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8 And kol HaAm gathered themselves together as one man into the rechov that was before the Water Gate; and they spoke unto Ezra HaSofer to bring the Sefer Torat Moshe, which Hashem had commanded to Yisroel.
2 And Ezra HaKohen brought the Torah before the Kahal both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month [Rosh Hashanah].
3 And he read therein before the rechov that was before the Water Gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of kol HaAm were attentive unto the Sefer HaTorah.
4 And Ezra HaSofer stood upon a platform of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattityah, and Shema, and Anayah, and Uriyah, and Chilkiyah, and Ma’aseiyah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedayah, and Mishael, and Malkiyah, and Chashum, and Chashbadana, Zecharyah, and Meshullam.
5 And Ezra opened the Sefer before the eyes of kol HaAm (for he was above kol HaAm); and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
6 And Ezra blessed Hashem, HaElohim HaGadol. And kol HaAm answered, Omein, Omein, with lifting up their hands; and they bowed, and worshiped Hashem with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Yeshua, and Bani, and Sherevyah, Yamin, Akuv, Shabtai, Hodiyah, Ma’aseiyah, Kelita, Azaryah, Yozavad, Chanan, Pelayah, and the Levi’im caused the people to understand the Torah; and the people stood in their place.
8 So they read from the Sefer Torat HaElohim distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
9 And Nechemyah the Tirshata, and Ezra HaKohen HaSofer, and the Levi’im that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is kadosh unto Hashem Eloheichem; mourn not, nor weep. For kol HaAm wept, when they heard the words of the Torah.
10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the choice foods, and drink the sweet things, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is kadosh unto Adoneinu; neither be ye grieving; for the chedvah (joy) of Hashem is your strength.
11 So the Levi’im calmed kol HaAm, saying, Be still, for the day is kadosh; neither be ye grieved.
12 And kol HaAm went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make simchah gedolah, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.
13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the avot of kol HaAm, the Kohanim, and the Levi’im, unto Ezra HaSofer, to understand the words of the Torah.
14 And they found written in the Torah which Hashem had commanded by Moshe, that the Bnei Yisroel should dwell in sukkot in the Chag of the seventh month,
15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their towns, and in Yerushalayim, saying, Go forth unto the hill country, and bring back olive branches, and wild olive branches, and myrtle, and palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make sukkot, as it is written.
16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves sukkot, every one upon the roof of his bais, and in their courtyards, and in the khatzerot Bais HaElohim, and in the rechov of the Water Gate, and in the rechov of the Ephrayim Gate.
17 And kol HaKahal of them that were come again out of the captivity made sukkot, and sat under the sukkot; for since the days of Yeshua ben Nun unto that day had not the Bnei Yisroel done so. And there was simchah gedolah.
18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last, he read from the Sefer Torat HaElohim. And they kept the Chag seven days; and then came Shmini Atzeret, according unto the mishpat.
9 Now in the 24th day of this month the Bnei Yisroel were assembled with a tzom, with sack-cloth, and adamah upon them.
2 And the Zera Yisroel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their chattot, and the avonot of their avot.
3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the Sefer Torat Hashem Eloheihem one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshiped Hashem Eloheihem.
4 Then stood up upon the platform, of the Levi’im, Yeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shevanyah, Bunni, Sherevyah, Bani, and Kenani, and cried with a kol gadol unto Hashem Eloheihem.
5 Then the Levi’im, Yeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Chashavneyah, Sherevyah, Hodiyah, Shevanyah, and Petachyah, said, Stand up and bless Hashem Eloheichem for ever and ever; and blessed be Shem Kevodecha, which is exalted above all brocha and tehillah.
6 Thou, even Thou, art Hashem alone; Thou hast made HaShomayim, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, ha’aretz, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the Tz’va HaShomayim worshipeth Thee.
7 Thou art Hashem HaElohim, Who didst choose Avram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur Kasdim, and gavest shmo Avraham;
8 And foundest his lev ne’eman before Thee, and madest habrit (the covenant) with him to give the eretz HaKena’ani, the Chitti, the Emori, and the Perizzi, and the Yevusi, and the Girgashi, to give it to his zera, and hast performed Thy words; for Thou art tzaddik;
9 And didst see the affliction of Avoteinu in Mitzrayim, and heardest their cry by the Yam Suf;
10 And showedst otot and mofetim upon Pharaoh, and on all his avadim, and on kol HaAm of his land; for Thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst Thou get Thee a Shem, as it is this day.
11 And Thou didst divide the yam before them, so that they went through the midst of the yam on the yabashah; and their persecutors Thou threwest into the depths, as an even (stone) into the mighty waters.
12 Moreover Thou leddest them in the day by an Ammud Anan; and in the night by an Ammud Eish, to give them ohr in the way wherein they should go.
13 Thou camest down also upon Mt Sinai, and spoke with them from Shomayim, and gavest them mishpatim yesharim, and torot emes, chukkim and mitzvot tovim;
14 And madest known unto them Thy Shabbos Kadosh, and commandedst them mitzvot, chukkim, and torah, by the yad of Moshe Thy eved;
15 And gavest them lechem from Shomayim for their hunger, and broughtest forth mayim for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess Ha’Aretz which Thou hadst sworn to give them.
