דניאל פרק ד' - משפיל גאים...והמלך ערום

(1) I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living serenely in my house, flourishing in my palace. (2) I had a dream that frightened me, and my thoughts in bed and the vision of my mind alarmed me. (3) I gave an order to bring all the wise men of Babylon before me to let me know the meaning of the dream. (4) The magicians, exorcists, Chaldeans, and diviners came, and I related the dream to them, but they could not make its meaning known to me. (5) Finally, Daniel, called Belteshazzar after the name of my god, in whom the spirit of the holy gods was, came to me, and I related the dream to him, [saying], (6) “Belteshazzar, chief magician, in whom I know the spirit of the holy gods to be, and whom no mystery baffles, tell me the meaning of my dream vision that I have seen. (7) In the visions of my mind in bed
I saw a tree of great height in the midst of the earth; (8) The tree grew and became mighty;

Its top reached heaven,

And it was visible to the ends of the earth.

(9) Its foliage was beautiful And its fruit abundant;
There was food for all in it.
Beneath it the beasts of the field found shade,
And the birds of the sky dwelt on its branches;
All creatures fed on it. (10) In the vision of my mind in bed, I looked and saw a holy Watcher coming down from heaven. (11) He called loudly and said:
‘Hew down the tree, lop off its branches,
Strip off its foliage, scatter its fruit.
Let the beasts of the field flee from beneath it
And the birds from its branches, (12) But leave the stump with its roots in the ground.
In fetters of iron and bronze
In the grass of the field,
Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
And share earth’s verdure with the beasts. (13) Let his mind be altered from that of a man,
And let him be given the mind of a beast,
And let seven seasons pass over him. (14) This sentence is decreed by the Watchers;
This verdict is commanded by the Holy Ones
So that all creatures may know
That the Most High is sovereign over the realm of man,
And He gives it to whom He wishes
And He may set over it even the lowest of men.’ (15) “I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had this dream; now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its meaning, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make its meaning known to me, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.” (16) Then Daniel, called Belteshazzar, was perplexed for a while, and alarmed by his thoughts. The king addressed him, “Let the dream and its meaning not alarm you.” Belteshazzar replied, “My lord, would that the dream were for your enemy and its meaning for your foe! (17) The tree that you saw grow and become mighty, whose top reached heaven, which was visible throughout the earth, (18) whose foliage was beautiful, whose fruit was so abundant that there was food for all in it, beneath which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged— (19) it is you, O king, you who have grown and become mighty, whose greatness has grown to reach heaven, and whose dominion is to the end of the earth. (20) The holy Watcher whom the king saw descend from heaven and say,
Hew down the tree and destroy it,
But leave the stump with its roots in the ground.
In fetters of iron and bronze
In the grass of the field,
Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
And share the lot of the beasts of the field
Until seven seasons pass over him— (21) this is its meaning, O king; it is the decree of the Most High which has overtaken my lord the king. (22) You will be driven away from men and have your habitation with the beasts of the field. You will be fed grass like cattle, and be drenched with the dew of heaven; seven seasons will pass over you until you come to know that the Most High is sovereign over the realm of man, and He gives it to whom He wishes. (23) And the meaning of the command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots is that the kingdom will remain yours from the time you come to know that Heaven is sovereign. (24) Therefore, O king, may my advice be acceptable to you: Redeem your sins by beneficence and your iniquities by generosity to the poor; then your serenity may be extended.” (25) All this befell King Nebuchadnezzar. (26) Twelve months later, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace at Babylon, (27) the king exclaimed, “There is great Babylon, which I have built by my vast power to be a royal residence for the glory of my majesty!” (28) The words were still on the king’s lips, when a voice fell from heaven, “It has been decreed for you, O King Nebuchadnezzar: The kingdom has passed out of your hands. (29) You are being driven away from men, and your habitation is to be with the beasts of the field. You are to be fed grass like cattle, and seven seasons will pass over you until you come to know that the Most High is sovereign over the realm of man and He gives it to whom He wishes.” (30) There and then the sentence was carried out upon Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven away from men, he ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like eagle’s [feathers] and his nails like [the talons of] birds. (31) “When the time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason was restored to me. I blessed the Most High, and praised and glorified the Ever-Living One,
Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion
And whose kingdom endures throughout the generations. (32) All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account.
He does as He wishes with the host of heaven,
And with the inhabitants of the earth.
There is none to stay His hand
Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ (33) There and then my reason was restored to me, and my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom. My companions and nobles sought me out, and I was reestablished over my kingdom, and added greatness was given me. (34) So now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of Heaven, all of whose works are just and whose ways are right, and who is able to humble those who behave arrogantly.”

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When the king sits on the throne of his monarchy, he must write a Sefer Torah for himself, this in addition to the Sifrei Torah which were left for him by his forefathers. He checks his Sefer against the one in the Temple Courtyard, in accordance with the Court of Seventy-One. If his forefathers did not leave him a Sefer or if it was lost, he has to write two Sifrei Torah. The first one will be kept in his Repository; this is the same Commandment which all of Israel must observe. The second one must never leave his side, other than when he goes to the lavatory or the bath or a place where it would be improper to read from it. When he goes to war, it is with him. When he returns, it is with him. When he sits in judgment, it is with him. When he eats, it is next to him, as it says, “And it shall be with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life” (Deut. 17:19).

Then shall all the trees of the field know that it is I the LORD who have abased the lofty tree and exalted the lowly tree, who have dried up the green tree and made the withered tree bud. I the LORD have spoken, and I will act.

[(Gen. 21:1:) THEN THE LORD VISITED SARAH.] This text is related (to Ezek. 17:24): THEN ALL THE TREES OF THE FIELD SHALL KNOW THAT I THE LORD…. Who are these TREES OF THE FIELD? R. Jacob bar Aha said: These are the children of Adam, as stated (in Deut. 20:19): FOR THE TREE OF THE FIELD IS HUMANITY. (Ezek. 17:24, cont.:) HAVE BROUGHT DOWN THE LOFTY TREE. This is Nebuchadnezzar. (Ibid., cont.:) HAVE EXALTED THE LOWLY TREE. This refers to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who were thrown into the fiery furnace...

When Joseph came up to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the ornamented tunic that he was wearing,

Thereupon Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was rushed from the dungeon. He had his hair cut and changed his clothes, and he appeared before Pharaoh.

And removing his signet ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph’s hand; and he had him dressed in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck.

(1) The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they drew too close to the presence of the LORD. (2) The LORD said to Moses: Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come at will into the Shrine behind the curtain, in front of the cover that is upon the ark, lest he die; for I appear in the cloud over the cover. (3) Thus only shall Aaron enter the Shrine: with a bull of the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.— (4) He shall be dressed in a sacral linen tunic, with linen breeches next to his flesh, and be girt with a linen sash, and he shall wear a linen turban. They are sacral vestments; he shall bathe his body in water and then put them on.— (5) And from the Israelite community he shall take two he-goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering... (23) And Aaron shall go into the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen vestments that he put on when he entered the Shrine, and leave them there. (24) He shall bathe his body in water in the holy precinct and put on his vestments; then he shall come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, making expiation for himself and for the people.