Mizraim

“ They have met (could Elysian give landscape more fair?) , have met to embrace and to die.
The Prophet still lives, and has led to the sun all Egypt; and gathered as one
The people to hallow the harvest-moon feast, ere the work of the year is done.
But Mizraim outnumbers the children of Lud, and the shepherd kings, crafty and weak,
Have laid tasks on their shoulders too heavy to bear, till the voice of their burden must speak.
In vain the gray Prophet lifts up to his god his winglet of prayer for peace;
The tempest of war has broke over the plain, and his altars can bring no surcease. ”

“ Moses does not always give the name of the first settler in a country, but rather that of the people from whom the country afterwards derived its name. Thus Mizraim is the dual of Mezer, and could never be the name of an individual. The like may be said of Kittim, Dodanim, Ludim, Ananim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim, Philistim, and Caphtorim, which are all plurals, and evidently not the names of individuals, but of families or tribes. ”

“ We learn from scripture, that Ham had four sons, Chus, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan, Gen. x. 5, 6. Canaan occupied Palestine, and the country called by his name: Mizraim, Egypt: but Phut passed deep into Africa, and, I believe, most of the nations in that part of the world are descended from him; at least more than from any other person. ”

“ And again, "Mizraim is allowed to be the same with Menes, whom all historians declare to be the first king of Egypt." The ancient name remains to this day among the Arabians, who call Egypt, Mesre. Although M. Basnage has ventured to express the opinion that Mizraim was never in Egypt, yet are his footprints too legible not to be deciphered.
(C.) As to the posterity of Phut settling in Africa, the evidence in Scripture is, that he is invariably joined with his brethren, the Cushites. Jeremiah xlvi. 9, says, "Cush and Phut that handle the shield." ”

“ On the whole, the question must be left open, and with it both the problem of the extension of the name Muṣri and Mizraim outside Egypt in the Assyrian and Hebrew records of this period and the true historical background of a number of the Isaianic prophecies. It is quite possible that later events which belong to the time of the Egyptian supremacy and the wars of Esarhaddon have been confused with the history of Sennacherib’s invasion. ”

“ The Society will have work to do in the domains of science and politics, for the founding of a Jewish State, as I conceive it, presupposes the application of scientific methods. We cannot journey out of Mizraim today in the primitive fashion of ancient times. We shall previously obtain an accurate account of our number and strength. The Society will be the new Moses of the Jews. The undertaking of that great and ancient gestor of the Jews in primitive days bears much the same relation to ours that an old opera bears to a modern one. ”

“ It is equally difficult to determine whether Tirhakah actually appeared on the scene in 701, and the precise application of the term Muṣri (Mizraim) is much debated. Unless the two narratives are duplicates of the same event, it may be urged that Sennacherib’s attack upon Arabia (apparently about 689) involved an invasion of Judah, by which time Egypt was in a position to be of material assistance (cf. Isa. xxx. 1-5, xxxi. 1-3?) ”

“ At the same time, God caused the earth to exhale and send aloft a healing fragrance, which cured them of all their diseases. [240]
The exodus of the Israelites began at Raamses, and although the distance from there to the city of Mizraim, where Moses abode, was a forty days' journey, yet they heard the voice of their leader urging them to leave the land. They covered the distance from Raamses to Succoth, a three days' march, in an instant. ”

“ They are built of lime and stone, and are exceedingly strong [191] . A pillar is there of marvellous workmanship, the like of which cannot be seen throughout the world.
Outside the city is the ancient synagogue of Moses our master, of blessed memory, and the overseer and clerk of this place of worship is a venerable old man; he is a man of learning, and they call him Al Sheik Abu al-Nazr [192] . The extent of Mizraim, which is in ruins, is three miles. Thence to the land of Goshen is eight parasangs; here is Bilbais [193] .p.103 There are about 300 Jews in the city, which is a large one. ”

“ The banks of these four arms are lined on both sides with cities, towns, and villages; and are enlivened by numerous travellers who journey both by river and by land. In fact, upon the whole earth there is no country so populous and well cultivated as Egypt, which is of ample territory and full of all sorts of good things.
From New to Old Mizraim is a distance of two parasangs. The latter lies in ruins, but the sites of the walls and the houses may still be traced at this day, as also the granaries of Joseph, of which there is a large number. ”

