 2 Jacob raised all his sons in the fear of God, and taught them the ways of a pious life, using severity when there was need to make his lessons impressive. He reaped the fruits of his labor for all his sons were godly men of stainless character. The ancestors of the twelve tribes resembled their fathers in piety, and their acts were no less significant than those of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Like these three they deserved to be called the fathers of Israel. God made a covenant with them as he had made with the three patriarchs, and to this covenant their descendants owe their preservation. The very names of the tribes point to the redemption of Israel. Rubin is so-called because God sees the affliction of his people, Simon because he hears its groaning, Levi he joins himself unto his people when Israel suffers, Judah Israel will thank God for its deliverance, Issachar it will be rewarded for its suffering with a recompense, Zebulun God will have a dwelling place in Israel, Benjamin he swore by his right hand to succour his people, Dan he will judge the nation that subjugates Israel, not Tali he bestowed the Torah upon Israel and she dropped sweetness like the honeycomb, Gad the Lord gave manna unto Israel and it was like coriander seed, Asher all nations will call Israel happy and Joseph because God will add a second redemption of Israel to the first, redemption from the wicked kingdom at the end as from Egypt in former times. Not only the names of Jacob's sons are significant, but the names of their sons as well. Thus the names of the sons of Issachar express the activities of the tribe known for its learning above all the others. The oldest was called Tola, worm, as the silkworm is distinguished for its mouth, with which it spins, so also the men of the tribe of Issachar for the wise words of their mouth. The second is Pua, matter plant, as this plant colors all things, so the tribe of Issachar colors the whole world with its teachings. The third is Jeshab, the returning one, for through the teachings of Issachar Israel will be turned back to its heavenly father, and Shimron, the fourth, is the observing one, to indicate that the tribe of Issachar observed the Torah. The names of the sons of Gad likewise interpret the history of the tribe. During Israel's sojourn in Egypt it had strayed from the right path, but when Aaron appeared as prophet and monitor, and called unto the Israelites to cast away the abominations of their eyes, and forsake the idols of Egypt, they hearkened unto his words. Hence the double name Osni and Esban, born by one of the sons of Gad, for this tribe hearkened to the word of God, and fulfilled his will. The grandsons of Asher bear the names Heber and Malkiel, because they were the associates of kings, and their inheritance yielded royal dainties. Luckily the history of the tribe of Benjamin can be read in the names of its chiefs. It consisted originally of ten divisions, descended from Benjamin's ten sons, but five of them perished in Egypt on account of their ungodly ways, from which no admonition availed to turn them aside. Of the five families remaining, two, the descendants of Bela and those of Ashbel, had always been God-fearing, the others, the Aromites, the Shechemites, and the Huffamites, repented of their sins, and in accordance with the change in their conduct had been the change in their names, Ehi had become Arahim, because the breach with the exalted one was healed, Mapira was called Shepufim, because they afflicted themselves in their penance, and Huffam was turned into Huffam, to indicate that they had cleansed themselves from sin. As a reward for their piety, the families springing from Bela was permitted to have two subdivisions, the Ardites and the Naumites. Their names point them out as men that know well how the fear of God is to be manifested, whose deeds are exceedingly lovely. Naptali was another tribe of steadfast piety, and the names of his sons testify there, too. Jaziel, because the tribesmen raised a partition wall between God and the idols, inasmuch as they trusted in God and condemned the idols, Gooni, because God was their protection, and Jezre and Shillam designate the Naptalites as men devoted to God with all their hearts. Legends of the Jews Volume 2 by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg Ruben's Testament Two years after the death of Joseph Ruben fell sick, feeling that his end was nigh he called together his sons, his grandsons, and his brethren, to give them his last admonitions from out of the fullness of his experience. He spake, Hear, my brethren, and do ye my children, give ear unto Ruben your father in the commands that I enjoin upon you. And behold, I adore you this day by the God of heaven that ye walk not in the follies of youth, and the fornications to which I was addicted, and wherewith I defiled the bed of my Father Jacob. For I tell you now that for seven months the Lord afflicted my loins with a terrible plague, and if my Father Jacob had not interceded for me, the Lord had swept me away. I was twenty years of age when I did what was evil before the Lord, and for seven months I was sick unto death. Then I did penance for seven years in the innermost depths of my soul. Wine and strong drink I drank not. The flesh of animals passed not my lips, dainties I tasted not, because I mourned over my sins, for they were great. He admonished those gathered around him to beware of the seven tempter spirits, which are the spirit of fornication, gluttony, strife, love of admiration, arrogance, falsehood, and injustice. He cautioned them especially against unchastity, saying, Pay no heed to the glances of a woman, and remain not alone with a married woman, and do not occupy yourselves with the affairs of women. Had I not seen Bilhah bathed in a secluded spot, I had not fallen into the great sin I committed, for after my thoughts had once grasped the nakedness of women I could not sleep until I had accomplished the abominable deed. For when our Father Jacob went to his Father Isaac, while we so joined in Etter, not far from Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, Bilhah was drunken with wine, and she lay asleep, uncovered in her bed-chamber, and I entered in and saw her nakedness and committed the sin, and I went out again, leaving her asleep. But an angel of God revealed my impious act to my Father Jacob at once. He came back and mourned over me, and never again did he approach Bilhah. Unto the very last day of his life I had not the assurance to look my Father in the face, or to speak to my brethren regarding my disgrace, and even now my conscience tortures me on account of my sin. Nevertheless my Father spake words of comfort to me, and prayed to God in my behalf, that the wrath of the Lord might depart from me, as he showed me. Reuben admonished his children impressively to join themselves to Levi, because he will know the law of the Lord, he said, and he will give ordinances for judgment, and bring sacrifices for all Israel, until the consummation of the times as the anointed high priest of whom the Lord spake. After announcing his last will to his sons, Reuben departed this life at the age of one hundred and twenty-five years. His body was laid in a coffin until his sons bore it away from Egypt, and carried it up to Hebron, where they buried it in the double cave. Legends of the Jews Volume II by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg. Simon's Admonition Against Envy. As Reuben confessed his sin upon his death bed, and warned his children and his family to be on their guard against unchastity, the vice that had brought about his fall, so Simon, when he was about to die, assembled his sons around him, and confessed the sin he had committed. He had been guilty of boundless envy of Joseph, and he spoke. I was the second son begotten by my father Jacob, and my mother Leah called me Simon, because the Lord had heard her prayer. I whacked strong and shrank from no manner of deed, and I was afraid of not, for my heart was hard, and my liver unyielding, and my bowels without mercy. And in the days of my youth I was jealous of Joseph, for our father loved him more than all the rest of us, and I resolved to kill him. For the Prince of Temptation sent the spirit of jealousy to take possession of me, and it blinded me so that I did not consider Joseph to be my brother, and I spared not even my father Jacob. But his God and the God of his father sent his angel and saved him out of my hands. When I went to Shechem to fetch ointment for the herds, and Reuben was in Dothan, where all our surprise and stores were kept, our brother Judah sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites. On his return, when he heard what had happened, Reuben was very sad, for he had been desirous of saving Joseph and bringing him back to our father. But as for me, my wrath was enkindled against Judah that he had let him escape alive. My anger abode with me all of five months, but the Lord restrained me from using the power of my hands for my right hand withered for the length of seven days. Then I knew what had happened was for the sake of Joseph. I repented and prayed to God to restore my hand and withhold me henceforth from all sorts of defilement, envy, and folly. For two years I gave myself up to fasting in the fear of God, for I perceived that redemption from jealousy would come only through the fear of God. My father, seeing me downcast, asked to know the cause of my sadness, and I replied that I was suffering with my liver. But in truth I was mourning more than all my brethren, seeing that I had been the cause of Joseph's sale. And when we went down into Egypt, and Joseph bound me as a spy, I was not grieved, for I knew in my heart that my suffering was just retribution. But Joseph was good, the spirit of God dwelt within him. Compassionate and merciful as he was, he bore me no resentment for my evil deeds toward him, but he loved me with the same love he showed the others. He paid due honour to us all, and gave us gold and cattle and produce. And now, my dear children, do ye love one another, each one his brother with a clean heart, and remove the spirit of jealousy from the midst of you. Like Reuben, so also Simon adjured his sons to beware of unchastity, for this vice is the mother of all evil. It separates man from God, and abandons him to behair. These were the closing words of his exhortation. In the writings of Enet I saw that your sons would be corrupted through unchastity, and they would maltreat the sons of Levi with the sword. But they will not be able to do odd against Levi, for the war he will wage is the war of the Lord, and he will vanquish all your armies. As a small remnant you will be scattered among Levi and Judah, and none among you will rise to be a judge or a king of our people, as my father Jacob prophesied in his blessing. Having completed his admonitions to his sons, Simon passed away and was gathered to his fathers at the age of 120 years. His sons placed him in a coffin made of imperishable wood, so that they might carry his bones to Hebron, as they did in secret during the war between the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Thus did all the tribes during the war, they took the remains each of its founder from Egypt to Hebron. Only the bones of Joseph remained in Egypt until the Israelites went out of the land, for the Egyptians guarded them in their royal treasure chambers. Their magicians had warned them that whenever Joseph's bones should be removed from Egypt a great darkness would envelop the whole land, and it would be a dire misfortune for the Egyptians, for none would be able to recognize his neighbor even with the light of a lamp. Legends of the Jews Vol. 2 by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg The Ascension of Levi When it was disclosed to Levi that he was about to die, he gathered all his children around him to tell them the story of his life, and he also prophesied unto them what they would do and what would happen to them until the judgment day. He spoke, when we were pastoring the flocks in Ebo Melahat, the spirit of understanding of the Lord came upon me, and I saw all mankind how they corrupt their ways and that injustice builds up the walls for herself, and impiety sits enthroned upon the towers. And I fell to grieving over the generations of men, and I prayed to the Lord to save me. Sleep enshrouded me, and I beheld a tall mountain, and low the heavens opened, and an angel of God addressed me and said, Levi, enter. I entered the first heaven, and I saw a great sea hanging there, and farther on I saw a second heaven, brighter and more was blended than the first. I said to the angel, Why is this so? And the angel said to me, Marvel not at this, for thou shalt see another heaven, brilliant beyond compare, and when thou hast ascended thither thou shalt stand near the Lord, and thou shalt be his minister, and