“Mount Gerizim,
All the Days of Our Lives”
January/ February
2014
Vol. XIII - No 3
In This Issue ·
Passover ·
Isaac ·
Tomb of
Elazar ·
Contract ·
A Poem and a letter ·
Two Eulogies ·
Samaritan
Interpretation ·
Samaritan manuscripts ·
Sinners and Shehmaa ·
Gaster Project ·
Lexicon Project ·
Auction Results ·
New Website ·
Three Letters ·
In the News ·
Gerizim Tours ·
Testimony of Stephen ·
From the Editor ·
News From the Past ·
New Publications ·
Biblio
Future Events
Eleventh Month 3652 - Thursday Evening, January 30, 2014
Twelfth Month 3652 - Friday Evening, February
28, 2014
First day of the First Month 3652 - Sunday Evening., March 30, 2014
Passover Sacrifice - Sunday, April 13, 2014
Festival of Passover. First Day of Matzos - Monday, April 14, 2014
Festival of Unleavened Bread - first Pilgrimage. – Sun. April 20,
2014
Festival of Weeks. Second Pilgrimage - Sunday, June 8, 2014
~~~~~~~~~~~
Passover
On
Sunday, April 13, 2014, the Samaritans will perform their duty to keep the
memorial Passover sacrifice as instructed as their fore fathers had done before
them.
Once
again this year, there is expected to be tour buses traveling for the event.
Once they send us their full information, it will be posted on the main web
page of theSamaritanUpdate.com. For those that maybe driving, we suggest you
use your maps and enter Mount Gerizim from the West side in place of traveling
through the busy streets of Nablus.
Isaac Ha-Kohen Ben Amram Ben Isaac
[1936-2014]
Isaac Ha-Kohen passed away. He was born in
Nablus in 1936 when his father, Amram was Secretary of the Congregation. He was
the youngest son. He studied Torah community of priests, finished law studies
and integrated work in the Ministry of health. He married his cousin beautiful
woman in 1970, and both brought to three daughters and a son. After retiring
from his work developing the Ministry of counseling and support from pension
funds and advice.
The priest Father Amram Ben Isaac [1980-1889]
raised and nurtured him. He had a sensitive soul to injustice and oppression. He
raised his family with love and encouragement to acquire an education.
He was among the first to come for prayer at the
synagogue and feared God and was observant of the Torah. May he Rest in
Peace!
~~~~~~~~~~
Tomb of Elazar Desecrated
See the full article http://www.israelite-samaritans.com/tomb-elazar/ by Benyamim Tsedaka
This is
the Tomb of Elazar, the High Priest and son of Aaron, the brother of Moses. His
Burial location is acknowledged by Samaritans, who have kept charge of the
site. Recently, with weather permitting, a small group of young Samaritan males
white-washed the site.
Renovation of the Tomb of the High Priest
Eleazar son of Aaron, in Nablus by a group of young Samaritans (Feb. 2014) Well
Done!!! כל הכבוד!!!
~~~~~~~~~~
A Contract of Sale
and Purchase of an Orchard between Two Samaritans in Damascus in 1584 by Hasseb Shehadeh
Recently, while
working on the publication of Samaritan contracts housed in the National
Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg, I came across several ambiguous legal
terms such as ‘darak, tabi‘a’. An attempt to understand them fully led me to an
essential book dealing with contracts and available on the internet: Akram Ḥasan
al-‘Ilbī, The Jews in Damascus in the Ottoman Period on the Basis of
Records of the Islamic Courts in the Centre of Historical Documents in
Damascus, 991 H.-1336 H, 1583-1909 A.D. (Damascus: Publications of the Syrian
General Organization for the Book, Ministry of Culture, 2011), 344 pp (in
Arabic).
Two hundred seventy contracts are
included in this book, the lion’s share of which concern the Rabbinic Jews. In
addition, Karaites are involved in numerous cases, whereas only a few contracts
belong to Christians. And only a single contract is Samaritan; it goes back to
the year 1584, meaning that only two Jewish contracts are older – by one year.
This Samaritan contract is the oldest known to us today, since the most ancient
contract in Abraham Firkovitch’s collection (1786–1874) of Samaritan
manuscripts preserved in the above-mentioned library dates back to 1649. A wide
range of subjects and disputes is discussed and resolved in these contracts,
which have titles such as ‘The Jew, the Muslim and the red female mule’ (the
earliest, 1583); the subjects also deal with taxes among Christians and Jews,
the suit of a Jew who became a Muslim (and was turned down), a suspicious man,
a purchase of a house in Safed; a dispute between neighbours; the American
consul in Damascus; and Jews of Russian nationality.
The Samaritan contract, consisting of
146 words, is transcribed above followed by my Hebrew translation, accompanied
by some clarifications and preceded by a detailed background of the pivotal
role of Damascus for the Samaritans in the Middle Ages. Samaritans lived in
Damascus from ancient times until the riots of 1625, which caused the
well-known family of Denfi to immigrate to Nablus. The Jewish traveller
Benjamin of Tudela (1130–1173) reported that approximately 400 Samaritans lived
in Damascus, whereas only 200 were found in each of the cities of Nablus and
Caesarea. In addition there was a high priest in Damascus, and the city
witnessed a scientific and literary renaissance during the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries (see the Arabic book on physicians by Ibn Abi USaibi’a, d.
1269) that led to the emergence of a new manifestation of language known in
present scholarly circles as ‘Neo-Samaritan Hebrew’. No wonder then that a
great number of Samaritan manuscripts, estimated as more than 4,000 and
scattered around the world, originated in Damascus and Cairo. It suffices here
to mention that the Samaritan Torah published in Paris polyglot in 1632 and in
London polyglot in 1657 stems from a Damascene manuscript purchased by the
Italian traveller Pietro della Valle in 1616. Some Syrian families such as Naḥḥās,
al-Rumailī, al-‘Asalī and al-Ğa‘farī were originally
Samaritan.
