the punishment of

Digitized by Coogle
110 The Legends of the Jews

famine.1U Again his search was fruitless, and he turned to

God to inquire of Him the cause of the public distress. God's
reply was: .. Was not Saul a king anointed with holy oil,
did he not abolish idolatry, is he not the companion of Sam-
uel in Paradise ? Yet, while you all dwell in the land of
0

Israel, he is ' outside of the land.''' David, accompanied by

the scholars and the nobles of his kingdom, at once repaired
to Jabesh-gilead, disinterred the remains of Saul and Jona-
than, and in solemn procession bore them through the whole
land of Israel to the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin.
There they were buried. The tributes of affection paid by
the people of Israel to its dead king aroused the compassion
of God, and the famine came to an end."
The sin against Saul was now absolved, but there still re-
mained Saul's own guilt in his dealings with the Gibeonites,
who charged him with having killed seven of their number.
David asked God why He had punished His people on ac-
count of proselytes. God's answer to him was: II If thou
dost not bring near them that are far off, thou wilt remove
them that are near by." To satisfy their vengeful feelings,
the Gibeonites demanded the life of seven members of Saul's
family. David sought to mollify them, representing to them
that they would derive no benefit from the death of their
victims, and offering them silver and gold instead. But
though David treated with each one of them individually,
the Gibeonites were relentless. When he realized their hard-
ness of heart, he cried out: II Three qualities God gave unto
Israel; they are compassionate, chaste, and gracious in the
service of their fellow-men. The first of these qualities the
Gibeonites do not possess, and therefore they must be ex-
cluded from communion with Israel.lH

Digitized by Coogle
 III

The seven descendants of Saul to be IUrrendered to the

Gibeonites were determined by letting all his posterity pass
6y the Ark of the law. Those who were arrested before it
were the designated victims. Mephibosheth would have been
one of the unfortunates. had he not been permitted to pass
by unchecked in answer to the prayer of David.- to whom
be was dear. not only as the son of his friend Jonathan. but
also as the teacher who instructed him in the Torah.w
The cruel fate that befell the descendants of Saul bad a
wholesome effect. All the heathen who sa." and heard ex-
claimed: There is no God like unto the God of Israel, there
II

is no nation like unto the nation of Israel; the wrong in-

Bicted upon wretched proselytes has been expiated by the
sons of kings." So great was the enthusiasm among the
heathen over this manifestation of the Jewish sense of
justice that one hundred and fifty thousand of them were
converted to Judaism.-
As for David. his wrong in connection with the famine
lay in his not having applied his private wealth to the amelio-
ration of the people's suffering. When David returned vie-
torious from the combat with Goliath, the women of Israel
gave him their gold and silver ornaments. He put them
aside for use in building the Temple. and even during the
three years' famine this fund was not touched. God said:
c. Thou didst refrain from rescuing human beings from
death. in order to save thy money for the Temple. Verily.
the Temple shall not be built by thee. but by Solomon.""
David is still more blameworthy on account of the census
which he took of the Israelites in defiance of the law in the
Pentateuch. When he was charged by the king with the

l
Digitized by Coogle
112 The Legends of the Jews

task of numbering the people. ]oab used every effort to tum

him away from his intention. But in vain. Incensed. David
said: II Either thou art king and I am the general. or I am
king and thou art the general." ]oab had no choice but to
obey. He selected the tribe of Gad as the first to be counted,
because he thought that the Gadites. independent and self-
wined. would hinder the execution of the royal order,
and David would be forced to give up his plan of taking
a census. The Gadites disappointed the expectations of
Joab. and he betook himself to the tribe of Dan. hoping that
if God's punishment descended, it would strike the idolatrous
Danites. Disliking his mis~ion AS he did, Joab spent nine
months in executing it, though he might have dispatched it
in a much shorter time. Nor did he carry out the king's or-
ders to the letter. He himself wamed the people of the cen-
sus. If he saw the father of a family of five sons, he would
bid him conceal a 'few of them. Following the example set
by Moses, he omitted the Levites from the enumeration, like-
wise the tribe of Benjamin, because he ent~rtained particu-
larly grave apprehensions in behalf of this greatly decimated
tribe.UI In the end, David was net informed of the actual
number obtained. 10ab made two lists, intending to give
the king a partial list if he found that he had no suspicion
of the ruse.-
The prophet Gad came to David and gave him the choice
of famine, oppression by enemies, or the plague, as the pen-
alty for the heavy crime of popular census-taking. DaVid
was in the position of a sick man who is asked whether he
prefers to be buried next to his father or next to his mother.
The king .considered: " If I choose the calamities of war, the

Digitized by Coogle
 David 113

people will say, • He cares little, he haa his warriors to look

to.' If I choose famine, they will say, • He cares little, he
has his riches to look to.' I shall choose the plague, whose
scourge strikes all alike." III Although the plague raged but
a very short time,· it claimed a large number of victims.
The most serious loss was the death of Abishai, whose piety
and learning made him the counterpoise of a host of seventy-
five thousand.III
David raised his eyes on high, and he saw the sins of Is-
rael heaped up from earth to heaven. In the same moment
an angel descended, and slew his four sons, the prophet Gad,
and the elders who accompanied him. David's terror at this
sight, which was but increased when the angel wiped his .
dripping sword on the king's garments, settled in his limbs,
and from that day on they never ceased to tremble.-

THE DEATH OF DAVID

David once besought God to tell him when he would die.
His petition was not granted, for God has ordained that no
man shall foreknow his end. One thing, however, was re-
vealed to David. that his death would occur at the age of
seventy on the Sabbath day. David desired that he might
be permitted to die on Friday. This wish, too, was denied
him, because God said that He delighted more in one day
passed by David in the study of the Torah, than in a thou-
sand holocausts offered by Solom~ in the Temple. Then
David petitioned that life might be vouchsafed him until
Sunday; this, too, was refused, because God said it would be
an infringement of the rights of Solomon. for one reign may
not overlap by a hairbreadth the time assigned to another.
8

Digitized by Coogle
114 The Legends of the Jews

Thereafter David spent every Sabbath exclusively in the

study of the Torah, in order to secure himself against the
Angel of Death, who has no power to slay a man while he is
occupied with the fulfilment of God's commandments. The
Angel of Death had to resort to cunning to gain possession
of David.- One Sabbath day, which happened to be also the
Pentecost holiday,- the king was absorbed in study, when
he heard a sound in the garden. He rose and descended the
stairway leading from his palace to the garden, to discover
the CSluse of the noise. No sooner had he set foot on the
neps than they tumbled in, and David was killed. The Angel
of Death had caused the noise in order to utilize the moment
when David should interrupt his study.- The king's corpse
could not be moved on the Sabbath, which was painful to
those with him, as it was lying exposed to the rays of the sun.
So Solomon summoned several eagles, and they stood guard
over the body, shading it with their outstretched pinions.-

DAVID IN PARADISE

The death of David did not mean the end of his glory and
grandeur. It merely caused a change of scene. In the heav-
enly realm as on earth David ranks among the first. The
crown upon his head outshines all others, and whenever he
moves out of Paradise to present himself before God, suns,
stars, angels, seraphim, and other holy beings run to meet
him. In the heavenly court-room a throne of fire of gigantic
dimensions is erected for him directly opposite to the throne
of God. Seated on this throne and surrounded by the kings
of the house of David and other Israelitish kings, he intones
wondrously beautiful psalms. At the end he always cites

Digitized by Coogle
 David lIS
the verse: .. The Lord reigns forever and ever," to which
the archangel Metatron and those with him reply: .. Holy,
holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts I" This is the signal for the
holy 1:Iayyot and heaven and earth to join in with praise.
FinaIJy the kings of the house of David sing the verse: II And
the Lord shall be king over all ; in that day shall the Lord be
one, and His name one." JII
The greatest distinction to be accorded David is reserved
for the judgment day, when God will prepare a great ban-
quet in Paradise for all the righteous. At David's petition,
God Himself will be present at the banquet, and will sit on
His throne, opposite to which David's throne will be placed.
At the end of the banquet, God will pass the wine cup over
which grace is said, to Abraham, with the words: II Pro-
nounce the blessing over the wine, thou who art the father
of the pious of the world." Abraham will reply: .. I am not
worthy to pronounce the blessing, for I am the father also
of the Ishmaelites, who kindle God's wrath." God will
then tum to Isaac: II Say the blessing, for thou wert bound
upon the altar as a sacrifice." .. I am not worthy," he will
reply, II for the children of my son Esau destroyed the
Temple." Then to Jacob: II Do thou speak the blessing,
thou whose children were blameless." JacOb also will decline
the honor on the ground that he was married to two sisters
at the same time, which later was strictly prohibited by
the Torah. God will then tum to Moses: II Say the blessing,
for thou didst receive the law and didst fulfil its precepts."
Moses will answer: " I am not worthy to do it, seeing that
I was not found worthy to enter the Holy Land." God will
next offer the honor to Joshua, who both led Israel into the

Digitized by Coogle
116 The Legends of the J eflJS

Holy Land, and fulfilled the commandments of the law. He.

too. wiII refuse to pronounce the blessing, because he was not
found worthy to bring forth a son. Finally God will tum
to David with the words: .. Take the cup and say the bless-
ing. thou the sweetest singer in Israel and Israel's king. And
David will reply: I Yes, I will pronounce the blessing, for
I am worthy of the honor."" Then God wiII take the Torah
and read various passages from it, and David will recite a
psalm in which both the pious in Paradise and the wicked in
hell will join with a loud Amen. Thereupon God will send
his angels to lead the wicked from hell to Paradise.-

THB FAMILY OF DAVID

David had six wives, including Michal, the daughter of

Saul, who is called by the pet name Eglah, .. Calfkin," in
the list given in the Bible narrative.1Il Michal was of en-
ti'ancing beauty,· and at the same time the model of a loving
wife. Not only did she save David out of the hands of her
father, but also, when Saul, as her father and her king, com-
manded her to marry another man, she acquiesced only
apparently. She entered into a mock marriage in order not
to arouse the anger of Saul, who had annulled her union
with David on grounds which he thought legal. Michal was
good as well as beautiful; she showed such extraordinary
kindness to the orphan children of her sister Merab that the
Bible speaks of the five sons of Michal 1.1 whom she bore to
Adriel." Adriel, however, was her brother-in-law and not
her husband, but she had raised his children, treating them
as though they were her own.- Michal was no less a model
of piety. Although the law exempted her, as a woman,

Digitized by Coogle
 DfJlJid II;

from the duty, still she executed the commandment of using

phylacteries.1Il In spite of aU these virtues, she was severely
punished by God for her scorn of David, whom she re-
proached with lack of dignity, when. he had in mind only
to do honor to God. Long she remained childless, and at
last, when she was blessed with a child, she lost her own life
in giving birth to it.-
But the most important among the wives of David was
Abigail, in whom beauty, wisdom, and prophetical gifts
were joined. With Sarah, Rahab,and Esther. she forms the
quartet of the most beautiful women in history. She was so
bewitching that passion was aroused in men by the mere
thought of her.UI Her cleverness showed itself during her
first meeting with David, when, though anxious about the
life of her husband Nabal. she still. with the utmost tran-
quillity, put a ritual question to him in his rage. He refused
to answer it, because, he said, it was a question to be investi-
gated by day, not by night. Thereupon Abigail interposed,
that sentence of death likewise may be passed upon a man
only during the day. Even if David's judgment were right,
the law required him to wait until daybreak to execute it
upon Nabal. David's objection, that a rebel like Nabal had
no claim upon due process of law. she overruled with the
words: "Saul is still alive. and thou art not yet acknowl-
edged king by the world."
Her charm would have made David her captive on this
occasion, if her moral strength had not kept him in check.
By means of the expression, " And tlais shall not be unto
thee," she made him understand that the day had not yet
arrived, but that it would ,come, when a woman, Bath-sheba.

Digitized by Coogle
118 The Legends of 'he Jews

would play a disastrous part in his life. Thus she mani-

fested her gift of prophecy.
Not even Abigail was free from the feminine weakness of
coquetry. The words "remember thine handmaid" should
never have been uttered by her. As a married woman, she
should not have sought to direct the attention of a man to
herself.1II In the women's Paradise she supervises the fifth
of the seven divisions into which it is divided, and her do-
main adjoins that of the wives of the Patriarchs, Sarah, Re-
bekah, Rachel, and Leah.-
Among the sons of David, Adonijah, the son of Haggith,
must be mentioned particularly, the pretender to the throne.
The fifty men whom he prepared to run before him had
fitted themselves for the place of heralds by cutting out
their spleen and the flesh of the soles of their feet. That
Adonijah was not designated for the royal dignity, was
made manifest by the fact that the crown of David did not
fit him. This crown had the remarkable peculiarity of al-
ways fitting the legitimate king of the house of David.-
Chileab was a son worthy of his mother Abigail. The
meaning of his name is "like the father," which had been
given him because of his striking resemblance to David in
appearance, a circumstance that silenced the talk against Da-
vid's all too hasty marriage with the widow of Nahal.- In-
tellectualJy, too, Chileab testified to David's paternity. In
fact, he excelled his father in learning, as he did even the
teacher of David, Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan.- On
account of his piety he is one of the few who have entered
Paradise alive.-
Tamar cannot be calJed one of the children of David, be-

Digitized by Coogle
 David

cause she was bom before her mother's conversion to Juda-

ism. Consequently, her relation to Amnon is not quite of the
grave nature it would have been, had they been sister and
brother in the strict sense of the terms.
To the immediate household of David belonged four hun-
dred young squires, the sons of women taken captive in
battle. They wore their hair in heathen fashion, and, sitting
in golden chariots, they formed the vanguard of the army,
and terrified the enemy by their appearance.-

HIS TOKB

When David was buried, Solomon put abundant treast.~s

into his tomb. Thirteen hundred years later the high priest
Hyrcanus took a thousand talents of the money secreted
there to use it in preventing the siege of Jerusalem by the
Greek king Antiochus. King Herod also abstracted great
sums. But none of the marauders could penetrate to the
resting-place of the kings,-next to David his successors
were interred,-for it was sunk into the earth so skilfully
that it could not be found. 1M
Once on a time, a Moslem pasha visited the mauSQleum,
and as he was looking through the window in it, a weapon
of his ornamented with diamonds and pearls dropped into
the tomb. A Mohammedan was lowered through the win-
dow to fetch the weapon. When he was drawn up again,
be was dead, and three other Mohammedans who tried to
enter in the same way met the fate of their comrade. At the
instigation of the kadi, the pasha informed the Rabbi of
Jerusalem that the Jews would be held responsible for the
restoration of the weapon. The Rabbi ordered a three days'

Digitized by Coogle
120

fast, to be spent in prayer. Then lots were cast to designate

the messenger who was to be charged with the perilous er-
rand. The lot fell upon the beadle of the synagogue, a pious
and upright man. He secured the' weapon, and returned it
to the pasha, who manifested his gratitude by kindly treat-
ment of the Jews thereafter. The beadle later told his ad-
ventures in the tomb to the Hakam Bashi. When he had de-
scended, there suddenly appeared before him an old man of
'dignified appearance, and handed him what he was seeking.-
Another miraculous tale concerning the tomb of David
runs as follows: A poor but very pious Jewish washerwoman
was once persuaded by the keeper of the ~mb to enter it.
Hardly was she within, when the man nailed up the entrance.
and ran to the kadi to inform him that a Jewess had gone in.
Incensed, the kadi hastened to the spot, with the intention of
having the woman burnt for her presumptuousness. In her
terror the poor creature had begun to weep and implore God
for help. Suddenly a flood of light illumined the dark tomb,
and a venerable old man took her by the hand, and led her
downward under the earth until she reached the open.
There he parted from her with the words: "Hasten home-
ward, and let none know that thou wert away from thy
bouse." The kadi had the tomb and its surroundings thor-
oughly searched by his bailiffs, but not a trace of the woman
could be discovered, although the keeper again and again
swore by the Prophet that the woman had entered. Now
the messengers whom the kadi had sent to the house of the
woman returned, and reported they had found her washing
busily, and greatly astonished at their question, whether
she had been at the tomb of David. The kadi accordingly

Digitized by Coogle
 David 121

decided that for his false statements and his perjury, the
keeper must die the very death intended for the innocent
woman, and so he was burnt. The people of Jerusalem sus-
pected a miracle, but the woman did not divulge her secret
until a few hours before her death. She told her story, and
then bequeathed her possessions to the congregation, under
the condition that a scholar recite Kaddish for her on each·
anniversary of her death.HI

Di9"ilized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 v
SOLOMON

.-
SoLOMON PUNISHES ]OAD •••••••••••••• 125
THE MARRIAGE OF SoLOMON •••••••••••• 128
HIS WISOOK •.•••.•.••••.••••..•.•.• 130
THE QUEEN OF SHEBA •••••••••••••••• 142
SoLOMON MASTER OF THE DEMONS •••••• 149
THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE ••••••••• 154
THE THRONE OF SoLOMON ••••••••••••• 157
THE HIPPODROME •••••••••••••••••••• 160
LESSONS IN HUMILITY •••••••••••••••• 162
ASMODEUS ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 165
SoLOMON AS BEGGAR •••••••••••••••••• 169
THE CoURT OF SoLOMON ••••••••••••••• 172

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 V
SOLOMON
SoLOKON I'UNISBES JOAD
At, the youthful age of twelve I Solomon succeeded his
father David as king. His real name was ]edidiah, the
"friend of. God," but it was superseded by the name Solo-
mon on account of the peace that prevailed throughout the
realm during his reign. He bore three other names besides:
Ben, ]akeh, and lthiel. He was called Ben because he wl.!l°
the builder of the Temple; ]akeh, because he was the ruler
of the whole world; and lthiel, because God was with
him.-
The rebellion Adonijah intended to lead against the future
king was suppressed during David's lifetime, by having
Solomon anointed in public. On that occasion Solomon rode
upon a remarkable she-mule. remarkable because she was,
not the product of cross-breeding. but of a special act of
creation.'
As soon as he ascended the throne. Solomon set about ex-
ecuting the instructions his father had given him on his
death-bed. The first of them was the punishment of ] oab."
Notwithstanding all his excellent qualities. which fitted
him to be not only David's first general. but also the presi-
dent of the Academy: ]oab had committed great crimes.
which had to be atoned for. Beside the murder of Abner·
and Amasa of which he was guilty, he had incurred wrong

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / t'Ws

against David himself. The generals of the army suspected

him of having had Uriah the Hittite put out of the way for
purposes of hilt own, whereupon he showed them David's
letter dooming Uriah. David might have forgiven ]oab.
but he wanted him to expiate his sins in this world. so that
he might "be exempt from punishment in the world to come!
When ]oab perceived that Solomon intended to have him
executed, he sought the protection of the Temple. He knew
full wen that he c:ouId not save his life in this way, for the
arm of justice reaches beyond the doors of the sanctuary,
to the altar of God. What he wished was to be accorded
a regular trial, and not suffer death by the king's order. In
the latter case he would lose fortune as well as life. and he
was desirous of leaving his children wen provided for.
Thereupon Solomon sent word to him that he had no inten-
tion of confiscating his estates.'
Though he was convinced of ]oab's guilt, Solomon never-
theless granted him the privilege of defense. The king ques-
tioned him: "Why didst thou kill Abner?"
]oab: "I was the avenger of my brother Asahel, whom
Abner had slain."
Solomon:" Why, it was Asahel who sought to kill Abner.
and Abner act~ in self-defense."
Joab: .. Abner might have disabled Asahel without going
to extremes."
Solomon: .. That Abner could not do."
Joab: "What I Abner aimed directly at Asahel's fifth
rib, and thou wouldst say he could not have managed to
wound him lightly?"

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomtm

Solomon: .. Very well, then, we shall drop Abner's case.

But why didst thou slay Amasa? ..
Joab: .. He acted rebelliously toward King David. He
omitted to execute his order to gather an army within three
days; for that offense he deserved to suffer the death
penalty."
Solomon: II Amasa failed to obey the king's order, because
be had been taught by our sages that even a king's injunc-
tions may be set at defiance if they involve neglect of the
study of the Torah, which was the case with the order given
to Amasa. And, indeed," continued Solomon, .. it was not
Amasa but .thou thyself who didst rebel against the king,
for thou wert about to join Absalom, and if thou didst re-
frain, it was from fear of David's strong-fisted troops."·
When Joab saw that death was inevitable, he said to Benai-
ab, who was charged with the execution of the king's
order: .. Tell Solomon he cannot inflict two punishments
upon me. If he expects to take my life, he must remove the
curse pronounced by David against me and my descendants
,. on account of the slaying of Abner. If not, he cannot put
r
me to death." Solomon realized the justness of the plea.
By executing Joab, he transferred David's curse to his own
posterity: Rehoboam, his son, was affiicted. with an issue j
Uzziah suffered with leprosy; Asa had to :lean on a staff
when he walked; the pious Josiah fell by the sword of Pha-
raoh, and Jeconiah lived off charity. So the imprecations
of David were accomplished on his own family instead of
Joab's.-

Digitized by Coogle
128 TIN Ltgmdl of th. I . .

TaB MAUIAGB OF SoLOKO.

The next to suffer ]oab's fate was Shimei ben Gera, whose
treatment of David had outraged every feeling of decency.
His death was of evil portent for Solomon himself. So long
as Shimei, who was Solomon's teacher, was alive, he did not
venture to marry the daughter of Pharaoh. When, after
Shimei's death, Solomon took her to wife, the archangel
Gabriel descended from heaven, and inserted a reed in the
sea. About this reed more and more earth was gradually
deposited, and, on the day on which Jeroboam erected the
golden calves, a little hut was built upon the island. This
was the first of the dwelling-places of Rome.u
Solomon's wedding-feast in celebration of his marriage
with the Egyptian princess came on the same day as the con-
secration of the Temple.'" Thp. rejoicing over the kines
marriage was greater than over the completion of the Tem-
ple. As the proverb has it: II All pay flattery to a king."
Then it was that God conceived the plan of destroying Jeru-
salem. It was as the prophet spoke: .. This city hath been
to me a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the
day that they built it even unto this day." .
In the nuptial night Pharaoh's daughter had her attend-
ants play upon a thousand different musical instruments,
which she had brought with her from her home, and as each
was used, the name of the idol to which it was dedicated was
mentioned aloud. The better to hold the king under the speD
of her charms, she spread above his bed a tapestry cover
studded with diamonds and pearls, which gleamed and glit-
tered like constellations in the sky. Whenever SotomOll
wanted to rise, he saw these stars, and thinking it was night

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon 121)

still, he slept on until the fourth hour of the morning. The

people were plunged in grief, for the daily sacrifice could
not be brought on this very morning of the Temple dedica-
tion, because the Temple keys lay under Solomon's pillow.
and none dared awaken him. Word was' sent to Bath-sheba,
who forthwith aroused her son, and rebuked him for his
sloth. ., Thy father," she said, CI was known to all as a God-
fearing man, and now people will say, , Solomon is the son
of Bath-sheba, it is his mother's fault if he goes wrong!
Whenever thy father's wives were pregnant, they offered
vows and prayed that a son worthy to reign might be bom
unto them. But my prayer was for a learned son worthy of
the gift of prophecy. Take care, 'give not thy strength
unto women nor thy ways to tJ.em that destroy kings,' for
licentiousness confounds the reason of man. Keep well
in mind the things that are necessary in the life of a king.1I
, Not kings, Lemuel.' Have naught in common with kings
who say: 'What need have we of a God?' It is not meet
that thou shouldst do like the kmgs who drink wine and
live in lewdness. Be not like unto them. He to whom the
secrets of the world are revealed,· should not intoxicate
himself with wine." II
Apart from having married a Gentile, whose conversion
to Judaism was not dictated by pure motives, Solomon
transgressed two other Biblical laws. He kept many horses,
which a Jewish king ought not to do, and, what the law
bolds in equal abhorrence, he amassed much silver and
gold. Under Solomon's rule silver and gold were so
abundant among the people that their utensils were made of
them instead of the baser metals.1I For all this be had to
atone painfully later on.
9

Digitized by Coogle
 130 The Legends of the I eflJS

HIS WISDOM
But Solomon's wealth and pomp were as naught in com-
parison with his wisdom. When God appeared to him in
Gibeon, in a dream by night, and gave him leave to ask what
, he would,-a grace accorded to none beside except King
Ahaz of Judah, and promised only to the Messiah in time
to come,"-Solomon chose wisdom, knowing that wisdom
once in his possession, all else would come of itself.- His
wisdom, the Scriptures testify, was greater than the wisdom
of Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda.
the three sons of Mahol. This means that he was wiser
than Abraham,- Moses,- Joseph,- and the generation of
the desert.- He excelled even Adam.- His proverbs
which have come down to us are barely eight hundred
in number. Nevertheless the Scripture counts them equal
to three thousand, for the reason that each verse in his
book admits of a double and a triple interpretation. In
his wisdom he analyzed the laws revealed to Moses, and
be assigned reasons for the rituat and ceremonial ordinances
of the Torah, which without his explanation had seemed
strange.- The" forty-nine gates of wisdom .. were open to
Solomon as they had been to Moses, but the wise king sought
to outdo even the wise legislator. He had such confidence
in himself that he would have dispensed judgment without
resort to witnesses, had he not been prevented by a heav-
enly voice.-
The first proof of his wisdom was given in his verdict in
the case of the child claimed by two mothers as their own.
When the women presented their difficulty, the king said
that God in His wisdom had foreseen that such a quarrel

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon 13 1

would arise. and therefore had created the organs of man in

pairs. so that neither of the two parties to the dispute might
be wronged. On hearing these words from the king. Solo-
mon's counsellors lamented: .. Woe to thee. 0 land. when
thy king is a youtb." In a little whiie they realized the wis-
dom of the king. and then they exclaimed: "Happy art
thou. 0 land. when thy king is a free man." The quarrel had
of set purpose been brought on by God to the end that Solo-
mon's wisdom might be made known. In reality the two
litigants were not women at all. but spirits. That all doubt
about the fairness of the verdict might be dispelled. a heav-
enly voice proclaimed: "This is the mother of the child."·
During the lifetime of David. when Solomon was still a
lad. he had settled another difficult case in an equally bril-
liant way. A wealthy man had sent his son on a protracted
business trip to Africa. On his return he found that his
father had died in the meantime. and his treasures had passed
into the possession of a crafty slave. who had succeeded in
ridding himself of all the other slaves. or intimidating them.
In vain the rightful heir urged his claim before King David.
As he could not bring witnesses to testify for him. there was
no way of dispossessing the slave. who likewise called him-
self the son of the deceased. The child Solomon heard tht!
case. and he devised a method of arriving at the truth. He
had the father's corpse exhumed. and he dyed one of the
bones with the blood first of one of the claimants. and then
of the other. The blood of the slave showed no affinity
with the bone. while the blood of the true heir permeated
it. .So the real son secured his inheritance.-
After his accession to the throne. a peculiar quarrel among

Digitized by Coogle
IJ2 The Legends of the Jews

heirs was brought before Solomon for adjudication. As-

modeus, the king of demons, once said to Solomon: .. Thou
art the wisest of men, yet I shall show thee something thou
hast never seen." Thereupon Asmodeus stuck his finger in
the ground, and up came a double-headed man. He was
one of the Cainites, who live underground, and are alto-
gether different in nature and habit from the denizens of the
.upper world.- When the Cainite wanted to descend to his
dwelling-place again, it appeared that he could not return
thither. Not even Asmodeu~ could bring the thing abouL
So he remained on earth, took unto himself a wife, and begot
seven sons, one of whom resembled his father in having two
heads. When the Cainite died, a dispute broke out among
his descendants as to how the property was to be divided.
The double-headed son claimed two portions. Both Solo-
mon and the Sanhedrin were at a loss; they could not dis-
cover a precedent to guide them. Then Solomon prayed to
God: II a Lord of all, when Thou didst appear to me in
Gibeon, and didst give me leave to ask a gift of Thee, I de-
sired neither silver nor gold, but only wisdom, that I might
be able to judge men in justice."
God heard his prayer. When the sons of the Cainite again
came before Solomon, he poured hot water on one of the
heads of the double-headed monster, whereupon both heads
flinched, and both mouths cried out: II We are dying, we
are dying I We are but one, not two." Solomon decided
that the double-headed son was after all only a single being.-
On another occasion Solomon invented a lawsuit in order
to elicit the truth in an involved case. Three men appeared
before him, each of whom accused the others of thefL They

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon 133

had been travelling together, and, when the Sabbath ap-

proached, they halted and prepared to rest and sought a
safe hiding-place for their money, for it is not allowed to
carry money on one's person on the Sabbath. They all three
together secreted what they had in the same spot, and, when
the Sabbath was over, they hastened thither, only to find
that it had been stolen. It was clear one of the three must
have been the thief, but which one?
Solomon said to them: "I know you to be experienced
and thorough business men. I should like you to help me
decide a suit which the king of Rome has submitted to me.
In the Roman kingdom there lived a maiden and a youth,
who promised each other under oath never to enter into a
marriage without obtaining each other's permission. The
parents of the girl betrothed their daughter to a man whom
she loved, but she refused to become his wife until the com-
panion of her youth gave his consent. She took much gold
and silver, and sought him out to bribe him. Setting aside
his own love for the girl, he offered her and her lover his
congratulations, and refused to accept the slightest return
for the permission granted. On their homeward way the
happy couple were surprised by an old highwayman, who
was about to rob the young man of his bride and his money.
The girl told the brigand the story of her life, closing with
these words: • If a youth controlled his passion for me, how
much more shouldst thou, an old man, be filled with fear of
God, and let me go my way.' Her words took effect. The
aged highwayman laid hands neither on the girl nor on the
money.
fI Now," Solomon continued to the three litigants, fI I was

Digitized by Coogle
134 The Legmds or the / t'WI

asked to decide which of the three persons concerned acted

most nobly, the girl, the youth, or the highwayman, and I
should like to have your views upon the question."
The first of the three said: .. My praise is for the girl,
who kept her oath so faithfully." The second: .. I should
award the palm to the youth, who kept himself in check, and
did not pennit his passion to prevail." The third said:
.. Commend me to the brigand, who kept his hands oft the
money, more especially as he would have been doing all
that could be expected of him if he had surrendered the
woman-he might have taken the money."
The last answer sufficed to put Solomon on the right
track. The man who was inspired with admiration of the
virtues of the robber, probably was himself filled with greed
of money. He had him cross-examined, and finally extorted
a confession. He had committed the theft, and he desig-
nated the spot where he had hidden the money.-
Even animals submitted their controvenies to Solomon's
wise judgment. A man with a jug of milk came upon a ser-
pent wailing pitifully in a field. To the man's question, the
serpent replied that it was tortured with thirst. .. And what
art thou carrying in the jug?" asked the serpent. When it
heard what it was, it begged for the milk, and promised to
reward the man by showing him a hidden treasure. The
man gave the milk to the serpent, and was then led to a
great rock. "Under this rock," said the serpent, •• lies the
treasure." The man rolled the rock aside, and was about to
take the treasure, when suddenly the serpent made a lunge
at him, and coiled itself about his neck. •• What meanest
thou by such conduct?" exclaimed the man. ., I am going

Digitized by Coogle
 Solonum 135

to kiD thee," replied the serpent, .. because thou art robbing

me of all my money." The man proposed that they put their
case to King Solomon, and obtain his decision as to who
was in the wrong. So they did. Solomon asked the serpent
to state what it demanded of the man. .. I want to kiD him,"
answered the serpent, .. because the Scriptures command it,
saying: • Thou shalt bruise the heel of man.''' Solomon said :
.. First release thy hold upon the man's neck and de-
scend; in court neither party to a lawsuit may enjoy an ad-
vantage over the other." The serpent glided to the floor,
and Solomon repeated his question, and received the same
answer as before from the serpent. Then Solomon turned
to the man and said: .. To thee God's command was to bruise
the head of the serpent-do it I" And the man crushed the
serpent's head.-
Sometimes Solomon's assertions and views, though they
sprang from profound wisdom, seemed strange to the com-
mon run of men. In such cases, the wise king did ~ot dis-
dain to illustrate the correctness of his opinions. For in-
stance, both the learned and the ignorant were stung into
opposition by Solomon's saying: .. One man among a thou-
sand have I found; but a virtuous woman among aD those
have I not found." Solomon unhesitatingly pledged him-
self to prove that he was right. He had his attendants seek
out a married couple enjoying a reputation for uprightness
and virtue. The husband was cited before him, and Solomon
told him that he had decided to appoint him to an exalted of-
fice. The king demanded onty, as an earnest of his loyalty,
that he murder his wife. so that he might be free to marry
the king's daughter, a spouse comporting with the dignity of

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

his new station. With a heavy heart the man went home.
His despair grew at sight of his fair wife and his little chil-
dren. Though determined to do the king's bidding, he still
Iaclced courage to kill his wife while she was awake. He
waited until she was tight asleep, but then the child enfolded
in the mother's anns rekindled his parental and conjugal af-
fection, and he replaced his sword in its sheath, saying to
himself: "And if the king were to offer me his whole realm,
I would not murder my wife." Thereupon he went to Solo-
mon, and told him his final decision. A month later Solomon
sent for the wife, and declared his love for her. He told her
that their happiness could be consummated if she would but
do away with her husband. Then she should be made the
first wife in his harem. Solomon gave her a leaden sword
which glittered as though fashioned of steel. The woman
returned home resolved to put the sword to its appointed
use. Not a quiver of her eyelids betrayed her sinister pur-
pose. On the contrary, by caresses and tender words she
sought to disann any suspicion that might attach to her. In
the night she arose, drew forth the sword, and proceeded to
kill her husband. The leaden instrument naturally did no
hann, except to awaken her husband, to whom she had to
confess her evil intent. The next day both man and wife
were summoned before the king, who thus convinced his
counsellors of the truth of his conviction, that no dependence
can be placed on woman.-
The fame of Solomon's· wisdom spread far and wide.
Many entered the service of the king, in the hope of profiting
by his wisdom. Three brothers had served under him for
thirteen years, and, disappointed at not having learnt any-

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon 137

thing, they made up their minds to quit his service. Solo-

mon gave them the alternative of receiving one hundred
coins each, or being taught three wise saws. They decided to
take the money. They had scarcely left the town when the
youngest of the three, regardless of the protests of his two
brothers, hastened back to Solomon and said to him: "My
lord, I did not take service under thee to make money; I
wanted to acquire wisdom. Pray, take back thy money, and
teach me wisdom instead." Solomon thereupon imparted.
the following three rules of conduct to him: "When thou
travellest abroad, set out on thy journey with the dawn and
turn in for the night before darkness falls; do not cross a
river that is swollen; and never betray a secret to a woman."
The man quickly overtook his brothers, but he confided noth-
ing to them of what he had learned from Solomon. They
journeyed on together. At the approach of the ninth hour
-three hours after noon-they reached a suitable spot in
which to spend the night. The youngest brother, mindful
of Solomon's advice, proposed that they stop there. The
others taunted him with his stupidity, which, they said, he
had begun to display when he carried his money back to
Solomon. The two proceeded on their way, but the young-
est arranged his quarters for the night. When darkness came
on, and with it nipping cold, he was snug and comfortable,
while his brothers were surprised by a snow storm, in which
they perished. The following day he continued his journey,
and on the road he found the dead bodies of his brothers.
Having appropriated their money, he buried them, and went
on. When he reached a river that was very much swollen,
he bore Solomon's advice in mind, and delayed to cross until

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the ] t'Ws

the flood subsided. While standing on the bank, he observed

how some of the king's senants were attempting to ford the
stream with beasts laden with gold, and bow they were
borne down by the flood. After the waters had abated. he
crossed and appropriated the gold strapped to the drowned
animals. When he returned home. wealthy and wise, he
told nothing of what he had experienced even to his wife.
who was very curious to find out where her husband had 0b-
tained his wealth. Finally, she plied him so closely with
questions that Solomon's advice about confiding a secret to
a woman was quite forgotten. Once, when his wife was
quarrelling with him. she cried out: .. Not enough that thou
didst murder thy brothers, thou desirest to kill me, too."
Thereupon he was charged with the murder of their h~
bands by his two sisters-in-law. He was tried, condemned
to death, and escaped the hangman only when he told the
king the story of his life. and was recognized as his former
retainer. It was with reference to this man's adventures
that Solomon said: .. Acquire wisdom j she is better than
gold and much fine gold... •
Another of his disciples had a similar experience. An-
nually a man came from a great distance to pay a visit to
the wise king. and when he departed Solomon was in the
habit of bestowing a gift upon him. Once the guest re-
fused the gift, and asked the king to teach him the language
of the birds and the animals instead. The king was ready to
grant his request, but he did not fail to warn him first of the
great danger connected with such knowledge. .. If thou
teIlest others a word of what thou hearest from an animal."
he said. "thou wilt surely suffer death j thy destruction is

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomotl 139

inevitable." Nothing daunted, the visitor persisted in his

wish, and the king instructed him in the secret art.
Returned home, he overheard a conversation between his
ox and his ass. The ass said: II Brother, how fareat thou
with these people?"
The ox: II As thou livest, brother, I pass day and night
in hard and painful toil."
The ass: .. I can give thee relief, brother. If thou wilt
follow my advice, thou shalt live in comfort, and shalt rid
thyself of all hard work."
The o,x: II 0 brother, may thy heart be inclined toward
me, to take pity on me and help me. I promise not to de-
part from thy advice to the right or the left."
The ass: II God knows, I am speaking to thee in the up-
rightness of my heart and the purity of my thoughts. My
advice to thee is not to eat either straw or fodder this night.
When our master notices it, he will suppose that thou art
sick. He will put no burdensome work upon thee, and thou
canst take a good rest. That is the way I did to-day."
The ox followed the advice of his companion. He touched
none of the food thrown to him. The master, suspecting a
ruse on the part of the ass, arose during the night, went to
the stable, and watched the ass eat his fill from the manger
belonging to the ox. He could not help laughing out loud,
which greatly amazed his wife, who, of course, had noticed
nothing out of the way. The master evaded her questions.
Something ludicrous had just occurred to him, he said by
way of explanation.
For the sly trick played upon the ox, he determined to
punish the ass. He ordered the servant to let the ox rest

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

for the day, and make the ass do the work of both animals.
At evening the ass trudged into the stable tired and ex-
hausted. The ox greeted him with the words: "Brother,
hast thou heard aught of what our heartless masters pur-
pose ?" II Yes," replied the ass, II I heard them speak of
having thee slaughtered, if thou shouldst refuse to eat this
niglit, too. They want to make sure of thy flesh at least."
Scarcely had the ox heard the words of the ass when he
threw himself upon his food like a ravenous lion upon his
prey. Not a speck did he leave behind, and the master was
suddenly moved to uproarious laughter. This time his wife
insisted upon knowing the cause. In vain she entreated and
supplicated. She swore not to live with him any more if
he did not tell her why he laughed. The man loved her so
devotedly that he was ready to sacrifice his life to satisfy
her whim, but before taking leave of this world he desired
to see his friends and relations once more, and he invited
them all to his house.
Meantime his dog was made aware of the master's ap-
proaching end, and such sadness took possession of the
faithful beast that he touched neither food nor drink. The
cock, on the other hand, gaily appropriated the food in-
tended for the dog, and he and his wives enjoyed a banquet.
Outraged by such unfeeling behavior, the dog said to the
cock: II How great is thy impudence, and how insignificant
thy modesty I Thy master is but a step from the grave, and
thou eatest and makest merry." The cock's reply was: .. Is
it my fault if our master is a fool and an idiot? I have ~
wives, and I rule them as I will. Not one dares oppose me
and my commands. Our master has a single wife, and this

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon 141

one he cannot control and manage." .. What ought our

master to do?" asked the dog. .. Let him take a heavy stick
and belabor his wife's back thoroughly," advised the cock,
•• and I warrant thee, she won't plague him any more to re-
veal his secrets."
The husband had overheard this conversation, too, and
the cock's advice seemed good. He followed it, and death
was averted.·
On many occasions, Solomon brought his acumen and
wisdom to bear upon foreign rulers who attempted to con-
coct mischief against him. Solomon needed help in build-
ing the Temple, and he wrote to Pharaoh, asking him to
send artists to Jerusalem. Pharaoh complied with hi$ re-
quest, but not honestly. He had his astrologet1l determine
which of his men were destined to die within the year.
These candidates for the grave he passed over to Solomon.
The Jewish king was not slow to discover the trick played
upon him. He immediately returned the men to Egypt,
each provided with his grave clothes, and wrote: .. To Pha-
raoh I I suppose thou hadst no shrouds for these people.
Herewith I send thee the men, and what they were in need
of."·
Hiram, king of Tyre, the steadfast friend of the dynasty
of David, who had done Solomon such valuable services in
connection with the building of the Temple, was desirous
of testing his wisdom. He was in the habit of sending
catch-questions and riddles to Solomon with the request that
he solve them and help him out of his embarrassment about
them. Solomon, of course, succeeded in answering them
aiL Later on he made an agreement with Hiram, that they'

Digitized by Coogle
142 The Legends of the Jews

were to exchange conundrums and riddles, and a money fine

was to be exacted from the one of them who failed to find
the proper answer to a question propounded by the other.
Naturally it was Hiram who was always the loser. The
Tyrians maintain that finally Solomon found more than his
match in one of Hiram's subjects, one Abdamon, who put
many a riddle to Solomon that bafHed his wit.-
Of Solomon's subtlety in riddle guessing only a few in-
stances have come down to us, aU of them connected with
riddles put to him by the Queen of Sheba.- The story of
this queen, of her relation to Solomon, and what induced her
to leave her distant home and journey to the court at Jeru-
salertt forms an interesting chapter in the eventful life of
the wise king.

THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

Solomon, it must be remembered, bore rule not only over
men, but also over the beasts of the field, the birds of the
air, demons, spirits, and the spectres of the night. He knew
the language of all of them and they understood his
language.-
When Solomon was of good cheer by reason of wine, he
summoned the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the
creeping reptiles, the shades, the spectres, and the ghosts.
to perform their dances before the kings, his neighbors.
whom he invited to witness his power and greatness. The
king's scribes called the animals and the spirits by name.
one by one, and they all assembled of their own accord, with....
out fetters or bonds, with no human hand to guide them.
On one occasion the hoopoe - was missed from among tho

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon 143

birds. He could not be found anywhere. The king, full of

wrath, ordered him to be produced and chastised for his
tardiness. The hoopoe appeared and said: " 0 lord, king
of the world, incline thine ear and hearken to my words.
Three m.onths have gone by since I began to take counsel
with myself and resolve upon a course of action. I have
eaten no food and drunk no water, in order to fly about in
the whole world and see whether there is a domain any-
where which is not subject to my lord the king.- And I
found _ city, the city of Kitor, in the East. Dust is more
nluable than gold there, and silver is like the mud ~f the
streets. Its trees are from the beginning of all time, and
they suck up water that flows from the Garden ot Eden.
The city is crowded with men. On their heads they wear
garlands wreathed in Paradise. They know not how to
fight, nor how to shoot with bow and arrow. Their ruler is
a woman, she is called the Queen of Sheba. If, now, it
please thee, 0 lord and king, I shall gird my loins like a
hero, and journey to the city 01 Kitor in the land of Sheba.
Its kings I shall fetter with chains and its rulers with iron
bands, and bring them an before my lord the king."
. The hoopoe's speech pleased the king. The clerks of his
land were summoned, and they wrote a: letter and bound it
to the hoopoe's wing. The bird rose skyward, uttered his
cry, and flew away, followed by all the other birds.
~d they came to Kitor in the land of Sheba. It was
morning, and the queen had gone forth t~ pay worship to
the sun. Suddenly the birds darkened his light. The queen
raised her hand, and rent her garment, and was sore aston-
ished. Then the hoopoe alighted near her•. Seeing that a

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

letter was tied to his wing, slie loosed it and read it. And
what was written in the letter? "From me, King Solomon I
Peace be with thee, peace with the nobles of thy realm I
Know that God has appointed me king over the beasts of
the field, the birds of the air, the demons, the spirits, and
tbe spectres. All the kings of the East and the West come
to bring me greetings. If thou wUt come and salute me, I
sball show thee great honor, more than to any of the kings
that attend me. But if thou wilt not pay homage to me, I
shall send out kings, legions, and riders against thee. Thou
askest, who are these kings, legions, and riders of King
Solomon? The beasts of the field are my kings, the birds
my riders, the demons, spirits, and shades of the night my
legions. The demons will throttle you in your beds at
nigbt, while the beasts will slay you in the field, and the birds
will consume your ftesh."
When the Queen of Sheba had read the contents of the
letter, she again rent her garment, and sent word to her
elders and her princes: "Know you not what Solomon has
written to me?" They answered: .. We know nothing of
King Solomon, and his dominion we regard as naught."
But their words did not reassure the queen. She assembled
. all the ships of the sea, and loaded them with the finest kinds
of wood, and with pearls and precious stones. Together with
these she sent Solomon six thousand youths and maidens,
born in the same year, in the same month, on the same day,
in the same bour-all of equal stature and size, aU clothed
in .purple garments. They bore a letter to King Solomon as
follows: .. From the city of Kitor to the land of Israel is a
journey of seven years. As it is thy wish and behest that I

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon 145

visit thee, I shall hasten and be in Jerusalem at the end of

three years."
When the time of her arrival drew nigh, Solomon sent
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada to meet her. Benaiah was
like unto the flush in the eastern sky at break of day, like
unto the evening star •that outshines all ~ther stars, like
unto the lily growing bY,brooks of water. When the queen
caught sight of him, she descended from her chariot to do
him honor. Benaiah asked her why she left her chariOt.
.. Art thou not King Solomon?" she questioned in tum.
Benaiab replied: .. Not King Solomon am I, only one of his
servants that stand in his presence." Thereupon the queen
turned to her nobles and said: " If you have not beheld the
lion, at least you have seen his lair, and if you have not be-
held King Solomon, at least you have seen the beauty of him
that stands in his presence."
Benaiah conducted the queen to Solomon, who had gone
to sit in a house of glass to receive her. The queen was de-
ceived by an illusion. She thought tile king was sitting in
water, and as she stepped across to him she raised her gar-
ment to keep it dry. On her bared feet the king noticed
hair, and he said to her: II Thy beauty is the beauty of a
woman, but thy hair is masculine; hair is an ornament to a
man, but it disfigures a woman."·
Then the queen began and said:· II I have heard of thee
and thy wisdom; if now I inquire of thee concerning a
matter, wilt thou answer me? " He replied: .. The Lord giv-
eth wisdom, out of His mouth cometh knowledge: and under-
standing." She then said to him:
I. II Seven there are that issue and nine that enter; two
10

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

yield the draught and one drinks." Said he to her: " Seven
are the days of a woman's defilement, and nine the months
of pregnancy; two are the breasts that yield the draught,
and one the child that drinks it." Whereupon she said to
him: II Thou art wise."
2. Then she questioned him furtl,ter: " A woman said to
her son, thy father is my father, and thy grandfather my
husband; thou art my son, and I am thy sister." II Assur-
edly," said he, II it was the daughter of Lot who spake thus
to her son."
3. She placed a number of males and females of the same
stature and garb before him and said: II Distinguish between
them." Forthwith he made a sign to the eunuchs, who
brought him a quantity of nuts and roasted ears of corn.
The males, who were not bashful, seized them with bare
hands; the females took them, putting forth their gloved
hands from beneath their garments. Whereupon he ex-
claimed: "Those are the males, these the females."
4- She brought a number of men to him, some circumcised
and others uncircumcised, and asked him to distinguish ~
tween them. He immediately made a sign to the high priest,
who opened the Ark of the covenant, whereupon those that
were circumcised bowed their bodies to half their height,
while their countenances were filled with the radiance of
the Shekinah; the uncircumcised fell prone upon their faces.
" Those," said be, " are circumcised, these uncircumcised." •
" Thou art wise, indeed," she exclaimed.
5. She put other questions to him, to all of which he gave
replies. "Who is he who neither was born nor has died?"
" It is the Lord of the world, blessed ~ He."

Digitized by Coogle
 6. "What land is that which has but once seen the sun?"
"The land upon which, after the creation, the waters were
gathered, and the bed of the Red Sea on the day when it
was divided."
7. II There is an enclosure with ten doors, when one is
open, nine are shut; when nine are open, one is shut?"
"That enclosure is the womb; the ten doors are the ten
orifices of man-his eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, the apertures
for the discharge of the excreta and the urine, and the navel j
when the child is in the embryonic state, the navel is open
and the other orifices are closed, but when it issues from
the womb, the navel is closed and the others are opened."
8. .. There is something which when living moves not, yet
when its head is cut ?ff it moves?" "It is the ship in the
sea.".
9- "Which are the three that neither ate, nor did they
drink, nor did they have bread put into them, yet they saved
lives from death?" .. The signet, the cord, and the staff
are those three."
10. II Three entered a cave and five came forth there-
from? " .. Lot and his two daughters and their two chil-
dren."
II. "The dead lived, the grave moved, and the dead
prayed: what is' that?" .. The dead that lived and prayed,
Jonah; and the fish, the moving grave."
12... Who were the three that ate and drank on the earth,
and yet were not born of male and female?" "The three
angels who visited Abraham." •
13. II Four entered a place of death and came forth alive,
and two entered a place of life and came forth dead?"
\
I'

Digitized by Coogle
148 The Legends of the Jews

"The four were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

and the two were Nadab and Abihu."
14- II Who was he that was born and died not?" II Elijah
and the Messiah."
15... What was that which was not born, yet life was
given to it?" "The golden Calf."
16. II What is that which is produced from the ground.
yet man produces it. while its food is the fruit of the
ground? If Ie A wick."
17. II A woman was wedded to two, and bore two sons,
yet these four had one father?" Ie Tamar."
18. "A house full of dead; no dead one came among
them, nor did a living come forth from them?" " It is the
story of Samson and the Philistines."
19. The queen next ordered the sawn trunk of a cedar
tree to be brought, and she asked Solomon to point out at
which end the root had been and at which the branches. He
bade her cast it into the water, when one end sank and the
other floated upon the surface of the water. That part
which sank was the root, and that which remained upper-
most was the branch end. Then she said to him: "Thou
exceedest in wisdom and goodness the fame which I heard,
b1essed be thy God I " •
The last three riddles which the Queen of Sheba put to
Solomon were the following:
20. II What is this? A wooden well with iron buckets,
which draw stones and pour out water." The king replied:
" A rouge-tube."
21. II What is this? It comes as dust from the earth, its
food is dust, it is poured out like water, and lights the
house."-" Naphtha."

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon 149

22. "What is this? It walks ahead of all ; it cries out loud

and bitterly; its head is like the reed; it is the glory of the
Doble, the disgrace of the poor; the glory of the dead, the
disgrace of. the living; the delight of birds, the distress of
fishes."-He answered: "Flax."·

SOLOMON MASTER OF THE DEMONS

Never has there lived a man privileged, like Solomon, to
make the demons amenable to his will. God endowed him
with the ability to turn the vicious power of demons into a
power working to the advantage of men. He invented
formulas of incantation by which diseases were alleviated,
and others by which demons were exorcised so that· they
were banished forever.- As his personal attendants he had
spirits and demons whom he could send hither and thither
on the instant. He could grow tropical plants in Palestine,
because his ministering spirits secured water for him from
India.-
As the spirits were subservient to him. so also the ani-
mals. He had an eagle upon whose back he was transported
to the desert and back again in one day, to build there
the city called Tadmor in the Bible.- This city must not
be confounded with the later Syrian city of Palmyra.
also called Tadmor. It was situated near the "moun-
tains of darkness."· the trysting-place of the spirits and
demons. Thither the eagle would carry Solomon in the
twinkling of an eye. and Solomon would drop a paper in-
scribed with a verse among the spirits. to ward off evil from
himself. Then the eagle would reconnoitre the mountains
of I darkness. until he had spied out the spot in which the

Coogle

--
Digitized by
ISO The Legends of the ] ews

fallen angels 'Azza and 'AzzaelDlie chained with iron fetters

-a spot which no one. not even a bird. may visit. When
the eagle found the place. he would take Solomon under his
left wing, and fly to the two angels. Through the power of
the ring having the Holy Name graven upon it. which
Solomon put into the eagle's mouth. 'Azza and 'Azzae1 were
forced to reveal the heavenly mysteries to the king.D
The demons were of greatest service to Solomon during
the erection of the Temple. It came about in this wise:
When Solomon began the building of the Temple. it once
happened that a malicious spirit snatched away. the money
and the food of one of the king's favorite pages. This oc-
curred several times. and Solomon was not able to lay hold
on the malefactor. The king besought God fervently to
deliver the wicked spirit into his hands. His prayer was
granted. The archangel Michael appeared to him. and gave
him a smal1 ring having a seal consisting of an engraved
stone. and he said to him: "Take. 0 Solomon. king, son
of David. the gift which the Lord God, the highest Zebaot.
hath sent unto thee. With it thou shalt lock up aU the
demons of the earth. male and female; and with their help
thou shalt build up Jerusalem. But thou must wear this
seal of God; and this engraving of the seal of the ring
sent thee is a Pentalpha." II Armed with it, Solomon called
up all the demons before him, and he asked of each in tum
his or her name, as well as the name of the star or constella-
tion or zodiacal sign and of the particular angel to the in-
fluence of which each is SUbject. One after another the
spirits were vanquished, and compelled by Solomon to aid
in the construction of the Temple.