declare his mysteries to men, and of the Lord's portion shall be thy life, and he shall be thy field, and vineyard, and fruits, and gold, and silver. Then the angel explained the uses of the different heavens to me, and all that happens in each, and he proclaimed the judgment day. He opened the gates of the third heaven, where I beheld the holy temple, and God seated upon the throne of glory. The Lord spake to me, Levi, upon the eye have bestowed the blessing of the priesthood, until I come and dwell in the midst of Israel. Then the angel carried me back to earth, and gave me a shield and a sword, saying, Execute vengeance upon Shechem for Dina, and I will be with thee, for the Lord hath sent me. I asked the angel what his name was, and he replied, I am the angel that intercedes for the people of Israel, so that it may not be destroyed utterly, for every evil spirit attacks it. When I awoke I betook myself to my father, and on the way, near Gabal, I found a brass shield, such as I had seen in my dream. Then I advised my father and my brother Reuben to bid the sons of Hamor circumcise themselves, for I was quivering with rage on account of the abominable deed they had done. I slew Shechem first of all, and then Simon slew Hamor, and all my other brothers came out and destroyed the whole city. Our father took this in ill part, and in his blessing he remembered our conduct. Although we did a wrong thing in acting thus against his wishes, yet I recognized it to be the judgment of God upon the people of Shechem on account of their sins, and I said to my father, Be not wroth, my lord, for God will exterminate the Canaanites through this, and he will give land to thee and to thy seed after thee. Henceforth Shechem will be called the city of imbeciles, for as a fool is mocked, so have we made a mockery of them. When we journeyed to Bethlehem, and had been abiding there for seventy days, another vision was vouched safe to me, like unto the former. I saw seven men clad in white, and they spake to me, saying, Rise up and array thyself in the priestly garments, set the crown of righteousness upon thy head, and put on the effort of understanding, and the robe of truth, and the meter plate of faith, and the meter of dignity, and the shoulder pieces of prophecy. And each of the men brought a garment unto me, and invested me therewith, and spake, Henceforth be the priest of the lord, thou and thy seed unto eternity. And ye shall eat all that is lovely to look upon, and the table of the lord thy descendants will appropriate for themselves, and from them will come high priests, judges, and scholars, for all that is holy will be guarded by their mouth. Two days after I was visited by this dream, Judah and I repaired to our grandfather Isaac, who blessed me in accordance with the words I had heard. Jacob also had a vision, and he saw, too, that I was appointed to be the priest of God, and through me he set apart a tenth of his possessions unto the lord. And when we established ourselves in Hebron, the residence of Isaac, our grandfather taught me the law of the priesthood, and admonished me to hold myself aloof from unchastity. At the age of twenty-eight years I took Milka to wife, and she bore me a son, and I named him Gershom, because we were strangers in the land. My second son was born unto me in my thirty-fifth year, and he saw the light of the world at sunrise, and I beheld him in a vision standing among the proud of the assembly, and therefore I gave him the name Kohath. At the third son my wife bore me in the fortieth year of my life, and I called his name Marari, because bitter had been her travail in bearing him. My daughter, Jassabed, was born in Egypt, when I was sixty-three years old, and I called her thus because I was known honorably among my brethren in those days. And in my ninety-fourth year Ambron took Jassabed to wife, he that was born on the same day with her. Thereupon leave I admonish his children to walk in the ways of the Lord, and fear him with all their heart, and he told them what he had learnt from the writings of Enoch, that his descendants would sin against the Lord in times to come, and they would suffer the divine punishment for their transgression, and then God would raise up a new priest, unto whom all the words of the Lord would be revealed. His last words were, and to now my children ye have heard all I have to say, choose now, light or darkness, the law of the Lord or the works of Beliar. And his sons made answer, before the Lord we will walk according to his law. Then leave I spake, the Lord is witness and the angels are witnesses, I am witness and ye are witnesses, concerning the word of your mouth. And his sons replied, We are witnesses. Thus leave I cease to admonish his sons. He stretched out his feet, and was gathered unto his fathers at the age of one hundred and thirty-seven years, a greater age than any of his brethren attained. CHAPTER II. The last words addressed by Judah to his sons were the following. I was the fourth son begotten by my father, and my mother called me Judah, saying, I thank the Lord that he hath given me a fourth son. I was zealous in my youth and obedient to my father in all things. When I grew up to manhood he blessed me, saying, Thou wilt be king and wilt prosper in all thy ways. The Lord granted me his grace in whatever I undertook, in the field and in the house. I could speed as swiftly as the hind and overtake it and prepare a dish of it for my father. A deer I could catch on the run and all the animals of the valley. A wild mare I could outstrip, hold it and bridle it. A lion I slew and snatched a kid from its jaws. A bear I caught by the paw and flung it down the cliff, and it lay beneath crushed. I could keep pace with the wild boar and overtake it, and as I ran I seized it and tore it to pieces. A leopard sprang at my dog in Hebron, and I grasped its tail and hurled it away from me and its body burst on the coast at Gaza. A wild steer I found grazing in the field. I took it by its horns, swung it round and round until it was stunned, and then I cast it to the ground and killed it. Judah continued and told his children of his heroism in the wars that the sons of Jacob had waged with the kings of Canaan and with Eson his family. In all these conflicts he bore a distinguished part beyond the achievements of the others. His father Jacob was free from all anxiety when Judah was with his brethren in their combats, because he had had a vision showing him an angel of strength standing at the side of Judah on all his ways. Judah did not conceal his shortcomings either. He confessed how drunkenness and passion had betrayed him first into marriage with a Canaanites woman and then into improper relations with his daughter-in-law Tamar. He said to his children, Do not walk after the desire of your hearts and vaunt not the valiant deeds of your youth. This too is evil in the eyes of the Lord. For while I boasted that the face of a beautiful woman had never allured me in the wars and reviled my brother Rubin for his transgression with Bilhah, the spirit of passion and unchastity gained possession of me, and I took Bathshua to wife and trespassed with Tamar, though she was the affianced of my son. First I said to Bathshua's father, I will take counsel with my father Jacob to know whether I should marry thy daughter, but he was a king, and he showed me an untold heap of gold accredited to his daughter, and he adorned her with the magnificence of woman in gold and pearls, and he bade her pour the wine at the meal. The wine turned my eyes awry and passion darkened my heart. In mad love for her I violated the command of the Lord in the will of my father, and I took her to wife. The Lord gave me a recompense according to the counsel of my heart, for I had no joy in the sun she bore me. And now, my children, I pray you, do not intoxicate yourselves with wine, for wine twists the understanding away from the truth, and confuses the side of the eyes. Wine led me astray, so that I felt no shame before the throngs of people in the city, and I turned aside and went into Tamar in the presence of them, and committed a great sin. And though a man be a king, if he leads an unchaste life he loses his kingship. I gave Tamar my staff, which is the stay of my tribe, and my girdle cord, which is power, and my signet diadem, which is the glory of my kingdom. I did penance for all this, and unto old age I drank no wine, and ate no flesh, and knew no sort of pleasure. Wine causes the secret things of God and man to be revealed unto the stranger. Thus did I disclose the commands of the Lord in the mysteries of my father Jacob to the Canaanites woman Bathshua, though God had forbidden me to betray them. I also enjoin you not to love gold, and not to look upon the beauty of women, for through money and through beauty I was led astray to Bathshua the Canaanite. I know that my stock will fall into misery through these two things, for even the wise men among my sons will be changed by them, and the consequence will be that the kingdom of Judah will be diminished. The domain that the Lord gave me as a reward for my obedient conduct toward my father, for never did I speak in contradiction to him, but did all things according to his words. And Isaac, my father's father, blessed me with the blessing that I should be ruler in Israel, and I know that the kingdom will arise from me. In the books of Enoch, the Just, I read all the evil that you will do in the later days. Only beware my children of unchastity and greed, for love of gold leads to idolatry, causing men to call themselves gods that are none, and dethroning the reason of man. On account of gold I lost my children, and had I not mortified my flesh and humbled my soul, and had not my father Jacob offered up prayers for me, I had died childless. But the God of my fathers, the merciful and gracious one, saw that I had acted unwittingly, for the ruler of deception had blinded me, and was ignorant, being flesh and blood, and corrupt through sins, and in the moment when I considered myself invincible I recognized my weakness. Then Judah revealed to his sons in clear brief words the whole history of Israel until the advent of the Messiah, and his final speech was, My children, observe the whole law of the Lord, and it is hope for all that keep his ways. I die this day at the age of one hundred and nineteen years before your eyes. None shall bury me in a costly garment, nor shall ye cut my body to embalment, but ye shall carry me to Hebron. Having spoken these words, Judah sank into death. The Legends of the Jews Volume 2 by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg Isocar's Singleness of Heart When Isocar felt his end approach he summoned his sons and said to them, Harken, my children, unto your father Isocar, and listen to the words of him that is beloved of the Lord. I was born unto Jacobus his fifth son as a reward for the Dudaim. Ruben brought the Dudaim from the field. They were fragrant apples which grew in the land of Heron upon an eminence below a gully. Rachel met Ruben and she took the Dudaim away from him. The lad wept, and his prize brought his mother Leah to his side, and she addressed Rachel thus, Is it a small matter that thou has taken away my husband, and wouldst thou take away my sons Dudaim also? And Rachel said, See, Jacob shall be thine tonight for thy sons Dudaim. But Leah insisted Jacob is mine, and I am the wife of his youth, whereupon Rachel be not boastful and overweening. To me he was betrothed first, and for my sake he served our father fourteen years. Thou art not his wife, thou was taken to him by cunning instead of me, for our father deceived me and put me out of the way the night of thy nuptials, so that Jacob could not see me. Nevertheless give me the Dudaim, and thou mayst have Jacob for a night. Then Leah bore me, and I was called Issacher, on account of the reward Rachel had given to my mother. At that time an angel of the Lord appeared to Jacob, and he spoke, Rachel will bear only two sons, for she rejected the espousal of her husband, and chose continents. But Leah bore six sons, for the Lord knew that she desired to be with her husband, not because she was prompted by the evil inclination, but for the sake of children. Rachel's prayer also was fulfilled, on account of the Dudaim, for all those she desired to eat of the apples she did not touch them, but put them in the house of the Lord, and gave them to the priests of the Most High that was in those days. When I grew up my children I walked in the integrity of my heart, and I became a husbandman, cultivating the land for my father and my brethren, and I gathered the fruit from the fields in their due time. My father blessed me, because he saw that I walked in singleness of heart. I was not married to a wife until I was thirty years old, for the hard work I did consumed my strength, and I had no desire unto woman, but overwhelmed by fatigue I