Daily Tanach Sunday 23rd Adar Sefer Melachim 2 Chapter 16 Part 1: The reign of Achaz king of Judah

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 Chapter 16: The reign of Achaz

  1. The reign of Achaz:
  • The year of his reign: Achaz the son of Yotam the king of Yehuda became king in the seventeenth year of reign of Pekach the son of Remaliah.
  • His age at the time of his reign: Achaz was twenty years old when he became king.
  • The years of his reign: Achaz reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem.
  • His evil deeds: Achaz did not do what was proper in the eyes of Hashem and was unlike Dovid his father. He went in the evil ways of the kings of Israel. He had passed his son through a fire following the abominable act of idolatry [i.e. Molech[1]] of the Gentile nations who were banished from the land of Israel. He offered sacrifices and burnt incense on the Bamos and on the hills, and under every green tree.

 

  1. The war of Aram and kingdom of Israel against Achaz:
  • Placing Jerusalem under siege: Retzin the king of Aram, and Pekach the son of Remaliah the king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war. They besieged Achaz, but did not wage war against him.
  • Jews are banished from various cities: At that time, Retzin the king of Aram restored the city of Eilat back to Aram, and drove out the Judeans from Eilat, and the Edomites settled in Eilat in their stead, and they dwell there until this day.
  • Achaz sends a tribute to the king of Ashur to help him against Aram and Israel: Achaz sent messengers to Tiglas-Pileser the king of Ashur, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel who have risen against me.” Achaz then took the silver and the gold that was in the Temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent them to the king of Ashur as a bribe.
  • The king of Ashur conquers Damascus and Aram: The king of Ashur accepted the payment, and he went to wage war against Damascus and seized it and exiled its inhabitants to Kirah. He also killed Retzin the king of Aram.

[1] Metzudos Dovid 16:3

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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