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon 151

Omias, the vampire spirit who had maltreated Solomon's

servant, was the first demon to appear, and he was set to the
task of cutting stones near the Temple. And Solomon bade
Omias come, and he gave him the seal, saying: "Away
with thee, and bring me hither the prince of all the demons."
Omias took the finger-ring, and went to Beelzeboul, who
has kingship over the demons. He said to him: .. Hither I
Solomon calls thee." But Beelzeboul. having heard. said
to him: .. Tell me, who is this Solomon of whom thou speak-
est to me?" Then Omias threw the ring at the chest of
Beelzeboul. saying: "Solomon the king calls thee." But
Beelzeboul cried aloud with a mighty voice. and shot out a
great. burning Same of fire; and he arose and followed
Omias. and came to Solomon. Brought before the king. he
promised him to gather aU the unclean spirits unto him.
Beelzeboul proceeded to do so. beginning with Onoskelis,
that had a very pretty shape and the skin of a fair-hued
woman. and he was followed by Asmodeus; both giving an
account of themselves.
Beelzeboul reappeared on the scene. and in his conversa-
tion with Solomon declared that he alone survived of the
angels who had come down from heaven. He reigned over
all who are in Tartarus. and had a child in the Red Sea,
which on occasion comes up to Beelzeboul and reveals to him
what he has done. Next the demon of the Ashes, Tephros.
appeared, and after him a group of seven female spirits, who
declared themselves to be of the thirty-six elements of the
darkness. Solomon bade them dig the foundation of the
Temple, for the length of it was two hundred and fifty
cubits. And he ordered them to be industrious. and with

Digitized by Coogle
152 The Legends of the I ews

one united munnur of protest they began to perfonn the

tasks enjoined.
. Solomon bade another demon come before him. And
there was brought to him a demon having all the limbs of a
man, but without a head. The demon said to Solomon: .. I
am called Envy, for I delight to devour heads, being desir-
ous to secure for myself a head; but I do not eat enough.
and I am anxious to have such a head as thou hast." A
hound-like spirit, whose name was Rabdos, followed, and he
revealed to Solomon a green stone, useful for the adornment
of the Temple. A number of other male and female demons
appeared, among them the thirty-six world-rulers of the
darkness. whom Solomon commanded to fetch water to the
Temple. Some of these demons he condemned to do the
heavy work on the construction of the Temple, others he
shut up in prison, and others, again, he ordered to wrestle
with fire in the making of gold and sUver, sitting down by
lead and spoon, imd to make ready places for the other
demons, in which they should be confined.
After Solomon with the help of the demons had completed
the Temple, the rulers, among them the Queen of Sheba,
who was a sorceress, came from far and near to admire
the magnificence and art of the building, and no less the
wisdom of its builder.-
One day an old man appeared before Solomon to
complain of his SOD, whom he accused of having been so
impious as to raise his hand against his father and give him
a blow. The young man denied the charge, but his father
insisted that his life be held forfeit. Suddenly Solomon
heard loud laughter. It was the demon Omias, who was

Digitized by Coogle
 SolomoK 153

guilty of the disrespectful behavior. Rebuked by Solomon,

the demon said: "I pray thee, 0 king, it was not because
of thee I laughed, but because of this ill-starred old man and
the wretched youth, his son. For after three days his son
will die untimely, and, 10, the old man desires to make away
with him founy." Solomon delayed his verdict for several
days, and when after five days he summoned the old father
to his presence, it appeared that Ornias had spoken the
truth.
After some time, Solomon received a letter from Adares,
the king of Arabia. He begged the Jewish king to deliver
his land from an evil spirit, who was doing great mischief,
and who could not be caught and made harmless, because
he appeared in the form of wind. Solomon gave his magic
ring and a leather bottle to one of his slaves, and sent him
into Arabia. The messenger succeeded in confining the
spirit in the bottle. A few days later, when Solomon en-
tered the Temple, he was not a little astonished to see a
bottle walk toward him, and bow down reverently before
him; it was the bottle in which the spirit was shut up. This
same spirit once did Solomon a great service. Assisted by
demons, he raised a gigantic stone out of the Red Sea.
Neither human beings nor demons could move it, but he
carried it to the Temple, where it was used as a corner-
stone.
Through his own fault Solomon forfeited the power to
perform miraculous deeds, which the Divine spirit had
conferred upon him. He fell in love with the Jebusite
woman Sonmanites. The priests of Moloch and Raphan,
the false gods she worshipped, advised her to reject his

Digitized by Coogle
154 The Legends of the Jews

suit, unless he paid homage to these gods. At first Solomon

was firm, but, when the woman bade him take five locusts
and crush them in his hands in the name of Moloch, he
obeyed her. At once he was bereft of the Divine spirit, of
his strength and his wisdom, and he sank so low that to
please his beloved he built temples to Baal and Raphan.-

THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE

Among the great achievements of Solomon mat place

must be assigned to the superb Temple built by him. He
was long in doubt as to where he was to build it. A
heavenly voice directed him to go to Mount Zion at night,
to a field owned by two brothers jointly. One of the broth-
ers was a bachelor and poor, the other was blessed both with
wealth and a large family of children. It was harvesting
time. Under cover of night, the poor brother kept adding
to the other's heap of grain, for, although he was poor, he
thought his brother needed more on account of his large
family. The rich brother, in the same clandestine way,
added to the poor brother's store, thinking that though he
had a family to support, the other was without means. This
field, Solomon concluded, which had called forth so remark-
able a manifestation of brotherly love, was the best site for
the Temple, and he bought it.·
Every detail of the equipment and ornamentation of the
Temple testifies to Solomon's rare wisdom. Next to the
required furniture, he planted golden trees, which bore fruit
all the time the building stood. When the enemy entered
the Temple, the fruit dropped from the trees, but they will
put forth blossoms again when it is rebuilt in the days of the
Messiah.-

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon ISS
Solomon was so assiduous that the erection of the Temple
took but seven years, about half the time for the erection of
the king's palace, in spite of the greater magnificence of the
sanctuary. In this respect, he was the superior of his father
David, who first built a house for himself, and then gave
thought to a house for God to dwell in. Indeed, it was
Solomon's meritorious work in CC?nnection with the Temple
that saved him from being reckoned by the sages as one of
the impious kings, among whom his later actions might
properly have put him.-
According to the measure of the zeal displayed by Solo-
mon were the help and favor shown him by God. During
the seven years it took to build the Temple, not a single
workman died who was employed about it, nor even did a
single one fall sick. And as the workmen were sound and
robust from first to last, so the perfection of their tools re-
mained unimpaired until the building stood complete. Thus
the work suffered no sort of interruption. After the dedica-
tion of the Temple, however, the workmen died off, lest
they build similar structures for the heathen and their gods.
Their wages they were to receive from God in the world to
come,- and the master workman, Hiram," was rewarded by
being permitted to reach Paradise alive,-
The Temple was finished in the month of But, now called
Mar~eshwan, but the edifice stood dosed for nearly a whole
year, because it was the will of God that the dedication
take place in the month of Abraham's birth. Meantime the
enemies of Solomon rejoiced maliciously, "Was it not the
son of Bath-sheba," they said, "who built the Temple?
How, then, could God permit His Shekinah to rest upon

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the ] ews

it? " When the consecration of the house took place, and
IIthe fire came down from heaven," they recognized their
mistake.-
The importance of the Temple appeared at once, for the
torrential rains which annually since the deluge bad fallen
for forty days beginning with the month of Ma~l}.eshwan,
for the first time failed to come, and thenceforward ap-
peared no more.-
The joy of the people over the sanctuary was so great that
they held the consecration ceremonies on the Day of Atone-
ment. It contributed not a little to their ease of mind that
a heavenly voice was heard to proclaim: II You all shall have
a share in the world to come."
The great house of prayer reflected honor not only on
Solomon and the people, but also on King David. The fol-
lowing inddent proves it: When the Ark was about to be
brought into the Holy of Holies, the door of the sacred
chamber locked itself, and it was impossible to open it.
Solomon prayed fervently to God, but his entreaties had no
effect until he pronounced the words: II Remember the good
deeds of David thy servant." The Holy of Holies then
opened of itself, and the enemies of David had to admit that
God had wholly forgiven his sin.-
In the execution of the Temple work a wish cherished by
David was fulfilled. He was averse to having the gold
which he had taken as booty from the heathen places of
worship during his campaigns used for the sanctuary at
Jerusalem, because he feared that the heathen would boast,
at the destruction of the "femple, that their gods were cour-
ageous, and were taking revenge by wrecking the house of

Digitized by Coogle
 SolomoK 157

the Israelitish God. Fortunately Solomon was so rich that

there was no need to resort to the gold inherited from his
father, and so David's wish was fulfilled.-

THE THRONE OF SoLOMON

Next to the Temple in its magnificence, it is the throne of

Solomon that perpetuates the name and fame of the wise
king. None before him and none after him could produce
a like work of art, and when the kings, his vassals, saw the
magnificence of the throne they feU down and praised God.
The throne was covered with fine gold from Ophir, studded
with beryls, inlaid with marble, and jewelled with emer-
alds, and rubies, and pearls, and all manner of gems. On
each of its six steps there were two golden lions and two
golden eagles, a lion and an eagle to the left, and a lion and
an eagle to the right, the pairs standing face to f'ce, so that
the right paw of the lion was opposite to the left wing of
the eagle, and his left paw opposite ~o the right wing of the
eagle. The royal seat was at the top, which was round.
On the first step leading to the seat crouched an ox, and
opposite to him a lion; on the second, a wolf and a lamb; on
the third, a leopard and a goat;" on the fourth perched an
eagle and a peacock; on the fifth a falcon - and a cock ; ~nd
on the sixth a hawk and a sparrow; all made of gold. At the
very top rested a dove, her claws set upon a hawk, to betoken
that the time would come when all peoples and nations shall
be delivered into the hands of Israel. Over the seat hung a
golden candlestick, with golden lamps, pomegranates, snuff
dishes, censers, chains, and lilies. Seven branches' extended
from each side. On the arms to the right we.re the images of

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of Ihe / ews

the seven patriarchs of the world, Adam, Noah, Shean, Job,

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and on the arms to the le~ the
images of the seven pious men of the world, Kohath, Am-
ram, Moses, Aaron, Eldad, Medad, .and the prophet Hur.
Attached to the top of the candlestick was a golden bowl
filled with the purest olive oil, to be used for the candle-
stick in the Temple, and below, a golden basin, also filled
with the purest olive oil, for the candlestick over the throne.
The basin bore the image of the high priest Eli ; those of his
sons Hopbni and Phinehas were on the two faucets protrud-
ing from the basin, and those of Nadab and Abihu on the
tubes connecting the faucets with the basin.
On the upper part of the throne stood seventy golden
chairs for the members of the Sanhedrin, and two more for
the high priest and his vicar. When the high priest came
to do homage to the king, the members of the Sanhedrin
also appeared, to judge the people. and they took their seats
to the right and to the left of the king. At the approach of
the witnesses, the machinery of the throne rumbled-the
wheels turned, the ox lowed, the lion roared, the wolf
howled, the lamb bleated, the leopard growled, the goat
cried, the falcon screamed, the peacock gobbled, the cock
crowed, the hawk screeched, the sparrow chirped-all to
terrify the witnesses and keep them from giving false
testimony.
When Solomon set foot upon the first step to ascend to
his seat, its machinery was put into motion. The golden ox
arose and led him to the second step, and there passed him
over to the care of the beasts guarding it, and so he was
conducted from step to step up to the sixth, where the eagles

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomtm 159

received him and placed him upon his seat. As soon as he

was ~eated, a great eagle set the royal crown upon his head.
Thereupon a huge snake rolled itself up against the machin-
ery, forcing the lions and eagles upward until they en-
circled the head of the king. A golden dove flew down
from a pillar, took the sacred scroll out of a casket, and gave
it to the king, so that he might obey the injunction of the
Scriptures, to have the law with him and read therein all
the days of hi~ life. Above the throne twenty-four vines
interlaced, forming a shady arbor over the head of the king,
and sweet aromatic perfumes exhaled from two golden lions,
while Solomon made the ascent to his seat upon the throne.-
It was the task of seven heralds to keep Solomon reminded
of his duties as king and judge. The first one of the her-
alds approached him when he set foot on the first step of the
throne, and began to recite the law for kings, " He shall not
multiply wives to himself." At the second step, the second
herald reminded him, II He shall not multiply horses to him-
self"; at the third, the next one of the heralds said,
"Neither shall he greatly mUltiply to himself silver and
gold." At the fourth step, he was told by the fourth
herald. II Thou shalt not wrest judgment"; at the fifth
step. by the fifth herald. II Thou shalt not respect persons."
and at the sixth. by the sixth herald. II Neither shalt thou
take a gift." Finally. when he was about to seat himself
upon the throne. the seventh herald cried out: "Know be-
fore whom thou standest." •
The throne did not remain long in the possession of the
Israelites. During the life of Rehoboam. the son of Solo-
mon, it was carried to Egypt. Shishak. the father-in-law of

Digitized by Coogle
160 The Legends of the I ews

Solomon, appropriated it as indemnity for claims which he

urged against the Jewish state in behalf of his widowed
daughter. When Sennacherib conquered Egypt, he carried
the throne away with him, but, on his homeward march, dur-
ing the overthrow of his army before the gates of Jerusalem,
he had to part with it to Hezekiah. Now it remained in Pal-
estine until the time of J ehoash, when it was once more car-
ried to Egypt by Pharaoh N echo. His possession of the
throne brought him little joy. Unacquainted with its won-
derful mechanism, he was injured in the side by one of the
lions the first time he attempted to mount it, and forever af-
ter he limped, wherefore he was given the s~rname
Necho, the hobbler." Nebuchadnezzar was the next pos-
sessor of the throne. It fell to his lot at the conquest of
Egypt, but when he attempted to use it in Babylonia, he
fared no better than his predecessor in Egypt. The lion
standing near the throne gave him so severe a blow that he
never again dared ascend it. Through Darius the throne
reached Elam, but, knowing what its other owners had suf-
fered, he did not venture to 'seat himself on it, and his ex-
ample was imitated by Ahasuerus. The latter tried to have
his artificers fashion him a like artistic work, but, of course,
they failed." The Median rulers parted with the throne to
the Greek monarchs, and finally it was carried to Rome."

THE HIPPODROME

The throne was not the only remarkable sight at the court
of the magnificent king. Solomon attracted visitors to his
capital by means of games and shows. In every month of
the year the official who was in charge for the month,

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomtm 161

was expected to arrange for a horse race, and once a

year" a race took place in which the competitors were ten
thousand youths, mainly of the tribes of Gad and Naphtali,
who lived at the court of the king year in, year out. and
were maintained by him. For the scholars, their disciples.
the priests. and the Levites. the races were held on the last
of the month; on the first day of the month the residents of
Jerusalem were the spectators, and, on the second .day.
strangers. The hippodrome occupied an area of three para-
sangs square, with an inner square measuring one parasang
on each side. around which the races were run. Within
were two grilles ornamented with all sorts of animals. Out
of the jaws of four gilded lions, attached to pillars by twos.
perfumes and spices flowed for the people. The spectators
were divided into four parties distinguished by the color of .
their garb: the king and his attendants. the scholars and
their disciples. and the priests and Levites were attired in
light blue garments; all the rest from Jerusalem wore white;
the sight-seers from the surrounding towns and villages
wore red, and green marked the heathen hailing from afar.
who came laden with tribute and presents. The four colors
corresponded to the four seasons. In the autumn the sky is
brilliantly blue; in winter the white snow falls; the color of
spring is green like the ocean, because it is the season favor-
able to voyages, and red is the color of summer. when
the fruits grow red and ripe.n
As the public spectacles were executed with pomp and
splendor, so the king's table was royally sumptuous. Re-
. gardless of season and climate, it was always laden with
the delicacies of all parts of the globe. Game and poultry,
n

Digitized by Coogle
 16:2 The Legends of the I ews

even of such varieties as were unknown in Palestine, were

not lacking, and daily there came a gorgeous bird from Bar-
bary and settled down before the king's seat at the table.
The Scriptures tell us of great quantities of food required
by Solomon's household, and yet it was not all that was
needed. What the Bible mentions, covers only the acces-
sories, such as spices and the minor ingredients. The real
needs were far greater, as may be judged from the custom
that all of Solomon's thousand wives arranged a banquet
daily, each in the hope of having the king dine with her."

LEssoNS IN HUMILITY

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

still occasions were not lacking to bring home to him the
truth that the wisest and mightiest of mortals may not in-
dulge in pride and arrogance.
Solomon had a precious piece of tapestry, sixty miles
square, on which he ftew through the air so swiftly that he
could eat breakfast in Damascus and supper in Media. To
carry out his orders he had at his beck and call Asaph ben
Berechiah n among men, Ramirat among demons, the lion
among beasts, and the eagle among birds. Once it hap-
pened that pride possessed Solomon while he was sailing
through the air on his carpet, and he said: II There is none
like unto me in the world, upon whom God has bestowed
sagacity, wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge, besides mak-
ing me the ruler of the world." The same instant the air
stirred, and forty thousand men dropped from the magic
carpet. The king ordered the wind to cease from blowing,
with the word: II Return I .. Whereupon the wind: "If

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon

thou God, and subdue I, too, will

return. realized his
On
the course wanderings. He ant order all
the others to withdraw, to avoid being crushed by the armies
of Solomon. The king halted and summoned the ant that
had spoken. She told him that she was the queen of the
ants, and she gave her reasons for the order of withdrawal.
Solomon wanted to put a question to the ant queen, but she
r-efused unless the king and placed her
on his his question:
world?"-
II Yes,
Solomon: "Who?"
Ant: "I am."
Solomon: "How is that possible?"
Ant: "Were I not greater than thou, God would not have
led thee hither put me on thy hand:'
Solomon threw her and said:
" Thou who I am? I the son of
David.
Not king of his
earthly ongm, and admonished him to humility, and the
king went off abashed.
Next he came to a magnificent building, into which he
sought to enter in vain; he could find no door leading into
it. After search the demons eagle seven
hundred and he, unable any informa-
tion, sent nine hundred brother, whose
eyrie his own, and probably be
 The Legends of the I efl}S

in a position to advise them. But he in tum directed them

to go to his still older brother. His age counted thirteen
hundred years, and he had more knowledge than himself.
This oldest one of the eagles reported that he remembered
having heard his father say there was a door on the west
side, but it was covered up by the dust of the ages that had
passed since it was last used. So it turned out to be. They
found an old iron door with the inscription: We, the dwell-
II

ers in this palace, for many years lived in comfort and lux-
ury; then, forced by hunger, we ground pearls into flour in-
stead of wheat-but to no avail, and so, when we were about
to die, we bequeathed this palace to the eagles." A second
statement contained a detailed description of the wonderful
palace, and mentioned where the keys for the different
chambers were to be found. Following the directions on the
door, Solomon inspected the remarkable building, whose
apartments were made of pearls and precious stones. In-
scribed on the doors he found the following three wise prov-
erbs, dealing with the vanity of all earthly things, and ad-
monishing men to be humble:
I. 0 son of man, let not time deceive thee; thou must
wither away, and leave thy place, to rest in the bosom of
the earth.
2. Haste thee not, move slowly, for the world is taken
from one and bestowed upon another.
3. Furnish thyself with food for the journey, prepare
thy meal while daylight lasts, for thou wilt not remain on
earth forever, and thou knowest not the day of thy death.-
In one of the chambers, Solomon saw a number of statues,
among them one that looked as though alive. When he ap-

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon

proached it, it called out in a loud.voice: "Hither, ye satans,

Solomon has come to undo you." Suddenly there arose
great noise and tumult among the statues. Solomon pro-
nounced the Name, and quiet was restored. The statues were
overthrown, and the sons of the satans ran into the sea and
were drowned. From the throat of the lifelike statue he
drew a silver plate inscnoed with characters which he could
not decipher, but a youth from the desert told the king:
II These letters are Greek. and the words mean: • I. Shadad

ben Ad. ruled over a thousand thousand provinces. rode on a

thousand thousand horses, had a thousand thousand kings
under me. and slew a thousand thousand heroes. and when
the Angel of Death approached me. I was powerless.' " ..

AsIrIODEUS

When Solomon in his wealth and prosperity grew un-

mindful of his God. and. contrary to the injunctions laid
down for kings in the Torah. multiplied wives unto himself.
and craved the possession of many horses and much gold,
the Book of Deuteronomy stepped before God and said:
II Lo. 0 Lord of the world. Solomon is seeking to remove a

Yod from out of me.· for Thou didst write: I The king shall
not multiply horses unto himself. nor shall he multiply wives
to himself. neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver
and gold'; but Solomon has acquired many horses. many
wives. and much silver and gold." Hereupon God said:
" As thou livest. Solomon and a hundred of his kind shall
be annihilated ere a single one of thy letters shall be
obliterated." II
The charge made against Solomon was soon followed by

Digitized by Coogle
 166 The Legends of the ] e'Ws

consequences. He had to pay heavily for his sins. It

came about in this way: While Solomon was occupied with
the Temple, he had great difficulty in devising ways of fit-
ting the stone from the quarry into the building, for the
Torah explicitly prohibits the use of iron tools in erecting
. an altar. The scholars told him that Moses had used
the shamir,- the stone that splits rocks, to engrave the
names of the tribes on the precious stones of the ephod
worn by the high priest. Solomon's demons could give him
no information as to where the shamir could be found.
They surmised, however, that Asmodeus,· king of demons,
was in possession of the secret, and they told Solomon the
name of the mountain on which Asmodeus dwelt, and de-
scribed also his manner of life. On this mountain there was
a well from which Asmodeus obtained his drinking water.
He closed it up daily with a large rock. and sealed it before
going to heaven, whither he went every day. to take part
in the discussions in the heavenly academy. Thence he
would descend again to earth in order to be present, though
invisible,· at the debates in the earthly houses of learning.
Then. after investigating the seal on the well to ascertain
if it had been tampered with. he drank of the water.
Solomon sent his chief man, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada,
to capture Asmodeus. For this purpose he provided him
with a chain, the ring on which the Name of God was
engraved, a bundle of wool, and a skin of wine. Benaiab
drew the water from the well through a hole bored
from below, and. after having stopped up the hole with the
wool, he filled the well with wine from above. When As-
modeus descended from heaven, to his astonishment he

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon 167
found wine instead of water in the well, although everything
seemed untouched. At first he would not drink of it, and
cited the Bible verses that inveigh against wine, to "in-
spire himself with moral courage. At length Asmodeus
succumbed to his consuming thirst, and drank till his
senses were overpowered, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Benaiah, watching him from a tree, then ciune, and drew
the chain about Asmodeus's neck. The demon, on awaken-
ing, tried to free himself, but Benaiah called to him: "The
Name of thy Lord is upon thee." Though Asmodeus now
permitted himself to be led off unresistingly, he acted most
peculiarly on the way to Solomon. He brushed against a
palm-tree and uprooted it; he knocked against a house and
overturned it; and when, at the request of a poor woman.
he was turned aside from her hut, he broke a bone. He
asked with grim humor: " Is it not written, • A soft tongue
breaketh the bone'?" A blind man going astray he set in
the right path, and to a drunkard he did a similar kindness.
He wept when a wedding party passed them, and laughed
at a man who asked his shoemaker to make him shoes to
last for seven years, and at a magician who was publicly
showing his skill.
Having finally arrived at the end of the journey, Asmo-
deus, after several days of waiting, was led before Solo-
mon, who questioned him about his strange conduct on the
journey. Asmodeus answered that he judged persons and
things according to their real character, and not according
to their appearance in the eyes of human beings. He cried
when he saw the wedding company, because he knew the
bridegroom had not a month to live, and he laughed at him

Digitized by Coogle
168 The Legends of the Jews

who wanted shoes to last seven years, because the man

would not own them for seven days, also at the magician
who pretended to disclose secrets, because he did not know
that a buried treasure lay under his very feet; the blind man
whom he set in the right path was one of the •• perfect
pious," and he wanted to be kind to him; on the other hand,
the drunkard to whom he did a similar kindness was known
in heaven as a very wicked man, but he happened to have
done a good deed once, and he was rewarded accordingly.
Asmodeus told Solomon that the shamir was given by
God to the Angel of the Sea, and that Angel entrusted
none with the shamir except the moor-hen,- which had taken
an oath to watch the shamir carefully. The moor-hen takes
the shamir with her to mountains which are not inhabited
by men, splits them by means of the shamir, and injects
seeds, which grow and cover the naked rocks, and then they
can be inhabited. Solomon sent one of his servants to seek
the nest of the bird and Jay a piece of glass over it. When
the moor-hen came and could not reach her young, she flew
away and fetched the shamir and placed it on the glass.
Then the man shouted, and so terrified the bird that she
dropped the shamir and flew away. By this means the man
obtained possession of the coveted shamir, and bore it to
Solomon. But the moor-hen was so distressed at having
broken her oath to the Angel of the Sea that she committed
suicide.
Although Asmodeus was captured only for the purpose
of getting the shamir, Solomon nevertheless kept him after
the completion of the Temple. One day the king told As-
modeus that he did not understand wherein the greatness of

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon I6i)

the demons lay, if their king could be kept in bonds by a

mortal. Asmadeus replied, that if Solomon would remove
his chains and lend him the magic ring, he would prove his
own greatness. Solomon agreed. The demon stood before
him with one wing touching heaven and the other reaching
to the earth. Snatching up Solomon, who had parted with
his protecting rin.g, he flung him four Hundred parasangs
away from Jerusalem, and then palmed himself off as the
king..

SoLOMON AS BEGGAR
Banished from his home, deprived of his realm, Solomon
wandered about in far-off lands, among strangers, begging
his daily bread. Nor did his humiliation end there; people
thought him a lunatic, because he never tired of assuring
them that he was Solomon, Judah's great and mighty king.
Naturally that seemed a preposterous claim to the people.-
The lowest depth of despair he reached, however, when
he met some one who recognized him. The recollections and
associations that stirred within him then made his present
misery almost unendurable.
It happened" that once on his peregrinations he met an
old acquaintance, a rich and well-considered man, who gave
a sumptuous banquet in honor of Solomon. At the meal his
host spoke to ~lomon constantly of the magnificence and
splendor he had once seen with his own eyes at the court
of the king. These reminiscences moved the king to tears,
and he wept so bitterly that, when he rose from the banquet,
he was satiated, not with the rich food, but with salt tears.
The following day it again happened that Solomon met an

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

acquaintance of fonner days, this time a poor man, who

nevertheless entreated Solomon to do him the honor and
break bread under his roof. All that the poor man could
offer his distinguished guest was a meagre dish of greens.
But he tried in every way to assuage the grief that oppressed
Solomon. He said: "0 my lord and king, God hath sworn
unto David He would never let the royal dignity depart
from his house, but it is the way of God to reprove those
He loves if they sin. Rest assured, He will restore thee
in good time to thy kingdom." These words of his poor
host were more grateful to Solomon's bruised heart than
the banquet the rich man had prepared for him. It
was to the contrast between the consolations of the two
men that he applied the verse in Proverbs: "Better is a
dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred
therewith."
i For three long years Solomon journeyed about, begging
his way from city to city, and from country to country,
atoning for the three - sins of his life by which he had set
aside the commandment laid upon kings in Deuteronomy-
not to multiply horses, and wives, and silver and gold.
At the end of that time, God took mercy upon him for the
sake of his father David, and for the sake of the pious
princess N aamah, the daughter of the Ammonite king, des-
tined by God to be the ancestress of the Messiah. The time
was approaching when she was to become the wife of Solo-
mon • and reign as queen in Jerusalem. God therefore led
the royal wanderer to the capital city of Ammon.- Solomon
took service as an underling with the cook in the royal house-
hold, and he proved himself so proficient in the culinary art

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomon 111
that the king of Ammon raised him to the post of chief cook.
Thus he came under the notice df the king's daughter Naa-
mah, who fell in love with her father's cook. In vain her
parents endeavored to persuade her to choose a husband
befitting her rank. Not even the king's threat to have her
and her beloved executed availed to fum her thoughts away
from Solomon. The Ammonite king had the lovers taken
to a barren desert, in the hope that they would die of starva-
tion there. Solomon and his wife wandered through the
desert until they came to a city situated by the sea-shore.
They purchased a fish to stave off death. When N aamah
prepared the fish, she found in its belly the magic ring be-
longing to her husband, which he had given to Asmodeus,
and which, thrown into the sea by the demon, had been swal-
lowed by a fish. Solomon recognized his ring, put it on his
finger, and in the twinkling of an eye he transported himself
to Jerusalem. Asmodeus, who had been posing as King
Solomon during the three years, he drove out, and himself
ascended the throne again.
Later on he cited the king of Ammon before his tribunal,
and called him to account for the disappearance of the cook
and the cook's wife, accusing him of having killed them.
The king of Ammon protested that he had not killed, but
only banished them. Then Solomon had the queen appear,
and to his great astonishment and still greater joy the king
of Ammon recognized his daughter.11
Solomon succeeded in regaining his throne only after
undergoing many hardships. The people of Jerusalem
considered him a lunatic, because he said that he was Solo-
mon. After some time, the members of the Sanhedrin no-

Digitized by Coogle
rr
172 The Legends of the Jews

ticed his peculiar beh8vior, and they· investigated the matter.

They found that a long time had passed since Benaiah, the
confidant of the king, had been permitted to enter the pres-
ence of the usurper. Furthermore the wives of Solomon and
his mother Bath-sheba informed them that the behavior of
the king had completely changed-it was not befitting roy-
alty and in no respect like Solomon's former manner. It was
also very strange that the king never by any chance a110wed
his foot to be seen, for fear, of course, of betraying his de-
mon origin.'" The Sanhedrin. therefore, gave the king's
magic ring to the wandering beggar who called himself King
Solomon, and had him appear before the pretender on the
throne. As soon as Asmodeus caught sight of the true king
protected by his magic ring, he flew away precipitately.
Solomon did not escape unscathed. The sight of Asma-
deus in a11 his forbidding ugliness had so terrified him that
henceforth he surrounded his couch at night with all the
valiant heroes among the people.'"

THE CoURT OF SoLOMON

As David had been surrounded by great scholars and he-

roes of repute. so the court of Solomon was the gathering-
place of the great of his people. The most important of
them all doubtless was Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, who had
no peer for learning and piety either in the time of the first
or the second Temple.1I In his capacity as the chancellor of
Solomon, he was the object of the king's special favor. He
was frequently invited to be the companion of the king in
his games of chess. The wise king naturally was always the
winner. One day Solomon left the chess-board for a mo-

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomtm . 173

ment, Benaiah used his absence to remove one o~ the king's

chess-men, and the king lost the game. Solomon gave much
thought to the occurrence. He came to the conclusion that
his chancellor had dealt dishonestly with him. and he was
determined to give him a lesson.
Some days later Solomon noticed two suspicious charac-
ters hanging about the palace. Acting at once upon an idea
that occurred to him, he put on the clothes of one of his ser-
vants and joined the two suspects. The three of them, he
proposed, should make the attempt to rob the royal palace.
and he drew forth a key which would facilitate their en-
trance. While the thieves were occupied in gathering booty,
the king roused his servants, and the malefactors were taken
into custody. Next morning Solomon appeared before the
Sanhedrin, which was presided over by Benaiah - at the
time, and he desired to know from the court what punish-
ment was mete'.! out to a thief. Benaiah, seeing no delin- i
quents before him, and unwilling to believe that the king
would concern himself about the apprehension of thieves.
was convinced that Solomon was bent on punishing him
l
for his dishonest play. He fell at the feet of the king, con-
fessed his guilt, and begged his pardon. Solomon was
pleased to have his supposition confirmed. and also to have
Benaiah acknowledge his wrong-doing. He assured him he
harbored no evil designs against him, and that when he
asked this question of the Sanhedrin, he had had real thieves
in mind, who had broken into the palace during the night.-
Another interesting incident happened, in which Benaiah
played a part. The king of Persia was very ill, and his
physician told him he could be cured by nothing but the milk

Digitized by Coogle
174 The Legends of the / ews

of a lioness. The king accordingly sent a deputation bearing

rich presents to Solomon, the only being in the world who
might in his wisdom discover means to obtain lion's milk.
Solomon charged Benaiah to fulfil the Persian king's wish.
Benaiah took a number of kids, and repaired to a lion's den.
Daily he threw a kid to the lioness, and after some time the
beasts became familiar with him, and fina11y he could ap-
proach the lioness close enough to draw milk from her
udders.
On the way back to the Persian king the physician who
had recommended the milk cure dreamed a dream. A11 the
organs of his body, his hands, feet, eyes, mouth, and tongue.
were quarretting with one another, each claiming the great-
est share of credit in procuring the remedy for the Persian
monarch. When the tongue set forth its own contribution
to the cause of the king's service, the other organs rejected
its claim as tota11y unfounded. The physician did not forget
the dream, and when he appeared before the king, he spoke:
"Here is the dog's milk which we went to fetch for you."
The king, enraged, ordered the physician to be hanged, be-
cause he had brought the milk of a bitch instead of the milk
of a lion's dam. During the preliminaries to the execution,
all the limbs and organs of the physician began to tremble,
whereupon the tongue said: .. Did I not tell you that you a11
are of no good? If you will acknowledge my superiority,
I shall even now save .you from death." They all made the
admission it demanded, and the pJiysician requested the
executioner to take him to the king. Once in the presence
of his master, he begged him as a special favor to drink of
the milk. he had brought The king granted his wish, recov-

Digitized by Coogle
 Solomo" 175

ered from his sickness, and dismissed the physician in peace.

So it came about that all the organs of the body acknowl-
edge the supremacy of the tongue."
Besides Benaiah, Solomon's two scribes, Elihoreph and
Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, deserve mention. They both
met their death in a most peculiar way. Solomon once upon
a time noticed a care-worn expression on the countenance of
the Angel of Death. When he asked the reason, he received
the answer, that he had been charged with the task of bring-
ing the two scribes to the next world. Solomon was desir-
ous of stealing a march upon the Angel of Death, as well as
keeping his secretaries alive. He ordered the demons to
carry Elihoreph and Ahijah to Luz, the only spot on earth
in which the Angel of Death has no power.- In a jiffy. the
• ·demons had done his biddihg, but the two sec~etaries expired
at the very' moment of reaching the gates of Luz. Next day,
.the Angel of Death appeared before Solomon in very good
Jtumor. and said to him: .. Thou didst transport those two
men to the very spot in which I wanted them." The fate
destined for them was to die at the gates of Luz. and the
Angel of Death had been at a loss how to get them there.-
A most interesting incident in Solomon's own family circle
is connected with one of his daughters. She was of extra-
ordinary beauty, and in the stars he read that she was to
marry an extremely poor youth. To prevent the undesirable
union, Solomon had a high tower erected in the sea, and to
this he sent his daughter. Seventy eunuchs were to guard
her, and a huge quantity of food was stored in the tower for
het: use..
The poor youth whom fate had appointed to be her hus-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legmds of the / ewa

band was travelling one cold night. He did not know where
to rest his head, when he espied the rent carcass of an ox
lying in the field. In this he lay down to keep warm. When
he was ensconced in it, there came a large bird, which took
the carcass, bore it, together with the youth stretched out in
it, to the roof of the tower in which the princess lived, and,
settling down there, began to devour the Sesh of the ox. In
the morning, the princess, according to her wont, ascended
to the roof to look out upon the sea, and she caught sight
of the youth. She asked him who he was, and who had
brought him thither? He told her that he was a Jew from
Accho, and had been carried to the tower by a bird. She
showed him to a chamber, where he could wash and anoint
himself, and array himself in a fresh garb. Then it appeared
that he possessed unusual beauty. Besides, he was a scholat:
of great attainments and of acute mind. So it came about
that the princess fell in love with him. She asked him
whether he would have her to wife, and he 'assented gladly.
He opened one of his veins, and wrote the marriage con-
tract with his own blood. Then he pronounced the fonnula
of betrothal, taking God and the two archangels Michael and
Gabriel as witnesses, and she became his wife, legally mar-
ried to him.
After some time the eunuchs noticed that she was preg-
nant. Their questions elicited the suspected truth from the
princess, and they sent for Solomon. His daughter admitted
her marriage, and the king, though he recognized in her hus-
band the poor man predicted in the constellations, yet he
thanked God for his son-in-law, distinguished 'no less for
learning than for his handsome person.-

Digitized by Coogle
 VI
JUDAH AND ISRAEL

.&GII
THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM:..... • •• 179
] EROBOAH ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ISo
THE Two ADI] AHS ... • • .. .. .. .. .. .. •• 183
.AsA •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 184.
]EHOSHAPHAT AND AHAB •••••••••••••• I8S
]EZEBEL ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 188
JORAM OF' ISRAEL •••••••••••••••••••••• 189

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
- - - - - -------------------

VI
JUDAH AND ISRAEL
THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM
The division of the kingdom into Judah and Israel, which
took place soon after the death of Solomon, had cast its
shadow before. When Solomon, on the day after his mar-
riage with the Egyptian princess, disturbed the regular
course of the Temple service by sleeping late with his head
on the pillow under which lay the key of the Temple, Jero-
boam with eighty thousand Ephraimites approached the king
and publicly called him to account for his negligence. God
administered a reproof to Jeroboam; "Why dost thou re-
proach a prince of Israel? As thou livest, thou shalt have
a taste of his rulership, and thou wilt see thou art not equal
to its responsibilities." a
On anotber occasion a clash occurred between J era-
boam and Solomon. The latter ordered his men to close
tbe openings David had made in the city wall to facilitate
the approach of the pilgrims to Jerusalem. This forced
them all to walle through the gates and pay toll. The tax
thus collected Solomon gave to his wife, the daughter of
Pharaoh, as pin-money. Indignant at this, Jeroboam ques-
tioned the king about it in public. In other ways, too, he
failed to pay Solomon the respect due to royal position, as
his father before him, Sheba the son of Bichri, had rebelled
against David, misled by signs and tokens which he had
falsely interpreted as pointing to his own elevation to royal

Digitized by Coogle
ISo The Legends of the Jews

dignity, when in reality they concerned themselves with his

son.-
It was when Jeroboam was preparing to depart from Je-
rusalem forever, in order to escape the dangers to which
Solomon's displeasure exposed him,' that Ahijah of ShUo
met him with the Divine tidings of his elevation to the king-
ship. The prophet Ahijah, of the tribe of Levi, was venerable.
Dot only by reason of his hoary age,-his birth occurred at
least sixty years before the exodus from Egypt:-but be-
cause his piety was so profound that a saint of the exalted
standing of Simon ben Yo~ai associated Ahijah with him-
self. Simon once exclaimed: " My merits and Ahijah's to-
gether suffice to atone for the iniquity of all sinners from
the time of Abraham until the advent of the Messiah."-

JEROBOAM

Jeroboam was the true disciple - of this great prophet.

Hi,S doctrine was as pure as the new garment Ahijah wore
when he met Jerobo:!.m near Jerusalem, and his learning
exceeded that of all the scholars of his time except his own
teacher Ahijah alone. The prophet was in the habit of dis-
cussing secret lore with Jeroboam and subjects in the Torah
whose existence was wholly unknown to others.'
Had Jeroboam proved himself worthy of his high position,
the length of his reign would have equalled David's.- It was
his pride that ted him into destruction. He set up the golden
calves as objects to be worshipped by the people, in order to
wean them from their habit of going on pilgrimages to Jeru-
salem. He knew that in the Temple only members of the
royal bouse of David were privileged to sit down. No ex·

Digitized by Coogle
 /fMlah and Israel 181

ception would be made in favor of Jeroboam, and so he

would have had to stand while Rehoboam would be seated.
Rather than appear in public as the subordinate of the Ju-
dean king, he introduced the worship of idols, which secured
him full royal prerogatives.
In the execution of his plan he proceeded with great cun-
ning, and his reputation as a profound scholar and pious
saint stood him in good stead. This was his method: He
seated an impious man next to a pious man, and then said
to each couple: "Will you put your signature to anything I
intend to do?" The two would give an affirmative answer.
II Do you want me as king?" he would then ask, only to

receive an a~rmative answer again. .. And you wilt do

whatever I order?" he continued. "Yes," was the reply. "I
am to infer. then. that you wilt even pay worship to idols if
I command it?" said Jeroboam. "God forbid I " the pious
member of the couple would exclaim, whereupon his im-
pious companion, who was in league with the king, would
tum upon him: .. Canst thou really suppose for an instant
that a man like Jeroboam would serve idols? He only
wishes to put our loyalty to the test." Through such machi-
nations he succeeded in obtaining the signatures of the most
pious, even the signature of the prophet Ahijah. Now Jero-
boam had the people in his power. He could exact the vilest
deeds from them.'
So entrenched, Jeroboam brought about the division be-
tween Judah and Israel, a consummation which his father,
Sheba the son of Biehri, had not been able to compass under
David, because God desired to have the Temple erected be-
fore the split occurred.- Not yet satisfied, Jeroboam sought

Digitized by Coogle
ISa The Legends of Ihe 1ews

to involve the Ten Tribes in a war against Judah and Jeru-

salem. But the people of the northern kingdom refused to
enter into hostilities with their brethren, and with the ruler
of their brethren, a descendant of David. Jeroboam ap-
pealed to the elders of the Israelites, and they referred him
to the Danites, the most efficient of their warriors; but they
swore by the head of Dan, the ancestor of their tribe, that
they would never consent to shed the blood of their brethren.
They were even on the point of rising against Jeroboam, and
the clash between them and the followers of Jeroboam was
prevented onIy because God prompted the Danites to leave
Palestine.
I Their first plan was to journey to Egypt and take posses-
sion of the land. They gave it up when their princes re-
minded them of the Biblical prohibition U against dwelling
in Egypt. Likewise they were restrained from attacking
the Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites, for the Torah com-
mands considerate treatment of them. Finally they decided
to go to Egypt, but not to stay there, only to pass through
to Ethiopia. The Egyptians were in great terror of the
Danites, and their hardiest warriors occupied the roads trav-
elled by them. Arrived in Ethiopia, the Danites slew a part
of the population, and exacted tribute from the rest."
i The departure of the Danites relieved Judah from the ap-
prehended invasion by Jeroboam, but danger arose from an-
other quarter. Shishak," the ruler of Egypt, who was the
father-in-law of Solomon, came to Jerusalem and demanded
his daughter's jointure. He carried off the throne of Solo-
mon,Y and also the treasure which the Israelites had taken
from the Egyptians at the time of the exodus. So the Egyp-
tian mOl)ey returned to its source."

Digitized by Coogle
 Judah and Israel

THE Two MIl ABS

Jeroboam did not entirely forego his plan of a campaign
apinst Judah, but it was not executed until Abijah had
succeeded his father Rehoboam on the throne of Jerusalem.
The Judean king was victorious. However, he could not long
enjoy the fruits of his victory. Shortly after occurred his
death, brought on by his own crimes. In his war against
Jeroboam he had indulged in excessive cruelty; he ordered
the corpses .of the enemy to be mutilated, and permitted
them to be buried only after putrefaction had set in. Such
savagery was all the more execrable as it prevented many
widows from entering into a second marriage. Mutilating
the corpses had made identification impossible, and so it was
left doubtful whether their husbands were among the dead.
Moreover, Abijah used most disrespectful language about
the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite; he called him a "son of
Belial" in his address to the people on Mount Zemaraim.
That in itself merited severe punishment. Finally, his zeal
for the true worship of God, which Abijah had urged as the
reason of the war between himself and Jeroboam, cooled
quicldy. When he obtained possession of Beth-e1, he failed
to do away with the golden calves.-
In this respect his namesake, the Israelitish king Abijah,
the son of Jeroboam, was by far his superior. By removing
the guards stationed at the frontier, he bade defiance to the
command of his father, who had decreed the death penalty
for pilgrimages to Jerusalem. More than this, he himself
ventured to go up to Jerusalem in fulfilment of his religious
duty.-

Digitized by Coogle
184 The Ltgemls of the I ews

&A
Asa, the son of Abijah of Judah, was a w~rthier and a
more pious ruler than his father had been. He did away
with the gross worship of Priapus,· to which his mother
was devoted. To reward him for his piety, God gave
him the victory over Zerah, the king of the Ethiopians.
As a result of this victory he came again into possession
of the throne of Solomon and of the treasures Shishak
had taken from his grandfather, which Zerah in tum
had wrested from Shishak.- Asa himself did not long
keep them. Baasha, the king of Israel, together with Ben-
hadad, the Aramean king, attacked Asa, who tried to pro-
pitiate Ben-hadad by giving him his lately ce-acquired
treasures.- The prophet justly rebuked him for trusting in
princes rather than in God, and that in spite of the fact
that the Divine help had been visible in his conflict with the
Ethiopians and the Lubim; for there had been nO need for
him to engage in battle with them; in response to his mere
prayer God had slain the enemy,- In general, Asa showed
little confidence in God; he rather trusted his own skill, Ac-
cordingly, he made even the scholars of his realm P.11list in
the anny sent out against Baasha. He was punished by
being affiicted with gout, he of all men, who was distin-
guished on account of the strength residing in his feet,-
Furthennore, the division between Judah and Israel was
made pennanent, though God had at first intended to limit
the exclusion ot David's house from Israei to only thirty-six
years. Had Asa shown himself deserving, he would nave
been accorded dominion over the whole. of Israel.- In point
of tad, Asa, through his connection by marriage ",ith the

Digitized by Coogle
 Judah and Israel

house of Omri. contributed to the stability of the Israelitish

dynasty. for as a result of the support given by the southern
ruler Omri succeeded in putting his rival Tibni out of the
way. Then it was that God resolved that the descendants
of Asa should perish simultaneously with the descendants of
Omri. This doom was accomplished when Jehu killed the
king of Judah on account of his friendship and kinship with
Joram the king of Samaria.·

JmOSHAPHAT AND AHAB

The successors of Omri and Asa. each in his way. were
worthy of their fathers. Jehoshaphat. the son of Asa. was
very wealthy. The treasures which his father had sent to the
Aramean ruler reverted to him in consequence of his vic-
tory over the Ammonites. themselves the conquerors of the
Arameans. whom they had despoiled of their possessions,-
His power was exceedingly great; each division of his army
counted no less than one hundred and sixty thousand war-
riors,- Yet rich and powerful as he was. he was so modest
that he refused to don his royal apparel when he went to the
house of the prophet Elisha to consult him; he appeared
before him in the attire of one of the people.- Unlike his
father. who had little consideration for scholars, Jehoshaphat
was particularly gracious toward them. When a scholar ap-
peared before him. he arose. hastened to meet him, and kiss-
ing and embracing him. greeted him with .. Rabbi.
Rabbi I ,.-
Jehoshaphat concerned himself greatly about the purity
and sanctification of the Temple. He was the author of the
ordinance forbidding anyone to ascend the Temple mount

Digitized by Coogle
186 The Legends of Ihe Jews

whose term of uncleanness had not expired, even though he

had taken the ritual bath.· His implicit trust in God made
him a complete contrast to his skeptical father. He turned to
God and implored His help when to human reason help
seemed an utter ~possibility. In the war with the
Arameans, an enemy held his sword at Jehoshaphat's very
throat, ready to deal the fatal blow, but the king entreated
help of God, and it was granted.-
In power and wealth, Ahab, Ring of Samaria, outstripped
his friend Jehoshaphat, for Ahab is one of that small num-
ber of kings who have ruled over the whole world.- No
less than two hundred and fifty-two kingdoms acknowledged
his dominion.· As for his wealth, it was so abundant that
each of his hundred and forty children possessed several
ivory palaces, summer and winter residences.1I But what
gives Ahab his prominence among the Jewish kings is neither
his POWel nor his wealth, but his sinful conduct. For him
the gravest transgressions committed by Jeroboam were
slight peccadilloes. At his order the gates of Samaria bore
the inscription: " Ahab denies the God of Israel." He was
10 devoted to idolatry, to which he was led astray by his wife
Jezebel, that the fields of Palestine were full of idols.
But he was not wholly wicked, he possessed some good
qualities. He was liberal toward scholars, and he showed
great reverence for t&e Torah, which he studied zealously.
When lJen-hadad exacted all he possessed-his wealth, his
wives, his children-he acceded to his demands regarding
everything except the Torah; that he refused peremptorily
to surrender.1I In the war that followed between himself
and the Syrians, be \Va. so indignant at the presumptuous-

Digitized by Coogle
 JfIIlah and Israel

ness of the Aramean upstart that he himself saddled his war-

horse for the battle. His zeal was rewarded by God; he
gained a brilliant victory in a battle in which no less than a
hundred thousand of the Syrians were slain, as the prophet
Micaiah had foretold to him.- The same seer - admon-
ished him not to deal gently with Ben-hadad. God's word
to him had been: II Know that I had to set many a pitfall
and trap to deliver him into thy hand. If thou lettest him
escape, thy life will be forfeit for his."·
Nevertheless the disastrous end of Ahab is not to be as-
cribed to his disregard of the prophet's warning-for he
finally liberated Ben-hadad,-but chiefly to the murder of his
kinsman Naboth, whose execution on the charge of treason
he had ordered, so that he might put himself in possession
of Naboth's wealth.- His victim was a pious man, and in
the habit of going on pilgrimages to Jerusalem on the festi-
vals. As he was a great singer, his presence in the Holy
City attracted many other pilgrims thither. Once Naboth
failed to go on his customary pilgrimage. Then it was that
his false conviction took place-a very severe punishment
for the transgression, but not wholly unjustifiable.- Under
Jehoshaphat's influence and counsel, Ahab did penance for
his crime, and the punishment God meted out to him was
thereby mitigated to the extent that his dynasty was not cut
off from the throne at his death.- In the heavenly court of
justice,· at Ahab's trial, the accusing witnesses and his de-
fenders exactly balanced each other in number and state-
ments, until the spirit of Naboth appeared and turned the
scale against Ahab. The spirit of Naboth it had been, too,
that had led astray the prophets of Ahab, making them all

Digitized by Coogle
188 The Legends of the I ews

use the very same words in prophesying a victory at Ramoth-

gilead. This literal unanimity aroused Jeboshaphat's sus-
picion, and caused him to ask for " a prophet of the Lord:'
for the rule is: "The same thought is revealed to many
prophets, but no two prophets express it in the same
words." - Jehoshaphat's mistrust was justified by the issue
of the war. Ahab was slain in a miraculous way by Naaman,
at that time only a common soldier of the rank and file. God
permitted Naaman's missile to penetrate Ahab's armor,
though the latter was harder than the former.-
The mourning for Ahab was so great that the memory of
it reached posterity." The funeral procession was unusually
impressive; no less than thirty-six thousand warriors, their
shoulders bared, marched before his bier.- Ahab is one of
the few in Israel who have no portion in the world to come.-
He dwells in the fifth division of the nether world, which is
under the supervision of the angel OnieI. However, he is
exempt from the tortures inflicted upon his heathen asso-
ciates.-

JEZEBEL

Wicked as Ahab was, his wife Jezebe1 was incomparably

worse. Indeed.. she is in great part the cause of his suffer-
ing. and Ahab realized it. Once Rabbi Levi expounded the
Scriptural verse in which the iniquity of Ahab and the
influence of his wife over him are discussed, dwelling
upon the first half for two months. Ahab visited him in
a dream, and reproached him with expatiating on the first
half of the verse to the exclusion of the latter half. There-
upon the Rabbi took the second half of the verse as the text

Digitized by Coogle
 Judah and Israel 189
of his lectures for the next two months, demonstrating all
the time that ]ezebel was the instigator of Ahab's sins." Her
misdeeds are told in the Scriptures. To those there re-
counted must be added her practice of attaching unchaste
images to Ahab's chariot for the purpose of stimulating his
carnal desires. Therefore those parts of his chariot were
spattered with his 1>1000 when he fell at the hand of the
enemy.- She had her husband weighed every day, and the
increase of his weight in gold she sacrificed to the idol.·
]ezebel was not only the daughter and the wife of a king,
she was also co-regent with her husband, the only reigning
queen in Jewish history except Athaliah.·
Hardened sinner though ] ezebel was, even she had good
qualities. One of them was her capacity for sympathy with
others in joy and sorrow. Whenever a funeral cortege
passed the royal palace, ] ezebel would descend and join the
ranks of the mourners, and, also, when a marriage proces-
sion went by, she took part in the merry-making in honor
of the bridal couple. By way of reward the limbs and or-
gans with which she had executed these good deeds were
left intact by the horses that trampled her to death in the
portion of ] ezreel.·

JORAII OF ISRAEL
Of Joram, the son of Ahab, it can only be said that he
had his father's faults without his father's virtues. Ahab
was liberal, ] oram miserly, nay, he even indulged in usurious
> practices. From Obadiah, the pious protector of the proph-
ets in hiding, he exacted a high rate of interest on the
money needed for their support. As a consequence, at his

Digitized by Coogle
190 'J'he Legends of the I ews

death he feII pierced between his arms, the arrow going

out at his heart, for he had stretched out his arms to re-
ceive usury, and had hardened his heart against compas-
sion.• In his reign only one event deserves mention, his
campaign against Moab, undertaken in aIliance with the
kings of Judah and Edom, and ending with a splendid vic-
tory won by the allied kings. J oram and his people, it need
hardly be said, failed to derive the proper lesson from the
war. Their disobedience to God's commands went on as
before. The king of Moab, on the other hand, in his way
sought to come nearer to God. He assembled his astrologers
and inquired of them, why it was that the Moabites, suc-
cessful in their warlike enterprises against other nations,
could not measure up to the standard of the Israelites. They
explained that God was gracious to Israel, because his an-
cestor Abraham had been ready to sacrifice Isaac at His bid-
ding. Then the Moabite king reasoned, that if God sets so
high a value upon mere good intention, how much greater
would be the reward for its actual execution, and he, who
ordinarily was a sun worshipper, proceeded to sacrifice his
son, the successor to the throne, to the God of Isr-ael. God
said: ,. The heathen do not know Me, and their wrong-do-
ing arises from ignorance; but you, Israelites, know Me,
and yet you act rebelliously toward Me.""
As a result of the seven years' famine, conditions in Sa-
maria were frightful during the greater part of Joram's
reign. In the first year everything stored in the houses was
eaten up. In the second, the people supported themselves
with what they could scrape together in the fields. The
flesh of the clean animals sufficed for the third year; in the·

Digitized by Coogle
 Judah and Israel

fourth the sufferers resorted to the unclean animals; in the

fifth, to reptiles and insects; and in the sixth the monstrous
thing happened that women crazed by hunger consumed
their own children as food. But the acme of distress was
reached in the seventh year, when men sought to gnaw the
flesh from their own bones.1I To these occurrences the
prophecies of Joel apply, for he lived in the awful days of
the famine in Joram's reign.
Luckily, God revealed to Joel at the same time how Israel
would be rescued from the famine. The winter following
the seven years of dearth brought no relief, for the rain held
back until the first day of the month of Nisan. When it
began to fall, the prophet said to the people, .. Go forth and
sow seed I " But they remonstrated with him, .. Shall one
who hath saved a measure of wheat or two measures of
barley not use his store for food and live, rather than for
seed and die?" But the prophet urged them, .. Nay, go
forth and sow seed." And a miracle happened. In the ant
hills and mouse holes, they found enough grain for seed, and
they cast it upon the ground on the second, the third, and
the fourth day of Nisan. On the fifth day of the month rain
fell again. Eleven days later the grain was ripe, and the
offering of the 'Orner could be brought at the appointed
time, on the sixteenth of the month. Of this the Psalmist
was thinking when he said, .. They that sow in tears shall
reap in joy.""