A Poem and a Letter
by: Imr!n b. Sal!ma b. Ghaz!l to Firkovitch
by Hasseb Shehadeh
These two brief texts by: ‘Imran are preserved in
Manuscript Sam X 94 housed at the National Library of Russia in Saint
Petersburg. ‘Imran (1809-1874) served as a high priest between the years 1855
and 1874 and met Abraham Firkovitch during his visit to Nablus in 1864. At that
time the number of Samaritans in Nablus was approximately 150 persons. The
poem, consisting of sixteen lines written in Neo-Samaritan Hebrew, has been
rendered into Arabic by me. In this poem the high priest expresses his thanks
and gratitude for Firkovitch’s assistance. The letter contains a few lines in
Neo-Samaritan Hebrew, which I have also translated into Arabic. Its main
subject is: ‘Imran’s request to be paid for preparing the Torah cover and his
readiness to sell a small portion of an old and small Torah secretly. Read it here
Two
Eulogies by al-Maghrebi al-Bahloul?
by Hasseb Shehadeh
Herewith I am publishing for the first time two eulogies, both
attributed to al-Maghrebi al-Bahloul. This publication is based on fifteen
primary sources: eight Samaritan manuscripts, one Arabic manuscript found at
King Saud University library, and six texts available on the internet. These
poems of tribute are written in a language that resembles dialectal Arabic
rather than written Arabic. A Hebrew translation and a linguistic survey follow
the discussion of the poems’ Arabic origins.
The first eulogy is entitled “This is a Maghrebi Asceticism”. Its words
are sung to the same melody as the poem “There is no god but God…”, and it has
one hundred and two verses.
The second eulogy has no title; as
found in Sam JRUL manuscript no. XIV in Manchester,
England, which is the basis for this
edition, it has ninety-eight verses. Its verses are sung to the melody of the
poem ‘Get up and Turn to God Before the End of Your Life’. The earlier layer of
this manuscript, which includes both eulogies, was copied by ‘Abdallah bin Murgan in 1723. I have
compared the two eulogies in the Manchester manuscript with three other primary
Samaritan sources: manuscript no. 7019 housed at the Yad ben-Zvi Library in
West
Jerusalem, copied by Kamal al Israel
al-Sarawi in 1930 and referred to in this edition as al -
Quds; the manuscript known as Kitab
al-Tasabih and
copied by the High Priest Avisha ben
Tabia in 1927, preserved in a private
library on Mount Gerizim, and referred to as Nagi;
and the codex also entitled Kitib al-Tasbih, whose contents were collected and
made available
by Ratson Tsedaka in 1970. An
additional four incomplete Samaritan manuscripts kept at the
Russian
National Libray have also been utilized here and are referred to as Salama,
Yusuf, Qqatqut, and Murgan. Read it here
Aninomous Samaritan
Interpretation of Genesis 1: 26 by Hasseb Shehadeh
Read it here in Arabic
& Hebrew
~~~~~~~~~~~
Creating easy and reliable access to Samaritan
manuscripts, and the ancient Hebrew alphabet on the Internet
By: Dr. Jim Ridolfo,University of Kentucky
In the picture: A manuscript of a
Samaritan Scroll from the year 1145CE [Thanks to Dr. David Gilner (left)]
In 2003 Benyamim Tsedaka visited Michigan State University
and spoke before a public meeting of the Board of Trustees. Tsedaka told the
university trustees that they have in their library a large collection of
Samaritan manuscripts, which came to them from the estate of the late Edward
Kirk Warren. Benyamim Tsedaka asked the university to allow more public access
to manuscripts.
Five years after Benyamim Tsedaka’s
remarks, in 2008, I found his request to the Board of Trustees while looking
for online information about the Samaritan manuscripts in the Michigan State
University library. My curiosity about the Samaritan manuscripts increased, and
I wanted to check with Benyamim Tsedaka to learn if the university had ever
done something with the Samaritan manuscripts since his 2003 visit, and I found
that little had been done.
A Google search found Benyamim
Tsedaka’s correct email address, and I sent him a short message, “Hi, my name
is Jim Ridolfo and I am a doctoral student at Michigan State University. I
found your request regarding the Samaritan manuscripts from 2003. Do you still
want to do something with them? Would you want to work with me to digitize
manuscripts here at Michigan State University?”
In response, Benyamim wrote back, yes,
yes! So, we had a project to digitize Samaritan manuscripts.
Since 2008, Dr. William Hart-Davidson
and I continue to computerize the Samaritan manuscripts at two universities -
Michigan State University and Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.
You can see several important
manuscripts at the project site here: http://samaritanrepository.org/
Login: deuteronomy
Password: Samaritan
For example, you can read a rare
manuscript of Deuteronomy from 1145 CE plus parts of three Samaritan
manuscripts dating back over 500 years in Egypt. In addition, there’s an
attached map of the Samaritan manuscripts out to Israel. http://www.samaritanarchive.org/maps/manuscripts
Ancient Samaritan Hebrew Keyboard
I also created a Samaritan Keyboard
for Apple computers and Microsoft keyboards that can be downloaded here: http://rid.olfo.org/keyboard
In the future we plan to continue to computerize Samaritan
manuscripts in both universities. If there are readers of the newspaper "
A.B. – The Samaritan News or participants on Facebook [or Readers of the
Samaritan Update] that have ideas or questions, please write me to:
ridolfo@gmail.com
Benyamim Tsedaka Notes:
AB – The Samaritan News and A.B. –
Institute of Samaritan Studies meticulously provide correct information about
the Israelite Samaritans in the web site: Israelite-samaritans.com added the
sites of the researcher Dr. Jim Ridolfio [34 ] at the University of Kentucky,
showing the beginning of a job by a joint committee to digitize Samaritan
manuscripts at Michigan State University.
Dr. Jim Ridolfo and I are both members
of two reputable sites all use the internet. One site presented in the ancient
Samaritan manuscripts, and two - Keyboard Hebrew script - the ancient
Samaritan. We also have the first site with all the information about the
location of the Samaritan manuscripts in the world.
Recently a member of the Israeli
Committee of the Samaritans in Holon Eyal Cohen asked me: "When you will
no longer be in the world, how will future generations find information about
all the Samaritan manuscripts in the world and access to them? The article by
Jim Ridolfo and his resources are a complete answer to this question.
