Aidiladha : 亚伯拉罕 的 献祭

Aidiladha 音译为献祭节、也称哈芝节 ( Hari Raya Haji ) 、古尔邦节 ( Hari Raya Korban )， 是伊斯兰教的重要节日。落于回历每年的12 月10 日（ Zulhijjah / Dhu al-Hijjah ) 。

该节日是为了纪念亚伯拉罕 （ Ibrahim / Abraham ) 向真主阿拉 ( Allah ) 献祭爱子以实玛利 ( Ismail / Ishmael )，以示顺服。

亚伯拉罕老年得子。纵然家财万贯，却无子续后。眼见自己一天一天老去，爱妻亦已断经多年，老亚伯拉罕却不死心。于是纳了妻子女仆夏甲为妾。果然宝刀未老，夏甲给他生了一个儿子，名以实玛利。老亚伯拉罕视以实玛利为心肝宝贝。

岂知真主阿拉却命令老亚伯拉罕把以实玛利当祭品献上。老亚伯拉罕和幼子以实玛利也十分顺服阿拉。当亚伯拉罕举刀割以实玛利的喉咙之时，以实玛利几乎有金钟护身，刀枪不入，伤他不得。又有公羊陷在树丛里，动弹不得，便捉来献祭，成了代罪羔羊。

以实玛利是亚伯拉罕的至宝，可是还不至于大过他对阿拉的顺服。

The Sacrifice of Isaac, Rembrandt, 1635

什么是排在我们生命中的第一位？

什么是我们的至宝？生命？妻儿？财富？

什么是我们的至爱？自己？父母？娇妻？独子？

什么是我们千方百计要得到的？青春？健康？名牌？名声？

什么是我们老年的保障？金钱？孩子？保险？

什么是和我们影不离身的？偶像剧？电玩？

什么是我们活着的能源？烟？酒？毒？性？

什么是我们活着的目的？旅游？美食？

什么是我们放不下的？那一口气？那一份执著？

当亚伯拉罕选择顺服阿拉，把爱子献上为祭时，已顺利通过真主阿拉得试验了。亚伯拉罕选择真主阿拉为他的生活的供应者、患难中的依靠、 生命的主宰、永生的盼望。

Kalimah Allah : Court of Appeal's Judgement

Jacob's Ladder (disambiguation)

10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”  16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”  18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.  Genesis 28 ( New International Version )

10 雅各出了别是巴，向哈兰走去。 11到了一个地方，因为太阳落了，就在那里住宿，便拾起那地方的一块石头枕在头下，在那里躺卧睡了。 12梦见一个梯子立在地上，梯子的头顶着天，有神的使者在梯子上上去下来（或作：站在他旁边。） 13和华站在梯子以上，说：“我是耶和华你祖亚伯拉罕的神，也是以撒的神，我要将你现在所躺卧之地赐给你和你的后裔。 14你的后裔必像地上的尘沙那样多，必向东西南北开展。地上万族必因你和你的后裔得福。 15我也与你同在，你无论往哪里去，我必保佑你，领你归回这地，总不离弃你，直到我成全了向你所应许的。” 16雅各睡醒了，说：“耶和华真在这里，我竟不知道！” 17就惧怕，说：“这地方何等可畏！这不是别的，乃是神的殿，也是天的门。” 18雅各清早起来，把所枕的石头立做柱子，浇油在上面。 19他就给那地方起名叫伯特利，但那地方起先名叫路斯。 创世记 28 ( 和合本 )

Jacob’s Ladder is a ladder to heaven that the biblical Jacob dreams about during his flight from his brother Esau. 

Jacob’s Ladder may also refer to many things, among them are :

· Gholtage travelling arc, a device for producing a continuous train of large sparks.

· Crepuscular rays, rays of sunlight that appear to radiate through gaps in clouds etc.

· Polemonium , a genus of flowering plants.

· Rope ladder, specialized ladder used at sea.

· a Rope course

· an Exercise equipment

· a type of pocket knife

· a quilt block pattern

· a String figure pattern

· a Folk toy, consisting of blocks of woods held together by strings

· Short ribs in the UK

· a non-compact surface in mathematics

Tares = Lolium temulentum

稗子的比喻 ( 和合本 CUV )

²⁴耶稣又设个比喻对他们说：“天国好像人撒好种在田里，²⁵及至人睡觉的时候，有仇敌来，将稗子撒在麦子里就走了。²⁶到长苗吐穗的时候，稗子也显出来。²⁷田主的仆人来告诉他说：‘主啊，你不是撒好种在田里吗？从哪里来的稗子呢？’²⁸主人说：‘这是仇敌做的。’仆人说：‘你要我们去薅出来吗？’²⁹主人说：‘不必，恐怕薅稗子，连麦子也拔出来。³⁰容这两样一齐长，等着收割。当收割的时候，我要对收割的人说：先将稗子薅出来，捆成捆，留着烧，唯有麦子要收在仓里。’”

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares ( NKJV)

²⁴ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵ but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. ²⁶ But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. ²⁷ So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Tares was translated from Greek word ζιζάνια (zizania), plural of ζιζάνιον (zizanion).  The word is thought to mean darnel ( Lolium temulentum ), a ryegrass which looks much like wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) in its early stages of growth.   The similarity between the two plants is so great that darnel is referred to as “false wheat” in some region.

