THE LEGENDS OF THE JEWS VOLUME IV BIBLE TIMES AND CHARACTERS

B >> BY LOUIS GINZBERG >> THE LEGENDS OF THE JEWS VOLUME IV BIBLE TIMES AND CHARACTERS

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And at last Moses raised his voice and spake: "O Lord of the
world, was I not a faithful shepherd unto Israel for forty long
years? Like a steed I ran ahead of him in the desert, and when the
time came for him to enter the Promised Land, Thou didst
command: 'Here in the desert shall thy bones drop!' And now that
the children of Israel are exiled, Thou hast sent for me to mourn
and lament over them. That is what the people mean when they
say: The good fortune of the master is none for the slave, but the
master's woe is his woe." And turning to Jeremiah, he continued:
"Walk before me, I will lead them back; let us see who will
venture to raise a hand against them." Jeremiah replied: "The roads
cannot be passed, they are blocked with corpses." But Moses was
not to be deterred, and the two, Moses following Jeremiah,
reached the rivers of Babylon. When the Jews saw Moses, they
said: "The son of Amram has ascended from his grave to redeem
us from our enemies." (36) At that moment a heavenly voice was
heard to cry out: "It is decreed!" And Moses said: "O my children, I
cannot redeem you, the decree is unalterable may God redeem
you speedily," and he departed from them.

The children of Israel raised their voices in sore lamentations, and
the sound of their grief pierced to the very heavens. Meantime
Moses returned to the Fathers, and reported to them to what dire
suffering the exiled Jews were exposed, and they all broke out into
woe-begone plaints. (37) In his bitter grief, Moses exclaimed: "Be
cursed, O sun, why was not thy light extinguished in the hour in
which the enemy invaded the sanctuary?" The sun replied: "O
faithful shepherd, I sware by the life, I could not grow dark. The
heavenly powers would not permit it. Sixty fiery scourges they
dealt me, and they said, 'Go and let thy light shine forth,'" (38)
Another last complaint Moses uttered: "O Lord of the world, Thou
hast written it in Thy Torah: 'And whether it be cow or ewe, ye
shall not kill it and her young both in one day.' How many mothers
have they slaughtered with their children and Thou art silent!"

Then, with the suddenness of a flash, Rachel, our mother, stood
before the Holy One, blessed be He: "Lord of the world," she said,
"Thou knowest how overwhelming was Jacob's love for me, and
when I observed that my father thought to put Leah in my place, I
gave Jacob secret signs, that the plan of my father might be set at
naught. But then I repented me of what I had done, and to spare
my sister mortification, I disclosed the signs to her. More than this,
I myself was in the bridal chamber, and when Jacob spake with
Leah, I made reply, lest her voice betray her. I, a woman, a
creature of flesh and blood, of dust and ashes, was not jealous of
my rival. Thou, O God, everlasting King, Thou eternal and
merciful Father, why wast Thou jealous of the idols, empty
vanities? Why hast Thou driven out my children, slain them with
swords, left them at the mercy of their enemies?" Then the
compassion of the Supreme God was awakened, and He said: "For
thy sake, O Rachel, I will lead the children of Israel back to their
land." (39)

JEREMIAH'S JOURNEY TO BABYLON

When Nebuchadnezzar dispatched his general Nebuzaradan to the
capture of Jerusalem, he gave him three instructions regarding the
mild treatment of Jeremiah: "Take him, and look well to him, and
do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee."
At the same time he enjoined him to use pitiless cruelty toward the
rest of the people. But the prophet desired to share the fate of his
suffering brethren, and when he saw a company of youths in the
pillory, he put his own head into it. Nebuzaradan would always
withdraw him again. Thereafter if Jeremiah saw a company of old
men clapped in chains, he would join them and share their
ignominy, until Nebuzaradan released him. Finally, Nebuzaradan
said to Jeremiah: "Lo, thou art one of three things; either thou are a
prophesier of false things, or thou art a despiser of suffering, or
thou art a shedder of blood. A prophesier of false things for since
many a year hast thou been prophesying the downfall of this city,
and now, when thy prophecy has come true, thou sorrowest and
mournest. Or a despiser of suffering for I seek to do thee naught
harmful, and thou thyself pursuest what is harmful to thee, as thou
to say, 'I am indifferent to pain.' Or a shedder of blood for the
king has charged me to have a care of thee, and let no harm come
upon thee, but as thou insistest upon seeking evil for thyself, it
must be that the king may hear of thy misfortune, and put me to
death." (40)