would sink into sleep. My father was well pleased at all times with my attitude. I brought the first fruits of my labor to the priests of the Lord. The next harvest went to my father, and then I thought of myself. The Lord doubled the possessions in my hand, and Jacob knew that God aided me for the sake of my singleness of heart, for in my sincerity I gave of the produce of the land to the poor and the needy. And now hearken unto me, my children, and walk in singleness of heart, for upon it resteth the favor of the Lord at all times. The simple man longeth not for gold. He doth not defraud his neighbor. He hath no desire for meats and dainties of many kinds. He careeth not for sumptuous dress. He hopeeth not for long life. He waiteth only upon the will of God. The spirits of deception have no power over him, for he looketh not upon the beauty of woman, lest he defile his understanding with corruption. Jealousy cometh not into his thoughts. Envy doth not sear his soul, and insatiable greed doth not make him look abroad for rich gain. Now then, my children, observe the law of the Lord, attain to simplicity and walk in singleness of heart, without meddling with the affairs of others. Love the Lord and love your neighbors, and have pity upon the poor and the feeble. Bow your backs to the ground, occupy yourselves with work upon the land, and bring gifts to the Lord in gratitude. For the Lord hath blessed you with the best of the fruits of the field, as he hath blessed all the saints from Abel down to our day. Know, my children, that in the latter time your sons will abandon the paths of probity, and will be ruled by greed. They will forsake restitude and practice craft. They will depart from the commands of the Lord and follow Belier. They will give up husbandry and pursue their evil plans. They will be scattered among the heathed and serve their enemies. Tell this unto your children, so that if they sin they may repent speedily, and return to the Lord, for he is merciful, and he will take them out to bring them back into their land. I am one hundred and twenty-two years old, and can discern no sin in myself. Save my wife, I have known no woman. I was guilty of no unchastity through the lifting up of eyes. I drank no wine, that I might not be led astray. I did not covet what belonged to my neighbor. Guile had no place in my heart. Lies did not pass my lips. I sighed along with all that were heavy laden, and to the poor I gave my bread. I loved the Lord with all my might, and mankind I also loved. Do ye likewise, my children, and all the spirits of Belier will flee from you? No deed done by the wicked will have power over you, and ye will vanquish all the wild beasts, for ye have with you the Lord of Heaven. And Issacur, bad his children, carry him up to Hebron, and bury him there by his fathers in the cave, and he stretched out his feet, and fell into the sleep of eternity, full of years, healthy of limb, and in the possession of all of his faculties. Legends of the Jews, vol. 2 by Rabbi Louis Skinsburg, Zebulun exhorts under compassion. When Zebulun attained the age of 114 years, which was two years after the death of Joseph, he called his sons together and admonished them in these words to lead a life of piety. I am Zebulun, a precious gift for my parents, for when I was born my father became very rich by means of the streaked rods in herds of sheep and herds of cattle. I am conscious of no sin in me, and I remember no wrong done by me unless it be the unwitting sin committed against Joseph, in that I did not, out of consideration for my brethren, disclose to my father what had happened to his favorite son, though in secret I mourned exceedingly. I feared my brethren because they had agreed that he who betrayed the secret should be slain with the sword. When they planned to kill Joseph I besought them amid tears not to sin thus. And now, my children, harken unto me. I exhort you to observe the commands of the Lord and have mercy upon your neighbors, and act compassionately, not only toward men, but also toward dumb brutes. For on account of my mercifulness the Lord blessed me. All my brethren fell sick at one time or another, but I escaped without any illness. Also the sons of my brethren had to endure disease, and they were nigh unto death for the sake of Joseph, because they had no pity in their hearts. But my sons were preserved in perfect health, as you well know. And when I was in Canaan, catching fish at the shores of the sea for my father Jacob, many were drowned in the waters of the sea, but I came away unharmed. For you must know that I was the first to build a boat for rowing upon the sea, and I plied along the coast in it, and caught fish for my father's household, until we went down into Egypt. Out of pity I would share my haul with the poor stranger, and if he was sick or well on in years I would prepare a savory dish for him, and I gave unto each according to his needs, sympathizing with him in his distress and having pity upon him. Therefore the Lord brought numerous fish to my nets, for he that gives ought to his neighbor receives it back from the Lord with great increase. For five years I fished in the summer, and in the winter I pastured the flocks with my brethren. Now, my children, have pity and compassion on all men, that the Lord may have pity and compassion on you, for in the measure in which man has mercy with his fellow men, God has mercy with him. When we came down into Egypt, Joseph did not visit upon us the wrong he had suffered. Take him as your model, and remember not a wrong done unto you, else unity is rent asunder, and the bonds of kinship are torn, and the soul is disquited. Observe the water. If it runs on undivided, it carries down stone, wood, and sand along with it. But if it is divided and flows through many channels, the earth sucks it up, and it loses its force. If you separate one from the other, you will be like divided waters. Be not cleft into two heads, for all that the Lord hath made has but one head. He has given two shoulders unto his creatures, two hands and two feet, but all these organs obey one head. Zebulon ended his exhortation unto unity with an account of the divisions of Israel, whereof he had read in the writings of the fathers that they would come about in future days and bring sore suffering upon Israel. However, he spoke encouraging words to his children, saying, Be not grieved over my death, and do not lose heart at my departure from you, for I shall rise again in the midst of you, and I shall live joyously among the people of my tribe, those who observe the law of the Lord. As for the godless, the Lord will bring everlasting fire down upon them, and exterminate them unto all generations. Now I hasten hence unto my eternal rest with my fathers. That ye fear ye the Lord your God with all your might, all the days of your life. Having made an end of saying these words, he sank into the sleep of death, and his sons put him into a coffin, wherein they carried him up to Hebron later, to bury him there next to his fathers. End of Chapter 2 Part 2 When Dan assembled his family at the last of his life, he spake, I confessed before you this day, my children, that I had resolved to kill Joseph, that good and upright man, and I rejoiced over his sale, for his father loved him more than he loved the rest of us. The spirit of envy and boastfulness goaded me on, saying, Thou too art the son of Jacob, and one of the spirits of Behar stirred me up, saying, Take this sword and slay Joseph, for once he is dead thy father will love thee. It was the spirit of anger that was seeking to persuade me to crush Joseph, as a leopard crunches a kid between its teeth. But the God of our father Jacob did not deliver him into my hand, to let me find him alone, and he did not permit me to execute this impious deed that two tribes in Israel might not be destroyed. And now, my children, I am about to die, and I tell you unto you in truth, if you take not heed against the spirit of lies and anger, and if you love not truth and generosity, you will perish. The spirit of anger cast the net of error around its victim, and it blinds his eyes, and the spirit of lies warps his mind and clouds his vision. Evil is anger, it is the grave of the soul. Desist from anger and hate lies, that the Lord may dwell among you, and Behar flee from your presence. Speak the truth unto each his neighbor, and you will not fall into anger and trouble, but you will be at peace, and the Lord of peace you will have with you, and no war will vanquish you. I speak thus, for I know that in the latter days you will fall off from God, and you will kindle the wrath of Levi, and rise in rebellion against Judah, but you will not accomplish ought against them, for the angel of the Lord is their guide, and Israel will perish through them. And if you turn recriant to the Lord, you will execute every kind of evil thing, and do the abominations of the heathens, committing unchastity with the wives of the godless, while the tempter spirits are at work among you. Therefore you will be carried away into captivity, and in the lands of exile you will suffer all the plagues of Egypt, and all the tribulations of the heathen. But when you return to the Lord, you will find mercy. He will take you into his sanctuary, and grant you peace. And now, my children, fear the Lord, and be on your guard against Satan and his spirits. Keep aloof from every evil deed, cast anger away from you, and every sort of lie, love truth and forbearance, and what you have heard from your father tell unto your children. Avoid all manner of unrighteousness, cling to the integrity of the law of the Lord, and bury me near my fathers. Having spoken these words, he kissed his children, and fell asleep. The Legends of the Jews Volume 2 by Rabbi Lewis Ginsburg Naftali's Dreams of the Division of the Tribes In the hundred and thirty second year of his life, Naftali invited all his children to a banquet. The next morning, when he awoke, he told them that he was dying, but they would not believe him. He, however, praised the Lord, and assured them again that his death was due after the banquet of the day before. Then he addressed his last words to his children. I was born of Bilhah, and because Rachel had acted with cunning, and had given Jacob Bilhah instead of herself, I was called Naftali. Rachel loved me, for I was born upon her knees, and while I was still very young, she was in the habit of kissing me and saying, Oh, that I had a brother unto thee from my own body, one in thine image. Therefore Joseph resembled me in all respects, in accordance with Rachel's prayer. My mother, Bilhah, was a daughter of Rotheus, a brother of Deborah, Rebecca's nurse, and she was born the same day as Rachel. As for Rotheus, he was of the family of Abraham, a Caldean, God-fearing, and a free man of noble birth, and when he was taken captive, he was bought by Laban and married to his slave, Anya. She bore Rotheus a daughter, and he called her Zilpa, after the name of the village in which he was taken captive. His second daughter he called Bilhah, saying, My daughter is impetuous, for hardly was she born when she hastened to suckle. I was flee to foot like a deer, and my father Jacob appointed me to be his messenger, and in his blessing he called me a hindlet loose. As the potter knows the vessel he fashions how much it is to hold, and uses clay accordingly, so the Lord makes the body in conformity with the soul, and, to agree with the capacity of the body, he plans the soul. The one corresponds to the other to the third of a hair-breath, for the whole of creation was made by weight, and measure, and rule. And as the potter knows the use of every vessel he fashions, so the Lord knows the body of his creature, under what point it will be steadfast in the good, and at what point it will fall into evil ways. Now then, my children, let your conduct be well-ordered, unto good in the fear of God. Do not that is ill-regulated or untimely, for though you tell your heart to hear, yet it cannot, and as little as you can do deeds of light while you abide in darkness. Furthermore, not Tali said to his children, I give you no command concerning my silver or my gold, or any other possession that I bequeath to you. And what I command to you is not a hard matter, which you cannot do, but I speak unto you concerning an easy thing, which you can execute. Then his sons answered and said, Speak, Father, for we are listening to thy words. Not Tali continued, I give you no commandment except regarding the fear of God, that you should serve him and follow after him. Then the sons of Not Tali asked, Wherefore does he require our service? And he replied, saying, He needs no creature, but all creatures need him. Nevertheless he hath not created the world for not, but that men should fear him, and none should do unto his neighbor what he would not have others do unto him. His sons asked again, Father, hast