The recognizable differences are apparent when the ear appears.  The spikes of darnel are more slender, with single glume, and black in colour.  Whilst the wheal will have fuller spikes, with double glume, and appear brown when ripe. 

The darnel can be infected by a fungus of the genus Neoryphodium, which will produce poison which is intoxicated and can be fatal.  Thus it is logical to sabotage the enemies’ wheat field by sowing darnel.   

  Triticum aestivum

                                                                                        

Lolium temulentum 

Jesus vs Confusius

孔子曰 ：

仲弓问仁。子曰：“出门如见大宾，使民如承大祭。己所不欲，勿施于人。在邦无怨，在家无怨。”仲弓曰：“雍虽不敏，请事斯语矣！”

《论语·颜渊篇》

 ( 仲弓问孔子如何处世才能合乎仁道？孔子回答道：“出门与同仁行礼如见贵客一般，对民如大祭一样凝重，自己不喜欢的事不要强加给别人。如此在朝上就不会招谁怨，在家中私下的交往也不招谁恨”仲弓感谢道：“我虽迟钝，但一定要牢记先生的话。”)

子贡问曰：‘有一言而可以终生行之者乎？’ 。子曰：‘其恕乎。己所不欲，勿施于人。”

《论语·卫灵公》

 (子贡问孔子：‘有一句可以终身奉行的话吗？’孔子说：‘那应该是恕吧。自己不想做的事，切勿强加给别人。’)

耶稣说：

你們願意人怎樣待你們，你們也要怎樣待人，這是律法和先知的總綱。

马太福音 7:12 ( 新译本CNV )

Israel - A Brief History : Modern Era

World War I

1914, July 28^th – WW I began.

1914 – Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers in WW I.

1918, November 11^th – WW I ended.

1920, August 10^th – Treaty of Sèvres signed between the Ottoman Empire and Allies.  Palestine placed under British mandate.

British Mandate

1917-1918 – During WWI, Palestine was governed by Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (OETA)

1920, July 1^st – Palestine governed under a civil administration

1923, September 29^th – British Mandate for Palestine came into effect.  The Mandate includes Palestine and Transjordan.

1946, May 25^th – Transjordan gain independence.   Officially called Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

1948, May 14^th – British Mandate ended

United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine

1947, November 29^th  - United Nations General Assembly recommended the adoption and implementation of the partition plan of Mandatory Palestine.

The United Nation Partition Plan for Palestine would, after the termination of the British Mandate, lead to the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and the Special International Regime for the city of Jerusalem.  The Plan sought to address the conflicting objectives and claims of two competing movements : Arab nationalism and Jewish nationalism.

It was accepted by the Jewish  but rejected by leaders of the Arabs.

1947, November 30^th – Civil War started between Arabs and Jewish.

Independent State of Israel

1948, May 14^th – Declaration of Independence of State of Israel.

1948, May 15^th – First Arab-Israel War began with invasion of Arab States

1949 – Armistice Agreements signed between Israel and Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

The Armistice Agreements saw Israel had control of Galilee, Jezreel, Negev, West Jerusalem and the Costal Plain.  The Gaza Strip and West Bank were occupied by Egypt and Jordan respectively.

1949, May 11^th – Israel admitted as a member of the UN.

1967, June 5^th  – Third Arab-Israel War (Six-Day War) began with Israel bombing Egyptian air-fields.

Israel took control of West Bank (from Jordan), Gaza Strip (from Egypt), East Jerusalem, Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsular.

West Bank remained under military occupation.  Gaza Strip remained independent of Israel.  Golan Heights and East Jerusalem occupied by Israel.  Sinai Peninsular has returned to Egypt in 1979 as part of Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.

Today

Today’s State of Israel is divided into 6 administrative districts : Northern, Haifa, Center, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Southern.   Districts are further divided into 15 sub-districts.

East Jerusalem and Golan Heights considered part of Israel territory.  East Jerusalem has been included in the Jerusalem District as of 1967.  Golan Heights aligned into Northern District.

West Bank and Gaza Strip remained Israeli-occupied territories.  Israel control the airspace, territorial waters and border crossings.  Administration is under Palestinian Authority. 

Israel - A Brief History : Classical Period

Hasmonean Dynasty

538 BC - Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered the Babylon and took over its empire.  The Achaemenid Empire spanned from Asia to Africa and Europe. 

538–518 BC - Israelites were allowed to return to Judah and rebuilt the Temple ( Ezra 1:1-4 ; 6:13-18).

456 BC - a second group led by Ezra and Nehemiah returned.

334 BC - Alexander the Great defeated the Persian and conquered the empire.  After the death of Alexander, his generals divided the empire among themselves.  Judah became part of the Seleucid Empire.

Maccabees Revolt

During the 2^nd century BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes ruler of the Seleucid Empire pursued a zealous Hellenizing policy.  Jewish religious practices were forbidden.  Mattathias , a rural Jewish priest from Modiin, Mattathias the Hasmonean killed a Hellenistic Jew who offered a sacrifice to an idol.  Then Mattathias and his five sons then fled to wilderness of Judah.