At first Jeremiah refused Nebuzaradan's offer to let him remain in
Palestine. He joined the march of the captives going to Babylon,
along the highways streaming with blood and strewn with corpses.
When they arrived at the borders of the Holy Land, they all,
prophet and people, broke out into loud wails, and Jeremiah said:
"Yes, brethren and countrymen, all this hath befallen you, because
ye did not hearken unto the words of my prophecy." (41) Jeremiah
journeyed with them until they came to the banks of the Euphrates.
Then God spoke to the prophet: "Jeremiah, if thou remainest here,
I shall go with them, and if thou goest with them, I shall remain
here." Jeremiah replied: "Lord of the world, if I go with them, what
doth it avail them? Only if their King, their Creator accompanies
them, will it bestead them." (42)

When the captives saw Jeremiah make preparations to return to
Palestine, they began to weep and cry: "O Father Jeremiah, wilt
thou, too, abandon us?" "I call heaven and earth to witness," said
the prophet, "had you wept but once in Zion, ye had not been
driven out." (43)

Beset with terrors was the return journey for the prophet. Corpses
lay everywhere, and Jeremiah gathered up all the fingers that lay
about; he strained them to his heart, fondled them, kissed them,
and wrapped them in his mantle, saying sadly: "Did I not tell you,
my children, did I not say to you, 'Give glory to the Lord your God,
before He cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the
dark mountains'?" (44)

Dejected, oppressed by his grief, Jeremiah saw the fulfilment of
his prophecy against the coquettish maidens of Jerusalem, who had
pursued but the pleasures and enjoyments of the world. How often
had the prophet admonished them to do penance and lead a
God-fearing life! In vain; whenever he threatened them with the
destruction of Jerusalem, they said: "Why should we concern
ourselves about it?" "A prince will take me unto wife," said one,
the other, "A prefect will marry me." And at first it seemed the
expectations of Jerusalem's fair daughters would be realized, for
the most aristocratic of the victorious Chaldeans were charmed by
the beauty of the women of Jerusalem, and offered them their hand
and their rank. But God sent disfiguring and repulsive diseases
upon the women, and the Babylonians cast them off, threw them
violently out of their chariots, and ruthlessly drove them over the
prostrate bodies. (45)

TRANSPORTATION OF THE CAPTIVES

Nebuchadnezzar's orders were to hurry the captives along the road
to Babylon without stop or stay. He feared the Jews might else find
opportunity to supplicate the mercy of God, and He,
compassionate as He is, would release them instantly they did
penance. (46) Accordingly, there was no pause in the forward
march, until the Euphrates was reached. There they were within
the borders of the empire of Nebuchadnezzar, and he thought he
had nothing more to fear.

Many of the Jews died as soon as they drank of the Euphrates. In
their native land they had been accustomed to the water drawn
from springs and wells. Mourning over their dead and over the
others that had fallen by the way, they sat on the banks of the river,
while Nebuchadnezzar and his princes on their vessels celebrated
their victory amid song and music. The king noticed that the
princes of Judah, though they were in chains, bore no load upon
their shoulders, and he called to his servants: "Have you no load
for these?" They took the parchment scrolls of the law, tore them
in pieces, made sacks of them, and filled them with sand; these
they loaded upon the backs of the Jewish princes. At sight of this
disgrace, all Israel broke out into loud weeping. The voice of their
sorrow pierced the very heavens, and God determined to turn the
world once more into chaos, for He told Himself, that after all the
world was created but for the sake of Israel. The angels hastened
thither, and they spake before God: "O Lord of the world, the
universe is Thine. Is it not enough that Thou hast dismembered
Thy earthly house, the Temple? Wilt Thou destroy Thy heavenly
house, too?" God restraining them said: "Do ye think I am a
creature of flesh and blood, and stand in need of consolation? Do I
not know beginning and end of all things? Go rather and remove
their burdens from the princes of Judah." Aided by God the angels
descended, and they carried the loads put upon the Jewish captives
until they reached Babylon.