Fondly.
Benyamim Tsedaka
Head of A.B. – Institute of Samaritan
Studies
Holon, Israel and Mount Gerizim,
Samaria
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Sinners of the Golden Calf and Shehmaa against Ashima
Benyamim Tsedaka
The
sinners of Golden calf were only minor part of the people, as they always gave
harm days to Moses, although their number probably was thousands, but to say
that all the followers from Egypt took part in the Calf sin it is not true.
Aaron had a weak personality not to stand under the pressure of these
criminals. The shock he had was for two reasons: the absence of Moses and the
fact that just right after they heard the Ten Commandments started with the two
commandments of forbidden idolatry, some of the leadership, including some of
the Levites helped Aaron to make the Golden Calf. This story has a message that
better to live simple life with worshiping the Almighty than chasing after
property and big money to live life of cheating.
The closeness in pronunciation and
spelling of The Name [Shehmaa] and the idol Ashima is incidental and has
nothing to do with the Israelites of the Kingdom of Ephraim=Israel and the
historical facts. The minority of the foreigners brought by the Assyrians to
the former Kingdom of Israel for administrative reasons had idols they
worshiped as Ashima, Nergal and others [Kings 2, Chapter 17]. At the same time
the majority of the Israelites that remained in the Assyrian colonies in the
former Kingdom of Israel territories, held the complete and original Torah of
Moses and they believed in the Almighty to prefer calling Him Shehmaa not to
name His Name in vain - Shehmaa=The Name. This rule never ceased till our days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2013 AT 12:55PM
Cataloguing Project. The Centre is
delighted to announce an award of £2500 from the John Rylands Research
Institute for a project to catalogue Moses Gaster’s correspondence with the
Samaritan community in Nablus at the beginning of the twentieth century (four
boxes of c.500 letters). This is part of a series of Gaster-related projects
that have been and continue to be conducted at Manchester. Further information.
~~~~~~~~~~
COMPREHENSIVE ARAMAIC LEXICON PROJECT
The CAL is a text base of the Aramaic texts in all dialects from the
earliest (9th Century
BCE) through the 13th Century
CE, currently with a database of approximately 2.5 million lexically parsed
words, and an associated set of electronic tools for analyzing and manipulating
the data, whose ultimate goal is the creation of a complete lexicon of the
language. IT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, not a completed dictionary. Accordingly,
any citations for scholarly purposes should include the date when the data was
found. http://cal.huc.edu/
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Results of the Modern
Samaritan Manuscripts Collection Bought in Public Auction in Jerusalem in
February, 2014 by Benyamim
Tsedaka
A collection of manuscripts and books of the late
Abraham Tsedaka was given by his successor recently to a public auction by
“Kedem” Auctions house in Jerusalem and sold
completely to antiquities dealers by the total of $15,000. The Estimated selling price was 10,000-12,000$ Link
Some of the items belonged to him, some from through
the inheritance of his wife Rachel and the others borrowed by him from his
father in law and never returned back. Anyway all the collection was given up
at auction recently. The most important of the collection were the manuscripts
copied by Samaritan sages of the 18-19Th centuries.
Statement from KEDEM:
Description: Large collection of Samaritan
booklets, books and manuscripts from the 19th and 20th centuries, from the
estate of Abraham Nur Tsedaka, who during the 1960s and 70s worked as editor
and printer of annotated editions of Samaritan manuscripts with explanations of
Samaritan laws and customs. [also
see the previous Samaritan
Update]
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leabharlann
Chester Beatty Library, Dublin
Castle, Dublin
The Samaritan
Collection: The
Samaritan Collection consists of two books and a collection of several
fragments - individual leaves or groups of leaves from a variety of
manuscripts. These are all copies of the one text (the Samaritan Pentateuch)
and range in date from the twelfth to the seventeenth century. Undoubtedly, the
two Samaritan codices Ms 751 (1225) and Ms 752 (1339) are of international
importance. These were purchased by Beatty in 1930, through Dr Yahuda.
http://www.cbl.ie/Collections/The-Western-Collection/Manuscripts/Hebrew-Samaritan.aspx
Also
see: Plummer, Reinhart (1979) 'The Samaritan Manuscripts of the
Chester Beatty Library', Studies (spring/summer): 66-79.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Website
A New Website http://www.olim.us/ appeared on the internet on Feb.
14th, 2013 by the Samaritan Community in Holon. This great website is in
Hebrew.
Their introduction post reads in
Hebrew. We have there for here given an English translation:
“Welcome to the Samaritan
community. The database can be found in a variety of Verses from the mouths of
poets many photos, videos and reviews many activities at the Samaritan
community in Holon, the site is also a forum where you can sign up, you will
find it in the links above.
Poems arranged by holidays, every
holiday you will find the hymn is written. To enjoy the contents above we ask
you to register with the site, forum and start surfing! Happy surfing! The Samaritan community in Holon.”
On the website, they have the
largest collection of Samaritan liturgical on the net, including the Samaritan
calendar, videos, photos and a forum. The forum, which can be nice and
informative. But let us hope that they back up their files, since in the past
hackers have accessed a Samaritan website.
Three
Letters of Rabbi Obadiah Yerei of Bertinoro 1488-1490 and one letter of his
student
Translated by Yaacov Dovid Shulman
There
are about 700 Jewish families in Cairo today. 50 of them are Samaritans, 150
are Karaites and the rest are Rabbinic Jews.
The Samaritans only have the Five
Books of Moses. Their script is different than that of our holy Torah.
Maimonides has written that the Samaritans use a Jewish script that the Jews
originally wrote in before they were exiled to Assyria, as is mentioned in the
Talmud, in Sanhedrin. They have the Holy Tongue, as we do, but they read it
with a slightly different pronunciation, due to their different writing. Also,
wherever the Torah has the Tetragrammaton, they write the word, “Asima.” The
Jews feel very hostile toward them, because they offer sacrifices and incense
on Mt. Gerizim.
