Daily Tanach Monday 24th Adar Sefer Melachim 2 Chapter 16 Part 2: The reign of Achaz king of Judah

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* The article below is an excerpt from the above Sefer
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  1. Achaz builds a second altar in the Temple:
  • King Achaz traveled to Damascus to meet with Tiglas-Pileser the king of Ashur. During his visitation he saw a most beautifully designed altar that was in Damascus, and King Achaz desired to make a replica of it in Jerusalem. He thus sent Uriah the priest on a mission back to Jerusalem for him to build an exact replica of the altar in the temple prior to him arriving back to Jerusalem. Uriah the priest did as he was instructed, and he built the altar as per the instructions of King Achaz, prior to Achaz returning to Jerusalem.
  • Achaz offers sacrifices on the new altar: When Achaz returned from Damascus and saw the new altar, he approached the altar and offered sacrifices on it, including an Olah, and Mincha and Nesachim, and he sprinkled the blood of his Shelamim offering on the altar.
  • The position of the altar: The copper altar that was in front of the Heichal, was moved from there to the side of the altar in the north, and the new altar replaced it in front of the Heichal.
  • The king instructs for all offerings to be given on the new altar: King Achaz instructed Uriah the priest to bring all the offerings onto the new altar, including the daily Olah offering and Mincha, and the offerings of the king, and all the offerings of the people of the land, including their libations and the blood of every sacrifice shall be sprinkled on it. The old copper altar shall only be used by me on occasion when I decide. Uriah the priest followed all the instructions that King Achaz had commanded him.
  • Achaz makes structural changes to the temple: King Achaz cut off the foundations of the sinks, and he removed the tank off the copper cattle that was under it, and put it on a stone floor. The Shabbos canopy that they built in the Azarah for shade and the king’s outside entrance were hidden in the temple due to fear that the king of Ashur would seize it.
  • His Chronicles: The remainder of the deeds of Achaz are written in the book of chronicles of the kings of Yehuda.
  • Achaz dies and is buried: Achaz died and was buried with his ancestors in the city of Dovid.
  • His successor: Chizkiyahu, the son of Achaz, reigned in his stead.

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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