This first English translation of the great Hebrew classic, the medieval history of Jews by Rabbi Abraham Zacuto, made possible by the benevolent generosity of the author’s direct descendant in 25^th generation, Dr Vlad Rosenblit of Houston, Texas. As our Sages of Blessed Memory taught: Maasei Avoth siman lebanim, The <great> deeds of ancestors are the guidance for descendants.

Rabbi Abraham Ben Samuel Zacuto

SEFER YOHASSIN

or

BOOK OF LINEAGE

Translated by Israel Shamir

AD1999-AM5759

The translation is based on 1926 edition, prepared by Abraham Haim Freimann, published in Frankfurt am Main, incorporating corrections done in the following years.

<The Hebrew title of the first (AM 5326) edition>

SEFER YOHASSIN

THE BOOK OF LINEAGE

COMPILED AND RESEARCHED

BY THE PHILOSOPHER SAGE OF PERFECT LEARNING

R. ABRAHAM ZACUT CALLED ZACUTO

OF BLESSED MEMORY

In order to present the tradition of the Law

From Moses our master, may he have peace

until the days of the author of blessed memory

Including question and answer by our master Rabbi Sherira

of blessed memory

On tradition of the Law of Torah

and some historical facts

about Kings of Israel and Gentile Kings

And the Prince which is called The Exilarch

And how he judged the people in the court of Sura

and in the court of Pumbeditha

And other things and separate events which occurred to our forefathers

And were found dispersed in various books

First of all in the great book of ben Gurion.

There is also a story of three sects of Israel

at the time of Destruction of the Temple:

One was called Pharisees, another called Essenes, the third was Sadducees,

Including customs and beliefs of the sects

So we can see that the Sadducees were not like Karaites of our days,

As Karaites believe in Paradise and Hell and Resurrection,

while Sadducees did not.

Printed through efforts of

The perfect sage and excellent doctor of medicine R. Samuel Sholem

in Constantinople, capital of the great King, our ruler,

mighty Sultan Suleiman,

God will return him peacefully to his capital and will crush all his enemies,

And all his deeds will succeed, amen, by God’s will,

The printing started on Wednesday, 25 Siwan 5326 <=God rose>

From His Holy Dwelling

<The Hebrew title of the 1857 edition>

SEFER YOHASSIN

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF LINEAGE

COMPILED AND WRITTEN

BY THE WONDERFUL SAGE AND ILLUSTRIOUS SCHOLAR

RABBI ABRAHAM ZACUT

OF BLESSED MEMORY

KNOWN ALSO AS ZACUTO

A NATIVE OF SALAMANCA IN THE LAND OF SPAIN

A RESIDENT OF TUNISIA IN THE LAND OF AFRICA

IN THE YEAR 5264 SINCE THE CREATION

THE MEMORIAL TO ALL GENERATIONS

FROM THE DAYS OF OUR MASTER MOSES

MAY HE HAVE PEACE,

TILL THE DAYS OF THE WRITER’S GENERATION

INCORPORATING THE WORDS OF WIZE

RABBI ABRAHAM IBN DAUD

OF BLESSED MEMORY

IN THE BOOK OF QABBALAH

AND BIGGER PART OF SEDER OLAM ZUTA.

HE INCLUDED DESCRIPTION OF DAYS AND RULE

OF GENTILE KINGS

(WHICH ARE NOT OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL)

AND COPIED THEM FROM THE GREEK BOOKS

EVEN FROM THE GREAT BOOK OF JOSEPHUS FLAVIUS

AND BESIDE ALL THAT HE COLLECTED KNOWLEDGE FROM MANY OTHER SOURCES.

The first edition appeared in Constantinople in the year 5326

The second edition appeared in Krakow in the year 5340

The third edition appeared in Amsterdam in the year 5476

The first publisher cut the manuscript to pieces

The second publisher abridged the book mercilessly

The third one decimated what the first two left over

THIS IS THE FIRST COMPLETE PUBLICATION

OF THE WRITER’S MANUSCRIPT

AS FOUND IN OXFORD

Including the marginalia of R. JACOB EMBDEN

As found written on a copy of the first edition of the BOOK OF YOHASSIN

published in Constantinople

And extant in the House of Study in London.

Prepared for the print by the perfect man of knowledge

Rabbi Zwi Herschel Filipowski

LONDON AND EDINBURGH

ANNO MUNDI 5617

ANNO 1857

The Latin title of 1857 edition

THE BOOK OF YOHASSIN

OR

THE BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL LEXICON

INCLUDING LIVES OF

ALL FAMOUS SCHOLARS AND SAGES

MENTIONED IN THE BABYLONIAN AND JT,

IN MIDRASH RABBAH AND SIMILAR BOOKS

COMPILED BY ILLUSTRIOUS

RABBI ABRAHAM ZACUTO

Native of Salamanca in Spain (AD1504) who lived in Tunis in Africa.

With additions by the same author of lives of illustrious men

from the histories of Persian, Egyptian, Babylonian and Roman kings

This is the first edition based of the author’s manuscript

Preserved in the Bodleian library in Oxford

Containing marginalia of

RABBI JACOB EMBDEN

On the margins of the Constantinopolitan edition

Edited by Herschel Filipowski

For the Society of Hebrew antiquities

DEDICATION

TO THE TEACHERS

Pull your bow and shoot your sharp arrows

unto me again

But you will not awake my anger

As flies prefer dead meat

And avoid live and wholesome

So you teachers are similar in your judgment.

You avoid all good and seek all bad things.

INTRODUCTION

TO THE COMPLETE BOOK OF YOHASSIN

By

Abraham Haim Freimann

1. LIFE OF RABBI ABRAHAM ZACUTO

The family of the author of The Book of Yohassin is known under names of Zacut or Zacuto, Zakuto, Zakudo in various spellings. At first Zacut family resided in France. When in the year AM 5066 the Jews were expelled from France, they moved their tents to Spain. The Rabbi Abraham Zacuto the Elder was the descendant of those refugees, and he left his good name to his grandson R. Abraham Zacuto the Second. The latter’s son R. Samuel Zacuto was the father and teacher of the author of the Book of Yohassin.

R. Abraham Zacuto, the author of the Book of Yohassin, refers to his ancestors as to people that ‘withstood the Castilian persecutions for their faith in the Blessed Creator and His Torah’.

In the days of the persecutions in the year AM 5151, there was R. Moses Zakudo. His teacher, R. Judah, son of R. Asher <Ben Yehiel>, The Saint of Toledo, who was martyred for his faith, dispatched R. Moses Zakudo to Rabbi Isaac Ben Sheshet <Barfat>, the author of famous Responsa of that name. His mother’s family was of noble descent as well and ‘never left the study of the Torah since the days of old’.

Among his maternal ancestors there was renowned R. Samuel Balansi <Valenci> the greatest in knowledge and wisdom of the R. Isaac Abuhab’s disciples. He died five years before the Expulsion from Spain, being 52 years of age.

R. Abraham Zacuto ben R. Samuel ben R. Abraham was born in Salamanca in Castile about AM5200. In his youth, he studied Torah under guidance of his father Samuel, who was apparently a rabbi <haham> and received the tradition <of Oral Law> from the late ancestors and rabbis of blessed memory. R. Abraham quotes his father as the source, <for instance> why sons of R. Papa are mentioned after completion of a tractate? His father told him: he heard it is good for memory to invoke their names seven times, as we mention Elijah <the Prophet> of blessed memory following the end of Sabbath.

When R. Abraham was six or seven years old, he saw in person the old R. Isaac Kanfenton, the chief rabbi of the Castilian community, who was called 'Gaon' by his contemporaries (the usage of the title was not common in those days). The outlook of ‘the meek pious man with the Holy Spirit of God’ impressed the child greatly. In the old age he wrote, ‘Whoever saw him saw the face of Divine Presence’. But the real teacher of R. Abraham was R. Isaac Abuhab, ‘the sharp-wit innovator’. He had many disciples and authored a book on the Four Columns, which remained uncompleted. He was the source of R. Abraham Zacuto's knowledge of the Talmud, of Posekim <Rabbinical authority on halachic questions> and of the Qabbalah wisdom. R. Abraham Zacuto knew inside out all Babylonian and JT, as we see in the Sefer Yohassin. His greatness and wit are seen in his own replies in the discussion on Rambam <as quoted by Maharal ben Habib, Responsa 19>.

His native Salamanca was the capital of <mundane> learning of his days. R. Abraham read astronomy and mathematics in the Salamanca University. He succeeded in his studies and became a famous astronomer. The bishop of Salamanca, an adept of astronomy, became aware of his abilities and nominated him a professor of the Salamanca University. R. Abraham taught in the University and many of his disciples, Christians and Jews, became prominent scholars. One of them, Augustine Ricci, gained renown as a famous astronomer.

In those days R. Abraham Zacuto compiled his great work on astronomy by orders of the Bishop of Salamanca. His astronomic tables seemed miraculous to his contemporaries. His first publisher R. Samuel Sholem wrote in his introduction: ‘All preceding tables of Gentiles were as naught, and the Gentiles broke and discarded all previous tables, and adopted his wonderful creation forever and ever’. R. Abraham Zacuto also improved the astrolabe and made it of copper instead of previously used wooden astrolabes that were not precise enough. His innovations and discoveries made him well known.

It seems R. Abraham Zacuto had dealings with Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America. Columbus stayed in Salamanca and apparently, R. Abraham Zacuto showed him some astronomic books including the book supposedly written by R. Abraham Ibn Ezra. R. Abraham Zacuto was among the very few scholars who believed in successful completion of Columbus' journey. The contemporary scholar Gaspar Correa quoted in his book the following opinion of R. Abraham Zacuto: ‘The Land of India is exceedingly remote and seas and lands separate us from it; still whoever will risk the journey unavoidably will reach it’. R. Abraham Zacuto's tables always accompanied Columbus in all his travels and once, during his last voyage to America in the AM 5264 they saved his life.

Columbus visited Veragua, where he found plenty of gold. After leaving Veragua, his fleet suffered from a terrible hurricane, and in terrible plight, he reached Jamaica. Caciques (native chiefs) were hostile and did not want to provide him and his people with food so they were on the edge of starvation. Columbus conceived a trick to save his life. R. Abraham Zacuto's tables told him there would be soon (on 29 of February 1504) a lunar eclipse. Columbus assembled the Caciques and promised he will put a spell on them by withdrawing the moonlight. During the eclipse the Cazics were frightened and prayed to Columbus to remove the spell. Columbus pretended praying to his God, the eclipse passed and since then the Caciques respected him and provided with all he needed. It is written in the book on Columbus' voyages.

The copy of R. Abraham Zacuto's tables with marginalia of Columbus could be found in the Colombian library in Portugal.

Besides his astronomical investigations, R. Abraham Zacuto dealt also with astrology that he trusted and believed in. He was not above belief in demons and other superstitions. In his book, he wrote about a Gentile, whom he met in Salamanca. The Gentile's voice was heard from the roof of the building though he sat quietly inside the house. He also reported that certain Jewish women could prophecy in his presence.

Later R. Abraham Zacuto apparently moved to Saragossa and taught in the University, while his wisdom and knowledge grew.

