You're not a Hellenist.

 

Hebrew-  reading Hanerot Halalu

https://www.studystack.com/users/ryruss/picmatch-3132102

https://www.learnhebrewpod.com/vocabularies/52/bathroom

 

 

AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED? (Hanukkah edition) Can your team get the history right as we trace the story  of the Jewish people from the fall of Jerusalem  in 586 BCE  to the story of the Maccabees in 167 BCE?

After we read about each point in history, we will offer each team a choice of three options  for “And then what happened?”.  The team can confer for 30 seconds, then they must submit a vote in writing.    Correct answers earn a point.  Wrong answers earn nothing.  There are eight history points.

 

+*+*+*+*+*+*+**+*+*+

 

 

It’s 586 BCE and the Zhou dynasty in China, Bantu speaking migrants are bringing iron-age weapons and cattle into South Africa, and the Olmecs rule Mexico. 

The Jewish people have fallen to the Babylonian Empire, and most have been dragged off to exile in Babylon.   The temple is destroyed, and the city of Jerusalem lies ruined.  After a generation, the Jewish people adjust to life in Babylonia, but the Babylonian empire is  conquered by the Persians led by King Cyrus.  And then what happened?

1)     The Jewish people fight to push Cyrus out of Bavel.

2)    The Jewish people find Cyrus hates the Jews and wants to wipe them out.

3)    Cyrus says the Jews can go back to Eretz Yisrael and rebuild the temple.

 

 

It’s 515 BCE.  The Jewish people, with the support of King Cyrus and his sons,  head back to the land of Israel toe rebuild Jerusalem.  The great teacher of Torah, Ezra, brings the Torah with him, and leads the people as they try and rebuild, but local peoples  harass them with violent attacks.  And then what happened?

 

1)     The Persian emperor calls off building temple, which is why it was never rebuilt even till today

2)    The Persian emperor sends Nechemiah, a Jewish former army officer, to help them fight off the locals

3)    The Jews bribe the locals with thousands of silver coins to leave Jerusalem alone.

 

 

It’s 475 BCE.   The Persian Emperor Artaxerxes rules over a massive empire that is economically stable. He picks a new prime minister so he can devote himself to enjoying his wealth and power.  And then what happened?

 

1)     The prime minister planned to kill the  empress’ entire family in an act of revenge, and the emperor has him executed.

2)    The prime minister was trying to poison him and take the throne, and the emperor has him executed.

3)    The prime minister was hoarding the equivalent of millions in tax dollars, and the emperor has him executed.

 

 

It’s 440 BCE.   A small, rebuilt temple lies at the heart of a small, rebuilt Jerusalem.

The High Priest rules along with council of 120 known as the People of the Great Assembly.   A famine strikes Rome, Pericles rules Athens,  and Ezra the scholar dies.  And then what happened?

 

1)     The Jewish people live quietly and not much happens for a while.

2)    The Jewish people get into a bloody war with the Syrians over access to the water of the Jordan river.

3)    The Jewish people enter a state of war that lasts for 100 years.

 

 

It’s 333 BCE.   Alexander the Great sweeps through the middle east, and comes to the small nation of Judah.  In order to convince Alexander that the nearby Kuteans are in fact lying when they tell Alexander that the Jews are planning to attack ,  the Kohen Gadol,  Shimon the Righteous, dons his white Yom Kippur garments and leads a delegation.  They march all night by torchlight to reach Alexander,  and as the sun rises, Alexander sees the delegation led by Shimon.  And then what happens?

 

1)      Alexander accuses the Jews of rebellion and holds them prisoner for a year until they are ransomed.

2)    Alexander demands the Jews bow down to him, and when they refuse he has them whipped.

3)    Alexander gets down from his horse, and  bows down to the Kohen Gadol. His generals think  he’s gone mad.

 

=

=

=

=

=

=

=

=

=

=

When Alexander saw Shimon HaTzaddik up close at last, he descended from his chariot and bowed down low before him. His generals, including Ptolemy and Seleucid said to him: “Why is your majesty bowing down to this Jew?”, for they feared he had lost his mind.

He said to them “Each night before I go into battle, I have a dream,  and the image of this man’s face is what I see in the dream before I rise up and go to conquer.  I saw his face when we were in Macedonia at Dio, and before our first battle with the Persians, and before we conquered Gaza. Let no harm come to this man or his people, but rather put his enemies into his hand.”   Alexander came to Jerusalem, offered sacrifices to God on the Altar,  and was welcomed throughout the land.   

