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THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

such as Hanina (Johanan) b. Pappa (Gen. R. xlv. Cant. R. to ii. 14), Simoon b. Lakish (Yer. Ber. i. 2d Tan., Bereshit, ed. Buber, 15), and Johanan (Gen. R. xcviii. 5) and he also quotes his own contemporaries. Nevertheless, the assumption that he was a disciple of R. Mana II. (compare Bacher, "Ag. Pal. Amor." iii. 449, 458) is untenable, because both R. Cohen and R. Tanhuma the former a predecessor, the latter a contemporary, of R. Mana report in the name of R. Azariah, which shows that he was a predecessor of both and of R. Mana (Ruth R. to i. 19; Esther R. to i. 2). For the same reason the identification of R. Ezra with R. Azariah (Bacher, I.e. 450)

—

—

inadmissible. The two names represent two distinct persons, who flourished in different generations,

ha-Katan's (his father-in-law's) "Shulhan 'Aruk," an extract from the first volume of the Shulhan 'Aruk, Fiirth, 1696-97. Appended to this work is Azariah's short commentary on the thirteen herme-

it seems, occupied themselves with different branches of rabbinic lore (compare Ezea). R. Azariah was a versatile haggadist, to whom even single letters suggested ideas. Thus in the triliteral term "eshel" (IstJ'K = the tamarisk; which, according to Gen. xxi. 33, Abraham planted at Beersheba), Azariah discovers three important duties connected with hospitality the furnishing of the guest with meat (n^3X), with drink (imB>), and with an escort (iTl?) (Midr. Teh. ex. 1 see note in ed. Buber). According to him, the distinction conferred on the tribal princes of Ephraim and Manasseh at the consecration of the Tabernacle the former offering his gifts on the Sabbath day and the latter immediately following him was owing to the merits of their ancestor Joseph. The Lord said to Joseph "Thou hast kept inviolate the seventh commandment and the eighth commandment, in that thou hast had no dealings with Potiphar's wife and hast not stolen of Potiphar's goods, nor dishonored his house and a time will come when I shall reward thee;



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as nothing intervenes between the two commandments thou hast kept. " Therefore we find it written the prince (Num. vii. 48), " On the seventh day .

of the children of the eighth day,

Ephraim

offered, "

and

.

(ib. 54),

"

on

the prince of the children of xiv. 7; Tan., Naso, 28). The Biblical simile (Cant. ii. 3), "As the apple-tree is among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons," he thus explains (Cant. R. to I.e.): " As the apple-tree ripens its fruit only in the month of Siwan, so Israel emitted sweet savor (manifest ripeness for the reception of the Law) in the month of Siwan (Ex. xix. 1 et seg.); and as the apple-tree occupies fifty days between budding and ripening its fruit, so did Israel take fifty days between the exodus and the reception of the Torah." (Tan., ed Buber, Index; Midr. Teh., ed. Buber, Index; Pesik., .

.

Manasseh" (Num. R.

ed.

Buber, pp.

la, 2b,

28b, 39a, 42a, 50a, 51a, 61a,

99a, 1086, 1166, 125a, 1316, 139a,

166a, 1796, 1926;

Pesik. R., ed. Priedmann, Index; "Ag! Pal. Amor." iii. 458-465.)

see also Bacher,

j.

AZARIAH, Author and

M.

MENAHEM HA-KOHEN

translator;



born at Fiirth, Germany;

nourished at Amsterdam in 1727.

removed

in 1727 his "

Amsterdam,

to

Meziat Azariah

"

(Azariah's Find), a Judseo-German translation of Moses Sulzbach's " Sam Hayyim " (Tincture of Life)

—an ethical work in rimed prose, which he provided

A

with an exhaustive introduction and epilogue. second edition of this translation was published at Zolkiew, Galicia, 1795. Bibliography Benjacob, Ozar hc^Sefarim, pp. 363, 588.

i>.

M. B.

g.

AZARIAS

General in the army of Judas Maccabeus, who, together with Joseph, son of Zacharias, was left in command of the Judean army (165 b.c.) when Judas and Jonathan were absent in Gileadand Simon in Galilee. Orders had been given to Azarias to remain passive and not to engage in battle before the return of the leaders. Azarias, however, became restless upon hearing of the deeds of valor which others had performed, and went out to battle with the enemy at Jamnia'. He was nevertheless beaten back by the Syrian general Gorgias, with a loss of

two thousand men. Bibliography xii. 8, §

6



I Maccabees,

v. 18, 19, 55-62; i. 164.

Josepbus, Ant.

Scbiirer, Oeschichte,



K.

G.

AZAZ Shema

(I



A Reubenite,

Chron.

AZAZEL

father of Bela

v. 8).

(Scapegoat, Lev.

and son of G. B. L.

xvi., A. V.):

The

name

of a supernatural being mentioned in connection with the ritual of the Day of Atonement (Lev. xvi.). After Satan, for whom he was in some degree a preparation, Azazel enjoys the distinction of being the most mysterious extrahuman character in sacred literature. Unlike other Hebrew proper names, the name itself is obscure. Biblical Data In Lev. xvi. the single allusion

to

On the tenth day of Tishri Atonement Day) the high priest, after first per-

Azazel

(see

as follows:

is

forming the prescribed

sacrifices for himself and his family, presented the victims for the sins of the peoThese were a ram for a burnt offering, and two ple. young goats for a sin-offering. Having brought the at the door of the tabernacle, he goats before " and the cast lots for them, the one lot " for other " for Azazel. " The goat that fell to was slain as a sin-offering for the people. But the goat of Azazel (now usually known as the " scapegoat ") was made the subject of a more striking cer-

Yhwh

Yhwh

Yhwh

emony. The high priest laid his hands upon its head and confessed over it the sins of the people. Then the victim was handed over to a man standing ready for the purpose, and, laden as it was with these imputed sins, it was "led forth to an isolated region," and then let go in the wilderness. J. F. McC. jr. In Biblical, Apocryphal, and Rabbinical Literature The Rabbis, interpreting " Azazel " as " Azaz " (rugged), and " el" (strong), refer it to the j.



S.

sk.

later

where he published

—

when the princes of the tribes shall come to consecrate the altar, the princes descended from thy two sons will approach one after the other with their offerings, and none will intervene between them, even

He

neutic rules.

is

and,

Azariah Azazel

He edited

Eliezer

rugged and rough mountain cliff from which the goat was cast down (Yoma 676; Sifra, Ahare, ii. 2; Targ. Yer. Lev. xiv. 10, and most medieval com-