The Legends of the Jews, vol 1 by Louis Ginzberg (most inspirational books txt) đ
- Author: Louis Ginzberg
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As a third consequence of the amplitude of the material, it was thought advisable to divide it into several volumes. The references, the explanations of the sources used, and the interpretations given, and, especially, numerous emendations of the text of the Midrashim and the pseudepigrapha, which determined my conception of the passages so emended, will be found in the last volume, the fourth, which will contain also an Introduction to the History of Jewish Legends, a number of Excursuses, and the Index.
As the first three volumes are in the hands of the printer almost in their entirety, I venture to express the hope that the whole work will appear within measurable time, the parts following each other at short intervals.
LOUIS GINZBERG.
NEW YORK, March 24, 1909
CONTENTS
PREFACEI. THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
The First Things CreatedâThe AlphabetâThe First DayâThe Second DayâThe Third DayâThe Fourth DayâThe Fifth DayâThe Sixth DayâAll Things Praise the Lord.
II. ADAM
Man and the WorldâThe Angels and the Creation of ManâThe Creation of AdamâThe Soul of ManâThe Ideal ManâThe Fall of SatanâWomanâAdam and Eve in ParadiseâThe Fall of ManâThe PunishmentâSabbath in HeavenâAdamâs RepentanceâThe Book of RazielâThe Sickness of AdamâEveâs Story of the FallâThe Death of AdamâThe Death of Eve.
III. THE TEN GENERATIONS
The Birth of CainâFratricideâThe Punishment of CainâThe Inhabitants of the Seven EarthsâThe Descendants of CainâThe Descendants of Adam and LilithâSeth and His DescendantsâEnoshâThe Fall of the AngelsâEnoch, Ruler and TeacherâThe Ascension of EnochâThe Translation of EnochâMethuselah.
IV. NOAH
The Birth of NoahâThe Punishment of the Fallen AngelsâThe Generation of the DelugeâThe Holy BookâThe Inmates of the ArkâThe FloodâNoah Leaves the ArkâThe Curse of DrunkennessâNoahâs Descendants Spread AbroadâThe Depravity of MankindâNimrodâThe Tower of Babel.
V. ABRAHAM
The Wicked GenerationsâThe Birth of AbrahamâThe Babe Proclaims GodâAbrahamâs First Appearance in PublicâThe Preacher of the True FaithâIn the Fiery FurnaceâAbraham Emigrates to HaranâThe Star in the EastâThe True BelieverâThe IconoclastâAbraham in CanaanâHis Sojourn in EgyptâThe First PharaohâThe War of the KingsâThe Covenant of the PiecesâThe Birth of IshmaelâThe Visit of the AngelsâThe Cities of SinâAbraham Pleads for the SinnersâThe Destruction of the Sinful CitiesâAmong the PhilistinesâThe Birth of IsaacâIshmael Cast OffâThe Two Wives of IshmaelâThe Covenant with AbimelechâSatan Accuses AbrahamâThe Journey to MoriahâThe AkedahâThe Death and Burial of SarahâEliezerâs MissionâThe Wooing of RebekahâThe Last Years of AbrahamâA Herald of DeathâAbraham Views Earth and HeavenâThe Patron of Hebron.
VI. JACOB
The Birth of Esau and JacobâThe Favorite of AbrahamâThe Sale of the BirthrightâIsaac with the PhilistinesâIsaac Blesses JacobâEsauâs True Character RevealedâJacob Leaves His Fatherâs HouseâJacob Pursued by Eliphaz and EsauâThe Day of MiraclesâJacob with LabanâThe Marriage of JacobâThe Birth of Jacobâs ChildrenâJacob Flees before LabanâThe Covenant with LabanâJacob and Esau Prepare to MeetâJacob Wrestles with the AngelâThe Meeting between Esau and JacobâThe Outrage at ShechemâA War FrustratedâThe War with the NinevitesâThe War with the AmoritesâIsaac Blesses Levi and JudahâJoy and Sorrow in the House of JacobâEsauâs Campaign against JacobâThe Descendants of Esau.
THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
THE FIRST THINGS CREATED
THE ALPHABET
THE FIRST DAY
THE SECOND DAY
THE THIRD DAY
THE FOURTH DAY
THE FIFTH DAY
THE SIXTH DAY
ALL THINGS PRAISE THE LORD
THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
THE FIRST THINGS CREATED
In the beginning, two thousand years before the heaven and the earth, seven things were created: the Torah written with black fire on white fire, and lying in the lap of God; the Divine Throne, erected in the heaven which later was over the heads of the Hayyot; Paradise on the right side of God, Hell on the left side; the Celestial Sanctuary directly in front of God, having a jewel on its altar graven with the Name of the Messiah, and a Voice that cries aloud, âReturn, ye children of men.â[1]
When God resolved upon the creation of the world, He took counsel with the Torah.[2] Her advice was this: âO Lord, a king without an army and without courtiers and attendants hardly deserves the name of king, for none is nigh to express the homage due to him.â
The answer pleased God exceedingly. Thus did He teach all earthly kings, by His Divine example, to undertake naught without first consulting advisers.[3]
The advice of the Torah was given with some reservations. She was skeptical about the value of an earthly world, on account of the sinfulness of men, who would be sure to disregard her precepts.