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 VII
ELIJAH

ELI]AB BEFORE HIS TRANSLATION. • • • •• 195

AFrER HIS TRANSLATION •••••••••••••• 202
.-
CENSOR AND AVENGER ••••••••••••••••• 211
INTERCOURSE WITH THE SAGES •••••••••• 217
GoD'S JUSTICE VINDICATED ••••••••••••• 223
ELI] AH AND THE ANGEL OF DEATH •••••• 227
TEACHER OF THE KABBALAH •••••••••••• 22(}
FORERUNNER OF THE MESSIAH •••••••••• 233

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 VII
ELIJAH
ELIJAH BEFORE HIS TRANSLATION
The Biblical account of the prophet Elijah,S of his life
and work during the reigns of Ahab and his son Joram,
gives but a faint idea of a personage whose history begins
with Israel's sojourn in Egypt, and will end only when
Israel, under the leadership of the Messiah, shall have taken
up his abode again in Palestine.
The Scripture tells us only the name of Elijah's home,'
but it must be added that he was a priest, identical with
Phinehas,' the priest zealous for the honor of God, who dis-
tinguished himself on the journey through the desert, aDd
played a prominent role again in the time of the Judges"
Elijah's first appearance in the period of the Kings was
his meeting with Ahab in the house of Hiel, the Beth-elite,
the commander-in-chief of the Israelitish army, whom he
was visiting to condole with him for the loss of his sons.
God Himself had charged the prophet to offer sympathy to
Hiel, whose position demanded that honor be paid him.
Elijah at first refused to seek out the sinner who had vio-
lated the Divine injunction against rebuilding Jericho, for
he said that the blasphemous talk of such evil-doers always
called forth his rage. Thereupon God promised Elijah that
fulfilment should attend whatever imprecation might in his
wrath escape him against the godless for their unholy

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

speech. As the prophet entered the general's house, he

heard Hie1 utter these words: " Blessed be the Lord God of
the pious, who grants fulfilment to the words of the pious."
Hiel thus acknowledged that he had been justly aftlicted with
Joshua's curse against him who should rebuild Jericho.
Ahab mockingly asked him: ." Was not Moses greater
than Joshua, and did he not say that God would let no rain
descend upon the earth, if Israel served and worshipped
idols? There is not an idol known to which I do not pay
homage, yet we enjoy all that is goodly and desirable. Dost
thou believe that if the words. of Moses remain unfulfilled,
the words of Joshua will come true?" Elijah rejoined:
"Be it as thou sayest: • As the Lord, the God of Israel
liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain
these years, but according to my word.' " In pursuance of
His promise, God could not but execute the words of Elijah,
and neither dew nor rain watered the land.'
A famine ensued, and Ahab sought to wreak his
vengeance upon the prophet. To escape the king's persecu-
tions, Elijah hid himself. He was sustained with food
brought from the larder of the pious king J ehoshaphat by
ravens: which at the same time would Dot approach near to
the house of the iniquitous Ahab.Y
God, who has compassion even upon the impious, tried to
induce the prophet to release Him from His promise. To
influence him He made the brook run dry' whence Elijah
drew water for his thirst. As this failed to soften the in-
flexible prophet, God resorted to the expedient of causing
him pain through the death of the son of the widow with
whom Elijah was abiding, and by whom he had been re-

Digitized by Coogle
 ----------------------

Elijah 197

ceived with great honor. When her son, who was later to
be known as the prophet Jonah: died, she thought God had
formerly been gracious to her on account of her great
worthiness as compared with the merits of h~r neigh-
bors and of the inhabitants of the city, and now He had
abandoned her, because her virtues had become as naught in
the presence of the great prophet." In his distress Elijah
supplicated God to revive the child.u Now God had the
prophet in His power. He could give heed unto Elijah's
prayer only provided the prophet released Him from the
promise about a drought, for resuscitation from death is
brought about by means of dew, and this remedy was pre-
cluded so long as Elijah kept God to His word withholding
dew and rain from the earth." Elijah saw there was noth-
ing for it but to yield. However, he first betook himself to
Ahab with the purpose of overcoming the obduracy of the
people, upon whom the famine had made no impression.
Manifest wonders displayed before their eyes were to teach
them wisdom. The combat between God and Baal took
place on Carmel. The mount that had esteemed itself the
proper place for the greatest event in Israe1itish history, the
revelation of the law, was compensated, by the many miracles
now performed upon it, for its disappointment at Sinai's
having been preferred to it."
The first wonder occurred in connection with the choice
of the bullocks. According to Elijah's arrangement with
Ahab, one was to be sacrificed to God, and then one to Baal.
A pair of twins, raised together, were brought before the
contestants, and it was decided by lot which belonged to God
and which to Baal. Elijah had no difficulty with his offer-

Digitized by Coogle
19B The Legends of the I eTA!S

ing; quickly he led it to his altar. But all the priests of

Baal. eight hundred and fifty in number. could not make
their victim stir a foot. When Elijah began to speak per-
suasively to the bullock of Baal. urging it to follow the
idolatrous priests. it opened its mouth and said: II We
two, yonder bullock and myself. came forth from the
same womb; we took our food from the same manger.
and now he has been destined for God, as an instrument
for the glorification of the Divine Name, while I am
to be used for Baal, as an instrument to enrage my Cre-
ator." Elijah urged: II Do thou but follow the priests
of Baal that they may have no excuse, and then thou
wilt have a share in that glorification of God for which my
bullock will be used." The bullock: .. So dost thou advise,
but I swear I will not move from the spot. unless thou with
thine own hands wilt deliver me up." Elijah thereupon led
the bullock to the priests of Baa1."
In spite of this miracle, the priests sought to deceive the
people. They undermined the altar, and Hiel hid himself
under it with the purpose of igniting a fire at the mention
of the word Baal. But God sent a serpent to kill him.- In
vain the false priests cried and called, Baal I Baall-tbe ex-
pected flame did not shoot up. To add to the confusion of
the idolaters. God ~ad imposed silence upon the whole
world. The powers of the upper and of the nether regions
were dumb, the universe seemed deserted and desolate, as if
without a living creature. If a single sound had made itself
heard, the priests would have said, II It is the voice of
Baa!." ..
That all preparations might be completed in one day,-

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 199

the erection of the altar, the digging of the trench, and what-
ever else was necessary,-Elijah commanded the sun to
stand still. II For Joshua," he said, .. thou didst stand
still that Israel might conquer his enemies; now stand thou
still, neither for my sake, nor for the sake of Israel, but that
the Name of God may be exalted." And the sun obeyed his
words.u
Toward evening Elijah summoned his disciple Elisha, and
bade him pour water over his hands. A miracle happened.
Water flowed out from Elijah's fingers until the whole
trench was filled.1I Then the prophet prayed to God to let
fire descend, but in such wise that the people would know
it to be a wonder from heaven, and not think it a magician's
trick.II He spoke: II Lord of the world, Thou wilt send me
as a messenger • at the end of time,' but if my words do not
meet with fulfilment now, the Jews cannQt be expected to
believe me in the latter days."· His pleading was heard
on high, and fire fell from heaven upon the altar, a fire that
not only consumed what it touched, but also licked up the
water.- Nor was that all; his prayer for rain was also
granted. Scarcely had these" words dropped from his lips,
.. Though we have no other merits, yet remember the sign
of the covenant which the Israelites bear upon their bodies,"
when the rain fell to earth.-
In spite of all these miracles, the people persisted in their
idolatrous ways and thoughts. Even the seven thousand
who had not bowed down unto Baal were unworthy sons
of Israel, for they paid homage to the golden calves of
JerQboam.-
The misdeeds of the people had swelled to such number

Digitized by Coogle
200 The Legends of the I ews

that they could no longer reckon upon .. the meri~ of the

fathers" to intercede for them; they had overdrawn their
account.M When they sank to the point of degradation at
which they gave up the sign of the covenant, Elijah Could
control his wrath no longer, and he accused Israel before
God.- In the cleft of the rock in which God bad once
aforetimes appeared to Moses, and revealed Himself as
compassionate and long-suffering, He now met wi~ Elijah,·
and conveyed to him, by various signs, that it had been bet-
ter to defend Israel than accuse him. But Elijah in his
zeal for God was inexorable. Then God commanded him to
appoint Elisha as his successor, for He said: .. I cannot do
as thou wouldst have me."· Furthermore God charged
him: .. Instead of accusing My children, journey to Damas-
cus, where the Gentiles have an idol for each day of the year.
Though Israel hath thrown down My altars and slain My
prophets, what concern is it of thine? " -
The four phenomena that God sent before His appear-
ance--wind,- earthquake, fire, and a still small voice--were
to instruct Elijah about the destiny of man. God told Elijah
that these four represent the worlds through which man
must. pass: the first stands for this world, fleeting as the
wind; the earthquake is the day of death, which makes the
human body to tremble and quake; fire is the tribunal in Ge-
henna, and the still small voice is the Last Judgment, when
there will be none but God alone.-
About three years II later, Elijah was taken up into
heaven,· but not without first undergoing a. struggle with
the Angel of Death. He refused to let Elijah enter heaven
at his translation, on the ground that he exercised jurisdic-

Digitized by Coogle
,
 Elijah 20[

tion ov'er all mankind, Elijah not excepted. God main-

tained that at the creation of heaven and earth He had
explicitly ordered the Angel of Death to grant entrance to
the living prophet, but the Angel of Death insisted that by
Elijah's translation God had given just cause for complaint
to all other men, who could not escape the doom of death.
Thereupon God: "Elijah is not like other men. He is
able to banish thee from the world, only thou dost not recog-
nize his strength." With the consent of God, a combat
took place between Elijah and the Angel of Death. The
prophet was victorious, and, if God had not restrained him,
he would have annihilated his opponent. Holding his de-
feated enemy under his feet, Elijah ascended heavenward.-
In heaven he goes on living for all time." There he sits
recording the deeds of men - and the chronicles of the
world.- He has another office besides. He is the Psycho-
pomp, whose duty is to stand at the cross-ways in Paradise
and guide the pious to their appointed places;· who brings
the souls of sinners up from Gehenna at the approach of
the Sabbath, and leads them back again to their merited
punishment when the day of rest is about to depart; and
who conducts these same souls, after they have atoned for
their sins, to the place of. everlasting bliss.-
Elijah's miraculous deeds will be better understood if
we remember that he had been an angel from the very first,
even before the end of his earthly career. When God was
about to create man, Elijah said to Him: "Master of the
world I If it be pleasing in Thine eyes, I will descend to
earth, and make myself serviceable to the sons of men."
il'hen God changed his angel name, and later, under Ahab,

Digitized by Coogle
202 The Legends of the I ews

He permitted him to abide among men on earth, that he

might convert the world to the belief that "the Lord is
God." His mission fulfilled, God took him again into
heaven, and said to him: Be thou the guardian spirit of
II

My children forever, and spread the belief in Me abroad in

the whole world." •
His angel name is Sandalphon,· one of the greatest and
mightiest of the fiery angel host. As such it is his duty to
wreathe garlands for God out of the prayers sent aloft by
Israel.a Besides, he must offer up sacrifices in the invisi-
ble sanctuary, for the Temple was destroyed only appar-
ently; in reality, it went on existing, hidden from the sight
of ordinary mortals.-

AFTER HIS TRANSLATION

Elijah's removal from earth, so far from being an inter-

ruption to his relations with men, rather marks the begin-
ning of his real activity as a helper in time of need, as a
teacher and as a guide. At·first his intervention in sublunar
affairs was not frequent. Seven years after his translation,·
he wrote a letter to the wicked king Jehoram, who reigned
over Judah. The next occasion on which he took part in an
earthly occurrence was at the time of Ahasuerus, when he
did the Jews a good tum by assuming the guise of the
courtier Harbonah/' in a favorable moment inciting the
king against Haman.-
It was reserved for later days, however, for Talmudic
times, the golden age of the great scholars, the Tannaim and
the Amoraim, to enjoy Elijah's special vigilance as protector

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 203

of the innocent, as a friend in need, who hovers over the

just and the pious, ever present to guard them against evil
or snatch them out of danger. With four strokes of his
wings Elijah can traverse the world.- Hence no spot on
earth is too far removed for his help. As an angel « he en-
joys the power of assuming the most various appearances to
accomplish his purposes. Sometimes he looks like an ordi-
nary man, sometimes he takes the appearance of an Arab,
sometimes of a horseman, now he is a Roman court-ofticial,
now he is a harlot.
Once upon a time it happened that when Nahum, the
great and pious teacher, was journeying to Rome on a p0-
litical mission, he was without his knowledge robbed of the
gift he bore to the Emperor as an offering from the Jews.
When he handed the casket to the ruler, it was found to con-
tain common earth, which the thieves had substituted for
the jewels they had abstracted. The Emperor thought the
Jews were mocking at him, and their representative, Nahum,
was condemned to suffer death. In his piety the Rabbi did
not lose confidence in God; he only said: "This too is for
good." - And so it turned out to be. Suddenly Elijah ap-
peared, and, as~uming the guise of a court-official, he said:
II Perhaps the earth in this casket is like that used by Abra-

ham for purposes of war. A handful will do the work of

swords and bows." At his instance the virtues of the earth
were tested in the attack upOn a city that had long resisted
Roman courage and strength. His supposition was verified.
The contents of the casket proved more efficacious than all
the weapons of the army, and the Romans were victorious.
Nahum was dismissed, laden with honors and treasures, and

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the lews

the thieves, who had betrayed themselves by claiming the

precious earth, were executed, for, naturally enough, Elijah
works no wonders for evil-doers.-
Another time, for the purpose of rescuing Rabbi Shila,
Elijah pretended to be a Persian. An informer had de-
nounced the Rabbi with the Persian Government, accusing
him of administering the law according to the Jewish code.
Elijah appeared as witness for the Rabbi and against the
informer, and Shila was honorably dismisse4.-
When the Roman bailiffs were pursuing Rabbi Meir,
Elijah joined him in the guise of a harlot. The Roman
emissaries desisted from their pursuit, for they could not
believe that Rabbi Meir would choose such a companion.-
A contemporary of Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Simon ben Yol}ai,
who spent thirteen years in a cave to escape the vengeance
of the Romans, was informed by Elijah of the death of the
Jew-baiting emperor, so that he could leave his hiding-
place.-
Equally characteristic is the help Elijah afforded the
worthy poor. Frequently he brought them great wealth.
Rabbi Kahana was so needy that he had to support himself
by peddling with household utensils. Once a lady of high
standing endeavored to force him to commit an immoral act,
and Kahana, preferring death to iniquity, threw himself
from a 10ft. Though Elijah was at a distance of four hun-
dred parasangs, he hastened to the spot in time to catch the
Rabbi before he touched the ground. Besides, he gave him
means enough to enable him to abandon an occupation beset
with perils.-
Rabba bar Abbahu likewise was a victim of poverty. He

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 20S

admitted to Elijah that on account of his smaIl means he had

no time to devote to his studies. Thereupon Elijah led him
~nto Paradise, bade him remove his mantle, and fill it with
leaves grown in the regions of the blessed. When the Rabbi
was about to quit Paradise, his garment full of leaves, a
. voice was heard to say: .. Who desires to anticipate his
share in the world to come during his earthly days, as Rabba
bar Abbahu is doing?" The Rabbi quickly cast the leaves
away; nevertMless he received twelve thousand denarii for
his upper garment, .because it retained the wondrous
fragrance of the leaves of Paradise."
Elijah's help was not confined to poor teachers of the
law; all who were in need, and were worthy of his assist-
ance, had a claim upOn him. A poor man, the father of a
family, in his distress once prayed to God: II 0 Lord of the
world, Thou knowest, there is none to whom I can tell my
tale of woe, none who will have pity upon me: I have
neither brother nor kinsman nor friend, and my starving
little ones are crying with hunger. Then do Thou have
mercy and be compassionate, or let death come and put an
end to our suffering." His words found a hearing with
God, for,. as he finished, Elijah stood before the poor man,
and sympathetically inquired why he was weeping. When
the prophet had heard the tale of his troubles, he said:
II Take me and sell me as a slave; the proceeds will suffice

for thy needs." At first the poor man refused to accept the
sacrifice, but finally he yielded, and Elijah was sold to a
prince for eighty denarii. This sum formed the nucleus of
the fortune which the poor man amassed and enjoyed. until
the end of his days. The prince who had purchased Elijah

Digitized by Coogle
 ,
The Legends of the I ews

intended to build a palace, and he rejoiced to hear that his

new slave was an architect. He promised Elijah liberty if
within six months he completed the edifice. After nightfall
of the same day, Elijah offered a prayer, and instantaneously
the palace stood in its place in complete perfection. Elijah
disappeared. The next morning the prince was not a little
astonished to see the palace finished. But when he sought
his slave to reward him, and sought him in vain, he realized
that he had had dealings with an angel. Elijah meantime
repaired to the man who had sold him, and related his story
to him, that he might know he had not ~eated the purchaser
out of his price; on the contrary, he had enriched him, since
the palace was worth a hundred times more than the money
paid for the pretended slave.-
A similar thing happened to a well-to-do man who lost his
fortune, and became so poor that he had to do manual labor
in the field of another. Once, when he was at work, he was
.accosted by Elijah, who had assumed the appearance of an
Arab: II Thou art destined to enjoy seven good years.
When dost thou want them-now, or as the closing years of
thy life ?'" The man replied: II Thou art a wizard; go in
peace, I have nothing for thee." Three times the same
question was put, three times the same reply was given.
Fmally the man said: II I shall ask the advice of my wife."
When Elijah came again, and repeated his questit'n, the
man, following the counsel of his wife, said: II See to it that
seven good years come to us at once." Elijah replied: " Go
home. Before thou crossest thy threshold, thy good fortune
will have filled thy house." And so it was. His children
bad found a treasure in the ground, and, as he was about to

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 20'/

'enter his house, his wife met him and reported the lucky
find. His wife was an estimable, pious woman, and she
said to her husband: "We shall enjoy seven good years.
Let us use this time to practice as much charity as possible;
perhaps God will lengthen out our period of prosperity."
After the lapse of seven years, during which man and wif~
used every opportunity of doing good, Elijah appeared
again, and announced to the man that the time had come to
take away what he had given him. The man responded:
.. When I accepted thy gift, it was after consultation with
my wife. I should not like to return it without first acquaint-
ing her with what is about to happen." His wife charged
him to say to the old man who had come to resume p0s-
session of his property: "If thou canst find any who will
be more conscientious stewards of the pledges entrus~ed to
us than we have been, I shall willingly yield them up to
thee." God recognized that these people had made a proper
use of their wealth, and He granted it to them as a perpetual
possession.-
If Elijah was not able to lighten the poverty of the pious,
he at least sought to inspire them with hope and confidence.
Rabbi Akiba, the great scholar, lived in dire poverty before
he became the famous Rabbi. His rich father-in-law would
have nothing to do with him or his wife, because the daugh-
ter had married Akiba against her father's will. On a bitter
cold winter night, Akiba could offer his wife, who had been
accustomed to the luxuries wealth can buy, nothing but
straw as a bed to sleep upon, and he tried to comfort her
with assurances of his love for the privations she was suf-
fering. At that moment Elijah appeared before their hut,

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

and cried out in supplicating tones: "0 good people, give

me, I pray you, a little bundle of straw. My wife has been
delivered of a child, and I am so poor I haven't even enough
straw to make a bed for her." Now Akiba could console
his wife with the fact that their own misery was not so
great as it might have been, and thus Elijah had attained
his end, to sustain the courage of the pious.-
In the form of an Arab, he onc~ appeared before a very
poor man, whose piety equalled his poverty. He gave him
two shekels. These two coins brought him such good
fortune that he attained great wealth. But in his zeal to
gather worldly treasures, he had no ·time for deeds of piety
and charity. Elijah again appeared before him and took
away the two shekels. In a short time the man was as poor
as before. A third time Elijah came to him. He was
crying bitterly and .complaining of his misfortune, and the
prophet said: II I shall make thee rich once more, if thou
wilt promise me under oath thou wilt not let wealth ruin thy
character." He promised, the two shekels were restored
to him, he regained his wealth, and he remained in posses-
sion of it for .all time, because his piety was not curtailed
by his riches.·
Poverty was not the only form of distresS" Elijah relieved.
He exercised the functions of a physician upon Rabbi Shimi
bar Ashi, who had swallowed a noxious reptile. Elijah ap-
peared to him as an awe-inspiring horseman, and forced him
to apply the preventives against the disease to be expected
in these circumstances.
He also cured Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi of long-continued
toothache by laying his hand on the sufferer, and at the same

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah

time he brought about the reconciliation of Rabbi Judah

with Rabbi lj:ayyah, whose fonn he had assumed. Rabbi
Judah paid the highest respect to Rabbi ~ayyah after he
found out that Elijah had considered him worthy of taking
his appearance.-
On another occasion, Elijah re-established hannony be-
tween a husband and his wife. The woman had come home
very late one Friday evening, having allowed herself to be
'detained by the sennon preached by Rabbi Meir. Her au-
tocratic husband swore she should not enter the house until
she had spat in the very face of the highly-esteemed Rabbi.
Meantime Elijah went to Rabbi Meir, and told him a pious
woman had fallen into a sore predicament on his account.
To help the poor woman, the Rabbi resorted to a ruse. He /
announced that he was lookinlr for one who knew how to
cast spells, which was done by spitting into the eye of the
aBUcted one. When he caught sight of the woman desig-
nated by Elijah, he asked her to try her power upon him.
Thus she was able to comply with her husband's require-
ment without disrespect to the Rabbi; and through the in-
strumentality of Elijah conjugal happiness was restored to
an innocent wife.-
Elijah's versatility is shown in the following occurrence.
A pious man bequeathed a spice-garden to his three sons.
They took turns in guarding it against thieves. The first
night the oldest son watched the garden. Elijah appeared
to him and asked him: "My son, what wilt thou have--
knowledge of the Torah, or great wealth, or a beautiful
wife? " He chose wealth, great wealth. Accordingly Elijah
gave him a coin, and he became rich. The second son, to
14

Digitized by Coogle
210 The Legends of the I ews

whom Elijah appeared the second night, chose knowledge of

the Torah. Elijah gave him a book, and "he knew the
whole Torah." The third son, on the third night, when
Elijah put the same choice before him as before his brothers,
wished for a beautiful wife. Elijah invited this third
brother to go on a journey with him. Their first night was
passed at the house of a notorious villain, who had a daugh-
ter. During the night Elijah overheard the chickens and
the geese say to one another: "What a terrible sin that
young man must have committed, that he should be destined
to marry the daughter of so great a villain I" The two
travellers journeyed on. The second night the experiences
of the first were repeated. The third night they lodgec;t with
a man who had a very pretty daughter. During the night
Elijah heard the chickens and the geese say to one another:
.. How great must be the virtues of this young man, if he is
privileged to marry so beautiful and pious a wife." In the
moming, when Elijah arose, he at once became a match-
maker, the young man married the pretty maiden, and hus-
band and wife journeyed homeward in joy.-
If it became necessary, Elijah was ready to do even
the services of a sexton. When Rabbi Akiba died in prison,
Elijah betook himself to the dead man's faithful disciple,
Rabbi Joshua, and the two together went to the prison.
There was none to forbid their entrance; a deep sleep had
fallen upon the turnkeys and the prisoners alike. Elijah
and Rabbi Joshua took the corpse with them, Elijah bearing
it upon his shoulder. Rabbi Joshua in astonishment de-
manded how he, a priest, dared defile himself upon a corpse.
The answer was: .. God forbid I the pious can never cause

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 21I

defilement." All night the two walked on with their bur-

den. At break of day they found themselves near Czsarea.
A cave opened before their eyes, and within they saw a bed,
a chair, a table, and a lamp. They deposited the corpse upon
the bed, and left the cave, which closed up behind them.
Only the light of the lamp, which had lit itself after they left,
shone through the chinks. Whereupon Elijah said: II Hail,
ye just, hail to you who devote yourselves to the study of the
law. Hail to yo~, ye God-fearing men, for your places are
set aside, and kept, and guarded, in Paradise, for the time to
come. Hail to thee, Rabbi Akiba, that thy lifeless body'
found lodgment for a night in a lovely spot." -

CENSOR AND AVENGER

Helpfulness and compassion do not paint the whole of the

character of Elijah. He remained the stem and inexorable
censor whom Ahab feared. The old zeal for the true and
the good he never lost, as witness, he once struck a man
dead because he failed to perform his devotions with due
reverence.-
There were two brothers, one of them rich and miserly,
the other poor and kind-hearted. Elijah, in the garb of an
old beggar, approached the rich man. and asked him for
alms. Repulsed by him, he turned to the poor brother, who
received him kindly, and shared his meagre supper with
him. On bidding farewell to him and his equally hospitable
wife, Elijah said: "May God reward you r The first thing
you undertake shall be blessed, and shall take no end until
you yourselves cry out Enough!" Presently the poor man
began to count the few pennies he had, to convince himself

Digitized by Coogle
212 The Legmds of the Jews

that they sufficed to purchase bread for his next meal But
the few became many, and he counted and counted, and still
their number increased. He counted a whole day, and the
following night, until he was exhausted, and had to cry out
Enough I And, indeed, it was enough, for he had become a
very wealthy man. His brother was not a little astonished
to see the fortunate change in his kinsman's circumstances,
and when he heard how it had come about, he determined,
if the opportu~ity should present itself again, to show his
most amiable side to the old beggar with the miraculous
power of blessing. He had not long to wait. A few days
later he saw the old man pass by. He hastened to accost
him, and, excusing himself for his unfriendliness at their
former meeting, begged him to come into his house. All
that the larder afforded was put before Elijah, who pre-
tended to eat of the dainties. At his departure, he pro-
nounced a blessing upon his hosts: " May the first thing you
do have no end, until it is enough." The mistress of the
house hereupon said to her husband: "That we may count
gold upon gold undisturbed, let us first attend to our most
urgent physical needs." So they did-and they had to COIl-
tinue to do it until life was extinct.·
The extreme of his rigor Elijah displayed toward teachers
of the law. From them he demanded more than obedience
to the mere letter of a commandment. For instance, he pro-
nounced severe censure upon Rabbi Ishmael ben Jor.-. be-
cause he was willing to act as bailiff in prosecuting Jewish
thieves and criminals. He advised Rabbi Ishmael to follow
the example of his father and leave the country.-
His estrangement from his friend Rabbi Joshua ben Levi

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 21 3

is characteristic. One who was sought by the officers of

the law took refuge with Rabbi Joshua. His pursuers'
were infonned of his place of conceahnent. Threatening to
put aU the inhabitants of the city to the sword if he was
not delivered up, they demanded his surrender. The Rabbi
urged the fugitive from justice to resign himself to his fate.
Better for one individual to die, he said, than for a whole
community to be exposed to peril. The fugitive yielded to
. the Rabbi's argument, and gave himself up to the bailiffs.
Thereafter Elijah, who had been in the habit of visiting
Rabbi Joshua frequently, stayed away from his house, and
he was induced to come back only by ,the Rabbi's long fasts
and earnest prayers. In reply to the Rabbi's question, why he
had shunned him, he said:" Dost thou,suppose I care to
have intercourse with informers?" The Rabbi quoted a
passage from the Mishnah to justify his conduct, but Elijah
remained unconvinced. " Dost thou consider this a law for
a pious man?" he said. "Other people might have been
right in doing as thou didst; thou shoUldst have done
otherwise." •
A number of instances are known which, show how ex-
alted a standard Elijah set l1p for those who would be con-
sidered worthy of intercourse with him. Of two pious
brothers, one provided for his servants as for, his own table,
while the other pennitted his servants to eat abundantly only
of the first course; of the other courses they could have
nothing but the remnants. Accordingly, with the second
brother Elijah would have nothing to do, while he often
honored the fonner with his visits.
A similar attitude Elijah maintained toward another pair

Digitized by Coogle
214 The Legends of the Jews

of pious brothers. One of them was in the habit of provid-

ing for his servants after his own needs were satisfied, while
the other of them attended to the needs of his servants first.
To the latter it was that Elijah gave the preference.-
He dissolved an intimacy of many years' standing, be-
cause his friend built a vestibule which was so constructed
that the supplications of the poor could be heard but faintly
by those within the house.-
Rabbi Joshua ben Levi incurred the displeasure of Elijah
a second time, because a man was tom in pieces by a lion in
the vicinity of his house. In a measure Elijah held the
Rabbi responsible, because he did not pray for the preven-
tion of such misfortunes.-
The story told of Elijah and Rabbi Anan forms the most
striking illustration of the severity of the prophet. Someone
brought Rabbi Anan a mess of little fish as a present, and
at the same time asked the Rabbi to act as judge in a lawsuit
he was interested in. Anan refused in these circumstances
to accept a gift from the litigant. To demonstrate his
single-mindedness, the applicant urged the Rabbi to take
the fish and assign· the case to another judge. Anan acqui-
esced, and he requested one of his colleagues to act for him,
b~use he was incapacitated from serving as a judge. His
legal friend drew the inference, that the litigant introduced
to him was a kinsman of Rabbi Anan's, and accordingly he
showed himself particularly complaisant toward him. As a
result, the other party to the suit was intimidated. He failed
to present his side as convincingly as he might otherwise
have done, and so lost the cas,e. Elijah, who had been the
friend of Anan and his teacher as well, thenceforth shunned

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 2 15

his presence, because he considered that the injury done

the second party to the suit was due to Anan's careless-
ness. Anan in his distress kept many fasts, and offered up
many prayers, before Elijah would return to him. Even
then the Rabbi could not endure the sight of him; he had to
content himself with listening to Elijah's words without
looking upon his face."
Sometimes Elijah considered it his duty to force people
into abandoning a bad habit. A rich man was once going to
a cattle sale, and he carried a snug sum of money to buy
oxen. He was accosted by a stranger-none other than
Elijah-who inquired the purpose of his journey. "I go to
buy cattle," replied the would-be purchaser. "Say, if it
please God," urged Elijah. "Fiddlesticks I I shall buy cat-
tle whether it please God or not I I carry the money with
me, and the business will be di.~patched." "But not with
good fortune," said the stranger, and went off. Arrived at
the market, the cattle-buyer discovered the loss of his purse,
and he had to return home to provide himself with other
money. He again set forth on his journey, but this time
he took another road to avoid the stranger of ill omen. To
his amazement he met an old man with whom he had pre-
cisely the same adventure as with the first stranger. Again
he had to return home to fetch money. By this time he had
learned his lesson. When a third stranger questioned him
about the object of his journey, he answered: "If it please
God, I intend to buy oxen." The stranger wished him suc-
cess, and the wish was fulfilled. To the merchant's surprise,
when a pair of fine cattle were offered him, and their price
exceeded the sum of money he had about his person, he

Digitized by Coogle
216 The Legends of the Jews

found the two purses he had lost on his first and second
trips. Later he sold the same pair of oxen to the king for a
considerable price, and he became very wealthy.n
As Elijah coerced this merchant into humility toward
God, so he carried home a lesson to the great Tanna Eliezer,
the son of Rabbi Simon ben Yo1!ai. This Rabbi stood in
need of correction on account of his overweening conceit.
Once, on returning from the academy, he took a walk on
the sea-beach, his bosom swelling with pride at the thought
of his attainments in the Torah. He met a hideously ugly
man, who greeted him with the words: " Peace be with thee,
Rabbi." Eliezer, instead of courteously acknowledging the
greeting, said: "0 thou wight, II how ugly thou art I Is it
possible that all the residents of thy town are as ugly as
thou?" "I know not," was the reply, " but it is to the Mas-
ter Artificer who created me that thou shouldst have said:
, How ugly is this vessel which Thou hast fashioned.' II The
Rabbi realized the wrong he had committed, and humbly
begged pardon of the ugly man-another of the protean
forms adopted by Elijah. The latter continued to refer him
to the Master Artificer of the ugly vessel. The inhabitants
of the city, who had hastened to do honor to the great Rabbi,
earnestly urged the offended man to grant pardon, and
finally, he declared himself appeased, provided the Rabbi
promised never again to commit the same wrong."
The rigor practiced by Elijah toward his friends caused
one of them, the Tanna Rabbi Jose, to accuse him of being
passionate and irascible. As a consequence, Elijah would
have nothing to do with him for a long time. When he re-
appeared, and confessed the cause of his withdrawal, Rabbi

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 21 7
Jose said he felt justified, for his charge could not have
received a more striking verification."

INTERCOURSE WITH THE SAGES

Elijah's purely human relations to the world revealed

themselves in their fulness, neither in his deeds of charity,
nor in his censorious rigor, but rather in his gentle and
sc:hoJarly intercourse with the great in Israel, especially the
learned Rabbis of the Talmudic time. He is at once their
disciple and their teacher. To one he resorts for instruction
on difficult points, to another he himself dispenses instruc-
tion. As a matter of course, his intimate knowledge of the
supernatural world makes him appear more frequently in
the role of giver than receiver. Many a bit of secret lore
the Jewish teachers learnt from Elijah, and he it was
who, with the swiftness of lightning, carried the teachings
of one Rabbi to another sojourning hundreds of mUes
away.D
Thus it was Elijah who taught Rabbi Jose the deep mean-
ing hidden in the Scriptural passage in which woman is
designated as the helpmeet of man. By means of examples
he demonstrated to the Rabbi how indispensable woman is
to man.R
Rabbi N ehorai profited by his exposition of why God
created useless, even noxious insects. The reason for their
existence is that the sight of superfluous and harmful
creatures prevents God from destroying His world at times
when, on account of the wickedness and iniquity prevailing
in it, it repents Him of having created it. If He preserves
creatures that at their best are useless, and at their worst

Digitized by Coogle
•
218 The Legends of the Jews

lDJuriOUS, how much more should He preserve human

beings with all their potentialities for good.
The same Rabbi Nehorai was told by Elijah, that God
sends earthquakes and other destructive phenomena when •
He sees places of amusement prosperous and flourishing.
while the Temple lies a heap of dust and ashes."
To Rabbi Judah he communicated the following three
maxims: Let not anger master thee, and thou wilt not faU
into sin; let not drink master thee, and thou wilt be spared
pain; before thou settest out on a journey, take counsel with
thy Creator.1I
In case of a difference of opinion among scholars, Elijah
was usually questioned as to how the moot point was inter-
preted in the heavenly academy.1I Once, when the scholars
were not unanimous in their views as to Esther's intentions
when she invited Haman to her banquets with the king,
Elijah, asked by Rabba bar Abbahu to tell him her real pur-
pose, said that each and everyone of the motives attributed
to her by various scholars were true, for her invitations to
Haman had many a purpose.-
A similar answer he gave the Amora Abiathar, who dis-
puted with his colleagues as to why the Ephraimite who
caused the war against the tribe of Benjamin first cast off his
concubine, and then became reconciled to her. Elijah in-
formed Rabbi Abiathar that in heaven the cruel conduct of
the Ephraimite was explained in two ways, according to
Abiathar's conception and according to his opponent Jona-
than's as well,-
Regarding the great contest between Rabbi Eliezer ben
Hyrcanus and the whole body of scholars, in which the ma-

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 2 19

jority maintained the validity of its oplDlon, though a

heavenly voice pronounced Rabbi Eliezer's correct, Elijah
told Rabbi Nathan, that God in His heaven had cried out:
" My children have prevailed over Me I .. •
On one occasion Elijah fared badly for having betrayed
celestial events to the scholars. He was a daily attendant at
the academy of Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi. One day, it was
the New Moon Day, he was late. The reason for his tardi-
ness, he said, was that it was his daily duty to awaken the
three Patriarchs,- wash their hands for them, so that they
might offer up their prayers, and after their devotions lead
them back to their resting-places. On this day their prayers
took very long, because they were increased by the Musaf
service on account of the New Moon celebration, and hence
he did not make his appearance at the academy in good time.
Elijah did not end his narrative at this point, but went on to
tell the Rabbi, that this occupation of his was rather tedious,
for the three Patriarchs were not permitted to offer up their
prayers at the same time. Abraham prayed first, then came
Isaac, and finally Jacob. If they all were to pray together,
the united petitions of three such paragons of piety would
be so efficacious as to force God to fulfil them, and He
would be induced to bring the Messiah before his time.
Then Rabbi Judah wanted to know whether there were any
among the pious on earth whose prayer possessed equal
efficacy. Elijah admitted that the same power resided in the
prayers of Rabbi l;Iayyah and his two sons. Rabbi Judah
lost no time in proclaiming a day of prayer and fasting and
summoning Rabbi l:Iayyah and his sons to officiate as the
leaders in prayer. They began to chant the Eighteen Bene.

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

dictions. When they uttered the word for wind, a storm

arose; when they continued and made petition fOl" rain, the
rain descended at once. But as the readers approached the
passage relating to the revival of the dead, great excitement
arose in heaven, and when it became known that Elijah bad
revealed the secret of the manellous power attaching to the
prayers of the three men, he was punished with fiery blows.
To thwart Rabbi Judah's purpose, Elijah assumed the form
of a bear, and put the praying congregation to flight.·
Contrariwise, Elijah was also in the habit of reporting
earthly events in the celestial regions. He told Rabba bar
Shila that the reason Rabbi Meir was never quoted in the
academy on high was because he had had so wicked a
teacher as Elisha ben Abuyah. Rabba explained Rabbi
Meir's conduct by an apologue. II Rabbi Meir," he said,
II found a pomegranate; he enjoyed the heart of the fruit,

and cast the skin aside." Elijah was persuaded of the just-
ness of this defense, and so were all the celestial powers.
Thereupon one of Rabbi Meir's interpretations was quoted
in the heavenly academy.-
Elijah was no less interested in the persons of the learned
than in their teachings, especially when scholars were to be
provided with the means of devoting themselves to their
studies. It was he who, when Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus,
later a great celebrity, resolved to devote himself to the law,
advised him to repair to Jerusalem and sit at the feet of
Rabban Johanan ben Zakkai.-
He once met a man who mocked at his exhortations to
study, and he said that on the great day of reckoning he
would excuse himself for his neglect of intellectual pursuits

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 221

by the fact that he had been granted neither intelligence

nor wisdom. Elijah asked him what his calling was. .. I am
a fisherman," was the reply. .. Well, my son," questioned
Elijah, "who taught thee to take flax and make nets and
throw them into the sea to catch fish?" He replied: " For
this heaven gave me intelligence and insight." Hereupon
Elijah: II If thou possessest intelligence and insight ~o cast
nets and catch fish, why should these qualities desert thee
when thou dealest with the Torah, which, thou knowest, is
very nigh unto man that he may do it?" The fisherman
was touched, and he began to weep. Elijah pacified him by
telling him that what he had said applied to many another
beside him.-
In another way Elijah conveyed the lesson of the great
value residing in devotion to the study of the Torah. Dis-
guised as a Rabbi, he was approached by a man who prom-
. ised to relieve him of all material cares if he would but abide
with him. Refusing to leave Jabneh, the centre of Jewish
scholarship, he said to the tempter: II Wert th~ to offer me
a thousand million gold denarii, I would not quit the abode
of the law, and dwell in a place in which there is no Torah."·
By Torah, of course, is meant the law as conceived and
interpreted by the sages and the scholars, for Elijah was
particularly solicitous to establish the authority of the oral
law,· as he was solicitous to demonstrate the truth of
Scriptural promises that appeared incredible at first sight.
For instance, he once fulfilled Rabbi Joshua ben Levi's wish
to see the precious stones which would take the place of the
sun in illuminating Jerusalem in the Messianic time. A ves-
sel in mid-ocean was nigh unto shipwreck. ~ong a large

Digitized by Coogle
222 The Legends of the 1eT.t'S

number of heathen passengers there was a single Jewish

youth. To him Elijah appeared and said, he would rescue
the vessel, provided the boy went to Rabbi Joshua ben Levi.
and took him to a certain place far removed from the town
and from human habitation, and showed him the gems.
The boy doubted that so great a man would consent to
follow a mere slip of a youth to a remote spot, but. reassured
by Elijah. who told him of Rabbi Joshua's extraordinary
modesty, he undertook the commission, and the vessel with
its human freight was saved. The boy came to the Rabbi,
besought him to go whither he would lead, and Joshua, who
was really possessed of great modesty, followed the boy
three miles without even inquiring the purpose of the expe-
dition. When they finally reached the cave, the boy said:
"See, here are the precious stones I " The Rabbi grasped
them, and a flood of light spread as far as Lydda, the resi-
dence of Rabbi Joshua. Startled, he cast the precious stones
away from him, and they disappeared.-
This Rabbi was a particular favorite of Elijah, who even
secured him an interview with the Messiah. The Rabbi
found the Messiah among the crowd of afflicted poor gath-
ered near the city gates of Rome, and he greeted him with
the words: .. Peace be with thee, my teacher and guide I "
Whereunto the Messiah replied: .. Peace be with thee, thou
son of Levi I" The Rabbi then asked him when he would
appear, and the Messiah said, .. To-day." Elijah explained
to the Rabbi later that what the Messiah meant by II to-day"
was, that he for his part was ready to bring Israel redemp-
tion at any time. If Israel but showed himself worthy, he
would instantly fulfil his mission.·

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 223

Elijah wanted to put Rabbi Joshua into communication

with the departed Rabbi Simon ben Yol].ai also, but the lat-
ter did not consider him of sufficient importance to honor
him with his conversation. Rabbi Simon had addressed a
question to him, and Rabbi Joshua in his modesty had
made a reply not calculated to give one a high opinion of
him.- In reality Rabbi Joshua was the possessor of such
sterling qualities, that when he entered Paradise Elijah
walked before him calling out: It Make room for the son
of Levi."·

GoD'S JUSTICE VINDICATED

Among the many and various teachings dispensed by

Elijah to his friends, there are none so important as his
theodicy, the teachings vindicating God's justice in the ad-
ministration of earthly affairs. He used many an oppor-
tunity to demonstrate it by precept and example. Once he
granted his friend Rabbi Joshua ben Levi the fulfilment of
any wish he might express, and all the Rabbi asked for was,
that he might be permitted to accompany Elijah on his
wanderings through the world. Elijah was prepared to
gratify this wish. He only imposed the condition, that.
however odd the Rabbi might think Elijah's actions, he was
not to ask any explanation of them. If ever he demanded
why, they would have to part company. So Elijah and the
Rabbi fared forth together, and they journeyed on until
they reached the house of a poor man, whose only earthly
possession was a cow. The man and his wife were thor-
oughly good-hearted people, and they received the two
wanderers with a cordial welcome. They invited the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

strangers into their house, set before them food and drink
of the best they had, and made up a comfortable couch for
them for the night. When Elijah and the Rabbi were ready
to continue their journey on the following day, Elijah
prayed that the cow belonging to his host might die. Be-
fore they left the house, the animal had expired. Rabbi
Joshua was so shocked by the misfortune that had befallen
the good people, he almost lost consciousness. He thought:
.. Is that to be the poor man's reward for aU his kind
services to us?" And he could not refrain from put-
ting the question to Elijah. But Elijah reminded him of
the condition imposed and accepted at ~e beginning of their
journey, and they travelled on, the Rabbi's curiosity unap-
peased. That night they reached the house of a wealthy
man, who did not pay his guests the courtesy of looking
them in the face. Though they passed the night under his
roof, he did not offer them food or drink. This rich man
was desirous of having a wall repaired that had tumbled
down. There was no need for him to take any steps to
have it rebuilt, for, when Elijah left the house, he prayed
that the wall might erect itself, and, 10 I it stood upright.
Rabbi Joshua was greatly amazed, but true to his promise
he suppressed the question that rose to his lips. So the two
travelled on again, until they reached an ornate synagogue,
the seats in which were made of sUver and gold. But the
worshippers did not correspond in character to the magnifi-
cence of the building, for when it came to the point of satis-
fying the needs of the way-worn pilgrims, one of those
present said: II There is no dearth of water and bread, and
the strange travellers can stay in the synagogue, whither

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah

these refreshments can be brought to them." Early the next

morning, when they were departing, Elijah wished those
present in the synagogue in which they had lodged, that God
might raise them all to be "heads." Rabbi Joshua again
had to exercise great self-restraint, and not put into words
the question that. troubled him profoundly. In the next
town, they were received with great affability, and served
abundantly with all their tired bodies craved. On these kind
hosts Elijah, on leaving, bestowed the wish that God might
give them but a single head. Now the Rabbi could not hold
himself in check any longer, and he demanded an explana-
tion of Elijah's f~ish actions. Elijah consented to clear:
up his conduct for Joshua before they separated from each
other. He spoke as follows: .. The p~r man's cow was'
killed, because I lmew that on the same day the death of his
wife had been ordained in heaven, and I prayed to God to
accept the loss of the poor man's property as a substitute
for the poor man's wife. As for the rich man, there was a
treasure hidden under the dilapidated wall, and, if he had
rebuilt it, he would have found the gold; hence I s~ up the
wall miraculously in order to deprive the curmudgeon of the
valuable find. I wished that the inhospitable people assem-
bled in the synagogue might have many heads, for a place
of numerous leaders is bound to be ruined by reason of the
mUltiplicity of counsel and disputes. To the inhabitants of
our last sojourning place, on the other hand, I wished a
, single head,' for with one to guide a town, success will at-
tend all its undertakings. Know, then, that if thou seest
an evil-doer prosper, it is not always unto his advantage, and
if a righteous man suffers need and distress, think not God
IS

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

IS unjust." After these words Elijah and Rabbi Joshua

separated from each other, and each went his own way."
How difficult it is to form a true judgment with nothing
but external appearances as a guide, Elijah proved to Rabbi
Baroka. They were once walking in a crowded street, and
the Rabbi requested Elijah to point out any in the throng
destined to occupy places in Paradise. Elijah answered that
there was none, only to contradict himself and point to a
passer-by the very next minute. His appearance was such
that in him least of all the Rabbi would have suspected a
pious man. His garb did not even indicate that he was a
Jew. Later Rabbi Baro~a discovered by questioning him
that ~e was a prison guard. In the fulfilment of his duties
as such he was particularly careful that the virtue of chastity
should not be violated in the prison, in which both men and
women were kept in detention. Also; his position often
brought him into relations with the heathen authorities; and
so he was enabled to keep the Jews informed of the dispo-
sition entertained toward them by the powers that be. The
Rabbi was thus taught that no station in life precluded its
occupant from doing good and acting nobly.
Another time Elijah designated two men to whom a great
future was assigned in Paradise. Yet these men were noth-
ing more than clowns r They made it their purpose in life
to dispel discontent and sorrow .by their jokes and their
cheery humor, and they used the opportunities granted by
their profession to adjust the difficulties and quarrels that
disturb the harmony of people living in close contact with
each other.-

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah

ELIJAH AND THE ANGEL OF DEATH

Among the many benevolent deeds of Elijah, special men-
tion ought to be made of his rescue of those doomed by a
heavenly decree to fall into the clutches of the Angel of
Death. He brought these rescues about by warning the des-
ignated victims of their impending fate, and urging them to
do good deeds, which would prove a protection against
death.
There was once a pious and rich man with a beautiful and
saintly daughter. She had had the misfortune of losing three
husbands in succession, each on the day after the wedding•
•
These sorrows determined her never again to enter into the
marriage state. A cousin of hers, the nephew of her father,
induced by the poverty of his parents, journeyed from his
distant home to apply for help to his rich uncle. Scarcely
had he laid eyes upon his lovely cousin when he fell a victim
to her charms. In vain her father sought to dissuade his
nephew from marrying his daughter. But the fate of his
predecessors did not affright him, and the wedding took
place. While he was standing under the wedding canopy,
Elijah came to him in the guise of an old man, and said:
"My son, I want to give thee a piece of advice. While thou
art seated at the wedding dinner, thou wilt be approached
by a ragged, dirty beggar, with hair like nails. As soon as
thou catchest sight of him, hasten to seat him beside thee,
set food and drink before him, and be ready to grant what-
ever he may ask of thee. Do as I say, and thou wilt be pro-
tected against harm. Now I shall leave thee and go J'llY
way." At the wedding feast, a stranger as descn'bed by
Elijah appeared, and the bridegroom did according to Eli-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

jab's counsel. After the wedding the stranger revealed his

identity, introducing himself as the messenger of the Lord
sent to take the young husband's life. The supplications of
the bridegroom failed to move him; he refused to grant a
single day's respite. All he yielded was permission to the
young husband to bid ~arewell to his newly-wed wife.
When the bride saw that what she had feared was coming
to pass, she repaired to the Angel of Death and argued with
him: "The Torah distinctly exempts the newly-wed from
all duties for a whole year. If thou deprivest my husband
of life, thou wilt give the lie to the To:-m." Thereupon
God commanded the Angel of Death to desist, and, when the
relatives of the bride came to prepare the grave for the
groom, they found him w.eU and unharmed.-
A similar thing befell the son of the great and ~ely
pious scholar Rabbi Reuben. To him came the Angel of
Death and announced that his only son would ha.ve to die.
The pious man was resigned. " We mortals can do nothing
to oppose a Divine decree," he said, "but I pray thee, give
him thirty days' respite, that I may see him married." The
Angel of Death acquiesced. The Rabbi told no one of his
encounter, waited until the appointed time was drawing to a
close, and, on the very last day, the thirtieth, he arranged
his son's wedding feast. On that day, the bridegroom-to-be
met Elijah, who told him of his approaching death. A
worthy son of his father, he said: "Who may oppose God?
And am I better than Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? They,
too, had to die." Elijah told him furthermore, that the
Angel of Death would appear to him in the guise of a rag-
ged, dirty beggar, and he advised him to receive him in the

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah

kindliest possible manner, and in particular he was to insist

upon his taking food and drink from him. All happened as
Elijah had predicted, and his advice, too, proved efficacious,
for the heart of the Angel of Death, who finally revealed his
identity with the beggar, was softened by the entreaties of
the father, combined with the tears of the young wife, who
resorted to the argument cited above, of the year of exemp-
tion from duty granted to the ,newly-married. The Angel of
Death, disarmed by the amiable treatment accorded to him,
himself went before the' throne of God and presented the
young wife's petition. The end was that God added seventy
years to the life of Rabbi Reuben's son.-

TEACHER OF THE KABBALAH

The frequent meetings between Elijah and the teachers

of the law of the Talmudic time, were invested with per-
sonal interest only. Upon the development of the Torah
they had no influence whatsoever. His relation to the mys-
tic science was of quite oth,er character. It is safe to say that
what Moses was to the Torah, Elijah was to the Kabbalah.
His earliest relation to it was established through Rabbi
Simon ben Yoqai and his son Rabbi Eliezer. For thirteen
years he visited them twice daily in their subterranean
hiding-place, and imparted the secrets of the Torah to
them.- A thousand years later, Elijah again gave the im-
petus to the development of the Kabbalah, for it was he that
revealed mysteries, 'first to the Nazarite Rabbi Jacob, then
to his disciple Abraham ben Isaac Ab Bet Din, and, finally,
to the disciple of the latter, Abraham ben David. The mys-
teries in the books II Peliah " and II ~h," the author El-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

kanah owed wholly to Elijah. He had appeared to him

in the form of a venerable old man, and had imparted to
him the secret lore taught in the heavenly academy. Be-
sides, he led him to a fiery rock whereon mysterious char-
acters were engraved, which were deciphered by Elkanah.
After his disciple had thus become thoroughly impreg-
nated with mystical teachings, Elijah took him to the tomb
of the Patriarchs, and thence to the heavenly academy. But
the angels, little pleased by the intrusion of one II bom of
woman," inspired him with such terror that be besought
Elijah to carry him back to earth. His mentor allayed his
fears, and long continued to instruct him in the mystical
science, according to the system his disciple has recorded in
his two works.-
The Kabbalists in general were possessed of the power to
cite Elijah, to conjure him up by means of certain for-
mulas.... One of them, Rabbi Joseph della Reyna, once
called upon Elijah in this way, but it proved his own un-
doing. He was a saintly scholar, and"he had conceived no
less a purpose than to bring about the redemption of man by
the conquest of the angel Samael, the Prince of Evil. After
many prayers and vigils and long indulgence in fasting, and
other ascetic practices, Rabbi Joseph united himself with his
five disciples for the purpose of conjuring up Elijah. When
the prophet, obeying the summons, suddenly stood before
him, Rabbi Joseph spoke as follows: II Peace be with thee,
our master I True prophet, bearer of salvation, be not dis-
pleased with me that I have troubled thee to come hither.
God knows, I have not done it for myself, and not for mine
own honor. I am "zealous for the name and the honor of

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 23 1

God, and I know thy desire is the same as mine, for it is thy
vocation to make the glory of God to prevail on earth. I
pray thee, therefore, to grant my petition, tell me with what
means I can conquer Satan." Elijah at first endeavored to
dissuade the Rabbi from his enterprise. He described the
great power of Satan, ever growing as it feeds upon the
sins of mankind. But Rabbi Joseph could not be made to
desist. Elijah then enumerated what measures and tactics
he would have to observe in his combat with the fallen
angel. He enumerated the pious, saintly deeds that would
win the interest of the archangel Sandalphon in his under-
taking, and from this angel he would learn the method of
warfare to be pursued. The Rabbi followed out Elijah's di-
rections carefully, and succeeded in summoning Sandalphon
to his assistance. If he had continued to obey instructions
implicitly, and had carried out all Sandalphon advised, the
Rabbi would have triumphed over Satan and hastened the
redemption of the world. Unfortunately, at one point the
Rabbi committed an indiscreti<?n, and he lost the great ad-
vantages he had gained over Satan, who used his restored
power to bring ruin upon him and his disciples.-
The radical transformation in the character of Kabbalistic
teaching which is connected with the name of Rabbi Isaac
Loria likewise is an evidence of Elijah's. activity. Elijah
sought out this" father of the Kabbalistic Renaissance," and
revealed the mysteries of the universe to him. Indeed, he
had shown his interest in him long before anyone suspected
the future greatness of Rabbi Isaac. Immediately after his
birth, Elijah appeared to the father of the babe, and en-
joined him not to have the rite of circumcision performed

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

until he should be told by Elijah to proceed. The eighth day

of the child's life arrived, the whole congregatiori was as-
sembled at the synagogue - to witness the solemn cere-
monial, but to the great astonishment of his fellow-towns-
men the father delayed it. The people naturally did not
know he was waiting for Elijah to appear, and he was called
upon once and again to have the ceremony take place. But
he did not permit the impatience of the company to tum him
from his purpose. Suddenly, Elijah, unseen, of course, by
the others, appeared to him, and bade him have the cere-
mony performed. Those present were under the impression
that the father was holding the child on his knees during the
circumcision; in reality, howe\rer, it was Elijah. After tlie
rite was completed, E~ijah handed the infant back to the
father with the words: II Here is thy child. Take good care .
of it, for it will spread a briliiant light over the world."-
It was also Elijah who in a similar way informed Rabbi
Eliezer, the father of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tob,-the
father of him whose name is unrivalled in the annals of the
J;tasidic Kabbalah-that a son would be born to him who
should enlighten the eyes of Israel. This Rabbi Eliezer was
justly reputed to be very hospitable. He was in the habit of
stationing guards at the entrances to the village in which he
lived, and they were charged to bring all strangers to his
house. In heaven it was ordained that Rabbi Eliezer's hos-
pitable instincts should be put to a test. Elijah was chosen
for the experiment. On a Sabbath afternoon, arrayed in
the garb of a beggar, he entered the village with knapsack
and staff. Rabbi Eliezer, taking no notice of the fact that
the beggar was desecrating the Sabbath, received him

Digitized by Coogle
 Elijah 233

kindly. attended to his bodily wants~ and the next morning.

on parting with him. gave him some money, besides.
Touched by his kind-heartedness. Elijah revealed his
identity and the purpose of his disguise. and told him that,
as he had borne the trial so well. he would be rewarded by
the birth of a son who should .. enlighten the eyes of
IsraeL" -
FORERUNNER OF THE MESSIAH
Many-sided though Elijah's participation in the course of
historical events is. it cannot be compared with what he is
expected to do in the days of the Messiah. He is charged
with the mission of ordering the coming time aright and
restoring the tribes of Jacob.- His Messianic activity thus
is to be twofold: he is to be the forerunner of the Messiah,
yet in part he will himself realize the promised scheme of
salvation. His first task will be to induce Israel to repent
when the Messiah is about to come.· and to establish peace
and harmony in the world.... Hence he will have to settle
all legal difficulties. and solve aU legal problems. that have
acCumulated since days immemorial.· and decide vexed
questions of ritual concerning which authors entertain con-
tradictory views. In ,short. all differences of opinion must
be removed from the path of the Messiah.- This office of
expounder of the law Elijah will 'continue to occupy even
after the reign of peace has been established on earth. and
his relation to Moses will be the same Aaron once held.-
Elijah's preparatory work will be begun three days before
the advent of the Messiah. Then he will appear in Pales-
tine. and will utter a lament over the devastation of the
Holy Land, and his wail will be heard throughout the world.