In AM 5252, the Castilian king Fernando ordered to expel all Jews of Spain. R. Abraham Zacuto was forced to leave his home country. He saw those righteous people who preferred to kill themselves and their children rather then be forced to transgress the commandments of the Lord. R. Abraham Zacuto moved together with his teacher R. Isaac Abuhab to Portugal and settled in Lisbon the capital of the country. Seven months later his teacher died and R. Abraham Zacuto lamented him by quoting the verse ‘See, I am sending an angel ahead of you’ (Ex 23:20).

The fame of R. Abraham Zacuto preceded his arrival to Portugal and King Joao II who was a keen adept of astronomy and engineering provided him with a university cathedra. The king liked R. Abraham Zacuto and gave him the honorable title The Royal Astronomer. When the king visited Turi di Tombo in AM 5254 he presented ‘Abraham the Astrologer’ with ten golden coins.

It is written in the book of Neshmat Haim: once the King Joao came to try R. Abraham Zacuto's wisdom by riddles. He said he intended to travel to Iborra and demanded to read by stars through which gate he will enter Iborra. R. Abraham replied, ‘Whatever I'll say, you will enter by other gate’. The King said, ‘No, put your divination in writing and seal it with your own seal’. He brought clean sheet of paper and wrote, ‘The King will open a new gate and enter through it’. So it was - the king wanted to prove that his fortune telling is false, and broke a new gate into the city and entered through it. As he entered he opened the R. Abraham Zacuto’s letter and read it out loud, and it was a miracle in his eyes.

Another time the King invited R. Abraham Zacuto to his room and enquired what is the distance between earth and heaven. He gave the answer. In a year time the king raised the roof of the room by one and a half amah and asked R. Abraham: tell me, Astronomer, what is the distance between the earth and heaven, as I forgot <your answer>. The wise man replied, <Since then> the earth was raised or the heaven descended.

After demise of Joao II his grandchild, Dom Manuel sat on the throne of Portuguese kings. He nominated R. Abraham Zacuto to be his astronomer and secretary. In AM 5256, the tables of R. Abraham Zacuto were published in Liria, in the printing house of Master Samuel di Ortas. They spread in all lands of East and West, 'in the countries of Edom and in the lands of Ishmael'. R. Abraham Zacuto wrote about it: 'I have been in the kingdom of Spain and in other Christian kingdoms when my books on Astronomy were published, and people said '<it is written by> R. Abraham Zacuto of Salamanca. I am entitled to be proud of it as our Sages of blessed memory said: 'What is the wisdom that the Gentile nations appreciate?' and they meant the calculations of stars of Zodiac and of periods of time. I bear witness to heaven that they glorified <the people of> Israel for it' It was said that R. Abraham Zacuto's advice on wisdom of stars to the Gentile nations and their kings is as good as Ahitophel's advice of old.

During his sojourn in Portugal R. Abraham Zacuto came to new conclusion about the origin of storms and gales in the equinoctial regions. His investigations proved it is possible to reach India by circumventing Africa. In AM 5257, King Manuel equipped the fleet under command of Vasco di Gama to search for the way to India. Before his departure, Vasco di Gama sought R. Abraham Zacuto's advice in presence of his sailors. King Manuel invited R. Abraham Zacuto to the city of Beja and the astronomer told him that India soon would belong to Portugal. It became true, as we know.

In AM 5257, the Jews of Portugal were expelled as well, and R. Abraham Zacuto left the country together with his son Samuel. R. Abraham Zacuto wrote about it: 'God granted me and my son Samuel the privilege (zechut) to glorify and sanctify His Name. We came to Africa, twice we were made prisoners. God in His great mercy to His pious ones will provide me and my offspring's posterity to worship His blessed Name'.

R. Abraham Zacuto went with many other exiles to Africa and settled in Tunis, there was 'a big community, rich people and great believers in the tradition <Qabbalah> of Torah'. Among the Portuguese exiles in Tunis, there was R. Moses Alaskar as well. The troubles and destitution caused by exile wore down the strength of R. Abraham as he admitted: ‘For my sins, for all these destruction and captivity and lack of food I have nor strength, no wisdom, neither sense of distinction’.

In Tunis, R. Abraham Zacuto completed his Sefer Yohassin, but he was short of <reference> books, as there were no books in Tunis but whatever the exiles brought with them. R. Abraham Zacuto stayed in Tunis for a few years, but apparently he could not find peace for his soul and left for the Middle East, to Turkey and in the end of his days to Syria. He settled in Damascus and died there in AM 5275.

Among friends of R. Abraham Zacuto there was the perfect scholar R. Abraham Halevy Bokart, mentioned by R. Abraham Zacuto in Sefer Yohassin. It appears he is identical with R. Abraham ben R. Eleazar Halevy, R. Abraham Zacuto’ brother in law, who wrote a few books on Qabbalah, including Galya Raza (Disclosing Secrets) and Sefer Zikaron (The Book of Memory). Among his better-known disciples, there was R. Joseph Vecinho, the physician to the King Joao III and a member of the Lisbon Junta. The Junta was the group of scientists, astronomers, and navigators. R. Joseph was a friend and an adviser of Columbus. He translated the explanation of R. Abraham Zacuto’s Tables into Latin. R. Abraham Zacuto’s grandson, R. Abraham Luzitanus, was a great physician and a wise man.

2. R. Abraham Zacuto’s books

A. Almanac Perpetuus

B. Tashlum Aruch

C. Otzar Haiim

D. Mishpatei Haetztagnin

3. THE BOOK OF YOHASSIN – GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Hebrew medieval historical literature is rather lean and mean. The historiographers described events and tales, marked years and dates, but they could not present events and personae dramatis within the whole historical and spiritual context of their times. They couldn’t express the rise and fall of spiritual movements, or show us some great historical personage by making him alive through exaltation of their own spirit. They couldn’t integrate the details into a united and live presentation. Such purposes were foreign to the historiographers, as they did not consider history as a separate independent branch of knowledge. The historiography was not writers’ art, they thought. They intentionally limited their scope: some described the miracles to enhance the faith and arouse the spirit of believers, some preferred to dispute with Christians and free thinkers by compiling the traditions of transmission of the Oral Law and Qabbalah. They usually considered their work as subsidiary to the establishment of the Halacha, the Rule of Law. It was necessary to know the lives and times of the sages of Talmud and Mishna in order to determine who preceded whom and whose judgment prevails according to the rule of the oldest decision.

The Book of Yohassin conforms to the rule. The main intention of Rabbi Abraham Zacuto as the author of the book was to help the Talmud scholars, as he states openly in his foreword. That is why R. Abraham Zacuto concentrates his attention and efforts on the first articles in the book dealing with the Talmud personalities. He writes at length about the scholars called The Late Sages of Israel (HaZaL) and tries to establish rules of preferment of Judgment. His second aim was to support the Jewish side in disputes with Christians, and he frequently refers to the opinions of Christian laity and clerics and of Jesus himself. Chapter six of his work is dedicated altogether to the Jews-versus-Christians polemics.

The Book of Yohassin exceeds all previous historiographic writings by its completeness and perfection of the first chapters dealing with the Mishnah and Talmud personae. R Abraham Zacuto invested huge effort in it and succeeded to lay a sound foundation to the structure of the Talmudic history. Rabbi Moses Haggis was right saying, ‘If you wish to quench your thirst and to find the origins and descent of the Sages of Mishnah and Talmud and to learn everything about them, their names and their virtues, keep close to your heart this pleasant book and it will encourage your spirit to study the Oral Law’ (Mishnat Hahamim, 625).

The author named his book Sefer Yohassin – the Book of Lineage, but his provisional title was Sefer Hasidim – the Book of Pious, or Sefer Kedoshim – the Book of Saints. In his Conclusion he writes, ‘That is why I compiled together The Book of Saints and the Book of Lineage, to pay tribute to the wise and holy people of Israel’.

R. Abraham Zacuto invested ‘many labors’, and worked for many years. The scientists are still divided as to the year when the book was written. Zunz presumes the book was completed in the year AM 5262, but the majority of experts prefer the year AM 5264 (Graetz, Keizerling, etc). The author of Zemach David gives the year AM 5263. Lev considers the chapter 6 being written in AM 5264, while previous chapters were written in preceding years. In the chapter 3 there is a reference, which was missed by scholars. On p. 204a, R Zacuto writes, ‘This year is a thousand-year anniversary of the completion of Talmud and 73 years since the demise of R Ashi’. By R Zacuto’s counting, it is the year 5259. Still there is no need to choose a specific year, as it appears that Rabbi Zacuto wrote some chapters in Portugal before the Expulsion, while other chapters were composed in Tunisia.

The best proof can be found on p 22a, where he states that in Tunisia he had just a few books, namely Nezikin of the JT and the Midrash Leviticus Rabbah etc. In his first chapters, he freely quotes all tractates of the JT and all Midrash Rabbah books. It proves that he wrote his book over number of years. Various chapters were composed at different dates. Answer that is more precise we can find by checking his other books. In the introduction to his Astronomical Tables or Perpetual Almanac R Zacuto promises to compose a book on the Sages of Mishna and Talmud. The introduction to the Book of Yohassin also states that he considered the book as a certain supplement to his previous books on astronomy. He writes: ‘This book is similar to the books on wisdom of numbers and stars, and a virtuous deed causes other virtuous deeds.’ It means that R Zacuto started this book after completion of his Opus Magnum in the year 5238. In the year 5270, Rabbi Abraham of Trotial composed his book of Qabbalah, and he uses frequently the Book of Yohassin.

It proves the Book of Yohassin was composed between 5240 and 5270. During those years R Abraham Zacuto collected the vast material for the book and carefully presented it in the first three chapters on the sages of Mishna and Amora. The following chapters were written hastily after the Expulsion and the author had no time to arrange them properly and left it as an uncompleted compilation of various and contradictory sources.

R. Abraham Zacuto tried to correct the errors of preceding scholars on Qabbalah and related topics, and frequently argued with Rambam and with R. Abraham ibn Daud, the author of Qabbalah book. He modestly assesses his efforts in this field: ‘Sometimes a small candle is better to look for holes and cracks than a great luminosity’.

The last chapters of the Book of Yohassin have great historical value, as for instance the narrative on Book of Zohar. The Book of Yohassin is our only primary source on the matter as the other writers just quoted the book of R Zacuto. But the first chapters dealing with the Mishna and Talmud scholars are also important as R Zacuto compared various manuscripts and printed books to present the reader with correct versions. The latter glosses are also important, especially those by the first publisher R. Samuel Sholem, who quoted many old and otherwise lost, books.

For many years, the Book of Yohassin was the most important of historiographic Jewish books. The previous generations of our forefathers in the darkness of the Diaspora read this book to enliven their souls. Despite the reassessment of modernity, the Book of Yohassin remains the important step on the road from the mist of tales and legends to the light of scientific exploration.

D. The sources of Sefer Yohassin.

E. The editions of Sefer Yohassin.

The Author’s Introduction

Thus says Abraham bar Samuel bar Abraham Zacuto: the people of Israel are compared to stars by name and number, as best gold objects incrusted with precious stones. Even more so the wise and pious men, for it is said, ‘The wise men will shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who lead others to righteousness <will shine> like stars for ever and ever’. That is the great difference between those who provide themselves with merit, and those who lead others to righteousness and provide others with merit. The star in heaven is similar to the soul in the body, being its most important part. They, I mean the sages of Mishna and Talmud, and those who came after them who wrote books to dispense virtues among us, they illuminate our souls.