“ It seems as if God, foreseeing the slander that would, in after ages, be put, or attempted to be put, on his son Ham, by ignorant or designing men attempting to show that he was the progenitor of the negro race, directed Mizraim, the second son of Ham, by an interposition of his power and providence, or by direct inspiration, to put away his dead, by a process of embalming, the details of which, for the accomplishment of the object, can be regarded as little, if anything, short of being miraculous ”

“ Mizra, ruler of Bagdad.”
The two storks looked at each other and the Caliph said—“Can you not guess now why we have been thus bewitched? Mizra is the son of my deadly enemy, the powerful magician Kaschnur, who once in an evil moment swore revenge against me. But we will not despair; come, my faithful comrade, we will seek the grave of our great prophet, and perchance in that holy spot we shall be freed from the enchantment.” ”

“ Now when it was mid-afternoon behold, the Jew came to the Synagogue and found a bonfire and all the furniture thereof lying in ashes and when he saw this he buffeted his face and cried, “Wherefore, O Moslem, hast thou done on such wise?” Replied the youth, “Thou hast defrauded me, O Master,” and rejoined the Jew, “I have not cheated thee of aught. However, O Moslem, hie thee home and bid thy mistress slaughter a meat-offering and cook it and do thou bring it hither forthright.” “’Tis well, O my Master,” said the Prince. ”

“ From the past activity of the Mizrachi it is now certain that their propaganda is not detrimental to the interests of Zionism—that on the contrary their principal aims, such as the fostering of belief in the laws of our forefathers, the maintenance of ancient rites and customs, and the revival of the Hebrew language, are such as to obtain for them continually new supporters among strictly orthodox Jews.
Among a number of books written to explain the standpoint of the Mizrachi, there should be mentioned Zionism from the Standpoint of Orthodoxy (1904) , by Rabbi Dr. Roth of Papa (Hungary) ”

“ Being well balanced, the Mizrak is a highly efficient weapon for throwing in hunting, and by its handsome appearance adds not a little to the bearer's dignity. But the stranger must be careful how he so arms himself. Unless he be undistinguishable from a Badawi, by carrying a weapon peculiar to certain clans, he will expose himself to suspicion, or to laughter. And to offend an Arab of Al-Hijaz mortally, you have only to say bluntly, "Sell me thy spear." ”

“ Your Moses (through the lips of Aaron his brother) bids us prepare for many calamities, and at Nature’s door he lays them all! wind, rain, hail, a devouring insect horde, and then, if we hold Israel still, the grim [Pg 85] spectre called Death will make a gleaning of Mizram’s first born.”
“All this have I heard from the Queen, my lord,” replied Miriam quietly. “And it will surely befall, as he has said, and, when it is accomplished, and Israel goes out, you will be the King.” The Prince drew nearer to Miriam. “And where wilt thou be in that day?” ”

“ On each side of the Mihrab are two columns of greater beauty than the rest, and in the central aisle in front of it are three more on each side, with smaller ones between, regarding which the Arabs have a superstition that only those whose salvation is assured are able to pass between them. Any person in mortal sin, whatever be his stature, however stout or however thin, would certainly find himself unable to squeeze through. ”

“ After the fifth Zionist Congress, where a lively debate took place on the question of national Judaism on a religious basis, the desire arose among those Zionists who maintained orthodox views on religious questions to organize themselves for common purposes. The object of the Mizrachi is therefore of a cultured and not a political character. It strives to champion, within Zionism, by means of a sound organization, the standpoint of orthodox religious belief, and further, to show clearly that a conservative tendency in religious matters can go side by side with national aspirations. ”

“ Al-Misrayn was the title of Basrah and Kufah the two military cantonments founded by Caliph Omar on the frontier of conquering Arabia and conquered Persia. Hence “Tamsír” = founding such posts, which were planted in Mesopotamia, Syria and Egypt. In these camps were stationed the veterans who had fought under Mohammed; but the spoils of the East soon changed them to splendid cities where luxury and learning flourished side by side. Sprenger (Al-Mas’údi pp. 19, 177) compares them ecclesiastically with the primitive Christian Churches such as Jerusalem, Alexandria and Antioch. ”