Digitized by Coogle
234 The Legends of the I ews

The last words of his elegy will be: " Now peace will come
upon earth I" When the evil-doers heat this message, they
will rejoice. On the second day, he will appear again and
proclaim: .. Good will come upon earth I " And on the
third his promise will be heard: " Salvation will come upon
earth." us Then Michael will blow the trumpet, and once
more Elijah will make his appearance, this time to introduce
the Messiah.WI To make sure of the identity of the Mes-
siah, the Jews will demand that he perform the miracle of
resurrection before their eyes, reviving such of the dead as
they had known personally.... But the Messiah will do the
following seven wonders: He will bring Moses and the
generation of the desert to life; Korah and his band he will
raise from out of the earth; he will revive the Ephraimitic
Messiah, who was slain; he will show the three holy vessels
of the Temple, the Ark, the flask of manna, and the cruse
of sacred oil, all three of which disappeared mysteriously;
he will wave the sceptre given him by God ; he will grind the
mountains of the Holy Land into powder like straw, and he
will reveal the secret of redemption. Then the Jews will be-
lieve that Elijah is the Elijah promised to them, and the
Messiah introduced by him is the true Messiah!U
The Messiah ua will have Elijah blow the trumpet, and.
at the first sound, the primal light, which shone before the
week of the Creation, will reappear; at the second sound the
dead will arise, and with the swiftness of wind assemble
around the Messiah from all comers of the earth; at the
third sound, the Shekinah will become visible to all; the
mountains will be razed at the fourth sound, and the Temple
will stand in complete perfection as Ezekiel described it.-

Digitized by Coogle
 --- - - - ---------- ------

Elijah 235

During the reign of peace, Elijah will be one of the eight

princes forming the cabinet of the Messiah.uf Even the
coming of the great judgment day will not end his activity.
On that day the children of the wicked who had to die in
infancy on account of the sins of their fathers will be found
among the just, while their fathers will be ranged on the
other side. The babes will implore their" fat~ers to come to
them, but God will not permit it. Then Elijah will go to the
little ones, and teach them how to plead in behalf of their
fathers. They will stand before God and say: .. Is not the
mea~ure of good, the mercy of God, larger than the meas-
ure of chastisements? If, then, we died for the sins of our
fathers, should they not now for our sakes be granted the
good, and be permitted to join us in Paradise?" God will
give assent to their pleadings, and Elijah will have fulfilled
the word of the prophet Malachi; he will have brought back
the fathers to the children.-
The last act of Elijah's brilliant career wilt be the execu-
tion of God's command to slay Samael, and so banish evil
forever.-

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 VIII
ELISHA AND JONAH

ELISHA THE DISCIPLE OF ELIJAH ••••••••

THE SBUNAKKITE .••.•..••••••••••••
-
239
242
GBBAZI •••••••.•..•.••••....•.••••.• 244
THE FLIGHT OF JONAH • .••.••••.•••••• 246
JONAH IN THE WHALE • ••.••••••••••••• 249
THE REPENTANCE OF NINEVEH ••••••••• 250

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
.•

VIII
ELISHA AND JONAH
ELIsHA THE DISCIPLE OF ELIJAH

The voices of the thousands of prophets of his time were

stilled when Elijah was translated from earth to heaven.
With him vanished the prophetical spirit of those who in
former times had in no wise been his inferiors.1. Elisha
was the only one among them whose prophetical powers
were not diminished. On the contrary, they were strength-
ened, as a reward for the unhesitating readiness with which
·he obeyed Elijah's summorls, and parted with the field he
was .ploughing, and with all else he possessed, in favor of the
community. Thenceforward he remained Elijah's unweary-
ing companion. When the angel descended from heaven to
take Elijah from earth, he found the two so immersed in a
learned discussion- that he could not attract their attention,
and he had to return, his errand unfulfilled.-
Elijah's promise to bestow a double portion of his won-
drous spirit upon his disciple was realized instantaneously.
During his life ~lisha performed sixteen miracles, and eight
was all his master had performed. The first of them, the
crossing of the Jordan, was more remarkable than the cor-
responding wonder done by Elijah, for Elisha traversed the
river alone, and Elijah had been accompanied by Elisha.
Two saints always have more power than one by himself.'
His second miracle, the .. healing" of the waters of J eri-

Digitized by Coogle
-..
 The Legends of the ] ews

cho, so that th~y became fit to drink, resulted in .harm to him-

self, for the people who had earned their livelihood by the
sale of wholesome water were very much incensed ~
the prophet for having spoiled their trade. Elisha, whose
prophetic powers enabled him to read both the past and the
future of these tradesmen, knew that they, their ancestors,
and their 'posterity had II not even the aroma of good about
them." Therefore he cursed them. Suddenly a forest
sprang up and the bears that infested it devoured the mur-
muring traders. The wicked fellows were not undeserving
of the punishment they received, yet Elisha was made to
undergo a very serious sickness, by way of correction for
having yielded to passion.- In this he resembled his master
Elijah; he allowed wrath and zeal to gain the mastery over
him. God desired that the two great prophets might be
purged of this fault. Accordingly, when Elisha rebuked
King Jehoram of Israel, the spirit of prophecy forsook him,
and he had to resort to artificial means to re-awaken it
within himself.'
Like his teacher, Elisha was always ready to help the poor
and needy, as witness his sympathy with the widow of one
of the sons of the prophets, and the effective aid he extended
to her. Her husband had been none other than Obadiah,
who, though a prophet, had at the same time been one of
the highest officials at the court of the sinful king Ahab.
By birth an Edomite, Obadiah had been inspired by God to
•
utter the prophecy against Edom. In his own person he em-
bodied the accusation against Esau, who had lived with his
pious parents without following their example, while 9ba-
diah, on the contrary, lived in constant intercourse with the

Digitized by Coogle
 Elisha and ] ow

iniquitous King Ahab and his still more iniquitous spouse

J ezebel without yielding to the baneful influence they exer-
cised.' This same Obadiah not only used his own fortune,
but went to the length of borrowing money on interest from
the future king, in order to have the wherewithal to support
the prophets who were in hiding. On his death, the king
sought to hold the children responsible for the debt of the
father. In her despair the pious wife of Obadiah' went to
the graveyard, and there she cried out: .. 0 thou God-fearing
man I " At once a heavenly voice was heard questioning
her: II There are four God-fearing men, Abraham, Josep~
Job, and Obadiah. To which of them ~ost thou desire to
speak? " II To him of whom it is said, II He feared the Lord
greatly. ' "
She was led to the grave of the prophet Obadiah, where
she poured out the tale of her sorrow. Obadiah told her to
take the small remnant of oil she still had to the prophet
Elisha and request him to intercede for him with God, " for
God." he said. "is my debtor, seeing that I provided a hun-
dred prophets. Dot only with bread and water, but also with
oil to illuminate their hiding-place. for do not the Scriptures
say: 'He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the
Lord • ?" Forthwith the woman carried out his behest. She
went to Elisha. and he helped her by making her little
cruse of oil fill vessels upon vessels without number, and
when the vessels gave out, she fetched potsherds, saying.
"May the will that made empty vessels full, make broken
vessels perfect." So it was. The oil ceased to flow only when
the s~pply of potsherds as well as vessels gave out. In her
piety the woman wanted to pay her tithe-offering, but Elisha
16

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

was of the opinion that, as the oil had been bestowed upon
her miraculously, she could keep it wholly and entirely for
her own use. Furthermore, Elisha reassured her as to the
power of the royal princes to do her harm: " The God who
will close the jaws of the lions set upon Daniel, and who
did close the jaws of the dogs in Egypt, the same God will
blind the eyes of the sons of Ahab, and deafen their ears, so
that they can do thee no harm.'" Not only was the poor
widow helped out of her difficulties, her descendants unto all
times were provided for. The oil rose in price, and it yielded
SO much profit that they never suffered want.' .

THE SHUNAJoIJoIITE
The great woman of Shunem, the sister of Abishag and
wife of the prophet Iddo," also had cause to be deeply grate-
ful to Elisha. When Elisha came to Shunem on his jour-
ney through the land of Israel, his holiness made a profound
impression upon the Shunammite. Indeed, the prophet's
eye was so awe-inspiring that no woman could look him in
the face and live.u Contrary to the habit of most women,
who are intent upon diminishing their expenses and their
toil, the Shunammite took delight in the privilege of wel-
coming 'the prophet to her house as a guest. She observed
that not even a fly dared approach close to the holy man,
and a grateful fragrance exhaled from his person. " If
he were not so great a saint," she said, " and the holiness of
the Lord did not invest him, there were no such pleasant fra-
grance about him." That he might be undisturbed, she as-
signed the best chambers in the house to the prophet. He
on his part, desiring to show his appreciation of her hospi-

Digitized by Coogle
 Elisha and I tmah 243

tality, knew no better return for her kindness than to prom-

ise that she should be blessed with a child within a year.a
The woman protested: " 0, my husband is an old man, nor
am I of an age to bear children; the promise cannot be ful-
filled." Yet it happened as the prophet had foretold. Be-
fore a twelvemonth had passed, she was a mother.
'A few years later her child died a sudden death. The
mother repaired to the prophet, and lamented before. him:
II 0 that the vessel had remained empty, rather than it should

be filled first, and then be left void." The prophet ad-

mitted that, though as a rule he was acquainted with all
things that were to happen, God had left him in the dark
about the misfortune that had befallen her. With trust in
God, he gave his staff to his disciple Gehazi, and sent him
to bring the boy back to life. But Gehazi was unworthy of
his master. His conduct toward the Shunammite was not
becoming a disciple of the prophet, and, above all, he had
no faith in the possibility of accomplishing the mission en-
trusted to him. Instead of obeying the behest of Elisha, not
to speak a word on his way to the child of the Shunam-
mite, Gehazi made sport of the task laid upon him. To
whatever man he met he addressed the question: .. Dost thou
suppose this staff can bring the dead back to life?" The
result was that he forfeited the power of executing the errand
with which he had been charged. Elisha himself had to
perform the miracle. The prophet uttered the prayer:
"0 Lord of the world I As Thou didst wonders through
my master Elijah, and didst permit him to bring the dead
to life, so, I pray Thee, do Thou perform a wonder through
me, and let me restore life to this lad." JI The prayer was

Digitized by Coogle
244 . The Legends of the I ews

granted, and the child was revived. The act of the prophet
proves the duty of gratitude in return for hospitality. Elisha
did not attempt to resuscitate his own kith and kin who had
been claimed by death j he invoked a miracle for the sake of
the woman who had welcomed him kindly to her house.tAl

GEBAZI
Gehazi, proved untrustworthy by his conduct on this oc-
casion, again aroused the ire of tlie prophet when he disre-
garded the order not to accept money from Naaman, the
Syrian captain. He did not succeed in deceiving the
prophet. On his return from N aaman he found Elisha 0c-
cupied with the study of the chapter in the Mishnah Shab.-
bat which deals with the eight reptiles. The prophet Elisha
greeted him with the rebuke: ., Thou villain I the time has
come for me to be rewarded for the study of the Mishnah
about the eight reptiles. May my reward be that the disease
of Naaman afflict thee and thy descendants for evermore."
Scarcely had these words escaped his lips, when he saw the
leprosy come out on Gehazi's face.u Gehazi deserved the
punishment on account of his base character. He was sensual
and envious, and did not believe in the resurrection of the
dead. His unworthy qualities were displayed in his conduct
toward the Shunammite and toward the disciples of Elisha.
When the pretty Shunammite came to the prophet in her
grief over the death of her child, Gehazi took her passion-
ately in his arms, under the pretext .of forcing her away from
the prophet, on whom she had laid hold in her supplications.
As for the other disciples of Elisha, he endeavored to keep
them away from the bouse of the prophet. He was in the

Digitized by Coogle
 Elisha and Jonah 245

habit of standing without the door. This induced many to

tum away and go home, for they reasoned that, if the
house were not full to overfiowing, Gehazi would not be
standing outside. Only after Gehazi's dismissal did the
disciples of Elisha increase marvellously. That Gehazi had
no faith in the resurrection of the dead, is shown by his in-
~u1ity with regard to the child of the Shunammite.-
In spite of all these faults, Elisha regretted that he had
cast off his disciple, who was a great scholar in the law,
especially as Gehazi abandoned himself to a sinful1ife after
leaving the prophet. By means of magnetism he made the
golden calves at Beth-el float in the air, and many were
brought to believe in the divinity of these idols. Moreover,
he engraved the great and awful Name of God in their
mouth. Thus they were enabled to speak, and they gave
forth the same words God had proclaimed from Sinai: .. I
am the Lord thy God-Thou shalt have no other gods before
Me." Elisha accordingly repaired to Damascus to lead
Gehazi back to the paths of righteousness. But he re-
mained impenitent, for he said: .. From thyself I have
learned that there is no return for him who not only sins
himself, but also induces others to sin."· So Gehazi died
without having done aught to atone for his transgressions,
which were so great that he is one of the few Jews w&o have
no share in Paradise." His children inherited his leprosy.
He and his ~ree sons are the four leprous men who in-
formed the king of Israel of the precipitate flight of the
Syrian host...
Elisha's excessive severity toward his servant Gehazi and
toward the mocking boys of Jericho did not go unpunished.

Digitized by Coogle
246 The Legends of the Jews

He had to endure two periods of disease, and the third sick-

ness that befell him caused his death. He is the first known
to history who survived a sickness. Before him death had
been the inevitable companion of disease.-
A great miracle marked the end of a life rich in miracu-
lous deeds: a dead man revived at the touch of Elisha's bier,
and stood on his feet. It was a worthy character for whom
the wonder was accomplished-ShaUum the son of Tik-
vah, the husband of Huldah the prophetess, a man of
noble descent, who had led a life of lovingkindness. He
was in the habit of going daily beyond the city bearing
a pitcher of water, from which he gave every traveller to
drink, a good deed that received a double reward. His wife
became a prophetess, and when he died and his funeral, at-
tended by a large concourse of people, was disturbed by the
invasion of the Arameans, he was given new life by contact
with the bones of Elisha. He lived to have a son, Haname1
by name.-
The death of Elisha was a great misfortune for the Israel-
ites. So long as he was alive, no Aramean troops entered
Palestine. The first invasion by them happened on the day
of his burial.D

THE FLIGHT OF JONAH

Among the many thousands D of disciples whom Elisha
gathered about him during the sixty years II and more of his
activity, the most prominent was the prophet Jonah. While
the master was still alive, Jonah was charged" with the im-
portant mission of anointing Jehu king.D The next task
laid upon him was to proclaim their destruction" to the in-

Digitized by Coogle
 Elisha and Jonah 247

habitants of J erusalem.- The doom did not come to pass,

because they repented of their wrong-doing, and God had
mercy upon them. Among the Israelites Jonah was, there-
fore, known as .. the false prophet." When he was sent to
Nineveh to prophesy the downfall of the city, he reftected:
"I know to a certainty that the heathen will do penance,
the threatened punishment will not be executed, and among
the heathen, too, I shall gain the reputation of Leing a false
prophet.""' To escape this disgrace, he determined to take
up his abode on the sea, where there were none to whom
prophecies never to be fulfilled would have to be delivered.
On his arrival at Joppa, there was no vessel in port. To
try him, God caused a storm to arise, and it carried a vessel
back to Joppa, which had made a two days' journey away
from the harbor. The prophet interpreted this chance to
mean that God approved his plan. He W'lS so rejoiced at the
favorable opportunity for leaving land that he paid the whole .
amount for the entire cargo in advance, no less a sum than
four thousand gold denarii. After a day's sailing out from
shore, a terrific storm - broke loose. Wonderful to relate,
it injured no vessel but Jonah's. Thus he was taught the
lesson that God is Lord over heaven and earth and sea, and
man can hide himself nowhere from His face.
On the same vessel were representatives of the seventy
nations of the earth, each with his peculiar idols. They aU
resolved to entreat their gods for succor, and toe god from
whom help would come should be recognized and worshipped
as the only one true God. But help came from none. Then
it was that the captain of the vessel approached Jonah where
he lay asleep, and said to him: "We are suspended 'twixt

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

life and death, and thou liest here asleep. Pray, tell me, to
what nation dost thou belong?" "I am a Hebrew," replied
Jonah. "We have heard," said the captain, "that the God
of the ~ebrews is the most powerful. Cry to Him for help.
Perhaps He will perform such miracles for us as He did
in days of old for the Jews at the Red Sea."
Jonah confessed to the captain that he was to blame for
\the whole misfortune, and he besought him to cast him
.adrift, and appease the storm. The other passengers refused
to consent to so cruel an act. Though the lot decided
against Jonah, they first tried to "Save the vessel by throwing
the cargo overboard. Their efforts were in vain. Then they
placed Jonah at the side of the vessel and spoke: "0 Lord
of the world, reckon this not up against us as innocent
blood, for we know not the case of this man, and he himself
bids us throw him into the sea." Even then they could not
make up their minds to let him drown. First they immersed
him up to his knees in the water of the sea, and the stonn
ceased; they drew him back into· the vessel, and forthwith
the storm raged in its old fury. Two more trials they made.
They lowered him into the water up to his navel, and raised
him out of the depths when the storm was assuaged. Agaia,
when the storm broke out anew, they lowered him to his
neck, and a second time they took him back into the vessel
when the wind subsided,- But finally the renewed rage of
the storm convinced them that their danger was due to
Jonah's transgressions, and they abandoned him to his fate.
He was thrown into the water, and on the instant the sea
grew calm.-

Digitized by Coogle
 Elisha and Jonah 249
JONAH IN THE WHALE
At the creation of the world. God made a fish intended to
harbor Jonah. He was so large that the prophet was as com-
fortable inside of him as in a spacious synagogue. The eyes
of the fish served J onab as windows. and. besides. there was
a diamond. which shone as brilliantly as the sun at midday,
so that Jonah could see all things in the sea down to its very
bottom.
It is a law that when their time. bas come. all the" fish of
the sea must betake themselves to leviathan. and let the
monster devour them. The life term of Jonah's fish was
about to expire, and the fish warned Jonah of what was to
happen. When he, with Jonah in his belly, came to levia-
than. the prophet said to the monster: II For thy sake I came
hither. It was meet that I should know thine abode, for it
is my appointe~ task to "captu"re thee in the life to come and
slaughter thee fer the table of the just and pious." When
leviathan observed the sign of the covenant on Jonah's
body, he fled affrighted, and Jonah and the fish were saved.
To show his gratitude, the fish carried Jonah whithersoever
there was a sight to be seen. He showed him the river from
which the ocean flows, showed him the spot at which the
Israelites crossed the Red Sea, showed him Gehenna and
Sheol, and many other mysterious and wonderful places.
Three days Jonah had spent in the belly of the fish, and
he stin felt so comfortable that he did not think of implor-
ing God to change his condition. But God sent a feInale
fish big with three hundred and sixty-five thousand little
fish to Jonah's host, to demand the surrender of the prophet,
else she "would swallow both him and the guest he harbored.

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

The message was received with incredulity, and leviathan

had to come and corroborate it; he himself had heard God
dispatch the female fish on her errand. So it came about
that Jonah was transferred to another abode. His new
quarters, which he had to share with all the little fish, were
far from comfortable, and from the bottom of his heart a
prayer for deliverance arose to God on high.a The last
words of his long petition were, .. I shall redeem my vow," •
whereupon God comman~ed the fish to spew Jonah out. At
a distance of nine hundred and sixty-five parasangs from
the fish he alighted on dry land. These miracles induced
the ship's crew to abandon idolatry, and they all became
pious proselytes in J erusalem.-

THE REPENTANCE OF NINEVEH

Jonah went straightway to Nineveh, the monster city

covering forty square parasangs and containing a million
and a half of human beings. He lost no time in pro-
claiming their destruction to the inhabitants. The voice of
the prophet was so sonorous that it reached to every comer
of the great city, and all who heard his words resolved to
tum aside from their ungodly ways. At the head of the
penitents was King Osnappar of Assyria." He descended
from his throne, removed his crown, strewed ashes on his
head instead, took off his purple garments, and rolled about
in the dust of the highways. In all the streets royal her-
alds proclaimed the king's decree bidding the inhabitants
fast three days, wear sackcloth, and supplicate God with
tears and prayers to avert the threatened doom. The people
of Nineveh fairly compelled God's mercy to descend upon

Digitized by Coogle
 Elisha and Jonah

them. They held their infants heavenward, and amid

streaming tears they cried: " For the sake of these innocent
babes, hear our prayers." The young of their stalled cattle
they separated from the mother beasts, tbe young were
left witbin the stable, the old were put without. So
parted from one anotber, tbe young and the old began to
bellow aloud. Then the Ninevites cried: co If Thou' wilt not
have mercy upon us, we will not have mercy upon these
beasts."
The penance of the Ninevites did not stop at fasting and
praying. Their deeds showed that tbey had determined to
lead a better life. If a man had usurped anotber's property,
he sought to make amends for his iniquity; some went so
far as to destroy their palaces in order to be able to give
back a single brick to the rightful owner. Of their own ac-
cord others appeared before the courts of justice, and con-
fessed their secret crimes and sins, known to none beside
themselves, and declared themselves ready to submit to well-
merited punishment, though it be death that was decreed
against tbem.
One incident that happened at the time will illustrate the
contrition of the Ninevites. A man found a treasure in the
building lot he had acquired from his neighbor. Both buyer
and seller refused to assume possession of the treasure. The
seller insisted that the sale of the lot carried witb it the
sale of all it contained. The buyer held that he had bought
the ground, not the treasure hidden tberein. Neither rested
satisfied until the judge succeeded in finding .out who had
hidden the treasure and who were bis heirs, and the joy of
the two was great when they could deliver the treasure up
to its legitimate owners."

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

. Seeing that the Ninevites had undergone a real change of

heart, God took mercy upon them, and pardoned them.
Thereupon Jonah likewise felt encouraged to plead for him-
self with God, that He forgive him for his Bight. God spoke
to him:" Thou wast mindful of Mine honar,n-the prophet
had not wanted to appear a liar, so that men's trust in God
might not be shaken-" and for this reason thou didst take
to the sea. Therefore did I deal mercifully with thee. and
rescue thee from the bowels of Shea!."
His sojourn in the inside of the fish the prophet could not
easily dismiss from his mind, nor did it remain without visi-
ble consequences. The intense heat in the belly of the fish
had consumed his garments, and made his hair fall out,- and
he was sore plagued by swarms of insects. To afford Jonah
protection, God caused the J.tncayon to grow up. When he
opened his eyes one morning, he saw a plant with two hun-
dred and seventy-five leaves, each leaf measuring more than
a span, so that it afforded relief from the heat of the sun.
But the sun smote the gourd that it withered, and Jonah
was again annoyed by the insects. He began to' weep and
wish for death to release him from his troubles. But when
God led him to the plant, and showed him what lesson he
might derive from it,-how, though he had not labored for
the plant, he had pity on it,-he realized his wrong in desir-
ing God to be relentless toward Nineveh, the great city,
with its many inhabitants, rather than have his reputation
as a prophet suffer taint. He prostrated himself and said:
"0 God, guide the world according to Thy goodness."
God was gracious to the people of Nineveh so long as
they continued worthy of His lovingkindness. But at the

Digitized by Coogle
 Elisha and Jonah 253
end of forty days they departed from the path of piety, and
they became more sinful than ever. Then the punishment
threatened by Jonah overtook them, and they were swal-
lowed up by the earth.-
Jonah's suffering in the watery abyss had been so severe
that by way of compensation God exempted him from
death: living he was permitted to enter Paradise.- Like
Jonah, his wife was known far and wide for her piety. She
had gained fame particularly through her pilgrimage to J e-
rusalem, a d~ty which, by reason of her sex, she was not
obliged to fulfil.- On one of these pilgrimages it was that
the prophetical spirit first descended upon Jonah.-

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 IX
THE LATER KINGS OF JUDAH

10ASH ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 257

.-
THREE GREAT PROPHETS ••••••••••••••• 260
THE Two KINGDOMS CHASTISED •••••••• 264-
HEZEICIAH ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 266
MIRACLES WROUGHT FOR HEZEICIAH ••••• 270
MANASSEH •••••••••••••••••••• ' •••••• 277
JOSIAH AND HIS SUCCESSORS •••••••••••• 281

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 IX
THE LATER KINGS OF JUDAH

. JOMB
When the prophet Jonah, doing the behest of his master
Elisha, anointed Jehu king over Israel,1 he poured the oil
out of a pitcher, not out of a hom, to iridicate that the dy-
nasty of Jehu would not occupy the throne long.- At first
Jehu, though a somewhat foolish· king, was at least pious,
but he abandoned his God-fearing ways from the moment
he saw the document bearing the signature of the prophet
Ahijah of ~hilo, which bound the signers to pay implicit
obedience to Jeroboam. The king took this as evidence that
the prophet had approved the worship of the golden calves.
So it came to pass that Jehu, the destroyer of Baal worship,
did nothing to oppose the idolatrous service established by
Jeroboam at Beth-el.' The successors of Jehu were no bet-
ter; on the contrary, they were worse, and therefore in the
fifth generation· an end was put to the dynasty of Jehu by
the hand of the assassin.
The kings of Judah differed in no essential particular
from their colleagues in the north. Ahaziah, whom Jehu
killed, was a shameless sinner; he had the Name of God ex-
purged from every passage in which it occurred in the Holy
Scriptures, and the names of idols inserted in its place.'
Upon the death of Ahaziah followed the reign of terror
under the queen Athaliah, when God exacted payment from
17

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

the house of David for his trespass in connection with the

extermination of the priests at Nob. As Abiathar had
been the only male descendant of Abimelech to survive the
persecution of Saul, so the sole representative of the house
of David to remain after the sword of Athaliah had raged T
was Joash, the child kept in hiding, in the Holy of Holies in
the Temple, by the high priest Jehoiada and his wife Je-
hosheba.' Later Jehoiada vindicated the right of Joash upon
the throne, and installed him as king of Judah. The very
crown worn by the' rulers of the house of David testified to
the legitimacy of the young prince, for it possessed the pe-
culiarity of fitting none but the rightful successors to David.'
At the instigation of Jchoiada. King Joash undertook the
restoration of the Temple. The work was completed so ex-
peditiously that one living at the time the Temple was erected
by Solomon was permitted to see the new structure shortly
before his death," This good fortune befell J ehoiada Ii him-
self, the son of Benaiah, commander-in-chief of the army
under Solomon. So long as J oash continued under the tute-
lage of Jehoiada, he was a pious king. When Jehoiada de-
parted this life, the courtiers came to J oash and flattered him :
" If thou wert not a god, thou hadst not been able to abide for
six years in the Holy of Holies, a spot which even the high
priest is permitted to enter but once a year." The king lent
ear to their blandishments, and permitted the people to pay
him Divine homage.- But when the folly of the king went
to the extreme of prompting him to set up an idol in the
Temple, Zechariah, the ~n of Jehoiada. placed himself at
the entrance, and barring the way said: "Thou Dalt not do
it so long as I live,"" High priest. prophet, and judge

Digitized by Coogle
 The Later Kings of Judah 259

though Zechariah was, and son-in-law of Joash to boot, the

k;ng still did not shrink from having him killed for his pre-
sumptuous words, nor was he deterred by the fact that it
happened on a Day of Atonement which feU on the Sab-
bath." The innocent blood crimsoning the hall of the priests
did not remain unavenged. For two hundred and fifty-two
years it did not leave off seething and pulsating, until,
finally, Nebuzaradan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar's guard,
ordered a great carnage among the Judeans, to avenge the
death of Zechariah.-
Joash himself, the murderer of Zechariah, met with an
evil end. He fell into the hands of the Syrians, and they
abused him in their barbarous, immoral way. Before he
could recover from the suffering inflicted upon him, his ser-
vants slew him."
Amaziah, the son and successor of Joash, in'many respects
resembled his father. At the beginning of his reign he was
God-fearing, but when, through the aid of God, he had
gained a brilliant victory over the Edomites, he knew no
better way of manifesting his gratitude than to establish in
Jerusalem the cult of the idol worshipped by his conquered
enemies. To compass his chastisement, God inspired Ama-
dab with the idea of provoking a war with Joash, the ruler
of the northern kingdom. Amaziah demanded that Joash
should either recognize the suzerainty of the southern realm
voluntarily, or let the fate of battle decide the question.1I At
first Joash sought to tum Amaziah aside from his purpose by
a parable reminding him of the fate of Shechem, which the
sons of Jacob had visited upon him for having done violence
to their sister Dinah." Amaziab refused to be warned.

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the J eu's

He persisted in his challenge, and a war ensued. The for-

tune of battle decided against Amaziah. He suffered defeat,
and later he was tortured to death by his own subjects.-

THREE GUAT PRQPHETS

The reign of Uzziah, who for a little while occupied the
throne during his father Amaziah's lifetime,is notable par-
ticularly because it marks the beginning of the activity of
three of the prophets, Hosea, Amos, and Isaiah. The oldest
of the three was Hosea,· the son of the prophet and
prince Beeri, the Beeri who later was carried away cap-
tive by Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria.- Of Beeri's
prophecies we have but two verses, preserved for us by
Isaiah.-
The peculiar marriage contracted by Hosea at the com-
mand of God Himself was not without a good reason. When
God spoke to the prophet about the sins of Israel, expecting
him to defend or excuse his people, Hosea said severely:
"0 Lord of the world I Thine is the universe. In place
of Israel choose another as Thy peculiar people from
among the nations of the earth."· To make the true relation
between God and Israel known to the prophet, he was com-
manded to take to wife a woman with a dubious past. After
she had bome him several children, God suddenly put the
question to him: II Why followest thou not the example of
thy teacher Moses, who denied himself the joys of family
life after his call to prophecy?" Hosea replied: "1 can
neither send my wife away nor divorce her, for she has
bome me children." II If, now," said God to him, .. thou
who hast a wife of whose honesty thou art so uncertain that

Digitized by Coogle
 The Later Kings of Judah 261

thou be sure that are thine, and

can I sep-
children of
My Isaac, and Hosea entreated
God to pardon him. But God said: Better were it that
thou shouldst pray for the welfare of Israel, for thou art
the cause that I issued three fateful decrees against them."
Hosea prayed as he was bidden, and his prayer averted the
impending threefold doom.-
Hosea Babylon at a time journey thence
to Palestine beset with many nPII1f11'lt1!1 of having
his • ';;;""A"'" rest in sacred requested be-
his bier be loaded and the
animal permitted to make its way as it would. Wherever
it stopped, there his body was to be buried. As he com-
manded, so it was done. Without a single mishap the camel
arrived at Safed. In the Jewish cemetery of the town it
stood Hosea was presence of a
large CODlCOlltrSe
The activity of Amos after Ho-
sea's and before Isaiah's Though he had
an his speech,· he call of God,
and betook himself to Beth-el to proclaim to the sinful in-
habitants thereof the Divine message with which he had
been charged. The denunciation of the priest Amaziah, of
Beth-el, who informed against the prophet before King
did him no king, idolater
entertained profound for Amos. He
said God forbid I the prophet
guilty I"hf'rillhifllP' traitorous plans, were, it would

-
 TIN Le~eruJ.s of 1M I tIflJ8
surely be at the bidding of God." - For this pious disposi-
tion Jeroboam was rewarded; never bad the northern king-
dom attained to such power as under him.-
However, the' fearlessness of Amos finally caused his
death. King Uzziah infticted a mortal blow upon his fore-
head with a red-hot iron.-
Two years after Amos ceased to prophesy, Isaiah was
favored with his first Divine communication. It was the
day on which King Uzziah, blinded by success and pros-
perity, arrogated to himself the privileges of the priesthood.
He tried to oft'er sacrifices upon the altar, and when the high
priest Azariah - ventured to restrain him, he threatened to
slay him and any priest sympathizing with him unless they
kept silent. Suddenly the earth quaked so violently that a
great breach was tom in the Temple, through which a brU-
liant ray of sunlight pierced, falling upon the forehead of
the king and causing leprosy to break forth upon him. Nor
was that all the damage done by the earthquake. On the
west side of Jerusalem, half of the mountain was split
oft' and hurled to the east, into a road, at a distance of four
stadia.- And not heaven and earth alone were outraged by
Uzziah's atrocity and sought to annihilate him; even the
angels of fire, the seraphim, were on the point of descend-
ing and consuming him, when a voice from on high pro-
claimed, that the punishment appointed for Uzziah was un-
like that meted out to Korah and his company despite the
similarity of their crimes.-
When Isaiah beheld the august throne of God on this
memorable day,- he was sorely affrighted, for he reproached
himself with not having tried to tum the king away from

Digitized by Coogle
 The Later Kings of Judah 263

his impious desire.- Enthralled he hearkened to the hymns

of praise sung by the angels. and lost in admiration he failed
to join his voice with theirs. .. Woe is me." he cried out,
fI that I was silent I Woe is me that I did not join the chorus
of the angels praising God I Had I done it, I. too. like the
angels, would have become immortal. seeing I was permitted
to look upon sights to behold which had brought death to
other men."" Then he began to excuse himself: II I am a
man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of
unclean lips." At once resounded the voice of God in re-
buke: "Of thyself thou art the master. and of thyself thou
mayest say what thou choosest. but who gave thee the right
to calumniate My children of Israel and call them • a people
of unclean lips •? tt And Isaiah heard God bid one of the
seraphim touch his lips with a live coal as a punishment for
having slandered Israel. Though the coal was so hot that
the seraph needed tongs to hold the tongs with which he
had taken the coal from the altar, the prophet yet escaped
unscathed. but he learned the lesson. that it was his duty to
defend Israel. not traduce him. Thenceforth the champion-
ship of his people was the mainspring of the prophet's ac-
tivity, and he was rewarded by having more revelations con-
cerning Israel and the other nations vouchsafed him than
any other prophet before or after him. Moreover God de-
signated Isaiah to be .. the prophet of consolation." Thus
it happened that the very Isaiah whose early prophecies fore-
told the exile and the destruction of the Temple.· later de-
scn'bed and proclaimed, in plainer terms than any other
prophet.· the brilliant destiny in store for Israel.

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

THE Two KINGDOMS CHASTISED

AfBicted with leprosy, Uzziah was unfit to reign as king,
and Jotham administered the affairs of Judah for twenty-
five years before the death of his father.- Jotham possessed
so much piety that his virtues added to those of two other
very pious men suffice to atone for all the sins of the whole
of mankind committed from the hour of creation until the
end of all time.-
Abu, the son of Jotham, was very unlike him. .. From
first to last he was a sinner." - He abolished the true wor-
ship of God, forbade the study of the Torah, set up an idol
in the upper room of the Temple, and disregarded the Jewish
laws of marriage." His transgressions are the less pardon-
able, because he sinned against God knowing His grandeur
and power, as appears from his reply to the prophet. Isaiah
said to him: .. Ask a sign of God, as, for instance, that the
dead should arise, Korah come up from Sheol, or Elijah
descend from heaven." The king's answer was: .. I know
thou hast the power to do any of these, but I do not wish
the Name of God to be glorified through me." U
The only good quality possessed by Ahu was respect for
Isaiah." To avoid his reproaches, Ahaz would disguise him-
self when he went abroad, so that the prophet might not
recognize him." Only to this circumstance, joined to the
fact that he was the father 'of a pious son and the son of
an equally pious father, is it to be ascribed that, in spite of
his wickedness, Ahaz is not one of thoSe who have for-
feited their portion in the world to come. But he did not es-
cape punishment; on the contrary, his chastisement was se-
vere, not only as king but also as man. In the ill-starred war

Digitized by Coogle
 The Later Kings of Judah

against Pekah, the king of the northern kingdom, he lost his

first-born son, a great hero."
Pekah, however, was not permitted to enjoy the fruits of
his victory, for the king of Assyria invaded his empire, cap--
tured the golden calf at Dan, and led the tribes on the east
side of Jordan away into exile. The dismemberment of
the Israelitish kingdom went on apace for some years. Then
the Assyrians, in the reign of Hoshea, carried off the second
gOlden calf together with the tribes of Asher, Issachar, Zebu-
lon, and Naphtali, leaving but one-eighth of the Israelites
in their own land. The larger portion of the exiles was taken
to Damascus. After that Israel's doom overtook it with
giant strides, and the last ruler of Israel actually hastened
the end of his kingdom by a pious deed. After the golden
calves were removed by the Assyrians, Hoshea, the king of
the north, abolished the institution of stationing guards on
the frontier between Judah and Israel to prevent pilgrimages
to Jerusalem. But the people made no use of the liberty
granted them. They persisted in their idolatrous cult, and
this quickened their punishment. So long as their kings
had put obstacles in their path, they could excuse themselves
before God for not worshipping Him in the true way. The
action taken by their king Hoshea left them no defense.
When the Assyrians made their third incursion into Israel,
the kingdom of the north was destroyed forever, and the
people, one and all, were carried away into exile.·
The heathen nations settled in Samaria by the Assyrians
instead of the deported Ten Tribes were forced by God to
accept the true religion of the Jews. Nevertheless they
. continued to worship their olden idols: the Babylonians paid

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I e'Ws

devotion to a hen. the people of Cuthah to a cock. those of

Hamath to a ram, the dog and the ass were the gods of the
A vvites, and the mule and the horse the gods of the Sephar-
¥ilea..

HEZEKIAB
While the northern kingdom was rapidly descending into
the pit of destruction, a mighty upward impulse was given
to Judah, both spiritually and materially. by its king Hue-
Idah. In his infancy the king had been destined as a sacri-
fice to Moloch. His mother had saved him from death only
by rubbing him with the blood of a salamander. which made
him fire-proof.- In every respect he was the opposite of
his father. As the latter is counted among the worst of
sinnen, so Hezekiah is counted among the most pious of
IsraeL His first act as king is evidence that he held the
honor of God t.o be his chief concern. important beyond all
else. He refused to accord his father regal obsequies; his
remains were buried as though he had been poor and of
plebeian rank. Impious as he was. Ahaz desened nothing
more dignified.- God had Himself made it known to Hue-
Idah, by a sign. that his father was to have no consideration
paid him. On the day of the dead king's funeral daylight
lasted but two hours, and his body had to be interred when
the earth was enveloped in darkness.·
Throughout his reign. Hezekiah devoted himself mainly
to the task of dispelling the ignorance of the Torah which
his father had caused. While Abu had forbidden the
study of the law, Hezekiah's orders read: II Who does not
occupy himself with the Torah, renders himself subject to

Digitized by Coogle
 TIN La," Kings of ItldtJIt
the death penalty." The academies closed under Abu were
kept open day and night under Hezekiah. The king himself
supplied the oil needed for illuminating purposes. Gradu-
ally, under this system, a generation grew up so well trained
that one could search the land from Dan even to Beer-sheba
and not find a single ignoramus. The very women and the
children, both boys and girls, knew the laws of .. clean and
unclean." R By way of rewarding his piety, God granted
Hezekiah a brilliant victory over Sennacherib.
This Assyrian king, who had, conquered the whole
world," equipped an army against Hezekiah like unto which
there is none, unless it be tbe army of the four kings whom
Abraham routed, or the army to be raised by Gog and
Magog in the Messianic t.ime. Sennacherib's army consisted
of more than two millions and a half of horsemen, among
them forty-five thousand princes sitting in chariots and sur-
rounded by their paramours, by eighty thousand armor-clad
soldiers, and sixty thousand swordsmen. The camp ex-
tended over a space of four hundred parasangs, and the
saddle-beasts standing neck to neck formed a line forty
parasangs long. The host was divided into four divisions.
After the first of them had passed the Jordan, it· was well
nigh dry, for the soldiers had all slaked their thirst with the
water of the river. The second division found nothing to
quench their thirst except the water gathered under the
hoofs of the horses. The third division was forced to dig
wells, and when the fourth division crossed the Jordan, they
kicked up great clouds of dust.R
With this vast army Sennacherib hastened onward, in ae-
corciance with the disclosures of the astrologers, who warned

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

him that he would fail in his object of capturing Jerusalem,

if he arrived there later than the day set by them. His jour-
ney having lasted but one day instead of ten, as he had ex-
pected, he rested at Nob. A raised platform was there
erected for Sennacherib, whence he could view Jerusalem.
On first beholding the J udean capital, the Assyrian king ex-
claimed: " What I Is this Jerusalem, the city for whose sake
I gathered together my whole army, for whose sake I first
conquered aU other lands? Is it not smaller and weaker
than all the cities of the nations I subdued with my strong
hand? " He stretched himself and shook his head, and
·waved his hand contemptuously toward the Temple mount
and the sanctuary crowning it. When his warriors
urged him to make his attack upon Jerusalem, he bade
them take their ease for one night, and be prepared
to storm the city the next day. It seemed no great
undertaking. Each warrior would but have to pick up
as much mortar from the wall as is needed to seal
a letter and the whole city would disappear. But Sen-
nacherib made the mistake of not proceeding directly to
the attack upon the city. If he had made the assault at once,
it would have been successful, for the sin of Saul against
the priests at Nob had not yet been wholly expiated; on that
very day it was fully atoned for.- In the following night,
which was the Passover night, when Hezekiah and the pe0-
ple began to sing the Hallel Psalms," the giant host was an-
nihilated. The archangel Gabriel,- sent by God to ripen the
fruits of the field, was charged to address himself to the task
of making away with the Assyrians, and he fulfilled his mis-
sion so well that of all the millions of the army, Sennacherib

Digitized by Coogle
 The Later Kings of Judah

alone was saved with his two sons, his son-in-law - Nebu-
chadnezzar, and Nebuzaradan." The death of the Assyrians
happened when the angel permitted them to hear the " song
of the celestials."· Their souls were burnt, though their
garments remained intact.- Such an end was too good for
Sennacherib. To him a disgraceful death was apportioned.
On his flight away from Jerusalem, he met a Divine ap-
parition in the guise of an old man. He questioned Sen-
nacherib as to what he would say to the kings allied with
him, in reply to their inquiry about the fate of their sons at
Jerusalem. Sennacherib confessed his dread of a meeting
with those kings. The old man advised him to have his hair
cut off, which would change his appearance beyond recogni-
tion. Sennacherib assented, and his adviser sent him to a
house in the vicinity to fetch a pair of shears. Here he
found some people-angels in disguise-busying themselves
with a hand-mill. They promised to give him the shears,
provided he ground a measure of grain for them. So it
grew late and dark by the time Sennacherib returned to the
old man, and he had to procure a light before his hait could
be cut. As he fanned the fire into a flame, a spark flew
into his beard and singed it, and he had to sacrifice his beard
as well as his hair. On his return to Assyria, Sennacherib
found a plank, which he worshipped as an idol, because it
was part of the ark which had saved Noah from the deluge.
He vowed that he would sacrifice his sons to this idol if
he prospered in his next ventures. But his sons heard
his vows, and they killed their father,- and fled to ~rdu:
where they released the Jewish captives confined there in
great numbers. With these they marched to Jerusalem, and

Digitized by Coogle
2"/0 The Legends of the Jews

became proselytes there. The famous scholars Shemaiab

and Abtation were the descendants of these two sons of
Sennacherib.•

MIRACLES WROUGHT FOR HEZEKIAH

The destruction of the Assyrian host delivered Hezekiah
from an inner as well as an outer enemy, for he had.oppo-
nents in Jerusalem, among thc."O the high priest Shebnah.-
Shebnah had a more numerous following in the city than the
king himself,· and they and their leader had favored peace
with Sennacherib. Supported by Joah, another influential
personage, Shebnah had fastened a letter to a dart, and shot
the dart into the Assyrian camp. The contents of the letter
were: Ie We and the whole people of Israel wish to conclude
peace with thee, but Hezekiah and Isaiah will not permit
it." .. Shebnah's influence was so powerful tbat Hezekiah
began to show signs of yielding. Had it not been for the
prophet Isaiah, the king would have submitted to Sennache-
no's demands.
She~nah's treachery and his other sins did not go unpun-
ished. When he and his band of adherents left Jerusalem
to join the Assyrians, the angel Gabriel closed the gate as
soon as Shebnah had passed beyond it, lind so he was sep-
arated from his followers. To the inquiry of Sennacherib
about the many sympathizers he had written of, he could
give no reply but that they had changed their mind. The
l\ssyrian king thought Shebnah had made sport of him. He,
therefore, ordered his attendants to bore a hole through his
heels, tie him to the tail of a horse by them, and spur the
horse on to run until Shebnah was dragged to death.·

Digitized by Coogle
 The Later Kings of Judah

The unexpected victory won by Hezekiah over the As-

syrians. to whom the kingdom of Samaria had fallen a prey
bu~ a short time before. showed how wrong they had been
who had mocked at Hezekiah for his frugal ways. A king
whose meal consisted of a handful of vegetables could
hardly be called a dignified ruler. they had said. These
critics would gladly have seen his kingdom pass into the
hands' of Pekab. the king of Samaria. whose dessert. to
speak of nothing else. consisted of forty seim of young
pigeons.-
In view of all the wonders God had done for him. it was
unpardonable that Hezekiah did not feel himself prompted
at least to sing a song of praise to God. Indeed. when the
prophet Isaiah urged him to it, he refused. saying that the
study of the Torah. to which he devoted himself with as-
siduous zeal. was a substitute for direct expressions of grati-
tude. Besides. he thought God's miracles would become
known to the world without action on his part.· in such
ways as these: After the destruction of the Assyrian army,
when the Jews searched the abandoned camps. they found
Pharaoh the king of Egypt and the Ethiopian king Tirhakah.
These kings had hastened to the aid of Hezekiah. and the
Assyrians had taken them captive and clapped them in irons,
in which they were languishing when the Jews came upon
them. Liberated by Hezekiah. the two rulers returned to
their respective realms. spreading the report of the greatness
of God everywhere. And again, all the vassal troops in
Sennacherib's army. set free by Hezekiah, accepted the
Jewish faith. and on their way home they proclaimed the
kingdom of God in Egypt and in many other lands.-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Je'd)S

By failing in gratitude Hezekiah lost a great opportunity.

The Divine plan had been to make Hezekiah the Messiah,
and Sennacherib was to be Gog and Magog. Justice 0p-
posed this· plan, addressing God thus: .. 0 Lord of the world I
David, king of Israel, who sang so many songs and hymns
of praise to Thee, him Thou didst not make the Messiah,
and now Thou wouldst confer the distinction upon Heze-
kiah, who has no word of praise for Thee in spite of the
manifold wonders Thou hast wrought for him?" Then the
earth appeared before God, and said: .. Lord of the world I
I will sing Thee a song in place of this righteous man; make
him to be the M~siah," and the earth forthwith intoned a
song of praise. Likewise spake the Prince of the World: •
.. Lord of the world I Do the will of this righteous man."
But a voice from heaven announced: .. This is my secret,
this is my secret." And again, when the prophet exclaimed
sorrowfully, "\Voe is mel How long, 0 Lord, how long I "
the voice replied: "The time of the Messiah will arrive
.
when the • treacherous dealers and the treacherous dealers'
shall have come.""
The sin committed by Hezekiah asleep, he had to atone
for awake. If he refused to devote a song of praise to God
for his escape from the Assyrian peril, he could not refrain
from doing it after his recovery from the dangerous sickness
that befell him." This sickness was a punishment for an-
other sin beside ingratitude. He had II peeled off" the
gold from the Temple, and sent it to the king of the As-
syrians; therefore the disease that afBicted him caused his
skin to II peel off." tI Moreover, this malady of Hezekiah's
was brought upon him by God, to afford an opportunity for

Digitized by Coogle
 The Later Kings of Judah

the king and the prophet Isaiah to come close to each other.
The two had bad a dispute on a point of etiquette." The
king adduced as a precedent the action of Elijah, who " ~ent
to show himself unto Ahab," and demanded that Isaiah, too,
should appear before him. The prophet, on the other hand,
modelled his conduct after Elisha's, who pennitted the
kings of Israel, and Judah, and Edom, to. come to him.
But God settled the dispute by afflicting Hezekiah with
sickness, and then He bade Isaiah go to the king and pay
the visit due to the sick. The prophet did the bidding
of God. When he appeared in the presence of the ailing
king, he said: " Set thine house in order, for thou wilt die
in this world and not live in the next"-a fate which Heze-
kiah incurred because he had failed to take unto himself a
wife and bring forth posterity. The king's defense, that he
had preferred a celibate's life because he had seen in the
holy spirit that he was destined to have impious children, ,-
the proph~ did not consider valid. He rebutted it with the
words: "Why dost thou concern thyself with the secrets of
the All-Merciful? Thou hast but to do thy duty. God will
do whatsoever it pleases Him." Thereupon Hezekiah asked
the daughter of the prophet in marriage, saying: II Per-
chance my merits joined to thine will cause my children to
be virtuous." But Isaiah rejected the proposal of marriage,
because he knew that the decree of God ordaining the king's
death was unalterable. Whereupon the king: II Thou son of
Amoz, bring thy prophecy to an end, and go hence I For
thus has it been transmitted to me from the house of my
ancestor:" Even if a sharp sword rests at the very throat of
a man, he may yet not refrain from uttering a prayer for -
mercy.""
18

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

And the king was right. Though death had been dec:reed
against him, his prayer averted it. In his prayer he suppli-
cated God to keep him alive for the sake of the merits of his
ancestors, who had built the Temple and brought many
proselytes into the Jewish fold, and for the sake of his own
merits, for, he said, .. I searched out aU the two hundred and
forty-eight members of my body which Thou didst give me,
and I found none which I had used in a manner contrary to
Thy will... •
His prayer was heard. God added fifteen years to his
life, but He made him understand very clearly. that he
owed the' mercy solely to the merits of David, not at all
to his own, as Hezekiah fondly believed." Before Isaiah
left the court of the palace, God instructed him to return to
the king, and announce his recovery to him. Isaiah feared
lest Hezekiah should place little trust in his words, as he had
but a short while before predicted his swiftly approaching
end. But God reassured the prophet. In his modesty and
piety. the king would harbor no doubt derogatory to the
prophet's trustworthiness." The remedy employed by
Isaiah. a cake of figs applied to the boil. increased the won-
der of Hezekiah's recovery, for it was apt to aggravate the
malady rather than alleviate it."
A number of miracles besides were connected with the
recovery of Hezekiah. In itself it was remarkable. as being
the first case of a recovery on record. Previously illness
had been inevitably followed by death. Before he had faUen
sick, Hezekiah himself had implored God to change this or-
der of nature. He held that sickness followed by restoration
to health would induce men to do penance. God had re-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Latcr Kings of Judah ~7S

plied: .. Thou art right, and the new order shall be begun
with thee." • Furthermore, the day of Hezekiah's recovery
was marked by the great miracle that the sun shone ten
hours longer than its wonted time. The remotest lands
were amazed thereat, and Baladan, the ruler of Babylon,
was prompted by it to send an embassy to Hezekiah, which
was to carry his felicitations to the Jewish king upon his
recovery. Baladan, it should be said by the way, was not
the real king of Babylon. The throne was occupied by his
father, whose face had changed into that of a dog. There-
fore the son had to administer the ,affairs of state, and he
was known by his father's name as well as hi~ own." This
Baladan was in the habit of dining at noon, and then he took
a nap until three o'clock of the afternoon. On the day of
Hezekiah's recovery, when he awoke from his .sleep, and
saw the sun overhead, he was on the' point of having his
guards executed, because he thought they had permitted
him to sleep a whole afternoon and the night following it.
He desisted only when he was informed of Hezekiah's mi-
raculous recovery, and realized that the God of Hezekiah
was greater than his own god, the sun.1i He at once set
about sending greetings to the Jewish king. His letter
read as follows: .. Peace be with Hezekiah, peace with his
great God, and peace with Jerusalem." After the letter was
dispatched, it occurred to Baladan that it had not been com-
posed properly. Mention of Hezekiah had been made be-
fore mention of God. He had the messengers called .back,
and ordered another letter to be written, in which the over-
sight was made good. As a reward for his punctiliousness,
three of his descendants, Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-merodach,

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / ews

and Belshazzar, were appointed by God to be world .mon-

archs. God said: "Thou didst arise from thy throne, and
didst take three steps to do Me honor, by having thy letter
re-written, therefore will I grant thee three descendants who
shall be known from one end of the world to the other."·
The embassy sent by the Babylonian monarch was an act
of homage to God for his miracle-working power. Heze-
kiah, however, took it to be an act of homage toward him-
self, and it had the effect of making him arrogant. Not only
did he eat and drink with the heathen who made up the em-
bassy, but also, in his haughtiness of mind; he displayed
before them all the treasures which he had captured from
Sennacherib, and many other curiosities besides, among
the~ magnetic iron, a peculiar sort of ivory, and honey as
solid as stone.
What was worse, he had his wife partake of the meal in
honor of the embassy, and, most heinous crime of all," be
opened the holy Ark, and pointing to the ~bles of the
law within it, said to the heathen: "With the help of these
we undertake wars and win victories." I i God sent Isaiah
to reproach Hezekiah for these acts. The king, instead of
confessing his wrong at once, answered the prophet haugh-
tily.1i Then Isaiah announced to him that the treasures
taken from Sennacherib· would revert to Babylon some
time in the future, and his descendants, Daniel and the three
companions of Daniel, would serve the Babylonian ruler as
eunuchs.1i
Despite his pride in this case, Hezekiah was one of the
most pious kings of Judah. EspeciaIly he is deserving of
praise for his efforts to have Hebrew literature put into

Digitized by Coogle
 The LiJI". Ki"l1s of ItulalJ 27.7

writing, for it was Hezekiah who bad copies made of the

books of Isaiah, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Proverbs.-
On the other band, he bad concealed the books containing
medical remedies.-
Great was the mourning over him at his death. No less
than thirty-six thousand men with bared shoulders marched
before his bier, and, rarer distinction still, a scroll of the
law was laid upon his bier, for it was said: II He who rests
in this bier, bas fulfilled all ordained in this book."· He
was buried next to David and Solomon.-

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

Digitized by Coogle
 Tiu Legmds of thl J I'WS

After Hezekiah had departed this life, Manasseh ceased

to serve the God of his father. He did whatever his evU
imagination prompted. The altar was destroyed, and in
the inner space of the Temple he set up an idol" with four
faces, copied from the four figures on the throne of God.
It was so placed that from whatever direction one entered
the Temple, a face of the idol confronted him.1I
As Manasseh was sacrilegious toward God, he was malev-
olent toward his fellows. He had fashioned an image so
large that it required a thousand men to carry it. Daily a
new force was employed on this task, because Manasseh
had each set of porters killed off at the end of the day's
work. All his acts were calculated to cast contempt upon
Judaism and its tenets. It did not satisfy his evil desire to
obliterate the name of God from the Holy Scriptures; - he
went so far as to deliver public lectures whose burden was
to ridicule the Torah.- Isaiah and the other prophets,
Micah, Joel, and Habakkuk,-left Jerusalem and repaired to
a mountain in the desert, that they might be spared the sight
of the abominations practiced by the king. Their abiding-
place was disclosed to the king. A Samaritan, a descend-
ant of the false prophet Zedekiah, had taken refuge in
Jerusalem after the destruction ~f the Temple. But he did
not remain there long; charges were made against him be-
fore the pious king Hezekiah, and he withdrew to Beth-Ie-
hem, where he gathered hangers-on about him. This Sa-
maritan it was who traced the prophets to their retreat, and
lodged accusations against them before Manasseh.- The
impious king sat in judgment on Isaiah, and condemned him
to death. The indictment against him was that his propbe-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Later Kings of Judah

des contained teachings in contradiction with the law of

Moses. God said unto Moses: .. Thou canst not see My
face; for man shall not see Me and live" ; while Isaiah said:
II I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up."

Again, Isaiah compared the princes of Israel and the people

with the impious inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, and
he prophesied the downfall of Jerusalem and the destruction
of the Temple.- The prophet offered no explanation. He
was convinced of the uselessness of defending himself, and
he preferred Manasseh should act from ignorance rather
than from wickedness. However, he fled for safety. When
he heard the royal bailiffs in pursuit of him,. he pronounced
the Name of God, and a cedar-tree swallowed him up. The
king ordered the tree to be sawn in pieces. When the saw
was applied to the portion of the bark under which the mouth·
o·~ Isaiah lay concealed, he died. His mouth was the only
vulnerable part of his body, because at the time when he was
called to his prophetical mission,· it had made use of the
contemptuous words II a people of unclean lips," regarding
Israel. Isaiah died at the age of one hundred and twenty
years," by the hands of his own grandchild.-
God is long-suffering, but in the end Manasseh received
the deserved punishment f?r his sins and crimes. In the
twenty-second year of his rulership, the Assyrians came and
carried him off to Babylon in fetters, him together with the
old Danite idol, Micah's image.- In Babylonia, the king
was put into an oven which was heated from below. Find-
ing himself in this extremity, Manasseh began to call upon
god after god to help him out of his straits. As this proved
inefficacious, he resorted to other means. II I remember,"

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

he said, "my father taught me the verse: 'When thou art

in tribulation, if in the latter days thou ~alt return to the
Lord thy God, and hearken unto His voice, He will not
f~il thee.' Now I cry to God. If he inclines His ear unto
me, well and good; if not, then all kinds of gods are
alike." The angels stopped up the windows of heaven,
that the prayer of Manasseh might not ascend to God,
and they said: II Lord of the world I Art Thou willing
to give gracious hearing to one who has paid worship to
idols, and set up an idol in the Temple?" "If I did not ac-
cept the penance of this man," replied God, "I should be
closing the door in the face of all repentant sinners." God
made a small opening under the Throne of His Glory, and
received the prayer of Manasseh through it. Suddenly a
wind arose, and carried Manasseh back to Jerusalem.- His
return to God not only helped him in his distress, but also
brought him pardon for all his sins, so that not even his
share in the future world was withdrawn from him.-
The people of this time were attrac:ted to idolatry with so
irresistible a force that the vast learn~ng of Manasseh, who
knew fifty-two different interpretations of the Book of Le-
viticus,· did not give him enough moral strength to with-
stand its influence. Rab Ashi, the famous compiler of the
Talmud, once announced a lecture on Manasseh with the
words: II To-morrow I shall speak about our colleague Ma-
nasseh." At night the king appeared to Ashi in a dream,
and put a ritual question to him, which the Rabbi could not
answer. Manasseh told him the solution, and Ashi, in
amazement at the king's scholanhip, asked why one so eru-
dite had served idols. Manasseh's reply was: " Hadst thou

Digitized by Coogle
 ---~ --- -~-- -- -- --- ---

The Later Kings of Judah 281

lived at my time, thou wouldst have caught hold of the hem

of my gannent and -run after me." ..
Amon, the son of Manasseh, surpassed his father in wick-
edness. He was in the habit of saying: ., My father was a
sinner from early childhood, and in his old age he did pen-
ance. I shall do the same. First I shall satisfy the desires of
my heart, and afterward I shall return to God." III Indeed,
he was guilty of more grievous sins than his predecessor;
he burned the Torah; under him the place of the altar was
covered with spiderwebs; and, as though of purpose to set
at naught the Jewish religion, he committed the worst sort
of incest, a degree more heinous than his father's crime of a
similar nature;1D Thus he executed the first half of his
maxim lite.-ally. For repentance, however, he was given no
time; death cut him off in the fulness of his sinful ways.