It’s 281 BCE.  Seluecus has died. When Alexander dies,  his generals divide up his empire.   The land of Israel winds up under the rule of Alexander’s general Seleucus, who like Alexander before him is religiously tolerant and lets people live and worship as they wish, as long as they pay their tributes and taxes. Seleucus dies and rule over land of Israel passes down to his son, Antiochus the first.  So then what happens?

1)     Antiochus builds a statue of Zeus in the Temple of Jerusalem’s courtyard.

2)    Antiochus continues his father’s policy of religious tolerance.  Boring.

3)    Antiochus considers converting to Judaism, but is assassinated by his son, Antiochus II before he can.

 

 

It’s 222 BCE.   Antiochus III becomes ruler the Seleucid empire.  Jews in the Selucid empire have come to know about many parts of the culture of the empire-  theatre,  races,  Greek poetry and mythology,  all known as the Hellenist culture.  Some Jews become very Hellenized,  rejecting every part of their religion,  while others adopt some Hellenist ideas and practices,  such as Greek names and reading Greek literature while keeping their Hebrew Names and Jewish holidays.  And then what happens?

1)     Antiochus III continues his great-grandfather’s policy of religious tolerance.  Boring.

2)    Antiochus III demands greater taxes and gold, taking it from the temple when the jews do not pay enough.

3)    Antiochus III is insulted by a Jew who refuses to bow down whenever Antiochus is in the city gate, and begins a plan to wipe out the Jews.

It’s 168 BCE.   Antiochus IV had usurped the throne from his nephew Demetrius in 175, and deciding to take a more active role in the economically vital Temple in Jerusalem, he starts taking bribes to determine who will be high priest.  Come 168 BCE, Between a war in Egypt and a rebellion that happens when a rumor breaks out that Antiochus is dead,   Jerusalem is plunged into chaos.  In response,  Antiochus decides that Judaism is the problem. And then what happens?

1)     He takes the side of moderately Hellenized jews.

2)    He takes the side of Traditional Jews- but that will change.

3)    He bans all forms of Judaism.

 

 

 

 It’s 167 BCE.  Antiochus  puts a giant  idol of Zeus in the temple of Jerusalem’s courtyard,  sacrifices a pig to it and eats the ham.  He then orders the same thing to be done throughout the land of Israel.  And then what happens?

1)     Hanukkah.

2)    Hanukkah.

3)    Hanukkah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

41

BEREYSHEET CH. 41

Now at the end of two years’-time it was that Pharaoh dreamt:  now here, he was standing by the Nile river,  and suddenly! Out of the Nile, seven cows were coming up, beautiful of appearance and well-nourished in body,  and they grazed in the reed-grass.

And then! Seven other cows were coming up after them out of the Nile,

ugly in appearance and diseased in body, and they came up behind the other cows on the bank of the Nile.  And the ugly, diseased cows ate up the seven nourished beautiful cows. And then Pharaoh woke up.

He fell asleep and dreamt a second time:  and suddenly! Seven ears-of-grain were going up on a single stalk, lush and good. And then!  seven ears, scrawny and scorched by the east wind, were springing up after them.  And the scrawny ears swallowed up  the seven lush and full ears.

Pharaoh awoke. It was a dream!

But in the morning he was so agitated he sent and had all of Egypt’s magicians and all of its wise-men called.  Pharaoh recounted his dream to them,  but no one could interpret them to Pharaoh.

Then the chief cup-bearer spoke up to Pharaoh, saying:

“I must call my sins to mind today! Pharaoh was [once] infuriated with his servants

and placed me in custody, in the house of the chief of the guard, myself and the chief baker. And we dreamt a dream in a single night, I and he; we dreamt each one according to the interpretation of his dream.  Now there was a Ivri/Hebew lad there with us, a servant of the chief of the guard.  We recounted them to him, and he interpreted our dreams to us;  for each-one according to his dream he interpreted.  And it was: as he interpreted to us, so it was—

I was restored to my position, and he was hanged.”

Pharaoh sent and had Yosef called.

They quickly brought him out of the pit;

he shaved, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh said to Yosef:

I have dreamt a dream, and there is no interpreter for it!  But I have heard it said of you

that you [but] need to hear a dream in order to interpret it!