In order to lead myself and others to virtue and righteousness and to provide with merits I rose to compile this small book and present by name and dates the sages of Mishna and the Babylonian Talmud as we have it, excluding the sages of the Baraitha, as I do not know them and their dates. I shall mention the Gaonim and the authors of books and their dates, whenever I’ll find it. I shall not glorify myself by saying ‘that is great wisdom’ as due to persecutions and captivity and need for food I lost my strength for my sins. I have nor wisdom, neither knowledge, nor taste neither distinction. But in order to obtain merit I shall remember the rules of Law and the important implications of the Law as done and quoted by the sages.

I wrote this book and I deserved to write it, as it maps the generations from the Creation, when the world was created, and it <the Creation> is the most important thing in the Torah, as it contains all miracles which explicate the Creation of the world, and the True Force which alone makes miracles, and it helps in the hard times. It is true, there are angels present, but they are sent by Him and they depend on Him and His presence, and one cannot speak properly of presence but of presence of the Blessed Creator, whose presence is certain. This book is similar to <the one I wrote on> astronomy, as one good deed <mitzvah> causes another good deed.

At first, I contemplated on the title for the book. If I’d call it The Book of Righteous, it would hurt the honor of the Pious, who were wise, and weren’t ignorant natives. Rashi explicated <the Bible> and he was a pious man, and stayed away from sin, but he was a merchant. Even Prophet Samuel is called Samuel the Righteous (in the end of chapter ‘Bame Behema’ in Sabbath). There is also Simeon the Righteous. In the beginning of chapter Techeleth Rashi explained that pious are those who haste to do good deeds (mitzvoth). In Bava Batra in the chapter Hamaniach it is said: ‘Who is Pious? Pious observes the rules of damages’. They asked, and what about <observing the rules of> benedictions? They said, ‘it comes from their fathers’. In the chapter Kol kitvei Rabbah says, ‘Who is God-fearful? One who avoids using others free’. Rashi explicated: Pious men are those who are ready to give away their own in order to avoid even touch of transgression.

P 4

SEFER YOHASSIN

PART ONE

I SHALL START TO DESCRIBE GENERATIONS WITH HELP OF

GOD, THE HEAVEN DWELLER

SINCE the Creation till the Flood <passed> 1656 years, as Torah shows (and as we know in detail). Rambam (in the book of Judges, chapter 9 on Rules of Kings and their Wars) wrote: Adam was given six commandments: <to avoid> idolatry, incest, bloodshed, robbery, blasphemy and to do justice etc. [Though all of them we received from Moses our master, it appears these were the commandments to observe. And to Noah it was commanded <do not partake> part of a live animal, as it is said ‘do not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it’. So, it is seven commandments]. In the chapter ‘Gid Hanashe’ end of page 92 <it is said>, ‘Children of Noah were given 30 commandments but only three are observed: a marriage contract (ketubah) is not written for the male, dead meat is not weighted in a slaughterhouse, and the Torah should be respected’ (see the Rashi’s commentary).

So it was till the days of Abraham. Abraham came and received commandments of circumcision and he prayed the Morning Prayer (Shaharit). Isaac gave the tithe and added another prayer, which is the Afternoon Prayer (Mincha). Jacob added <the prohibition of> the thigh sinews and prayed the Evening Prayer (Maariv). In Egypt Amram (father of Moses our master) was given even more commandments. [And then came Moses and the Torah was completed.]

In the chapter Osin Pasin <it is said> Adam was very pious, 130 years he abstained from intercourse with his wife, after that he bore Seth. Before that, only demons and spirits were born from his semen, due to involuntary emission. Methuselah the Righteous was a son of Enoch, who turned into living fire, according to tradition, like Elijah the Prophet of blessed memory. It is written in Tosafoth in chapter Ele Trefoth: God took him <Enoch> and named him Metatron. He died seven days before the Flood, I mean Methuselah the Righteous. Then Noah was 600 years old.

Since the Flood till the birth of our forefather Abraham, beginning of our lineage, ancestor of many nations, 292 years passed. When Abraham was 48 years old, 10 years before Noah’s death came the Generation of Division. They settled in different countries and spoke different languages. It was in the end of days of Peleg, as it is said in first chapter of Sabbath and in Seder Olam. He was called Peleg <=‘division’>, as in his days life of men was divided. Their life span was just half of their ancestors. He <Peleg> died after living half as long as his father Eber, but Shem son of Noah saw change of 12 generations. He lived until Jacob was 50 years old. Eber, great-grandchild of Shem, lived until Jacob was 79 years old. The court of Shem banned the prostitution, as it is said, ‘Judah said: bring her out and have her burned to death’. Thus, it is written in AZ and Sanhedrin.

Noah died 58 years after Abraham’s birth, and R. Abraham Ibn Ezra of blessed memory marked it saying: Our father Abraham was 58 <=Noah> years old, when Noah died. Abraham was circumcised at the age of 99. It coincided with the destruction of Sodom, which happened 51 years after the Generation of Division, almost 52 years. Zoar was established one year later than Sodom, and it is said: ‘let us <=51> escape’, (see first chapter of Sabbath).

Our father Abraham, may he have peace, observed all commandments of the Torah, as it is said: ‘Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws’. His tractate AZ <on idolatry> contained 400 chapters. In the chapter Omar lahem hamemune‘ <it is said that> he observed even the rule of holiday cooking, and it is connected to the secret tradition. Why they did not mention another commandment <but just this one>? In order to imply that he, may he have peace, announced of the Creation of the world, as it is said ‘I have raised my hand to etc … Creator <=owner> of Heaven and Earth’. That is why it is said ‘Abraham is the first property of God’. By saying ‘Creator <=owner> of Heaven and Earth’, he stated that they <Heaven and Earth> are property of God, be His Name blessed. It is similar to saying ‘Whoever says on Sabbath eve 'The heavens were completed' becomes a companion to God, be His Name blessed, as it is <about> Creation’. He <Abraham>, may he have peace, taught people <about Creation>, as it is said in Genesis Rabbah, the portion of Melchizedek.

Though in ‘Pesahim’ on Hosea it is said ‘three things are created by <and belong to> The Holy One, blessed be His Name’, there Abraham is not mentioned. Referring to Heaven and Earth, they said ‘Creator <owner> of Heaven and Earth’. All that Abraham taught people. The reason for the rule of holiday cooking is well known: it is written, ‘remember <observe> Sabbath’. In case of feast, which causes man to forget Sabbath, there comes the rule, so he would choose goodish portion for Sabbath <meal> as well. So happened that people forgot <about> the Creation of the world, and our forefather Abraham, may he have peace, reminded them.

P 5

In Genesis Rabbah in the portion of Toledoth Isaac, it is said about <Abraham’s observance of> the rule of connecting courtyards: he didn’t take <move things on Sabbath> from a courtyard of one owner to the public territory. It means that he, <Abraham>, may he have peace, announced that there is One <Owner and Creator> in the world. He read astronomy in cathedra in Egypt in order to prove by <stars and their> movements that there is the first and only Creator in the world Who created them. It is made clear in the Christian chronicles. It <the Creation> is the most important thing in the Torah and miracles.

He <Abraham>, may he have peace, established times for three prayers. The Torah does not explicate whether he established Morning Prayer, while Isaac <established> the Afternoon prayer and Jacob <established the time for> Evening prayer, or each one of them prayed each prayer diligently and early according to his qualities. Though, it is said that Abraham was very diligent and started early the Afternoon prayer, and it is said that each one <of the forefathers> established the <times for> prayers, as it is suitable. Abraham observed even the rules <established> by Sages, so naturally he observed the rules for prayers, which are based on Torah.

In the beginning of the chapter Omar lahem hamemune²⁸ on prayers of Abraham it is said <that he prayed when> shadow darkens the wall. Rashi explained: Afternoon prayer is prayed after noon, but Abraham was very diligent and started the prayer as soon as possible <at high noon>. That is why we know it is more commendable to pray the Big Afternoon Prayer (in early afternoon). Small Afternoon Prayer is always prayed in the dusk, but on the Eve of Passover. Aruch explicated: Isaac learned the Afternoon prayer from Abraham. The words ‘prayers of Abraham’ mean just ‘prayers of forefathers’, and Abraham is mentioned because he is the most important one. It is written in the article on Sunrise. R. Zemach explained: ‘prayers of Abraham’ mean the Additional prayer, as it is also a part of Morning Prayer established by Abraham. This explanation is not valid, as in the chapter Ein Omdin R. Jose Bar Haninah is quoted saying that our forefathers did not establish the Additional prayer. In the beginning of chapter Morning Prayer <it is said that> Isaac established the Afternoon prayer. So, when people say ‘prayers of Abraham’ they mean ‘after <the Afternoon prayer> was established by Isaac’.

It appears our explication is preferable. There is a sign for it: each prayer’s title starts from the second letter of forefathers’ names, so Boker (morning) for ABraham, Sohoraim (Afternoon) for ISaac, Arvit (Evening prayer) for JAcob. He, <Abraham>, may he have peace, taught Noah <the prayer>, though he was <born> 10 generations later and he was 58 <=Noah> years old, when Noah died, as it is written above. He was born 52 years before the completion of second millennium since <the Creation of the world from> chaos. Then he started to teach <and explicate> Torah. It means that he was 52 years old at that time. He was detained in Kuta and Cardo for ten years (as is said in the end of chapter Hamoher et hasfina) and then the king expelled him from his kingdom.

He was only 3 years old when he became aware of his Creator. That is the amount of letters A, K, B in the text ‘shamA aBraham bKoli’, (Abraham obeyed me), as it is explicated in Yoma and Nedarim. Rambam, of blessed memory, says in Mada, that Abraham was 40 years old when he became aware of his Creator. It was already refuted by R. Abraham ibn Daud and by R. Moses HaCohen. It is also said in Genesis Rabbah the portion Vaigash Yehuda and in Midrash Hazit that ‘<Abraham was> three years old’. In Genesis Rabbah the portion Toledoth of Noah and in Midrash Hayut it is said: ‘He was 48 years old, and it was in the year of Division, when he became aware of his Creator’. That is the source of Rambam, but he had a faulty copy.

We explain: <his awareness> began when he was 3 years old and became perfect when he saw the Division and the wonderful deeds of The Holy One, blessed be His Name. Then he was 48 years old. When he was 52 years old, he started to teach <explicate> Torah, as we said previously. So the words ‘and the people they had acquired <=converted> in Harran’ became fulfilled. He was 70 years old at the Covenant between the pieces. He came back to Harran and was punished for it. When he was 75 years old, The Holy One, blessed be His Name, told him to leave Harran and go to the Land of Israel, as it is said in Seder Olam. He was meek, and good willing, and poor of spirit, and broken of heart and a generous giver. Blessing upon him and blessed are his descendants after him.

Our forefather Isaac was born, when Abraham was 100 years old, in the year AM 2048. He was tied up <for sacrifice> at the age of 36 [Publisher’s note: our forefather Isaac was tied up <for sacrifice> on the Mount Moriah, and it is well known that is the place where David and Solomon built <the Temple> on the threshing floor of Arawna. That is the place where Abraham built the altar and tied Isaac <up for sacrifice>. That is the place where Noah built <the altar> as he left his Arc. That is the altar where Cain and Abel brought sacrifices. Adam the first man sacrificed there as he was created. There <or from this earth> he was created. So says Rambam in second part of the Temple Rules. In the chapter Haba al yebemato it is said in Tosafoth, Sifri: Rebecca was 14 years old when she married Isaac, but Seder Olam says: three <years old>. The Midrashim hold various opinions.]