JOSIAH AND HIS SUCCESSORS

That the full measure of punishment was not meted out
to Amon-his evil deeds were such that he should have for-
feited. his share in the world to come-was due to the cir-
cumstance that he had a pious and righteous son.'" Josiah
offers a shining model ~f true, sincere repentance.'" Though
at first he followed in the footsteps of his father Amon, he
soon gave up the ways of wickedness, and became one of
the most pious kings of Israel, whose chief undertaking was
the effort to bring the whole people back to the true faith.
It dates from the time when a copy of the Torah was found
in the Temple, a copy that had escaped the holocaust kindled
by his father and predecessor Amon for the purpose of ex-
terminating the Holy Scriptures.'" When he opened the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / ews

Scriptures, the first verse to strike his eye was the one in
Deuteronomy: "The Lord shall bring thee and thy king
into exile, unto a nation which thou hast not known." Jo-
siah feared this doom of exile was impending, and he sought
to conciliate God through the reform of his people.III
His first step was to enlist the intercession of the prophets
in his behalf. He addressed his request, not to Jeremiah, but
to the prophetess Huldah, knowing that women are more
easily moved to compassion. As Jeremiah was a kinsman
of the prophetess-their common ancestors were Joshua
and Rahab-the king felt no apprehension that the prophet
take his preference for Huldah amiss. The proud, digni-
fied answer of the prophetess was, that the misfortune coul~
not be averted from Israel, but the destruction of the Temple,
she continued consolingly, would not happen until after the
death of Josiah.Dr In view of the imminent destruction of
the Temple, Josiah hid the holy Ark and all its appurte-
nances, in order to guard them against desecration at the
hands of the enemy.Da
The efforts of the king in behalf of God and His law
found no echo with the great majority of the people.
Though the king was successful in preventing the worship
of idols in pUblic, his subjects knew how to deceive him.
Josiah sent out his pious sympathizers to inspect the houses
of the people, and he was satisfied with their report, that
they had found no idols, not suspecting that the recreant
people had fastened half an image on each wing of the
doors, so that the inmates faced their household idols as
they closed the door upon Josiah's inspectors.
This godless generation contemporaneous with Josiah was

Digitized by Coogle
 The Lat" Kings 01 Judah

to blame for his death. When King Pharaoh, in his cam-

paign against the Assyrians, wanted to travel through
Palestine, Jeremiah advised the king not to deny the Egyp-
tians the passage through his land. He cited a prophecy
by his teacher Isaiah, who had foreseen the war between
Assyria and Egypt. But Josiah retorted: II Moses, thy
teacher's teacher, spake: • I will give peace in the land, and
no sword shall go through your land,' not even the sword
that is not raised against Israel with hostile intent." The
king, innocent of the deception practiced by the people, knew
not that they were idol worshippers, to whom the promises
of the Torah have no application. In the engagement that
ensued between the Jews and the Egyptians, no less than
three hundred darts struck the king. In his death agony
be uttered no word of complaint; he only said: "The Lord
is righteous, for I have rebelled against His commandment,"
thus admitting his guilt in not having heeded the advice of
the prophet.-
So ended the days of this just king after a brilliant career,
the only king since Solomon to rule over both Judah and
Israel, for Jeremiah had brought back to Palestine the ten
exiled tribes of the north, and made them subject to Jo-
siah.- The mourning for him was profound.- Even J ere-
miah perpetuated his memory in his Lamentations.-
Pharaoh of Egypt was not permitted to enjoy the results
of his victory to the full, for it was soon after this that, in
attempting to· ascend the wondrous throne of Solomon, he
was struck down by the lions and rendered lame by the
blow.-
The people put Jehoahaz on the throne of Judah to suc-

Digitized by Coogle
 The. ~,gmd.s _of lhe J I'W.I

ceed Josiah, though his brother Jehoiakim was the older by

two years. To silence the legitimate claims of Jehoiakim.
the new king underwent the ceremony of anointing.DO But
his reign was "!efY brief. At the end of three months
Pharaoh carried him off into exile in Egypt, and J ehoiakim
ruled in his stead. _
J ehoiakim was another of the' sinful monarchs of the
Jews, uncharitable toward men and disobedient to God and
the laws of God. His garments were of two kinds of stuff
mingled together, his body was tattooed with the names of
idols. and in order that he might appear as a non-Jew, he
performed the operation of an epipost upon himself. Va-
rious forms of incest were committed by him, and, besides,
he was in the habit of putting men to death that he might
violate their wives, and confiscate their possessions.- Bias-
phemousas he was, he spoke: "My predecessors did not
know how to provoke the wrath of God. As for me, I
say -frankly, we have no need whatsoever of Him; the very
light He gives us we can dispense with, for the gold of
Parvaim can well replace it." III
Seeing such abominations. God desired to resolve the
world into its original chaos. If He desisted from His
purpose, it was only because the people led a God-fearing
life during the time of ] ehoiakim.- After he had reigned
eleven years, Nebuchadnezzar put an end to his dominion.
Advancing with his army, the Babylonian king halted at
Daphne, a suburb of Antioch. Here he was met by the
Sanhedrin of Jerusalem. who desired to know whether
he was coming with the purpose of destroying the
Temple. Nebuchadnezzar assured them, that aU he

Digitized by Coogle
 The Later Kings of Judah

wanted was the surrender of Jehoiakim, who had rebelled

against his authority. Returned to Jerusalem, the San-
hedrin infonned Jehoiakim of Nebuchacinezzar's intention.
The king asked the elders, whether it was ethical to pur-
chase their lives by sacrificing his. For&l)swer they referred
him to the story of the way Joab dealt with the city of Abel
of Beth-maacah, which bad saved itself by surrendering the
rebel Sheba, the son of Bichri. The king's objections did
not deter the Sanhedrin from following the example of Joab
acting under the direction of David. They made J ehoiakim
glide down from the city walls of Jerusalem by a chain.
Below, the Babylonians stood ready to receive him. Nebu~
chadnezzar took Jehoiakim in fetters to all the cities of
Judah, then he slew him, and, his rage still unabated,
threw his corpse to the dogs after having stuck it
into the carcass of an ass.- The dogs left nothing of
Jehoiakim's body over except his skull, on which were writ-
ten the words: II This and something besides." Many
centuries later it was found by a Rabbi near the gates of
Jerusalem. He tried in vain to give it burial; the earth
refused to retain it, and the Rabbi concluded therefrom that
it belonged to the corpse of Jehoiakim. He wrapped the
skull in a cloth, and laid it in a doset. One day the wife. of
the Rabbi discovered it there, and she burnt it, thinking the
skull belonged to a fonner wife of her husband, so dear to .
him even after her death that he could not separate himself
from this relic.-
When Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylonia from his
Palestinian expedition, the people received him with great
pomp and solemnity. He announced to them that in place

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I e'UJs

of Jehoiakim, whom he had slain, he had installed Mattaniah.

the rebel's son, called Jehoiachin, as king over Judah, and
the people uttered the warning: .. One cannot educate a well-
behaved puppy whose dam was iU-conditioned ; let alone an
iU-conditioned puppy whose dam was ill<onditioned."
Nebuchadnezzar returned to Daphne, and informed the
Sanhedrin, who hastened from Jerusalem to meet him, that
he desired the surrender of J ehoiachin. If they refused to
satisfy his demand, he would destroy the Temple. When
the Jewish king was told the threat of his Babylonian ad-
versary, he mounted upon the roof of the Temple. and.
holding all the keys of its chambers in his hand, he spoke
thus to God: .. Until now Thou didst consider us worthy of
confidence, and Thou didst entrust Thy keys to us. Since
Thou no longer dost esteem us trustworthy, here. take back
Thy keys." He was held to his word: a hand was stretched
forth from heaven, and it received the keys.-
Jehoiachin, good and piotts. did not desire the city of Je-
rusalem to be exposed to peril for his sake. So he delivered
himself to the Babylonian leaders. after they swore that
neither city nor people should suffer harm. But the Baby-
lonians did not keep their oath. A short while thereafter
they carried into exile, not only the king, but also his mother,
and ten thousand III of the Jewish nobility and of the great
scholars.- This was the second attempt made by Nebuchad-
nezzar to deport the Jews. On taking the former king Je-
hoiakim captive, he had exiled three hundred of the noblest
of the people, among them the prophet Ezekiel.-
The king Jehoiachin was incarcerated for life, a solitary
prisoner. separated from his wife and his family. The San-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Later Kings of Judah

hedrin, who were among those deported with the king,

feared that the house of David die out. They therefore be-
sought Nebuchadnezzar not to separate Jehoiachin from
his wife. They succeeded in enlisting the sympathy of the
queen's hairdresser, and through her of the queen herself,
Semiramis, the wife of Nebuchadnezzar, who in tum pre-
vailed upon the king to accord mild treatment to the un-
fortunate prince exiled from Judea. Suffering had com-
pletely changed the once sinful king, so that, in spite
of his great joy over his reunion with his wife, he still
paid regard to the prescriptions of the Jewish law regu-
lating conjugal life. He was prepared to deny himself every
indulgence, when the purchase price was an infringement
of the word of God. Such steadfastness pleaded with God
to pardon the king for his sins, and the heavenly Sanhe-
drin absolved God from His oath, to crush Jehoiachin and
deprive his house of sovereignty.- By way of reward for
his continence he was blessed with distinguished posterity.
Not only was Zerubbabel, the first governor of Palestine
after the destruction of the Temple, a grandson of Je-
hoiachin's,· but also the Messiah himself will be a descend-
ant of his.1II

Digitized by Coogle
Digit
 X
THE EXILE

ZEDEKIAH •••••••••••••••••••••••••••
.-
291
JEREMIAH ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 294
NEBUCHADNEZZAR •••••••••••••••••••• 300
THE CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM ••••••••••• 301
THE GREAT LAMENT •••••••••••••••••• 304
JEREMIAH'S JOURNEY TO BABYLON ••••••• 310
TRANSPORTATION OF THE CAPTIVES •••••• 313
THE SONS OF MOSES ••••••••••••••••••• 316
EBED-MELECH •••••••••••••••••••••••• 318
THE TEMPLE VESSELS ••••••••••••••••• 320
BARUCH •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 322
THE TOMBS OF BARUCH AND EZEKIEL •••• 324
DANIEL ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 326
THE THREE MEN IN THE FURNACE •••••• 328
EzEKIEL REVIVES THE DEAD •••••••••••• 332
NEBUCHADNEZZAR A BEAST ••••••••••••• 333
HIRAM •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 335
THE FALSE PROPHETS ••••••••••••••••• 336
DANIEL'S PIETY •••••••••••••••••••••• 337

Digitized by Coogle
5F
I

Digitized by Coogle
 X
THE EXILE
ZEDEKlAlI '

The execution of one king and the deportation of another

were but preludes to the great national catastrophe in the
time of Zedekiah, the destruction of the Temple and the
exile of the whole people. After Nebuchadnezzar had led
Jehoiachin and a portion of the people into banishment, his
commiseration was aroused 'for the Jews, and he inquired,
whether any other sons of Josiah were still living. Only
Mattaniah was left.· He was re-named Zedekiah, in the
hope that he would be the father of pious sons. In reality the
name became the omen of the disasters to happen in the
time of this king.
Nebuchadnezzar, who invested Zedekiah with the royal
office, demanded that he swear fealty to him. Zedekiah was
about to swear by his own soul, but the Babylonian king,
not satisfied, brought a scroll of the law, and made his
Jewish vassal take the oath upon that.· Nevertheless he did
not keep faith with Nebuchadnezzar for long. Nor was this
his qnIy treachery toward his suzerain. He had once sur-
prised Nebuchadnezzar in the act of cutting a piece from a
living hare and eating it, as is the habit of barbarians.
Nebuchadnezzar was painfully embarrassed, and he begged
the Jewish king to promise under oath not to mention what
he had seen. Though Nebuchadnezzar treated him with

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

great friendliness, even making him sovereign lord over five

vassal kings, he did not justify the trust reposed in him.
To flatter Zedekiah, the five kings once said: "If all were
as it should be. thou woulds't' occupy the throne of Nebu-
chadnezzar." Zedekiah could not refrain from exclaiming:
"0 yes. Nebuchadnezzar, whom I once saw eating a live
bare I "
The five kings at once repaired to Nebuchadnezzar, and
reported what Zedekiah bad said. Thereupon the king of
Babylonia marched to Daphne. near Antioch. with the pur-
pose of chastising Zedekiah. At Daphne he found the San-
hedrin of Jerusalem. who had hastened thither to receive
him. Nebuchadnezzar met the Sanhedrin courteously. or-
dered his attendants to bring state chairs for all the mem-
bers. and requested them to read the Torah to him and ex-
plain it. When they reached the passage in the Book of
Numbers dealing with the remission of vows. the king put
the question: "If a man desires to be released from a vow,
what steps must he take?" The Sanhedrin replied: "He
must repair to a scholar. and he will absolve him from his
vow." Whereupon N ebuchadnezzar exclaimed: ee I verily
believe it was you who released Zedekiah from the TOW he
took concerning me." And he ordered the members of the
Sanhedrin to leave their state chairs and sit on the ground.·
They were forced to admit, that they bad not acted ill ac-
cordance with the law, for Zedekiah's vow affected another
beside himself. and without the acquiescence of the other
party, namely, Nebuchadnezzar, the Sanhedrin had no
authority to annul the vow.'
Zedekiah was duly punished for, the grievous 'crime of

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile 293

perjury. When Jerusalem was captured, he tried to escape

through a cave extending from his house to Jericho.' God
sent a deer into the camp of the Cbaldeans, and in their pur-
suit of this game, the Babylonian soldiers reached the far-
ther opening of the cave at the very moment .whenZede-
~ah was leaving it.1 The Jewish king together with his ten
sons was brought before Nebuchadnezzar, who addressed
Zedekiah thus: •• Were I to judge thee according to the law
of thy God, thou wouldst deserve the death penalty, for thou
didst swear a false oath by the Name of God ; no less wouldst
thou deserve death, if I were to judge thee according to the
law of the state, for thou didst fail in thy sworn duty to thy
overlord."
Zedekiah requested the grace that his execution take place
before his children's, and he be spared the sight of their
blood. His children, on the other hand, besought Nebuchad-
nezzar to slay them before he slew their father, that they
might be spared the disgrace of seeing their father executed.
In his heartlessness Nebuchaanezzar had resolved worse
things than Zedekiah anticipated. In the sight of their
father, the children of Zedekiah were killed, and then Zede-
kiah himself was deprived of sight; his eyes were blinded.-
He had been endowed with eyes of superhuman strength,-
they were the eyes of Adam,-and the iron lances forced
into them were powerless to destroy his sight. Vision left
him only because of the tears he shed over the fate of his
children.' Now he realized how true Jeremiah had spoken
when he had prophesied his exile to Babylonia. Though he
should live there until his death, he would never behold the
land with his eyes. On accoUnt of its seeming contradic-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

toriness, Zedekiah had thought the prophecy untrue. For

this reason he had not heeded Jeremiah's advice to make
peace with Nebuchadnezzar. Now it had all been verified;
he was carried to Babylonia a captive, yet, blind as he was,
he did not see the land of his exile.'

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

Digitized by Coogle
-------------------------------------------------~ .

The Exile 29S

golden crowns upon their heads. Robbers will come and

strip them of their ornaments."
As a lad he received the call to be a prophet. But he re-
fused to obey, saying: "0 Lord, I cannot go as a prophet
to Israel, for when lived there a prophet whom Israel did
not desire to kill? Moses and Aaron they sought to stone
with stones; Elijah the Tishbite they mocked at because his
hair was grown long; and they called after Elisha, • Go up,
thou bald head '-no, I cannot go to Israel, for I am still
naught but a lad." God replied: II I love youth, for it is
innocent. When I carried Israel out of Egypt, I called
him a lad, and when I think of Israel lovingly, I speak of
him as a lad. Say not, therefore, thou art only a lad, but
thou sbalt go on whatsoever errand I, shall send thee.
Now, then," God continued, "~e the • cup of wrath,' and
let the nations drink of it." Jeremiah put tbe question,
which land was to drink first from the II cup of wrath," and
the answer of God was: II First Jerusalem is to drink, th~
bead of all earthly nations, and then the cities of Judah."
When the propbet heard tbis, he began to curse the day of
his birth. II I am like the high priest," he said, II wbo has to
administer the • water of bitterness' to a woman wbo is
beld under the suspicion of adultery, and when he ap-
proaches the woman with the cup, 10, he bebolds his own
mother. And I, 0 Mother Zion, thought, when I was called
to propbesy, that I was appointed to proclaim prosperity and
salvation to thee, but now I see that my message forebodes
thee evil."
Jeremiah's first appearance in public was during the reign
of Josiah, when he announced to the people in the streets:

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / ews

" If ye will give- up your wicked doings, God will raise you
above all nations; if not, He will deliver His house into the
hands of the enemies. and they will deal with it as seemeth
best to them."
The prophets contemporary with Jeremiah in bis early
years were Zechariah and Huldah. The province of the lat-
ter was among women, while Zechariah was active in the
synagogue.1I Later, under Jehoiakim, Jeremiah was sup-
ported by the prophecies of his relative Uriah of Kiriath-
jearim, a friend of the prophet Isaiah." But Uriah was
put to death by the ungodly king, the same who had the first
chapter of Lamentations burnt after obliterating the Name
of God wherever it occurs in the whole book. But Jeremiah
added four chapters.1I
The prophet fell upon evil times under Zedekiah. He had
both the people and the court against him. Nor was that
surprising in a day when not even the high priests in the
Temple bore the sign of the covenant upon their bodies.-
Jeremiah had called forth general hostility by condemning
the alliance with Egypt against Babylonia, and favoring
peace with N ebuchadnezzar; and this though to all appear-
ances the help of the Egyptians would prove of good effect
for the Jews. The hosts of Pharaoh Necho had actually set
forth from Egypt to join the Jews against Babylon. But
when they were on the high seas, God commanded the waters
to cover themselves with corpses. Astonished, the Egyp-
tians asked each other, whence the dead bodies. Presently
the answer occurred to them: they were the bodies of their
ancestors drowned in the Red Sea on account of the Jews,
who had shaken off Egyptian rule. "What," said the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile

Egyptians thereupon, "shall we bring help to those who .

drowned our fathers?" So they returned to their own
country, justifying the warning of Jeremiah, that no de-
pendence could be put upon Egyptian promises."
A little while after this occurrence, when Jeremiah wanted
to leave Jerusalem to go to Anathoth and partake of his
priestly portion there, the watchman at the gate accused
him of desiring to desert to the enemy. He was delivered to
his adversaries at court, and they confined him in prison.
The watchman kne~ full well that it was a trumped up
charge he was bringing against Jeremiah, and the intention
attributed to him was as far as possible from the mind of the
prophet, but he took this opportunity to vent an old family
grudge. For this gateman was a grandson of the false
prophet Hananiah, the enemy of Jeremiah, the one who had
prophesied Complete victory over Nebuchadnezzar within
two years. It were proper to say, he calculated the victory
rather than prophesied it. He reasoned: .. If unto Elam,
which is a mere ally of the Babylonians against the Jews,
destruction has been appointed by God through Jeremiah,
so much the more will the extreme penalty fall upon the
Babylonians themselves, who have inflicted vast evil upon
the Jews..... Jeremiah's prophecy had been the reverse: so
far from holding forth any hope that a victory would be won
over Nebuchadnezzar, the Jewish state, he said, would suf-
fer annihilation. Hananiah demanded a sign betokening
the truth of Jeremiah's prophecy. But Jeremiah contended
there could be no sign for such a prophecy as his, since the
Divine determination to do evil can be annulled. On the
other hand, it was the duty of Hananiah to give a sign, for
••

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the J t'WS

he was prophesying pleasant things, and the Divine resolu-

tion for good is executed without fail.- Finally, Jeremiah
advanced the clinching argument: " I, a priest, may be well
content with the prophecy; it is to my interest that the
Temple should continue to stand. As for thee, thou art a
Gibeonite, thou wilt have to do a slave's service in it so long
as there is a Temple. But instead of troubling thy mind
with the future in store for others, thou shouldst rather have
thought of thine own future, for this very year thou wilt
die." Hananiah, in very truth, died on the last day of the
year set as his term of life, but before his death he ordered
that it should be kept secret for two days, so to give the lie
to Jeremiah's prophecy. With his last words, addressed to
his son She1emiah, he charged him to seek every possible
way of taking revenge upon Jeremiah, to whose curse his
death was to be ascnoed. Shelemiah had no opportunity of
fulfilling his father's last behest, but it did not pass from his
mind, and when he, in tum, lay upon his death-bed, he im-
pressed the duty of revenge upon his son Jeriah. It was
this grandson of Hananiah who, when he saw Jeremiah
leaving the city, hastened to take the opportunity of accusing
the prophet of treason. His purpose prospered. The aris-
tocratic enemies of Jeremiah, enraged against him, welcomed
the chance to put him behind prison bars, and gave him in
charge of a jailer, Jonathan, who had been a friend of the
false prophet Hananiah. Jonathan pleased himself by mock."
ing at his prisoner: cc See," he would say, cc see what honor
thy friend does thee, to put thee in so fine a prison as this;
verily, it is a royal palace."
Despite his suffering, Jeremiah did not hold back the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Esill

truth. When the king inquired of him, whether he had a

revelation from God, he replied: .. Yes, the king of Baby-
lonia will carry thee off into exile." To avoid irritating the
king, he went into no further detaiL He only prayed the
king to liberate him from prison, saying: .. Even wicked
men-like Hananiah and his descendants-at least cast about
for a pretext when they desire to take revenge, and their
example ought not to be lost upon thee who art called Zede-
kiah, , just man.'" The king granted his petition, but J ere-·
miah did not enjoy liberty for long. Hardly out of prison,
he again advised the people. to surrender, and the nobility
seized him and cast him into a lime pit filled with water,
where they hoped he would drown. But a miracle hap-
pened. The water sank to the bottom, and the mud rose to
the surface, and supported the prophet above the water.
Help came to him from Ebed-melech, a " white raven," the
only pious man at court. Ebed-melech hastened to the king
and spoke: .. Know, if Jeremiah perishes in the lime pit, Je-
rusalem will surely be captured." With the permission of
the king, Ebed-melech went to the pit, and cried. out aloud
several times, "0 my lord Jeremiah," but no answer came.
Jeremiah feared the words were spoken by his former
jailer Jonathan, who had not given up his practice of mock-
ing at the prophet. He would come to the edge of the pit
and call down jeeringly: .. Do but rest thy head on the mud,
and take a little sleep, Jeremiah." To such sneers Jeremiah
made no reply, and hence it was that Ebed-melech was left
unanswered. Thinking the prophet dead, he began to lament
and tear his clothes. Then Jeremiah, realizing that it was
a friend, and not Jonathan~ asked: .. Who is it that is

Digitized 'bY Coogle

300 The Legends of the Jews

calling my name and weeps therewith?.. and he .received

the assurance that Ebed-melech had come to rescue him from
his perilous position.-

NEBUCHADNEZZAR

The suffering to which Jeremiah was exposed was finally

ended by the capture of Jerusalem by N ebuchadnezzar.
This Babylonian king was a son of King Solomon and the
Queen of Sheba.- His first contact with the Jews happened
in the time of his father-in-law Sennacherib, whom he
accompanied on his campaign against Hezekiah. The
destruction of the Assyrian army before the walls of Jeru-
salem, the great catastrophe from which only Nebuchad-
nezzar and four others escaped with their life, inspired
him with fear of God.1I Later, in his capacity as secretary
to the Babylonian king Merodach-baladan, it was he who
called his master's notice to the mention of the Jewish
king's name before the Name of God. II Thou callest Him
, the great God: yet thou dost name Him after the king," he
said. Nebuchadnezzar himself hastened after the messenger
to bring back the letter and have it changed. He had ad-
vanced scarce three steps when he was restrained by the
angel Gabriel, for even the few paces he had walked for the
glory of God earned him his great power over Israel. A
further step would have extended his ability to inflict barm
immeasurably.-
For eighteen years daily a beavenly voice resounded in the
pa~ace of Nebuchadnezzar, saying: "0 thou wicked slave,
go and destroy tbe bouse of thy Lord, for His children
bearken not unto Him." But Nebucbadnezzar was beset

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile 301

with fears lest God prepare a fate for him similar to that of
his ancestor. Sennacherib. He practiced belomancy and
consulted other auguries, to assure himself that the war
against Jerusalem would result favorably. When he shook
up the arrows, and questioned whether he was to go to
Rome or Alexandria, not one arrow sprang up, but when he
questioned about Jerusalem, one sprang up. He sowed
seeds and set out plants j for Rome or Alexandria nothing
came up j for Jerusalem everything sprouted and grew. He
lighted candles and lanterns j for Rome or Alexandria they
refused to bum, for Jerusalem they shed their light. He
floated vessels on the Euphrates j for Rome or Alexandria
they did not move, for Jerusalem they swam.-
Still the fears of N ebuchadnezzar were not allayed. His
determination to attack the Holy City ripened only after God
Himself had shown him how He had bound the hands of the
archangel Michael, the patron of the Jews, behind his back,
in order ,to render him powerless to bring aid to his
wards. So the campaign against Jerusalem was under-
taken.-

THE CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM

If the Babylonians thought that the conquest of Jerusa-
lem was an easy task, they were greatly mistaken. For
three years God endued the inhabitants with strength to
withstand the onslaughts of the enemy, in the hope that the
Jews would amend their evil ways and abandon their god-
less conduct, so that the threatened punishment might be
annulled.
Among the many heroes in the beleaguered city that was

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

bidding defiance to the Babylonians, one by the Dame of

Akiba was particularly distinguished. The stones hurled at
the walls of the city from the catapults wielded by the
enemy without, he was wont to catch on his feet, and throw
them back upon the besiegers. Once it happened that a
stone was so cast as to drop, not upon the wall, but in front
of it. In his swift race toward it, Akiba was precipitated
into the space between the inner and the outer wall. He
quickly reassured his friends in the city, that his fall had in
no wise harmed him. He was only a little shaken up and
weak; as soon as he had his accustomed daily meal, a roasted
ox. he would be able to scale the wall and resume ~e strug-
gle with the Babylonians. But human strength and artifice
avail naught against God. A gust of wind arose, and Akiba
was thrown from the wall. and he died. Thereupon the
Chaldeans made a breach in the wall, and penetrated into
the city.-
Equally fruitless were the endeavors of Hanamel, the
uncle of Jeremiah. to save the city•. He conjured the angels
up, armed them. and had them occupy the waDs. The
Chaldeans retreated in terror at the sight of the heavenly
host. But God changed the names of the angels. and
brought them back to heaven. Hanamel's exorcisms
availed naught. When he called the Angel of the Water. for
instance. the response would come from the Angel of Fire,
who bore the former name of his companion. Then Hana-
mel resorted to the extreme measure of summoning the
Prince of the World. who raised Jerusalem high up in the
air. But God thrust the city down again. and the enemy
entered unhindered.-

Digitized by Coogle
 Nevertheless, the capture of the city could not have been
accomplished if J eremiab had been present. His deeds were
as a finn pillar for the city, and his prayers as a stony wall.
Therefore God sent the prophet· on an errand out of the
city. He was made to go to his native place, Anathoth, to
take possession of a field, his by right of inheritance. J ere-
miah rejoiced; he took this as a sign that God would be gra-
dous to Judah, else He would not have commanded him to
take possession of a piece of land. Scarcely bad the prophet
left Jerusalem when an angel descended upon the wall of the
city and caused a breach to appear, at the same time crying
out: .. Let the enemy come and enter the house, for the
Master of the house is no longer therein. The enemy has
leave to despoil it and destroy it. Go ye into the vineyard
and snap the vines asunder, for the Watchman hath gone
away and abandoned it. But let no man boast and say, he
and his have vanquished the city. Nay, a conquered city
have ye conquered, a dead people have ye killed."
The enemy rushed in and ascended the Temple mount,
and on the spot whereon King Solomon bad been in the
habit of sitting when he took counsel with the elders, the
Chaldeans plotted how to reduce the Temple to ashes. Dur-
ing their sinister deliberations, they beheld four angels, each
with a ftaming torch in his band, descending and setting fire
to the four comers of the Temple. The high priest, seeing
the flames shoot up, cast the keys of the Temple heaven-
ward, saying: "Here are the keys of Thy house; it seems
I am an untrustworthy custodian," and, as he turned, he was
seized by the enemy and slaughtered in the very place on
which be had bees wont to ofter the daily sacrifice. With

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews .

him perished his daughter, her blood mingling with her'

father's. The priests and the Levites threw themselves into
the ftames with their harps and trumpets, and, to escape the
violence feared from the licentious Chaldeans,- the virgins
who wove the curtains for the sanctuary followed their ex-
ample. Still more horrible was the carnage caused among
the people' by N ebuzaradan, spurred on as he was by the
sight of the blood of the murdered prophet Zechariah seeth-
ing on the floor of the Temple. At first the Jews sought to
conceal the true story connected with the blood. At length
they had to confess, that it was the blood of a prophet who
had prophesied the destruction of the Temple, and for his
candor had been slain by the people. N ebuzaradan, to ap-
pease the prophet, ordered the scholars of the kingdom to
be executed first on the bloody spot, then the school chil-
dren, and at last the young priests, more than a million souls
in all. But the blood of the prophet went on seething and
reeking, until Nebuzaradan exclaimed: II Zechariah, Zecha-
riah, the good in Israel I have slaughtered. Dost thou de-
sire the destruction of the whole people? .. Then the blood
ceased to seethe.
Nebuzaradan was startled by the thought, if the Jews,
who had a single life upon their conscience, were made to
atone so cruelly, what would be his own fate! He left
Nebuchadnezzar and became a proselyte.-

THE GREAT LAMENT

On bis return from Anathoth, Jeremiah saw, at a distance,
smoke curling upward from the Temple mount, and his
spirit was joyful. He thought the Jews had repented of

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile

their sins, and were bringing incense offerings. Once within

the city walls, he knew the truth, that the Temple had fallen
a prey to the incendiary. Overwhelmed by grief, he cried
out: II 0 Lord, Thou didst entice me, and I permitted my-
self to be enticed; Thou didst send me forth out of Thy
house that Thou mightest destroy it."·
God Himself was deeply moved by the destruction of the
Temple; which He had abandoned that the enemy might en-
ter and destroy it. Accompanied by the angels, He visited
the ruins, and· gave vent to His sorrow: .. Woe is Me on ac-
count of My house. Where are My children, where My
priests, where My beloved? But what could I do for you?
Did I not warn you? Yet you would not mend your ways."
II To-day," God said to Jeremiah, .. I am like a man who has

an only son. He prepares the marriage canopy for him, and

his only beloved dies under it. Thou dost seem to feel but
little sympathy with Me and with My children. Go, sum-
mon Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses from their graves.
They know how to mourn." II Lord of the world," replied
Jeremiah, .. I know not where Moses is buried." Ie Stand
on the banks of the Jordan," said God, II and cry: • Thou
son of Amram, son of Amram, arise, see how wolves have
devoured thy sheep.' "
Jeremiah repaired to the Double Cave, an~ spake to
the Patriarchs: II Arise, ye are summoned to appear before
God.'· When they asked him the reason of the summons,
he feignea ignorance, for lie feared to tell them the true
reason; they might have cast reproaches upon him that so
great a disaster had overtaken Israel in his time. Then
Jeremiah journeyed on to the banks of the Jordan, and there
ao

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

he called as he had been bidden: .. Thou son of Amram, SOD

of Amram, arise, thou art cited to appear before God."
II What has happened this day, that God calls me unto
Him?" asked Moses. .. I know not," replied Jeremiah
again. Moses thereupon went to the angels, and from them
he learned that the Temple had been destroyed, and Israel
banished from his land. Weeping and mourning, Moses
joined the Patriarchs, and together, rending their garments
and wringing their hands, they betook themselves to the
ruins of the Temple. Here their wailing was augmented by
the loud lamentations of the angels:· .. How desolate are
the highways to Jerusalem, the highways destined for travel
without end I How deserted are the streets that once were
thronged at the seasons of the pilgrimages I 0 Lord of the
world, with Abraham the father of Thy people, who taught
the world to know Thee as the ruler of the universe, Thou
didst make a covenant, that through him and his descend-
ants the eartft should be filled with people, and now Thou
hast dissolved Thy covenant with him, 0 Lord of the
world r Thou hast scorned Zion and Jerusalem, once Thy
chosen habitation, Thou hast dealt more hardly with Israel
than with the generation of Enosh, the first idolaters,"
God thereupon said to the angels: "Why do ye array
yourselves against Me with your complaints?" II Lord of
, the world," they replied, II on account of Abraham, Thy be-
loved, who has come into Thy house wailing and weeping,
yet Thou payest no heed unto him," Thereupon God:
II Since My beloved ended his earthly career, he has not

been in My house. 'What hath My beloved to do in My

house '?".

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile 30'/

Now Abraham entered into the conversation: "Why, 0

Lord of the world, hast Thou exiled my children, delivered
them into the hands of the nations, who torture them with
all tortures, and who have rendered desolate the sanctuary,
where I was ready to bring Thee my son Isaac as a sacri-
fice? " II Thy children have sinned," said God, " they have
transgressed the whole Torah, they have offended against
every letter of it." Abraham: II Who is there that will
testify against Israel, that he has transgressed the
Torah? .. God:" Let the Torah herself appear and testify."
The Torah came, and Abraham addressed her: II 0 my
daughter, dost thou indeed come to testify against Israel, to
say that he violated thy commandments? Dost thou feel
no shame? Remember the day on which God offered thee
to all the peoples, all the nations of the earth, and they all
rejected thee with disdain.1I Then my children came to
Sinai, they accepted thee, and they honored thee. And now,
on the day of their distress, thou standest up against them? ..
Hearing this, the Torah stepped aside, and did not testify.
II Let the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet in
which the Torah is written come and testify against
Israel," said God. They appeared without delay, and Alef,
the first letter, was about to testify against Israel, when
Abraham interrupted it with the words: "Thou chief of all
letters, thou comest to testify against Israel in the time of
his distress? Be mindful of the day on which God revealed
Himself on Mount Sinai, beginning His words with thee:
, Anoki the Lord thy God.' No people, no nation accepted
thee, . only my children, and now thou comest to testify
against them I" Alef stepped aside and was silent. The same

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legend.s of the Jews

happened with the second letter Bet,· and with the third,
Gime1. and with aU the rest-all of them retired abashed,
and opened not their mouth. Now Abraham turned to God
and said: or 0 Lord of the world I When I was a hundred
years old, Thou didst give me a son, and when he was in the
flower of his age, thirty-seven years old, Thou didst c0m-
mand me to sacrifice him to Thee, and I, like a monster,
without compassion, I bound him upon the altar with mine
own hands. Let that plead with Thee, and have Thou pity
on my children."
. Then Isaac raised his voice and spake: "0 Lord of the
world, when my father told me, 'God will provide Himself
the lamb for a burnt offering, my son,' I did not resist Thy
word. Willingly I let myself be tied to the altar. my throat
was raised to meet th~ knife. Let that plead with Thee,
and have Thou pity on my children."
Then Jacob raised his voice a.nd spake: "0 Lord of the
world, for twenty years I dwelt in the house of Laban, and
when I left it, I met with Esau, ·who sought to murder my
children, and I risked my life for theirs. And now they are
delivered into the hands of their enemies. like sheep led to
the shambles, after I coddled them like fledglings breaking
forth from their shells. after I suffered anguish for their
sake all the days of my life. Let that plead with Thee,
and have Thou pity on my children."
And at last Moses raised his voice and spake: "0 Lord
of the world, was I not a faithful shepherd unto Israel for
forty long years? Like a steed I ran ahead of him in the
desert. and when the time came for him to enter the Prom-
ised Land, Thou didst command: 'Here in the desert shall

Digitized by Coogle
-----------~---.-----.. ;,- - - ..

The Exile

thy bones drop I' And. now that the children of ISrael are
exiled, Thou hast sent for me to mourn and lament over
them. That is what the people mean when they say: The
good fortune of the master is none for the slave, but the
master's woe is his woe." And turning to Jeremiah, he
continued: "Walk before me, I will lead them back; let
us see who will venture to raise a hand against them."
Jeremiah replied: "The roads cannot be passed, they are
blocked with corpses." But Moses was not to be deterred,
and the two, Moses following Jeremiah, reached the rivers
of Babylon. When the Jews saw Moses, they said: II The
son of Amram has ascended from his grave to redeem us
from our enemies." II At that moment a heavenly voice
was heard to cry out: "It is decreed I " And Moses said:
.. 0 my children, I cannot redeem you, the decree is unal-
terable-may God redeem you speedily," and he departed
from them.
The children of Israel raised their voices 10 sore lamenta-
tion, and the sound of their grief pierced to the very heav-
ens. Meantime Moses returned to the Fathers, and re-
ported to them to what dire suffering the ex.iled Jews were
exposed, and they all broke out into woe-begone plaints."
In his bitter grief, Moses exclaimed: II Be cursed, 0 sun,
why was not thy light exting!uished in the hour in which
the enemy invaded the sanctuary?" The SUD replied: II 0
faithful shepherd, I swear by thy life, I could not grow dark.
The heavenly powers would not permit it. Sixty fiery
scourges they dealt me, and they said, I Go and let thy light
shine forth.'"'' Another last complaint Moses uttered: " 0
Lord of the world, Thou hast written it in Thy Torah: I And

Digitized by Coogle
3 10 TIse Legends of the I e'WS

whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young

both in one day.' How many mothers have they slaughtered
with their children-and Thou art silent I "
Then, with the suddenness of a flash, Rachel, our mother.
stood before the Holy One, blessed be He: .. Lord of the
world," she said, "Thou knowest how overwhelming was
Jacob's love for me, and when I observed that my father
thought to put Leah in my place, I gave Jacob secret signs,
that the plan of my father might be set at naught. But then
I- repented me of what I had done, and to spare my sister
mortification, I disclosed the signs 1.0 her. More than this,
I myself was in the bridal chamber, and when Jacob spake
with Leah, I made reply, lest her voice betray her. I, a
woman, a creature of flesh and blood, of dust and ashes,
was not jealou~ of my rival. Thou, 0 God, everlasting
King, Thou eternal and merciful Father, why wast Thou
jealous of the idols, empty vanities? Why hast Thou driven
out my children, slain them with the sword, left them at the
mercy of their enemies? If Then the compassion of the
Supreme God was awakened, and He said: "For thy sake,
o Rachel, I will lead the children of Israel back to their
land ... •

JEREMIAH'S JOURNEY TO BABYLON

When Nebuchadnezzar dispatched his general Nebuzara-
dan to the capture of Jerusalem, he gave him three instruc-
tions regarding the mild treatment of Jeremiah: " Take
him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto
him even as he shall say unto thee." At the same time he
enjoined him to use pitiless cruelty toward the rest of the

Digitized by Coogle
 ~-~- _____ - • I

The Exile 311

people'. But the prophet desired to share the fate of his

suffering brethren, and when he saw a company of youths
in the pillory, he put his own head into it. Nebuzaradan
would always withdraw him again. Thereafter if Jeremiah
saw a company of old men clapped in chains, he would join
them and share their ignominy, until N ebuzaradan released
him. Finally, Nebuzaradan said to Jeremiah: II !..o, thou art
one of three things; either thou art a prophesier of false
things, or thou art a despiser of suffering, or thou art a shed-
der of blood. A prophesier of false things-for since many
a year hast thou been prophesying the downfall of this city,
and now, when thy prophecy has come true, thou sorrowest
and mournest. Or a despiser of suffering-for I seek to
do thee naught harmful, and thou thyself pursuest what is
harmful to thee, as though to say, 'I am indifferent to pain.'
Or a shedder of blood-for the king has charged me to
have a care of .thee, and let no harm come upon thee, but
as thou insistest upon seeking evil for thyself, it must be
that the king may hear of thy misfortune, and put me to
death... •
At first Jeremiah refused Nebuzaradan's offer to let him
remain in Palestine. He joined the march of the captives
going to Babylon, along the highways streaming with blood
and strewn with corpses. When they arrived at the borders
of the Holy Land, they all, prophet and people, broke out
into loud wails, and Jeremiah said: "Yes, brethren and
countrymen, aU this hath befallen you, because ye did not
hearken unto the words of my prophecy."· Jeremiah jour-
neyed with them until they came to the banks of the Eu-
phrates. Then God spoke to the prophet: "Jeremiah, if

Digitized by Coogle
3 12 The Legends or the Jews
thou remainest here, I shall go with them, and if thou goest
with them, I shall remain here." Jeremiah replied: "Lord
of the world, if I go with them, what doth it avail them?
Only if their King, their Creator accompanies them, will it
bestead them."·
When the captives saw Jeremiah make preparations to re-
turn to Palestine, they began to weep and cry: "0 Father
Jeremiah, wilt thou, too, abandon us?" II I call heaven and
earth to witness," said the prophet, " had you wept but once
in Zion, ye had not been driven out" ..
Beset with terrors was the return journey for the prophet
Corpses lay everywhere, and Jeremiah gathered up all the
fingers that lay about; he strained them to his heart, fondled
the~, kissed them, and wrapped them in his mantle, saying
sadly: "Did I not tell you, my children, did I not say to
you, • Give glory to the Lord your God, before He cause
darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark
mountains' ? " ..
Dejected, oppressed by his grief, Jeremiah saw the fulfil-
ment of his prophecy against the coquettish maidens of Je-
rusalem, who had pursued but the pleasures and enjoyments
of the world. How often had the prophet admonished them
to do penance and lead a God-fearing life I In vain; when-
ever he threatened them with the destruction of Jerusalem,
they said: "Why should we concern ourselves about it?"
" A prince will take me unto wife," said one; the other, II A
prefect will marry me." And at first it seemed the expec-
tations of jerusalem's fair daughters would be realized, for
the most aristocratic of the victorious Chaldeans were
charmed by the beauty of the women of Jerusalem, and of-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile 313

fered them their hand and their rank. But God sent dis-
figuring and repulsive diseases upon the women, and the
Babylonians cast them off, threw them violently out of their
chariots, and ruthlessly drove them over the prostrate
bodies.-

TRANSPORTATION 011' THE CAPTIVES

Nebuchadnezzar's orders were to hurry the captives along
the road to Babylon without stop or stay. He feared the
Jews might else find opportunity to supplicate the mercy of
God, and He, compassionate as He is, would release them
instantly they did penance.- Accordingly. there was no
pause in the forward march, until the Euphrates was reached.
There they were within the borders of the empire of Nebu-
chadnezzar, and he thought he had nothing more to fear.
Many of the Jews died as soon as they drank of the Eu-
phrates. 'In their native land they had been accustomed to
the water drawn from springs and wells. Mourning over
their dead and over the others that had fallen by the wayt
they sat on the banks of the river, while Nebuchadnezzar
and his princes on their vessels celebrated their vict;ory amid
song and music. The king noticed that the princes of Judah,
though they were in chains, bore no load upon their shoul-
ders, and he called to his servants: " Have you no load for
these?'" They took the parchment scrolls of the law, tore
them in pieces, made sacks of them, and filled them with
Band; these they loaded upon the backs of the Jewish princes.
At sight of this disgrace, all Israel broke out into loud weep- .
ing. The voice of their sorrow pierced the very heavens,
and God determined to ~rn the world once more into chaos,

Digitized by Coogle
314 The Legends of the J twa

for He told Himself, that after all the world was created
but for the sake of Israel The angels hastened thither, and
they spake before God: .. 0 Lord of the world, the universe
is Thine. Is it not enough that Thou hast dismembered thy
earthly house, the Temple? Wilt Thou destroy Thy heav-
enly house, 'too?" God restraining them said: .. Do ye
think I am a creature of flesh and blood, and stand in need
of consolation? Do I not know beginning and end of all
things? Go rather and remove their burdens from the
princ.es of Judah." Aided by God the angels descended, and
they carried the loads put upon the Jewish captives until
they reached Babylon.
On their way, they passed the city of Barl.G The inhabi-
tants thereof were not a little astonished at the cr:uelty of
Nebuchadnezzar, who made the captives march naked. The
people of Bari stripped their slaves of their clothes, and pre-
sented the slaves to Nebuchadnezzar. When the king ex-
pressed his astonishment thereat, they said: "We thought
thou wert particularly pleased with naked men." The king
at once ordered the Jews to be arrayed in their garments.
The reward accorded the Bariites was that God endowed
them forever with beauty and irresistible grace.-
The compassionate Bariites did not find many imitators.
The very opposite quality was displayed by the Ammonites,
Moabites, Edomites, and Arabs. Despite their close kinship
with Israel, their conduct toward the Jews was dictated by
cruelty. The two first-mentioned, the Ammonites and the
Moabites, when they heard the prophet foretell the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem, hastened without a moment's delay to re-
port it to Nebuchadnezzar, and urge him to attack Jerusalem.

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile

The scruples of the Babylonian king, who feared God, and

all the reasons he advanced against a combat with Israel,
they refuted, and finally they induced him to act as they
wished.- At the capture of the city, while all the strange
nations were seeking booty, the Ammonites and the Moab-
ites threw themselves into the Temple to seize the scroll of
the law, because it contained the clause against their enter-
ing into the" assembly of the Lord even to the tenth genera-
tion."· To disgrace the faith of Israel, they plucked the
Cherubim from the Holy of Holies and dragged them
through the streets of Jerusalem, crying aloud at the same
time: "Behold these sacred things that belong to the
Israelites, who say ever they have no idols."
The Edomites were still more hostile Il in the hour of Is-
rael's need. They went to Jerusalem with Nebuchadnezzar.
but they kept themselves at a distance from the city, there to
await the outcome of the battle between the Jews and the
Babylonians. If the Jews had been victorious, they would
have pretended they had come to bring them aid. When
Nebtichadnezzar's victory became known. they showed their
true feelings. Those who escaped the sword of the Baby-
lonians, were hewn down by the hand of the Edomites.-
But in fiendish cunning these nations were surpassed by
the Ishmaelites. Eighty thousand young priests, each with
a golden shield upon his breast, succeeded in making their
way through the ranks of N ebuchadnezzar and in reaching
the Ishmaelites. They asked for water to drink. The reply
of the Ishmaelites was: " First e"clt. and then you may drink,"
at the same time handing them salt food. Their thirst was
increased. and the Ishmaelites gave them leather bags fined

Digitized by Coogle
3 16 The Legends of the Jews

with nothing but air instead of water. When they raised

them to their mouths, the air entered their bodies, and they
fell dead.
Other Arabic tribes showed their hostility openly; as the
Pa1myrenes, who put eighty thousand archers at the dis-
posal of N ebuchadnezzar in his war against Israel.·

THB SoNS OF MOSES

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

Digitized by Coogle
------------------------

The Exile

were asked to play, they showed their tyrants mutilated

hands, with which it was impossible to manipulate their
harps.- At the fall of night a cloud descended and envel-
I
oped the Sons of Moses and all who belonged to them.
They were hidden from their enemies, while their own way
was illuminated by a pillar of nre. The cloud and the pillar
vanished at break of day, and before the Sons of Moses lay
a tract of land bordered by ~e sea on three sides. For their
complete protection God made the river Sambation to flow
on the fourth side. This river is full of sand and stones,
and on the six working days of the week, they tumble over
each other with such vehemence thilt the crash and the roar
are heard far and wide. But on the Sabbath • the tumultu-
ous river subsides into quiet. As a guard against trespass-
ers on that day, a column of cloud stretches along the whole
length of the river, and none can approach the Sambation
within three miles. Hedged in as they are, the Sons of
Moses yet communicate with their brethren of the tribes of
Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, who dwell near the banks of the
Sambation. Carrier pigeons bear letters hither and thither.
In the land of the Sons of Moses there are none but clean
animals, and in every respect the inhabitants lead a holy and
pure life, worthy of their ancestor Moses. They never use
an oath, and, if perchance an oath escapes the lips of one ot
them, he is at once reminded of the Divine punishment con-
nected with his act-his children will die at a tender age.
The Sons of Moses live peaceably and enjoy prosperity
as equals through their common Jewish faith. They have
need of neither prince nor judge, for they know not strife
and litigation. Each works for the welfare of the com-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of Ihe / ews

munity, and each takes from the common store only what
will satisfy his needs. Their houses are built of equal
height, that no one may deem himself above his neighbor,
and that the fresh air may not be hindered from playing
freely about all alike. Even at night their doors stand wide
open, for they have naught to fear from thieves, nor are wild
animals known in their land. They all attain a good old
age. The son never dies before the father. When a death
occurs, there is rejoicing, because the departed is known to
have entered into life everlasting in loyalty to his faith. The
birth of a child, on the other hand, calls forth mourning, for
who can tell whether the being ushered into the world will
be pious and faithful? The dead are buried near the doors
of their own houses, in order that their survivors. in all
their comings and goings. may be reminded of their own
end. Disease is unknown among them, for they never sin,
and sickness is sent only to purify from sins..

EBED-MELEes:

The Sons of Moses were not the only ones to escape from
under the heavy hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Still more
miraculous was the deliverance of the pious Ethiopian Ebed-
melech from the hands of the Babylonians; He was saved
as a reward for rescuing Jeremiah when the prophet's life
was jeopardized. On the day before the destruction of
the Temple, shortly before the enemy forced his way into
the city. the Ethiopian was sent, by the prophet Jere-
miah acting under Divine instruction, to a certain place in
front of the gates of the city, to dole out refreshments to the
poor from a little basket of firs be was to carry with him.

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile

Ebed-melech reached the spot, but the heat was so intense

that he fell asleep under a tree, and there he slept for sOOy-
six years. When he woke up, the figs were still fresh and
juicy, but all the surroundings had so changed, he could not
make out where he was. His confusion increased when he
entered the city to seek Jeremiah, and found nothing as it
had been. He accosted an old man, and asked him the name
of the place. When he was told it was Jerusalem, Ebed-
melech cried out in amazement: "Where is Jeremiah,
where is Baruch, and where are all the people?" The old
man was not a little astonished at these questions. How
was it possible that one who had known Jeremiah and Jeru-
salem should be ignorant of the events that had passed
sixty years before? In brief words he told Ebed-melech
of the destruction of the Temple and of the captivity
of the people, but what he said found no credence with his
auditor. Finally Ebed-melech realized that God had per-
formed a great miracle for him, so that he had been spared
the sight of Israel's misfortune.
While he was pouring out his heart in gratitude to God,
an eagle descended and led him to Baruch, who lived not
far from the city. Thereupon Baruch received the com-
mand from God to write to Jeremiah that the people should
remove the strangers from the midst of them, and then God
would lead them back to Jerusalem. The letter written by
Baruch and some of the figs that had retained their freshness
for sixty-six years were carried to Babylonia by an eagle,
who had told Baruch that he had been sent to serve him as
a messenger. The eagle set out on his journey. His first
halting-place was a dreary waste spot to which he knew

Digitized by Coogle
320 The Legends of the Jews

Jeremiah and the people would come-it was the burial-

place of the Jews which Nebuchadnezzar had given the
prophet at his solicitation. When the eagle saw Jeremiah
and the people approach with a funeral train, he cried
out: "I have a message for thee, Jeremiah. Let all the
people draw nigh to receive the good tidings." As a sign
that his mission was true, the eagle touched the corpse, and
it came to life. Amidst tears all the people cried unto Jere-
miah: "Save us I What must we do to return to our
land? It
The eagle brought Jeremiah's answer to Baruch, and after
the prophet had sent the Babylonian women away, he re-
turned to Jerusalem with the people. Those who would not
submit to the orders of Jeremiah relative to the heathen
women, were not permitted by the prophet to enter the holy
city, and as they likewise were not permitted to return
to Babylonia, they founded the city of Samaria near
Jerusalem.-

THE TEKPLE VESSELS

The task laid upon Jeremiah had been twofold. Besides
giving him charge over the people in the land of their exile,
God had entrusted to him the care of the sanctuary and all
it contained.- The holy Ark, the altar of incense, and the
holy tent were carried by an angel to the mount whence
Moses before his death had viewed the land divinely
assigned to Israel. There Jeremiah found a spacious cave,
in which he concealed these sacred utensils. Some of his
companions had gone with him to note the way to the cave,
but yet they could not find it,- When J eremiab heard of

Digitized by Coogle
 -----------_._--

The Exile 32 1

their purpose, be censured them, for it was the wish of

God that the place of hiding should remain a secret until the
redemption, and then God Himself will make the hidden
things visible.·
Even the Temple vessels not concealed by Jeremiah were
prevented from falling into the hands of the enemy; the
gates of the Temple sank into the earth,· and other parts
and utensils were hidden in a tower at Bagdad by the Levite
Shimur • and his friends. Among these utensils was
the. seven-branched candlestick of pure gold, every branch
set with twenty-six pearls, and beside the pearls two hun-
dred stones of inestimable worth. Furthermore, the tower
at Bagdad was the hiding-place for seventy-seven golden
tables, and for the gold with which the walls of the Temple
bad been clothed within and without The tables had been
taken from Paradise by Solomon, and in brilliance they out-
shone the sun and the moon, while the gold from the walls
excelled in amount and worth all the gold that had existed
from the creation of the world until the destruction of the
Temple. The jewels, pearls, gold, and silver, and precious
gems, which David and Solomon had intended for the
Temple were discovered by the scribe Hilkiah, and he de-
livered them to the angel Shamshiel, who in turn deposited
the treasure in Borsippa.. The sacred musical instruments
were taken charge of and hidden by Baruch and Zedekiah
until the advent of the Messiah, who will reveal all treas-
ures. In his time a stream will break forth from under the
place of the Holy of Holies, and flow through the lands to
the Euphrates, and, as it flows, it will uncover all the
treasures buried in the earth."
al

Digitized by Coogle
322 The Legends of the Jews

BARUCH
At the time of the destruction of the Temple, one of the
prominent figures was Baruch, the faithful attendant - of
Jeremiah. God commanded him to leave the city. one day
before the enemy was to enter it, in order that his presence
might not render it impregnable. On the following day,
he and all other pious men having abandoned Jerusalem. he
saw from a distance how the angels descended, set fire to
the city walls, and concealed the sacred vessels of the Tem-
ple. At first his mourning over the misfortunes of J em-
salem and the people knew no bounds. But he was in a
measure consoled at the end of a seven days' fast, when God
made known to him that the day of reckoning would come
for the heathen, too. Other Divine visions were vouchsafed
him. The whole future of mankind was unrolled before his
eyes, especially the history of Israel, and he learned that the
coming of the Messiah would put an end to all sorrow and
misery, and usher in the reign of peace and joy among men.
As for him, he would be removed from the earth, he was
told, but not through death, and only in order to be kept
safe against the coming of the end of all time.-
Thus consoled, Baruch addressed an admonition to the
people left in Palestine, and wrote two letters of the same
tenor to the exiles, one to the nine tribes and a half, the
other to the two tribes and a half. The letter to the nine
tribes and a half of the captivity was carried to them by an
eagle.-
Five years after the great catastrophe, he composed a
book in Babylonia,- whic~ contained penitential prayers and
hymns of consolation, exhorting Israel and urgi~ the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile 32 3

people to return to God and His law. This book Baruch read
to King Jeconiah and the' whole people on a day of prayer
and penitence. On the same occasion a collection was taken
up among the people, and the funds thus secured, together
with the silver Temple vessels made by order of Zedekiah
after Jeconiah had been carried away captive, were sent to
Jerusalem, with the request that the high priest Joakim and
the people should apply the money to the sacrificial service
and to prayers for the life of King N ebuchadnezzar and his
son Belshazzar. Thus they might ensure peace and happi-
ness under Babylonian rule. Above all, they were to suppli-
cate God to tum away His wrath from His people.
Baruch sent his book also to the residents of Jerusalem,
and they read it in the Temple on distinguished days, and
recited the prayers it contains.-
Baruch is one of the few mortals who have been privi-
leged to visit Paradise and know its secrets. An angel of
the Lord appeared to him while he was lamenting over the
destruction of Jerusalem and took him to the seven heavens,
to the place of judgment where the doom of the godless is
pronounced, and to the abodes of the blessed.-
He was still among the living at the time in which Cyrus
permitted the Jews to return to Palestine, but on account of
his advanced age he could not avail ,himself of the permis-
sion. So long as he was alive, his disciple Ezra remained
with him in Babylonia, for "the study of the law is more
important than the building of the Temple." It was only
after the death of Baruch that he decided to gather together
the exiles who desired to return to the Holy Land and re-
build the Temple in JeI'1;1salem."