“ Let us raise up the ruin of our people
And let us fight for our people and the sanctuary;
So they gathered together and came to Mizpeh, opposite Jerusalem; for in Mizpeh there was a place of prayer for Israel. And they fasted that day, and put sackcloth and ashes on their heads and tore their clothes, and spread out the book of the law—one of those in which the heathen had been painting images of their idols. And they brought the priests' garments with the first-fruits, and the tithes, and they cut the hair of the Nazirites who had accomplished their days. ”

“ IT has been very generally believed among the Jews, that when God gave to Moses the written law, He gave him also another, not written; and that this was preserved by tradition among the doctors of the synagogue, until rabbi Judah, surnamed the Holy, collected these traditions together, and (150 B. C.) reduced them to writing. The collection thus formed received the name of Mishna, or Second Law. After a while, commentaries were written on the Mishna, and amongst these, that of rabbi 290
Johanas, composed about 230 A. D., and bearing the name of Gemara, or Completion, was the most celebrated. ”

“ The building itself is divided by columns into a nave and aisles, and the floor covered with carpets. Four mihrabs, or apses, for prayer, are made in the south wall, belonging to various sects, and each is flanked by tall wax torches from Mecca. A long row of worshippers stood before the central mihrab—soldiers and civilians,{126} old and young, facing the wall and praying together, led by a Sheikh with a melodious voice.
An old water-carrier brought us sweet water from the holy well of the Prophet Yahyah (John the Baptist) , to the east of the mosque. The whole sanctuary is whitewashed ”

“ In Arabia, the traveller may wear, if he pleases, slippers, but they are considered townsman-like and effeminate. They must be of the usual colours, red or yellow. Black shoes, though almost universally worn by the Turks at Cairo and Constantinople, would most probably excite suspicion in Al-Hijaz. [FN#25] The Mizrak, as it is called, is peculiar to certain tribes, as the Karashi and the Lahyami, and some, like the Hudayli near Meccah, make very pretty as well as very useful darts. The head is 15 or 16 inches long, nowhere broader than an inch, and tapering gradually to a fine point ”

“ The amount of settlement being, among Moslems as among Christians, the test of a bride's value,-moral and physical,-it will readily be understood that our demand was more facetious than complimentary. [FN#21] The term Misriyah (an Egyptian woman) means in Al-Hijaz and the countries about it, a depraved character. Even the men own unwillingly to being Egyptians, for the free-born never forget that the banks of the Nile have for centuries been ruled by the slaves of slaves. ”

“ Syria, with Israel, hath purposed evil against thee, saying, 'Let us go up against Judah and distress it and overpower it and appoint the son of Tabeal king in its midst.' But thus saith the Lord God: It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass, for, the head of Syria is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin, and the head of Israel is Samaria and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. Verily, if you will not hold fast, ye shall not stand fast. ”

“ And similarly afterwards when he wanted to seize all of Yisrael in exile, it is written, "Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply... and fight against us, and go up from the land" [Ex. 1:10] , for the Evil Kingship sees from afar that their end is to be cut off, therefore they devise thoughts what to do to the king's daughter, which are Yisrael as a whole, until finally she fled from him, the aspect of, "And it was told to the king of Mitzrayim that the people were fled" [Ex. 14:5] . ”

“ THE SECRET OF ISMAIL I MUSTAPHA MIRZA knew it—Mustapha Mirza, the blind Persian who makes shoes hard by the Bâb ez-Zuwêla and in the very shadow of the minarets of Muayyâd; Hassan es-Sîwa of the Street of the Carpet-sellers in the Mûski, Hassan, who, where another man has hands, has but hideous stumps, knew it, and because of him it was that Abdûl Moharli sought it—Abdûl the mendicant who crouches on the steps of the Blue Mosque muttering, guttural, inarticulate, and pointing to the tongueless cavity of his mouth. ”