But God dispelled her doubts. He told her, that repentance had been created long before, and sinners would have the opportunity of mending their ways. Besides, the Temple service would be invested with atoning power, and Paradise and hell were intended to do duty as reward and punishment. Finally, the Messiah was appointed to bring salvation, which would put an end to all sinfulness.[4]
Nor is this world inhabited by man the first of things earthly created by God. He made several worlds before ours, but He destroyed them all, because He was pleased with none until He created ours.[5] But even this last world would have had no permanence, if God had executed His original plan of ruling it according to the principle of strict justice. It was only when He saw that justice by itself would undermine the world that He associated mercy with justice, and made them to rule jointly.[6]
Thus, from the beginning of all things prevailed Divine goodness, without which nothing could have continued to exist. If not for it, the myriads of evil spirits had soon put an end to the generations of men. But the goodness of God has ordained, that in every Nisan, at the time of the spring equinox, the seraphim shall approach the world of spirits, and intimidate them so that they fear to do harm to men. Again, if God in His goodness had not given protection to the weak, the tame animals would have been extirpated long ago by the wild animals. In Tammuz, at the time of the summer solstice, when the strength of behemot is at its height, he roars so loud that all the animals hear it, and for a whole year they are affrighted and timid, and their acts become less ferocious than their nature is. Again, in Tishri, at the time of the autumnal equinox, the great bird ziz[7] flaps his wings and utters his cry, so that the birds of prey, the eagles and the vultures, blench, and they fear to swoop down upon the others and annihilate them in their greed. And, again, were it not for the goodness of God, the vast number of big fish had quickly put an end to the little ones. But at the time of the winter solstice, in the month of Tebet, the sea grows restless, for then leviathan spouts up water, and the big fish become uneasy. They restrain their appetite, and the little ones escape their rapacity.
Finally, the goodness of God manifests itself in the preservation of His people Israel. It could not have survived the enmity of the Gentiles, if God had not appointed protectors for it, the archangels Michael and Gabriel.[8] Whenever Israel disobeys God, and is accused of misdemeanors by the angels of the other nations, he is defended by his designated guardians, with such good result that the other angels conceive fear of them. Once the angels of the other nations are terrified, the nations themselves venture not to carry out their wicked designs against Israel.
That the goodness of God may rule on earth as in heaven, the Angels of Destruction are assigned a place at the far end of the heavens, from which they may never stir, while the Angels of Mercy encircle the Throne of God, at His behest.[9]
THE ALPHABET
When God was about to create the world by His word, the twenty-two letters of the alphabet[10] descended from the terrible and august crown of God whereon they were engraved with a pen of flaming fire. They stood round about God, and one after the other spake and entreated, âCreate the world through me! The first to step forward was the letter Taw. It said: âO Lord of the world! May it be Thy will to create Thy world through me, seeing that it is through me that Thou wilt give the Torah to Israel by the hand of Moses, as it is written, âMoses commanded us the Torah.â â The Holy One, blessed be He, made reply, and said, âNo!â Taw asked, âWhy not?â and God answered: âBecause in days to come I shall place thee as a sign of death upon the foreheads of men.â As soon as Taw heard these words issue from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, it retired from His presence disappointed.
The Shin then stepped forward, and pleaded: âO Lord of the world, create Thy world through me: seeing that Thine own name Shaddai begins with me.â Unfortunately, it is also the first letter of Shaw, lie, and of Sheker, falsehood, and that incapacitated it.
Resh had no better luck. It was pointed out that it was the initial letter of Raâ, wicked, and Rashaâ evil, and after that the distinction it enjoys of being the first letter in the Name of God, Rahum, the Merciful, counted for naught. The Kof was rejected, because Kelalah, curse, outweighs the advantage of being the first in Kadosh, the Holy One. In vain did Zadde call attention to Zaddik, the Righteous One; there was Zarot, the misfortunes of Israel, to testify against it. Pe had Podeh, redeemer, to its credit, but Pesha: transgression, reflected dishonor upon it. âAin was declared unfit, because, though it begins âAnawah, humility, it performs the same service for âErwah, immorality. Samek said: âO Lord, may it be Thy will to begin the creation with me, for Thou art called Samek, after me, the Upholder of all that fall.â But God said: âThou art needed in the place in which thou art;[11] thou must continue to uphold all that fall.â Nun introduces Ner, âthe lamp of the Lord,â which is âthe spirit of men,â but it also introduces Ner, âthe lamp of the wicked,â which will be put out by God. Mem starts Melek, king, one of the titles of God. As it is the first letter of Mehumah, confusion, as well, it had no chance of accomplishing its desire.
The claim of Lamed bore its refutation within itself. It advanced the argument that it was the first letter of Luhot, the celestial tables for the Ten Commandments; it forgot that the tables were shivered in pieces by Moses. Kaf was sure of victory Kisseh, the throne of God, Kabod, His honor, and Keter, His crown, all begin with
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