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

THE TOMBS OF BARUCH AND EzEItIEL

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

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile 32 5

penings induced the prince to go to Mecca. There he be-

came convinced of the falseness of Mohammedanism, of
which he had hitherto been an adherent, and he converted to
Judaism, he and his whole court.
Near the grave of Baruch there grows a species of grass
whose leaves are covered with gold dust As the sheen of
the gold is not readily noticeable by day, the people seek out
the place at night, mark the very spot on which the grass
grows, and return by day and gather itH
Not less famous is the tomb of Ezekiel, at a distance of
two thousand ells from Baruch's. It is overarched by a
beautiful mausoleum erected by King Jeconiah after Evil-
merodach had released him from captivity. The mausoleum
existed down to the middle ages, and it bore on its walls the
names of the thirty-five thousand Jews who assisted Jeco-
niah in erecting the monu~ent. It was the scene of many
miracles. When great crowds of people journeyed thither
to pay reverence to the memory of the prophet, the little low
gate in the wall surrounding the grave enlarged in width and
height to admit all who desired to enter. Once a prince
vowed to give a colt to the grave of the prophet, if but his
mare which had been sterile would bear one. When his wish
was fulfilled, however, lIe did not keep his promise. But the·
filly ran a distance equal to a four days' journey to the tomb,
and his owner could not recover it until he deposited his
value in silver upon the grave. When people went on long
journeys, they were in the habit of carrying their treasures
to the grave of the prophet, and beseeching him to let none
but the rightful heirs remove them thence. The prophet
always granted their petition. Once when an attempt was

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

made to take some books from the grave of Ezekiel, the rav-
ager suddenly became sick and blind. For a time a pillar of
fire, visible at a great distance, rose above the grave of the
prophet, but it disappeared in consequence of the unseemly
conduct of the pilgrims who resorted thither.
Not far from the grave of Ezekiel was the grave of Baro-
~. who once appeared to a rich Jew in a dream. He spoke:
.. I am Baroz~, one of the princes who were led into cap-
tivity with Jeremiah. I am one of the just. If thou wilt
erect a handsome mausoleum for me, thou wilt be blessed
with progeny." The Jew did as he had been bidden, and
he who had been childless, shortly after became a father.w

DANIEL
The most distinguished member of the Babylonian Dias-
pora was Daniel. Though not a prophet," he was surpassed
by none in wisdom, piety, and good deeds. His finn adher-
ence to Judaism he displayed from his early youth, when. a
page at the royal court, he refused to partake of the bread.
wine, and oil of the heathen, even though the enjoyment of
them was not prohibited by the law." In general. his promi-
nent position at the court was maintained at the cost of many
a hardship, for he and his companions, Hananiah. Mishae1.
and Azariah. were envied their distinction by numerous ene-
mies, who sought to compass their ruin.
Once they were accused before King Nebuchadnezzar of
leading an unchaste life. The king resolved to order their
execution. But Daniel and his friends mutilated certain
parts of their bodies, and so demonstrated how unfounded
were the charges against them."

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile

As a youth Daniel gave evidence of his wisdom, when he

convicted two old sinners of having testified falsely against
Susanna, as beautiful as she was good. Misled by the per-
jured witnesses, the court had condemned Susanna to death.
Then Daniel, impelled by a higher power, appeared among
the people, proclaimed that wrong had been done, and de-
manded that the case be re-opened. And so it was. Daniel
himself cross-questioned the witnesses one after the other.
The same questions were addressed to both, and as the re-
plies did not agree with each other. the false witnesses stood
condemned, and they were made to suffer the penalty they
would have had the court inflict upon their victim.·
Daniel's high position in the state dates from the time
when he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The king
said to the astrologers and magicians: .. I know my dream,
but I do not want to tell you what it was, else you will in-
vent anything at all, and pretend it is the interpretation of
the dream. But if you tell me the dream, then I shall have
confidence in your interpretation of it."
After much talk between Nebuchadnezzar and his wise
men, they confessed that the king's wish might have been
fulfilled, if but the Temple had still existed. The high priest
at Jerusalem might have revealed the secret by consulting
the Urim and Thummim. At this point the king became
wrathful against his wise men, who had advised him to de-
stroy the Temple, though they must have known how useful
it might become to the king and the state. He ordered them
all to execution. Their life was saved by Daniel, who re-
cited the king's dream, and gave its interpretation.- The
king was so filled with admiration of Daniel's wisdom that

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / ews

he paid him Divine honors. Daniel, however. refused such

extravagant treatment-he did not desire to be the object of
idolatrous veneration.- He left Nebuchadnezzar in order to
escape the marks of honor thrust upon him, and repaired to
. Tiberias. where he built a canal. Besides, he was charged
by the king with commissions, to bring fodder for cattle to
Babylonia and also swine from Alexandria.·

THE THREE MEN IN THE FURNACE

During Daniel's absence Nebuchadnezzar set up an idol.
and its worship was exacted from all his subjects under pen-
alty of death by fire. The irilage could not stand on account
of the disproportion between its height and its thickness.
The whole of the gold and silver captured by the Baby-
lonians in Jerusalem was ,needed to give it steadiness.-
All the nations owning the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, in-
cluding even Israel, obeyed the royal command to worship
the image. Only the three pious companions of Daniel.
Hanan~, Mishael. and Azariah, resisted the order. In
vain Nebuchadnezzar urged upon them. as an argument in
favor of idolatry, that the Jews had been so devoted to
heathen practices before the destruction of Jerusalem that
they had gone to Babylonia for the purpose of imitating the
idols there and bringing the copies they made to Jerusalem.
The three saints would not hearken to these seductions of
the king, nor when he referred them to such authorities as
Moses and Jeremiah, in order to prove to them that they
were under obligation to do the royal bidding. They
said to him: "Thou art our king in all that concerns
service, taxes, poll-money, and tribute, but wi~ respect to

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile

thy present command thou art only N ebuchadnezzar.

Therein thou and the dog are alike unto us. Bark like
a dog, inflate thyself like a water-bottle, and chirp like a
cricket" It
Now Nebuchadnezzar's wrath transcended all bounds, and
he ordered the three to be cast into a red riot ·furnace, so hot
that the flames of its fire darted to the height of forty-nine
ells beyond the oven, and consumed the heathen standing
about it. No less than four nations were thus exterminated.-
While the three saints were being thrust into the furnace,
they addressed a fervent prayer to God, supplicating His
grace toward them, and entreating Him to put their adver-
saries to shame. The angels desired to descend and rescue
the three men in the furnace. But God forbade it: .. Did
the three men act thus for your sakes? Nay, they did it for
Me; and I will save them with Mine own hands." - God
also rejected the good offices of Yur~i, the angel of hail,
who offered to extinguish the fire in the furnace. The
angel Gabriel justly pointed out that such a miracle would
not be sufficiently striking to arrest attention. His own prop-
osition was accepted. He, the angel of fire, was deputed to
snatch the three men from the red hot furnace. He executed
his mission by cooling off the fire inside of the oven, while
on the outside the heat continued to increase to such a de-
gree that the heathen standing around the furnace were
consumed." The three youths thereupon raised their voices
together in a hymn of praise to God, thanking Him for His
miratulous help.- The Chaldeans observed the three men.
pacing up and down quietly in the furnace, followed by a
fourth-the angel Gabriel-as by an attendant. Nebuchad-

Digitized by Coogle
 330 The Legends of the I ews

nezzar, who hastened thither to see the wonder, was stunned

with fright, for he recognized Gabriel to be the angel who
in the guise of a column of fire had blasted the anny of Seo-
nacherib.- Six other miracles happened, all of them driving
terror to the heart of the king: the fiery furnace which had
been sunk in the ground raised itself into the air; it was
broken; the bottom dropped out; the image erected by Nebu-
. chadnezzar fell prostrate; four nations were wasted by
•~ fire; and Ezekiel revived the dead in the valley of Dura.
Of the last, Nebucbadnezzar was apprised in a peculiar
way. He had a drinking vessel made of the bones of a slain
Jew. When he was about to use it, life began to stir in the
bones, and a blow was planted in the king's face, while a
voice announced: II A friend of this man is at this mo-
ment reviving the dead I " N ebuchadnezzar now offered
praise to God for the miracles performed, and if an angel
bad not quiclcly struck him a blow on his mouth, and forced
him into silence, his psalms of praise would have excelled
the Psalter of David.
The deliverance of the three pious young men was a bril-
liant vindication of their ways, but at the same time it caused
great mortification to the masses of the Jewish people, who
had complied with the orders of Nebuchadnezzar to worship
his idol.- Accordingly, when the three men left the furnace
-which they did not do until Nebuchadnezzar invited them
to leave II-the heathen struck all the Jews they met in the
face, deriding them at the same time: II Yau who have so
marvellous a God pay homage to an idol I .. The three men
thereupon left Babylonia and went to Palestine, where they
joined their friend, the high priest Joshua.-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile 33 1

Their readiness to sacrifice their lives for the honor of

God had been all the more admirable as they had been ad-
vised by the prophet Ezekiel that no miracle would be done
for their sakes. When the king's command to bow down
before the idol was publisbed, and the three men were ap-
pointed to act as the representatives of the people, Hananiah
and his companions resorted to Daniel for his advice. He
referred them to the prophet Ezekiel, who counselled flight,
citing his teacher Isaiah as his authority. The three men
rejected his advice, and declared themselves ready to suf-
fer the death of martyrs. Ezekiel bade them tarry until
he inquired of God, whether a miracle would be done for
them. The words of God were: " I sliall not manifest My-
self as their savior. They caused My house to be destroyed,
My palace to be burnt, My children to be dispersed among
the heathen, and now they appeal for My help. As I live,
I will not be found of them."
Instead of discouraging the three men, this answer but
infused new spirit and resolution in them, and they declared
with more decided emphasis than before, that they were
ready to meet death. God consoled the weeping propbet by
revealing to him, that He would save the three saintly he-
roes. He had sought to restrain them from martyrdom only
to let their piety and steadfastness appear the brighter.
On account of their piety it became customary to swear
by the Name of Him who supports the world on three pil-
lars, the pillars being the saints Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah. Their deliverance froll) death by fire worked a
great effect upon the disposition of the heathen. They were
convinced of the uselessness of their idols, and' with their
own hands they destroyed them.-

Digitized by Coogle
332 The Legends of the J ewa

EzEKIEL REvIVES THE DEAD

Among the dead whom Ezekiel restored to life at the
same time when the three men were redeemed from the
fiery furnace were different classes of persons. Some were
the Ephraimites that had perished in the attempt to escape
from Egypt before Moses led the whole nation out of the
land of bondage. Some were the godless among the Jews
that had polluted the Temple at Jerusalem with heathen
rites, and those still more godless who in life had not
believed in the resurrection of the dead. Others of those
revived by Ezekiel were the youths among the Jews carried
away captive to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar whose beauty
was so radiant that it darkened the very splendor of the
sun. The Babylonian women were seized with a great
passion for them, and at the solicitation of their husbands,
Nebuchadnezzar ordered a bloody massacre of the hand-
some youths. But the Babylonian women were not yet
cured of their unlawful passion; the beauty of the young
Hebrews haunted them until their corpses lay crushed before
them, their graceful bodies mutilated. These were the youths
recalled to life by the prophet Ezekiel. Lastly, he revived
some that had perished only a short time before. When
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azarlah were saved from death,
Nebuchadnezzar thus addressed the other Jews, those who
had yielded obedience to his command concerning the worship
of the idol: .. You know that your God can help and save,
nevertheless you paid worship to an idol which is incapable of
doing anything. This proves that, as you have destroyed
your own land by your wicked deeds, so you are now trying
to destroy my land with your iniquity." Forthwith he com-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile 333

manded that they all be executed, sixty thousand in number.

Twenty years passed, and Ezekiel was vouchsafed the vision
in which God bade him repair to the Valley of Dura, where
N ebuchadnezzar had set up his idol, and had massacred the
host df the Jews. Here God showed him the dry bones of
the slain with the question: "Can I revive these bones?"
Ezekiel's answer was evasive, and as a punishment for his
little faith, he bad to end his days in Babylon, and was not
granted even burial in the soil of Palestine. God then
dropped the dew of heaven upon the dry bones, and II sinews
were upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them
above." At the same time God sent forth winds to the four
comers of the earth, which unlocked the treasure houses of
souls. and brought its own soul to each body. All came to
life except one man. who. as God explained to the prophet,
was excluded from the resurrectiOn because he was a usurer.
In spite of the marvellous miracle performed for them. the
men thus restored to life wept, because they feared they
would ilave no share at the end of time in the resurrection
of the whole of Israel. But the prophet assured them, in
the name of God, that their portion in all that had been
promised Israel should in no wise be diminished.·

NEBUCHADNEZZAR A BEAST
Nebucbadnezzar, the ruler of the whole world.· to whom
even the wild animals paid obedience.-his pet was a lion
with a snake coiled about its neck.--did not escape punish-
ment for his sins. He was chastised as none before him.
He whom fear of God had at first held back from a war
against Jerusalem, and who had to be dragged forcibly, as

Digitized by Coogle
334 The Legends of the J e'lJ}S

he sat on his horse, to the Holy of Holies • by the archangel

Michael, he later became so arrogant that he thought him-
self a god,· and cherished the plan of enveloping himself in
a cloud, so that he might live apart from men." A heav-
enly voice resounded: II 0 thou wicked man, son of a
wicked man, and descendant of Nimrod the wicked, who in-
cited the .world to rebel against God I Behold, the days of
the years of a man are threescore years and ten, or per-
haps by reason of strength fourscore years. It takes five
hundred years to traverse the distance of the earth from the
first heaven, and as long a time to penetrate from the bottom
to the top of the first heaven, and not less are the distances
from one of the seven heavens to the next. How, then,
canst thou speak of ascending like unto the Most High
C above the heights of the clouds'?" - For this trans-
gression of deeming himself more than a man, he was pun-
ished by being made to live for some time as a beaSt among
beasts, treated by them as though he were one of them.-
For forty days - he led this life. As far down as his navel
he had the appearance of an ox, and the lower part of his
body resembled that of a lion. Like an ox he ate grass, and
like a lion he attacked and killed many wicked men. The
wonder attracted a curious crowd, but Daniel spent his time
in prayer, entreating that the seven years of this brutish life
allotted to Nebuchadnezzar might be reduced to seven
months. His prayer was granted. At the end of forty days
reason returned to the king, the next forty days he passed
in weeping bitterly over his sins, and in the interval that
remained to complete the seven months he again lived the
life of a beast."

Digitized by Coogle
 The Esile 335

HIRAM
Hiram. the king of Tyre. was a contemporary of Nebu-
chadnezzar. and in many respects resembled him. He. too.
esteemed himself a god, and sought to make men believe in
his divinity by the artificial heavens he fashioned for him-
self. In the sea he erected four iron pillars. on which he
built up seven heavens. each five hundred ells larger than
the one below. The first was a plate of glass of five hun-
dred square ells. and the second a plate of iron of a thousand
square ells. The third. of lead. and separated from the
second by canals. contained huge round boulders. which
produced the sound of thunder on the iron. The fourth
heaven was of brass. the fifth of copper, the sixth of silver.
and the seventh of gold. all separated from each other by
canals. In the seventh. thirty-five hundred ells in extent,
he had diamonds and pearls. which he manipulated so as to
produce the effect of flashes and sheets of lightning. while
the stones below imitated the growling of the thunder.
As Hiram was thus floating above the earth. in his vain
imagination deeming himself superior to the rest of men.
he suddenly perceived the prophet Ezekiel next to himself.
He had been waved thither by a wind. Frightened and
amazed. Hiram asked the prophet how he had risen to his
heights. The answer was: " God brought me here. and He
bade me ask thee why thou art so proud. thou born of
woman? .. The king of Tyre replied defiantly: II I am not
one born of woman; I live forever. and as God resides on
the sea. so my abode is on the sea. and as He inhabits seven
heavens. so do I. See how many kings I have survived r
Twenty-one of the House of David. and as many of the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the 1ews

Kingdom of the Ten Tn"bes, and no less than fifty prophets

and ten high priests have I buried." Thereupon God said:
"I will destroy My house, that henceforth Hiram may have
DO reason for self-glorification, because all his pride comes
only from the circumstance that he furnished the cedar-trees
for the building of the Temple." The end of this proud
king was that he was conquered by Nebucbadnezzar, de-
prived of his throne, and made to suffer a cruel death.
Though the Babylonian king was the step-son of Hiram, he
had no mercy with him. Daily he cut off a bit of the flesh
of his body, and forced the Tyrian king to eat it, until he
finally perished. Hiram's palace was swallowed up by the
earth, and in the bowels of the earth it will remain until it
shall emerge in the future world as the habitation of the
pious.-

THE FALSE PROPHETS

Not only among the heathen, but also among the Jews
there were very sinful people in those days. The most no-
torious Jewish sinners were the two false prophets Ahab
and Zedekiah. Ahab came to the daughter of Nebuchad-
nezzar and said: "Yield thyself to Zedekiah," telling her
this in the form of a Divine message. The same was
done by Zedekiah, who only varied the message by substi-
tuting the name of Ahab. The princess could not accept such
messages as Divine, and she told her father what had oc-
curred.- Though Nebucbadnezzar was so addicted to
immoral practices that he was in the habit of making his
captive kings drunk, and then satisfying his unnatural lusts
upon them, and a miracle had to interpose to shield the pious

Digitized by Coogle
 The Exile 331
king of Judah against this disgrace,~ yet he well knew that
the God of the Jews hates immorality. He therefore ques-
tioned Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about it, and they
emphatically denied the possibility that such a message could
have come from God. The prophets of lies refused to recall
their statements, and Nebuchadnezzar decided to subject
them to the same fiery test as he had decreed for the three
pious companions of Daniel. To be fair toward them, the
king permitted them to choose a third fellow-sufferer, some
pious man to share their lot Seeing no escape, Ahab and
Zedekiah asked for Joshua, later the high priest, as their
companion in the furnace, in the hope that his distin-
guished merits would suffice to save all three' of them.
They were mistaken. Joshua emerged unhurt, only his gar-
ments were seared, but the false prophets were consumed.
Joshua explained the singeing of his garments by the fact
that he was directly exposed to the full fury of the flames.
But the truth was that he had to expiate the sins of his sons,
who had contracted marriages unworthy of their dignity and
descent. Therefore their father escaped death only after
the fire had burnt his gannents.-

DANIEL'S PIETY
No greater contrast to Hiram and the false prophets Ahab '
and Zedekiah can be imagined than is presented by the char-
acter of the pious Daniel. When N ebuchadnezzar offered
him Divine honors,· he refused what Hiram sought to ob-
tain by every means in his power. The Babylonian king felt
so ardent an admiration for Daniel that he sent him from
the country when the time arrived to worship the idol he
2a

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

had erected in Dura, for he knew very well that Daniel

would prefer death in the flames to disregard of the c0m-
mands of God, and he could not well have cast the man into
the fire to whom he had paid Divine homage. Moreover, it
was the wish of God that Daniel should not pass through the
fiery ord~ at the same time as his three friends, in order
that their deliverance might not be ascribed to him.De
~! In spite of all this. Nebucbadnezzar endeavored to per-
suade Daniel by gentle means to worship an idol. He had
the golden diadem of the high priest inserted in the mouth
of an idol. and by reason of the wondrous power that
resides in the Holy Name inscribed on the diadem. the
"idol gained the ability to speak. and it said the words: .. I
am thy God." Thus were many seduced to worship the
image. But Daniel could not be misled so easily. He se-
cured permission from the king to kiss the idol. Laying his
mouth upon the idol's. he adjured the diadem in the follow-
ing words: .. I am but flesh and blood, yet at the same time
a messenger of God. I therefore admonish thee. take heed
tbat the Name of the Holy One. blessed be He. may not be
desecrated. and I order thee to follow me." So it happened.
When the heathen came with music and song to give honor
to the idol. it emitted no sound, but a storm broke loose
and overturned it.1ll
On still another occasion Nebuchadnezzar tried to per-
suade Daniel to worship an idol. this time a dragon that
devoured all who approached it, and therefore was adored
as a god by the Babylonians. Daniel had straw mixed with
nails fed to him. and the dragon ate and perished almost
inunediately.1D

Di9itized"bY Coogle
 The Exile 339

All this did not prevent Daniel from keeping the welfare
of the king in mind continually. Hence it was that when
Nebuchadnezzar was engaged in setting his house in order,
he desired to mention Daniel in his will as one of his heirs.
But the Jew refused with the words: II Far be it from me
to leave the inheritance of my fathers for that of the uncir-
cumcised." IU
Nebuchadnezzar died after having reigned forty years, as
long as King David.1M The death of the tyrant brought
hope and joy to many a heart, for his severity had been
such that during his lifetime none dared laugh, and when
he descended to Sheal, its inhabitants trembled, fearing he.
had come to reign over them, too. However, a heavenly
voice called to him: .. Go down, and be thou laid down
with the uncircumcised." au
The interment of this great king was anything but what
one might have expected, and for this reason: During the
seven years spent by Nebuchadnezzar among the beasts, his
son Evil-merodach ruled in his stead. Nebuchadnezzar
reappeared after his period of penance, and incarcerated
his son for life. When the death of Nebuchadnezzar
actually did occur, Evil-merodach refused to accept the
homage the nobles brought him as the new king, because he
feared that his father was not dead, but had only disap-
peared as once before, and would return again. To convince
him of the groundlessness of his apprehension, the corpse of
Nebuchadnezzar, badly mutilated by his enemies, was
dragged through the streets.-
Shortly afterward occurred the death of Zedekiah, the
dethroned king of Judah. His burial took place amid great

Digitized by Coogle

-
 The Legends of the Jews

demonstrations of sympathy and mourning. The elegy over

him ran thus: .. Alas that King Zedekiah had to die. he
who quaffed the lees which all the generations before him
bad accumulated." Dr
Zedekiah reached a good old age,- for though it was in
his reign that the destruction of Jerusalem took place, yet it
was the guilt of the nation, not of the king, that had brought
about the catastrophe.1II

Digitized by Coogle
 XI
THE RETURN OF THE
CAPTIVITY

BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST ••••••••••••••••••

DANIEL UNDER THE PERSIAN KINGS •••••
.-
343
345
THE GRAW OF DANIEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
ZERUBBABEL ••••••••••••••••••••••••• 351
EZRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
THE MEN OF THE GREAT AsSEMBLy ••••• 359

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 XI
THE RETURN OF THE CAPTIVITY
BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST

When God resolved to take revenge upon Babylon

for all the sufferings it had inflicted on Israel, He
chose Darius and Cyrus as the agents of vengeance.
Cyrus, the king of Persia, and his father-in-law Darius,
the king of Media, together went up against Belshaz-
zar, the ruler of the Chaldeans. The war lasted a consid-
erable time, and fortune favored first one side, then
the other, until finally the Chaldeans won a decisive
victory. To celebrate the event, Belshazzar arranged
a great banquet, which was served from the vessels taken
out of the Temple at Jerusalem by his father. While the
king and his guests were feasting, the angel sent by God
put the "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin" on the wall, Ara-
maic words in Hebrew characters,l written with red ink.
The angel was seen by none but the king. His grandees
and the princes of the realm who were present at the orgy
perceived nothing. The king himself did not see the form
of the angel, only his awesome fingers as they traced the
words were visible to him.
The interpretation given to the enigmatical words by
Daniel put an end to the merry-making of the feasters.
They scattered in dread and fear, leaving none behind ex-
cept the king and his attendants. In the same night the king

Digitized by Coogle
 'I

344 The Legends of the Jews

was murdered by an old servant, who knew Daniel from the

time of Nebuchadnezzar, and doubted not that his sinister
prophecy would be fulfilled. With the head of King Bel-
shazzar he betook himself to Darius and Cyrus, and told
them how his master had desecrated the sacred vessels. told
them of the wonderful writing on the wall, and of the way
it had been interpreted by Daniel. The two kings were
moved by his recital to vow solemnly that they would per-
mit the Jews to return to Palestine, and would grant them
the use of the Temple vessels.
They resumed the war against Babylonia with more en-
ergy, and God vouchsafed them victory. They conquered
the whole of Belshazzar's realm, and took possession of the
city of Babylon. whose inhabitants, young and old. were
made to suffer death. The subjugated lands were divided
between Cyrus and Darius. the latter receiving Babylon
and Media, the former Chaldea. Persia. and Assyria.-
But this is not the whole story of the fall of Baby-
lon. The wicked king Belshazzar arranged the banquet at
which the holy vessels were desecrated iR the fifth year of
his reign, because he thought it wholly certain then that all
danger was past of the realization of Jeremiah's prophecy,
foretelling the return of the Jews to Palestine at the end
of seventy years of Babylonian rule over them. Nebu-
chadnezzar had governed twenty-five years. and Evil-mero-
dach twenty-three, leaving five years in the reign of Bel-
shazzar for the fulfilment of the appointed time.' Not
enough that the king scoffed at God by using the Temple
vessels, he needs must have the pastry for the banquet,
which was given on the second day of the Passover festival.

Digitized by Coogle
 ---.- .---

The Return of the Captivity 345

made of wheaten flour finer than that used on this day for
the 'Omer in the Temple.
Punishment followed hard upon the heels of the atrocity.
Cyrus and Darius served as door-keepers of the royal palace
on the evening of the banquet. They had received orders
from Belshazzar to admit none, though he should say he was
the king himsel f. Belshazzar was forced to leave his apart-
ments for a short time, and he went out unnoticed by the
two door-keepers. On his return, when he asked to be ad-
mitted, they felled him dead, even while he was asseverating
that he was the king.'

DANIEL UNDER THE PERSIAN KINGS

Daniel left Belshazzar and fled to Shushtar, where he was
kindly received by Cyrus, who promised him to have the
Temple vessels taken back to Jerusalem, provided Daniel
would pray to God to grant him success in his war with
the king of Mosul. God gave Daniel's prayer a favorable
hearing, and Cyrus was true to his promise.
Daniel now received the Divine charge to urge Cyrus to
rebuild the Temple. To this end he was to introduce Ezra
and Zerubbabel to the king. Ezra then went from place to
place and called upon the people to return to Palestine. Sad
to say, only a tribe and a half obeyed his summons. Indeed,
the majority of the people were so wroth against Ezra that
they sought to slay him. He escaped the peril to his life
only by a Divine miracle.'
Daniel, too, was exposed to much suffering at this time.
King Cyrus cast him into a den of lions, because he refused
to bow down before the idol of the king. For seven days

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

Daniel1ay among the wild beasts, and not a hair of his head
was touched. When the king at the end of the week found
Daniel alive, he could not but acknowledge the sovereign
grandeur of God. Cyrus released Daniel, and instead bad
his calumniators thrown to the lions. In an instant they
were rent in pieces.'
In general Cyrus fell far short of coming up to the expec-
tations set in him for piety and justice. Though he granted
permission to the Jews to rebuild the Temple, they were to
use no material but wood, so that it might easily be de-
stroyed if the Jews should take it into their heads to rebel
against him. Even in point of morals, the Persian king was
not above reproach.7
Another time Cyrus pressingly urged Daniel to pay hom-
age to the idol Bel. As proof of the divinity of the idol the
king advanced the fact that it ate the dishes set before it,
a report spread by the priests of Bel, who entered the
Temple of the idol at night, through subterranean passages,
themselves ate up the dishes, and then attributed their dis-
appearance to the appetite of the god. But Daniel was too
shrewd to be misled by a fabricated story. He had ashes
strewn upon the floor of the Temple, and the foot-prints vis-
ible the next morning convinced the king of the deceit prac-
ticed by the priests.'
Pleasant relations did not continue to subsist forever be-
tween Cyrus and Darius. A war broke out between them,
in which Cyrus lost life and lands. Fearing Darius, Daniel
fled to Persia. But an angel of God appeared to him with
the message: "Fear not the king, not unto him will I sur-
render thee." Shortly afterward he received a letter from

Digitized by Coogle

J
 The Return of the Captivity 347

Darius reading as follows: "Come to me. Daniell Fear

naught, I shall be even kinder to thee than Cyrus was." Ac-
cordingly Daniel returned to Shushtar. and was received
with great consideration by Darius.
One day the king chanced to remember the sacred gar-
ments brought by Nebuchadnezzar out of the Temple at Je-
rusalem to Babylon. They had vanished. and no trace of
them could be discovered. The king suspected Daniel of
having had something to do with their disappearance. It
booted little that he protested his innocence, he was cast into
prison. God sent an angel who was to blind Darius. telling
him at the same time that he was deprived of the light of his
eyes because he was keeping the pious Daniel in durance.
and sight would be restored to him only if Daniel interceded
for him. The king at once released Daniel. and the two to-
gether journeyed to Jerusalem to pray on the holy place for
the restoration of the king. An angel appeared to Daniel,
and announced to him that his prayer had been heard. The
king had but to wash his eyes, and vision would return to
them. So it happened. Darius gave thanks to God, and in
his gratitude assigned the tithe of his grain to the priests and
the Levites. Besides, he testified his appreciation to Daniel
by loading him down with gifts, and both returned to Shush-
tar. The recovery of the king convinced many of his sub-
jects of the omnipotence of God, and they converted to
Judaism.'
Following the advice of Daniel, Darius U appointed a tri-
umvirate to take charge of the administration of his realm,
and Daniel was made the chief of the council of three. His
high dignity-he was second to none but the king himself-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

exposed him to envy and hostility on all sides. His enemies

plotted his ruin. With cunning they induced the king to
sign an order attaching the penalty of death to prayers ad-
dressed to any god or any man other than DariUs.D Though
the order did not require Daniel to commit a sin, he pre-
ferred to give his life for the honor of the one God rather
than omit his devotions to Him. When his jealous enemies
surprised him during his prayers, he did not interrupt him-
self. He was dragged before the king, who refused to give
credence to the charge against Daniel. Meanwhile the hour
for the afternoon prayer arrived, and in the presence of the
king and his princes Daniel began to perform his devotions.
This naturally rendered unavailing all efforts made by the
king to save his friend from death. Daniel was cast into a
pit full of lions. The entrance to the pit was closed up with
a rock, which had all of its own accord rolled from Pales-
tine to protect him against any harm contemplated by his
enemies.sa The ferocious beasts welcomed the pious Daniel
like dogs fawning upon their master on his return home,
licking his hands and wagging their tails.
While this was passing in Babylon, an angel appeared to
the prophet Habakkuk in Judea. He ordered the prophet
to bring Daniel the food he was about to carry to his laborers
in the field. Astonished, Habakkuk asked the angel how
he could carry it to so great a distance, whereupon he was
seized by his hair, and in a moment set down before DanieL
They dined together, and then the angel transported Habak-
kuk baelC to his place in Palestine. Early in the morning
Darius sa went to the pit of the lions to discover the fate of
Daniel. The king called his name, but he received DO an-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Return of the Captivity 349

swer, because Daniel was reciting the Shemac at that mo-

ment," after having spent the night in giving praise and
adoration to God.U Seeing that he was still alive, the king
summoned the enemies of Daniel to the pit. It was their
opinion that the liOns had not been hungry, and there-
fore Daniel was still unhurt. ,The king commanded them
to put the beasts to the test with their own persons. The re-
sult was that the hundred and twenty-two enemies of Dan-
iel, together with their wives and children numbering two
hundred and forty-four persons, were tom in shreds by four-
teen hundred and sixty-four lions.-
The miraculous escape of Daniel brought him more dis-
tinguished consideration and greater honors than before.
The king published the wonders done by God in all parts of
his land, and called upon the people to betake themselves
to Jerusalem and'help in the erection of the Temple.
Daniel entreated the king to relieve him of the duties of
his position, for the performance of which he no longer felt
himself fit, on account of his advanced age. The king con-
sented on condition that Daniel designate a successor worthy
of him. His choice fell uponZerubbabeI. Loaded with
rich presents and amid public demonstrations designed to
honor him, Daniel retired from public life. He settled in
the city of Shushan, where he abode until his end.a Though
he was no prophet, God vouchsafed to him a knowledge of
the ,. end of time II not granted his friends, the prophets
, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi,- but even he, in the fulness
of his years, lost all memory of the revelation with which
he had been favored.U

Digitized by Coogle
350 The Legends of the 1 ews

THE GRAVE OF DANIEL

Daniel was buried in Shushan. on account of which a sore
quarrel was enkindled among the inhabitants of the city.
Shushan is divided in two parts by a river. The side con-
taining the grave of Daniel was occupied by the wealthy
inhabitants. and the poor citizens lived on the other side of
the river. The latter maintained that they. too. would be
rich if the grave of Daniel were in their quarter. The fre-
quent disputes and conflicts were finally adjusted by a com-
promise; one year the bier of Daniel reposed on one side of
the river. the next year on the other. When the Persian
king Sanjar came to Shushan. he put a stop to the practice
of dragging the bier hither and thither. He resorted to
another device for guarding the peace of the city. He had
the bier suspended from chains precisely in the middle of
the bridge spanning the river. In the same spot he erected
a house of prayer for all confessions. and out of respect to
Daniel he prohibited fishing in the river for a distance of a
mile on either side of the memorial building.- The sacred-
ness of the spot appeared when the godless tried to pass by.
They were drowned. while the pious remained unscathed.
Furthermore, the fish that swam near it had heads glittering
like gold.-
Beside the house of Daniel lay a stone. under which be
had concealed the holy Temple vessels. Once an attempt
was made to roll the stone from its place, but whoever ven-
tured to touch it. fell dead. The same fate overtook all who
later tried to make excavations near the spot; a storm broke
out and mowed them down.·

Digitized by Coogle
 The Reklm of the Captivity 35 1
ZERUBBABEL

The successor to Daniel in the service of the king, Zerub-

babel, enjoyed equally as much royal consideration and af-
':tc fection. He occupied a higher position than all the
other servants and officials, and he and two others consti-
tuted the body-guard of the king.- Once when the king lay
r s:.: wrapped in deep slumber: his guards resolved to write down
what each of them considered the mightiest thing in the
:- ...
po,:"
world. and he who wrote the sagest saying should be given
rich presents and. rewards by the king. What they wrote
: ... they laid under the pillow on which the head of the king
rested, that he might not delay to make a decision after he
awoke. The first one wrote: .. Wine is the mightiest thing
there is "; the second wrote: II The king is the mightiest on
eartli," and the third. Zerubbabel. wrote: .. Women are the
mightiest in the world. but truth prevails over all else."
When the king awoke. and had perused the document. he
summoned the grandees of his realm and the three youths
as well. Each of the three was called upon to justify his
saying. In eloquent words the first described the potency
of wine. When it takes possession of the senses of a man,
he forgets grief and sorrow. Still more beautiful and con-
vincing were the words of the second speaker. when his tum
came to establish the truth of his saying, that the king was
the mightiest on earth. Finally Zerubbabel depicted in glow-
ing words the power of woman. who rules even over kings.
II But," he continued, "truth is supreme over all ; the whole

earth asks for truth, the heavens sing the praises of truth,
all creation quakes and trembles before truth, naught of
wrong can be found in truth. Unto truth belongeth the

Digitized by Coogle
JS2 The Legends of the 1ews

might, the dominion, the power, and the glory of aU times.

Blessed be the God of truth." When Zerubbabel ceased from
speaking, the assembly broke out into the words: II Great is
truth, it is mightier than all else I" The king was so charmed
with the wisdom of Zerubbabel that he said to him: •• Ask
for aught thou wishest, it shall be granted thee." Zerub-
babel required nothing for himself, he only sought permis-
sion of the kingto restore Jerusalem, rebuild the sanctuary.
and return the holy Temple vessels to the place whence they
had been carried off. Not only did Darius grant what
Zerubbabel wished for, not only did he give him letters of
safe-conduct, but he also conferred numerous privileges upon
the Jews who accompanied Zerubbabel to Palestine, and he
sent abundant presents to the Temple and its officers.-
As unto his predecessor Daniel, so unto Zerubbabel, God
vouchsafed a knowledge of the secrets of the future. Es-
pecially the archangel Metatron dealt kindly with him. Be-
sides revealing to him the time at which the Messiah would
appear, he brought about an interview between the Messiah
and Zerubbabel.-
In reality, Zerubbabel was none other than Nehemiah.
who was given this second name because he was bom in
Babylon.- . Richly endowed as Zerubbabel-Nehemiah was
with admirable qualities, he yet did not lack faults. He was
excessively self-complacent, and he did not hesitate to fasten
a stigma publicly upon his predecessors in the office of
governor in the land of Judah, among whom was so excel-
lent a man as Daniel. To punish him for these transgres-
sions, the Book of Ezra does not bear the name of its real
author Nehemiah.-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Return 01 the Captivity 353

When Darius felt his end approach,· he appointed his

son-in-law Cyrus,· who had hitherto reigned only over
Persia, to be the ruler over his kingdom as well. His wish
was honored by the princes of Media and Persia. After
Darius had departed this life, Cyrus was proclaimed king.
In the very first year of his reign, Cyrus summoned the
most distinguished of the Jews to appear before him, and he
gave them permission to return to Palestine and rebuild the
Temple at Jerusalem. More than this, he pledged himself
to contribute to the Temple service in proportion to his
means, and pay honor to the God who had invested him with
strength to subdue the Chaldeans. These actions of Cytus
partly Bowed from his own pious inclinations, and partly
were due to his desire to accomplish the dying behests of,
Darius, who had admonished him to give the Jews the op-'
portunity of rebuilding the Temple.
When the first sacrifice was to be brought by the company
of Jews who returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of
Ezra, and set about restoring the Temple, they missed the
celestial fire which had dropped from heaven on the altar in
the time of Moses, and had not been extinguished so long
as the Temple stood. They turned in supplication to God
to be instructed by Him. The celestial fire had been hidden
by Jeremiah at the time of the destruction of the Holy City,
and the law did not permit them to bring II strange fire"
upon the altar of God. An old man suddenly remem-
bered the spot in which Jeremiah had buried the holy fire,
and he led the elders thither. They rolled away the stone
covering the spot, and from under it appeared a spring flow-
ing not with water, but with a sort of oil. Ezra ordered this
13

Digitized by Coogle
354 The Legends of the Jews

fluid to be sprinkled upOn the altar, and forthwith an alI-

consuming flame shot Up. The priests themselves scattered
in fright. But after the Temple and its vessels were puri-
fied by the flame, it confined itself to the altar never more to
leave it, for the priests guarded it so that it might not be
extinguished.-
Among the band of returned exiles were the prophets
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Each one of them had a
place of the greatest importance to fill in the rebuilding of
the Temple. By the first the people were shown the plan
of the altar, which was larger than the one that had stood
in Solomon's Temple. The second informed them of the
exact location of the altar, and the third taught them that
sacrifices might be brought on the holy place even before
the completion of the Temple. On the authority of one of
the prophets, the Jews, on their return from Babylonia, gave
up their original Hebrew characters, and re-wrote the Tcr
rah in the" Assyrian .. characters still in use at this day.-
While the Temple work was in progress, the builders
found the skull of Araunah, the owner of the Temple site in
the time of David. The priests, unlearned as they were,
could not decide to what extent the corpse lying there had
defiled the holy place. It was for this that Haggai poured
out his reproaches upon them.u

EzRA
'The complete resettlement of Palestine took plaee under
the direction of Ezra, or, as the Scriptures sometimes call
him, Malachi.- He had not ·been present at the earlier at-
tempts II to restore the sanctuary, because he could not leave

Digitized by Coogle
 The Return of the Captivity 355

his old teacher Baruch, who was too advanced in years to

venture upon the difficult journey to the Holy Land.-
In spite of Ezra's persuasive efforts, it was but a com-
paratively small portion of the people that joined the pro-
cession winding its way westward to Palestine. For this
reason the prophetical spirit did not show itself during the
existence of the Second Temple. Haggai, Zechariah, and
Malachi were the last representatives of prophecy.- Noth-
ing was more surprising than the apathy of the Levites.
They manifested no desire to return to Palestine. Their
punishment was the loSs of the tithes, which were later
given to the pries~s, though the Levites had the first claim
upon them."'
In restoring the Jewish state in Palestine, Ezra cherished
two hopes, to preserve the purity of the Jewish race, and to
spread the study of the Torah until it should become the
common property of the people at large. To help on his
first purpose, he inveighed against marriages between the
Jews and the nations round about.- He himself had care-
fully worked out his own pedigree before he consented to
leave Babylonia,- and in order to perpetuate the purity of
the families and groups remaining in the East, he took all
the "unfit"· with him to Palestine.
In the realization of his second hope, the spread of the
Torah, Ezra was so zealous and efficient that it was justly
said of him: "If Moses had not anticipated him, Ezra
would have received the Torah."· In a sense he was. in-
deed, a second Moses. The Torah had· fallen into neglect
and oblivion in his day, and he restored and re-established it
in the minds of his people.- It is due to him chiefly that it

Digitized by Google
 356 The Legends of the 1ews

was divided up into portions, to be read annually, Sabbath

after Sabbath, in the synagogues:, and he it was, likewise,
who originated the idea of re-writing the Pentateuch in
" Assyrian" characters." To further his purpose still more,
he ordered additional schools for children to be established
everywhere, though the old ones sufficed to satisfy the de-
mand. He thought the rivalry between the old and the new
institutions wou~d redound to the benefit of the pupils.-
Ezra is the originator of institutions known as "the ten
regulations of Ezra." They are the following: I. Read-
ings from the Torah on Sabbath afternoons. 2. Readings
from the Torah on Mondays and Thursdays. 3. Sessions
of the court on Mondays and Thursdays. 4- To do laundry
work on Thursdays, not Fridays. 5, To eat garlic on Friday
on account of its salutary action."' 6. To bake bread early
in the morning that it may be ready for the poor whenever
they ask 'for some. ". Women are to cover the lower parts
of their bodies with a garment called Sinar.· 8. Before
jaking a ritual bath, the hair is to be combed. 9. The ritual
bath prescribed for the unclean is to cover the case of one
who desires to offer prayer or study the law."' 10. Permis-
'. sion to peddlers to sell cosmetics to women in the towns.-
Ezra was not only a great teacher of his people and their
wise leader. he was also their advocate with the celestials,
to whom his relation was of a peculiarly intimate char-
acter. Once he addressed a prayer to God, in which he com-
plained of the misfortune of Israel and the prosperity of the
heathen nations. Thereupon the angel Uriel appeared to
him, and instructed him how that the evil has· its appointed
time in which to run its course, as the dead have their ap-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Return of the Capti'llity 357

.. pointed time to sojourn in the nether world. Ezra could not

rest satisfied with this explanation, and in response to his
further question, seven prophetic visions were vouchsafed
him, and interpreted by the angel for him. They typified
the whole course of history up to his day, and disclosed the
future to his eyes. In the seventh vision he heard a voice
from a thorn-bush, like Moses aforetimes, and it admonished
him to guard in his heart the secrets revealed to him. The
same voice had given MQses a similar injunction: .. These
words shalt thou publish, those shalt thou keep secret.·'
Then his early translation from earth was announced to him.
He besought God to let the holy spirit descend upon him"-
before he died, so that he might record all that had hap-
pened since the creation of the world as it was set down in
the Torah, and guide men upon the path that leads to God.
Hereupon God bade him take the five experienced scribes,
Sarga, Dabria, Seleucia, Ethan, and Aziel, with him into re-
tirement, and dictate to them for forty days. After one day
spent with these writers in isolation, remote from the city
and from men, a voice admonished him: "Ezra, open thy
mouth, and drink whereof I give thee to drink." He opened
his mouth, and a chalice was handed to him filled to the
brim with a liquid that flowed like water, but in color re-
sembled fire. His mouth opened to drink, and for forty
days it was not closed. During all that time, the five scribes
put down, "in signs they did not understand/'-they were
the newly adopted Hebrew characters,--all that Ezra dic-
tated to them, and it made ninety-four books. At the end
of the forty days' period, God spoke to Ezra thus: "The
twenty-four books of the Holy Scriptures thou shalt pub-

Digitized by Coogle
358 The Legends of the I ews

lish, for the worthy and the unworthy alike to read; but the
last seventy books thou shalt withhold from the populace.
for the perusal of the wise of thy people." On account of
his literary activity, he is called" the Scn"be of the science
of the Supreme Being unto all eternity."·
Having finished his task, Ezra was removed from this
mundane world, and he entered the life everlasting. But
his death did not occur in the Holy Land. It overtook him
at Khuzistan, in Persia. on his journey to King Artach-
shashta.-
At Raccia. in MesOpotamia, there stood, as late as the
twelfth century, the synagogue founded by Ezra when he
was journeying from Babylonia to Palestine.-
At his grave, over which columns of fire are often seen to
hover at night" a miracle once happened. A shepherd fell
asleep by the side of it. Ezra appeared to him and bade him
tell the Jews that ~hey were to transport his bier to another
spot. If the master of the new place refused assent, he was
to be warned to yield permission, else all the inhabitants of
his place would perish. At first the master refused to allow
the necessary excavations to be made. Only after a large
number of the non-Jewish inhabitants of the place had been
stricken down suddenly, he consented to have the corpse
transported thither. As soon as the grave was opened. the
plague ceased.
Shortly before the death of Ezra, the city of Babylon was
totally destroyed by the Persians. There remained but a
portion of the wall which was impregnable by human
strength.1I All the prophecies hurled against the city by the
prophets were accomplished. To this day there is a spot on

Digitized by Coogle
 The Return of the Capti'llity 359

its .site which no animal can pass unless some of the earth
of the place is strewn upon it.·

THE MEN OF THE GREAT ASSEMBLY

At the same time with Ezra, or, to speak more accurately,
under his direction, the Great Assembly carried on its benefi-
cent activities, which laid the foundations of Rabbinical
Judaism, and constituted the binding link between the Jew-
ish Prophet and the Jewish Sage.- The great men who be-
longed to this august assembly once succeeded, through the
efficacy of their prayers, in laying hands upon the seducers
unto sin, and confining them, to prevent them from doing
more mischief. Thus they banished from the world II the
desire unto idolatry." They tried to do the same to II the
desire unto lustfulness." This evil adversary warned them
against making away with him, for the world would cease
to exist without him. For three days they kept him a pris-
oner, but then they had to dismiss him and let him go free.
They found that not even an egg was to be had, for sexual
appetite had vanished from the world. However, he did not
escape altogether unscathed. They plastered up his eyes,
and from that time on he gave up inflaming the passions
of men against their blood relations.-
Among the decrees and ordinances of the Great Assembly,
the most prominent is the fixation of the prayer of the
Eighteen Benedictions. The several benedictions composing
this prayer date back to remote 'ancient times. The Patri-
archs were their authors, and the work of the Great Assem-
bly was to put them together in the order in which we now
have them. We know how each of the benedictions origi-

Digitized by Coogle

•
 The Legends of the / ews

nated: I. When Abraham was saved from the furnace, the

angels spoke: •• Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, the Shield of
Abraham," which is the essence of the first of the Eighteen.
2. When Isaac lay stunned by fright on Mount Moriah, God
sent His dew to revive him, whereupon the angels spoke:
., Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, who quickenest the dead." J.
When Jacob arrived at the gates of heaven and proclaimed
the holiness of God, the angels spoke: .. Blessed art Thou,
o Lord, Thou holy God." 4- When Pharaoh was about to
make Joseph the ruler over Egypt, and it appeared that he
was unacquainted with the seventy tongues which an
Egyptian sovereign must know, the angel Gabriel came and
taught him those languages, whereupon the angels spoke:
II Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, who graciously bestowest
knowledge." s. When Reuben committed the trespass
against his father, sentence of death was pronounced upon
him in the heavens. But when he repented,· he was per-
mitted to continue to live, and the angels spoke: .. Blessed
art Thou. 0 Lord. who hast delight in repentance.n 6.
When Judah had committed a trespass against Tamar, and
confessing his guilt obtained forgiveness, the angels spoke:
.. Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, who pardonest greatly." 7.
When Israel was sore oppressed by Mizraim, and God pro-
claimed his redemption, the angels spoke: II Blessed art
Thou, 0 Lord, who redeemest Israel." 8. When the angel
Raphael came to Abraham to soothe the pain of his circum-
cision, the angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, who
healest the sick." 9- When Israel's sowing in the land of
the Philistines bore an abundant harvest, the angels spoke:
.. Blessed art Thou. 0 Lord. who blessest the years." 10.

Digitized by Coogle
 The Return of the Captivity J6r
When Jacob was reunited with Joseph and Simon in Egypt.
the angels spoke: II Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, who gath-
erest the dispersed of Thy people Israel" 1 I. When the
Torah was revealed and God communicated the code of laws
to Moses, the angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord,
who lovest righteousness and justice." 12. When the
Egyptians' were drowned in'the Red Sea, the angels spoke:
II Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, who shatterest the enemy ana

humiliatest the presumptuous." 13. When Joseph laid his

hands on the eyes of his father Jacob, the angels spoke:
II Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, who art the stay and the sup-

port of the pious." 14- When Solomon built the Temple,

the angels spoke: II Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, who buildest
Jerusalem." IS. When the children of Israel singing
hymns of praise unto God passed through the Red Sea, the
angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, who causest the
hour of saivation to sprout forth." 16. When God lent a
gracious ear to the prayer of the suffering Israelites in
Egypt, the angels spoke: II Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, who
hearest our prayer." 17. When the Shekinah descended
between the Cherubim in the Tabernacle, the angels spoke:
II Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, who wilt restore Thy Divine

Presence to Jerusalem." 18. When Solomon dedicated his

Temple, the angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord,
whose Name is worthy of praise." 19. When Israel entered
the Holy Land, the angels spoke: "Blessed art Thou. 0
Lord, who establishest peace."·

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 XII
ESTHER

.,um
THE FEAST FOR THE GRANDEES •••••••••• 365
THE FESTIVITIES IN SHUSHAN •••••••••• 368
VASHTI'S BANQUET ••••••••••••••••••• 372
THE FATE OF VASHTI •••••••••••••••••• 374
THE FOLLIES OF AHASUERUS ••••• '••••••• 379
MORDECAI ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 381
EsTHER'S BEAUTY AND PIETY ••••••••••• 383
THE CoNSPIRACY ••••••••••••••••••••• 390
HAMAN THE JEW-BAITER ••••••••••••••• 393
MORDECAI'S PRIDE •••••••••••••••••••• 394
CAsTING THE LoTs ••••.••...•.....••.• 399
THE DENUNCIATION OF THE JEWS ••••••• 402
THE DECREE OF ANNIHILATION ••••••••• 408
SATAN INDICTS THE JEWS •••••••••••••• 414
THE DREAM OF MORDECAI FULFILLED •••• 419
THE PRAYER OF EsTHER ••••••••••••••• 423
EsTHER INTERCEDES •••••••••••••••••• 427
THE DISTURBED NIGHT •••••••••••••••• 431
THE FALL OF HAMAN ••••••••••••••••• 435
THE EDICT OF THE KING ••••••••••••••• 445

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 XII
ESTHER
THE FEAST FOR THE GRANDEES

The Book of Esther is the last of the Scriptural writings.

The subsequent history of Israel and all his suffering we
know only through oral tradition. For this reason the hero-
ine of the last canonical book was named Esther, that is,
Venus, the morning-star, which sheds its light after all the
other stars have ceased to shine, and while the sun still de-
lays to rise. Thus the deeds of Queen Esther cast a ray of
light forward into Israel's history at its darkest.'
The Jews at the time of Ahasuerus were like the dove
about to enter her nest wherein a snake lies coiled. Yet she
cannot withdraw, because a falcon bides without to swoop
down upon her. In Shushan the Jews were in the clutches
of Haman, and in other lands they were at the mercy of
many murderous enemies to their race, ready to do the bid-
ding of Haman-to destroy and to slay them, and cause
them to perish.-
But the rescue of the Jews from the hand of their adver-
saries is only a part of this wonderful chapter in the history
of Israel. No less important is the exalted station to which
they rose in the realm of Ahasuerus after the fan of Haman,
especially the power and dignity to which Esther herself at-
tained. On this account the magnificent feast prepared by
Ahasuerus for his subjects belongs to the history of Esther.

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

The splendor of his feast is the gauge whereby to measure

the wealth and power she later enjoyed:
Ahasuerus was not the king of Persia by right of· birth.
He owed his position to his vast wealth, with which he pur...
chased dominion over the whole world.-
He had various reasons for giving a gorgeous feast. The
third year of his reign was the seventieth since the begin-
ning of Nebuchadnezzar's rule, and Ahasuerus thought it
quite certain that the time had passed for the fulfilment of
the prophecy of Jeremiah foreteHing the return of Israel to
the Holy Land. The Temple was still in ruins, and Aha-
suerus was convinced that the Jewish kingdom would never
again be restored. Needless to say, it was not Jeremiah
who erred. Not with the accession of King Nebuchad-
nezzar had the prophet's term of years begun, but with the
destruction of Jerusalem. Reckoned in this way, the seventy
years of desolation were at an end exactly at the time when
Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, permitted the rebuilding of
the Temple.'
Beside this mistaken cause for a celebration, there were
reasons personal to Ahasuerus why he desired to give ex-
pression to joy. A short time before, he had crushed a re-
bellion against himself, and this victory he wanted to cele-
brate with pomp and ceremony.- The first part of the cele-
bration was given over to the hundred and twenty-seven
rulers of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of his em-
pire. His purpose was to win the devotion of those of them
with whom otherwise he did not come in direct contact.
But can it be said with certainty that this was a good pol-
icy? If he had not first made sure of the loyalty of his

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther

capital, was it not dangerous to have these rulers near him

in case of an insurrection?
For six whole months he celebrated the feast for. the
grandees-the nobles and the high officials, the latter of
whom, according to the constitution, were all required to
be Medians under the Persian king Ahasuerus, as they
would have had to be Persians under a Median kidg.'
This was the program of the feast: In the first month
Ahasuerus showed his treasures to his guests j in the second,
the delegates of the king'$ royal vassals saw them j in the
third the presents were exposed to view j in the fourth the
guests were invited to admire his literary possessions, among
them the sacred scroll j in the fifth his pearl and diamond-
studded ornaments of gold were put on exhibition j and in
the sixth he displayed the treasures which had been given
him as tribute.' All this vast wealth, however, appertained
to the crown, it was not his personal property. When Nebu-
chadnezzar felt his end draw nigh, he resolved to sink
his immense treasures in the Euphrates rather than let them
descend to his son Evil-merodach, so great was his miserli-
ness. But, again, when Cyrus gave the Jews permission
to build the Temple, his divinely appointed reward was that
he discovered the spot in the river at which the treasures
were sunk, and he was permitted to take possession of them.
These were the treasures of which Ahasuerus availed him-
self to glorify his feast. So prodigious were they that dur-
ing the six months of the feast he unlocked six treasure-
chambers daily to display their contents to his guests.'
When Ahasuerus boasted of his wealth, which he had no
right to do, as his treasures had come from the Temple, God

Digitized by Coogle
 The 'Legends of the Jews

said: "Verily, has the creature of flesh and blood any p0s-
sessions of his own? I alone possess treasures, for • the
silver is mine, and the gold is mine.' " •
Among the treasures displayed were the Temple vessels,
which Ahasuerus had desecrated in his' drinking bouts.
When the noble Jews who had been invited to the capital
saw these, they began to weep, and they refused to take
further part in the festivities. Thereupon the king c0m-
manded that a separate place be assigned to the Jews, so
that their eyes might be spared the painful sight.R
This was not the only incident that aroused poignant
memories in them, for Ahasuerus arrayed himself in the
robes of state once belonging to the high priests at Jerusa-
lem, and this, too, ~ade the Jews smart uncomfortably.-
The Persian king had wanted to mo.unt the throne of Solo-
mon besides, but herein he was thwarted, because its in-
genious construction .was an enigma to him. Egyptian ar-
tificers tried to fashion a throne after the model of Solo-
mon's, but in vain. After two years' work they managed to
produce a weak imitation of it, and upon this Ahasuerus sat
during his splendid fease'

THE FESTIVITIES IN SHUSHAN'

At the expiration of the hundred and eighty days allotted
to the feast for the nobles, Ahasuerus arranged a great cele-
bration for the residents of Shushan, the capital city of
Elam. From the creation of the world until after the del-
uge the unwritten law had been in force, that the first-born
son of the patriarchs was to be the ruler of the world.
Thus, Seth was the successor to Adam, and he was followed

Digitized by Coogle
 . Esther

in tum by Enosh, and so the succession went on, from first-

born son to first-born son, down to Noah and his oldest son
Shem. Now, the first-born son of Shem was Elam, and, ac-
cording to custom, he should have been given the universal
dominion which was his heritage. Shem, being a prophet,
knew that Abraham and his posterity, the Israelites, would
not spring from the family of Elam, but from that of Ar-
pacbshad. Therefore he named Arpachshad as his succes-
sor, and through him rulership descended to Abraham, and
so to Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, and to David and his p0s-
terity, down to the last Judean king Zedekiah, who was de-
prived of his sovereignty by Nebuchadnezzar.
Then it was that God spake thus: cc So tong as the gov-
ernment rested in the hands of My children, I was prepared
to exercise patience. The misdeeds of the one were made
good by the other. If one of them' was wicked, the other
was pious. But now that the dominioq has ,been wrested
from My children, it shall at least revert to its original pos-
sessors. Elam Was the first-born son of Shem, and his seed
shall be given the rule." So it happened that Shushan, the
capital city of Elam, became the seat of govemment."A
That there were any celebrations in Shushan was due to
Haman, who even in those early days was devising intrigues
against the Jews. He appeared before Ahasuerus, and said:
cc 0 king, this people is a peculiar people. May it please
.thee to destroy it." Ahasuerus replied: cc I fear the God
of this people; He is very mighty, and I bear in mind what
befell Pharaoh for his wicked treatment of the Israelites."
II Their God," said Haman, cc hates an unchaste life. Do
thou, therefore, prepare feasts for them,and order them to
24

Digitized by Coogle
370 The Legends of the I ews

take part in the merry-makings. Have them eat and drink

and act as their heart desireth, so that their God may be-
come wrathful against them."
When Mordecai heard of the feasts that were planned, he
advised the Jews not to join in them." All the prominent
men of his people and many of the lower classes took his
advice to heart. They fled from Shushan, to avoid being
compelled to take part in the festivities." The rest re-
mained in the city and yielded to force; they participated
in the celebrations, and even permitted themselves to
eat of food prepared by the heathen, though the king had
taken care not to offend the religious conscience of the Jews
in such details." He had been so punctilious that there was
no need for them to drink wine touched by the hand of an
idolater, let alone eat forbidden food. The arrangements
for the feast were entirely in the charge of Haman and Mor-
decai, so that neither Jew nor Gentile might absent ~imself
for religious reasons."
It was the aim of the king to let every guest follow the
inclination of his heart. When Ahasuerus issued the order,
that the officers of his house were to .. do according to every
man's pleasure," God became wroth with him. .. Thou vil-
lain," He said, Ie canst thou do every man's pleasure? Sup-
pose two men love the same woman, can both marry her?
Two vessels sail forth together from a port, the .one desires
a south wind, the other a north wind. Canst thou produce
a wind to satisfy the two? On the morrow Haman and
Mordecai wilt appear before thee. Wilt thou be able to
side with both?""
The scene of the festivities was in the royal gardeas.