Our forefather Jacob was born when his father Isaac was 60 years old, year AM 2108. He studied in the House of Study of Eber and Shem. We do not know when his children were born, with exclusion of Joseph the Righteous <who was born when> Jacob was 91. How come? Jacob entered Egypt being 130 years old. Then Joseph was 39. It means Jacob was 91, when Joseph was born. Then the 14 years he slaved for Rachel and Leah were completed.

Apparently, Levy was born when Jacob was 86, five years before Joseph’s birth. It follows from the words of our Sages of blessed memory. How come? Joseph was born when Jacob was 91. He worked 6 more years at Laban’s flocks until the age of 96. On the way to Shechem, he tarried a year and a half in Succoth, as explicated Rashi of blessed memory in the corresponding chapter. When Jacob was 99, they came to Shechem. Then Levy was 13, as he is called ‘man with his sword’. It means Levy was born when his father Jacob was 86, in the AM 2194. Levy died in the AM 2331, he was 130. Cohath was 133 years old. Amram lived 130 years, like his grandfather Levy. He was one of four totally sinless men, together with Benjamin, Jesse, and Chileab, who was so similar to his father King David.

Our teacher Moses, may he have peace, was the seventh in the line of our saintly forefathers. He was born on Sabbath, 36 years after Levy’s death, in the AM 2368, on seventh day of Adar in 3d hour of the day, as explicated Rabbi Abraham Bar Hiya of Spain.

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We have the tradition that the count of 400 years of captivity in Egypt starts from Isaac’s birth. This is also the opinion of Gentile sages and of their history books. Why starting from Isaac? As it is written: ‘Your <Abraham’s> descendants will be strangers in a country not their own’. It is said also in the Aramaic translation of JT that Children of Israel spent in Egypt 30 seven-year periods <Shemitah> and thus completed 400 years. In the Aramaic translation of Talmud on ‘Leaping across the mountains’ <it is said> ‘due to their fathers’ merit they skipped 190 years’, and then remained 210 <=descent to Egypt> years.

As Isaac was born in AM 2048, Exodus took place in AM 2448 or year 16 of the <19 year calendar> cycle. That is opinion of R. Hiya of Spain and of the Yesod Olam. The second year in the desert was year 17 of the cycle, which is <a Leap year> with two months of Adar. So The Holy One, blessed be His Name commanded: ‘celebrate Passover at its time’ etc. R. Simeon Doran says it was year 17 of the cycle when the Exodus from Egypt took place. Then <the second year> was year 18 of the cycle, meaning an ordinary <not a leap> year. The commentary to Hagadda says, ‘it makes sense that it was year 16, the leap year, as the new moon was on Tuesday’. But according to Rambam it was on evening of Wednesday and on Thursday the new month began, as in Seder Olam. Here is the proof it was a leap year: the springtime was over with the hailstorm, as it is said ‘barley in spring’. In the year 16 the spring was over on the second day of Passover.

Still it is not too difficult even if it was an ordinary year. It is known that in Egypt spring comes one month before it comes in the Land of Israel, as sometimes there is new wheat in Passover, but our explanation works even without stretching too much. In the year 2448 the Salvation and Exodus took place, then Moses was 80 years old. In the 3d month, that is Siwan, on Sabbath, 6^th of Siwan they received Torah from The Holy One, blessed be His Name. R. Akiba says it was on Sabbath.

Moses added three rules: blessing of manna, when manna was falling, and the custom of asking questions and expounding the rites of Passover during Passover, and he established the <priestly shifts of> Eleazar and Ithamar as we find in the end of Taaniyot. Rambam of blessed memory wrote in the chapter Aveloth and in the first chapter of Ketuboth in the JT and in Torath Haadam, that Moses also added seven days of mourning and seven days of feast.

He<Moses> wrote his book, and the story of Balaam, and the obscure book of Job (see first chapter of Bava Batra). In this part of Talmud it is also written, that Job lived from the year of arrival of Children of Israel in Egypt and until Exodus, and it is written: 210 years. It is written, that he lived in the days of Jacob. When <Moses> asked: ‘is there a tree or not’ he meant Job. As Job died, his shadow was gone, but God is with us. In Genesis Rabbah chapter 57 <the words> ‘his firstborn son Uz’ are explained by R. Jose ben Halafta: he <Job> was born as they went <’descended’> to Egypt, and he died as they left Egypt. So he <Job> lived 210 years. So it is said in the first chapter of Ketuboth of JT that Moses our master established it (see Torath Adam). It is also written in Christian and Greek historical books, that our master Moses wrote <the Book of Job,> and that Job was Yovav ben Zerach of Basra, one of Edomite kings. It also follows from some words of Ramban of blessed memory that he <Job> and his friends Elipaz, Eldad, Elihu ben Berachel Habuzi were descendants of Abraham, from the Ram family. They were also descendants of Esau, and Job lived in Arabia and in Sabah and in Edom to the south of the Land of Israel. And still the Aramaic translation says: the Land of Uz is Armenia, meaning part of Greece, and some people say his <Job’s> tomb is located in Constantinople.

[Publisher Samuel Sholem says: Job which is buried in Constantinople is Job el Ozari, who came to Constantinople in the first year after death of Hussein ibn Ali, with Abdallah ibn Abbas and Abdallah ibn Zeid, with three thousand men and 500 boats. He was killed at the gate called Igri Kapi. King Constantine son of George made his tomb, and it happened in the year 50AH, check their dates and forget about them.]

In the days of Moses our master, may he have peace, the prophets of those days established the fourth rule, that is the rule of reading from Torah on Monday, Thursday and Sabbath. Our master Moses, may he have peace, received Torah and its explication from One Who gave it at Mount Sinai and in the Tabernacle and in the wilderness of Moab. He <Moses> died an easy and sweet death by God’s will in the fortieth year <since the Exodus> in the month of Adar, on 7^th of Adar in the high noon, in the middle (etzem) of the day, as it is said ‘in that very (etzem) day’. It was Sabbath. There is a Midrash saying: in the eve of Sabbath, and it was AM 2488. And so it was.

Joshua received the Torah from Moses at 82. He was born in the year AM 2406. He established ten rules as we see in the chapter Meruba and <he established> the Blessing of the Land. Though we said Moses our master, may he have peace, established just three rules, it is said in the chapter Bame Madlikin, that he established many rules and laws, but Rashi quotes just one of them. There is a Midrash story about an Emperor who forbade to lit fire in Rome just for one day, and his prohibition was broken, and Moses prescribed ‘do not lit fire etc’. It appears they did not distinguish between rules, laws and commandments of Torah.

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Joshua belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, as it is said in the Chronicles, and his line ends with him, as he had no son. It is said in Pesahim: he didn’t bless the wine cup, and he was not blessed with son. Wife of Joshua, Rahab did not belong to seven <native Canaanite> nations, see Mizvoth, 112. Among Joshua and Rahab’s descendants, there were 8 prophets, as they had daughters. It is said in the first chapter of Megilah. He judged Israel 28 years, as it is said in the Seder Olam, and he died in AM 2516. R. Simeon bar Zemach Doran in the third part of Magen Avoth concerning prophecy says that Joshua judged 14 years. It does not suit the tradition of Seder Olam according to R. Jose by the opinion of R. Akiba.

It makes sense that the <Holy> Writ says that all spies were equal, not that one was 40, and another one almost sixty. It is said explicitly that Caleb was 40, when Moses sent him to his mission. It makes sense that Joshua was 42, not 57. To achieve the amount of 300 years <of Judges> until Jephthah, as Seder Olam counts, Joshua judged 28 years. Seder Olam and Rashi say: 28 years, but <the Bible> does not say explicitly, so it is the tradition.

About the rest <of the Judges> it is written: Othniel judged 40 years, Ohad – 80 years, Shamgar – 1 year, Deborah – 40 years, Midian captivity – 7 years, Gideon – 40 years, Abimelech – 3 years, Thola – 23 years, Jair – 22 years, Ammonite captivity – 18 years, so it amounts up to 300 years until Jephthah. [Publisher: the sanctuary was 14 years in Gilgal and 369 years in Shiloh, till the death of Eli].

The Elders received <the Law> from Joshua. One of them, and the most important one, was Caleb, as explicated in the chapter Kohen Gadol veNazir. Also the descendants of Itamar, from Phinehas until Eli the High Priest, and the Elders before Eli, they lived longer than Joshua. He <Caleb> judged Israel for 17 years according to Seder Olam, but it is not mentioned by Rashi or by Commentators. It seems Othniel Ben Kenaz, brother of Caleb, was one of the Elders. By his < Seder Olam’s> system, Othniel ben Kenaz, brother to Caleb, began <to judge> in AM 2533, and he led Israel for 40 years. That was ‘the court of Yavetz’, mentioned in Talmud, meaning Othniel ben Kenaz.

Ehud ben Gera began <to judge> in AM 2573 and he led Israel for 80 years, which were completed in AM 2653. Shamgar <judged> one year. Deborah began <to judge> in AM 2654 and she led Israel for 40 years. Gideon began <to judge> in AM 2694 and he led Israel for 40 years. He is Jerub-Baal. His son Abimelech began to rule in AM 2734, and he led for 3 years. Tola ben Puah judged for 23 years, Jair of Gilead judged for 22 years. Two years are lost in the count, it makes 48 years. Jephthah began <to judge> in AM 2779, and he led for 6 years. Since they came into the land they conquered, the land of Sihon and Og, and until Jephthah, passed three hundred years less nine, and that is the meaning of Jephthah’s words to the Ammonite king: ‘for three hundred years Israel occupied Arnon until now’.

After him Ibzan began <to rule>, he is Boaz, as it is said in the end of the chapter Moher et hasfina, and it is said by the Aramaic translation of Ruth: ‘Salmon was the father of Boaz, who is called Ibzan’. All his sons and daughters died. When he was an old man of 80, he took Ruth, 40, the mother of Royalty. In the days of Solomon she sat beside him in the royal throne together with Bathsheba, that is according to Midrash. He began <to judge> in AM 2785 and led Israel for 7 years. Rashi explicated the Chronicles, saying: Boaz was apparently 300 years old as he fathered Obed, and he died immediately after his union with Ruth.

His father Salmon died when <Children of Israel> entered the Land. But R. Abraham Ibn Ezra explicated in his commentary to Ruth, that the old men Salmon, Boaz, Obed and Jesse were <still> alive at David’s birth. And the Gentile Sages explicated: there were some generations <missing unmentioned in the Bible> between them. It appears they got <this knowledge> from the Sages of Israel. As we see in the lineage of Ezra, seven generations are missing from Ahitub till Ahitub in the book of Ezra, but they are mentioned in the Chronicles. But here is a difficulty: they <the missing generations in David’s lineage> are not mentioned anywhere, as opposed to the Ezra’s lineage. It seems it was the holy and miraculous family indeed, as the Traditionalists said that Obed was 400 years old, and Ruth was alive in days of Solomon, as explicated in Tanhuma, portion VaIhi. Then Obed was more then 400 years old, as it is said in Qabbalath Hahassid, and in Genesis Rabbah, chapter VaIhi⁷¹.

After Ibzan, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel from AM 2792 for ten years. Abdon son of Hillel from Pirathon began <to judge> in AM 2802, and led for 8 years.