thou observed that we strayed from the ways of the Lord to the right or to the left? Not Tali replied, God is witness, and so am I witness for you, that it is as you say. But I fear regarding future times, that you may depart from the ways of the Lord, and follow after the idols of the stranger, and walk in the statutes of the heathen peoples, and join yourselves unto the sons of Joseph, instead of the sons of Levi and Judah. The sons of Not Tali spoke, What reason hast thou for commanding this thing unto us? Not Tali, because I know that the sons of Joseph will one day turn recreation to the Lord, the God of their fathers, and it is they that will lead the sons of Israel into sin, and cause them to be driven away from their inheritance, their beautiful land, a land that is not ours, even as it was Joseph that brought the Egyptian bondage down upon us. I will tell ye, my children, the vision that I had while I was yet a shepherd of flocks. I saw my brethren pasturing the herds with me, and our father approached and said, Up, my sons, each one take what he can in my presence. We answered and said to him, What shall we take? We see nothing but the sun, the moon, and the stars. And our father said, These shall ye take. Levi, hearing this, snatched up an ox-goad, sprang up to the sun, sat upon him and rode. Judah did likewise. He jumped up to the moon and rode upon her. And the other nine tribes did the same, each rode upon his star or his planet in the heavens. Joseph remained behind alone on the earth, and our father Jacob said unto him, My son, why hast thou not done like thy brethren? Our father answered, What right have men born of women to be in the heavens, seeing that in the end they must stay on earth? While Joseph was speaking thus, a tall steer appeared before him. He had great pinions like the wings of the stork, and his horns were as long as those of the ream. Jacob urged his son, Up, Joseph, mount the steer. Joseph did as his father bad him, and Jacob went his way. For the space of two hours Joseph displayed himself upon the steer, sometimes scalloping, sometimes flying, until he reached Judah. Then Joseph unfolded the standard in his hand, and began to rain blows down upon Judah with it, and when his brother demanded the reason for this treatment he said, Because thou hast twelve rods in thine hand, and I have but one. Give thine to me, and peace shall prevail between us. But Judah refused to do his bidding, and Joseph beat him until he dropped ten rods, and only two remained in his clutch. Joseph now invited his brethren to abandon Judah and follow after him. They all did this except Benjamin, who stayed true to Judah. Levi was grieved over the desertion of Judah, and he descended from the sun. Toward the end of the day a storm broke out, and it scattered the brethren, so that no two were together. When I give an account of my vision to my father Jacob he said, It is but a dream, it can neither help nor harm. A short while thereafter another vision was revealed to me. I saw all of us together with our father at the shores of the sea, and a ship appeared in the midst of the sea, and it had neither sailors nor other crew. Our father spake, Do you see what I see? And when we answered that we did he commanded us to follow him. He took off his clothes and sprang into the sea, and we sprang after him. Levi and Judah were the first to scale the side of the ship. Our father cried after them, See what is written upon the mast, for there is no ship that does not bear the name of the owner upon the mast. Levi and Judah scrutinized the writing, and what they read was this. This ship and all the treasures therein belonged to the son of Barak El. Jacob thanked God for having blessed him, not only on land, but also upon the sea, and he said to us, Stretch forth your hands, and whatsoever each one seizes shall be his. Levi caught hold of the big mask, Judah of the second mask, next to Levi's, and the other brethren, with the exception of Joseph, took the oars, and Jacob himself seized the two rudders, wherewith to guide the ship. He bade Joseph take an oar, too, but he refused to do his father's bidding, and Jacob gave him one of the rudders. After our father had instructed us each one in what we had to do, he disappeared, whereupon Joseph took possession of the second rudder, too. All went smoothly for a time, as long as Judah and Joseph acted together in harmony with each other, and Judah kept Joseph informed in what direction to steer. But a quarrel broke out between them, and Joseph did not guide the vessel in the way his father had commanded him, and Judah attempted to direct him, and the vessel was wrecked upon a rock. Levi and Judah descended from the masks, and likewise the other brethren left the ship and escaped the shore. At this moment Jacob appeared, and he found us scattered in all directions, and we reported to him how Joseph had caused the vessel to run aground, because he had refused out of jealousy of Judah and Levi to steer it according to their instructions. Then Jacob asked us to show him the spot where we had lost the ship, of which only the masks were visible above the water. He emitted a whistle summoning us all, and he swam out into the water, and raised the vessel as before. Turning to Joseph he spake thus, my son, never do that again, never permit jealousy of thy brethren to master thee. Nearly it happened that all thy brethren perished because of thee. When I told my father what I had seen in this vision, he clapped his hands and tears flowed from his eyes, and he said, My son, for that vision was doubled unto thee twice, I am dismayed, and I shudder for my son Joseph. I loved him more than all of you, but by reason of his perverseness you will be carried away into captivity, and scattered among the nations. Thy first and Thy second vision had the same meaning, the vision is one. Therefore, my sons, I command you not to join yourselves unto the sons of Joseph, but ye shall join yourselves unto the sons of Levi and Judah. I tell you, too, that my inheritance shall be the best of Palestine, the middle of the earth. You will eat, and the delectable gifts of my portion will satisfy you. But I warn you not to kick in your prosperity, and not to become perverse, resisting the commands of God, who satisfies you with the best of his hand, and not to forget your God, whom your father Abraham chose when the families of the earth were divided in the days of Peleg. The Lord descended with seventy angels at their head Michael, and he commanded them to teach the seventy languages unto the seventy families of Noah. The angels did according to the behest of God, and the holy Hebrew language remained only in the house of Shem and Eber, and in the house of their descendant Abraham. On this day of teaching languages, Michael came to teach each nation separately, and told it the message with which God had charged him, saying, I know the rebellion and the confusion you have enacted against God. Now make choice of him whom you will serve, and whom will you have as your mediator in heaven. Then spake Nimrod the wicked, in my eyes there is none greater than he that taught me the language of Kush. The other nations also answered in words like these, each one designated its angel. But Abraham said, I choose none other than him that spake and the world was. And him I will have faith, and my seed forever and ever. Thenceforth God put every nation in the care of its angel, but Abraham and his seed he kept for himself. Therefore, I adjure you not to go astray and serve other gods besides him whom our fathers made choice of. You can perceive somewhat of his power in the creation of man. From head to foot is man wonderfully made. With his ears he hears. With his eyes he sees. With his brain he comprehends. With his nose he smells. With the tubes of his throat he utters sounds. With his gullet he swallows food. With his tongue he articulates. With his mouth he forms words. With his hands he does his work. With his heart he mediates. With his spleen he laughs. With his liver he waxes angry. With his stomach he crushes his food. With his feet he walks. With his lungs he breathes. And with his kidneys he makes resolves. And none of his organs undergoes a change in function. Which performs its own. Therefore it behooves a man to take to heart who it is that hath created him, and who hath developed him from foul smelling drop in the womb of woman, who hath brought him to the light of the world, who hath given sight to his eyes, and who hath bestowed the power of motion upon his feet, who maketh him to stand upright, who hath infused the breath of life into him, and who hath imparted of his own pure spirit into him. Be the man, therefore, that polluteth not the Holy Spirit of God within him by doing evil deeds, and well for him if he returns it to his Creator as he received it. After Naftali had charged his children thus, and with many other lessons like these, he enjoined them to carry his remains to Hebron, to be buried there near his fathers. Then he ate and drank with rejoicing, covered his face, and died, and his sons did according to all that their father Naftali had commanded them. CHAPTER II. THE SONS OF JACKAB, PART IV. FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO VOLUNTEER, PLEASE VISIT LEBERVANCE.ORG. THE LEGENDS OF THE JUSE, VOLUME II. BY RABBI LOUIS SKINSBURG. GAD'S HATRED. IN THE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF HIS LIFE GAD ASSEMBLED HIS SONS, AND HE SPAKED TO THEM, I AM THE NIGHTTH SON OF JACKAB, AND I WAS EVALIANT SHEPPARD OF THE FLOTTS. I GARDED THE HERDS, AND WHEN A LION OR ANY OTHER WILD BEAST APPROACHED, I PERSUITED, GRIPT IT BY THE FOOT, FLUNG IT A STONES THROW FROM ME, AND KILLED IT THUS. ONCE FOR A SPACE OF THIRTY DAYS JOSEPH TENDED THE FLOTTS WITH US, AND WHEN HE RETURNED TO OUR FATHER, HE TOLD HIM THAT THE SONS OF ZILFAH AND BILLHUS SLODERED THE BEST OF THE HERDS, AND USED THE FLESH WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF RUBIN AND JUDAH. HE HAD SEEN ME SNATCH A LAM out of the jaws of a bear, KILLED A BARE AND SLODERED A LAM, FOR IT WAS TOO BADLY INJURED TO LIVE. I WAS ROTH WITH JOSEPH FOR HIS TAILBEARING UNTIL HE WAS SOLD UNTO EGYPT. I WOULD NEITHER LOOK UPON HIM, NOR HEAR OTT ABOUT HIM, FOR TO OUR VERY FACES HE BLAMED US, BECAUSE WE HAD EATEN THE LAM WITHOUT SEEKING THE PERMISSION OF JUDAH FIRST. AND WHATEVER JOSEPH TOLD OUR FATHER HE BELIEVED. NOW I CONFESS MY SIN, THAT OFF TIMES I LONGED TO KILL HIM, FOR I HATED HIM FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, AND ON ACCOUNT OF HIS DREAMS I HATED HIM STILL MORE, AND I DESIREED TO DESTROY HIM FROM OFF THE LAND OF THE LIVING. BUT JUDAH SOLD HIM BY STELL TO THE ISHMAIL LIGHTS. THUS THE GOD OF OUR FATHER SAVED HIM OUT OF OUR HANDS, AND HE DID NOT PERMIT US TO COMMIT AN IMMOMINABLE OUTRAGE IN ISRAEL. HERE NOW MY CHILDREN THE WORDS OF TRUTH, THAT SHE MAY PRACTICE JUSTICE AND THE WHOLE LAW OF THE MOST HIGH, AND PERMIT YOURSELVES NOT TO BE TEMPTED BY THE SPIRIT OF HATRED. EVIL IS HATRED, FOR IT IS THE CONSTANT COMPANION OF DECEPTION, IT ALWAYS CONTRADICTS THE TRUTH. A little thing it magnifies into a great thing, light it takes for darkness, the sweet it calls bitter, and it teaches slander in kindle's anger, brings on war and violence, and fills the heart with devilish poison. I tell you my own experience, my children, that you may drive hatred out of your hearts, and cleave to the love of the Lord. Righteousness banishes hatred, and humility kills it, for he that fears to give umbrage to the Lord desires not to do wrong even in his thoughts. This is what I recognized at the last, after I had done penance on account of Joseph for true atonement, pleasing to God, enlightens the eyes, illumines the soul with knowledge, and creates a counsel of salvation. My penance came in consequence of a sickness of the liver that God inflicted upon me. Without the prayers of my Father Jacob my spirit would have departed from me, for through the organ wherewith men transgresses he is punished. As my liver had felt no mercy for Joseph, unmerciful suffering was caused unto me by my liver. My judgment lasted eleven months, as long as my enmity toward Joseph. And now, my children, each of you shall love his brother, and ye shall uproot hatred from your hearts by loving one another in word and deed, and the thoughts of the soul. For I spake peaceably with Joseph in the presence of our Father, but when I went out from before him the spirit of hatred darkened my understanding, and stirred up my soul to murder him. If you see one that hath more good fortune than you, do not grieve, but pray for him, that his happiness may be perfect, and if one of the wicked even should grow rich in substance, like Esau, my Father's brother, do not envy him. Wait for the end of the Lord. This also tell unto your children that they shall honour Judah and Levi, from them the Lord will cause a saviour to a rise in Israel. For