Many of these Samaritans traveled
with us from Cairo to their temple on Mt. Gerizim to sacrifice the paschal
lamb. They keep the Sabbath from midday Friday to midday Saturday. Although
they used to be many, very few are left. I was told that today there are no
more than about 500 Samaritan families left in the entire world.
The
Samaritans are richer than the other Jews in Cairo. They work for the major
Egyptian ministers as treasurers and agents. Some have 200,000 or 100,000
golden florins.
The
king is a greedy and ruthless man whose throat is an open grave and whose eye
is never satisfied. There has been great distress in all of Egypt, because the
king has been collecting huge amounts of money to support his army that he sent
to fight against the king of Turkey in Ahlab (Aram Tzoba), on the Euphrates. He
imposed a great tax burden on the Jews in Cairo: a total of 75,000 golden
florins on the Samaritans, Rabbinic Jews and Karaites. He imposed this tax on
every nationality, including Christians and Moslems.
In
Gaza I saw the building that, according to the Jews there, was pulled down by
Samson. In Gaza today, there are about 70 Rabbinic families and 2 Samaritan
families. I didn’t see any Karaites there.
From
My Inner Chambers - Rav Kook
~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~
Last month, the Israel Skiing Association petitioned the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change the name of all slalom events.
According to the Israelis, the event was invented in biblical
times by the Samaritans and it was called shalom racing. The
Samaritans held annual competitions on Mount Gerizim, which Israeli
geologist say, was snow covered in winter in the days long before the
onset of global warming. It is claimed that the Samaritans and the
Judeans participated in events called shalom, giant shalom and super gimmel.
http://iranian.com/posts/view/post/28344
PA to remove religion from ID cards
NABLUS (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority has
decided to remove the section detailing religious affiliation on Palestinian
identity cards, according to officials.
The undersecretary of the ministry of interior Hassan Alawi told Ma'an
that President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree to remove religious affiliation
from identity cards beginning on Feb. 11, 2014.
Alawi said the decision was made entirely by
Palestinian authorities and ensures the equality of all Palestinians,
regardless of their religion.
Although the majority of Palestinians are
Muslims, just under 10 percent of Palestinians in the West Bank are Christian,
in addition to thousands more in the Gaza Strip.
A few hundred Palestinians in the West Bank
are Samaritans, a religion closely associated to Judaism. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=673377
See French article: L'Autorité Palestinienne va retirer la mention « religion »
des cartes ...
11
dead as ME battered by hail, snow, rain- January 10, 2013
The two
women found dead near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem - one from the
ancient Samaritan community - had been posted as missing since Tuesday.
http://www.nation.com.pk/international/10-Jan-2013/11-dead-as-me-battered-by-hail-snow-rain
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gerizim Tours:
Abraham Tours: Northern West Bank Tour Every Monday
Our next stop is the
Samaritan village on Mt. Gerizim, overlooking Nablus. Near the Samaritan
temple, you will hear about the long history of the Samaritan people dating
back from the Roman era with over a million strong community, to the few
hundred who remain today.
360 NIS per Person
http://abrahamtours.com/tours/northern-west-bank-tour/
This short video highlights an incredible
opportunity provided by Green Olive Tours. Along this journey you can
visit Jacob’s Well, The Old City, Balata Refugee Camp, an olive oil soap factory,
and Mount Grizim and the Samaritan village. A creative and alternative
approach to experience the culture of Nablus, meet and interact with locals,
and immerse yourself in this wonderful city!
See a tour video: http://www.bouldernablus.com/wp1/green-olive-tour-of-nablus/
The Tour website is http://www.toursinenglish.com/
Breaking Bread Journeys
Day 6. Samaria and Nablus. We will
spend much the morning in the Old City of Nablus, learn about the ancient soap
production, famous Nablus sweets, and other items within the ancient market
and lunch with a local women’s group learning about the Palestinian slow
food movement and local culture. After a brief visit to Jacob’s Well and then
meet with the Samaritans on Mt. Gerazim and learn about their culture and
traditions. http://breakingbreadjourneys.com/foodtour/
Jerusalem
Pilgrimage by Warren Shoberg
Our next
journey was to drive up and up to Mount Gerizim. This is the ancient mountain
atop which the Samaritans worshipped. I am continually amazed at the vertical
distance between the valleys and mountains here.
A Samaritan priest met us at their synagogue and spoke to us.
He was quite delightful but it was obvious he had difficulty with English. When
he finished speaking he told us he had “used up all his words.”
The ditch
over which the Passover lambs are slaughtered.
They celebrate the three
great festivals. On Passover they have a ceremonial plaza where
each family brings its lamb, the high priest
reads from Exodus, all the lambs are slaughtered over a ditch, they are
cleaned, the offal and wool is burned and the lambs roasted in six large pits.
At midnight each father takes the lamb home to his family and they eat the Passover
meal. Our leader, Rodney, had been to observe this ceremony a few years ago so
he could fill in the details.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Testimony of Stephen by Lisa Green
Acts
chapter 6:13 - 7:60. Stephen is accused of saying that Jerusalem would be
destroyed and he is accused of teaching new customs apart from the Torah.
Stephen is given the chance to offer his defense and he begins telling the
history of the doctrine of the Torah. He builds his case as he goes, the same
way an attorney would, until he finally reaches a crescendo. He’s showing that
he supports the Torah (the Law), as it is written, and it is not he who teaches
customs contrary to the Torah, but rather his accusers. The turning point of
his testimony hinges on the Tabernacle vs. the Temple. The region of Shechem
vs. the region of Jerusalem.
He
starts with Abraham and the covenant made with YHWH. He says the descendants of
Abraham would return to the Land after being held in bondage and they would
serve him in that place. Where was the place the covenant was made? Among the
oaks (or “big trees”) of Mamre. At the region of Shechem. Genesis 14:13 and
Genesis 18:1. Abraham was given the covenant of circumcision, and so
circumcised Yitzhak the eighth day, who likewise circumcised Yaakov, who
likewise circumcised the 12 patriarchs. (The context is circumcision.) Why
discuss circumcision on the eighth day? This is important, because in telling
his side of things, Stephen is revealing the truth and is highlighting examples
that would bring conviction over his accusers. He is bringing to light their
own shortcomings compared to what is written in the Torah. There are some who
have diminished the Torah by saying circumcision cannot be done the eighth day
if the eighth day also falls on Shabbat, so it is scheduled before or after,
yet this is not our doctrine…we are instructed to circumcise on the eighth day.