On their way, they passed the city of Bari. (47) The inhabitants
thereof were not a little astonished at the cruelty of
Nebuchadnezzar, who made the captives march naked. The people
of Bari stripped their slaves of their clothes, and presented the
slaves to Nebuchadnezzar. When the king expressed his
astonishment thereat, they said: "We thought thou wert particularly
pleased with naked men." The king at once ordered the Jews to be
arrayed in their garments. The reward accorded the Bariites was
that God endowed them forever with beauty and irresistible grace.
(48)

The compassionate Bariites did not find many imitators. The very
opposite quality was displayed by the Ammonites, Moabites,
Edomites, and Arabs. Despite their close kinship with Israel, their
conduct toward the Jews was dictated by cruelty. The two
first-mentioned, the Ammonites and the Moabites, when they
heard the prophet foretell the destruction of Jerusalem, hastened
without a moment's delay to report it to Nebuchadnezzar, and urge
him to attack Jerusalem. The scruples of the Babylonian king, who
feared God, and all the reasons he advanced against a combat with
Israel, they refuted, and finally they induced him to act as they
wished. (49) At the capture of the city, while all the strange
nations were seeking booty, the Ammonites and the Moabites
threw themselves into the Temple to seize the scroll of the law,
because it contained the clause against their entering into the
"assembly of the Lord even to the tenth generation." (50) To
disgrace the faith of Israel, they plucked the Cherubim from the
Holy of Holies and dragged them through the streets of Jerusalem,
crying aloud at the same time: "Behold these sacred things that
belong to the Israelites, who say ever they have no idols."

The Edomites were still more hostile (51) in the hour of Israel's
need. They went to Jerusalem with Nebuchadnezzar, but they kept
themselves at a distance from the city, there to await the outcome
of the battle between the Jews and the Babylonians. If the Jews
had been victorious, they would have pretended they had come to
bring them aid. When Nebuchadnezzar's victory became known,
they showed their true feelings. Those who escaped the sword of
the Babylonians, were hewn down by the hand of the Edomites.
(52)

But in fiendish cunning these nations were surpassed by the
Ishmaelites. Eighty thousand young priests, each with a golden
shield upon his breast, succeeded in making their way through the
ranks of Nebuchadnezzar and in reaching the Ishmaelites. They
asked for water to drink. The reply of the Ishmaelites was: "First
eat, and then you may drink," at the same time handing them salt
food. Their thirst was increased, and the Ishmaelites gave them
leather bags filled with nothing but air instead of water. When they
raised them to their mouths, the air entered their bodies, and they
fell dead.

Other Arabic tribes showed their hostility openly; as the
Palmyrenes, who put eighty thousand archers at the disposal of
Nebuchadnezzar in his war against Israel. (53)

THE SONS OF MOSES

If Nebuchadnezzar thought, that once he had the Jews in the
regions of the Euphrates they were in his power forever, he was
greatly mistaken. It was on the very banks of the great river that he
suffered the loss of a number of his captives. When the first stop
was made by the Euphrates, the Jews could no longer contain their
grief, and they broke out into tears and bitter lamentations.
Nebuchadnezzar bade them be silent, and as though to render
obedience to his orders the harder, he called upon the Levites, the
minstrels of the Temple to sing the songs of Zion for the
entertainment of his guests at the banquet he had arranged. The
Levites consulted with one another. "Not enough that the Temple
lies in ashes because of our sins, should we add to our
transgressions by coaxing music from the strings of our holy harps
in honor of these 'dwarfs'?" (54) they said, and they determined to
offer resistance. The murderous Babylonians mowed them down in
heaps, yet they met death with high courage, for it saved their
sacred instruments from the desecration of being used before idols
and for the sake of idolaters.