Yosef answered Pharaoh, saying:  “Not I!  God will answer what is for Pharaoh’s welfare.”

Pharaoh spoke to Yosef:

In my dream….

Now I have spoken with the magicians, but there is no one that can tell me [the answer]!”

Yosef said to Pharaoh: “Pharaoh’s dream is one. What God is about to do, he has told Pharaoh. The seven good cows

are seven years,

and the seven good ears

are seven years;

the dream is one.

And the seven diseased cows that were coming up after them

are seven years,

and the seven ears, hollow and scorched by the east wind,

will be seven years of famine!

That is the word that I spoke to Pharaoh:  what God is about to do, he has let Pharaoh see.  Look!  Seven years are coming, of great plenty in all the land of Egypt.

But seven years of famine will arise after them, when all the plenty in the land of Egypt will be forgotten.  The famine will destroy the land, and it will not be remembered, that there had ever been lots of food beforehand,  because of that famine afterward,

for it will be exceedingly hard.

Now as for the repetition of the dream to Pharaoh, twice over: [it means] that the matter is determined by God,  and God is hastening to do it.  

So now, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man,  and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do [this]: let him appoint appointed-overseers for the land,  and divide the land of Egypt into five parts during the seven years of plenty.  Let them collect all kinds of food from these good years that are coming,  and let them pile up grain under Pharaoh’s hand as food- provisions in the cities, and keep it under guard.

So the provisions will be an appointed-reserve for the land

for the seven years of famine that will occur in the land of Egypt,

so that the land will not be cut off by the famine.”

The words seemed good in Pharaoh’s eyes and in the eyes of all his servants,  and Pharaoh said to his servants:  “Could we find another like him, a man in whom is the spirit of a god?”

Pharaoh said to Yosef:

“Since a god has made you know all this,  there is none as wise and discerning as you;

you shall be [The One] Over My House!

To your orders shall all my people submit;

only by the throne will I be greater than you!

And Pharaoh said to Yosef:

“See, I place you over all the land of Egypt!

And Pharaoh removed his signet-ring from his hand and placed it on Yosef’s hand,

and he had him clothed in linen garments and put the gold chain upon his neck;  he had him mount the chariot of his second-in-rank, and they called out before him: Avrekh!/Bend the knee!

Thus he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh said to Yosef:

“I am Pharaoh, but without you, no man shall raise hand or foot in all the land of Egypt!”

And Pharaoh called Yosef’s name: Tzafe’nat Pane’ah/The God Speaks and He Lives,

and he gave him Asenat, daughter of Poti-Fera, priest of On, as a wife.

And Yosef’s influence was over all the land of Egypt.

Now Yosef was thirty years old when he stood in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

And Yosef went out from Pharaoh’s presence and crossed through all the land of Egypt.

In the seven years of plenty the land produced in handfuls.  And he collected all kinds of provisions from those seven years that occurred in the land of Egypt,  and placed provisions in the towns.  The provisions from the fields of a town, surrounding it, he placed in it [as well].  So Yosef piled up grain like the sand of the sea, exceedingly much, until they had to stop counting, for it was uncountable.

Now two sons were born to Yosef, before the year of famine came,

whom Asenat, daughter of Poti Fera, priest of On, bore to him.

Yosef called the name of the firstborn: Menashe/He-Who-Makes-Forget,

meaning: God has made-me-forget all my hardships, all my father’s house.

And the name of the second he called: Efrayim/Double-Fruit,

meaning: God has made me bear fruit in the land of my affliction.

There came to an end the seven years of plenty that had occurred in the land of Egypt, and there started to come the seven years of famine, as Yosef had said.

Famine occurred in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

Then all the land of Egypt felt the famine, and the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread,

so Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians: “Go to Yosef, whatever he says to you, do!”

Now the famine was over all the surface of the earth.  Yosef opened up all [storehouses] in which there was [grain], and gave-out-rations to the Egyptians,

since the famine was becoming stronger in the land of Egypt.

And all lands came to Egypt to buy rations, to Yosef,  for the famine was strong in all lands.

Yaakov saw that there were rations in Egypt,

so Yaakov said to his sons:

Why do you keep looking at one another?

And he said:

Here, I have heard that there are rations in Egypt;

go down there and buy us rations from there,

that we may live and not die.