kings had initiated a rebellion but lie brought their sons as hostaires to Samaria and Jerusalem. All the latter turned from idolaters into worshipers of the Each of (iod of Israel (Tanna delie Eliyahu, i. U). his seventy so;is had an ivory jialaee built for him. Since, however, it was Ahab's idolatrous wife who was the chief instijjator of his crimes (B. .M. 59((), some of the ancient teachers gave him the same |)osition in the world to come as a sinner who had reii<iit<'d(Sanh. 104/'. Num. K. .iv). Like .Mana.s.seh, he was inadca type of repentance (I Kings, ..i. 29). Accordingly, he is described as undergoing fasts and peiumces fora long time praying thrice a day to God for forgiveness, until his jirayer was heard (I'irl<e H. El. .liii). Hence, the name of Ahab in the list of wicked kings was changed to Aha/. (Ver. Sanh.x. 28i; Tanna debe Eliyahu IJabba i.. Zutta x.iv.). K.
AHAB, SON OF KOLAIAH.— Biblical Data One
A^a
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
281
of
Ihi- lir^l
I
a pi
i
MS
(l(
porlc d liy ,Nclii( liadnezlulsc proiihct lie incurred
As a zar Ici lialiylonia. the displeasure of Jeremiah, who wrote to the e.xiles denouncing him. lie was to be " roasted in the tire " (Jer. .xxix. 21, 22) by Nebuchadnezzar. p<'rhaps for inciting the ]ieople to revolt. J. F. JUC. In Rabbinical Literature
According
to rab-
Tan,. Lev. ed. Bubcr. p. I'esik. 2.")). the false proidiet who together with Zedekiah, son of Maasey ah. wanted to lure Semiramis, the wife (or the daughter) of King Nebuchadnezzar, to sin under the pretext thai she woidd become themolher of great kings and jirophets I'onsi-iiucntly Ahab and Ze(likiah hostile to Israel. were cjist by the king inlo the furnace and " roasted binical Iraililinn (Sanh. 7; Pirke H. El. x.xxiii.
alive."
!i:if(
See BrUU's "Jahrb."
iii.
9, a. v.
AH AB AH KABBAH nai nanx. AHABAT -OLAM loi'lJJn^nN,
"'
i
and
"Susanna." K. Great Love ") "Everlasting
Lov(?"): The iinlial words, and hence the names, of the two liiiK-dictions that lireeede the Sukma' the former used In the morning service of the German ritual, the latter in the evening service of both rituals and in the morning service of the Sephardic. The dilference in the formulas goes back to the time when Hal) and Sannnl arranged (not composed, as is ofliii erroneously staled the prayers for the Babylonian schools; for we lind Samuel insisting on that of Aliabah Habbah, against the general lannailic tnidition, whi<h favored the Ahabat 'Olani formula, claiming that the Ahabah Habbah was lh<> i)niyer recited by the jiriesls in the Teniide at the morning service after the lyider's call, 1313, and bifore the deealogiu' and the Siiema' (Ber. ll/<. According to Tos. Ber. 1 l/i, Ahabah KabMid V. 1 bah was the formula adopted for the morning service, Ahaliat 'Olam for the evening. Thus it is also found in Ihi' Siddurof Amram Gaon but the Mahzor Vilry, following the Sephardic ritual and the (ieoniin, has Ahabat 'Olam also for the morning. The jdiraseology of the latter seemed prefimble, it being more in accord with the Bililical verse (.ler. xxxi. .'il.as pointed out in Bit. W»; still, to distinguish the evening from the niornin!,' prayer, the (ierman rilind adhered to Ahabali Halibah. The beneiliclion itsilf. like- Yozer Or, the one that precedes it, is very old anil probably dates from the time of the institution of the Sliema' by the founders of the Syiaigoguc' (the men of the Great Svnagogue), Yo?.er Orbeini.' the thanksgiving for the iighl of the day. Ahabah Hidibali thi' tjiankspiving for the spicial iovi' of (iod lor Israel, mani fested in the liirlit of Hevelation (ToniliV Asher of Lunel, (pioled by " Kol Bo." viii.and by Abudraham, says: "The sun gives light only in the daytime, the Tondi by day and by night; as Ps. .ix. iinii.sis Go<l
I
).
Shila b. Zeira
b.
Ahabab
for the sun and then for the Torah which enlightens the nnnd, so should we also give praise in these two benedictions." Compare Philo, "De Vita first
Contemplativa" (On a Contemplative gey,
ii.
Man-
Life), ed.