16 But they and Avoteinu dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and paid heed not to Thy mitzvot,
17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of Thy wonders that Thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a rosh to return to their bondage; but Thou art Eloah Selichot, channun and rachum, slow to anger, and of great chesed, and forsookest them not.
18 Yea, when they had made them an egel massekhah, and said, This is Eloheicha that brought thee up out of Mitzrayim, or when they committed ne’atzot gedolot (great blasphemies);
19 Yet Thou in Thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the midbar; the Ammud heAnan departed not from them by day, to lead them in HaDerech; neither the Ammud HaEish by night, to show them light, and HaDerech wherein they should walk.
20 Thou gavest also Thy Ruach HaTovah to instruct them, and withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them mayim for their thirst.
21 Yea, arba’im shanah didst Thou sustain them in the midbar, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out, and their feet swelled not.
9 Do I not have cherut [in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach]? Am I not a Shliach? Have I not seen Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu? Are you not my po’al (work) in Adoneinu?
2 If to others I am not a Shliach, surely I am to you, for you are the chotam (seal) of my shlichus (Ga 2:10), in Hashem.
3 My apologetic to the ones cross-examining me is this:
4 Do I not have the privilege of eating and drinking?
5 Is the privilege not mine to take an achot b’Moshiach as isha in my travels for Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach’s avodas kodesh, just as the rest of his Shlichim do and the Achim [see p.848] of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu and Kefa?
6 Or is it only Bar-Nabba and I who are denied the privilege of not working at a parnasah?
7 Whoever heard of someone serving as a chaiyal (soldier) but having to pay his own wages for doing so? Who plants a kerem (vineyard) but does not eat the p’ri hakerem? And who serves as a ro’eh (shepherd) over a flock and of the cholov (milk) of the flock does not partake? [Devarim 20:6; Mishle 27:18]
8 Do I say this according to the dvar haBnei Adam? Or does not the Torah say these things?
9 For, in the Torah of Moshe [Rabbenu] it has been written, LO TACHSOM SHOR BEDISHO ("You shall not muzzle an ox treading grain" DEVARIM 25:4). Surely it is not for oxen that Hashem is concerned.
10 Or does he not speak altogether for our sake, and is it not for us that Hashem says this? Ken, for us, because it was written that the one plowing ought to plow on in tikvah, and the one threshing ought to partake with tikvah.
11 If we sowed spiritual things to you, is it too much if we reap in material things from you? [Ro 15:27]
12 If others over you can claim this privilege, can we not even more? But we did not make use of this privilege; we endure all things, lest any hindrance we should give to Moshiach’s Besuras HaGeulah.
13 Do you not have da’as that the kohanim serving in the Beis Hamikdash sherut (service in the Temple) eat the things of the Beis Hamikdash; the kohanim attending the Mizbe’ach (altar) have their share with the Mizbe’ach (altar)?
14 So also Moshiach Adoneinu appointed the ones proclaiming the Besuras HaGeulah to get their parnasah from the Besuras HaGeulah.
15 But I have not used any of these privileges; I did not write these things that it might be so with me; for it’s better for me rather to die than that someone deprive me of my kavod [in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Pp 1:21].
16 For if I preach the Besuras HaGeulah there is nothing for me to boast about, als (since) necessity is laid on me, for Oy Li ("Woe to me!") if I do not preach the Besuras HaGeulah [YIRMEYAH 20:9].
17 For, if I do this willingly, I have a sachar (reward), but if unwillingly, then a ne’emanut (trusteeship), a kehunah for the Besuras HaGeulah [Ro 15:16] has been entrusted to me.
18 What then is my sachar (reward)? That in preaching as a maggid of the Besuras HaGeulah, I may make the Besuras HaGeulah free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the Besuras HaGeulah.
12 Ashrei is the Goy whose Elohav is Hashem; and HaAm whom He hath chosen for His own nachalah.
13 Hashem looketh down from Shomayim: He beholdeth kol Bnei HaAdam.
14 From the place of His habitation He looketh upon kol yoshvei ha’aretz.
15 He formeth their hearts yachad; He considereth all their ma’asim (deeds).
16 There is no melech saved by the multitude of an army; a gibbor is not delivered by rav ko’ach.
17 A sus is a sheker (vain, false thing) for teshu’ah (deliverance, salvation, safety); neither shall it save any by its great strength.
18 Hinei, the eye of Hashem is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His chesed;
19 To deliver their nefesh from mavet (death), and to keep them alive in ra’av (famine).
20 Our nefesh waiteth for Hashem; He is ezrienu (our help) and moginneinu (our shield).
21 For libeinu (our heart) shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted b’Shem Kadsho (in His holy Name).
22 Let Thy chesed, Hashem, be upon us, even as we have hoped in Thee.
11 When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise, and when insight is disclosed to the chacham, he receiveth da’as.
12 The tzaddik (righteous one) wisely considereth the bais of the rashah, and hurleth the resha’im to rah.
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