I know that in the end your children will fall off from God, and they will take part in all wickedness, malice, and corruption before the Lord. After Gad had rested a little while he spake again, my children, harken unto your Father and bury me with my Fathers. Then he drew up his feet and slept in peace. After five years his sons carried his remains to Hebron under his Fathers. The Legends of the Jews Volume 2 by Rabbi Lewis Ginsburg Asher's Last Words In the 125th year of his life, while he was still robust in health, Asher summoned his children unto him and admonished them to walk in the ways of virtue and the fear of God. He spake, Harken ye sons of Asher unto your Father, and I will show you all that is right before God. Two ways hath God put before the children of men, and two inclinations hath he bestowed upon them, two kinds of action and two aims. Therefore all things are in twos, the one opposite to the other. But ye my children, ye shall not be double, pursuing both goodness and wickedness. Ye shall cling only to the ways of goodness, for the Lord taketh delight in them, and men yearn after them. And flee from wickedness, for thus ye will destroy the evil inclination. He dwell the commands of the Lord by following truth with a single mind. Observe the law of the Lord, and have not the same care for wicked things as for good things. Rather keep your eyes upon what is truly good, and guard it through all the commands of the Lord. The end of man, when he meets the messengers of God and of Satan, shows whether he was righteous or unrighteous in his life. If his soul goes out with agitation, she will be plagued by the evil spirit, whom she served with her less than her evil deeds. But if she departs tranquilly, the angel of peace will lead her to life eternal. Be not like Sodom, my children, which recognize not the angels of the Lord, that ye be not delivered into the hands of your enemies, and your land be cursed, and your sanctuary destroyed, and ye be scattered to the four corners of the earth, and scorned in the confusion like stale water, until the most high shall visit the earth, and break the heads of the dragons in the waters. Tell this, my sons, unto your children, that they be not disobedient toward God, for I read in the tablets of the heavens that ye will be contumaceous and act impiously toward him, in that ye will have no care for the law of God, but ye will heed human laws, and they are corrupted by reason of man's godlessness. Therefore ye will be dispersed abroad like unto Gad and Dan, my brethren, and ye will not know either your land or your tribe or your tongue. For the less the Lord will gather you in his faithfulness, for the sake of his gracious mercy, and for the sake of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And when he had made an end of saying these words, he commanded them to bury him in Hebron, and he sank into sweet sleep and died. His sons did as he had commanded, and they carried him up and buried him with his fathers. The Legends of the Jews Volume 2 by Rabbi Lewis Ginsburg Benjamin was 125 years old, and he called his children to come to him. When they appeared he kissed them and spake, as Isaac was born unto Abraham in his old age, so was I born unto Jacob when he was stricken in years. Therefore I was called Benjamin, the son of days. My mother Rachel died at my birth, and Bilhah her slave suckled me. Rachel had no children for twelve years after bearing Joseph. Before she prayed to God, and fasted twelve days, and she conceived and bear me. Our father loved Rachel fondly, and he had longed greatly to have two sons by her. When I came down to Egypt, and my brother Joseph recognized me, he asked me what said my brethren to my father regarding me. And I told him that they had sent Jacob his coat stained with blood, and had said, No now, whether this be thy son's coat or not. And Joseph said, This is what happened to me. Rain and nightish merchant men stole me away with violence, and on the way they wanted to hide my coat, to make it seem as though a wild beast had met me and slain me. But he who was about to conceal it was torn by a lion, whereupon his companions, in great fear, sold me to the Ishmaelites. My brethren, thou seest, did not deceive my father with a lie. In this wise Joseph tried to keep the deed of our brethren a secret from me. He also summoned my brethren, and enjoined them not to make known to our father what they had done to him, and bade them, repeat the tale he had told me. Now, my children, love ye the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, and observe his commandments, taking that good and pious man Joseph as your model. Unto the day of his death he would not have divulged what his brethren had done to him, and although God revealed their action to Jacob, he continued to deny it. Only after many efforts, when Jacob adjured him to confess the truth, he was induced to speak out. Even then he besought our father Jacob to pray for our brethren, that God account not the evil they had done to him as a sin. And Jacob exclaimed, O my good Joseph, thou hast shown thyself more merciful than I was. My children, have you observed the mercy of the good man? Imitate it with pure intention that ye too may wear crowns of glory. A good man has not an envious eye. He has mercy with all, even with sinners, though there evil designs be directed against him, and by his good deeds he conquers the evil, since it was ordained of God. If ye do good, the unclean spirits will depart from you, and even the wild beast will stand in fear of you. The inclination of a good man lies not in the power of the tempter spirit, Behar, for the angel of peace guides his soul. Flea before the malice of Beliar, whose sword is drawn to slay all, flea before the malice of Behar, whose sword is drawn to slay all that pay him obedience, and his sword is the mother of seven evils, bloodshed, corruptness, error, captivity, hunger, panic, and devastation. Therefore God surrendered Cain to seven punishments. Once in a hundred years the Lord brought a castigation upon him. His afflictions began when he was two hundred years old, and in his nine hundredth year he was destroyed by the deluge for having slain his righteous brother Abel. And those who are like unto Cain will be chastised forever with the same punishments as his. Know now, my children, that I am about to die. Practice truth and righteousness, and observe the law of the Lord and also his commandments. This I bequeath unto you as your sole heritage, and you shall leave it to your children as an eternal possession. Thus Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did. They transmitted it unto us, saying, Observe the commands of God, until the Lord shall reveal his salvation in the sight of all that heathen. Then you will see Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob rise up with rejoicing to new life at the right hand of God, and we brethren, the sons of Jacob, will rise also, each of us at the head of his tribe, and we will pay homage to the King of the heavens. After Benjamin had made an end of speaking thus he said, I command you, my children, to carry my bones up out of Egypt and bury me near my fathers. And when he had made an end of saying these things he fell asleep at a good old age, and they put his body into a coffin, and in the ninety-first year of their sojourning in Egypt his sons and the sons of his brethren brought up the bones of their father in secret and buried them in Hebron at the feet of their fathers. Then they returned from the land of Canaan, and they dwelt in Egypt until the day of the Exodus from the land. Chapter 2 Part 4 Chapter 3 Job, Part 1 of the Legends of the Jews, Volume 2. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by herehis.com. The Legends of the Jews, Volume 2 by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg Job and the Patriarchs Job, the most pious Gentile that ever lived, one of the few to bear the title of honor, the servant of God, was a doublekin to Jacob. He was a grandson of Jacob's brother Esau, and at the same time the son-in-law of Jacob himself. For lie had married Diana as his second wife. He was entirely worthy of being a member of the Patriarch's family. For he was perfectly upright, one that feared God and ensued evil. He had not wavered in his resignation to the Divine Will during the great trial to which he was subjected, and murmured against God. The distinction would have been conferred upon him of having his name joined to the name of God in prayer, and men would have called upon the God of Job as they now call upon the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But he was not found steadfast like the three fathers, and he forfeited the honor God had intended for him. The Lord remonstrated with him for his lack of patience, saying, Why dost thou murmur when suffering came upon thee? dost thou think thyself of greater worth than Adam, the creation of mine own hands, upon whom together with his descendants I decreed death on account of a single transgression? And yet Adam murmured not. Thou art surely not more worthy than Abraham, whom I tempted with many trials, and when he asked, Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit the land? And I replied, Know of a surety, that thy seed will be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years, and yet murmured not. Thou dost not esteem thyself more worthy than Moses, dost thou? Him I would not grant the favor of entering the promised land, because he spake the words, Here now ye rebels, shall we bring you forth water out of this rock? And yet he murmured not. Thou more worthy than Aaron, upon whom I showed greater honor than unto any created being, for I sent the angels themselves out of the holy of holies when he entered that place, yet when his two sons died he murmured not. The contrast between Job and the patriarchs appears from word spoken by him and word spoken by Abraham. Abraham said, That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked. And Job exclaimed against God, It is all one, therefore I say, he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked. They both received their due recompense. Abraham was rewarded, and Job was punished. Convinced that his suffering was undeserved and unjust, Job had the audacity to say to God, O Lord of the world, Thou discreet the ox with cloven feet, and they ask with unparted hoof, Thou hast created paradise and hell, Thou createst the righteous and also the wicked. There is none to hinder, Thou canst do as Seameth good in thy sight. The friends of Job replied, It is true, God hath created the evil inclination, but he hath also given man the Torah as a remedy against it, therefore the wicked cannot roll their guilt from off their shoulders and put it upon God. The reason Job did not shrink from such extravagant utterances was because he denied the resurrection of the dead. He judged of the prosperity of the wicked and the woes of the pious only by their earthly fortunes. Proceeding from this false premise he held it to be possible that the punishment falling to his share was not at all intended for him. God had slipped into error, he imposed the suffering upon him that had been appointed unto a sinner, but God spake to him, saying, Many hairs have I created upon the head of man, yet each hair hath its own sack, for where two hairs to draw their nourishment from the same sack, man would lose the sight of his eyes. It hath never happened that a sack hath been misplaced. Should I then have mistaken Job for another, I let many drops of rain descend from the heavens, and for each drop there is a mold in the clouds, for where two drops to issue from the same mold the ground would be made so myery that it could not bring forth any growth. It hath never happened that a mold hath been misplaced. Should I then have mistaken Job for another, many thunderbolts I hurl from the skies, but each one comes from its own path. For were two to proceed from the same path, they would destroy the whole world. It hath never happened that a path hath been misplaced. Should I then have mistaken Job for another, the gazelle gives birth to her young on the topmost point of a rock, and it would fall into the abyss and be crushed to death, if I did not send an eagle thither to catch it up and carry it to its mother. Were the eagle to appear a minute earlier or later than the appointed time, the little gazelle would perish. It hath never happened that the proper minute of time was missed. Should I then have mistaken Job for another, the hind has a contracted womb, and would not be able to bring forth her young if I did not send a dragon to her at the right second to nibble at her womb and soften it, for then she can bear. Were the dragon to come a second before or after the right time the hind would perish. It hath never happened that I missed the right second. Should I then have mistaken Job for another? Notwithstanding