475:
" They [the TherapcuUp] are accustomod to pray twice every day at inorninc. wlifii the sun rls(-s. Itiey pray (e (icid ft>r the day tit traehu|'|>iiu'>.s. iKM-au.se thelr minds art* Illl'ed wiUi the Hvlii of lieaven and at sutisel they pray tliat thi'irsuul. l>elntf altotfcther ll^rliteiied ami relleveii of the burden of the .senses and oidward thinirs. Ije all tin- more able to trace out truth lu Its own resort and iduucll-chauil)er."
There isa strain of profound love and zeal for God and the Law echoed in the benediction, which could only emanate fmui souls the very keynote of whose life is love and piety, such as was that of the ancient Ilasidim. lheKssenes(Hapoport,"Bikkiircha-lltim," x., on Kalir, 119). But, as is the case with all the pray(^rs, inilividuals and geniTations occasionally added a word ora sentence, and the sixty-two words which Ziinz ("(!. V." ]). ii(J9) claims for the original Ahabah Habliah were increased to one Imndred and two in the German, one hundred and forty-one in the Sephardic .Siddur, and one hundred and forty two in the Mahzor Vitry. A Genizah fragment from Cairo (Egypt), reproduced here, contains the Ahabah Rjibbah version, which has some (Jernian and some Sephardic features, and aggregates one humired and
The following
seventeen words. the
main benediction, the
is
a translation of being
later iutcrpoluliuus
omitted: Moii.NiNO BENEniCTION: "With ahoundinK [Sepharrlle ritual: "with everlasting"] love, hast Thou loved us, c) l.ord oiu(iod [Jit. xxxi. S]. With (Treat and i'xreiilim;com)ias.sion hast Thou taken I'ompassion on ns [i-oiupare Isa. 1x111. y]. our Father, our Klnc, (or the sake of our (atliiTs who tnisted in Thee and whom Thou tauKhte.st In- statutes of life, be (.Taelous unto us, and U' Thou also our teaeher. Knll^rhten our eyes In Thy law, and mako our hearts eli'ave to Thy eommandments render our hearts one that we may love and fear Thy name, and not be ashamed. For In Thy holy name wi* tmst we n'Joli-e and exult in Thy salvation, kor Thou art the (iwl who worketh salvation, ami Thou hast eliosen us from all fxsiples and tonffues and bnicarht us nlsrh unto Thy (treat name (Si-lah) In truth, (bat we ylve jiral.se unto Thee and pru-laiin Thy unity In love. Blessed art Thou. I) IxTd. who hast i-tioseii Thy people Israel Id love" [compari' the high priest's benedietlon, Yoma, vii. 1, Itashl and Asherl]. I
EvKxixii BE.NKnicTiox [probably of later ori(rtn. as shown by dllTerence In style, and iaek of rhythm] : " With evi-rlastinK love hiust Th.m loved the house of Isniel Thy iHiiple; the Ijiw and the Comiiianilnients, the statutes and orilinane»*s ha.st Thou Therefoiv, (I I^ird our (loil, when we lieilttwn and tau(;ht us. when we rise up. we will meilUate on Thy statutes and n-Joii*© In the words of Thy law aial In Thy eonmuuidiueiits foi>'ver. For (hey are our life and (he lenjjth of our days : and on them we shall meditate day and niifht. Let not, therefore. Thy love ever full us. Blessed ait I'hou, o Loid, who lovest Thy juxiplo (lie
ismel." Bini.iDiiiiAriiY t Ilertzfelil. (IikcIi. (I.Viilhfs Israrl. II. llVi Si'litur. pp. so. KM. |{i«'delllelm. ls«is; Ijuulshnlh, L: h. |i. (1
Bacr,
llmwn
1
o
I.
{iiiil
111
II
iiiiiiiii;
iii:^
iiiiiM
I
- i
lllt"
time Ababa Imnsndtted the |>iiternal llalakot to hi.4 colleagues ( r.r. v>. u. ii. loc). colleagms ('Er. 91^.. H. II. ;t(l/.). Jie He is also favorlavorablv known in midrashic lilemlure. Comnienling on I's. xxviii. ;!, he lioints out it clmnicterislic difference between Josi-l>h's brtdhers and Absjiloni. He lie remarks thai the good i|Unlities of the sons of Isme •ii.i,- 1... gathered r,..,,,i 111., >>,i>f i.xt j.r ill. .if r.>>>itd .r,i i,.>f-,.,i froiii the mention of llieir faults. may be Thus, it is said of them ((!eii. xxxvii. 4). "And they hated him jjosephl. iinil could not speak peaceably unto hull." which shows that what they felt in their hearts they expie.s.seil with llieir niouihs. Of I
/