After Mattathias death, his son Judas Maccabee led guerrilla attacks against Seleucid army.  Jerusalem was recaptured and the Temple cleansed.  The celebratory festival of Hanukkah instituted.  ( 1 Maccabees ;  2 Maccabees ; The Wars of the Jews )

160 BC - Judas died in a battle.  His brother Jonathan succeeded as army commander and High Priest. 

Autonomy

142 BC - Jonathan was assassinated, and was succeeded by Simon.  Simon came to terms with Demitrius II Necator, the Seleucid king.  Maccabees won autonomy, yet the region remained a province of the Seleucid Empire.  Simon led the people in peace and prosperity, until he was assassinated. 

129 BC - Judea was freed from Seleucid rule on the death of Antiochus VII Sidetes, the last Seleucid king. 

63 BC - Judea became a protectorate of Roman Empire, coming under the administration of a governor.  Judea was allowed a king.

Herodian Dynasty

During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus conquered Madaba, Sehechum, Transjordan, Samaria, Galilee and Idumea ( Edom ).  Edomites were forced to convert to Judaism.  The Edomites were gradually integrated into the Judean nation, and some of them reach high ranking positions.

During the time of Hasmonean ruler Alexander Jannaeus, Edomite Antipas was appointed governor of Edom.  Antipas’ son,  Antipater was the chief adviser to Hasmonean ruler Hyrcanus II.

47 BC - Julius Caesar appointed Antipater as procurator of Judea.  Antipater’s sons, Phasael and Herold as governors of Jerusalem and Galilee respectively.

40 BC - Herod made king of the Jews by the Roman Senate.

19 BC - Herod commissioned expansion of the Temple.

4 BC - Herod the Great died.  Judea made a Roman province.  Judea was divided among his three sons.  Herod Archelaus ruled Judea, Edom and Samaria.  Herold Philip I ruled Decapolis. Trachonitis and Iturea.  Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea.

6 AD - Judea made a Roman province.

34 AD - Agrippa I ruled Galilee and Perea.  In 41 AD Judea added to his rule.

70 AD - Herod’s Temple destroyed by Roman troops during the Seige of Jerusalem, ending the Great Jewish Revolt.

92 AC - Herodian Dynasty ended.  Judea fully incorporated into Roman province.

Roman Imperial

131 AD - Roman emperor Hadrian renamed Jerusalem “Aelia Capitolina”, Judea renamed “Palaestina”

285 AD - Roman emperor Diocletian divided the Roman Empire’s administration into eastern and western halves.

324 AD - Roman emperor Constantine I transferred the eastern capital from Nicomedia to Constantinople.

395 AD - following the death of Roman emperor Theodosius I, Roman Empire divided politically

476 AD - fall of Western Roman Empire.

Byzantine Empire

480 AD - Western Empire emperor Zeno separated himself from Roman Empire.

614 AD, Jerusalem conquered by Persian, Jews were left to self-govern.

617 AD, Byzatine recaptured Jerusalem, Judaism banned, Jews fled to Baltic.

Arab Caliphs

636 AD - Palestine conquered by the Arab

691 AD - Dome of the Rock constructed on Temple Mount.

705 AD - Al-Aqsa Mosquue constructed on Temple Mount.

Crusader States Vs Ayyubid Dynasty

1071 AD - Muslims of Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantine army in Manzikert. Byzantine emperor Alexis I plead Pope Urban II of Roman Catholic in Rome to the aid to free Jerusalem from Muslim rule.

Crusader states were created in the Levant during the crusades :

1098–1149 : County of Edessa

1098–1268 : Principality of Antioch

1099–1291 : Kingdom of Jerusalem

1104–1289 : County of Tripoli

1187 - Egyptian Muslims of Ayyubid Dynasty concurred Jerusalem.

1193 - civil war within Ayyubid Dynasty

1250 - Mamluk overthrew Ayyubid Dynasty in Egypt

1260 - Mongols overthrew Ayyubid Dynasty in Aleppo

1341 - fall of Ayyubid Dynasty

Mamluk Dynasties

1260 - Mamluk Sultan Qutuz defeated Mongols in Battle of Ain Jalut, conquered Palestine

1291 - Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil conquered Acre, capital of Kingdom of Jerusalem

Ottoman

1516 - Turkish Ottoman Empire Sultan Selim II conquered Palestine

1799 – Napoleon briefly occupied Palestine

1878 – First modern Jewish settlement founded in Petah Tikva.

Large scare return of Jew from the diaspora back to Israel began in 1882.

1882-1903 : First Aliyah – 35,000 Jews returned

1904-1914 : Second Aliyah – 40,000 Jews returned

1919-1923 : Third Aliyah – 40,000 Jews returned

1924-1929 : Fourth Aliyah – 82,000 Jews returned

1929-1939 : Fifth Aliyah – 250,000 Jews returned

1909 – First Hebrew-speakng city, Ahuzat Bayit ( later Tel Aviv ) established.