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 371

The upper branches of the high trees were made to interlace

with each other, so as to form vaulted arches, and the
smaller trees with aromatic foliage were taken up out of
the ground, and placed in artfully constructed tents. From
tree to tree stretched curtains of byssns, white and sapphire
blue, and vivid-green and royal purple, fastened to their sup-
ports by ropes depending from round silver beams, these in
tum resting on pillars of red, green, yellow, white, and glit-
tering blue marble. The couches were made of delicate
draperies, their frames stood on silver feet, and the rods
attached to them were of gold. The floor was tiled with
crystal and marble, outlined with precious stones, whose
brilliance illuminated the scene far and wide.-
The wine and the other beverages were drunk only from
golden vessels, yet Ahasuerus was so rich that no drinking
cup was used more than a single time.- But magnificent as
these utensils of his were, when the holy vessels of the Tem-
ple were brought in, the golden splendor of the others was
aimmed ; it turned dull as lead. The wine was in each case
older than its drinker. To prevent intoxication from un-
accustomed drinks, every guest was se"ed with the wine
indigenous to his native place. In general, Ahasuerus fol-
lowed the Jewish rather than the Persian manner. It was
a banquet rather than a drinking bout.· In Persia a custom
prevailed that every participant in a banquet of wine had to
drain a huge beaker far exceeding the drinking capacity of
any human being, and do it he must, though he lost reason
and life. The office of butler accordingly was very lucra-
tive, because the guests at such wassails were in the habit
of bribing him to purchase the liberty of drinking as little as

Digitized by Coogle
3'12 The Legends of the I ews

they pleased or dared. This Persian habit of compelling

excess in drinking was ignored at Ahasuerus's banquet;
every guest did as he chose.-
The royal bounty did not show itself in food and drink
alone. The king's guests could also indulge in the pleasures
of the dance if they were so minded. Dancers were pro-
vided, who charmed the company with their artistic figures
displayed upon the purple-covered floor.- That the enjoy-
ment of the participants might in no wise be marred, as by
separation from their families, all were permitted to bring
their households with them,- and merchants were released
from the taxes imposed upon them.-
So sure was Ahasuerus of his success as a host that he
dared say to his Jewish guests: " Will your God be able to
match this banquet in the future world?" Whereunto the
Jews replied: " The banquet God will prepare for the right-
eous in the world to come. is that of which it is written,
• No eye hath seen it but God's; He will accomplish it for
them that wait upon Him.' If God were to offer us a
banquet like unto thine, 0 king, we should say, Such as
this we ate at the table of Ahasuerus."·

VMBTI'S BANQUET

The banquet given by Queen Vashti to the women dif-

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

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 373

As the weak sex is subject to sudden attacks of indispo-

sition, the banquet was given in the halls of the palace, so
that the guests might at need withdraw to the adjoining
chambers. The gorgeously ornamented apartments of the
palace, besides, were more attractive to the feminine taste
than the natural beauties of the royal gardens, .. for a
woman would rather reside in beautiful chambers and pos-
sess beautiful clothes than eat fatted calves." - Nothing in-
terested the women more than to become acquainted with
the arrangement of the interior of the palace, .. for women
are curious to know all things." Vashti gratified their de-
sire. She showed them all there was to be seen, describing
every place as she came to it: This is the dining-hall, this
the wine-room, this the bed-chamber.-
Vashti, too, was actuated by a political motive when she
determined to give her banquet. By inviting the wives of
the nobles entertained by her spouse, she could hold them as
hostages in case the men rose in insurrection against the
king.- For Vashti knew the ways of statecraft. She not
only was the wife of a king, but also the daughter of a king,
of Belshazzar. The night of Belshazzar's murder in his own
palace, Vashti, alarmed by the confusion that ensued, and
not knowing of the death of her father, fled to the apart-
ments in which he was in the habit of sitting. The Median
Darius had already ascended the throne of Belshazzar, and
so it happened that Vashti, instead of finding the hoped-for
refuge with her father, ran straight into the hands of his
successor. But he had compassion with her, and gave her
to his SOD Ahasuerus for wife:

Digitized by Coogle
374 The Legends of the Jews

TUE FATE OF VASUTt

Though Ahasuerus had taken every precaution to prevent
intemperate indulgence in wine, his banquet revealed the
essential difference between Jewish and pagan festivities.
When Jews are gathered about a festal board, they discuss
a Halakah, or a Haggadah, or, at the least, a simple verse
from the Scriptures. Ahasuerus and his boon companions
rounded out the banquet with prurient talk. The Persians
lauded the charms of the women of their people, while th~
Medians admitted none superior to the Median women.
Then "the fool" Ahasuerus up and spake: "My wife is
neither a Persian nor a Median, but a Chaldean, yet she ex-
eels all in beauty. Wo~d you convince yourselves of the
truth of my words?" " Yes," shouted the company, who
were deep in their cups, "but that we may properly judge
of her natural charms, let her appear before us unadorned,
yea, without any apparel whatsoever," and Ahasuerus agreed
to the shameless condition.1l .

The thing was from God, that so insensate a demand

should be made of Vashti by the king. A whole week Mor-
decai had spent in fasting and praying, supplicating God to
mete out punishment to Ahasuerus for his desecration of
the Temple utensils. On the seventh day of the week, on
the Sabbath, when Mordecai after his long fast took food,
because fasting is forbidden on the Sabbath day, God heard
his prayer and the prayer of the Sanhedrin.D He sent down
seven Angels of Confusion to put an end to Ahasuerus's
pleasure. They were named: Mehuman, Confusion: Biz-
tha, Destruction of the House; Harbonah, Annihilation;
Bigtha and Abagtha, the Pressers of the Winepress, for God

Digitized by Coogle
 Esthe,. 375

had resolved to crush the court of Ahasuerus as one presses

the juice from grapes in a press; Zethar, Observer of I~
morality; and Carcas, Knocker.-
There was a particular reason why this interruption of
the feast took place on the Sabbath. Vashti was in the
habit of forcing Jewish maidens to spin and weave on the
Sabbath day, and to add to her cruelty, she would deprive
them of all their clothes. It was on the Sabbath, therefore,
that her punishment overtook her, and for the same reason
it was put into the king's heart to have her appear in public
stripped of all clothing.M
Vashti recoiled from the king's revolting order. But it
must not be supposed that she shrank from carrying it out
because it offended her moral sense. She was not a whit
better than her husband. She fairly revelled in the oppor-
tunity his command gave her to indulge in carnal pleasures
once again, for it was exactly a week since she had been
delivered of a child. But God sent the angel Gabriel to her
to disfigure het countenance. Suddenly signs of leprosy ap-
peared on her forehead, and the marks of other diseases on
her person.- In this state it was impossible for her to mow
herself to the king. She made a virtue of necessity, and
worded her refusal to appear before him arrogantly: .. Say
to Ahasuerus: c 0 thou fool and madman I Hast thou lost
thy reason by too much drinking? I am Vashti, the daugh-
ter of Belshazzar, who was a son of Nebuchadnezzar, the
Nebuchadnezzar who scoffed at kings and unto whom
princes were a derision, and even thou wouldst not have
been deemed worthy to run before my father's chariot as
a courier. Had he lived, I should never have been given

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / ews

unto thee for wife. Not even those who suffered the death
penalty during the reign .of my forefather Nebuchadnezzar
were stripped bare of their clothing, and thou demandest
that I appear naked in public I Why, it is for thine own
sake that I refuse to heed thy order. Either the people
will decide that I do not come up to thy description of me,
and will proclaim thee a liar, or, bewitched by my beauty.
they will kill thee in order to gain possession of me, saying.
Shall this fool be the master of so much beauty?' ".
The first lady of the Persian aristocracy encouraged
Vashti to adhere to her resolution. .. Better," her adviser
said, when Ahasuerus's second summons was delivered to
Vashti, together with his threat to kill her unless she obeyed,
.. better the king should kill thee and annihilate thy beauty.
than that thy person should be admired by other eyes than
thy husband'sp and thus thy name be disgraced, and the
name of thy ancestors."·
When Vashti refused to obey the repeated command to
appear before the king and the hundred and twenty-seven
crowned princes of the. realm, Ahasuerus turned to the Jew-
ish sages, and requested them to pass sentence upon his
queen. Their thoughts ran in this wise: If we condemn the
queen to death, we shall suffer for it as soon as Ahasuerus
becomes sober, and hears it was at our advice that she was
executed. But if we admonish him unto clemency now,
while he is intoxicated, he will accuse us of not paying due
deference to the majesty of the king. They therefore re-
solved upon neutrality. .. Since the destruction of the Tem-
ple," they said to the king, .. since we have not dwelt in oar
land, we have lost the power to give sage advice, partica-

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 377

larly in matters of life and death. Better seek counsel with

the wise men of Ammon and Moab, who have ever dwelt
at ease in their land, like wine that hath settled on its lees,
and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel." •
Thereupon Ahasuerus put his charge against Vashti be-
fore the seven princes of Persia, Carshena, Shethar, Ad-
matha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, who came
from Africa, India, Edom, Tarsus, Mursa, Resen, and Je-
rusalem, respectively.- The names of these seven officials,
each representing his country, were indicative of their office.
Carshena had the care of the animals, Shethar of the wine,
Admatha of the land, Tarshish of the palace, Meres of the
poultry, Marsena of the bakery, and Memucan provided for
the needs of all in the palace, his wife acting as house-
keeper.-
This Memucan, a native of Jerusalem, was none other
than Daniel, called Memucan, II the appointed one," because
he was designated by God to perform miracles and bring
about the death of Vashti.-
When the king applied for advice to these seven nobles,
Memucan was the first to speak up, though in rank he was
inferior to the other six, as appears from the place his name
occupies in the list. However, it is customary, as well
among Persians as among Jews, in passing death sentence,
to begin taking the vote with the youngest of the judges on
the bench, to prevent the juniors and the less prominent
from being overawed by the opinion of the more influential.-
It was Memucan's advice to the king to make an example
of Vashti, so that in future no woman should dare refuse
obedience to her husband. Daniel-Memucan had had un-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

pleasant experiences in his conjugal life. He had married

a wealthy Persian lady, who insisted upon speaking to him
in her own language exclusively." Besides,a;ersonal an-
tipathy existed between Daniel and Vashti. He had in a
measure been the cause of her refusal to appear before the
king and his princes. Vashti hated Daniel, because it was
he who had prophesied his death to her father, and the ex-
tinction of his dynastjJ She could not endure his sight.
wherefore she would not show herself to the court in his
presence."r Also, it was Daniel who, by pronouncing the
-.J

Name of God, had caused the beauty of Vashti to vanish.

and her face to be marred." In consequence of all this.
Daniel advised, not only that Vashti should be cast off, but
that she should be made harmless forever by the hangman's
hand. His advice was endorsed by his colleagues, and a~
proved by the king. That the king might not delay the
execution of the death sentence, and Daniel himself thus
incur danger to his own life, he made Ahasuerus swear the
most solemn oath known to the Persians, that it would be
carried out forthwith. At the same time a royal edict was
promulgated, making it the duty of wives to obey their
husbands. With special reference to Daniel's domestic dif-
ficulties. it was specified that the wife must speak the
language of her lord and master.-
The execution of Vashti brought most disastrous c0nse-
quences in its train. His whole empire. which is tantamount
to saying the whole world, rose against Abasuerus. The
widespread rebellion was put down only after his marriage
with Esther, but not before it had inflicted upon him the
loss of one hundred and twenty-seven provinces. the half of

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 379

his kingdom. Such was his punishment for refusing per-

mission to rebuild the Temple. It was only after the fall of
Haman, when Mordecai had been made the chancellor of
the empire, that Ahasuerus succeeded in reducing the re-
volted provinces to submission.-
The death of Vashti was not undeserved punishment, for
it had been she who had prevented the king from giving his
consent to the rebuilding of the Temple. II Wilt thou re-
build the Temple," said she, reproachfully, II which my an-
cestors destroyed?"·

THE FOLLIES OF ABASUERUS

Ahasuerus is the prototype of the unstable, foolish ruler.
He sacrificed his wife Vashti to his friend Haman-Memu-
can, and later on again his friend Haman to his wife Es·
ther.- Folly possessed him, too, when he arranged extrava-
gant festivities for guests from afar, before he had won, by
means of kindly treatment, the friendship of his surround-
ings, of the inhabitants of his capital.- Ridiculous is the
word that describes his edict bidding wives obey their hus-
bands. Every one who read it exclaimed: II To be sure, a
man is master in his own house I" However, the silly de-
cree served its purpose. It revealed his true character to
the subjects of Ahasuerus, and thenceforward they attached
little importance to his edicts. This was the reason why the
decree of annihilation directed against the Jews failed of the
effect expected by Haman and Ahasuerus. The people re-
garded it as but another of the king's foolish pranks, and.
therefore were ready to acquiesce in the revocation of the
edict when it came.-

Digitized by Coogle
 of the

The king's true character appeared when he grew sober

after the episode with Vashti. Learning that he had bad
her executed, he burst out furiously against his seven coun-
sellors, and in tum ordered them to death.-
word to describe manner in

in his dominion. David on a similar OC(:aslIOD

sent out messengers were. to bring most
beautiful maiden land, and there who was
not eager to enjoy the honor of giving a daughter of his
to the king. Ahasuerus's method was to have his servants
gather together a multitude of beautiful maidens and women
from all parts, and among them he proposed to make choice.
The result of was that the 1.Un;"",,,'n
themselves to taken into the king,
when it was that they would worthy of
becoming his
With his stupidity Ahasuerus combined wantonness. He
ordered force to be used in taking the maidens from their
parents and the wives from their husbands, and then he con-
fined them in his harem." On the other hand, the moral
sense of the heathen was so degraded that many maidens
displayed their public view, so be
sure to attract attention of
As for con-
cealed in a the king's scouts not dis-
cover her. But her beauty had long been mown to fame,
and when they returned to Shushan, they had to conless to
the king, that the most superbly beautiful woman in the land
eluded theit search. Thereupon Ahasuerus issued a decree

Digit
 Esther

ordaining the death penalty for the woman who should se-
crete herself before his emissaries. There was nothing left
for Mordecai to do but fetch Esther from her hiding-place.
and immediately she was espied and carried to the palace of
the king.-

MORDECAI

The descent of Mordecai and of his niece Esther is dis-

posed of in a few words in the Scripture. But he could
trace it all the way back to the Patriarch Jacob, from whom
he was forty-five degrees remov~.· Beside the father of
Mordecai. the only ancestor of his who is mentioned by
name is Shimei. and he is mentioned for a specific reason.
This Shimei is none other than the notorious son of Gera.
the rebel who had so scoffed and mocked at David fleeing
before Absalom that he would have been killed by Abi-
shai. if David had not generously interfered in his favor.
David's prophetic eye discerned in Shimei the ancestor of
Israel's savior in the time of Ahasuerus. For this reason he
dealt leniently with him. and on his death-bed he bade his son
Solomon reserve vengeance until Shimei should have reached
old age and could beget no more children. Thus Mordecai
deserves both appellations. the Benjamite and the Judean.
for he owed his existence not only to his actual Benjamite
forebears on his father's side. but also to the Judean David.
\\Tho kept his ancestor Shimei alive.-
Shil!Jei's distinction as the ancestor of Israel's redeemer
was due to the merits of his wife. When Jonathan and Ahi-
maaz. David's spies in his war against his son. fled before
the myrmidons of Absalom, they found the gate of Shimei's

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

house open. Entering, they concealed themselves in the

weD. That they escaped detection was due to the ruse o~
Shimei's pious wife.' She quickly transformed the weD
into a lady's chamber. When Absalom's men came and
looked about, they desisted from searching the Place. be-
cause they reasoned, that men as saintly as Jonathan and
Ahimaaz would not have taken refuge in the private apart-
ment of a woman. God determined, that for having rescued
two pious men He would reward her with two pious de-
l scendants, who should in tum avert the ruin of Israel.·
On his mother's side, Mordecai was, in very deed, a mem-
ber of the tribe of Judah.- In any event, he was a son of
Judah in the true sense of the word; he publicly acknowl-
edged himself a Jew, and he refused to touch of the for-
bidden food which Ahasuerus set before his guests at his
banquet.-
His other appellatives likewise point to his piety and his
excellencies. His name :Mordecai, for instance, consists of
Mor, meaning II myrrh," and Decai, II pure," for he was as
refined and noble as pure myrrh. Again, he is called Ben
Jair, because he II illumined the eyes of Israel"; and Ben
Kish, because when he knocked at the gates of the Divine
mercy, they were opened unto him, which is likewise the
origin of his name Ben Shimei, for he was heard by God
when he offered up prayer.- Still another of Mordecai's
epithets was Bilshan, II master of languages." Being a
member of the great Sanhedrin he understood all the seventy
languages spoken in the world.- More than that, he knew
the language of the deaf mutes. It once happened that DO
new grain could be obtained at Passover time. A deaf

Digitized by Coogle
 - ....... -.; - - J

Esther

mute came and pointed with one hand to the roof and with
the other to the cottage. Mordecai understood that these
'signs meant a locality by the name of Gagot-~erifim, Cot-
tage-Roofs, and, 10, new grain was found there for the
•Omer offering. On another occasion a deaf mute pointed
with one hand to his eye and with the other to the staple
of the bolt on the door. Mordecai understood that he
meant a place called En-Soker, .. dry well," for eye and
spring are the same word, En, in Aramaic, and SilmJ also
has a double meaning, staple and exhaustion.-
Mordecai belonged to the highest aristocracy of Jerusa-
lem,-he was of royal blood,-and he was deported to Baby-
lonia together with King Jeconiah, by Nebuchadnezzar, who
at that time exiled only the great of the land.- Later he re-
turned to Palestine, but remained only for a time. He pre-
ferred to live in the Diaspora, and watch over the education
of Esther. When Cyrus and Darius captured Babyion.
Mordecai. Daniel, and the Jewish community of the ~­
quered city accompanied King Cyrus to Shushan. where
Mordecai established his academy.-

EsTHER'S BEAUTY AND PIETY

The birth of Esther caused the death of her mother. Her

father had died a little while before. so she was entirely
orphaned. Mordecai and his wife interested themselves in
the poor babe. His wife became her nurse, and he himself
did not hesitate. when there was need for it, to do services
for the child that are usually performed only by women.-
Both her names, Esther as well as Hadassah. are de-
scriptive of her virtues. Hadassah. or Myrtle. she is.

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legmds of the I t'U}S

called, because her good deeds spread her fame abroad, as

the sweet fragrance of the myrtle pervades the air in which
it grows. In general, the myrtle is symbolic of the pious,
because, as the myrtle is ever green, summer and winter
alike, so the saints never suffer dishonor, either in this world
or in the world to come. In another way Esther resembled
the myrtle, which, in spite of its pleasant scent, bas a bitter
taste. Esther was pleasant to the Jews. but bitterness itself
to Haman and all who belonged to him.
The name Esther is equally significant. In Hebrew it
means "she who conceals," a fitting name for the niece of
Mordecai. the woman who well knew how to guard a se-
cret, and long hid her descent and faith from the king and
the court. She herself had been kept concealed for years in
the house of her uncle, withdrawn from the searching eyes
of the king's spies. Above all she was the hidden light that
suddenly shone upon Israel in his rayless darkness.
In build, Esther was neither tall nor short, she was ex-
actly of average height, another reason for calling het
Myrtle, a plant which likewise is neither large nor smalL
In point of fact, Esther was not a beauty in the real sense
of the word. The beholder was bewitched by her grace and
her charm, and that in spite of her somewhat sallow, myrtle-
like complexion.- More than this, her enchanting grace
was not the grace of youth, for she was seventy-five years
old when she came to court, and captivated the hearts of all
who saw her, from king to eunuch. This was in fulfilment
of the prophecy which God made to Abraham when he was
leaving the home of his father: II Thou art leaving the
house of thy father at the age of seventy-five. As thou

Digitized by Coogle
 38s
iivest, the de1fverer of thy children in Media also shall be
seventy-five years old."
Another historical event pointed forward to Esther's
achievenient. When the Jews, after the destruction of Je-
msalem, broke out into the wail, .. We are orphans and
fatherless," God. said·: "In very sooth, the redeemer whom
I shall send unto you in Media shall also be an orphan,
fatherless and motherless."·
Ahasuerus put Esther between two groups of beauties,
Median beauties to right of her, and Persian beauties to left
of her. Yet Esther's comeliness outshone them all- Not
even Joseph could vie with the Jewish queen in grace.
Grace was suspended above him, but Esther was fairly laden'
down with it." Whoever saw her, pronounced her the
ideal of beauty of his nation. The general exclamation was:
" This one is worthy of being queen." ft In vain Ahasuerus
bad sought a wife for four years, in vain fathers had spent
time and money bringing their daughters to him, in the hope
that one or the other would appeal to his fancy. None
among the maidens, none among the women, pleased Abu-
uerus. But scarcely had he set eyes upon Esther when he
thrilled with the feeling, that he had at last found what he
bad long yearned for."
All these years the portrait of Vashti had hung in his
chamber. He had not forgotten his rejected queen. But
once he beheld Esther, Vashti's picture was replaced by
hers." Maiden grace and womanly charm were in her
united."
The change in her worldly position wrought DO change
in Esther's ways and manners. As she retained her beauty
25

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews
until old age, so the queen remained as pure in mind and
soul as ever the simple maiden had been. All the other
women who entered the gates of the royal palace made ex-
aggerated demands, Esther's demeanor continued modest
and unassuming. The others insisted that the seven girl pages
assigned to them should have certain peculiar qualities. as,
that they should not differ, each from her mistress, in com-
plexion and height Esther uttered no wish whatsoever.
But her unpretending ways were far from pleasing to
Hegai, chief of the eunuchs of the harem. He feared lest
the king discover that Esther did nothing to preserve her
beauty, and would put the blame for it upon him, an ac-
cusation that might bring him to the gallows. To avoid
such a fate, he loaded Esther down with resplendent jewels,
distinguishing her beyond all the other women gathered in
the palace, as Joseph, by means of costly gifts lavished upoa
him, had singled out her ancestor Benjamin from amoog
his brethren.
Hegai paid particular attention to what Esther ate. For
her he brought dishes from the royal table, which. however.
she refused obstinately to touch. Only such things passed
her lips as were permitted to Jews. She lived entirely OD
vegetable food. as Hananiah. Mishael. and Azariah had
aforetimes done at the court of Nebuchadnezzar." The for-
bidden tidbits she passed over to the non-Jewish ~ts.·
Her personal attendants were seven Jewish maidens as con-
sistently pious as herself, whose devotion to the ritual Jaw
Esther could depend upon.
Otherwise Esther was cut off from all intercourse with
Jews, and she was in danger of forgetting when the Sab-

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther

bath came around. She therefore adopted the device of giv-

ing her seven attendants peculiar names, to keep her in mind
of the passage of time. The first one was called ~ulta,
" Workaday," and she was in attendance upon Esther on
Sundays. On Mondays, she was served by Rotc'ita, to re-
mind her of R~'ia," the Firmament," which was created on
the second day of the world. Tuesday's maid was called
Genunita, " Garden," .the third day of creation having pro-
duced the world of plants. On Wednesday, she was re-
minded by Nehorita's name. " the Luminous," that it was
the day on which God had .made the great luminaries. to
shed their light in the sky; on Thursday by Rul].shita,
"Movement," for on the fifth day the first animated beings
were created; on Friday. the day on which the beasts came
into being, by ~urfita, " little Ewelamb"; and on the Sab-
bath her bidding was done by Rego'ita, II Rest." Thus she
was sure to remember the Sabbath day week after week."
Mordecai's daily visits to the gate of the palace had,
a similar purpose. Thus Esther was afforded the oppor-
tunity of obtaining instruction from him on all ritual doubts
that might assail her.- This lively interest displayed by
Mordecai in Esther's physical and spiritual welfare is not
wholly attn"butable to an uncle's and guardian's solicitude in
behalf of an orphaned niece. A much closer bond, the bond
between husband and wife. united them, for when Esther
had grown to maidenhood, Mordecai had espoused her."
Naturally, Esther would have been ready to defend her con-
jugal honor with her life. She would gladly have suffered
death at the hands of the iring's bailiffs rather than yield
henelf to a man not her husband. Luckily. there was no

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of lhe 1ew8

need for this sacrifice, for her marriage with Ahasuems was
but a feigned union. God had sent down a female spirit in
the guise of Esther to take her place with the king. Esther
herself never lived with Ahasuerus as his wife.-
At the advice of her uncle, Esther kept her descent aDd
her faith a secret. Mordecai's injunction was dictated by
several motives. First of all it was his modesty that sug-
gested secrecy. He thought the king. if he heard from Es-
ther that she had been raised by him, might offer to install
him in some high office. In point of fact, Mordecai was
right in his conjecture; Ahasuerus had pledged himself to
make lords, ~rinces, and kings of Esther's friends and kins-
people, if she would but name them.
Another reason for keeping Esther's Jewish af61iatious a
secret was Mordecai's apprehension, that the fate of Vashti
overtake Esther, too. If such were in store for her. he de-
sired at least to guard against the Jews' becoming her feDow-
sufferers. Besides. Mordecai knew only too well the inimi-
cal feelings entertained by the heathen toward the Jews.
ever since their exile from the Holy Land, and he feared
that the Jew-haters, to gratify their hostility against the
Jews, might bring about the ruin of Esther and her house.-
Mindful of the perils to which Esther was exposed, Mor-
Clecai allowed no day to pass without assuring himself of her
;weD-being. His compensation therefore came from God:
"Thou makest the weD-being of a single soul thy intimate
concern. As thou livest, the well-being and good of thy
whole nation Israel shaD be entrusted to thee as thy task." •
And to reward him for his modesty, God said: II Tbott with-

Digitized by Coogle
----~----~~-~~- ,---------- -.- - - I

Esther

drawest thyself from greatness; as thou livest, I win honor

thee more than aD men' on earth."-
Vain were the eftorts made by Ahasuerus to draw her se-
cret from Esther. He arranged great festivities for the pur-
pose, but she guarded it well. She bad an answer ready for
his most insistent questions: "I know neither my people
nor my family, for I lost my parents in my earliest infancy."
But as the king desired greatly to show himself gracious to
the nation to which the queen belonged, he released aU the
peoples under his dominion from the payment of taxes and
imposts. In this way, he thought, her nation was bound
to be benefited.·
When the king saw that kindness and generosity left her
untouched, he sought to wrest the secret from her by threats.
Once when she parried his inquiries in the customarY way,
saying, "I am an orphan, and God, the Father of the
fatherless, in His mercy, has brought me up," he retorted:
., I shaU gather virgins together the second time." His pur-
pose was to provoke the jealousy of Esther, "for a woman
ia jealous of nothing so much as of a rivaL"
When Mordecai noticed that women were being brought
to court anew, he was overcome by anxiety for his niece.
Thinking that the fate of Vashti might have befaDen her.
he was impelled to make inquiries about her.-
As for Esther herself, she was but following 'the ex-
ample of her race. She could keep silent in aD modesty, as
Rachel, the mother of Benjamin, had kept a modest silence
when her father gave her sister Leah to Jacob for wife in-
stead of herself, and as Saul the Benjamite was modestly

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

reserved when, questioned by his uncle, be told about the

finding of his she-asses, but nothing about his elevation
to the kingship. Rachel and Saul were recompensed for
their self-abnegation by being given a de:sceodant like
Esther.-

THE CoNSPDAC1!I
Once the following conversation took place between
Ahasuerus and Esther. The king asked Esther: •• Whose
da~hter art thou? ..
Esther: II And whose SOD art thou? ..
Ahasuerus: II I am a king, and the SOD of a king!·
Esther: co And I am a queen, the daughter of kings, a de-
scendant of the royal family of Saul. If thou art. indeed.
~ real prince, how couldst thou put Vashti to death? ..
Ahasuerus: II It was not to gratify my own wish, but at
the advice of the great princes of Persia and Media.'·
Esther: II Thy predecessors took no advice from ordi-
nary intelligences; they were guided by prophetical coun-
sel. Arioch brought Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon, and Belshazzar, too, summoned Daniel before
bim."
Ahasuerus: II Is there aught left of those toothsome mor-
sels ? Are there still prophets abroad?"
Esther: II Seek and thou wilt find." •
The result was that Mordecai was given the position at
court once occupied by the chamberlains Bigthan and Te-
resh. Indignant that a place once filled by senators should
be given to a barbarian, the ousted officials resolved to be

Digitized by Coogle
 ,

Esther 39 1

revenged upon the king and take his life. Their purpose
was to administer poison, which seemed easy of accomplish-
ment, as they were the royal butlers, and could find many
occasions to drop poison into a cup of water before handing
it to the king. The plan successfully carried out would
have satisfied their vengeful feelings, not only as to the king,
but as to Mordecai as well. It would have made it appear
that the death of Ahasuerus was attributable to the circum-
stance, that he had entrusted his person to the care of the
Jew, as his life had been secure under Bigthan and Teresh:
They discussed their plans in the presence of Mordecai. act-
ing upon the unwarranted assumption, that he would not'
understand the language they spoke, the Tarsian, their na-·
tive tongue. They were ignorant of the fact, that Mordecai
was a member of the Sanhedrin. and as such knew all the
seventy languages ,of the world. Thus their own tongue
betrilyed them. to ruin.
However, Mordecai had no need to make use of his great
knowledge of languages; he obtained his information about
the plot of the two chamberlains through prophetical chan-
nels. Accordingly, he appeared one night in the palace. By
a miracle the guards at the gates had not seen him, and he
could enter unrestrained. Thus he overheard the conversa-
tion between the two conspirators.
Mordecai had more than a single reason for preventing
the death of Ahasuerus. In the' first place, he desired to se-
cure the king's friendship for the Jews. and more especially
his permission for the rebuilding of the. Temple. . Then he
feared, if the king were murdered immediately after his rise

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of lhe ] ews

to a high place in the state, the heathen would assign as the

cause of the disaster his connection with the ]ews-bis mar-
riage with Esther and the appointment of Mordecai to oJJice.
Esther's confidence in Mordecai's piety was so great that
she unhesitatingly gave credence to the message she re-
ceived from him concerning the mischievous plot hatched
against the king. She believed that God would execute the
wishes of Mordecai. Albeit Bigthan and T~ bad DO
plans of the sort attributed to them by her uncle, they would
conceive them now in order to make Mordecai's words true.
That Esther's confidence was justified appeared at once..
The conspirators got'wind of their betrayal to the king, and
in good time they removed the poison they had already
placed in Ahasuerus's cup. But that the lie might Dot be
given to Mordecai, God caused poison to appear where none
had been, and the conspirators were convicted of their
crime,- The king had the water analyzed which he was
given to drink, and it was made manifest that it contained
poison,- Other evidence besides existed against the two
plotters, It was established that both had at the same tim~
busied themselves about the person of the king, though the
regulations of the palace assigned definite hours of service
to the one different from those assigned to the other. This
made it clear that they intended to perpetrate a dark deed
in common,-
The two conspirators sought to escape the legitimate pun-
ishment for their dastardly deed by ending their own life.
But their intention was frustrated, and they were nailed to
the cross.-

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 393

HAIIAN THE JEW-BAITER

The conspiracy of Bigthan and Teresh determined the
king never again to have two chamberlains guard his per-
SOIL Henceforward he would entrust his safety to a single
individual, and he appointed Haman to the place. This was
an act of ingratitude toward Mordecai, who, as the Icing's
savior,_ bad the most cogent claims upon the post.- But
Haman possessed one important advantage, he was the
owner of great wealth. With the exception of Korah he
was the richest man that had ever lived, for he -had appro-
priated to himself the treasures of the J udean kings and of
the Temple.-
Ahasuerus bad an additional reason for distinguishing
Haman. He was well aware of Mordecai's ardent desire to
see the Temple restored, and he instinctively felt he eould
not deny the wish of the man who had snatched him from
untimely death. Yet he was not prepared to grant it. To
escape from the dilemma he endeavored to make Haman
act as a counterpoise against Mordecai, that .. what the one
built up, the other might pull down."·
Ahasuerus had long been acquainted with Haman's feel-
ing against the Jews. When the quarrel about the rebuild-
ing of the Temple broJ(e out between the Jews and their
heathen adversaries, and the SODS of Haman denounced the
Jews before Ahasuerus, the two parties at odds ~ to
send each a representative to the king, to advocate his case.
Mordecai was appointed the Jewish delegate, and no more
rabid Jew-hater could be found than Haman, to plead the
cause of the antagonists of the Temple builders,-
As for his character, that, too, King Ahasuerus had had

Digitized by Coogle
394 The Legends of the Jews

occasion to see in its true light, because Haman is but an-

other name for Memucan, the prince who is chargeable in
the last resort with the death of Vashti. At the time
of the king's wrath against the queen, Memucan was still
lowest in rank among the seven princes of Persia, yet. ar-
rogant as he was, he was the first to speak up when the king
put his question about the punishment due to Vashti-an
illustration of the popular adage: " The common man rushes
to the front." - Haman's bosti.lity toward Vashti dated
from her banquet, to which the queen bad failed to bid his
wife as guest. Moreover, she had once insulted him by strik-
ing him a blow in the face. Besides, Haman calculated, if
only Vashti's repudiation could be brought about, he might
succeed in marrying his own daughter to the kiug.- He was
not the only disappointed man at court. In part the con-
spiracy of Bigthan and Teresh was a measure of revenge
against Ahasuerus for having made choice of Esther in-
stead of a kinswoman of theirs.-
Esther once married to the king, however, Haman made
the best of a ·bad bargain. He tried by every means in his
power to win the friendship of the queen. Whether she
was Jewess or heathen, he desired to claim kinship with
her-as a Jewess through the fratetnal bond between Esau
and Jacob, as a heathen easily enough, " for all the heathen
are akin to one another."·

MORDECAI'S PRIDE

When Ahasuerus raised Haman to his high office. he at

the same time issued the order. that all who saw him were
to prostrate themselves before him and pay him DiviDe

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther . 395

honors. To make it manifest that the homage due to

him had an idolatrous character, Haman had the image of
an idol fastened to his clothes, so that whoever bowed down
before him, worshipped· an idol at the same time.- Mor-
decai alone of aU at court refused to obey the royal order.
The highest officials, even the "most exalted judges, showed
Haman the reverence bidden by the king. The Jews them-
selves entreated Mordecai not to call forth the fury of Ha-
man, and cause the ruin of Israel thereby. Mordecai, how-
ever,.remained steadfast; no persuasions could move him to
pay to a mortal the tribute due to Divinity.-
Also the servants of the king who sat at the gate of the
royal palace said to Mordecai: "Wherein art thou better
than we, that we should pay reverence to Haman and pros-
trate ourselves, and thou doest naught of all commanded us
in the matter?" Mordecai answered~ saying: "0 ye fools
without understanding I Hear ye my words and make meet
reply thereunto. Who is man that he should act proudly
an4 arrogantly-man born of woman and few of days? At
his birth there is weeping and travailing, in his youth pain
and groans, aU his days are ' full of trouble,' and in the end
he returns unto dust. Before such an one I should pros-
trate myself? I bend the knee before God alone, the only
living One in heaven, He who is the fire consuming all
other fires; who holds the earth in His arms; who stretches
out the heavens in His might; who darkens the sun when
it pleases Him, and illumines the darkness; who commanded
the sand to set bounds unto the seas; who made the waters
of the sea salt, and cau.sed its waves to spread an aroma as
of wine j who chained the sea as with manacles, and held it

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the ] ews

fast in the depths of the abyss that it might Dot overftow

the land; it rages, yet it cannot pass its limits. With His I
word He created the firma.ment, which He stretched out I
like a cloud in the air; He cast it over the world like a daJk I
vault, like a tent it is spread over the earth. In His strengthII

He upholds all there is above and below. The sun, the I

moon, and the Pleiades run before Him, the stars and the '
planets are not idle for a single moment; they rest not. they ,
speed before Him as His messengers, going to the right and
to the left, to do the will of Him who created them. To
Him praise is due, before Him we must prostrate ourselves."
The court officials spake. and said: "Yet we know weD
that thy ancestor Jacob prostrated himself before Haman's
ancestor Esau I "
Whereunto Mordecai made reply: "I am a descendant
of Benjamin, who was not yet born when his father Jacob
and his brothers cast themselves upon the earth before
Esau. My ancestor never showed such honor to a mortal.
Therefore was Benjamin's allotment of land in Palestine
privileged to contain the Temple. The spot whereon Israel
and all the peoples of the earth .prostrated themselves before
God belonged to him who had never prostrated himself be-
fore mortal man. Therefore I will not bend my knee before
this sinner Haman, nor cast myself to earth before him:'-
Haman at first tried to propitiate Mordecai by a show of
modesty. As though he bad not noticed the behavior of
Mordecai, he approached him, and saluted him wi~ the
words: "Peace be with thee, my lord I " But Mordecai
bluntly replied: "There is DO peace, saith my God, to the
wicked."·

Digitized by Coogle
 ,Esther 397

The hatred of Mordecai cherisbed by Haman was, due to

more than the hereditary enmity between the descendants
of Saul and Agag.- Not even Mordecai's public refusal to
pay the homage due to Haman suffices to ,explain its viru-
lence. Mordecai was aware of a certain incident in the past
of Haman. If he had divulged it, the betrayal would have
been most painful to the latter. This accounts for the in-
tensity of his feeling.
It once happened that a city in India rebelled against
Ahasuerus. In great haste troops were dispatched thither
under the command of Mordecai and Haman. It was esti-
mated that the campaign would require three years, and all
preparations were made accordingly. By the end of the
first year Haman had squandered the provisions laid in to
supply the part of the army commanded by him, for the
whole term of the campaign. Greatly embarrassed, he re-
quested Mordecai to give him aid. Mordecai, however, re-
fused him succor; they both bad been granted the same
amount of provisions for an equal number of men. Haman
then offered to borrow from Mordecai and pay him interest.
This, too, Mordecai refused to do, and for two reasons. If
Mordecai had supplied Haman's men with provisions, his
own would have bad to suffer, and as for interest, the law
prohibits it, saying, "Unto thy brother thou shalt not lend
upon usury," and Jacob and Esau, the respective ancestors
of Mordecai and Haman, had been brothers.
When starvation stared them in the face, the troops com-
manded by Haman threatened him with death unless he
gave them their rations. Haman again resorted to Morde-
cai, and promised to pay him as much as ten per cent inter-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of. the ] ews

est. The Jewish general continued to refuse the offer. But

he professed himself willing to help him out of his embar-
rassment on one condition, that Haman sell himself to Mor-
decai as his slave. Driven into a comer, he acquiesced, and
the contract was written upon Mordecai's knee-c:ap, because
there was no paper to be found in the camp.
The bill of sale ran thus: "I, Haman, SOD of Hamme-
datha of the family of Agag, was sent out by King Abasue-
rus to make war upon an Indian city, with an army of sixty
thousand soldiers, furnished with the necessary provisions.
Precisely the same commission was given by the king to
Mordecai, the SOD of Shimei of the tribe of Benjamin. But
I squandered the provisions entrusted to me by the king, so
that I had no rations to give to my troops. I desired to bor-
row from Mordecai on interest, but, having regard to the fact
that Jacob and Esau were brothers, he refused to lend me
upon usury, and I was forced to sell myself as slave to him.
If, now, I should at any time decline to serve him as a slave.
or deny that I am his slave, or if my children and children's
children unto the end of aU time should refuse to do him
service. if only a single day of the week j or if I should act
inimically toward him on account of this contract, as Esau
did toward Jacob after selling him his birthright j in aU these
cases, a beam of wood is to be plucked out of the house of
the recalcitrant, and he is to be hanged upon it. I, HtJrntJII,
the son of HtJmmedatha of the ftJmily of AgtJg, being under
no ,.esl,.tJint, do hereby consent with "'y own will, tJrul bind
",yself to be slave in perpetuity to Mordecai, in t1Ccordace
with the contents of this document."
Later, when Haman attained to high rank in the state,

Digitized by Coogle
 •

Esther 399

Mordecai, whenever he met him, was in the habit of stretch-

ing out his knee toward him, so that he might see the bill of
sale. This so enraged him against Mordecai and against
the Jews that he resolved to extirpate the Jewish people.-

CAsTING THE LoTs

Haman's hatred, first directed against Mordecai alone,
grew apace -until it included Mordecai's colleagues, all the
scholars, whom he sought to desn:oy, and not satisfied with
even this, he plotted the annihilation of the whole of Mor-
decai's people, the Jews.-
Before beginning to layout his plans, he desired to deter-
mine the most favorable moment for his undertaking, which
be did by casting lots.
First of all he wanted to decide on the day of the week.
The scribe Shimshai began to cast lots. Sunday appeared
inappropriate, being the day on which God created heaven
and earth, whose continuance depends on Israel's existence.
Were it not for God's covenant with Israel, there would be
neither day nor night, neither heaven nor earth. Monday
showed itself equally unpropitious for Haman's devices, for
-it was the day on which God effected the separation between
the celestial and the terrestrial waters, symbolic of the sep-
aration between Israel and the heathen. Tuesday, the day
-on which the vegetable world was created, refused to give
its aid in bringing about the ruin of Israel, who worships
God with branches of palm trees. Wednesday, too, pro-
tested against the annihilation of Israel, saying: "On me
the celestial luminaries were created, and like unto them X.
rael: is appointed to illumine the whole world. First de-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of lhe 1ews

stroy me, and then Thou mayest destroy Israel." Thurs--

day said: Of 0 Lord, on me the birds were created. which
are used for sin offerings. When Israel shall be no ~
who win bring offerings? First destroy me, and then Thou
mayest destroy Israel." Friday was unfavorable to Ha-
man's lots, because it was the day of the creation of man,
and the Lord God said to Israel, II Ye are men." Least of
all was the Sabbath day inclined to make itself subservient
to Haman's wicked plans. It said: II The Sabbath is a sign
between Israel and God. First destroy me, and then Thou
mayest destroy Israell"-
BafBed, Haman gave up all idea of settling upon a favor-
able day of the week. He applied himself to the task of
eearching out the suitable month for his sinister undertak-
ing. As it appeared to him, Adar was the only ODe of the
twelve owning naught that might be interpreted in favor of
the Jews. The rest of them seemed to be enlisted OD their
side. In Nisan Israel was redeemed from Egypt; in Iyar
Amalek was overcome; in Siwan the Ethiopian Zerab was
smitten in the war with ABa; in Tammuz the Amorite
kings were subjugated; in Ab the Jews won a victory over
Arad, the Canaanite; in Elu1 Gideon overcame the Midian-
ites and Amalekites; in Tishri the Jewish kingdom was
firmly established by the dedication of Solomon's Temple,
while in ~eshwan the building of the Temple at Jerusalem
was completed; Kislew and rebet were the months during
which Sihon and Og were conquered by the Israelites, and
in Shebat occurred the sanguinary campaign of the eleveo
tn"bes against the godless children of Benjamin. Not alone
was Adar a month without favorable significance in Jew-

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther \ 401

ish history, but actually a month of misfortune, the month

in which Moses died. What Haman did not know was,
that Adar was the month in which occurred also the birth
of Moses.-
Then Haman investigated the twelve signs of the zodiac
. in relation to Israel, and again it appeared that Adar was
the most unfavorable month for the Jews. The first con-
stellation, the Ram, said to Haman, "' Israel is a scattered
sheep,' and how canst thou expect a father to offer his son
for slaughter?"
The Bull said: II Israe1's ancestor was 'the firstling bul·
lock.' "
The Twins: ., As we are twins, 80 Tamar bore twins to
Judah."
The Crab: It As I am called Saratan, the scratcher, so it
is said of Israel, 'AU that oppress him, he shall scratch
sorely.'''
The Lion: " God is called the lion, and is it likely the lion
will permit the fox to bite his children?"
. The Virgin: "As I am a virgin, so Israel is compared
unto a virgin."
The Balance: "Israel obeys the law against unjust. bal-
ances in the Torah, and must therefore be protected by the
Balance."
The Scorpion: "Israel is like unto me, for be, too, is
called scorpion."
The Archer: "The SODS of Judah are masters of the
bow, and the bows of mighty men directed against them
will be broken." .
The Goat: "It was a goat that brought blessing unto
a6

Digitized by G.oogle
 The Legends of the Jews
Jacob, the ancestor of Israel, and it stands to reasoo that
the blessing of the ancestor cannot cause misfortune to the
descendant. "
The Water-bearer: "His dominion is likened unto a
bucket, and therefore the Water-bearer cannot but bring
him good." -
The Fishes were the only constellation which, at least ac-
cording to Haman's interpretation. made unfavorable prog-
nostications as to the fate of the Jews. It said that the Jews
would be swallowed like fishes. God however spake: cc 0
thou villain I Fishes are sometimes swallowed, but some-
times they swallow, and thou shalt be swallowed by the
swallowers." U8 And when Haman began to cast lots. God
said: II 0 thou villain, son of a villain I What thy lots have
ahown thee is thine own lot, that thou wUt be hanged... III

THE DENUNCIATION OF THE JEWS

His resolve to ruin the Jews taken, Haman appeared be-
fore Ahasuerus with his accusation against them. co There
is a certain people," he said. co the Jews, scattered abroad
and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of the
kingdonL They are proud and presumptuous. In Tebet,
in the depth of winter, they bathe in warm water, and they
sit in cold water in summer. Their religion is diverse from
the religion of every other people, and their laws from the
laws of every other land. To our laws they pay DO heed,
our religion finds no favor with them, and the decrees of the
king they do not execute. When their eye falls upon us,
they spit out before us, and they consider us as unclean
vessels. When we levy them for the king's service, they

Digitized by Coogle
 .................. .,.. .....

Esther

either jump upon the wall, and hide within the chambers,
or they break through the walls and escape. If we hasten
to arrest them, they turn upon us, glare at us with their
eyes, grind their teeth, stamp their feet, and so intimidate
us that we cannot hold them fast. They do not give us
their daughters unto wives, nor do they take our daughters
unto wives. If one of them has to do the king's service, he
idles all the day long. If they want to buy aught of us,
they say, • This is a day for doing business.' But if we
want to buy aught of them, they say, 'We may do no busi-
ness to-day,' and thus we can buy nothing from them on
their market-ciays.
Ie Their time they pass in this wise: The first hour of
the day, they say, they need for reciting the Shema·; the
second for praying; the third for eating; the fourth for say-
ing grace, to give thanks to God for the food and drink He
has granted them; the fifth hour they devote to their busi-
ness affairs; in the sixth they already feel the need of rest;
in the seventh their wives call for them, saying, 'Come
home, ye weary ones, who are so exhausted by the king's
service I ,
Ie The seventh day they celebrate as their Sabbath; they

go to the synagogues on that day, read out of their books,

translate pieces from their Prophets, curse our king, and
execrate our government, sa)ing: • This is the day whereon
the great God rested; so may He grant us rest from the
heathen.'
Ie The women pollute the waters with their ritual baths,

which they take after the seven days of their defilement.