The Levites who survived the carnage the Sons of Moses they
were bit their own fingers off, and when they were asked to play,
they showed their tyrants mutilated hands, with which it was
impossible to manipulate their harps. (55) At the fall of night a
cloud descended and enveloped the Sons of Moses and all who
belonged to them. They were hidden from their enemies, while
their own way was illuminated by a pillar of fire. The cloud and
the pillar vanished at break of day, and before the Sons of Moses
lay a tract of land bordered by the sea on three sides. For their
complete protection God made the river Sambation to flow on the
fourth side. This river is full of sand and stones, and on the six
working days of the week, they tumble over each other with such
vehemence that the crash and the roar are heard far and wide. But
on the Sabbath (56) the tumultuous river subsides into quiet. As a
guard against trespassers on that day, a column of cloud stretches
along the whole length of the river, and none can approach the
Sambation within three miles. Hedged in as they are, the Sons of
Moses yet communicate with their brethren of the tribes of
Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, who dwell near the banks of the
Sambation. Carrier pigeons bear letters hither and thither.

In the land of the Sons of Moses there are none but clean animals,
and in every respect the inhabitants lead a holy and pure life,
worthy of their ancestor Moses. They never use an oath, and, if
perchance an oath escapes the lips of one of them, he is at once
reminded of the Divine punishment connected with his act his
children will die at a tender age.

The Sons of Moses live peaceably and enjoy prosperity as equals
through their common Jewish faith. They have need of neither
prince nor judge, for they know not strife and litigation. Each
works for the welfare of the community, and each takes from the
common store only what will satisfy his needs. Their houses are
built of equal height, that no one may deem himself above his
neighbor, and that that the fresh air may not be hindered from
playing freely about all alike. Even at night their doors stand wide
open, for they have naught to fear from thieves, nor are wild
animals known in their land. They all attain a good old age. The
son never dies before the father. When a death occurs, there is
rejoicing, because the departed is known to have entered into life
everlasting in loyalty to his faith. The birth of a child, on the other
hand, calls forth mourning, for who can tell whether the being
ushered into the world will be pious and faithful? The dead are
buried near the doors of their own houses, in order that their
survivors, in all their comings and goings, may be reminded of
their own end. Disease is unknown among them, for they never
sin, and sickness is sent only to purify from sins. (57)

EBED-MELECH

The Sons of Moses were not the only ones to escape from under
the heavy hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Still more miraculous was the
deliverance of the pious Ethiopian Ebed-melech from the hands of
the Babylonians. He was saved as a reward for rescuing Jeremiah
when the prophet's life was jeopardized. On the day before the
destruction of the Temple, shortly before the enemy forced his way
into the city, the Ethiopian was sent, by the prophet Jeremiah
acting under Divine instruction, to a certain place in front of the
gates of the city, to dole out refreshments to the poor from a little
basket of figs he was to carry with him. Ebed-melech reached the
spot, but the heat was so intense that he fell asleep under a tree,
and there he slept for sixty-six years. When he woke up, the figs
were still fresh and juicy, but all the surroundings had so changed,
he could not make out where he was. His confusion increased
when he entered the city to seek Jeremiah, and found nothing as it
had been. He accosted an old man, and asked him the name of the
place. When he was told it was Jerusalem, Ebed-melech cried out
in amazement: "Where is Jeremiah, where is Baruch, and where
are all the people?" The old man was not a little astonished at
these questions. How was it possible that one who had known
Jeremiah and Jerusalem should be ignorant of the events that had
passed sixty years before? In brief words he told Ebed-melech of
the destruction of the Temple and of the captivity of the people,
but what he said found no credence with his auditor. Finally
Ebed-melech realized that God had performed a great miracle for
him, so that he had been spared the sight of Israel's misfortune.