After him, Samson judged. He was the son of Manoah from the tribe of Dan, and his mother was Hazlalphonith from the seed of Judah. He began to judge in 2810 and judged for 20 years. In JT it is said that according to their Writ he led for 40 years, but even they think it was 20 years. They said he judged for 20 years. So why the Writ says ‘for 40 years’? It implies that for 20 years after his death the Philistines still were afraid of him, and he was of <in> Dan <=judge>.

During ‘the Concubine in Gibeah’ crises one thousand Benjamites left for the Roman Isles and until now we do not know where they are. They did not want to fight with their brothers. But at first they were counted with the rest.

Afterwards Eli the High Priest received the Oral Law from Phinehas and began <to judge> in 2830. In that year the prophet Samuel, may he have peace, was born. Eli judged Israel in Shiloh for 40 years and died in 2870. That was the year of great wars, and the Ark was captured.

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And immediately Samuel the prophet, of blessed memory, began to judge Israel in the year 3871, at the age of 41, and judged for 11 years, as it is written in Temurah. He died in the year 2885 on the 28^th day of the month of Iyar in Ramah, according to the received tradition.

King Saul reigned for two <more> years after Samuel. However, our masters, of blessed memory, claim that Samuel and Saul died in the same year, as it is said ‘when he sat with the ghost-raiser it was the last year of his life’, and ‘Samuel had died four months previously’. Rashi interpreted thus (in Temurah): following Samuel’s death David dwelt with the Philistines for four months, and for one year, Saul and Samuel were together, and after <the war with> Amalek, Samuel separated from Saul for two years, see end of Zebachim. It seems Samuel was 39 years old when Eli died, for Eli started to judge Israel at the time when Hannah came to pray. The Holy Ark came from the Philistines six months after Eli’s death. It came to Bet Shemesh, and immediately afterwards to Kiriat Jearim and remained there for 20 years, as it is said in the scriptures, until King David settled in Jerusalem and ruled over all Israel, and sent for it from Avinadav. Out of these 20 years - seven years and six months King David reigned in Hebron. The remainder is twelve and a half years: add the six months when he stayed with the Philistines. The result is 13 years. Add 39 years of age <at Eli’s death> and it amounts to 52 as Samuel’s age. Then Saul and Samuel died. It does not agree with the opinion of Joseph Ben Gurion, who claimed that Saul reigned for twenty years, eighteen years during the lifetime of Samuel and two years subsequently. This is not possible, as we have said. It does not agree with the calculation of time from Jephthah until the reign of Solomon - 200 years. Our sages, of blessed memory, were always right. It fits even less the version of Jesus and his followers, who wrote that Saul reigned for forty years.

King David commenced his reign in the year AM 3886. 37 years later Absalom reigned. It is written: ‘after 40 years’, but these are counted from the time they requested a king. He <David> received <the Law> from Samuel and his court – and he was the sixth recipient of <the Law> following Moses, Joshua, Phinehas, Eli, Samuel <and then> David. David was taught by Mephibosheth the son of <son of> Saul, (see in the beginning of Berachoth), and Ahitophel as well. But main teacher <of David> was Ira the Jairi the priest, and he gave to him and to no other of his tithes. It was said that this was the cause of the famine, which is mentioned immediately afterwards ‘and there was a famine in David’s days.’ And he <Ira> would teach reclining on cushions and carpets, as is mentioned in Moed Katan, and he <Ira> was a relation <of David>. It is said, ‘May those who fear you turn to me, those who know your statutes, it is written ‘know’ to imply he was a relative (see in the Midrash Samuel).

David reigned for forty years. He forbade ‘yechud’ even with unattached women, after the incident with Amnon and Tamar. The Torah forbids sexual misbehavior. Mothers are excluded. David died in the year 3924, and commenced the reign of King Solomon, may he have peace.

He began to build the Temple on the 4^th year of his reign, year AM 3928. Then the 480 years since the Exodus were completed, as they left Egypt in 3448, and so says the Bible: ‘480 years’. Solomon ordained eruvin and purification of hands for kadesh. The schools of Hillel and Shammai ordained it for teruma as well. Hamizvoth says Solomon ordained the statutes, which are not valid in wartime, as in his days there was no war, but peace. He also forbade the semi-incest, and Rashi comments on chapter Osin Pasin, that he forbade semi-incest, see first chapter of Yabemoth. He also ruled that in the summer days a man is allowed to walk the paths in fields under private ownership, as the fruits are over, until the first rain, as Rambam wrote in Nezikin, chapter 5. In chapter Meruba it is said in name of Solomon: Do not withhold the best <fruits> from their owner. In Tosafoth in chapter Keizad Eshet Ahiv, and in second chapter of Eruvin it is said: when Solomon ordered eruvin and purification of hands, Divine voice <Bat Kol> said etc. It is not said ‘and <the ban on> semi-incest’, as perhaps he ruled on it after the Divine voice spoke.

The 7^th to receive <the Law> was Ahiah the Shilonite, who was a Levite. It is said: Ahiah takes care of treasures. He participated in Exodus, and knew Amram (see Batra chapter 8). He received <the Law> from David and his court, while R. Abraham ibn Daud of blessed memory wrote that he belonged to the court of David, and he anointed Jeroboam son of Nebat. Then he was more than 500 years old, very old indeed.

Elijah of blessed memory received <the Law> from Ahiah the Shilonite, and he was the 8^th to receive <the Law>. It reminds of the 8^th day - the day of circumcision, when he is present. [Publisher’s note. Samuel Sholem says, he was a priest, see chapter Hamekabel, as Raba bar Avoha said on such occasion, ‘Aren’t you a priest?’]. Our masters of blessed memory said in chapter Esh Nohlin in Batra: seven men embraced the world: Adam, Methuselah, Shem, Jacob, Amram, Ahiah the Shilonite, and Elijah, who is still alive. It means he is not Phinehas. Elijah received <the Law> from Ahiah the Shilonite at the end of King Solomon’s reign, in 3962. There are many opinions and guesses in Midrash, who was Elijah. In BM chapter Hamekabel there are many Tosafoth (additions) on this subject. Some people say: he is of <tribe of> Gad, as it was said by Leah ‘Here is Gad’ meaning to get rid of the evil-doers. So is said in Midrash of Psalms. The proof: he is from Gilead, and that is Gad’s country. Some say: his father is of Gad, while his mother is of Benjamin. And chapter Ki Tisa teaches he was from the tribe of Benjamin, and stayed in the Chamber of Hewn Stones. He was from Jerusalem, and his legacy lay within the legacy of the two tribes.

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In Chronicles we find this name <referring to members of> two tribes, and specifically of Benjamin, and the Temple was on their territory. He also said himself: ‘I am one of sons of sons <descendants> of Rachel’. And the Sage R. Levy ben Gershom decided that he is Phinehas, and all Israel used to say that he is Phinehas, so the outcome is drawn <remains secret>, and he will come soon and tell us. Elijah of blessed memory was gone in 3047, the 18^th year of Jehoshaphat’s reign, in the days of king Jehoram <Joram>, a son of Ahab.

It appears Elisha received <the Law> from Elijah. It is said in the Chronicles that Elijah sent a letter to Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat about AM 3061, but at that time he <Elijah> already departed. We know that because Jehoshaphat, his <Jehoram’s> father, and Jehoram, son of Ahab, visited the prophet Elisha. [In Seder Olam it is said: the letter of Elijah arrived in the beginning of Jehoshaphat’s reign, after it was hidden for seven years]. It seems it was in the days of Jehu, it was year AM 3055, that Jonah and the High Priest Jehoiada received <the Law> from Elisha of blessed memory. It is seen in the text, that Elisha died in year 37 of Joash king of Judah’s reign, year AM 3098. It means Elisha lived 51 year after the departure of Elijah of blessed memory. In the same year died his disciple the High Priest Jehoiada, in the age 130. It means Elisha lived long life, and he was the ninth to receive <the Law>. [In Seder Olam it is said, it was 10^th year of reign of Joash king of Israel, and 7^th year after the death of Joash king of Judah, that Elisha died. If it is so, it means Elisha lived 61 year after the departure of Elijah of blessed memory, and then the High Priest Jehoiada and his son Zechariah died before Elisha’s death. In Seder Olam it is also said that Elijah will be revealed at Messiah’s coming, and immediately will be hidden again, and revealed again at Gog and Magog’s coming].

Elisha, his best disciple, was two times more important, and he received <the Law>, as some people think, in AM 2990. But my opinion is that he received <the Law> in AM 3047, as it is seen in the text, as I said. In Pesahim chapter Elu Hadvorim it is said that Elisha was son of a judge in Bashan, of the Gad tribe.

The High Priest Jehoiada was tenth to receive <the Law>, he received <the Law> from Elisha and his court in 3015. According to my opinion he received <the Law> in 3055, as in 3015 Elijah have not departed yet, and the High Priest Jehoiada was 130 years old.

The High Priest and prophet Zechariah, who was killed in the Temple by king Joash, received <the Law> from his father the High Priest Jehoiada. By others’ opinion, it happened in 3047, by my opinion in 3070, despite the fact that his father’s teacher Elisha died in 3098, as maybe the High Priest Jehoiada died before that. He is the 11^th to receive <the Law>.

The prophet Hosea received <the Law> from Zechariah in 3090, ten years before his death, as king Joash died in 3101, while Zechariah died one year earlier. Hosea belonged to the tribe of Reuben. As Reuben was the first to repent, he was granted the favor and became the ancestor of the prophet who said ‘Return (Repent), o Israel’. There were four prophets at the same time: Isaiah, Amos, Micah, and Hosea. Amos began with <‘The words of> Amos’, but Hosea was first as he started with ‘The word of the Lord’. All prophets prophesied in his time, as it is said in the Prophets, that Hosea prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. Amos prophesied only in the days of Uzziah, and he received <the Law> from Hosea.

Isaiah received <the Law> from Amos. He also prophesied in the days of Uzziah, but Amos prophesied before the earthquake, which remained unequalled until the days of Herod at the end of the Second Temple <period>. Then only in Jerusalem, beside other cities, more than ten thousand men and women died. Isaiah prophesied in the day of the earthquake, as it is said, ‘Whom shall I send’. The pillars and the walls shook when King Uzziah entered to burn incense, and leprous sign shone on his forehead. He was leprous for 25 years, as we read in Tosefta.

Afterwards Micah of Moresheth received <the Law> from Isaiah the prophet during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, all of them in the same time. It means Hosea was the 12^th, Amos - the 13^th, Isaiah - the 14^th, Micah - the 15^th. Amos was from Tekoah, from the tribe of Asher, and he was psilusa meaning his tongue was cut off, as it is said in Leviticus Rabbah chapter 96. Father of Isaiah was Amoz, the prophet, and a brother to king Amaziah. Micah was from the city of Morasha, a city in Judah, and though the Midrash refers to Micah the saying ‘Whom shall I send’, he was beaten on his cheek, as it was said ‘the judges of Israel will be beaten by a stick on their cheek’. I <God> sent them Amos, and they called him psilusa. It appears he preceded Isaiah, according to the simple meaning of the text.