Job's unpardonable words, God was displeased with his friends for passing harsh judgment upon him. A man may not be held responsible for what he does in his anguish, and Job's agony was great indeed. The Legends of the Jews, Vol. 2 by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg Job's Wealth and Benefactions Job was asked once what he considered the severest affliction that could strike him, and he replied, My enemy's joy in my misfortune. And when God demanded to know of him after the accusations made by Satan what he preferred, poverty, or physical suffering, he chose pain, saying, O Lord of the whole world, chastise my body with suffering of all kinds, only preserve me from poverty. Poverty seemed the greater scourge, because before his trials he had occupied a brilliant position on account of his vast wealth. God graciously granted him this foretaste of the messianic time. The harvest followed close upon the plowing of his field. No sooner were the seeds strewn in their furrows, than they sprouted and grew and ripened produce. He was equally successful with his cattle. His sheep killed wolves, but were they themselves never harmed by wild beasts. Of sheep he had no less than one hundred and thirty thousand, and he required eight hundred dogs to keep guard over them, not to mention the two hundred dogs needed to secure the safety of his house. Besides, his herds consisted of three hundred and forty thousand asses, and thirty-five hundred pairs of oxen. All these possessions were not used for self-indulgent pleasures, but for the good of the poor, and the needy whom he clothed and fed and provided with all things necessary. To do all this he even had to employ ships that carried supplies to all the cities and the dwelling-places of the destitute. His house was furnished with doors on all its four sides, that the poor and the wayfarer might enter, no matter from what direction they approached. At all times there were thirty tables laden with vines ready in his house, and twelve besides for windows only, so that all who came found what they desired. Job's consideration for the poor was so delicate that he kept servants to wait upon them constantly. His guests, enraptured by his charitableness, frequently offered themselves as attendants to minister to the poor in his house, but Job always insisted upon paying them for their services. If he was asked for a loan of money to be used for business purposes, and the borrower promised to give a part of his profits to the poor, he would demand no security beyond a mere signature, and if it happened that by some mischance or other the debtor was not able to discharge his obligation, Job would return the note to him, or tear it into bits in his presence. He did not rest satisfied at supplying the material needs of those who applied to him. He strove also to convey the knowledge of God to them. After a meal he was in the habit of having music played upon instruments, and then he would invite those present to join him in songs of praise to God. On such occasions he did not consider himself above playing the Scythron, while the musicians rested. Just particularly Job concerned himself about the will and woe of widows and orphans. He was want to pay visits to the Scyth, both rich and poor, and when it was necessary he would bring a physician along with him. If the case turned out to be hopeless he would sustain the stricken family with advice and consolation. When the wife of the incurably sick man began to grieve and weep he would encourage her with such words as these. Trust always in the grace and loving kindness of God. He hath abandoned thee until now, and he will not forsake thee henceforth. Thy husband will be restored to health, and will be able to provide for his family as hitherto for. But if which may God forehand thy husband should die, I call heaven to witness that I shall provide sustenance for thee and thy children. Having spoke thus he would sin for a notary, and have him draw up a document which he signed in the presence of witnesses, binding himself to the care for the family, should it be bereaved of its head. Thus he earned for himself the blessing of the sick man and the gratitude of the sorrowing wife. Because, in case of necessity, Job could be severe too, especially when it was a question of helping a poor man obtain his due. If one of the parties to a suit cited before his tribunal was known to be a man of violence he would surround himself with his army and inspire him with fear so that the culprit could not but show himself amiable to his decision. He endeavored to inculcate his benevolent ways upon his children by accustoming them to wait upon the poor. On the morrow after a feast he would sacrifice bountifully to God, and together with the pieces upon the altar his offerings would be divided among the needy. He would say, Take, and help yourselves, and pray for my children. It may be that they have sinned and renounced God, saying in the presumption of their hearts, We are the children of this rich man. All these things are our possessions. Why should we be servants of the poor? The Legends of the Jews Volume 2 by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg Satan and Job The happy, God-pleasing life led by Job for many years excited the hatred of Satan, who had an old grudge against him. Near Job's house there was an idol worshipped by the people. Many doubts assailed the heart of Job, and he asked himself, Is this idol really the creator of heaven and earth? How can I find out the truth about it? In the following night he perceived a voice calling, Jobab, Jobab, arise, and I will tell thee who he is whom thou desirous to know. This one to whom the people offer sacrifices is not God, he is the handiwork of the tempter, wherewith he deceives men. When he heard the voice, Job threw himself on the ground and said, O Lord, if this idol is the handiwork of the tempter, then grant that I may destroy it. None can hinder me, for I am the king of this land. Job, or as he is sometimes called Jobab, was indeed king of Edom, the land wherein wicked plans are concocted against God, wherefore it is called also, us, counsel. The voice continued to speak. It made itself known as that of an archangel of God, and revealed to Job that he would bring down the enmity of Satan upon himself by destruction of the idol, and much suffering with it. However, if he remained steadfast under them, God would change his troubles into joys, his name would become celebrated throughout the generations of mankind, and he would have a share in the resurrection to eternal life. Job replied to the voice, Out of love of God, I am ready to endure all things unto the day of my death. I will shrink back from not. Now Job arose, and accompanied by fifty men, he repaired to the idol and destroyed it. Knowing that Satan would try to reproach him, he ordered his guard not to give access to any one, and then he withdrew to his chamber. He had guessed a right. Satan appeared at once, in the guise of a beggar, and demanded speech with Job. The guard executed his orders, and forbade his entering. Then the merchant asked him to intercede for him with Job, for a piece of bread. Job knew it was Satan, and he sent word to him as follows. Do not expect to eat of my bread, for it is prohibited unto thee. At the same time, putting a piece of burnt bread into the hand of the guard for Satan, the servant was ashamed to give a beggar burnt bread, and he substituted a good piece for it. Satan, however, knowing that the servant had not executed his master's errand, told him so to his face, and he fetched the burnt bread and handed it to him, repeating the words of Job. Thereupon Satan returned this answer, As the bread is burnt, so I will disfigure thy body. Job replied, Do as thou desirest, and execute thy plan, as for me I am ready to suffer whatever thou bringest down upon me. Now Satan betook himself to God, and prayed him to put Job into his power, saying, I went to and fro in the earth, and walked up and down in it, and I saw no man as pious as Abraham. Thou dispromised him the whole land of Palestine, and yet he did not take it in ill part that he had not so much as a burial place for Sarah. As for Job, it is true. I found none that loveth thee as he does, but if thou wilt put him into my hand, I shall succeed in turning his heart away from thee. But God spake, Satan, Satan, what has thou in mind to do with my servant Job, like whom there is none in the earth? Satan persisted in his request, touching Job, and God granted it. He gave him full power over Job's possessions. This day of Job's accusation was the New Year's Day, whereon the good and the evil deeds of man are brought before God. End of Chapter 3, Part 1 of 2. Chapter 3, Job, Part 2 of the Legends of the Jews, Volume 2. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by herehis.com. The Legends of the Jews, Volume 2 by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg. Job's Suffering Equipped with unlimited power, Satan endeavored to deprive Job of all he owned. He burnt part of his cattle, and the other part was carried off by enemies. What pained Job more than this was that recipients of his bounty turned against him, and took of his belongings. Among the adversaries that assailed him was Lilith, the Queen of Sheba. She lived at a great distance from his residence, it took her and her army three years to travel from her home to his. She fell upon his oxen and his asses, and took possession of them. After slaying the men, to whose care Job had entrusted them, one man escaped alone. Wounded and bruised, he had only enough life in him to tell Job the tale of his losses, and then he fell down dead. The sheep, which had been left unmolested by the Queen of Sheba, were taken away by the Chaldeans. Job's first intention was to go to war against these marauders, but when he was told that some of his property had been consumed by fire from heaven, he desisted and said, If the heavens turn against me, I can do nothing. Disatisfied with the result, Satan disguised himself as the King of Persia. The city of Job's residence took it, and spoke to the inhabitants, saying, This man Job hath appropriated all the goods in the world, leaving not for others, and he hath also torn down the temple of our God. And now I will pay him back for his wicked deeds, come with me, and let us pillage his house. At first the people refused to hearken to the words of Satan. They feared that the sons and daughters of Job might rise up against them later, and avenge their father's wrongs. But after Satan had pulled down the house wherein the children of Job were assembled, and they lay dead in the ruins, the people did as he bade them, and sacked the house of Job. Seeing that neither the loss of all he had, nor the death of his children, could change his pious heart, Satan appeared before God a second time, and requested that Job himself, his very person, be put into his hand. God granted Satan's plea, but he limited his power to Job's body, his soul he could not touch. In a sense Satan was worse off than Job. He was in the position of the slave that has been ordered by his master to break the picture and not spill the wine. Satan now caused a terrific storm to burst over the house of Job. He was cast from his throne by the reverberations, and he lay upon the floor for three hours. Then Satan smote his body with leprosy from the soul of his foot unto his crown. This plague forced Job to leave the city and sit down outside upon an ash heap. For his lower limbs were covered with oozing boils, and the issue flowed out upon the ashes. The upper part of his body was encrusted with dry boils, and to ease the itching they caused him. He used his nails until they dropped off together with his fingertips, and he took him a pot sheared to scrape himself with all. His body swarmed with vermin, but if one of the little creatures attempted to crawl away from him, he forced it back, saying, Remain on the place whither thou was sent until God resigns another unto thee. His wife, fearful that he would not bear his horrible suffering with steadfastness, advised him to pray to God for death, that lie might be sure of going hints an upright man. But he rejected her counsel, saying, If in the days of good fortune, which usually tempts men to deny God, I stood firm, and did not rebel against him, surely I shall be able to remain steadfast under misfortune, which compels men to be obedient to God. And Job stuck to his resolve in spite of all his suffering, while his wife was not strong enough to bear her fate with resignation to the will of God. Her lot was bitter indeed, for she had had to take service as a water-carrier with a common churl, and when her master learnt that she shared her bread with Job, he dismissed her. To keep her husband from starving, she cut off her hair and purchased bread with it. It was all she had to pay the price charged