Stephen gives a summary of Yosef and how Yaakov and family went to Egypt. He
then says Yaakov and their fathers (meaning the heads of the 12 tribes: Reuven,
Yissachar, Yehudah, Levy, Zevulun, Shimon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Yosef,
Benyamim) died and that they were all carried over, (perhaps not just Yosef)
into Shechem after their deaths. Stephen says they were buried at Shechem in a
sepulcher bought by Abraham from the sons of Hamor of Shechem. Some might say
this is an incorrect statement, since the account of the Torah states it was
purchased from the “sons of Heth”. However, “Heth” can be translated “terror”,
perhaps referring to the man's ruling character, rather than his name. “Hamor”
can carry the meaning “trouble”. It is not far-fetched to see the relationship
between “terror” and “trouble”. Because there is not a comprehensive list of
Hamor's sons given anywhere in the text, the statement cannot be discounted. It
is a possibility, after all, for this ruler and his sons to be living in
Abraham's time as well as in Jacob's time. Stephen continues, explaining that
in the meantime, a Pharaoh, who did not know Yosef, rose to power in Egypt. As
the promise to Abraham drew near (the return of his descendants out of Egypt),
the Egyptians dealt treacherously with the Hebrews, killing their children.
Stephen then gives a summary of Moshe. Stephen specifically mentions three 40
year periods. 40 years until it came into the heart of Moshe to
visit/choose/inspect his brethren (the children of Yisrael) - only to be
rejected as ruler and judge - since they did not understand how they were to be
delivered, and he fled from their presence. 40 years Moshe sojourned in Midian
(Midian can mean discord/contention), bore two sons, and remained there until
he witnessed the burning bush, stood upon holy ground, and received word from
the God of Abraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov. 40 years of signs and wonders in
Mizraim (the Hebrew name for Egypt), the Red Sea, and in the wilderness. 120
years total. Stephen says this is the same Moshe who said to the children of
Yisrael that God shall raise up a prophet from their brethren, who would be
like him, and they were to listen to him. (Compare to the wording of Joshua
1:16-18) Moshe was a ruler and deliverer, Yehoshua ben Nun was given the same
charge by YHWH to be ruler and deliverer in Moshe's stead. Moshe and Yehoshua
were together at Mt. Sinai receiving the Law, while the congregation had Aaron
make the golden idol. They rejoiced in the works of their own hands. This is an
important statement. It is leading into what he will say next. I believe he is
making a comparison. The “works of their own hands” = Temple at Jerusalem
versus the “pattern shown to Moshe” and the “pattern appointed by YHWH” =
Tabernacle in the region of Shechem. Stephen says the Tabernacle was appointed
by YHWH and that Moshe made it according to the pattern shown to him. Our
fathers that came after Moshe brought the Tabernacle into the Land with
Yehoshua (Joshua) to inherit the Land the Gentiles possessed. The Gentiles were
driven out before the face of our fathers to the days of David, who found favor
before YHWH and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Yaakov.
This
is where Stephen's discourse changes. This is where he is driving his point
that it is not he who is teaching contrary to the doctrine, but those who are
accusing him.
He says - BUT Solomon built Him a
house. Nevertheless/Nay/No the Most High dwells not in temples made with hands.
Made after the imaginations of the hearts of men in a place of man's own
choosing. YHWH dwells in His Place, which corresponds to the place on Earth
which He chose and by the pattern which He appointed. Stephen says as their
fathers resisted the Holy Spirit, so do they. He asks them which of the
prophets have their fathers not persecuted. Stephen says their fathers have
killed those who showed before of the coming of the righteous, whom they
themselves have now been the betrayers and murderers.
Stephen
says they received the Law as transmitted by angels, yet they have not kept
(guarded/ preserved/obeyed/observed) the Law. Stephen is then cast out of the
city and stoned.
THE
PLACE on Earth corresponds with HIS PLACE, Yaakov recognized THE PLACE, and
according to the Torah, the place of Yaakov's vision of the ladder, the gateway
between heaven and earth, does not exist at Jerusalem.
~~~~~~~~~~
From the Editor
I have been working in my spare time on updating the archives section of
theSamaritanUpdate.com. Many new not references have been added and corrections
of the previous references of a whole will add to the researcher’s sources.
While this does take time, it should be finished for a 2014 edition in the next
few months.
In the Biblio section below you will find a couple of the new references
that have been added. My guess is that there will be about a hundred pages with
about five to six hundred sources not mentioned in the last published book.
Also in what little spare time I have taken for myself, I have been
reading Alexander Broadie’s thesis, ‘An Investigation into
the Cultural Ethos of the Samaritan Memar Marqah with Special Reference to the
Work of Philo of Alexandria,’ 1975. While I can only admit that
I am half way through the work, I do find it somewhat interesting. It is not my
first reading choice. I believe Broadie named the title wrong, it should have
been ‘a work of Philo with references to the Memar Marqah.’
Broadie, as I see it, speculates a little too much, and considering that Philo was of the Jewish faith and Marqah,
a Samaritan used their Holy writings as sources. Yet, Broadie does have a point
that I have seen. How is it that Marqah’s Memar is and was different from any
other Samaritan writings of his time, that is, that we know of today. It very
well is possible that Marqah read Philo’s work. Just as Samaritan Arron ban
Maer may have been inspired by the Jewish Moses b. Maimon (Maimonides) with the
613 commandments, Marqah may have been inspired by the works of Philo.
The following information comes from
my personal notes:
Upon reading different and unusual articles, sometimes a question comes
to me, maybe I had read or heard it before but I will state it anyway; Are
there any Samaritan manuscripts that are unknown to the Samaritans and scholars
in Nablus?
