To leave the best job in order to rehabilitate your people- part 1

Posted by Eli Dahan on March 21, 2010 under Bible, Biblical Hebrew, Jewish Folklore | Be the First to Comment

Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country said John F. Kennedy in 20/1/1961.

This famous quote is attached to Kennedy, but we can see the implementation of it can be found in the old ages, when a people was in problems with all the aspect a man can think about, economically, socially and security. The people is the people of Israel that came back from the exile from Babylon to Jerusalem in order to build the second temple, hoping that this action will help them to feel good and secure.

In the beginning of the book of Nehemiah we can see that their hopes came into a big disappointment, when a few of them are coming to Nehemiah, who was in a very high position in the Persian Empire, the chief butler!

But Nehemiah that saw that the situation of the people of Israel was so poor couldn’t stay in his job anymore as written in Nehemiah 1:3-4

“וַיֹּאמְרוּ, לִי–הַנִּשְׁאָרִים אֲשֶׁר-נִשְׁאֲרוּ מִן-הַשְּׁבִי שָׁם בַּמְּדִינָה, בְּרָעָה גְדֹלָה וּבְחֶרְפָּה; וְחוֹמַת יְרוּשָׁלִַם מְפֹרָצֶת, וּשְׁעָרֶיהָ נִצְּתוּ בָאֵשׁ. וַיְהִי כְּשָׁמְעִי אֶת-הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, יָשַׁבְתִּי וָאֶבְכֶּה, וָאֶתְאַבְּלָה, יָמִים; וָאֱהִי צָם וּמִתְפַּלֵּל, לִפְנֵי אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם.”

“And they said unto me: ‘The remnants that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.’And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven”

After that Nehemiah was praying to The Lord, he decided to do more, he went to the Persian king and asked him to give him time in order to help his people as written:

“וַיֹּאמֶר לִי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַשֵּׁגַל יוֹשֶׁבֶת אֶצְלוֹ, עַד-מָתַי יִהְיֶה מַהֲלָכְךָ–וּמָתַי תָּשׁוּב; וַיִּיטַב לִפְנֵי-הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלָחֵנִי, וָאֶתְּנָה לוֹ זְמָן”

“And the king said unto me, the queen also sitting by him: ‘For how long shall thy journey be? And when wilt thou return?’ So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. (Nehemiah 2:6)

In the next 12 years Nehemiah is the savior, he rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, and he did a lot of economical steps in order to help the people…

To be continued….

Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

Eli@eteachergroup.com

Moses and the white wolf

Posted by Eli Dahan on March 19, 2010 under Bible, Biblical Hebrew, Jewish Folklore | Be the First to Comment

Some legends that we know from childhood seems to be forgotten and from time to time we want to remember the time we were kids, the time that the kindergarten told us the stories, the legends that we loved to hear all the time.

Usually the wolf in the legends is the symbol of the bad type, the one who kills, the one that we can’t rely on, but not all the legends with the wolves goes like this. Today we are going to meet the white wolf that Moses met in the time he was a shepherd in Jethro’s house and he saw a white wolf and he started to speak with him.

Now Moses didn’t know that the white wolf is an angel. The white wolf said to

Moses: How are you the man of God?

Moses answered: could the animals speak, who is the one that gives them the ability to do so?

Then the white wolf told him that he would be the one who would be the leader of Israel that will write the Pentateuch and there will be the calf that will speak and also the she-ass…

It seems to be that Moses saw one more thing near to the burning bush and this is the white wolf……..

Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

Eli@eteachergroup.com

Shamir – The magical worm

Posted by Eli Dahan on March 15, 2010 under Biblical Hebrew, Jewish Folklore | Be the First to Comment

According to Hebrew Scriptures, the Shamir was a supernatural organism that had the power to cut through or disintegrate stone, iron and diamond. According to legend, the Shamir was a worm whose mere touch could cleave rocks.

The Shamir have been created at the twilight of the first Sabbath Eve during the Six Days of Creation. . (See “Ten things were created at twilight on the eve of the first Sabbath” blog).

According to the Testament of Solomon, when Solomon The king erecting the Temple, he did not know how to get the blocks of marble into shape, since, according to the law the stones of the altar cannot be hewn using metal since it is a material used to make weapons that kill.

Wise men advised the king to obtain the Shamir. The problem was that there was only one such worm in the world. Only Ashmedai, the king of the demons, knew where to find the Shamir. The king calls Ashmedai to aid in the construction of the Temple.

The Shamir was guarded in Paradise until Solomon needed it. He sent the eagle thither to fetch the worm. With the destruction of the Temple the Shamir vanished.

Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

 Eli@eteachergroup.com

Five reasons to Learn Biblical Hebrew

Posted by Eli Dahan on March 13, 2010 under Biblical Hebrew | Be the First to Comment

When I try to translate The Scriptures to my students I am trying to be as close as I can get to the meaning of the text, without changing the original meaning of it.

This is sometime a very impossible mission, like the great T.V. program in the sixties….

There is an easy way to solve the problem of the translation- Learn Biblical Hebrew with us!

So why should you do it?

A. Don’t you want to be as close as you can to The Lord’s words?

B. The sacred language should be for all of the people in the world as written in the book of Zephaniah 3:9-

“כִּי-אָז אֶהְפֹּךְ אֶל-עַמִּים, שָׂפָה בְרוּרָה, לִקְרֹא כֻלָּם בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה, לְעָבְדוֹ שְׁכֶם אֶחָד ”

“For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one consent”

C. It’s easy learning with the best teachers in the world!!!

D. You can see the teachers online, though that you are from other places in the world as written in the book of Isaiah 30:20-

“וְהָיוּ עֵינֶיךָ רֹאוֹת אֶת-מוֹרֶיךָ”

“thine eyes shall see thy Teacher”

E. you can understand the connection between the name and the meaning, like mahlon and kilion…

Have a nice week, Eli