ChaBaD Jewish Calendar 12 Nissan, 5783 April 3, 2023
ChaBaD Jewish Calendar 12 Nissan, 5783 April 3, 2023
On this day, King Hezekiah, the greatest of all the Judeaen kings, fell seriously ill, and was informed by the Prophet Isaiah that he would die, for G-d was displeased with the fact that Hezekiah had never married.
Hezekiah had refused to get married because he had prophetically foreseen that his children would lead the Jewish people to sin. He erred, for it is man's job to heed the commandment of procreating, and the rest is in the hands of G-d.
Hezekiah asked the prophet to pray on his behalf, but he refused, insisting that the Heavenly decree was final. The king asked the prophet to leave, saying that he had a tradition from his ancestors that one should never despair, even if a sharp sword is drawn across one's throat. The king prayed to G-d, and his prayer was accepted. G-d sent Isaiah to tell him that he would recover and that his life would be extended for fifteen years. Hezekiah recovered three days later, on the first day of Passover.
The King later married Prophet Isaiah's daughter.
Links:
Hezekiah's Last Years of Reign
The story in Kings II with commentary
More about King Hezekiah
A year following the building of the second Temple in Jerusalem (see Jewish History for the 3rd of Adar) Ezra gathered many of the Jews who had remained in Babylon and began a journey to the land of Israel. Though he certainly wanted to go earlier, his teacher, Baruch ben Neriah was too frail to travel, and Ezra refused to leave him until his passing.
Ezra was the head of the Sanhedrin, who all traveled together with him.
On the 12th of Nissan, Ezra departed from the river of Ahava, the beginning of the long journey to the land of Israel which would last for nearly five months (see Jewish history for the 1st of Av).
In today's "Nasi" reading (see "Nasi of the Day" in Nissan 1), we read of the gift bought by the nasi of the tribe of Naftali, Achira ben Enan, for the inauguration of the Mishkan.
Tell him: If you had been there, you would never have been liberated. (The Haggadah)
How will this response teach a child anything about the Exodus?
How will it draw any child any closer?
Because you must say it like this:
“If you had been there, before the Torah was given, you would have been lost to us forever.”
“But not this time around. Once we were taken from Egypt, we became a single nation, an indivisible whole, through our covenant of Torah. Each and every one of us became a vital, indispensable part of that whole. Including you.”
“We can never give up on you. And you will never be able to truly rip yourself apart from us. It became literally impossible for any Jewish soul to do so, no matter what that soul may do or purport to believe.”
“This precious Torah has made us one. So that you, at your core, are us, and we are you.”
Indeed, the first child mentioned in the Torah is the wicked child. Because it is this child that requires the most explanation, the most attention and the most love.
It is for this second child that we pour a second cup and recite the story of the Exodus.
Because this time around, no one can be left behind.
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