While he was pouring out his heart in gratitude to God, an eagle
descended and led him to Baruch, who lived not far from the city.
Thereupon Baruch received the command from God to write to
Jeremiah that the people should remove the strangers from the
midst of them, and then God would lead them back to Jerusalem.
The letter written by Baruch and some of the figs that had retained
their freshness for sixty-six years were carried to Babylonia by an
eagle, who had told Baruch that he had been sent to serve him as a
messenger. The eagle set out on his journey. His first halting-place
was a dreary waste spot to which he knew Jeremiah and the people
would come it was the burial-place of the Jews which
Nebuchadnezzar had given the prophet at his solicitation. When
the eagle saw Jeremiah and the people approach with a funeral
train, he cried out: "I have a message for thee, Jeremiah. Let all the
people draw nigh to receive the good tidings." As a sign that his
mission was true, the eagle touched the corpse, and it came to life.
Amidst tears all the people cried unto Jeremiah: "Save us! What
must we do to return to our land?"

The eagle brought Jeremiah's answer to Baruch, and after the
prophet had sent the Babylonian women away, he returned to
Jerusalem with the people. Those who would not submit to the
orders of Jeremiah relative to the heathen women, were not
permitted by the prophet to enter the holy city, and as they
likewise were not permitted to return to Babylonia, they founded
the city of Samaria near Jerusalem. (58)

THE TEMPLE VESSELS

The task laid upon Jeremiah had been twofold. Besides giving him
charge over the people in the land of their exile, God had entrusted
to him the care of the sanctuary and all it contained. (59) The holy
Ark, the altar of incense, and the holy tent were carried by an angel
to the mount whence Moses before his death had viewed the land
divinely assigned to Israel. There Jeremiah found a spacious place,
in which he concealed these sacred utensils. Some of his
companions had gone with him to note the way to the cave, but yet
they could not find it. (60) When Jeremiah heard of their purpose,
he censured them, for it was the wish of God that the place of
hiding should remain a secret until the redemption, and then God
Himself will make the hidden things visible. (61)

Even the Temple vessels not concealed by Jeremiah were
prevented from falling into the hands of the enemy; the gates of
the Temple sank into the earth, (62) and other parts and utensils
were hidden in a tower at Bagdad by the Levite Shimur (63) and
his friends. Among these utensils was the seven-branched
candlestick of pure gold, every branch set with twenty-six pearls,
and beside the pearls two hundred stones of inestimable worth.
Furthermore, the tower at Bagdad was the hiding-place for
seventy-seven golden tables, and for the gold with which the walls
of the Temple had been clothed within and without. The tables had
been taken from Paradise by Solomon, and in brilliance they
outshone the sun and the moon, while the gold from the walls
excelled in amount and worth all the gold that had existed from the
creation of the world until the destruction of the Temple. The
jewels, pearls, gold, and silver, and precious gems, which David
and Solomon had intended for the Temple were discovered by the
scribe Hilkiah, and he delivered them to the angel Shamshiel, who
in turn deposited the treasure in Borsippa. The sacred musical
instruments were taken charge of and hidden by Baruch and
Zedekiah until the advent of the Messiah, who will reveal all
treasures. In his time a stream will break forth from under the
place of the Holy of Holies, and flow through the lands to the
Euphrates, and, as it flows, it will uncover all the treasures buried
in the earth. (64)

BARUCH

At the time of the destruction of the Temple, one of the prominent
figures was Baruch, the faithful attendant (65) of Jeremiah. God
commanded him to leave the city one day before the enemy was to
enter it, in order that his presence might not render it impregnable.
On the following day, he and all other pious men having
abandoned Jerusalem, he saw from a distance how the angels
descended, set fire to the city walls, and concealed the sacred
vessels of the Temple. At first his mourning over the misfortunes
of Jerusalem and the people knew no bounds. But he was in a
measure consoled at the end of a seven days' fast, when God made
known to him that the day of reckoning would come for the
heathen, too. Other Divine visions were vouchsafed him. The
whole future of mankind was unrolled before his eyes, especially
the history of Israel, and he learned that the coming of the Messiah
would put an end to all sorrow and misery, and usher in the reign
of peace and joy among men. As for him, he would be removed
from the earth, he was told, but not through death, and only in
order to be kept safe against the coming of the end of all time. (66)