It can not be said about Micah, as Micah did not prophesy in the days of Uzziah, unless we consider the Midrash on Miciahu ben Imla, who was beaten on his cheek by Zedekiahu ben Chanaana in days of Ahab. In the commentary to Seder Olam it is said that in the days of Isaiah there were Hosea and Amos and Zechariah, who knew to fear God (see in the end of Sanhedrin, chapter Kol Israel). It means Amos received <the Law> from Hosea in AM 3110, and Isaiah received <the Law> from Amos in AM 3140. Isaiah lived after that at least 90 years, as Manasseh reigned in the year 3228, and he killed him, as it is said in Yabemoth. Micah received <the Law> from Isaiah in AM 3160. That is the order of Rambam of blessed memory.

As for Joel, Nahum the Elkoshite and Habakkuk it is not mentioned when they prophesied. <The Sages> of blessed memory said: they prophesied during the reign of Manasseh, but as he was an evil-doer, his name is not mentioned in their prophesies. He reigned 55 years. For 22 years he was an evil-doer, but during 33 years he repented, as it is said in Sanhedrin. In 55 years after his death (equal to the years of his reign) the First Temple was destroyed. Chapter Chelek says that Manasseh taught R. Ashi in a dream how to break bread for the blessing, and he learned it from King Hezekiah. It stands to reason that as in the Minor Prophets Joel is placed before Nahum, and afterwards Habakkuk, it means they received <the Law> in that order. Joel received <the Law> from Micah in 3190, and the ten tribes were exiled in the 6^th year of King Hezekiah’s reign in AM 3206. First were exiled <tribes of> Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and Zebulon and Naphtali.

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Nahum the Elkoshite received <the Law> from Joel in 3240. Habakkuk (he was a son of the Shunammite according to Zohar, beginning of chapter Shalah) received <the Law> from Nahum in 3254, and he was the 18^th to receive <the Law>. In Tosephta chapter Hamekabel, it is said that the son of Zarephath whom Elijah brought back to life was the Messiah son of Joseph, as it is explicated in Seder Elijah Rabbah.

Zephaniah prophesied in the beginning of king Jashiah’s reign. He received <the Law> from Habakkuk in 3280, and he was 19^th. It was in the days of Huldah the Prophetess. In chapter 14 of Semachot it is said that her tomb is in Jerusalem, and nobody ever touched <harmed> her.

Jeremiah the Priest received <the Law> from Zephaniah. He prophesied 40 years until the Destruction of the First Temple. He closes the first half of 40 recipients, as he was the 20^th recipient. He received <the Law> from Zephaniah about AM 3316. The Temple was destroyed in 3338 <= Shalah = send away>, as in ‘send away’, and they went away. It was on Sunday, 9^th day of Ab, first year of Shemitah <seven-year cycle>. And the same in the days of the Second temple, during the shift of Jehoiarib, the verse of damnation got on their lips ‘He will repay them for their sins... God will destroy them‘. It is the verse from the Wednesday psalm, as we learn from Arachin. They were then at pulpit <duhan>, and Rashi explicated, ‘duhan’ meaning ‘duhta’ <place>.

Baruch son of Neriah received <the Law> from Jeremiah in Babylon in 3380, 42 years after the Destruction. Baruch son of Neriah died in Babylon and he was buried there. Ezra could not leave Babylon <for Jerusalem> until his master Baruch died, as it is explained in Megilah. Ezra came <to Jerusalem> in 7^th year of the reign of Artaxerxes. Commentators identify him with Darius, son of Esther. After Zerubbabel and Jeshua the High Priest built the Second Temple, the work was completed in the 6^th year of Darius’ reign, in the month of Adar. Ezra came to Jerusalem next year, when 70 years since the destruction of Jerusalem were completed, including eight years of construction of the Second Temple. Then Baruch died. It was in 3413, and then Zerubbabel returned to Babylon. They say Ezra the Priest and the Scribe received <the Law> from Baruch in 3470.

Ezra was very pious and meek as Moses, and so they said about Hillel, ‘oh meek, oh pious, the disciple of Ezra’. He was worthy to receive the Torah, but he did not overestimate himself or the good things he did for Israel, as written in chapter Chelek. That is why the Book of Ezra is named after him, and not after Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, called Hatrashta, who was cup-bearer to the King, and he was permitted to taste the King’s cup. In Sanhedrin, in chapter after Mamonoth it is said that Zerubbabel is Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. It is said in the tractate Megilah, chapter 4, that he is Malachi who prophesied about foreign women, meaning he is Ezra. He established ten rules, as it is written in Meruba in Kama. Many other rules were ordained by Ezra and his court, which was called The Great Assembly (Knesseth ha Gdola), and they returned the crown of glory to its old fame. As Moses said: Great and Mighty and Awe-inspiring God. It is written in Yoma and elsewhere.

They ordained holy prayers and Havdalah, and all kinds of good things. Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi belonged to them <the Assembly>, but the rules witnessed in Talmud, for instance ‘the daughter’s rival’ are rather based on words of Haggai, than on the rest of them. There were also Daniel and his friends and above mentioned Nehemiah. He ruled on mukze, but allowed three utensils, as in his days they profaned the Sabbath, as we read in chapter Kol Hakeilim (All utensils). Among other members of the Great Assembly, there were Srayah, Raamiya, Mispereth, Bigwai, Nahum, Baana, Mordecai, Bilshan, and the pious Zerubbabel, the ruler <pasha> of Judah, son of sons of King Jehoiachin.

In Sanhedrin, chapter Mamonoth, it is said that Zerubbabel is Nehemiah <son of> Hacaliah, and they say he is the ancestor of Hillel the Elder, the Prince of Israel. It does not seem so according to Ketuboth. It appears he was a descendant of Shephatiah son of Abital, King David’s wife. In JT, and in Genesis Rabbah, chapter ‘But God remembered Noah’, it is said that Hillel on his mother’s side was a descendent of Judah, and on his father’s side - of Benjamin, and Rabbi is his descendent. It is said that Hippocrates the Physician lived in the days of Mordecai and Esther in 3401. And his son Euclid, creator of engineering (geometry), and Plato the Philosopher.

Mordecai lived more than 400 years. In Mishnah, he is mentioned among 15 pious men as ‘Pethahiah of pigeons’ in the tractate Shekalim. He was called so as he knew 70 languages, and he could explain things even to mutes, apparently by signs and hints, and so it is said in Menachoth, chapter Rabbi Ishmael, in Omer and shnei lehem. It was in the days of Hasmoneans, during rule of Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, in the end of Hasmonean times, over 300 years after the Second Temple was built. Rashi explicated that it was the same Mordecai who lived in the days of Artaxerxes, but in Tosafoth chapter Meruba they doubted it, as so many years passed, and proposed different explanation: whoever was a person of such great understanding, was called ‘Mordecai’ after him.

In Tosafoth, they repeat the story about ‘Pethahiah of the pigeons’. Three women came to him and said: That is for onati, that is for yamati, that is for zivati, and he explicated: the first was endangered by ona <period>, the second one was endangered by the sea, while the third woman’s son was stolen by a wolf. He was the same Mordecai, as proved by JT, tractate Shekalim and Menachoth. Rambam of blessed memory in his commentary to Mishna in chapter 5 of Shekalim gave the same explanation.

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They are the Great Assembly who tried to exterminate the Evil Drive (the temptation of flesh) and blinded his eyes. Some people say they blinded one of his eyes, meaning they made him weaker, so he would not tempt them by incestuous proposals (see Yoma, and in chapter 4 Mithoth). Rashi explained: <he would not tempt to enter relations with> mother and sister, but he will tempt to enter relations with a married woman or a niddah. I can support his words, as it is said in chapter Ein Dorshin, that illicit carnal knowledge and lawless acquisition are the main stock of the Evil Drive.

After the demise of Jeshua the High Priest, apparently Ezra became the High Priest and he sacrificed the red heifer. It seems according to the book of Ezra, that his son Joiakim, and Jeshua’s son Eliashib, and Joiada son of Eliashib, and his son Jonathan, and his son Jaddua all were High Priests, while Ezra was not a High Priest. It seems according to the beginning of the book of Mada that Ezra was the High Priest prior to Simeon the Righteous. It is not plausible, as according to Chronicles, as the high priests were descendants of Jeshua, his sons and sons of his sons, that was the lineage of high priests. So explicated Rashi on the book of Ezra, saying that all six High Priests were descendants of Jeshua.

Simeon the Righteous was a High Priest in Ezra’s days. Perhaps he was a prefect <deputy High Priest>, or the head of a <priestly> family and not the High Priest. A <red> heifer is accepted as such even on the authority of a regular priest and is given his name, as was the case with the heifer selected by Eleazar the deputy High Priest and called after Moses our master, may he have peace.

However, Ezra was the leader of them all. He was the 22d recipient <of the Oral Law>. His court numbered 120 elders, and the last of them was Simeon the Righteous (who is included within the 120). However, Rashi’s interpretation is that he <Simeon> was of the remnant of the Great Assembly, for at the end of the Second Temple period they were called ‘the remnant of the Great Assembly’. This does not seem plausible, for Simeon the Righteous lived at the beginning of Second Temple period, when Alexander arrived, forty years after the construction of the Second Temple. Then they started <new> dating <of Alexandrine era>, and he was the High Priest long time after the High Priest Joshua.

In the days of Simeon the Righteous, there lived Geviha ben Passissa (called Gevia ben Kosem in the Genesis Rabbah, portion 61 ‘The children of the concubines’). He is also referred to in Aruch as Gevia, who said, ‘I will go to defend our case etc’. At the beginning of the chapter Chelek <of Sanhedrin> his name is spelled Geviha ben Passissa, meaning he was wise and he was a hunchback. A heretic said, I’d kick you and straighten all your deformities. He answered: then you will be called a great doctor, and you will be able to charge a large fee.

Some say that Geviha means ‘tall and of upright posture’ and he guarded the temple. <In contrast>, Gevia ben Kosem is the name of a sage, who stated main principles of the resurrection of the dead, namely, ‘He who wasn’t, now is, how much more so, <therefore, he who was>‘.

It was he who won the dispute in the seventh year <Shemitah> against the Africans, the children of Ishmael, the children of Keturah and the Egyptians, while Alexander the Great judged the case. It also seems that he was a contemporary of Rabbi Dosa ben Horkenos, and he lived for more than four hundred years – until after the Destruction of the Temple in the current exile. It appears that he lived in the time of Rabbi Joshua and his falling out with Rabban Gamliel concerning the appearance of the new moon, and in the time of R. Akiba. Rambam, of blessed memory, wrote it in his commentary on the Mishna in the introduction to chapter four. It seems (the first chapter of Yevamoth) Haggai the Prophet was referring to the case when he spoke of ‘the daughter’s rival’. However, this is difficult to accept since it is written in the chapter Hazorek get that Rabbi Judah ben Ilai held that the early generations are the school of Shammai and the later generations are the school of Rabbi Dosa. He was the son of Horkenos, see chapter 3 of Eduyoth. If he antedated the School of Shammai he would not be referred so. Maybe what he said with regard to the prophet Haggai was a tradition that he had received, for he did not say that he actually saw Haggai.

It is also written in Yevamoth that he had a younger brother who was very sharp-witted. Jonathan ben Horkenos was his name, and he was a disciple of the School of Shammai, and he called him ‘the firstborn son of the Satan’, meaning very sharp-witted. R. Zemach explained this term as ‘the firstborn son of his mother’, probably for the following reason. Talmud calls the firstborn son of his mother ‘the lightheaded (silly) firstborn son’ <the words ‘lightheaded’ (shoteh) and ‘Satan’ (Satan) are similar>.