On the eighth day after the birth gf sons, they circumcise

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of lhe Jews

them mercilessly, saying, I This sba1l distinguish us from

aU the other uatioas.' At the end of thirty days, and some-
times twenty-nine, they celebrate the beginning of the
month. In the month of Nisan they obsene eight days of
Passover, beginning the celebration by kindling a fire of
brushwood to burn up the leaven. They put all the leaven
in their homes out of sight before they use the unleavened
bread, saying, I This is the day whereon our fathers were
redeemed from Egypt.' Such is the festival they call Pesal]..
They go to their synagogues, read out of their books, and
translate from the writings of the Prophets, saying: I As
the leaven has been removed out of our houses, 80 may this
wicked dominion be removed from over ua.'
.. Again, in Siwan, they celebrate two days, on which
they go to their synagogues, recite the Shema", and offer
up prayers, read ou* of the Torah, and translate from the
books of their Prophets, curse our king, and execrate our
government. This is the holiday which they call ~
the closing festival. They ascend to the roofs of their
synagogues, and throw down apples, which are picked up
by those below, with the words, I As these apples are gath-
ered up, 80 may we be gathered together from our disper-
sion among the heathen.' They say they observe this fes-
tival, because on these days .the Torah was revealed to their
anceston on Mount Sinai.
.. On the first of Tishri they celebrate the New Year-
again they go to their synagogues, read out of their books,
translate pieces from the writings of their Prophets, curse
our king, execrate our government, and blow the trumpets,
saying: • On this Day of Memorial may we be remembered
unto good, and our enemies unto evil'

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 40S
. U On the ninth day of the same month they slaughter
cattle, geese, and poultry, they eat and drink and indulge
in dainties, they and their wives, their sons and their
daughters. But the tenth day of the same month they Call
the Great Fast, and all of them fast, they together with
their wives, their sons, and their daughters, yea, they even
torture their little children without mercy, forcing them to
abstain from food. They say: • On this day our sins are
pardoned, and are added to the sum of the sins committed
by our enemies.' They go to their synagogues, read from
their books, translate from the writings of their Prophets,
curse our king, and execrate our government, saying: • May
this empire be wiped off from the face of the earth like unto
our sins.' They supplicate and pray that the king may die,
and his rule be made to cease.
If On the fifteen~ of the same month they celebrate the

Feast of Tabernacles. They cover the roofs of their houses

with foliage, they resort to our parks, where they cut down
palm branches for their festal wreaths, pluck the fruit of
the Etrog, and cause havoc among the wiDows of the brook,
by breaking down the hedges in their quest after Hosha'not,
saying: ',& does the king in the triumphal procession, so
do we.' Then they repair to their synagogues to pray, and
read out of their books, and make circuits with their Hosha'-
DOt, all the while jumping and skipping like goats, so that
there is no telling whether they curse us or bless us. This
is Sukkot, as they call it, and while it lasts, they do none
of the king's service, for, they maintain, all work is forbid-
den them on these days.
" In this way they waste the whole year with tomfoolery

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of Ihe ] ews

and fiddle-faddle, only in order to avoid doing the kinCs

service. At the expiration of every period of fifty years
they have a jubilee year, and every seventh year is a year of
release, during which the land lies fallow, for they neither
sow nor reap therein, aad sell us neither fruits nor other
products of the field, so that those of us who live among
them die of hunger. At the end of every period of twelve
months, they observe the New Year, at the end of every
thirty days the New Moon, and every seventh day is the
Sabbath, the day on which, as they say, the Lord of the
world rested." ID
After Haman had finished his arraignment of the Jews.
God said: cc Thou didst well enumerate the holidays of the
Jews, yet thou didst omit the tw~Purim and Shusban-
Purim-which the Jews will celebrate to commemorate thy
fall."
Oever though Haman's charge was, the vindication of
the Jews was no whit less clever. For they found a de-
fender in the archangel Michael. While Haman was deliv-
ering his indictment, he spoke thus to God: II 0 Lord of the
world I Thou knowest well that the Jews are not accused of
idolatry, nor of immoral conduct, nor of shedding blood i
they are accused only of observing Thy Torah." God paci-
fied him: II As thou livest, I have not abandoned them. I
will not abandon them."
Haman's denunciations of the Jewish people foaDd a
ready echo in the heart of the king. He replied: "It too.
desire the annihilation of the Jews, but I fear their God, for
He is mighty beyond compare, and He loves His people
with a great love. Whoever rises up against them. He

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther

crushes under their feet. Just think of Pharaoh t Should

his example not be a warning to us? He ruled the whole
world, yet, because he oppressed the Jews, he was visited
with frightful plagues. God delivered them from the Egyp-
tians, and cleft the sea for them, a miracle never done for
any other nation, and when Pharaoh pursued them with an
army of six hundred thousand warriors, he and his host to-
gether were drowned in the sea. Thy ancestor Amalek, 0
Haman, attacked them with four hundred thousand heroes,
and all of them God delivered into the hands of Joshua, who
slew them. Sisera had forty thousand generals under him,
each one commander of a hundred thousand men, yet they
aU were annihilated. The God of the Jews ordered the stars
to consume the warriors of Sisera, and then He caused the
great general to faU into the power of a woman, to become
a by-word and a reproach forever. Many and valorous
rulers have risen up against them, they aU were cast down
by their God and crushed unto their everlasting disgrace.
Now, then, can we venture aught against them? ..
Haman, however, pers1sted. Day after day he urged the
king to consent to his plan. Ahasuerus thereupon called
together a council of the wise men of aU nations and
tongues. To them he submitted the question, whether the
Jews ought not to be destroyed, seeing they differed from
all other peoples. The sage councillors inquired: II Who is
it that desires to induce thee to take so fatal a step? If the
Jewish nation is destroyed, the world itself will cease· to be, •
for the world exists only for the sake of the Torah studied
by Israel. Yea, the very sun and moon shed their light
only for the sake of Israel, and were it not for him, there

. Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / ews

were neither day nor night, and neither dew nor rain would
moisten the earth. More than this, all other nations beside
Israel are designated as • strangers' by God, but Israel He
called in His love • a people near to Him,' and His • cbiI-
dren.' If men do not suffer their children and kinsmen to
be attacked with impunity, how much less will God sit by
quiet when Israel is assailed-God the Ruler over all things.
over the powef}l in heaven above and on earth beneath, over
the spirits and the so~ with whom it lies to exalt
and to degrade, to slay and to revive."
Haman was ready with a reply to these words of the wise:
.. The God who drowned Pharaoh in the sea, and who. did
all the wonders and signs ye have recounted, that God is
now in His dotage, He can neither see nor protect. For
did not N ebuchadnezzar destroy His house, burn His pal-
ace, and sca~er His people to all comers of the earth, and
He was not able to do one thing against it? If He had bad
power and strength, would He not have displayed them?
This is the best proof that He has waxed old and feeble."
When the heathen sages heard these arguments advanced
by Haman, they agreed to his plan, and put the.ir signature
to an edict decreeing the per:recution of the Jews.-

THE DECllEE OF ANNIHILATION

This is the text of the decree which Haman issued to the
heads of all the nations regarding the annihilation of the
Jews: .. This herein is written by me, the great officer of the
king, his second in ~, the first among the grandees, and
one of the seven princes, and the most distinguished
among the nobles of the realm. I, in agreement with the

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther

rulers of the provinces, the princes of the king, the chiefs

and the lords, the Eastern kings and the satraps, all being
of the same counsel and opinion, using the same expressions
and the same language, write you at the order of King
Ahasuerus this writing sealed with his signet, so that it may
not be sent back, concerning the great eagle Israel. The
great eagle had stretch~d out his pinions over the whole
world; neither bird nor beast could withstand him. But
there came the great lion N ebuchadnezzar, and dealt the
great eagle a stinging blow. His pinions snapped, his
feathers were plucked out, and his feet were hacked off.
The whole world has enjoyed rest, cheer, and tranquillity
since the moment the eagle was chased from his eyrie until
this day. Now we notice that he is using all efforts to se-
cure wings. He is permitting his feathers to grow, with the
intention of covering us and the whole world, as he did unto
our forefathers. At the instance of King Ahasuerus, all
the magnates of the king of Media and Persia are assem-
bled, and we are writing you our joint ad:vice, as follows:
• Set snares for the eagle, and capture him before he re-
news his strength, and soars back to his eyrie.' We advise
you to tear out his plumage, break his wings, give his flesh
to the fowl of heaven, split the eggs lying in his nest, and
crush his young, so· that his memorial may vanish from the
world. Our counsel is not like unto Pharaoh's; he sought
to destroy only the men of Israel; to the women he did no
harm. It is not like unto the plan of Esau, who wanted to
slay his brother Jacob and keep his children as slaves. It
is not like unto the tactics of Amalek, who pursued Israel
and smote the hindmost and feeble, but left the strong

Digitized by Coogle

--
410 The Legends of the I ews

unscathed. It is not like unto the policy of Nebucbadnez-

zar, who carried them away into exile, and settled them near
his own throne. And it is not like unto the way of Sen-
nacherib, who assigned a land unto the Jews as fair as their
own had been. We, recognizing clearly what the situation
is, have resolved to slay the Jews, annihilate them, young
and old, so that their name and their memorial may be no
more, and their posterity may be cut off forever." ua
The edict issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews ran thus:
" To all the peoples, nations, and races: Peace be with you!
This is to acquaint you that one came to us who is not of
our nation and of our land, an Amalekite, the son of great
ancestors, and his name is Haman. He made a trifling re-
quest of me, saying: • Among us there dwells a people. the
most despicable of all, who are a stumbling-block in every
time. They are exceeding presumptuous, and they know
our weakness and our shortcomings. They curse the king
in these words, which are constantly in their mouths: ,. God
is the King of the world forever and ever: He will make
the heathen to perish out of His land: He will execute
vengeance and punishments upon the peoples." From the
beginning of all time they have been ungrateful, as wit-
ness their behavior toward Pharaoh. With kindness he re-
ceived them, their wives, and their children, at the time of a
famine. He gave up to them the best of his land. l!e pro-
vided them with food and all they needed. Then Pharaoh
desired to build a palace, and he requested the Jews to do it
for him. They began the work grudgingly, amid murmur-
ings, and it is not completed unto this day. In the midst of
it, they approached Pharaoh with these words: .. We wish to

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther

offer sacrifices to our God in a place that is a three days'

journey from here, and we petition thee to lend us silver
and gold vessels, and clothes, and apparel." So much did
they borrow, that each one bore ninety ass-loads off with
him, and Egypt was emptied out. When, the three days
having elapsed, they did not return, Pharaoh pursued them
in order to recover the stolen treasures. What did the Jews?
They had among them a man by the name of Moses, the
son of Amram, an arch-wizard, who had been bred in the
house of Pharaoh.' When they reached the sea, this man
raised his staff, and cleft the waters, and led the Jews
through them dryshod, while Pharaoh and his host were
drowned.
". Their God helps them as long as they observe His law,
so that none can prevail against them. Balaam, the only
prophet we heathens ever had, they slew with the sword, as
they did unto Sihon and Og, the powerful kings of Canaan,
whose land they took after killing them. Likewise they
brought ruin upon Amalek, the great and glorious ruler-
they, and Saul their king, and Samuel their prophet.
Later they had an unmerciful king, David by name, who
smote the Philistines, the Ammonites, and the Moabites,
and not one of them could discomfit him. Solomon, the son
of this king, being wise and sagacious, built them a house
of worship in Jerusalem, that they might not scatter to
all parts of the world. But after they had been guilty of
many crimes against their God, He delivered them into the
hand of King Nebuchadnezzar, who deported them to Baby-
lonia.
or • To this day they are among us, and though they are

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

under our hand, we are of none account in their eyes. Their

religion and their laws are different from the religion and
the laws of all the other nations. Their sons do Dot many
with our daughters, our gods they do not worship, they have
no regard for our honor, and they refuse to bend the knee
before us. Calling themselves freemen, they will not do our
service, and our commands they heed not.'
"Therefore the grandees, the princes, and the satraps
have been assembled before us, we have taken counsel br
gether, and we have resolved an irrevocable resolution, ac-
cording to the laws of the Medes and Persians, to extirpate
the. Jews from among the inhabitants of the earth. We
have sent the edict to the hundred and twenty-seven prov-
inces of my empire, to slay them, their sons, their wives,
and their little children, on the thirteenth day of the month
of Adar-none is to escape. As they did to our forefathers,
and desired to do unto us, so shall be done unto them, and
their possessions are to be given over to the spoUers. Thus
shall ye do, that ye may find grace before me. This is the
writing of the letter which I send to you, Ahasuerus king
of Media and Persia...·...
The price Haman offered the king for the Jews was ten
thousand hundredweights of silver. He took the number
of the Jews at their exodus from Egypt, six hundred thou-
sand, as the basis of his calculation, and offered a half-shekel
for every soul of them, the. sum each Israelite had to pay
yearly for the maintenance of the sanctuary. Though the
sum was so vast that Haman could not find coin enough
to pay it, but promised to deliver it in the form of silver

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 4 13

bars, Ahasuerus refused the ransom. When Haman made

the offer, he said: "Let us cast lots. If thou drawest
Israel and I draw the money, then the sale stands as a valid
transaction. If the reverse, it is not valid." Because of the
sins of the Jews, the sale was confirmed by the lots. But
Haman was not too greatly pleased with his own success.
He disliked to give up so large a sum of money. Observing
his ill humor, Ahasuerus said: " Keep the money; I do not
care either to make or to lose m~ey on account of the
Jews."m
For the Jews it was fortunate that the king did not ac-
cept money for them, else his subjects would not have
obeyed hiS second edict, the one favorable to the Jews. They
would have been able to .advance the argument, that the
king, by accepting a sum of money for them, had resigned
his rights over the Jews in favor of Haman, who, therefore,
could deal with them as he pleased.m
The agreement between Ahasuerus and Haman was con-
cluded at a carouse, by way of punishment for the crime of
the sons of Jacob, who had unmercifully sold their brother
Joseph into slavery to the Ishmaelites while eating and
drinking.III
The joy of this Jew-hating couple-for Ahasuerus hated
the Jews with no less fierce a hatred than Haman did 111_
was shared by none. The capi~l city of Shushan· was in
mourning and sorely perplexed. Scarcely had the edict of
annihilation been promulgated against the Jews, when all
sorts of misfortunes began to happen in the city. Wom~
who were hanging up their wash to dry on the roofs of the

Digitized by Coogle
414 The Legends of the / ews

houses dropped dead; men who went to draw water fd

into the wells, and lost their lives. While Abasuerus an':
Haman were making merry in the palace, the city was
thrown into consternation and mourning.-

SATAN INDICTS THE JEWS

The position of the Jews after the royal edict became

known beggars description. If a Jew ventured abroad on
the street to make a purchase, he was almost throttled b~
the Persians, who taunted him with these words: .. Never
mind, to-morrow will soon be here, and then I shaD kill
thee, and take thy mc;>ney away from thee." If a Jew of-
fered to sell himself as a slave, he was rejected; not even
the sacrifice of his liberty could protect him against the loss
of his life.-
Mordecai, however, did not 'despair; he trusted in the
Divine help. On his way from the court, after Haman and
his ilk had informed bim with malicious joy of the king's
pleasure concerning the Jews, he met Jewish children com-
ing from school. He asked the first child what verse from
the Scriptures he had studied in school that day, and the
reply was: "Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the
desolation of the wicked when it cometh." The verse
committed to memory by the second was: .. Let them take
counsel together, but it shall be brought to naught; let them
speak the word, but it shall not stand; for God is with us."
And the verse which the third had learnt was: "And even
to old age I am He, and even to hoar hairs I wlll carry
you: I have made and will bear; yea, I win carry and will
deliver."

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther

When Mordecai heard these verses, he broke out into

jubilation, astonishing Haman not a little. Mordecai told
him, .. I rejoice at the good tidings announced to me by the
school children." Haman thereupon fell into such a rage
that he exclaimed: .. In sooth, they shall be the first to feel
the weight of my hand."
What gave Mordecai the greatest concern, was the cer-
tainty that the danger had been invited by the Jews them-
selves, through their sinful conduct in connection with the
banquets given by Ahasuerus. Eighteen thousand five hun-
dred Jews had ~en part in them; they had eaten and
drunk, intoxicated themselves and committed immoralities,
as Haman had foreseen, the very reason, indeed, he had
advised the king to hold the banquets.
Thereupon Satan had indicted the Jews. The accusa-
tions which he produced against them were of such a
nature that God at once ordered writing materials to be
brought to Him for the decree of annihilation, and it was
written and sealed.
When the Torah heard that Satan's designs against the
Jews had succeeded, she broke out into bitter weeping be-
fore God, and her lamentations awakened the angels, who
likewise began to wail, saying: "If Israel is to be destroyed,
of what avail is the whole world?"
The sun and the moon heard the lamentations of the
angels, and they donned their mourning garb and also wept
bitterly and wailed, saying: II Is Israel to be destroyed,
Israel who wanders from town to town, and from land to
land, only for the sake of the study of the Torah; who suf-

Digitized by Coogle
416 The Legends of the / ews

fers grtevously under the hand of the heathen, only because

he observes the Torah and the sign of the covenant?"
In great haste the prophet Elijah ran to the Patriarchs and
to the other prophets, and to the saints in Israel, and ad-
dressed these words to them: "0 ye fathers of the world!
Angels, and the sun and the moon, and heaven and earth.
and all the celestial hosts are weeping bitterly. The whole
world is seized with throes as of a woman in travail, by
reason of your children, who have forfeited their life on
account of their sins, and ye sit quiet and tranquil." There-
upon Moses said to Elijah: cc Knowest thou any saints in the
present generation of Israel?" Elijah named Mordecai, and
Moses sent the prophet to him, with the charge that h~ the
•• saint of the living generation," should unite his -prayers
with the prayers of the saints among the dead, and perhaps
the doom might be averted from Israel. But Elijah hesi-
tated. •• 0 faithful shepherd," he said, •• the edict of anni-
hilation is~ued by God is written and sealed." Moses, how-
ever, did not desist; he urged the Patriarchs: II If the edict
is sealed with wax, your prayers will be heard; if with
blood, then all is in vain."
Elijah hastened to Mordecai, who, when first he heard
what God had resolved upon, tore his garments and was
possessed by a great fear, though before he had confidently
hoped that help would come from God. He gathered to-
gether all the school children, and had them fast, so that
their hunger should drive them to moan and groan. Then
it was that Israel spoke to God: " 0 Lord of the world I
When the heathen rage against me, they do not desire my
silver and gold, they desire only that I should be extermi-

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther

nated from off the face of the earth. Such was the design
of Nebuchadnezzar when he wanted to compel Israel to
worship the idoL Had it not been for Hananiab. Mishael.
and Azariah, I bad disappeared from the world. Now it is
Haman who desires to ~proot the whole vine."-
Then Mordecai addressed all the people thus: u 0 people
of. Israel. that art so dear and precious in the sight of thy
Heavenly Father I Knowest thou not what has happened?
Hast thou not heard that the king and Haman have re-
solved to remove us off the face of the earth. to dc:stroy us
from beneath the sun? We have no king on whom we can
depend. and no prophet to intercede for us with prayers.
There is no place whither we can flee. no land wherein we
can find safety. We are like sheep without a shepherd. like
a ship upon the sea without a pilot. We are like an orphan
born after the death of his father. and death robs him of his
mother. too. when he has scarce begun to draw nourishment
from her breast."
After this address a great prayer-me~g was called out-
side of Shushan. The Ark containing the scroll of the law.
covered with sackcloth and strewn with ashes. was brought
thither. The scroll was unrolled. and the following verses
read from it: cc When thou art in tribulation. and all these
things are come upon thee. in the latter days thou shalt re-
turn to the Lord thy God. and hearken unto His voice. for
the Lord thy God is a merciful God: He will not faU thee.
neither destroy thee. nor forget the covenant of thy fathers
~hich He swore unto them."
Thereunto Mordecai added words of admonition: cc 0
people of Israel. that art dear and precious to thy Father in
~

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

heaven, let us follow the example of the inhabitants of

Nineveh, doing as they did when the prophet ] onah came
to them to announce the destruction of the city. The king
arose from his throne, laid his .crown from him, covered
himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes, and he made pro-
clamation, and published through Nineveh by the decree of
the king and his nobles, saying, ' Let neither man nor beast,
herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink
water, but let them be covered with sackcloth, ~th man
and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God ; yea, let them
tum every one from his evil way, and from the violence that
is in their hands.' Then God repented Him of the evil He
had designed to bring upon them, and He did it noL Now,
then, let us follow their example, let us hold a fast, mayhap
God will have mercy upon us.""
Furthermore spake Mordecai: ., 0 Lord of the world I
Didst Thou not swear unto our fathers to make us as many
as the stars in the heavens? And now we are as sheep in
the shambles. What has become of Thine oath?" - He
cried aloud, though he knew God hears the softest whisper,
for he said: u 0 Father of Israel, what hast Thou done unto
me? One single cry of anguish uttered by Esau Thou didst
repay with the blessing of his father Isaac, 'By thy sword
shalt thou live: and now we ourselves are abandoned to
the mercy of the sword." .. What Mordecai was not aware
of, was that he, the descendant of Jacob, was brought unto
weeping and wailing by Haman, the descendant of Esau.
as a punishment, because Jacob himself had brought Esau
unto weeping and wailing."

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther

THE DREAM OF MORDECAI FULFILLED

Esther, who knew naught of what was happening at

court, was greatly alarmed when her attendants told her
that Mordecai had appeared in the precincts of the p~lace
clothed in sackcloth and asheS. She was so overcome by
fright that she was deprived of the joys of motherhood to
which she had been looking forward with happy expect-
ancy." She sent clothes to Mordecai, who, however, re-
fused to lay aside his garb of mourning until God permitted
miracles to come to pass for Israel, wherein he followed the
example of such great men in Israel as Jacob, David, and
Ahab, and of the Gentile inhabitants of Nineveh at the time
of Jonah. By no means would he array himself in court
attire so long as his people was exposed to sure suffering.-
The queen sent for Daniel, called also Hathach in the Scrip-
tures, and charged him to learn from Mordecai wherefore
he was mourning.-
To escape all danger from spying ears, Hathach and
Mordecai had their conversation in the open, like Jacob
when he consulted with his wives Leah and Rachel about
leaving their father Laban.- By Hathach Mordecai sent
word to the queen, that Haman was an Amalekite, who like
his ancestor sought to destroy Israel.IR He requested her
to appear before the king and plead for the Jews, reminding
her at the same time of a dream he had once had and told
her about.
Once, when Mordecai had spent a long time weeping and
lamenting over the misery of the Jews in the Dispersion,
and prayed fervently to God to redeem Israel and rebuild
the Temple, he fell asleep, and in his sleep a dream visited

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

him. He dreamed he was transported to a desert pJac:e he

had never seen before. Many nations lived there jumbled
together, only one small and despised nation kept apart at
a short distance. Suddenly a snake shot up from the midst
of the nations, rising higher and higher, and growing
stronger and larger in proportion as it rose. It darted in
the direction of the spot in which the tiny nation stood. and
tried to project itself upon it. Impenetrable clouds and
darkness enveloped the little nation, and when the snake was
on the point of seizing it, a hurricane arose from the four
corners of the world, covering the snake as clothes cover
a man, and blew it to bits. The fragments scattered hither
and thither like chaff before the wind, until not a speck of
the monster was to be found anywhere. Then the cloud and
the darkness vanished from above the little nation, the splen-
dor of the sun again enveloped it.-
This dream Mordecai recorded in a book, and when the
storm began to rage against the Jews, he thought of it, and
demanded that Esther go to the king as the advocate of her
people. At first she did not feel inclined to accede to the
wishes of Mordecai. By her messenger she recalled to his
mind, that he himself had insisted upon her keeping her
Jewish descent a secret.- Besides, she had always tried to
refrain from appearing before the king at her own initiative.
in order that she might not be instrumental in bringing
down sin upon her soul, for she well remembered Morde-
cai's teaching, that" a Jewish woman, captive among the
heathen, who of her own accord goes to them, loses her por-
tion in the Jewish nation." She had been rejoicing that her
petitions had been granted, and the king had not come nigh

Digitized by Coogle
 ....

Esther 421

unto her this last month. Was she now voluntarily to pre-
sent herself before him?'" Furthermore, she had her mes-
senger inform Mordecai, that Haman had introduced a new
palace regulation. Anyone who appeared before the king
without baving been summoned by Haman, would suffer
the death penalty. Therefore, she could not, if she would,
go to the king to advocate the cause of the J ews.-
Esther urged her uncle to refrain from incensing Haman
and furnishing him with a pretext for wreaking the hatred
of Esau to Jacob upon Mordecai and his nation. Mordecai,
however, was firmly convinced that Esther was destined by
God to save Israel. How could her miraculous history be
explained otherwise? At the very moment Esther was
taken to court, he had thought: "Is it conceivable that
God would force so pious a woman to wed with a heathen,
were it not that she is appointed to save Israel from mena-
cing dangers? " -
Firm as Mordecai was in his determination to make Es-
ther take a hand in affairs, he yet did not find it a simple
matter to communicate with her. For Hathach was killed
by Haman as soon as it was discovered that he was acting
as mediator between Mordecai and Esther.'"' There was
none to replace him, until God dispatched the archangels
Michael and Gabriel to carry messages from one to the
other and back again.-
Mordecai sent word to her, if she let the opportunity to
help Israel slip by, she would have to give account for the
omission before the heavenly court.'" To Israel in dis-
tress, however, help would come from other quarters.
Never had God forsaken His people in time of need. More-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends 01 the / ews

over, he admonished her, that, as the descendant of Saul. it

was her duty to make reparation for her ancestor's sin in
not having put Agag to death. Had he done as be was
bidden, the Jews would now not have to fear the machina-
tions of Haman, the offspring of Agag. He bade her sup-
plicate her Heavenly Father to deal with the present ene-
mies of Israel as He had dealt with his enemies in former
ages. To give her encouragement, Mordecai continued:
.. Is Haman so surpassing great that his pIan against the
Jews must succeed? Dost thou mean to say that he is su-
perior to his own ancestor Amalek, whom God crushed
when he precipitated himself upon Israel? Is he mightier
than the thirty-one kings who fought against Israel and
whom Joshua slew' with the word of God '? Is he stronger
than Sisera, who went out against Israel with nine hundred
iron chariots, and yet met his death at the hands of a mere
woman, the punishment for having withdrawn the use of
the water-springs from the Israelites and prevented their
wives from taking the prescribed ritual baths and thus from
fulfilling their conjugal duty? Is he more powerful than
Goliath, who reviled the warriors of Israel, and was s1ain
by David? Or is he more invincible than the sons of Or-
pah, who waged wars with Israel, and were killed by David
and his men? Therefore, do not refrain thy mouth from
prayer, and thy lips from supplication, for on account of
the merits of our fathers, Israel has ever and ever been
snatched out of the jaws of death. He who has at all times
done wonders for Israel, will deliver the enemy into our
hands now, for us to do with him as seemeth best to us."
What he endeavored to impress upon Esther particularly.

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther

was that God would bring help to Israel without her inter-
mediation, but it was to her interest to use the oppommity,
for which alone she had reached her exalted place, to make
up for the transgressions committed by her house, Saul and
his descendants....
Yielding at last to the arguments of Mordecai, Esther was
prepared to risk life in this world, in order to secure life in
the world to come. She ntade only one request of her uncle.
He was to have the Jews spend three days in prayer and
fasting in her behalf, that she might find favor in the eyes
of the king. At first Mordecai was opposed to the procla-
mation of a fast, because it was Passover time, and the law
prohibits fasting on the holidays. But he finally assented
to Esther's reasoning: "Of what avail are the holidays, if
there is no Israel to celebrate them, and without Israel, there
would not be even a Torah. Therefore it is advisable to
transgress on~ Jaw, that God may have mercy upon us." lG

THE PRAYER OF EsTHER

Accordingly Mordecai made arrangements for a fast and
a prayer-meeting. On the very day of the festival, he had
himself ferried across the water to the other side of Shu-
shan, where all the Jews of the city could observe the fast
together.'· It was important that the Jewish residents of
Shushan beyond all other Jews should do penance and seek
pardon from God, because they had committed the sin of
partaking of Ahasuerus's banquet. Twelve thousand priests
marched in the procession, trumpets in their right hands,
and the holy scrolls of the law in their left, weeping and
mourning, and exclaiming against God: "Here is the To-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the Jews

rah Thou gavest us. Thy beloved people is about to be

destroyed. When that comes to pass, who wiD be left to
read the Torah and make mention of Thy name? The sun
and the moon wiD refuse to shed their light abroad, for they
were created only for the sake of Israel." Then they feD
upon their faces, and said: " Answer us, our Father, answer
us, our King." The whole people joined in their cry, and
the celestials wept with them, and the Fathers came forth
from their graves.
Mter a three days' fast, Esther arose from the earth and
dust, and made preparations to betake herself to the king.
She arrayed herself in a silken garment, embroidered with
gold from Ophir and spangled with diamonds and pearls
sent her from Africa; a golden crown was on her head, and
on her feet shoes of gold.
After she had completed her attire, she pronounced the
following prayer: II Thou art the great God, the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God of my f~ther Ben-
jamin. Not because I consider myself without blemish, do
I dare appear before the foolish king, but that the people of
Israel may not be cut off from the world. Is it not for the
sake of Israel alone that the whole world was created, and
if Israel should cease to exist, who wiD come and exclaim
• Holy, holy, holy' thrice daily before Thee? As 'Thou
didst save Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah out of the burn-
ing furnace, and Daniel out of the den of lions, so save me
out of the hand of this foolish king, and make me to appear
charming and graceful in his eyes. I entreat Thee to give
ear to my prayer in this time of exile and banishment from
our land. By reason of our sins the threatening words of

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther

the Holy Scriptures are accomplished upon us: 'Ye shall

sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and for
bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.' The decree to
kill us has been issued. We are delivered up unto the sword
for destruction, root and branch. The children of Abraham
covered themselves with sackcloth and ashes, but though
the elders sinned, what wrongs have the children commit-
ted, and though the children committed wrongs, what have
the sucklings done? The nobles of JerusaJem came forth
from their graves, for their children were given up to the
sword.
"How quickly have the days of our joy Bown by I The
wicked Haman has surrendered us to our enemies for
sla':lghter.
"I will recount before Thee· the deeds of Thy friends,
and with Abraham will I begin. Thou didst try him with .
all temptations, yet didst Thou find him faithful. 0 that
Thou wouldst support his beloved children for his sake, and
aid them, so that Thou wouldst bear them as an unbreakable
seal upon Thy right hand. Call Haman to account for the
wrong he would do us, and be revenged upon the son of
Hammedatha. Demand requital of Haman and not of Thy
people, for he sought to annihilate us all at one stroke, he,
the enemy and affiicter of Thy people, whom he endeavors
to hem in on all sides.
"With an eternal bond· Thou didst bind us unto Thee.
o that Thou wouldst uphold us for the sake of Isaac, who
was bound. Haman offered the king ten thousand 'talents
of silver for us. Raise Thou our voice, and answer us, and,
bring us forth from out. of the narrow place into enlarge-

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / ews
(
1
ment Thou who breakest the mightiest, crush Haman, so
that he may never again rise from his fall. I am ready to
appear before the king, to entreat grace for my inheritance.
Send Thou an angel of compassion with me on mine errand.
and let grace and favor be my companions. May the right-
eousness of Abraham go before me, the binding of Isaac
raise me, the charm of Jacob be put into my mouth. and the
grace of Joseph upon my tongue. Happy the man who
putteth his trust in God; he is not confounded. He wiD lend
me His right hand and His left hand, with which He created
the whole world. Yet all ye of Israel. pray for me as I pray
in your behalf. For whatsoever a man may ask of God in
the time of his distress, is granted unto him. Let us look
upon the deeds of our fathers and do like unto them. and
He will answer our supplications. The left hand of Abra-
ham held Isaac by the throat, and his right hand grasped
the knife. He willingly did Thy bidding, nor did he delay
to execute Thy command. Heaven opened its windows to
give space to the angels, who cried bitterly, and said: • Woe
to the world, if this thing should come to pass I • I also
call upon Thee I 0 answer me, for Thou .givest ear unto
all who are afflicted and oppressed. Thou art called the
Merciful and the Gracious; Thou art slow to anger ana
great in lovingkindness and truth. Hear our voice and an-
swer us, and lead us out of distress into enlargement. For
three days have I fasted in accordance with the number of
days Abraham journeyed to bind his son upon the altar be-
fore Thee. Thou didst make a covenant with him, and
didst promise him: • Whenever. thy children shall be in dis-
tress, I will remember the binding of Isaac favorably unto

Digitized by Coogle
 Estht1'

them, and deliver them out of their troubles.' Again, I

fasted three days corresponding to the three classes of Is-
rael, priests, Levites, and Israelites. who stood at the foot
of Sinai, and said: I All the' Lord hath spoken will we do,
and be obedient'"
Esther conclu~ed her prayer and said: II 0 God, Lord of
hosts I Thou that searchest the heart and the reins, in this
hour do Thou remember the merits of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, that my petition to Thee may not be turned aside, nor
my request be left unfulfilled." 1M

EsTHER INTERCEDES
After finishing her prayer, Esther betook herself to the
king, accompanied by three attendants, one walking to the
right of her, the second on the other side, and the third bear-
ing her train, heavy with the precious stones with which
it was studded.- Her. chief adornment was the holy ....
spirit that was poured out over her. But scarcely did she
enter the chamber containing the idols, when the holy spirit
departed from her, and she cried out in great distress: Eli, II

Eli, lGmDh azabtanil Shall I be chastised for acts that I do

against my will, and only in obedience to the promptings of
sore need? 1M Why should my fate be different from that of
the Mother? When Pharaoh only attempted to approach
Sarah, plagues came upon him and his house, but I have
been compelled for years to live with this heathen, and Thou
dost not deliver me out of his hand. 0 Lord of the world I
Have I not paid scrupulous heed to the three commands
Thou didst specially ordain for women?"
To reach the king, Esther had to pass through seven

..
Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

apartments, each measuring ten ells in length. The first

three she traversed unhindered; they were too far off for
the king to observe her progress through them. But barely
had she crossed the threshold of the fourth chamber. when
Ahasuerus caught sight of her, and, overcome by rage, he
exclaimed: "0 for the departed, their like is not found
again on earth I How I urged and entreated Vashti to ap-
pear before me, but she refused, and I had her killed there-
for. This Esther comes hither without invitation, like unto
a public prostitute."
In consternation and despair Esther stood rooted to the
centre of the fqurth chamber. Having once allowed her to
pass through the doors under their charge, the guards of
the first four rooms had forfeited their authority over her;
and to the gUards in the other three rooms, she had not yet
. given cause for interfering with tier. Yet the courtiers
were so confident that Esther was about to suffer the death
penalty, that the sons of Haman were already busy dividing
her jewels among themselves, and casting ~ots for her royal
purple. Esther herself was keenly aware of her dangerous
posi~ion. In her need, she besought God: It Ell, Elil ltJfIItJIs
arablani/' and prayed to Him the words which have found
their place in the Psalter composed by King David.- Be-
cause she put her confidence in God, He answered her peti-
tion, and sent her three angels to help her: the one enveloped
her countenance with "the threads of grace," the second
raised her head, and the third drew out the sceptre of Abu-
uerus until it touched her.UI The king turned his head
round, to avoid seeing Esther, but the angels forced him to
look her way, and be conquered by her seductive charm.-

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther

By reason of her long fast, Esther was so weak that she

'Was unable to extend het hand toward the sceptre of the
ldng. The archangel Michael had to draw' her near it
Ahasuerus then said: II I see, thou must have a most im-
portant request to .prefer, else thou hadst not risked thy life
deliberately.- I am ready to give it thee, even to the half
of the kingdom. There is but one petition I cannot grant,
and that is the restoration of the Temple. I gave my oath
to Geshem the Arabian, Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah
the Ammonite, not to allow it to be rebuilt, from fear of
the Jews, lest they rise up against me." lit
For the moment, Esther refrained from uttering her pe-
tition. All she asked was, that the king and Haman would
come to a banquet she proposed to give. She had good rea-
sons for this peculiar course of conduct. She desired to dis-
ann Haman's suspicions regarding her Jewish descent, and
to lead her fellow-Jews to fix their hope upon God and not
upon her. At the same time, it was her plan to arouse jeal-
ousy of Haman in both the king and the princes. She was
quite ready to sacrifice her own life, if her stratagems would
but involve the life of Haman, too.- At the banquet she
therefore favored Haman in such manner that AhasuertJs
could not but be jealous. She moved her chair close to Ha-
man's, and when Ahasuerus handed her his wine-cup, to let
her drink of it first, she passed it on to his minister.
After the banquet, the king repeated his question, and
again made the asseveration, that he would fulfil all her
wishes at whatever cost, barring only the restoration of the
Temple. Esther, however, was not yet ready; she preferred
to wait another day before taking up the conflict with Ha-

Digitized by Coogle
430 The Legends of the / ews

man. She bad before her eyes the example of Moses, who
also craved a day's preparation before going out against
Amalek. the ancestor of Haman.-
Deceived by the attention and distinction accorded bim
by Esther. Haman felt secure in his position. priding him-
self not only on the love of the ICing. but also on the respect
of the queen. He felt himself to be the most privileged be-
ing in aU the wide realm governed by Ahasuerus.-
Fliled with arrogant self-sufficiency. he passed by Mor-
decai. who not only refused to give him the honors decreed
in his behalf. but, besides, pointed to his knee. inscribed with
the bill of sale whereby Haman bad become the slave of
Mordecai.tli Doubly and triply enraged. he resolved to
make an example of the Jew. But he was not satisfied with
inflicting death by a simple kick.
On reaching his home he was disappointed not to find his
wife Zeresh. the daughter of the Persian satrap Tattenai.
& always when Haman was at court, she had gone to
her paramours. He sent for her and his three hundred
and sixty-five advisers. and with them he took counsel as to
what was to be done to Mordecai.- Pointing to a repre-
sentation of his treasure chamber, which he wore on his
bosom.... he said: II And all this is worthless in my sight
when I look upon Mordecai. the Jew. What I eat and drink
loses its savor, if I but think of him."-
Among his advisers and sons, of whom there were two
hundred and eight. none was so clever as Zeresh his wife.
She spoke thus: II If the man thou tellest of is a Jew, thou
wilt not be able to do aught to him e:xcept by sagacity. If
thou castest him into the fire, it will have no effect upon

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 43 1

Ilim. for Hananiah. Misbael. and Azariah escaped from the

lntming furnace unhurt; Joseph went free from prison;
Manasseh prayed to God. and He heard him. and saved him
from the iron furnace; to drive him out in the wilder-
ness is useless. thou knowest the desert did no evil to the
Israelites that passed through it; putting out his eyes avails
naught. for Samson blind did more mischief than ever Sam-
son seeing. Therefore hang him. for no Jew has ever
escaped death by hanging." -
Haman was well pleased with the words of his wife. She
fetched artificers in wood and iron. the former to erect the
cross. the latt~r to make the nails. Their children danced
around in high glee while Zeresh played upon the athern.
and Haman in his pleasurable excitement said: II To the
wood workers I shall give abundant pay. and the iron work-
ers I shall invite to a banquet."
When the cross was finished. Haman himself tested it. to
see that all was in working order. A heavenly voice was
heard: II It is good for Haman the villain. and for the son
of Hammedatha it is fitting."-

THE DISTURBED NIGHT

The niglit during which Haman erected the cross for

Mordecai was the first night of Passover. the very night in
which miracles without number had ever been done for the
Fathers and for Israel. But this time the night of joy
was changed into a night of mourning and a night of fears.
Wherever there were Jews. they passed the night in weep-
ing and lamenting. The greatest terrors it held for Morde-

Digitized by Coogle
 -
432 The Legends of the Jews

cai, because his own people accused him of having provoked

their misfortunes by his haughty behavior toward HamaD..-
Excitement and consternation reigned in heaven as weD
as on earth." When Haman had satisfied himself that the
cross intended for his enemy was properly constructed. he
repaired to the Bet ha-Midrash, where he found Mordecai
and all the Jewish school children, twenty-two thousand in
number, in tears and sorrow. He ordered them to be put
in chains, saying: "First I shall kill off these, and then I
shall hang Mordecai." The mothers hastened thither with
bread and water, and coaxed their children to take s0me-
thing before they had to encounter death. The children,
however, laid their hands upon their books, and said: •• As
our teacher Mordecai liveth, we will neither eat nor drink,
but we will perish exhausted with fasting.'- They rolled up
their sacred scrolls, and handed them to their teachers with
the words: "For our devotion to the study of the Torah.
we had hoped to be rewarded with long life, according to
the promise held out in the Holy Scriptures. As we
are not worthy thereof, remove the books I" . The out-
cries of the children and of the teachers in the Bet ha-
Midrash, and the weeping of the mothers without. united
with the supplications of the Fathers, reached unto heaven
in the third hour of the night, and God said: "I hear
the voice of tender lambs and sheep I " Moses arose and
addressed God thus: "Thou knowest well that the voices
are not of lambs and sheep, but of the young of Israel_ who
for three days have been fasting and languishing in fetters,
only to be slaughtered on the morrow to the delight of the
arch-enemy."

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 433

Then God felt compassion with Israel, for the sake of his
innocent little ones. He broke the seal with which the
heavenly decree of annihilation had been fastened, and the
decree itself he tore in pieces.- From this moment on
Ahasuerus became restless, and sleep was made to flee his
eyes, for the purpose that the redemption of Israel might be
brought to pass. God sent down Michael, the leader of
the hosts of Israe~, who was to keep sleep from the king,··
and the archangel Gabriel descended, and threw the king
out of his bed on the floor, no less than three hundred and
sixty-five times, continually Whispering in his ear: " a thou
ingrate, reward him who deserves to be rewarded."
To account for his sleeplessness, Ahasuerus thought he
might have been poisoned, and he was about to order the
execution of those charged with the preparation of his food.
But they succeeded in convincing him of their innocence,
by calling to his attention that Esther and Haman had
shared his evening meal with him, yet they felt no unpleasant
effects.- Then suspicions against his wife and his friend
began to arise in his mind. He accused them inwardly of
having conspired together to put him out of the way. He
sought to banish this thought with the reflection, that if a
conspiracy had existed against him, his friends would have
warned him of it. But the refl~ion brought others in its
train: Did he have any friends? Was it not possible that
by leaving valuable services unrewarded, he had forfeited
the friendly feelings toward him? - He therefore com-
manded that the chronicles of the kings of Persia be read

..
to him. He would compare his own acts with what his

Digitized by Coogle
434 The Legends of the I ews

predecessors had done, and try to find out whether he might

count upon friends.-
What was read to him, did not restore his tranquillity of
mind, for he saw a poor man before him-none other thau
the angel Michael-who called to him continually: .. Haman
wants to kill thee, and become king in thy stead. Let this
serve thee as proof that I am telling thee the truth: Early
in the morning he will appear before thee and request per.
mission of thee to kill him who saved thy life. And when
thou inquirest of him what honor should be done to him
whom the king delighteth to honor, he will ask to be given
the apparel, the crown, and the horse of the king as signs of
distinction." ..
Ahasuerus's excitement was soothed only when the pas-
sage in the chronicles was reached describing the loyalty of
Mordecai. Had the wishes of the reader been consulted,
Ahasuerus had never heard this entry, for it was a SOD of
Haman who was filling the office of reader, and he was de-
sirous of passing the incident over in silence. But a miracle
occurred-the words were heard though they were not ut-
teredl
The names of Mordecai and Israel bad a quieting influ-
ence upon the king, and he dropped asleep. He dreamed
that Haman, sword in hand, was approaching him with evil
intent, and when, early in the morning, Haman suddenly,
without being announced, entered the antechamber and
awakened the king, Ahasuerus was persuaded of the truth
of his dream. The king was still further set against Haman
by the reply he gave to the question, how honor was to be
shown to the man whom the king delighteth to honor. Be-

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 435

lieving himself to be the object of the king's good-will, he

advised Ahasuerus to have his favorite arrayed in the king's
coronation garments, and the crown royal put upon his
head. Before him one of the grandees of the kingdom was
to run, doing herald's service, proclaiming that whosoever
did not prostrate himself and bow down before him whom
the king delighteth to honor, would have his bead cut off,
and his house given over to pillage.
Haman was quick to notice that he had made a mistake,
for he 'saw the king's countenance change color at the men-
tion of the word crown. He therefore took good care not
to refer to it again. In spite of this precaution, Ahasuerus
saw in the words of Haman a striking verification of his
vision, and he was confident that Haman cherished designs
against his life and his throne.-

THE FALL OF HAKAN

Haman was soon to find out that he had gone far afield
in supposing himself to be the man whom the king delight-
ed to honor. The king's command ran: "Hasten to the
royal treasure chambers; fetch thence a cover of fine purple,
a raiment of delicate silk, furnished forth with golden bells
and pomegranates and bestrewn with diamonds and pearls,
and the large golden crown which was brought me from
Macedonia upon the day I ascended the throne. Further-
more, fetch thence the sword and the coat of mail sent
me from Ethiopia, and the two veils embroidered with
pearls which were Africa's gift. Then repair to the royal
stables, and lead forth the black horse whereon I sat at my
coronation. With all these insignia of honor, seek out
Mordecat I "

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends 01 the / ews

Haman: "Which Mordecai?"

Ahasuerus: "Mordecai the Jew."
Haman: "There be many Jews named Mordecai."
Ahasuerus: "The Jew Mordecai who sits at the king's
gate."
Haman: "There be many royal gates; I know not which
.thou meanest."
Ahasuerus: "The gate that leads from the harem to the
palace."
Haman: "This man is my enemy and the enemy of my
house. Rather would r give him ten thousand talents of
silver than do him this honor."
Ahasuerus: "Ten thousand talents of silver shalI be
given him, and he shall be made lord over thy house. but
these honors must thou show unto him."
Haman: "r have ten sons. I would rather have them
run before his horse than do him this honor"·
Ahasuerus: " Thou, thy sons, and thy wife shall be slaves
to Mordecai, but these honors must thou show unto him."
Haman: "0 my lord and king, Mordecai is a common
man. Appoint him to be ruler over a city, or, if thou wilt,
even over a district, rat.'ter than r should do him this honor."
Ahasuerus: "I will appoint him ruler over cities and
districts. All the kings on land and on water shall pay
him obedience, but these honors must thou show unto him."
Haman: "Rather have coins struck bearing thy name to-
gether with his, instead of mine as hitherto, than I should
do him this honor."
Ahasuerus: " The man who saved the life of the king de-
serves to have his name put on the coin of the realm. Nev-
ertheless, these honors must thou show unto him."

Digitized by Coogle
 Bsthe1- 437
Haman: II Edicts and writings have been issued to all
parts of the kingdom, commanding that the nation to which
Mordecai belongs shall be destroyed. Recall them rather
than I should do him this honor."
Ahasuerus: "The edicts and the writings shall be re-
called, yet these honors must thou show unto Mordecai."
Seeing that all petitions and entreaties were ineffectual,
and Ahasuerus insisted upon the execution of his order,
Haman went to the royal treasure chambers, walking with
his h~d bowed like a mourner's, his ears hanging down,
his eyes dim, his mouth screwed up, his heart hardened, his
bowels cut in pieces, his loins weakened, and his knees
knocking against each other.- He gathered together the
royal insignia, ~nd took them to Mordecai, accompanied on
his way by Harbonah and Ab~r, who, at the order of the
king, were to take heed whether Haman carried out his
wishes to the letter.
When Mordecai saw his enemy approach, he thought his
last moment had come. He urged his pupils to ftee, that
they might not" bum t~emselves with his coals." But they
refused, saying: "In life as in death we desire to be with
thee." The few moments left him, as he thought, Mordecai
spent in devotion. With words of prayer on his lips he de-
sired to pass away. Haman, therefore, had to address him-
self to the pupils of Mordecai: "What was the last subject
taught you by your teacher Mordecai?" They told him they
had been discussing the law of the 'Orner, the sacrifice
brought on that very day so long as the Temple had stood.
At his request, they described some of the details of the
ceremony in the Temple connected with the offering. He

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the 1t'WS

exclaimed: "Happy are you that your ten farthiDgs, with

which you bought the wheat for the 'Orner, produced a bet-
ter effect than my ten thousand talents of silver, which I
offered unto the king for the destruction of the Jews."
Meantime Mordecai had finished his prayer. Haman
stepped up to him, and .said: "Arise, thou pious SOD of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thy sackcloth and ashes
availed more than my ten thousand talents of silver. which
I promised unto the king. They were not accepted. but thy
prayers were accepted by thy Father in heaven."
Mordecai, not yet disabused of the notion that Haman
had come to take him to the cross, requested the grace of a
few minutes for his last meal. Only Haman's repeated pro-
tests reassured him. When Haman set about arraying him
with the royal apparel, Mordecai refused to put it OIl until
he had bathed. and had dressed his hair. Royal apparel
agreed but ill with his condition after three days of sack-
cloth and ashes. As luck would have it, Esther had issued
the command that the batbkeepers and barbers were not to
ply their trades on that day, and there was nothing for Ha-
man to do but perform the menial services Mordecai re-
quired. Haman tried to play upon the feelings of Mordecai.
Fetching a deep sigh, he said: II The greatest in the king's
realm is now acting as batbkeeper and barber I" Mordecai,
however, did not permit himself to be imposed upon. He
knew Haman's origin too well to be deceived; he remem-
bered his father, who had been batbkeeper and barber in a
village.
Haman's humiliation was not yet complete. Mordecai,
exhausted by his three days'· fast, was too weak to moaat

Digitized by Coogle
 Estis". 439

his borse unaided. Haman bad to serve bim as footstool,

and Mordecai took the opportunity to give bim a kick. Ha-
man reminded him of tbe Scriptural verse: "Rejoice not
when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine beart be glad
when be is overthrown." Mordecai, bowever, refused to
apply it to himself, for be was chastising, not a personal
enemy, but the enemy of bis people, and of sucb it is said in
the Scriptures: II And thou shalt tread upon the bigb places
of thine enemies." In
Fma1ly, Haman caused Mordecai to ride througb the
streets of the city, and proclaimed before him: "Thus sball
it be done unto the man wbom the king deligbteth to bonor."
In front of them marched twenty-seven thousand youths
detailed for this service from tbe court. In their rigbt
bands they bore golden cups, and golden beakers in their
left bands, and they, too, proclaimed: "Thus sball be done
unto the man wbom the king de1igbtetb to bonor." The
procession furthermore was swelled by the presence of
Jews. They, bowever, made a proclamation of different
tenor. II Thus shall be done," they cried out, II unto the man
wbose bonor is desired by the King that hath created heaven
and earth." 1ft .
As ~e rode along, Mordecai gave praise to God: II I will
extol Thee, 0 Lord; for Thou hast raised me up, and hast
not made my foes to rejoice over me. 0 Lord my God, I
cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me. 0 Lord, Thou
hast brought up my soul from Sheal; Thou hast kept me
alive, that I should not go down to the pit." Wbereupon
his pupils joined in with: "Sing praise unto the Lord, 0
ye saints of His, and give thanks to His holy name. For

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the I ews

His anger is but for a moment; in His favor is life; weq.-

ing may tarry for the night, but joy cometh in the m0rn-
ing." Haman added the verse thereto: "As for me, I
said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. Thou, Lord,
of Thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong.
Thou didst hide Thy face; I was troubled." Queen Esther
continued: "I cried to Thee, 0 Lord i and unto the Lord
I made supplication. What profit is there in my blood,
when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise Thee?
Shall it declare Thy truth?" and the whole concourse of
Jews present cried out: "Thou hast turned for me my
mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and
girded me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing
praise to Thee, and not be silent. 0 Lord my God, I will
give thanks unto Thee forever." 111
When this procession passed the house of Haman, his
daughter was looking out of the window. She took the
h1an on the horse to be her father. and the leader of it, Mor-
decai. Raising a vessel filled with offal, she emptied it out
over the leader-her own father. Scarce had the vessel left
her hand. when she realized the truth, and she threw herself
from the window, and lay crushed to death· on the street
below.'·
In spite of the sudden change in his fortunes, Mordecai
ended .the eventful day as he had begun it. in prayer and
fasting. No sooner was the procession over than he put
off the royal robes. and. again covering himself with "sack-
cloth. he prayed until night fell.
Haman was plunged in mourning, partly on account of
the deep disgrace to which he had been subjected, partly OIl

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 441

account of the death of his daughter."· Neither his wife

nor his friends could advise him how to mend his sad for-
tunes. They could hold out only sorry consolation to him:
" If this Mordecai is of the seed of the saints, thou wilt not
be able to prevail against him. Thou wilt surely encounter
the same fate as the kings in their battle with Abraham,
and Abimelech in his quarrel with Isaac. As Jacob was
victorious over the angel with whom he wrestled, and Moses
and Aaron caused the drowning of Pharaoh and his host,
so Mordecai will overcome thee in the end." ala
. While they were yet talking, the king's chamberlains
came. and hastily carried Haman off to the banquet Esther
had prepared. to prevent him and his influential sons from
plotting against the king.- Ahasuerus repeated his prom-
ise. to give Esther whatever she desired. always excepting
the restoration of the Temple. This time. casting her eyes
heavenward. Esther replied: II If I have found favor in Thy
sight, 0 Supreme King, and if it please Thee, 0 King of
the world, let my life be given me, and let my people be
rescued out of the hands of its enemy." UI Ahasuerus,
thinking these words were addressed to him, asked in irri-
tation: II Who is he, and where is he, this presumptuous
conspirator, who thought to do thus?" These were the first
words the king had ever spoken to Esther herself. Hitherto
he had always communicated with her through an inter-
preter. He had not been quite satisfied she was worthy
enough to be addressed by the king. Now made cognizant
of the fact that she was a Jewess, and of royal descent be-
sides, he spoke to her directly, without the intervention of
others.1II

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / ews

Esther stretched forth her hand to indicate the man who

had sought to take her life. as he had actually taken Vashti's.
but in the excitement of the moment. she pointed to the
king. Fortunately the king did not observe her error, be-
cause an angel guided her hand instantaneously in the di-
rection of Haman.1ft whom her words described: c'This is
the adversary and the enemy. he who desired to murder
thee in thy sleeping-c:hamber during the night just passed:
he who this very day desired to array himself in the royal
apparel. ride upon thy horse. and wear the golden crown
upon his head. to rise up against thee and depri'fe thee of
thy sovereignty. But God set his undertaking at naught,
and the honors he sought for himself. fell to the share of
my uncle Mordecai. whom this oppressor and enemy
thought to hang." lit
The anger of the king already burnt so fiercely that he
hinted to Esther. that whether Haman was the adversary
she had in mind or not. she was to designate him as such.
To infuriate him still more. God sent ten angels in the
guise of Haman's ten sons. to fell down the trees in the
royal park. When Ahasuerus turned his eyes toward the
interior of the park. he saw the ruthless destruction of
which they were guilty. In his rage he went out into the
garden. This was the instant utilized by Haman to implore
grace for himself from Esther. Gabriel intervened. and
threw Haman upon the couch in a posture as though he
were about to do violence to the queen. At that moment
Ahasuerus reappeared. Enraged beyond description by
what he saw. he cried out: "Haman attempts the honor of
the queen in my very presence I Colne. then. ye peoples.
nations~ and races. and pronounce judgment over him I It.
Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 443

When Harbonah, originally a friend of Haman and an

adversary of Mordecai, heard the king's angry exclamation,
he said to him: "Nor is this the only crime committed by
Haman against thee, for he was an accomplice of the con-
spirators Bigthan and Teresh, and his enmity to Mordecai
dates back to the time when Mordecai uncovered their foul
plots. Out of revenge therefor, he has erected a cross for
him." Harbonah's words illustrate the saying: "Once the
ox has been cast to the ground, slaughtering knives can
readily be found." Knowing that Haman had fallen from
his high estate, Harbonah was intent upon winning the
friendship of Mordecai.1II Harbonah was altogether right,
for Ahasuerus at once ordered Haman to be hanged. Mor-
decai was charged with the execution of the king's order,
and Haman's tears and entreaties did not in the least move
him. He insisted upon hanging him like the commonest of
criminals, instead of executing him with the sword, the
mode of punishment applied to men of rank guilty of seri-
ous misdemeanon,"
The cross which Haman, at the advice of his wife Zeresh
and of his friends, had erected for Mordecai, was now used
for himself. It was made of wood from a thorn-bush. God
called all the trees together and inquired which one would
pennit the cross for Haman to be made of it. The fig-tree
said: "I am ready to serve, for I am symbolic of Israel,
and, also, my fruits were brought to the Temple as first-
fruits," The vine said: "I am ready to serve, for I am
symbolic of Israel and, also, my wine is brought to the altar."
The apple-tree said: Ie I am ready to serve, for I am sym-
bolic of Israel." The nut-tree said: "I am ready to serve,

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends 01 Ihe / e'UJS

for I am symbolic of Israel." The Etrog tree said: .. I

should have the privilege, for with my fruit Israel praises
God on Sukkot." The willow of the brook said: .. I de-
sire to serve, for I am symbolic of Israel" The cedar-tree
said: .. I desire to serve, for I am symbolic of Israel." The
palm-tree said: .. I desire to serve, for I am symbolic of
Israel." Finally the thorn-bush came and said: .. I am
fitted to do this service, for the ungodly are like pricking
thorns." The ofter of the thorn-bush was accepted, after
God gave a blessing to each of the other trees for its wil-
lingness to serve.
A sufficiently long beam cut from a thorn-bush could be
found only in the house of Haman, which had to be demol-
ished in order to obtain it." The cross was tall enough for
Haman and his ten sons to be hanged upon it. It was
planted three cubits deep in the ground, each of the victims
required three cubits space in length, one cubit space was
left vacant between the feet of the One above and the head
of the one below, and the youngest son, Vaizatha, had bis
feet four cubits from the ground as he hung."
Haman and his ten sons remained suspended a long time,
to the vexation of those who considered it a violation of
the Biblical prohibition in Deuteronomy, not to leave a hu-
man body hanging upon a tree overnight. Esther pointed
to a precedent, the descendants of Saul, whom the Gibeon-
ites left hanging half a year, whereby the name of God
was sanctified, for whenever the pilgrims beheld them, they
told the heathen, that the men had been hanged because
their father Saul had laid hand on the Gibeonites. .. How
much more, then," continued Esther, .. are we justified in

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 445
permitting Haman and his family to hang, they who desired
to destroy the house of Israel? " III
Beside these ten sons, who had been governors in various
provinces, Haman had twenty others, ten of whom died,
and the other ten of whom were reduced to beggary.- The
vast fortune of which Haman died possessed was divided
in three parts. The first part was given to Mordecai and
Esther, the second to the students of the Torah, and the
third was applied to the restoration of the Temple.- Mor-
decai thus became a wealthy man. He was also set up as
king of the Jews. As such he had coins struck, which bore
the figure of Esther on the obverse, and his own figure on
the reverse.- However, in the measure in which Mordecai
gained in worldly power and consideration, he lost spiritu-
ally, because the business connected with his high political
station left him no time for the study of the Torah. Pre-
viously he had ranked sixth among the eminent scholars of
Israel, he now dropped to the seventh place among them.-
Ahasuerus, on the other hand, was the gainer by the
change. As soon as Mordecai entered upon the office of
grand chancellor, he succeeded in subjecting to his sway
the provinces that had revolted on account of Vashti's
execution.-

THE EDICT OF THE KING

,
The edict issued against the Jews was revoked by Ahas-
uerus in the following terms:
"King Ahasuerus sends this letter to aU the inhabitants
of water and earth, to all the rulers of districts, and to gen-
erals of the army, who dwell in every country; may your

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legends of the / ews

peace be great I I write this to you to inform you, that al-

though I rule over many nations, over the inhabitants of
land and sea, yet I am not proud of my power, but will
rather walk in lowliness and meekness of spirit all my days.
in order to provide for you great peace. Unto all who dwell
under my dominion, unto all who seek to carry on business
on land or on sea, unto all who desire to export goods from
one nation to the other, from one people to the other-
unto them all, I am the same, from one end of the earth
to the other, and none may seek to cause excitement: on
land or on sea, or enmities between one nation and another,
between o~e people and another. I write this, because.
in spite of our sincerity and honesty with which we love
aU the nations, revere all the rulers. and do good to all
the potentates. there are nevertheless people who wen:
near to the king, and into whose hand the government
was entrusted, who by their intrigues and falsehoods misled
the king, and wrote letters which are not right before
heaven, which are evil before men, and harmful for the em-
pire. This was the petition they requested from the king:
that righteous men should be killed, and most innocent blood
be shed, of those who have not done any evil, nor were
guilty of death-such righteous people as Esther, celebrated
for aU virtues, and Mordecai, wise in every branch of wis-
dom, there is no blemish to be found in ·them nor in their
nation. I thought that I was requested concerning another
nation, and did not know it was concerning the Jews, who
were called the Children of the Lord of All, who created
heaven and earth, and who led them and their fathers
through great and mighty empires. And now as he, Ha-

Digitized by Coogle
 Esther 441
man, the son of Hammedatha, from Judea, a descendant of
Amalek, who came to us and enjoyed much kindness, praise,
and dignity from us, whom we made great, and called
C father of the king,' and seated him at the right of the king,

did not know how to appreciate the dignity, and how to con-
duct the affairs of state, but harbored thoughts to kill the
king aDl.I take away his kingdom, therefore we ordered the
son of Hammedatha to be hanged, and all that he desired
we have brought upon his head; and the Creator of heaven
and earth brought his machinations upon liis head." III
As a memorial of the wonderful deliverance from the
hands of Haman, the Jews of Shushan celebrated the day
their arch-enemy had appointed for their extermination, and
their example was followed by the Jews of the other cities
..
of the Persian empire, and by those of other countries. Yet
the sages, when besought by Esther, refused at first to make
it a festival for all tim~ les.t the hatred of the heathen be
excited against the Jews. ...fThey yielded only after Esther
had pointed out to them that the events on which the holiday
was based, were perpetuated in the annals of the kings of
Persia and Media, and thus the outside world would not be
able to misinterpret the joy of the Jews.
Esther addressed another petition to the sages. She
begged that the book containing her history should be in-
corporated in the Holy Scriptures. Because they shrank
from adding anything to the triple ·Canon, consisting of the
Torah, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa, they again re-
fused, and again they had to yield to Esther's argumc:!!t... ~
She quoted the words from Exodus, .. Write this for a
- .:a.emorial in a book," spoken by Moses to Joshua, after the

Digitized by Coogle
 The Legmds of the I ews

battle at Rephidim with the Amalekites. They saw that it

was the will of God to immortalize the warfare waged with
the Amalekite Haman. Nor is the Book of Esther an ordi-
nary history. Without the aid of the holy spirit. it could
not have been composed, and therefore its canonization re-
solved upon II below II was endorsed II above.'- And as
the Book of Esther became an integral and indestructible
part of the Holy Scriptures. so the Feast of Purim will be
celebrated forever, now and in the future world, and Esther
herself by her pious deeds acquired a good name both in
this world and in the world to come.-

e........ m,....
IALTIJIOIl., D., v. L A.

Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
Digitized by Coogle
 3 2044 021 064 597

DATE DUE

ftJ"'" n 4 1\ l.~
t."'\t

j[J1/lll ,

G:

JI

DEMeo, INC. 38-2131

J( ~L