by the bread merchant, none other than Satan himself, who wanted to put her to the test. He said to her, Hast thou not deserved this great misery of thine? It had not come upon thee. This speech was more than the poor woman could bear, than it was that she came to her husband, and amid tears and groans urged him to renounce God and die. Job, however, was not perturbed by her words, because he divined at once that Satan stood behind his wife, and seduced her to speak thus. Turning to the tempter, he said, Why dost thou not meet me frankly? Give up thy underhand ways, thou wretch. Thereupon Satan appeared before Job, admitted that he had been vanquished, and went away abashed. The Legends of the Jews Volume 2 by Rabbi Louis Ginsberg The Four Friends The Friends of Job lived in different places, at intervals of three hundred miles, one from the other. Nevertheless, they all were informed of their friend's misfortune, at the same time. In this way, each one had the pictures of the others set in his crown, and as soon as any one of them met with reverses, it showed itself in his picture. Thus, the Friends of Job learned simultaneously of his misfortune, and they hastened to his assistance. The Four Friends were related to one another, and each one was related to Job. Elopaz, King of Taman, was a son of Esau, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu were cousins, and their fathers, Shawa, Nammat, and Barakal, were the sons of Buzz, who was a brother of Job and a nephew of Abraham. When the Four Friends arrived in the city in which Job lived, the inhabitants took them outside the gates, and pointing to a figure reclining upon an ash heap at some distance off. They said, Yonder is Job. At first the Friends would not give them credence, and they decided to look more closely at the man to make sure of his identity. But the foul smell emanating from Job was so strong that they could not come near him. They ordered their armies to scatter perfumes and aromatic substances all around. Only after this had been done for hours they could approach the outcast close enough to recognize him. Elopaz was the first to address Job. Art thou indeed Job, a king equal in rank with ourselves? When Job said, I, they broke out into lamentations and bitter tears, and altogether they sang and eulogy the armies of the three kings, Elopaz, Bildad, and Zophar, joining in the choir. Again Elopaz began to speak, and he bemoaned Job's sad fortune, and depicted his Friends' former glory, adding the refrain to each sentence, Whither hath departed the splendor of thy throne? After listening long to the wailing and lamenting of Elopaz and his companions Job's spake, saying, Silence, and I will show you my throne and the splendor of its glory, Kings will perish, rulers disappear, Their pride and luster will pass like a shadow across the mirror, But my kingdom will persist forever and ever, For glory and magnificence are in the chariot of my father. These words arouse the wrath of Elopaz, and he called upon his associates to abandon Job to his fate, and go their way, but Bildad appeased his anger, reminding him that some allowance ought to be made for one so sorely tried as Job. Bildad put a number of questions to the sufferer in order to establish his sanity. He wanted to elicit from Job how it came about that God, upon whom he continued to set his hopes, could inflict such dire suffering. Not even a king of flesh and blood would allow a guardsman of his that had served him loyally to come to grief. Bildad desired to have information from Job also concerning the movements of the heavenly bodies. Job had but one answer to make to these questions. Man cannot comprehend divine wisdom, whether it reveal itself in inanimate and brute nature or in relation to human beings. But continued Job, to prove to you that I am in my right mind, listen to the question I shall put to you. Human food and liquids combine inside of man, and they separate again when they leave his body. Who affects the separation? And when Bildad conceded that he could not answer the question, Job said, If thou canst not comprehend the changes in thy body, how canst thou hope to comprehend the movements of the planets? So far, after Job had spoken thus to Bildad, was convinced that his suffering had had no effect upon his mind, and he asked him whether he would permit himself to be treated by the physicians of the three kings, his friends. But Job rejected the offer, saying, My healing and my restoration come from God, the creator of all physicians. While the three kings were conversing thus with Job, his wife, Zittadose, made her appearance clad in rags, and she threw herself at the feet of her husband's friends, amid tears she spoke, saying, O Eliphaz, and ye other friends of Job, remember what I was in other days and how I am now changed, coming before you in rags and tatters. The sight of the unhappy woman touched them so deeply that they could only weep, and not a word could they force out of their mouths. Eliphaz, however, took his royal mantle of purple and laid it about the shoulders of the poor woman. Zittadose asked only one favor, that the three kings should order their soldiers to clear away the ruins of the building under which her children lay entombed, that she might give their remains decent burial. The command was issued to the soldiers accordingly, but Job said, Do not put yourselves to trouble for naught. My children will not be found, for they are safely bestowed with their lord and creator. Again his friends were sure that Job was bereft of his senses. He arose, however, prayed to God, and at the end of his devotions he bade his friends look eastward, and when they did his bidding they beheld his children next to the ruler of heaven, with crowns of glory upon their heads. Zittadose prostrated herself and said, Now I know that my memorial resides with the lord. And she returned to the house of her master, hence she had absented herself for some time against his will. He had forbidden her to leave it, because he had feared that the three kings would take her with him. In the evening she lay down to sleep next to the manger for the cattle, but she never rose again. She died there of exhaustion. The people of the city made a great mourning for her, and the eulogy composed in her honor was set down in writing and recorded. The Legends of the Jews Volume 2 by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg Job Restored More and more the friends of Job came to the conclusion that he had incurred divine punishment on account of his sins, and as he asseverated his innocence again and again they prepared angrily to leave him to his fate. Suddenly Elihu was animated by Satan to speak scurlius words against Job, upbraiding him for his unshakable confidence in God. Then the Lord appeared to them, first unto Job, and revealed to him that Elihu was in the wrong, and his words were inspired by Satan. Next he appeared to Eliphaz, and to him he spake thus, Thou and thy friends Bildad and Zophar have committed a sin. For ye did not speak the truth concerning my servant Job, rise up, and let him bring a sin offering for you. Only for his sake do I refrain from destroying you. The sacrifice offered by Job in behalf of his friends was accepted graciously by God, and Eliphaz broke out into a hymn of thanksgiving to the Lord for having pardoned the transgression of himself and his two friends. At the same time he announced the damnation of Elihu the instrument of Satan. God appeared to Job once more, and gave him a girdle composed of three ribbons, and he bade him tie it around his waist. Hardly had he put it on when all his pain disappeared, his very recollection of it vanished, and more than this God made him to see all that ever was and all that shall ever be. After suffering sevenfold pain for seven years Job was restored to strength. With his three friends he returned to the city, and the inhabitants made a festival in his honor and unto the glory of God. All his former friends joined him again, and he resumed his old occupation, the care of the poor, for which he obtained the means from the people around. He said to them, Give me each one of you a sheep for the clothing of the poor, and four silver or gold drachmas for their other needs. The Lord blessed Job, and in a few days his wealth had increased to double the substance he had owned before misfortunes overtook him. Zittadose, having died during the years of his tribals, he married a second wife, Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and she bore him seven sons and three daughters. He had never had more than one wife at a time, for he was want to say, if it had been intended that Adam should have ten wives, God would have given them to him. Only one wife was bestowed upon him, whereby God indicated that he was to have but one, and therefore one wife suffices for me too. When Job, after a long and happy life, felt his end approaching, he gathered his ten children around him, and told them the tale of his days. Having finished the narrative, he admonished them in these words, See, I am about to die, and you will stand in my place, forsake not the Lord, be generous toward the poor, treat the feeble with consideration, and do not marry with the women of the Gentiles. Thereupon he divided his possessions among his sons, and to his daughters he gave what is more precious than all earthly goods. To each of them one ribbon of the celestial girdle he had received from God. The magic virtue of these ribbons was such that no sooner did their possessors tie them around their waist than they were transformed into higher beings. And with serfaric voices they spoke out into hymns after the manner of the angels. For three days Job lay upon his bed, sick though not suffering, for the celestial girdle made him proof against pain. On the fourth day he saw the angels descend to fetch his soul. He arose from his bed, handed a sithron to his oldest daughter Jemima, day a censor to the second one, Keziah, perfume, and, assembled to the third, a malathas, horn, and bade them welcome the angels with the sound of music. They played and sang and praised the Lord in the holy tongue. Then he appeared that sits in the great chariot, kissed Job, and rode away bearing his soul with him eastward. One saw them depart except the three daughters of Job. The grief of the people, especially the poor, the widows, and the orphans was exceeding great. For three days they left the corpse unburied, because they could not entertain the thought of separating themselves from it. As the name of Job will remain imperishable unto all time by reason of the man's piety, so his three friends were recompensed by God for their sympathy with him in his distress. Their names were preserved. The punishment of hell was remitted unto them, and best of all God poured out the Holy Spirit over them. But Satan, the cause of Job's anguish, the Lord cast down from heaven, for he had been vanquished by Job, who amid his agony had thanked and praised God for all he had done unto him. End of chapter 3 Job Chapter 4 Moses and Egypt Part 1 of the Legends of the Jews, Volume 2 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Rhonda Federman. The Legends of the Jews, Volume 2 by Rabbi Lewis Ginsburg. The Beginning of the Egyptian Bondage As soon as Jacob was dead, the eyes of the Israelites were closed, as well as their hearts. They began to feel the dominion of the stranger, although real bondage did not enslave them until some time later. While a single one of the sons of Jacob was alive, the Egyptians did not venture to approach the Israelites with evil intent. It was only when Levi, the last of them, had departed this life that their suffering commenced. A change in the relation of the Egyptians towards the Israelites had indeed been noticeable immediately after the death of Joseph, but they did not throw off their mass completely until Levi was no more. Then the slavery of the Israelites supervened in good earnest. The first hostile act on the part of the Egyptians was to deprive the Israelites of their fields, their vineyards, and the gifts that Joseph had sent to his brethren. Not content with these animosities, they sought to do them harm in other ways. The reason for the hatred of the Egyptians was envy and fear. The Israelites had increased to a miraculous degree. At the death of Jacob, the seventy persons he had brought down with him had grown to the number of six hundred thousand, and their physical strength and heroism were extraordinary, and therefore alarming to the Egyptians. There were many occasions at that time for the display of prowess. Not long after the death of Levi occurred that of the Egyptian King McGron, who had been bred up by Joseph, and therefore was not holy without grateful recollection of what he and his family had accomplished for the welfare of Egypt. But his son and successor, Malol, together with his whole court, knew not