R. Eleazar ben Azariah and Rabbi Akiba were with him then, but it would seem that he was very old. If this is so, why were the commentators of Tosafoth so surprised that Mordecai live for 300 years? And it was R. Dosa himself, the son of Horkenos, who said in the name of Rabbi Judah ben Ilai who said that the captive may eat of the tithes, see chapter 3 of Eduyoth.

In the time of Simeon the Righteous Alexandria had a lot of people of Israel, twice as many as in the days of Exodus, and there were seventy golden seats with pulpits in the great synagogue, as is brought to us in the tractate of Sukkah. Alexander, who enacted upon them the curse of Jeremiah the Prophet, killed them all: they transgressed the prohibition ‘do not come back <to Egypt> once again’. After that Alexandria was once again settled in the days of Honio son of Simeon the Righteous, who built a large temple and an altar, and all the people of Egypt would go there. Thus was fulfilled the saying ‘...and on that day there will be an altar to the Lord in Egypt and with great glory’. It lasted for two hundred years, according to Rambam. However, it would seem that it <Honio’s temple> stood throughout the time of the <Jerusalem> Temple, for Joshua ben Perahiah fled there, and also <it stood> in the time of Hillel, and they accepted the authority of the sages of Jerusalem and also brought sacrifices <to the Temple>. Furthermore, people <of Alexandria> brought Hillel their wives’ marriage contracts, who were said to be bastards (mamzerim) and he permitted the marriage.

It was a big community, twice as numerous as before the Exodus, until <some time> after the Destruction of the Second Temple, when the emperor Hadrian came and killed them all at the time of the fall of Beithar, as is written in the tractate of Gittin. It is written in the Tosafoth, that Alexandria was settled again, and this is corroborated in the chronicles of the Christians. In the JT, in the chapter ‘Hahalil’, it is written that the story of the seventy golden seats etc took place after the Destruction of the Second Temple during the lifetime of Yorkanus, the father of the wicked Hadrian, and he brought about their destruction, and Alexander is not mentioned, as he is in our Talmud. Then Beithar was crushed, and Israel’s glory <departed and> shall not return until the arrival of <Messiah> ben David.

There are those who claim that Simeon the Righteous were <also called> Iddo ben Joshua, the High Priest, but the book of Joseph ben Gurion does not support it. [Samuel Sholem says: I read in the great <book of> ben Gurion, that the <High> priest who was at the time of Alexander was called Iddo the priest, see there] In the opinion of our rabbis, of blessed memory, he <Simeon the Righteous> was the High Priest during the time of Alexander, the King of Greece who killed Darius. Then the kingdom of Persia and the Media ended, 52 years after the end of the Kingdom of Babylon.

Aristotle was his contemporary. It is stated in the chapter Elu neemarim that the Divine voice (‘bat Kol’) was heard speaking in Aramaic from the Holy of Holies saying that the decree had been made void and that the enemy had been killed.

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When Alexander came to Jerusalem <in order> to conquer it, Simeon the Righteous came out to meet him and Alexander bowed down to him to the amazement of his servants. He <Alexander> told them that his <Simeon’s> image appeared to him in battle and made him victorious. In the chronicles of the Gentile kings it is written that he <Alexander> saw on his <Simeon’s> forehead the <ineffable> Name written on his diadem: it is called in Greek ‘tetragrammaton’. This means a name of four letters.

The Cutheans were delivered into his <Simeon’s> hand <by Alexander>, and he <Simeon> killed them. The siege of the city was lifted. He requested that all boys born during that year would be named ‘Alexander’ after him, and that the calendar should be counted from that year. Since then years are counted from the month of Tishrei <instead of Nissan> being coincident with the month of October. Thus it appears in the Talmud, and thus wrote our master Nissim, of blessed memory, that a year begins from Tishrei for this reason. This is how Israel counted the years, according to the Torah, for the purpose of the seven-year cycle <Shemitah> and for the purpose of counting the years since Creation, ‘from the month ‘yerach eitanim’<=Tishrei>. [The Alexandrine era commenced one thousand years after the Exodus of Children of Israel from the land of Egypt.] That year was the year one thousand since the Exodus from Egypt. Ezra the Priest and the Scribe died on the tenth day of the month of Tevet, also Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, and from then the prophecy ceased in Israel.

When Alexander traveled from Jerusalem, he met Sanballat the Horonite, with some Israelites and with the sons of Joshua the High Priest, who had intermarried with the Cutheans (they were expelled from The House of the Lord by Ezra the Priest and by Nehemiah). He <Sanballat> requested from Alexander that the priests – his sons-in-law – be permitted to build a temple on the Mount of Gerizim. The King commanded that this should be done and they built the temple.

Then Israel was split into two. Half of the people followed Simeon the Righteous and his disciple Antigonus and their school in accordance with the traditions received from Ezra and from the prophets, and <the other> half followed Sanballat and his sons-in-law who offered peace-offerings and burnt-offerings outside of the House of the Lord <in Jerusalem>. They invented statutes out of their own heart, and in this temple served as priest the son-in-law of Sanballat, Manasseh son of Joshua, son of Jehozadak the High Priest. Then Zaddok and Boethus, the pupils of Antigonus assumed leadership, and this was the beginning of the heresy. They went during the time of Antigonus their teacher, to the temple of the Mount of Gerizim and became the leaders. This temple stood for about two hundred years, for it was built forty years after the Second Temple was built.

In the year 212 after the building of the Second Temple, corresponding to the year AM 3621 Mattathias son of Johanan, the High Priest, who was called Hasmonean, rebelled against Antioch, the King of Greece. He and his sons rose up against the viceroy of the King of Greece, who was ruling in Jerusalem, and killed him and all his army. He was Phillip the minister, who killed one thousand souls of Israel for they observed the Sabbath, by setting fire at the entrance of the cave.

Antioch killed the seven righteous children of Hannah, and she collapsed and died after their death, and the things that these righteous people said were a great praise to Israel. Then the old Eleazar the Pious was severely beaten, and his soul departed.

This Eleazar was one of the 72 elders who translated the Torah for Ptolemy, the King of Egypt and the King of Greece. They altered 18 things, see first chapter of Megillah and in Sofrim, for five elders wrote the Torah for Ptolemy in Greek. He <Ptolemy> later convened seventy elders and they altered 13 things for him. This Ptolemy was a wise and pious man, and he gave many gifts to the elders and to the Temple. In the chronicles of the Christians it is written that there were <in his library> 300,000 philosophical books, and his sages told him ‘all the books you have are <just fiction and> useless stories, and the important thing is to translate the divine Torah of the Jews’. Then he sent immediately to Jerusalem for the old Eleazar and the seventy-two elders and he honored them greatly and he rejoiced greatly.

After the old Eleazar died, Mattathias reigned for one year and then he anointed his son Judah the Warrior, as the anointed commander of the army. In his lifetime, Nikanor came to Jerusalem and was killed, and also Antioch the King of Greece came, and Judah defeated him. He <Antioch> fell from his chariot and broke all his bones, for he was very heavy. The Lord punished him an additional strike, and he stank as a rotting corpse and his own men fled from him. He swore to circumcise his flesh - the oppressor who had banned circumcision – but the Lord did not listen to his prayer. His innards fell to the ground and he died.

Judah and all the pious people came, and they purified the Temple, and they brought wood, but they did not find the sacred fire. They called out to the Lord, and fire came out of the stone on the altar, and they added wood, and this fire lasted until the third exile. The court of the Hasmonean forbade the union with gentile women as they are prostitutes, slaves, and do not observe the laws of purity. The schools of Shammai and of Hillel forbade yechud with a gentile woman in addition to the other statutes. They consecrated the altar in the month of Kislev on the 25th day thereof. They placed the shewbread and lit the light, and a great miracle occurred with the oil, as our rabbis, of blessed memory, received, see chapter Bame Madlikin. They praised the Lord for eight days.

Judah reigned for six years, and he was killed in a holy <ordained> war <and he deserved > the World to Come. After him, his brother Jonathan reigned, for his brother Eleazar had already been killed during the lifetime of Judah in a war. A large elephant fell upon him. He was a great hero. Jonathan ruled for six years. After this, his brother Simeon son of Mattathias reigned for eighteen years. These three brothers ruled for thirty years. They were righteous men, and Zechariah <prophesied> said of them, ‘so they paid me my price: thirty pieces of silver’. However, according to the chronicles of the Romans, Judah reigned for four years, Jonathan for nineteen years, and Simeon for eight years, and so it is according to the book of ben Gurion.

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Then the Romans began to conquer Israel and to subjugate it, as Judah befriended and advanced them. Indeed, they are the fourth beast of Daniel’s vision. Since Judah vanquished the Greeks, they <Romans> made a covenant <with Israel> and stood by it for 26 years, and then for 128 years until the Destruction of the Temple, see AZ and the first chapter of Sabbath. Then they broke the covenant and from then onwards they (Israel) were enslaved to the Romans, and then the exile of Edom began.

After this, Johanan son of Simeon son of Mattathias reigned – he is also called Hyrcanus, and in the language of the Sages of blessed memory, Jannaeus. He went up and destroyed the temple of the Cutheans and killed the heretics. Upon his safe return, he made a feast for the sages. It was at that feast that the incident with Eleazar ben Poira occurred, as is mentioned in Kidushin, in the chapter Haomer, and he <the king> killed the sages. The king was extremely old, and after he served as High Priest for eighty years, according to our rabbis of blessed memory, he became a Sadducee.

In the opinion of Rashi, his wife was a sister of Simeon ben Shetach. Joseph ben Gurion disagrees with him. Rabbi Simeon Doran wrote in the third part of ‘Magen Avoth’, in the fourth chapter, as I have written, that the wife of his son Alexander was a sister of Simeon ben Shetach. Johanan died, and in his place reigned his son Alexander, also called Jannaeus by our Sages, of blessed memory. His wife was a sister of Simeon ben Shetach. Maybe she was the Queen Shelzion who is mentioned in the first chapter of Sabbath and in chapter three of Taanith. In the Taanith, it is said that Shelzion, the wife of the wicked Jannaeus, was a righteous woman.

He hated sages. On the Day of the Willow-Tree, he was hit on the forehead with a citron by one of their disciples, as was their custom, and he raised his hand and said ‘A sword!’ and the sages were killed, except for Simeon ben Shetach. Then Joshua son of Perahiah fled to Alexandria in Egypt, until Simeon ben Shetach pleaded with the king for mercy on his behalf and he returned. It was at the time of these kings that the Karaites sect came to being, and they were called ‘Sadducees’ and ‘Boethussians’.

We will return to our matters concerning Simeon the Righteous who was the High Priest for forty years. Five particular things occurred during his lifetime: the shining ribbon was bleached white, the lot fell on the right, the Western light was not extinguished and the altar fire burned well, but in the twilight hours, two logs of wood were added, as it was said ‘Burn wood upon it’. When he died, the strength of the altar fire weakened. Also the blessing of the Omer, and the two loaves of bread, and the shewbread. No Nazirite offering was accepted <in his days>, except for that of the Nazirite with beautiful eyes from the South.