There are first two old Mosques in Nablus, The great Mosque of Nablus ( جامع
نابلس الكبير Jami'
Nablus al-Kebir) and the Al-Khadra Mosque ( مسجد الخضرة,
transliteration: Masjid
al-Khadra, translation: "the Green Mosque" also known as Hizn
Sidna Yaq’ub Mosque). We know that in Egypt, Samaritan manuscript fragments
were found in the Cairo Genizah and also
Samaritan fragments in Damascus. [See James Fraser, 'Documents from a Samaritan
Genizah in Damascus', Palestine Exploration Quarterly (1971), 85-92]. So are
there some fragments in a small room in the Nablus Mosques?
And also, are there any
manuscripts among the families of the heritage of the Samaritans that are now
Moslems? It could be possible that a family or two had kept a manuscript or two
just because it had their family tree written on the shoulders of it. Just some
curious thoughts!
Earthquakes in 1182,
1201, 1202 caused extensive damage to the structures and loss of life.
In 1225, only Samaritans lived in Nablus according to Yāqūt
ibn-'Abdullah al-Rūmī al-Hamawī) (1179–1229) with a large
mosgue. James of Verona, an Augustinian monk in 1335 says that the mosque
was a church in the past
In Damascus, in the years 1290-1293 dhimmers (non-Mulsims)
were all expelled from public office after the revolt under the rule of
al-Ashraf Khalil. In the following years mass conversion took place.
Yet in 1355, Ibn Batutah mentions a main mosque in Nablus but
does not mentions the Samaritans as Abu-l Fida does in 1321.
In 1481, Meshullam of Volterra, visiting Gaza mentions only
four Samaritan families living there.
In 1488, R. Obadiah of Bertinoro said there were 50 Samaritan
in Cairo with one synagogue and worked for the Egyptian ministers as treasurers
and agents. In Gaza he saw two Samaritan families. There is said to be a burial
ground in the district of Al-Habash in Egypt.
In 1516,
Nablus fell under Turkish rule.
The
Ottoman Tahrir Registers gives us an indication of the Samaritans for the area
of Gaza, in 1525/6, 100 Samaritans, sixty in 1538/9, seventy-five in 1548/9,
seventy in 1538/9 and thirty-two in 1596/7. Nablus had one hundred twenty in
1538/9, one hundred-forty in 1548/9 and eighty in 1596/7. Then in the records
of 1690/01 there is a hundred in Nablus and twenty-five in Gaza.
In
1584, J.J. Scaliger purchased a Samaritan manuscript of the Samaritan Book of
Joshua from Samaritans in Cairo, it is in the Leiden collection today.
One
of the reasons for the decline in the Samaritan populations was the poll tax
called Jizya, on all non-Muslims,
defined as al-Dhimma. The Jizya is a per capita tax on all non-Muslims citizens
living in the Muslin Territories. In Nablus between the years 1538-1596, the
amount was between 60 – 80 Ottoman akce
or as the Europeans called it, asper
(silver coin) per person or household. This tax varied per the government agent
in office. There was also a tax (kharaj) on agricultural land, land tax
(harac), travel tax, etc. At times the collected money would go into the
pockets of the governor to refill his treasury from the bribes that he paid to
get his position. In Nablus there were no less than thirteen different
governors between 1805 and 1842. From 1538- 1548 (a 10 year span) the tax
revenue for the city of Nablus increased more than 5 times (5,000 to 26,500).
Had
the area had something similar are the Constitution of Medina, the Samaritans
would have fared better. Yet the laws made life difficult they had to: live
separated from the Muslims; have lower houses then the Muslims; practice their
religion secretly and in silence; bury their day hastily in different types of
tombs; refrain from showing in public religious objects (such as the Samaritan
succah, preforming the Passover Sacrifice, etc.) and sacred texts (Samaritan
scrolls were always shown to visitors inside); to wear certain cloths (no silk
garments, Turbans made of coarse black stuff, sometime before 1772 they were
red, some accounts of wearing old shoes suspended over their shoulders with
bells attached.; could not go near or enter mosques; forbidden to ride horses
or camels (donkeys were permitted outside of town and had to dismount on sight
of a Muslim and required to walk in the same path of the beast when passing a
mosque) pack-saddles wear allowed only and ; to pass on the left (impure) side
of a Muslim, who was advised to push them to the wall; walk humbly with eyes
lowered; remain standing in a humble, respectful attitude in the presence of a
Muslim; never interfere with a Muslims religious observance especially prayer;
never speak to Muslims except to reply; accept insults without replying; leave
Muslims the best places. When charges were placed by a Muslim before a
tribunal, the Samaritan seldom was able to respond in testimony. These charges
brought imprisonment, beatings (including torture that could result in death),
or/and ransoms (avanies). In 1812 Isaac b. Shalamah was lynched in a public
bath. Offences against Samaritans by Moslems including death were seldom
punished since they could always find a reason to justify his actions.
Certain
charges brought the death penalty: carry or possess weapons; raise a hand
against a Muslim, even against an aggressor unjustly determined to kill him;
become allies of the enemies of the Arabs; criticize Islam, Prophet or their
Angels; convert to any religion other than Islam or back to his former
religion; be linked by marriage or concubine to a Muslim woman; to hold a
position giving him authority over a Muslim.
When
intolerance arose in non-Muslim communities under certain circumstances, the
dhimmis be could exile and in some cases the whole of the dhimmis could be
pillaged and massacred. This is what almost happened to the Samaritans in 1841,
as told in John Mills, in Three Months'
Residence at Nablus, and an Account of the Modern Samaritans. The
Samaritans were accused of having no religion and not even believing in any of
the five books of Moses (Jews), the New Testament (Christians), Al-Anbiya
(Prophets) or the Koran. The Samaritans
tried to prove their faith but of no avail, only the Chief Rabbi in Jerusalem
convinced the accusers with a written declaration that the Samaritans
acknowledge the Torah.
In
1750 the Samaritans only numbered seventy souls.
In
1786, drought raised the prices of food rose dramatically.
Epidemics
were a problem in Nablus in 1572-6 and 1587-9. In 1786, an epidemic caused the
death of 20 Samaritans, men, women and children. A Cholera outbreak occurred in
1902/3 in Nablus with at least 12 recorded death in the city.