Thus consoled, Baruch addressed an admonition to the people left
in Palestine, and wrote two letters of the same tenor to the exiles,
one to the nine tribes and a half, the other to the two tribes and a
half. The letter to the nine tribes and a half of the captivity was
carried to them by an eagle. (67)

Five years after the great catastrophe, he composed a book in
Babylon, (68) which contained penitential prayers and hymns of
consolation, exhorting Israel and urging the people to return to
God and His law. This book Baruch read to King Jeconiah and the
whole people on a day of prayer and penitence. On the same
occasion a collection was taken up among the people, and the
funds thus secured, together with the silver Temple vessels made
by order of Zedekiah after Jeconiah had been carried away captive,
were sent to Jerusalem, with the request that the high priest
Joakim and the people should apply the money to the sacrificial
service and to prayers for the life of King Nebuchadnezzar and his
son Belshazzar. Thus they might ensure peace and happiness under
Babylonian rule. Above all, they were to supplicate God to turn
away His wrath from His people.

Baruch sent his book also to the residents of Jerusalem, and they
read it in the Temple on distinguished days, and recited the prayers
it contains. (69)

Baruch is one of the few mortals who have been privileged to visit
Paradise and know its secrets. An angel of the Lord appeared to
him while he was lamenting over the destruction of Jerusalem and
took him to the seven heavens, to the place of judgment where the
doom of the godless is pronounced, and to the abodes of the
blessed. (70)

He was still among the living at the time in which Cyrus permitted
the Jews to return to Palestine, but on account of his advanced age
he could not avail himself of the permission. So long as he was
alive, his disciple Ezra remained with him in Babylonia, for "the
study of the law is more important than the building of the
Temple." It was only after the death of Baruch that he decided to
gather together the exiles who desired to return to the Holy Land
and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. (71)

THE TOMBS OF BARUCH AND EZEKIEL

The piety of Baruch and the great favor he enjoyed with God were
made known to later generations many years after his death,
through the marvellous occurrences connected with his tomb.
Once a Babylonian prince commanded a Jew, Rabbi Solomon by
name, to show him the grave of Ezekiel, concerning which he had
heard many remarkable tales. The Jew advised the prince first to
enter the tomb of Baruch, which adjoined that of Ezekiel. Having
succeeded in this, he might attempt the same with the tomb of
Ezekiel, the teacher of Baruch. (72) In the presence of his grandees
and his people the prince tried to open the grave of Baruch, but his
efforts were fruitless. Whosoever touched it, was at once stricken
dead. An old Arab advised the prince to call upon the Jews to gain
entrance for him, seeing that Baruch had been a Jew, and his books
were still being studied by Jews. The Jews prepared themselves by
fasts, prayers, penitence, and almsgiving, and they succeeded in
opening the grave without a mishap. Baruch was found lying on
marble bier, and the appearance of the corpse was as though he
had only then passed away. (73) The prince ordered the bier to be
brought to the city, and the body to be entombed there. He thought
it was not seemly that Ezekiel and Baruch should rest in the same
grave. But the bearers found it impossible to remove the bier more
than two thousands ells from the original grave; not even with the
help of numerous draught-animals could it be urged a single step
further. Following the advice of Rabbi Solomon, the prince
resolved to enter the bier on the spot they had reached and also to
erect an academy there. These miraculous happenings induced the
prince to go to Mecca. There he became convinced of the falseness
of Mohammedanism, of which he had hitherto been an adherent,
and he converted to Judaism, he and his whole court.

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