The Midrash Rabbah asks, ‘why didn’t they partake <of the Nazirite offering>? If you should say: ‘For a Nazirite commits sin since he causes himself sorrow by abstaining from wine,’ <we shall reply:> ‘Didn’t Simeon the Righteous ever partake of <forbidden> fat sin offerings or of blood sin offerings?’ <The reason is different >: Simeon the Righteous was of the opinion that people take Nazirite oaths in anger, and since they take the oath in anger, they eventually regret it, and since they regret, they bring offerings as one who slaughters for profane purpose in the temple courtyard. But a Nazirite who vowed after careful consideration, and his mouth and his heart are as one, he is comely, <and his offering is accepted>. We further add that the others brought guilt offerings to release themselves <from the vow> for the mundane joys of drinking and rejoicing. They were holy, as the Holy One said, ‘The sign of his <Nazirite> dedication to God is on his head’. Furthermore, it is said, ‘I also raised up prophets from among your sons and Nazirites from among your young men’.

However, the intention was the opposite, one who swore the Nazirite oath must shave off his beautiful long hair at the end of the period of the Nazirite oath and sacrifice it to God. He should not retain it and be proud of his hair that was dedicated to God. In the Tosephta (chapter four of Nazir) it is written that he <the High Priest> partake of the guilt offering of the defiled Nazirite who came from the South etc. In the chapter Hahovel in the Tosephta <it is said>, Rabbi Eleazar Hakappar said that a sinful Nazirite transgresses the laws of purity, as is the simple meaning of the verse. If he is pure he still sins but to a small degree, and he has to observe as in case of daylong fast on Sabbath, caused by a dream.

He <Simeon> sacrificed two red heifers, while Moses sacrificed the first and Ezra the Priest the second red heifer. Every Day of Atonement an angel would enter <the Holy of Holies> with Simeon the Righteous, and leave with him, but in the year of his death the angel entered with him and did not come out. Then Simeon said immediately that he would die in that year. He fell ill on the seventh day after the Feast of Pilgrimage and died, as written in Yoma. He was the 23d recipient of the Oral Law. He left two sons, Shimei, and Honio. The Gaon spelled Honei, as is explained in Aruch. Honio was the wiser one of two, and his father wished that he should become the next High Priest, and there was an argument between them to such an extent that Honio fled to Alexandria, as we have said, and there he built a temple similar to the Temple. That is the reference to ‘Those who serve in the temple of Honio, etc’ as written at the end of Menachoth, and in longer form in the commentary of Mishna at the end of Menachoth.

The building of the Second Temple commenced in the year AM 3408, and it stood for four hundred and twenty years. In the 40^th year after it was built, which was the year AM 3448, exactly 1000 years since the Torah was given <to Moses>, the prophecy ceased in Israel. Alexander came to Jerusalem, and commenced the dating from the month of Tishrei, as we have already said, that was the beginning of Alexander’s reign <in Jerusalem>. We made it known that due to his very good deeds he is remembered as Simeon the Righteous, of blessed memory.

Antigonus of Soko received <the Law> from Simeon the Righteous in the year AM 3460. Zaddok and Boethus, his pupils, were the leaders of the heretics who erred regarding the words of their teacher when he said ‘Be not like slaves etc’. The priests who did three things according to the opinions of the Sadducees died a sudden death, as it is written in the JT. The three things were the libation, the day purification by the red heifer, and the incense burning on the Day of Atonement. It should not be prepared outside and then brought inside. In the first chapter of Yoma in the Tosefta, it is expanded upon. There was a Boethussian priest, who told his father that he did so on the Day of Atonement, and he died within three days. In ‘Avoth deRabbi Nathan’ all the deeds of Zaddok and Boethus can be found. They used silver and gold utensils all their days.

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In his <Antigonus’> generation lived Rabbi Eleazar ben Harsom. His name is mentioned to condemn the rich who don’t study Torah. Nobody saw him but sitting and studying the Torah day and night. In the chapter ‘Omar lahem hamemune ‘ <it is written that> he was very rich and famous, he owned one thousand cities and one thousand ships. He was a very pious man. He served as High Priest for eleven years, see the first chapter of Yoma.

Antigonus received <the Law> from Simeon the Righteous and his court in the year AM 3460. He was the 24^th to receive <the Law>.

Jose b. Joezer of Zeredah and Joseph b. Johanan of Jerusalem received <the Law> from Antigonus, and from Simeon the Righteous. Therefore, it is written in the Mishna, they received from them (in plural). This is also the interpretation of Rabbi Meir the Levite son of Rabbi Todros from Toledo, in his commentary on the Avoth. Alternatively, maybe <Mishna> wished to say ‘From Antigonus and from his court’, like Rabbi Eliezer ben Harsom. Thus says the Rambam at the beginning of Mada.

That was the beginning of ’pairs’, which followed them, until Hillel and Shammai – altogether five pairs. This is what it means ‘received from the pairs’. In each pair, one was the Prince and the other was the Head of the Court. This is with the exception of Simeon ben Shetach and Judah ben Tabai. Regarding them there is a difference of opinion – Rabbi Meir says that Judah ben Tabai was the Prince and Simeon ben Shetach was the Head of the Court, and the sages say the opposite, and it would appear that the sages were right. Although Hagigah and Avoth state, that the Mishna <correct ruling> is in accordance with Rabbi Meir, it means only that an anonymous Mishna <ruling> is attributed to Rabbi Meir.

We see that he <Simeon ben Shetach> acted as the Prince, when he sent for Honi Hameagel. After this, he built the Chamber of Hewn Stones. At the end of Taanioth and in chapter three of Sanhedrin, it is said that he was the Head of the Sanhedrin and judged King Jannaeus. Furthermore, he was the brother of King’ wife, see Berachoth. In addition, he hanged eighty witches in one day in accordance with a special order, and it is unnecessary to expand on this.

The Head of the Court would not rule for judgment before the Prince, but would addend his own opinion, see chapter Ein Dorshin. Alternatively, if the Prince judged before the Head of the Court, as was the case with Rabban Gamliel in the case of his servant Tevi (whose eye he wounded), then he ruled before Rabbi Joshua, the Head of his Court. The Head of the Court was like the viceroy to the King, who was the Prince, I mean the Prince was like the King, and the Head of the Court sat to the right of the Prince and the two passed judgement together.

However, regarding the title of Sage, it is quoted in tractate Horayoth in the name of Rabbi Meir that he did not see the value of it. Maybe this was only with regard to Rabbi Meir. However, at the end of the Moed Katan there is reference to a Sage who performed the rites of Halizah on the right, the Head of the Court to the left and the Prince on either side. Rashi explains that there is a preference to rending on the left, on that day the sage was also <doing it> on the right. The sage of a city is one who is asked for his ruling, but the Head of the Court is better.

In the first chapter of Kidushin, it is said that when a Sage passes by, one stands up and looks up and when he has passed by, one may sit. In the case of the Head of the Court, one remains standing until he has passed by four cubits and only then may one sit. In the case of the Prince, one may only sit when he himself is seated. Our master Asher <bar Yehiel> wrote that this only applies in public places. The order of things given at the end of Horayoth is applicable within the house of study, and likewise wrote the Tosafoth.

All of these pairs were called by their names, like the prophets, and not prefixed with Rabban and Rabbi. This is the first pair, says Mishna in chapter nine of Sotah, when Jose b. Joezer and Joseph b. Johanan died, no many-sided men remained. It means they had all good qualities and wisdom, and Rashi interprets as Torah, the fear of sin and acts of kindness. In Temurah, chapter Esh Korbanoth Rabbi Judah says all the many-sided men which were in Israel from the days of Moses our master until the death of Jose b. Joezer would study the Torah like Moses our master. People say, but he disagreed on semicha, and so he did, and was wrong (see the argument in Mishnat Hagigah).

Jose b. Joezer established rules, see the first chapter of Sabbath. He was the pious of priests, see in the Mishna, chapter Ein Dorshin. It seems to me that in the Midrash of Psalms and in the Genesis Rabbah, chapter <starting> ‘When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes’ I read that Jose b. Joezer was killed in the Greek persecutions. Ioakim of Zerudoth, his sister’s son told him ‘Look at my horse’ and he <Jose> replied, ‘If this is His wish regarding transgressors, how much more so with regard to His adherents’. He <Ioakim> replied ‘Is there an adherent more devout that you?’ He <Jose> replied ‘If it is thus with regard to His adherents, how much more so with those who transgress His will?’ This entered the heart of Ioakim, and he killed himself with four deaths for his atonement and for full repentance. Jose b. Joezer dozed for a while, and saw his <Ioakim> deathbed floating in the air and he said, ‘For a moment this one preceded me to the Paradise etc’.

At that time there was Johanan the High Priest, the father of Mattathias, who laid down many regulations, and ordained two <red> heifers, as did Simeon. See on ‘Johanan’ in the alphabetic order.

These <Jose and Joseph> received <the Law> from Antigonus, in the year AM 3500, which is 92 years after the Second Temple was built. In the chapter Esh Nohlin, it would appear that it was in the days of <king> Jannaeus, he consecrated all his possessions to the Temple, as his son was of poor behavior. They were the 25^th recipients.

In the year 126 after the Second Temple was built there was Abrakus <Hipparchus> the astronomer.

Joshua ben Perahiah and Nittai the Arbelite and Mattathias ben Johanan received <the Law> from them <Jose and Joseph> in the year 3560. It was 152 years after the Temple was built, about 60 years before the Hasmonean wars with Greece.

Joshua ben Perahiah lived for many years until the time of Jannaeus, who is called Alexander ben Hyrcanus the First, and who has been mentioned above: he was called Johanan and killed the sages, and also, before that, this is the same Hyrcanus who killed the Cutheans.

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In the chapter Tefilath Hashahar, there is a disagreement between Abbaye and Rava, whether Jannaeus was Johanan, and it would appear that both the father and the son were called Jannaeus, according to the Talmud. Hyrcanus was the same Johanan who served as the High Priest and became a Sadducee and killed the sages. His son Alexander was also called Jannaeus, and he was married to the Queen Shelzion, the sister of Simeon ben Shetach. It is found in the chapter Haomer in Kidushin: Jannaeus, who was called Hyrcanus, killed the sages who came to find him unfit to serve as High Priest, for he wished to be both High Priest and King, and he got heretical ideas regarding the Oral Law.

Later Simeon ben Shetach came along and returned the Torah to its old glory during the time of Alexander his son. He was married to the sister of Simeon ben Shetach (see in Berachoth, chapter Shelosha sheochlu), and he said the Grace after Meals for Jannaeus who had killed the sages because of citron, as we have said above. His sister, who was the wife of the King, hid Simeon ben Shetach.

At that time Joshua ben Perahiah fled to Alexandria in Egypt, which is also called ‘Amon Manu’. When they took Simeon ben Shetach out of his hiding, he was well received by the King. Simeon ben Shetach begged the mercy of the King that he should return Joshua. He wrote to him: ‘from <me,> Jerusalem the Holy City to <my sister> Alexandria in Egypt, My husband stays with you and I sit desolate’, and he said, ‘It means I can return in peace’, and he came back (see at the end of Sotah).

Similar story told in Sanhedrin in the JT. Judah ben Tabbai fled to Alexandria so he would not be appointed a Prince. On the way, he had an encounter with his disciple, as happened to Judah ben Perahiah with Jesus the Nazarene.

The true tradition is that the Nazarene was his <Judah ben Perahiah’s> disciple. That was the third heretic sect, the sect of the pupils of Jesus the Nazarene, the Meshuamadim, who entered the teaching of Ma’amudiya and hence the term Meshumadim which really means Meshuamadim. The Ramban wrote, that meshumadim was the term used for those who turned aside to idol-worship, who by their deeds alienated themselves from the ways