Earthquakes
rumbled in 1033/34 destroying half of Nablus and again there was severe damage
in June/July 1201 (also recorded as May 20, 1202) that destroyed Nablus only
the Samaritan quarter escaped damage. It was estimated that 30,000 were killed.
In Nablus on Jan. 14, 1546, reports are recorded that 300-500 were killed and
another report claims 900 were killed with 500 people buried under the ruins.
Further records of Nablus quake dates that caused major loss was May 26, 1834, 1837,
another 20 souls lost their lives due to an earthquake and March 29, 1903.
On
July 11th, 1927
another earthquake hit Nablus destroying Samaritan homes of the 300 buildings that
collapsed. Part of the problem of the houses were that because
they could not expand their neighborhood they had to build up over existing
structures whereas the walls weakened foundations were hundreds of years old.
The Samaritan synagogue displayed wall cracks and the Samaritans themselves put
up their tents in their cemetery on the hillside.
The High Priest had to appeal for assistance. Nablus photograph and
News records of the Quake of July 11, 1927 as the worst quake in Modern times.
The Census of the Ottoman Population of
1906/7 gives 95 males
and 71 females for a total of 166 Samaritans in Nablus in the Beyrut district.
Muslims numbered 111,964, and 1885 Christians totaling 114,015 residents. And
what is surprising is the 1906/7 Census also gives a Samaritan population in
Haleb (Aleppo) as 52 males and 44 females, making a Samaritan population of 96
Samaritans. ((This need investigation))
The Ottoman Census of 1914 gives us a number
of 160 Samaritans in Nablus with 4 Samaritans in Beni Saab (Tulkarem) (Beni Sa`b). Tul Karem was made the administrative center of the Beni
Saab sub district in 1886, later becoming a municipality in 1892. Tulkarm or Tulkarem, is now a Palestinian
city in the northwestern West Bank. The 1931 Census has 12 Samaritans registered there.
And what is surprising is the 1906/7 Census
also gives a Samaritan population in Haleb (Aleppo) as 52 males and 44 females,
making a Samaritan population there of 96 Samaritans.
In
Haleb (Aleppo) Census of 1914 numbers the Samaritans at 164, that is 4 more
Samaritan than Nablus. Since Jews are shown on both censuses and that the
Samaritans themselves do not know of their existence, it is reasonably possible
that the Haleb Samaritans are Karaites, and not Samaritans at all. But there is
a possibility, see: P. A. Vaccari,
"Due codici del Pentateuco Samaritano", Biblica 21 (1940), pp. 241-244 and one plate of
Codice Samaritano Corballis. A reference of Pietro dela Valle says that when he
visited Aleppo there were Samaritans there.
Let me say something about the quote that has been issued around the
world in various languages concerning the Samaritans: “All [Samaritans] wore red turban, the
peculiar badge of the sect.” Well, most of the
references come from one Egyptian source that I know of.
According to Three Months stay in Nablus, by John Mills the Samaritans did not
wear a red turban, at least in Nablus but a black turban. He wrote:
‘It was written in the year 1772, by one Achmed Effendi,
but does not state where. The laws which he lays down, in way of answers
to questions, for the proper regulation of the Samaritans, are as follow:—
"1.
They are to be distinguished (from the Mohammedans) by dress. Their turbans
must be made of coarse stuff, and of a black colour. They must also not be
allowed to wear any garment that becomes men of education or men of high rank.
None of their apparel may be made of valuable stuffs, such as silk, fine cloth,
or even fine cotton.’
The Mamelukes of Egypt ordered the Samaritans to wear red turbans in
1301, according al-Maqrizi (1364 – 1442), to al-Suyuti (1445–1505) and Al-Fath (Kitab
al-Ta'rikh), and Wilhelm of Badensel in 1336 found such in use. Joseph Sambari
(1640-1703) records restrictions in Egypt on all non-Muslims including a red
turban worn by Samaritans. Similar rules are may have been mentioned on the
orders of Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil (847-861)
~~~
Looking for the
following at this time:
A
critical edition of the text of the Samaritan Yom Ha-kippur liturgy, with
translation thereof and comparison with the corresponding Jewish liturgies by John Macdonald his Thesis (doctoral) University of Leeds 1958
A Critical Investigation
and Translation of the Special Liturgies of the Samaritans for Their Passover
and Their Feast of Unleavened Bread by Isaac
Lerner, University
of Leeds 1956
I also ran across an article whereas Dr. Chaplin of Jerusalem had
a Samaritan weight that had written on it a quarter of a quarter being 40 grams
(0 lb 1.4110oz). A full weight was 640 grams (1lb 6.5753oz)
Google
book instructions for downloading a
selected book: when you are at
the page,
on the top right of the Page there is a red sign-in, right below is a gear in a
box, click on that and click on download PDF, it will send you to another page,
then type in the letters or word into the box and the book should begin to download. To right click, save as, does
not work on google book pages.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
News from the Past
Samaritan
Survivors
Anton La Guardia finds out what
has happened to the descendants of the people despised by the Jews.
Jerusalem: THE SAMARITAN men gathered at dusk around a narrow trough on the
slopes of Mount Gerizim, reciting holy verses in a lost language. The full moon
glowed in the east over Jordan. Children held down sheep, one for each family,
restless with anticipation of the fate about to befall the animals. Dressed in
white robes and red fezzes, and shod incongruously with train- ers, boots or
bedroom slippers, the con- gregation at times resembled an assembly of mad
scientists.
With a full-chested crescendo of the primitively unmelodic chant,
the sheep were turned on their backs and sacrificial knives were slipped
through their throats. The animals kicked weakly for a few more minutes before
the last flux of life drained away. The business done, the men rose with glazed
eyes, smearing blood on their foreheads and on those of nearby relatives as the
crowd cheered their work.
Modern technology was applied to the ritual in the form of a
bicycle pump, the rubber hose of which was slipped under the skin of the
sheep's leg. Air was forced through to help separate the pelt from the flesh.
Once cleaned, the carcase was placed on a wooden stake and lowered into the
ovens dug in the ground, six flaming nostrils where fires had been burning for
several hours.