the sons of Jacob and their achievements, and they did not scruple to oppress the Hebrews. The final breach between them and the Egyptians took place during the wars waged by Malol against Zepho, the grandson of Esau. In the course of it, the Israelites had saved the Egyptians from a crushing defeat, but instead of being grateful, they sought only the undoing of their benefactors from fear that the giant strength of the Hebrews might be turned against them. The Legends of the Jews, Volume 2 by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg. Pharaoh's Cunning The counselors and elders of Egypt came to Pharaoh and spake unto him, saying, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are greater and mightier than we. Thou hast seen their strong power, which they have inherited from their fathers, for a few of them stood up against a people as many as the sand of the sea, and not one hath fallen. Now therefore give us counsel what to do with them, until we shall gradually destroy them from among us, lest they become too numerous in the land. For if they multiply, and their falleth out any war, they will also join themselves with their great strength unto our enemies, and fight against us, destroy us from the land, and get them up out of the land. The king answered the elders, saying, This is the plan advised by me against Israel, from which we will not depart. Behold, Pitham and Ramesses are cities not fortified against battle. It behooves us to fortify them. Now go ye and act cunningly against the children of Israel, and proclaim in Egypt and in Goshen, saying, All ye men of Egypt, Goshen, and Pathros, the king has commanded us to build Pitham and Ramesses and fortify them against battle. Those amongst you in all Egypt, of the children of Israel, and of all the inhabitants of the cities, who are willing to build with us, shall have their wages given to them dally at the king's order. Then go ye first, and begin to build Pitham and Ramesses, and cause the king's proclamation to be made dally. And when some of the children of Israel come to build, do ye give them their wages dally? And after they shall have built with you for their dally wages, draw yourselves away from them day by day, and one by one, in secret. Then you shall rise up and become their taskmasters and their officers, and you shall have them afterward to build without wages. And should they refuse, then force them with all your might to build. If you do this, it will go well with us, for we shall cause our land to be fortified after this manner, and with the children of Israel it will go ill, for they will decrease in number on account of the work, because you will prevent them from being with their wives. The elders, the counselors, and the whole of Egypt did according to the word of the king. For a month the servants of Pharaoh built with Israel, then they withdrew themselves gradually, while the children of Israel continued to work, receiving their dally wages, for some men of Egypt were still carrying on the work with them. After a time all the Egyptians had withdrawn, and they had turned to become the officers and taskmasters of the Israelites. Then they refrained from giving them any pay, and when some of the Hebrews refused to work without wages, their taskmasters smote them and made them return by force to labor with their brethren. And the children of Israel were greatly afraid of the Egyptians, and they came again and worked without pay, all except the tribe of Levi, who were not employed in the work with their brethren. The children of Levi knew that the proclamation of the king was made to deceive Israel, therefore they refrained from listening to it, and the Egyptians did not molest them later, since they had not been with their brethren at the beginning, and though the Egyptians embittered the lives of the other Israelites with servile labor, they did not disturb the children of Levi. The Israelites called Malol, the king of Egypt, Maror, bitterness, because in his days the Egyptians embittered their lives with all manner of rigorous service. But Pharaoh did not rest satisfied with his proclamation and the affliction it imposed upon the Israelites. He suspended a brick press from his own neck, and himself took part in the work at Pitham and Ramses. After this, whenever a Hebrew refused to come and help with the building, alleging that he was not fit for such hard service, the Egyptians would retort saying, Does thou mean to make us believe thou art more delicate than Pharaoh? The king himself urged the Israelites on, with gentle words, saying, My children, I beg you to do this work and erect these buildings for me. I will give you great reward, therefore. By means of such artifices and wily words, the Egyptians succeeded in overmastering the Israelites, and once they had them in their power, they treated them with undisguised brutality. Women were forced to perform men's work, and men, women's work. The building of Pitham and Ramses turned out no advantage to the Egyptians, for scarcely were the structures completed when they collapsed, or they were swallowed by the earth, and the Hebrew workmen, besides having to suffer hardships during their erection, lost their lives by being precipitated from enormous heights when the buildings fell in a heap. But the Egyptians were little concerned whether or not they derived profit from the forced labor of the children of Israel. Their main object was to hinder their increase, and Pharaoh therefore issued an order that they were not to be permitted to sleep at their own homes, so that they might be deprived of the opportunity of having intercourse with their wives. The officers executed the will of the king, telling the Hebrews that the reason was the loss of too much time in going to and fro, which would prevent them from completing the required tale of bricks. Thus the Hebrew husbands were kept apart from their wives, and they were compelled to sleep on the ground, away from their habitations. But God spoke, saying, Unto their father Abraham I gave the promise that I would make his children to be as numerous as the stars in the heavens, and you can drive plans to prevent them from multiplying. We shall see whose word will stand, mine or yours. And it came to pass that the more the Egyptians afflicted them, the more they multiplied, and the more they spread abroad. And they continued to increase in spite of Pharaoh's command, that those who did not complete the required tale of bricks were to be immured in the buildings between the layers of bricks. And great was the number of Israelites that lost their lives in this way. Many of their children were, besides, slaughtered as sacrifices to the idols of the Egyptians. For this reason, God visited retribution upon the idols at the time of the going forth of the Israelites from Egypt. They had caused the death of the Hebrew children, and in turn they were shattered, and they crumbled into dust. The legends of the Jews, volume two by Rabbi Louis Ginsburg. The pious midwives. When now, in spite of all their tribulations, the children of Israel continued to multiply and spread abroad, so that the land was full of them as with thick underbrush, for the women brought forth many children at a birth. The Egyptians appeared before Pharaoh again and urged him to devise some other way of ridding the land of the Hebrews, seeing that they were increasing mightily, though they were made to toil and hard labor. Pharaoh could invent no new design. He asked his counselors to give him their opinions of the thing. Then spake one of them, Job of the land of Uzz, which is in Aram, Naharayim, as follows. The plan which the king invented of putting a great burden of work upon the Israelites was good in its time, and it should be executed henceforth too. But to secure us against the fear that, if a war should come to pass, they may overwhelm us by reason of their numbers and chase us forth out of the land. Let the king issue a decree that every male child of the Israelites shall be killed at his birth. Then we need not be afraid of them if we should be overtaken by war. Now let the king summon the Hebrew midwives, that they come hither, and let him command them in accordance with this plan. Job's advice found favor in the eyes of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They preferred to have the midwives murder the innocents, for they feared the punishment of God if they laid hands upon them themselves. Pharaoh cited the two midwives of the Hebrews before him and commanded them to slay all men children, but to save the daughters of the Hebrew women alive. For the Egyptians were as much interested in preserving the female children as in bringing about the death of the male children. They were very sensual and were desirous of having as many women as possible at their service. However the plan, even if it had been carried into execution, was not wise, for though a man may marry many wives, each woman can marry but one husband. Thus a diminished number of men and a corresponding increase in the number of women did not constitute so serious a menace to the continuance of the nation of the Israelites, as the reverse case would have been. The two Hebrew midwives were Yorchebed, the mother of Moses, and Miriam, his sister. When they appeared before Pharaoh, Miriam exclaimed, Woe be to this man when God visits retribution upon him for his evil deeds. The king would have killed her for these audacious words, had not Yorchebed elayed his wrath by saying, Why does thou pay heed to her words? She is but a child and knows not what she speaks. Yet although Miriam was but five years old at the time, she nevertheless accompanied her mother and helped her with her offices to the Hebrew women, giving food to the newborn babes while Yorchebed washed and bathed them. Pharaoh's order ran as follows. At the birth of the child, if it be a man-child, kill it. If it be a female-child, then you need not kill it, but you may save it alive. The midwives returned. How are we to know whether the child is male or female? For the king had bitten them kill it while it was being born. Pharaoh replied, If the child issues forth from the womb with its face foremost, it is a man-child, for it looks to the earth whence man was taken. But if its feet appear first, it is a female, for it looks up towards the rib of the mother, and from a rib woman was made. The king used all sorts of devices to render the midwives amenable to his wishes. He approached them with amorous proposals, which they both repelled, and then he threatened them with death by fire. But they said within themselves, Our father Abraham opened an inn that he might feed the wayfarers, though they were heathen, and we should neglect the children, nay, kill them? No, we shall have a care to keep them alive. Thus they failed to execute what Pharaoh had commanded. Instead of murdering the babes, they supplied all their needs. If a mother that had given birth to a child lacked food and drink, the midwives went too well to do women and took up a collection that the infant might not suffer want. They did still more for the little ones. They made supplication to God, praying, Thou knowest that we are not fulfilling the words of Pharaoh, but it is our aim to fulfill Thy words. O that it be Thy will, our Lord, to let the child come into the world safe and sound, lest we fall under the suspicion that we tried to slay it and maimed it in the attempt. The Lord hearkened to their prayer, and no child born under the administrations of Shifra and Pua, or Yocabed and Miriam, as the midwives are also called, came into the world lame or blind or afflicted with any other blemish. Seeing that his command was ineffectual, he summoned the midwives a second time and called them to account for the disobedience, they replied. This nation is compared unto one animal and another, and ensuth the Hebrews are like the animals. As little as the animals do, they need the offices of midwives. These two God-fearing women were rewarded in many ways for their good deeds. Not only that Pharaoh did them no harm, but they were made the ancestors of priests and Levites, the kings and princes. Yocabed became the mother of the priest Aaron and of the Levite Moses. And from Miriam's union with Caleb sprang the royal house of David. The hand of God was visible in her married life. She contracted a grievous sickness, and though it was thought by all that saw her, that death would certainly overtake her. She recovered, and God restored her youth and bestowed unusual beauty upon her, so that renewed happiness awaited her husband, who had been deprived of the pleasures of conjugal life during her long illness. His unexpected joy is with a reward of his piety and trust in God. And another recompense was accorded to Miriam. She was privileged to bring forth Bezalel, the builder of the tabernacle, who was endowed with celestial wisdom. End of chapter four, part one.