The Samaritans' Passover sacrifice, a living relic of antiquity,
would have been a solemn occasion were it not for the flood- lights and the row
of spectator seats around the site of the slaughter, and the jostling of
photographers searching for the best picture of gore. One American visitor
begged a friend: 'Get me a piece, a bit of skin, anything.' Cont’d
The Spectator,
13 JUNE 1908, Page 3
The Palestine Bulletin, 11 October 1925
CORP. GALAI RELEASED. HAIFA (P.T.A.)
Corp. Galai was released
Wednesday from prison by the order of the President of the District Court.
JUDGMENT IN THE MOUNT GERIZIM ASSAULT INCIDENT.
Nablus.
- Judgment in the case of assault, when local residents threw stones at
and injured tourists visiting the Paschal sacrifices at Passover of the
Samaritans on Mount Gerizim, was delivered last week by the District Court
here. The Moslem-Christian Association had furnished Counsel for the
defendants. One of the accused was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, three
to four months, four to three months, while four were acquitted. No right
of appeal was given.
Israel's History in Pictures: Joseph's Tomb -
Then and Now
What a difference a century makes!
By Lenny Ben-David
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/177796#.UxDOpeNdWDA
~~~~~~~~~~
Conversation with the High Priest of Hshmronim
Avraham
Moshe Lunz
שיחה
עם הכהן הגדול
של השמרונים אברהם משה
לונץ
http://benyehuda.org/lunz/samaritan.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~
How To Scare People
Into Going To Shul in 17th Century Venice (Feb.
5, 2014)
The following is a letter written by Rabbi
Leon Da Modena, the Chief Rabbi of Venice, to the the Jewish community of Capodistria.
Apparently the community was having trouble with membership attendance (more
specifically: completing the ‘ten men quorum’ for Synagogue prayers) and thus
turned to the esteemed Da Modena for help. In this letter, written in flowery
Hebrew, Da Modena is decidedly stern; he decrees that all male members of the
community must attend synagogue services, twice daily (presumably mincha and
maariv(arvit) were conducted one right after the other, as was– and still is
quite common), under penalty of ‘nachash’, an acronym which stands for נידוי
חרם שמתא loosely meaning complete
excommunication. Modena added ‘AND all the curses mentioned in the torah’ for
good measure. I was struck by some phrases and their similarity to a similar
missive penned by Abraham Firkovich in the 19th century for the Samaritan
community in Nablus/ Sichem, that experienced similar problems. I was
particularly intrigued by Da Modena’s directive to appoint overseers to make
sure that an attendee does not leave the Synagogue, if there are less than ten
in the room. His ordinance that nobody engage in commerce before morning
prayers, that nobody miss Synagogue unless one has a valid excuse (illness
etc.). Compare Firkovich’s ‘contract’ with the Samaritans after the jump.
Contd reading http://toldotyisrael.wordpress.com/
~~~~~~~~~~
“Palestine, From the Samaritan (A.D. 60). L.-
A Hymn of Gerizim (A.D.60).”
Sacred songs of the World. Henry Charles Leonard, London,
E. Stock, 1899.
p. 107
No God is there but one,
The everlasting God,
He who for ever lives,
Omnipotent is He.
In Thy great power we
trust;
Thou only art our Lord,
For Thou from the
earliest time
Hast led creation on.
Thy power was hid from
men,
Thy glory and thy love.
Revealed are things
revealed!
Revealed the unrevealed!
E. Deutsch [Translator]
~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Publications
~~~~~~~~~~
Biblio Additions
יוחסין
השלם Yuchsin haSholem by Avraham Zacuto
London 1857
Title: Thomas Yeates.
collation of the Hebrew and Samaritan Pentateuch - Genesis to Numbers Reference
129 Covering Dates c. 1812 Extent and Medium 1
vol http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0016%2FAdd.Ms.b%2F129
Papers
of C.H.W. Johns
'Samaritan vocabulary' -
an attempt to analyze the vocabulary peculiar to the Samaritan Pentateuch, with
Arabic, Targumic and other sources. 1910 (circa) Extent and Medium 1 vol; paper
http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0012%2FMS%20Johns%2F38
Papers
of C.H.W. Johns
Some handcopies of texts
for his 'Assyrian Deeds and Documents', a Lexicon of Akkadian.
1910 (circa) Extent and
Medium;1 vol; paper
Content and context: Notes
on sin and evil in Mesopotamia, with a study of such words as 'arnu' and
'hittu'. Notes on the Underworld. Notes on Elamite personal names. Lists of
kings from Kassite times, Elam, neo-Babylonian, neo-Assyrian, with no sources.
Tem pages of Samaritan vocabulary.
http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0012%2FMS%20Johns%2F73
1996 DA 1996.1 Ahamed,
R. A socio-political study of a religious minority: the Samaritans
http://www.ames.cam.ac.uk/faclib/Dissertation%20list/Arabic.pdf
Bausman, Benjamin
Sinai and Zion; or, A pilgrimage through
the wilderness to the Land of promise. Philadelphia,
Lindsay and Blakiston, 1861.
Frowde,
Henry
Bible illustrations: a series of plates
illustrating biblical versions and antiquities, being an appendix to Helps to
the study of the Bible. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1896. p. 21-22, plates: p. 105, 107
Romer, Isabella Frances
A pilgrimage to the temples and tombs of Egypt, Nubia,
and Palestine in 1845-6. vol 2. London: Bentley, 1846.
Smith, Charles Alfred
~~~~~~~~~~~
390 C.E.: Emperors Valentinian II., Theodosius, and
Arcadius issued a decree that thwarted the attempt of the association of
"navicularii" (ship-and cargo-owners) of Constantinople to force the
Jews and the Samaritans to join them and to share in the burdens of the
society. They “decided that the communities of the Jews and the Samaritans
could not legally be forced to join the navicularii, and that at most their
wealthy members only could be taxed ("Codex Theodosianus," xiii. 5,
18). This decree was most important to the Jews, for many of them were
ship-owners, and more than one-half of the shipping in Alexandria was
controlled by Jews.” (As reported by the Jewish Encyclopedia)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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~~~~~~~
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